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October 2005
Lawmakers Likely to Ease Ohio’s Wine-Shipping Laws
It appears wine may be flowing more freely into Ohio soon — and legally.
Back in May, I cautioned wine consumers — at least, those who wanted to order wine from outside Ohio and ship it into the state — to think twice before popping their corks …
…in celebration of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that at first blush appeared to pave the way for just that type of wine transaction.
“In the end, the decision could mean more restrictions on direct shipping of wine than those that Ohioans currently face,� I wrote at the time.
That’s because the 5-4 ruling didn’t really approve interstate shipping. It simply said states couldn’t treat out-of-state wineries differently from in-state wineries, which in Ohio have long had the ability to sell and ship wine inside Ohio.
At the time, a coalition that included Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the companies that distribute wine on the wholesale level (and which stand to “lose� money whenever an Ohioan buys wine online) made noises about proposing legislation that would restrict shipping for everybody, raising the red-herring argument that online wine purchasing would lead to teen-agers buying alcohol online.
This battle is raging in Michigan, where lobbyists for a group calling itself Point Click Drink are trying to whip this issue into a frenzy with “helps us protect our children� e-mails citing surveys that show — gasp! — that teen-agers spend a lot of time online, and buy things online, too.
Earth to panic-pushers: teen-agers looking to score alcohol are not going to get online, order a case of fine cabernet sauvignon from a boutique winery in California, wait a week for it to arrive on the doorstep, gamble that they’ll be the only one home when it does arrive, convince the delivery driver that they’re legal adults and can sign for the beverage, then call all their buddies, pull corks and start swirling, sniffing and sipping. The argument is bogus.
And the folks in charge in Columbus apparently see right through the spin and the hype.
State Rep. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, is speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives and is at the moment one of the most — if not THE most, given recent events involving state office holders Columbus — influential policy makers in the state. And Husted told me in a phone interview that he and fellow legislators are leaning towards a less restrictive shipping system.
“We’re looking at legislation that would open it up,� Husted said, so out-of-state as well as in-state wineries can ship their products to Ohioans. Husted wants the wine to be clearly packaged as alcoholic beverages, and he wants shippers to ensure minors won’t be taking shipment of alcohol. And he wants to make sure Ohio collects appropriate taxes on all of the transactions.
Most importantly, Husted said he knows of no legislation being prepared to take the issue in the other direction — to ban it for both interstate and intrastate shipping.
Meanwhile, news of the relaxation of Ohio’s original shipping restrictions that occurred after the court decision is spreading in California: local folks who buy wine from California wineries are reporting that those wineries are now more likely to ship to Ohio. The legislation Husted is talking about would confirm and cement those new, less restrictive rules.
It’s still too soon for wine enthusiasts who support the open system to pop their Champagne corks. But it may be time to start icing down those bottles.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
P.S. For more information, and a point of view quit a bit different from the Point Click Drink organization linked to above, see Free the Grapes.
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Wine Shop Owner Looks Back on Two Decades of Connecting with Wine Lovers
It was just a question. A natural question.
But it froze Wanita Murphy stone-cold.
I was standing in her office doorway inside the Emporium wine shop in Yellow Springs last week (10-26-05). She was seated on a folding chair, clearing out her desk of more than two decades worth of records, receipts, brochures and scraps of paper. ‘Nita was poised to sell the shop she has owned since 1983 and was tidying up. At least, she was tidying up until I asked her what she’ll miss most about running the Emporium.
She looked up at me but said nothing for what seemed an eternity, but was more likely a few seconds. Finally she said, “You’re going to make me cry, aren’t you?�
Um, well, that was not my intention, no. I stammered an apology; she waved her hand and regained her composure.
“I really have mixed feelings about this,â€? Wanita said. “To me, this feels just like …
… an empty-nest syndrome. This has been my life for the last 22 years.â€?
She says she raised her son, who is now 18, in the Emporium. It was a humble little kitchen-supply store when she bought it. She watched the wine selection grow from a few bottles of Avia (now THAT’s a blast from the past) to a carefully chosen selection from around the world. Her beers grew from one to 150. And most important, her store evolved into a community gathering place.
That’s what will leave a void in her heart.
“People coming into the store and telling me what they were going to have for dinner that night and asking what wine they should drink with it, and coming back the next day and telling me all about it. Those are the things I’ll miss most.�
Consider all the hype, the marketing, the 100-point ratings – all the snobbery and noise that surrounds the wine world. Yet all across the country, in wine shops like the Emporium, there are Wanitas and those like her, making personal connections, cutting through all of the falderal, selling a bottle to a couple to drink with dinner. And then doing it again. Making the personal connection that brings it all home.
We need more Wanita Murphys out there.
And maybe they ARE out there, in training. The new co-owner of the Emporium, Kurt Miyazaki, says he’s looking forward to carrying on what ‘Nita has cultivated (he worked at the store himself for a year or two in the late 1990s). He’ll keep the Friday night wine tastings (6:30 to 8:30, four tastes for $5, accompanied by live music), focus on the café, and look to expand his selection of Spanish wines to mirror his interests and passion. His wife teaches Spanish literature at Wittenberg University, where he also taught for a while, and the couple has spent considerable time in Spain, enjoying the cuisine and the wines.
And, he says, ‘Nita will be at his side, helping.
First, though, she’s planning a sabbatical. “I’m going to travel,� she says. “I’m going to Ireland for Thanksgiving.�
Her voice is no longer choked with emotion. She is smiling broadly.
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Wine and Food Producers Travel to Springboro to Party
The Dorothy Lane Market Holiday Food & Wine Show on Thursday (11-3-05) will feature some in-person appearances from Champagne producers, wine industry folks and specialty food purveyors, allowing attendees to discuss as well as consume. (Although, I suspect, “consuming” will remain the top priority.)
According to DLM’s director of wine sales, Todd Templin, the list of those …
…scheduled to attend the event includes Laurent Champs of Vilmart, Francois Peters of Pierre Peters, Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy of Rene Geoffroy, Eric Platt from Robert Whale Selections, Jonas Schlumbom with Michael Skurnik Wines, Mel Coleman Jr. from the Coleman Beef ranch, and chocolatier Ghyslain.
I don’t think I’ve missed one of these shows, and I can assure you: there will be plenty of wonderful food, no shortage of fine wine — and lots of people. It’a a fine time.
The event will be held from 7 p.m. to 9:30 pm at DLM’s Springboro store. Tickets are $60 and are available at all each of the three DLM stores.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Come Taste the ‘WRONG Grape in the WRONG Soil in the WRONG Climate…’
My wine mentor, Kim, holds strong opinions about wine. In particular, about California wines.
So a couple of years ago, when he stopped by for a weekend visit, Kim and I and a couple of my other wine-tasting buddies dropped in at Arrow Wine’s Far Hills store, which was tasting what was then (and may still be) California’s most expensive syrah, the Kongsgaard Hudson Vineyard Napa Valley. The wine cost $125 at the time, and the cost has risen since then to somewhere in the neighborhood of $150.
The rest of us liked it, but Kim, a French syrah fanatic (so am I), was singularly unimpressed. He was polite at first. Later, we prodded. We goaded. We baited. C’mon, Kim, tell us how you REALLY feel about that wine. And finally, we got ….
… the full-monty, fist-slamming-on-table response: “What don’t I LIKE about it?? It’s the WRONG grape in the WRONG soil in the WRONG climate with the WRONG … ” etc. etc. We lost count of the WRONGS, and besides, his fist was wearing a hole in the table.
The phrase became legendary among my group of friends who know Kim, and we somehow manage to work it into the conversation every time we get together, and sometimes, even when he’s NOT around.
I bring this up because lo and behold, the Kongsgaard syrah shows up on this weekend’s tastings list below. Sure took me back to that moment in time. I’m not sure how much Dorothy Lane Market Springboro will be charging for a sample of the precious syrah, but you can decide for yourself whether it’s right or “wrong…wrong…wrong.”
Two programming notes before we get to the tastings list: Greg Fitzgerald, proprietor of the Blue Moon and Eclipse restaurants, has asked me to pick the wines for a one-year anniversary dinner at Eclipse in Centerville, to be held Monday, Nov. 14 at Eclipse. He’s planning an eight-course meal with at least seven wines. You’ll hear more as we iron out details, including price (start saving now!). The menu, I can tell you, is mouth-watering. Now if some Bozo can just find a couple of decent wines to go with …
That Eclipse dinner falls on the same night as a rescheduled El Meson Torres Wine dinner, which originally had been scheduled for Halloween night. And it follows on the heels of Sunday night’s (Nov. 13) holiday tasting at Arrow Wine & Spirits’ holiday tasting at Arrow’s Centerville store. And don’t forget DLM’s Nov. 3 holiday food and wine show at the Springboro DLM store — an event that is now less than a week away.
Exhausting, I know, so without further ado, here, courtesy of a local wine listserve, is the list of wine tastings and other happenings for this weekend and beyond here in the greater Dayton wine world:
Jay’s Kitchen Door Friday, October 28, 2005 4-8 pm 2000 Rabbit Ridge Reserve Barbera 2002 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet 2000 Paras Vineyard Cabernet
Saturday, October 22, 2005 1-6 pm Champagne and Oregon Pinots
Arrow – Oakwood Saturday, October 29, 2005 11-4 pm NV Apremont 2004 Moulines Rose 2003 Gallo of Sonoma Pinot Noir 2003 Boccadigabbia “Rosso Piceno� 2001 Domaine de L’Oratoire St. Martin “Cairanne� 2001 Clerico “Ciabot Mentin Ginestra� Barolo
Holiday Wine Tasting - Arrow Wine Centerville Sunday, November 13, 2005 6:30-8:30 pm $30.00 per person - call 433-6778 and make your reservations
Dorothy Lane Market (DLM) DLM’s Holiday Food & Wine Show Thursday, November 3 from 7:00-9:30 pm at DLM’s Springboro store Tickets are $60 and are available at all DLM stores
DLM Oakwood Friday, October 28, 2005 5-8 pm 2004 Ken Forrester Petite Chenin 2003 Regret Nebbiolo 2003 Worthy Sophia’s Cuvee 1999 Sierra Cantabria Crianza
Saturday, October 29, 2005 1-6 pm 2004 Boulay Sancerre 2001 Sapphire Hill Old Vines Zin 2003 Domaine Berthet Rayne Chateauneuf Du Pape 2001 Pavillon Du Chateau Margaux, Margaux’s second label
DLM Washington Square
Saturday, October 29, 2005 12-5 pm 2004 Black Cat Riesling 2004 Casillero del Diablo Carmenere 2004 Casillero del Diablo Merlot 2003 Vampire Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 7 Deadly Zins Zinfandel
Dorothy Lane Springboro Friday, October 28, 2005 12-7 pm Ferrari Carano Res. Chardonnay Ridge Geyserville MacRostie Wildcat Mtn. Syrah Clos du Bois Marlstone
Saturday, October 29, 2005 12-5 pm Kistler Chardonnay Domaine Laroche Chablis Grand Cru Kongsgaard Syrah Merryvale Profile
Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar, Bellbrook New wines beginning Friday, October 28, 2005: Thorn-Clark Brut Sparkling – Australian Moselland Ars Vitis 2003 Riesling A flight of Spanish Reds 2004 TR1 2002 TR2 2002 TR3 2002 Chateau St. Michelle Cabernet – Cold Creek Vineyard
Food: BBQ Hog Wings, Pate of Foie Gras, Italian Style Smoked Salmon Bagel
B. R. Scotese
Autumn Wild Game and Wine Dinner Sunday November 20, 2005 @ 6:00 $60 per person ($40 designated driver) Reservations required 431-1350
Appetizer: Wild Boar Sausage and Grapes Wine: Piping Shrike 2002 Shiraz
Soup: Duck and Barley with Tarragon Wine: Duxoup 2001 Charbono
Salad: Ancho Chile Rubbed Pheasant over Bibb Lettuce with a Pecan Pomegranate Vinaigrette Wine: Fritz Haag 2003 Estate Riesling
Entrée: Citrus and Juniper Elk Loin with Parsnip Potato Puree and a Cabernet Reduction
Wine: Coyoteville 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon
Dessert: Drunken Chocolate Cake Port: Dow Crusted Port
SIPS 1035 S. Main Street, Centerville Wine tasting 5-7 pm every Saturday, By the glass tasting 7:30 am – 11 pm weekends. Voga Pinot Grigio, Naia Verdejo, Vinum White Elephant , Cosentino Chardonnay, Kitfox Foxy White, Columbia Winery Cellar Master’s Riesling, Diva Riesling, Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc, Wellington Chardonnay, Francois Montand Blanc de Blanc Brut, Sophia Coppola Sparkling Blanc de Blanc – single serving Joseph Drouhin Laforet Pinot, Franus Zinfandel, Vinum Cellars Petite Syrah Pets, Errazuriz Merlot (Chilean), Artesa Elements, Ravenwoods Cabernet, Bennett Family Reserve Cabernet, Tavel Rose
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What Happened at the Maisonette Auction?
Addendum to the query below: For a great write-up on this topic, link to the Cincinnati Wine Garage wine blog.
Just a quick-hitter from Greg, who asks whether anyone attended Saturday’s (10-22-05) auction in Cincinnati of the Maisonette’s wine cellar (see Uncorked entry of Oct. 19: “Picking the Skeleton Clean …”). I haven’t heard a word, and I too am curious. What kinds of prices did they get? Any surprises/disappointments? Did anyone purchase a magnum of 1990 Ch. Montrose as a Christmas gift to me?
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Oh Yes, Pigeonhole Me, PLEASE
Thanks to all who commented on the previous post on the Constellation Wines Project Genome Really Big And We Mean REALLY Big Consumer Research Project. And thanks for your candid self-analysis of your wine-drinking habits and which of the 6 magic categories in which you belong.
Realize, of course, that we cheated in allowing “blending” of categories. Remember, the Conclusions reached by the Authors and Grand Poobahs of the Constellation Wines Project Genome Really Big And We Mean REALLY Big Consumer Research Project pretty much ruled out any such blending when they decided that “… consumers tend to fall into six unique segments, each with its own set of attributes, motivations, preferences and shopping behaviors.”
So, the “unique segments” wording suggests we can’t be blends.
Of course, it ain’t that simple.
I’d love to be able to claim that …
… I’m 100 percent “Enthusiast,” which would mean that I am “passionate about the entire wine experience from researching what (I) buy to sharing (my) discoveries with friends and family.” Heck, since I write a wine column and now a wine blog, make that “sharing my discoveries with friends, family and a whole bunch of other people I’ve never met.”
But it, um, ain’t that simple.
I’m also a bit of an “Image Seeker” when I bring a wine to a gathering of my wine-drinking buddies who I known darn well will be breaking out the heavy lumber. A delicate little Albarino from Spain won’t find a place at the table, no matter how engaging.
And darn right I’m a “Savvy Shopper” at times, meaning I seek “great wines at a great value.” Newspaper reporters are not paid king’s wages. Neither are schoolteachers (I married one. A very good one.) So bargains, they call my name like the Wind Cries Mary.
A “Traditionalist” who likes to “feel that their wine is made by a well-known winery that’s been around for a long time?” Heck yes, once in a while. I like to try wines from the same producer across several vintages. I have a couple of modest verticals in my cellar. I’ve talked face-to-face with winemakers, in California, in France, in Italy, and yes, in Ohio. Their wines will always be of heightened interest to me, because of that personal connection.
Am I a “Satisfied Sipper” if I prefer a “sensible choice (I) can feel comfortable serving to friends and family?” Who doesn’t want to be sensible, even, occasionally, when it comes to wine?
And am I sometimes “Overwhelmed,” which means I “find shopping for wine complex and worry about making a mistake?” Heck yeah, every time I buy a red Burgundy. And live to regret it.
So enough about these “unique segments.” If the wine marketers want to cram us into pigeonholes, I’ll see through their efforts. I’ll rebel. And I’ll buy what I damn well please, thankyouverymuch. Depending on which — um — category or categories I’m feelin’ that day.
I have a feeling you will, too.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Which of These Six Types of Wine Drinker Are You?
Ohhh, I think we can have some fun with this one.
In “one of the largest consumer research projects ever conducted by the wine industry,� a giant U.S.-based wine company has concluded that wine consumers can be pigeonholed into six distinct categories, “each with its own set of attributes, motivations, preferences and shopping behaviors.�
So which one are you? Here are the categories, as
quoted directly from the company’s news release distributed 10-25-2005:
— “Enthusiastsâ€? are consumers who are passionate about the entire wine experience from researching what they buy to sharing their discoveries with friends and family.
— “Image Seekersâ€? feel sophisticated on one hand and adventurous and trendy on the other hand — they are just as likely to choose wine with sophisticated labels as wine with fun, image-driven labels.
— “Savvy Shoppersâ€? seek great wines at a great value; they enjoy drinking and shopping for wine and believe that good wines need not cost a lot of money.
— “Traditionalistsâ€? want to feel that their wine is made by a well-known winery that’s been around for a long time.
— “Satisfied Sippersâ€? look for a sensible choice they can feel comfortable serving to friends and family.
— And finally, “Overwhelmedâ€? consumers, who make up the largest group, find shopping for wine complex and worry about making a mistake.
The data comes courtesy of Constellation Wines, the company that brings you such brands as Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, Almaden, Arbor Mist, Blackstone, Cook’s, Inglenook, Marcus James, Paul Masson and Talus. Hey, I said they were big. And just to make sure we know just how important – and big – this survey and research project are, company officials call it “Project Genome,â€? which they said “will have wide- ranging impact on wine sales by retailers and on-premise establishments in areas ranging from packaging, advertising and customer education to grocery displays and restaurant wine lists.â€?
Here’s the full Constellation Project Genome news release, for your perusing pleasure.
So, which category do you fall into? And just like winemaking, some blending is allowed, but let’s play by California rules: if you want to put one varietal on your forehead, you must be at least 75 percent from that varietal – um, I mean category.
C’mon. You first.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Behold the Awesome Power of the World Wine Web
Those of you who surf the internet and have already explored every nook and cranny of the World Wide Web have become blase, I’m sure, about its possibilities.
Not me. I’m still in awe.
For example, Cynthia’s query on “Pairing Wines with Unusual Foods” elicited several excellent responses from “Uncorked” readers. But then I also posted the query on
the newsgroup “alt.food.net” that prompted “Alexander” to suggest a link to the wineloverspage.com web site that covered the sushi wine pairing and Asian food and wine pairings in astonishing — and I do mean astonishing — detail. It’s a fun read.
And the brief vintage 2005 reports we posted yesterday (10-23-05) pale in comparison to the Louis/Dressner Selections web site harvest report, which contains brief updates from from several regions in France as well as from Italy and Portugal. Good to see my favorite producer in Montlouis, Francoise Chidaine, is smiling again, as he was when I visited back in the summer of 2001. It was Francoise who remarked that he’d like to try his glorious 1990 late-harvest Chenin Blanc, Les Lys, when he’s 80 years old — and preferably with two 20-year-old women on his lap.
Ahhhh…. technology, wine, and passion, all rolled into one.
Awesome.
And by the way: What do YOU think about the idea of trying to webcast a wine tasting? Just curious …
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Every Year’s a ‘Vintage of the Century,’ and ‘05 is No Exception
Throughout the world — well, the northern Hemisphere, anyway — vineyard owners are picking the magical little berries that will become the 2005 vintage. And each year, the superlatives pour forth.
You know the drill: It’s either “We harvested early this year, which means it was a warm, dry growing season and the fruit ripened early, heralding a vintage of stupendous quality.”
Or:
“We harvested late this year, the harvest rains dumped torrents on our neighbors but missed our vineyards, and the grapes benefitted greatly from the ‘extended hang time,’ heralding a vintage of stupendous quality.”
But really, sometimes the early optimism actually DOES bear fruit (sorry…) Here’s what the Sacramento Bee wrote last week: “California’s 2005 wine harvest is shaping up as a
home run for both consumers’ pocketbooks and palates, as wine experts say the unexpectedly large crop will also prove a winner for quality.”
Let’s drop in on how the harvest is faring from some folks who don’t mind telling the world just how fine things are going in their vineyards and their crushing-and-fermenting facilities while we tend to our days jobs:
From Hugel & Fils, the Alsatian producer: “The quality of this vintage progressively emerged as the harvest unfolded. Throughout the season the vines have been in superb condition. Picking began in Alsace on Thursday 22 September for the still wines. Rainfall during the night of 3 to 4 October caused some worry, but arrival of the “Indian Summer” enabled us to pick our best vineyards under optimum conditions. Everything indicates that 2005 will be a great vintage. Grapes were healthy and ripe, balanced by excellent acidity. Initial tastings of newly-fermented wines confirm our optimism, showing great aromatic purity and class on a par with the finest vintages.”
From the Perrin Family of Chateau Beaucastel fame — remember the vertical tasting notes we posted for this prestigious Chateauneuf-du-Pape producer? Here’s what they had to say in early October about their 2005 harvest:
“This is under a very beautiful weather that we harvest the mourvèdre in Beaucastel today. Maturity is excellent, and it was the right decision to wait before picking. We should be finished tonight, and this will put the end to the harvests in Beaucastel.
We are lucky!”
From the Rodney Strong Vineyards, also from early October:
“Midway through the harvest, things are looking great. In fact, we are already finished bringing in Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, and most of the Zinfandel. We are currently swimming in Chardonnay, and Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon is starting to arrive. As was the case early on in the harvesy, grapes are tasting ripe and are ready for picking at a lower sugar than is typical, which is resulting in generally lower alcohols and fine balance.
Much of September was rather cool, and the big warmup we always anticipate came late in the month, with 6 days over 80 degrees and 3 over 90. Not too little too late, but another couple of nice weeks would be perfect for ripening all of our cabernet sauvignon still hanging out there. So far, any precipitation threats have been far to our north and south. From a rather early bud break, to this extended autumn harvest, this will go down as one of the longest period of “hang time� anyone can remember, and everyone is excited about the above-average size of the crop and the high quality of the young wines so far.
This will be a year to remember!”
And this from Rupert Symington of the Symington Family Estates in Douro, Portugal:
“2005 has once again proved the vine’s amazing ability to overcome very tough conditions. It was astonishing to see the small green berries fill out, turn dark red and ripen with such limited moisture in the soil… We are confident that some very interesting and very good Ports and DOC wines will have been made in the Douro this year.â€?
Mmmm. Can’t you just smell the grapes fermenting?
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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‘Marilyn Monroe Naked’ Among Wines Lost in Fire — What Punishment Fits This Crime?
I’m normally opposed to the death penalty – makes it kinda hard to go back and fix mistakes – but I’m willing to make exceptions.
Oh, you say it doesn’t work that way?
Well, let’s brainstorm some appropriate punishment for the person or persons who intentionally torched $100 million worth of wine in that warehouse in Vallejo, Ca. on Oct. 12.
Investigators say the fire was deliberately set, according to
the San Francisco Chronicle. So someone knowingly torched fellow human beings’ livelihoods, destroying entire stocks and vintages of current release wines and older vintages that were being carefully (or so the wine producers thought) preserved for future enjoyment. Dozens of wineries were affected, including Saintsbury, Sean Thackrey, Viader and many more.
Saintsbury reportedly lost an entire library of wines dating back 25 years.
Some of the wines destroyed were collectors’ items, including the Velvet Collection Napa Valley Red Wine that “Uncorked� wrote about Sept. 30, 2005 that has the “peel and peek� label of a nude Monroe posing against a red velvet backdrop in a famous 1949 photograph. According to the Sacramento Bee, the warehouse fire may have incinerated as much as 80 percent of the 2002 and 2003 stocks.
I don’t think Marilyn would have wanted to be cremated like this.
David Schildknecht, the wine guru who works for Mason, Ohio-based Vintner Select, which distributes some of the wines lost in the fire, passed this information along through local VS rep Todd Nikolai:
A couple of our prestige suppliers, Long Meadow Ranch and Paras Vineyard report that they anticipate total loss of their stocks. No proprietors have been allowed into the Vallejo facility to inspect but they have been given to expect the worst. We have not heard further word from Sean Thackrey nor from other affected wineries with whom we work, as they are surely in both a state of shock and in their Cabernet harvest. Paras Vineyard’s situation is sadly typical. Much of their stock of 2001 was still in storage and their 2003 wine had recently been bottled and delivered to storage. They will thus lose nearly three entire vintages before starting over with 2004. Many wineries may not be in a position to afford this kind of starting over.
The more details that emerge, the sadder and more tawdry it gets.
What punishment would fit this crime?
Cheers …
Mark Fisher
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What We’re Tasting Here in the Heartland
So many wines, so little time….
Here are the wine-tastings (well, “here” only if you click on “continue reading”) for this weekend along with a few other upcoming wine-related events, courtesy of a local wine listserve.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
Jay’s Kitchen Door
Friday, October 21, 2005 4-8 pm
1999 Ausone Bordeaux
1999 Leoville Lacase
1999 Levangie
1995 Chateau Simard
Saturday, October 22, 2005 1-6 pm
2001-2002 Grand Cru Burgundies
Arrow – Oakwood
Saturday, October 22, 2005 11-4 pm
2004 Elephantus Blanc
2002 Chateau “G� Bordeaux Blanc
2003 Ravenswood Cabernet Sauvignon
2003 The Four Graces Pinot Noir
2003 Bookwalter Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 Mr. Riggs Shiraz/Viognier
Holiday Wine Tasting - Arrow Wine Centerville
Sunday, November 13, 2005 6:30-8:30 pm
$30.00 per person - call 433-6778 and make your reservations now!
Dorothy Lane Market (DLM) Holiday Food & Wine Show
Thursday, November 3 from 7:00-9:30 pm
Tickets are available and all DLM stores
DLM Oakwood
Friday, October 21, 2005 5-8 pm
2003 M. Chapoutier Bellaruche Blanc
2000 Vigna Messieri Rosso Piceno
2004 CigarZin
2003 Chateau Du Paviillon Bordeaux
2001 Ladera Cabernet
Saturday, October 22, 2005 1-6 pm
2004 Catena Chardonnay
Laurent Perrier Brut Rose
2003 St Cosme St Joseph
2003 La Spinetta Ca di Pian Barbera d’ Asti
2002 Simi Landslide Cabernet
DLM Washington Square
Thursday, October 20, 2005 5-8 pm
Jacobs Creek Brut
2004 Tavel Rose
2003 Richioli Chardonnay
2000 Chateau D’Arche Bourdeaux Haut Medoc
2001 Robert Pecota Syrah
2001 Delectus Cabernet Sauvignon
1977 Smith Woodhouse Porto
Saturday, October 22, 2005 12-5 pm
2003 M.Chapoutier Belleruche Blanc
2001 Darioush Chardonnay
2003 Chateau De Saint Cosme Gigondas
2003 Saint Cosme Saint-Joseph
2004 Hacienda El Espino “1707” Syrah
2002 Chateau Ste Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
2001 Monticello Vineyards Jefferson Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon
Dorothy Lane Springboro Friday, October 21, 2005 12-7 pm
Trinchero Chardonnay
Trinchero Chicken Ranch Merlot
Trinchero Meritage
Cafaro Cabernet
Saturday, October 22, 2005 12-5 pm
Byron Chardonnay
Mason Merlot
Camellia Zinfandel
Paraduxx
Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar, New wines beginning Friday, October 21, 2005
Erbes 2003 Riesling Kabinett
Beckman 2003 Marsanne
White Lies 2004 Chardonnay
Stemmler 2001 Chardonnay
Chateau Lacombe 2000 Bordeaux
Butterfield Station 2002 Shiraz
La Casina Girasole 2003 Sangiovese
Heidi Barrett’s Showket 2001 Sangiovese
Food: Smoked Salmon & Mascarpone on Bagels
B. R. Scotese Fairfield Wine tasters: Wednesday, October 26, 2005 4:30 pm will find many of the Fairfield Wine group at B. R. Scotese. The restaurant is no smoking on Wednesdays.
Autumn Wild Game and Wine Dinner, Sunday November 20, 2005 @ 6:00 $60 per person ($40 designated driver) Reservations required 431-1350
Appetizer: Wild Boar Sausage and Grapes Wine: Piping Shrike 2002 Shiraz
Soup: Duck and Barley with Tarragon Wine: Duxoup 2001 Charbono
Salad: Ancho Chile Rubbed Pheasant over Bibb Lettuce with a Pecan Pomegranate Vinaigrette Wine: Fritz Haag 2003 Estate Riesling
Entrée: Citrus and Juniper Elk Loin with Parsnip Potato Puree and a Cabernet Reduction Wine: Coyoteville 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon
Dessert: Drunken Chocolate Cake Port: Dow Crusted Port
SIPS in Centerville
Wine tasting 5-7 pm every Saturday. By the glass tasting 7:30 am – 11 pm weekends. Voga Pinot Grigio, Naia Verdejo, Vinum White Elephant , Cosentino Chardonnay, and more
Grapes of Ruth, Springboro
SATURDAY OCTOBER 22 3-6PM
WINES FROM ITALY
NINO FRANCO RUSTICO PROSECCO DI VALDOBBIADENE
CUSUMANO INSOLIA 2004
I SURI VILLA GIADI BARBERA D’ ASTI 2004
TANCREDI DONNAFUGATA 2002
COLOGNOLE CHIANTI RUFINA 2001
CUSUMANO SAGANA NERO D’ AVOLA 2003
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Picking the Skeleton Clean: the Maisonette’s Wine Cellar Goes Up for Auction
Okay, so we might feel a little like buzzards circling in the desert, but hey, the victim’s been dead for a while, so we might as well
feast.
The Maisonette Restaurant is auctioning off all of the bottles in its wine cellar. In fact, the nation’s oldest five-star restaurant that closed earlier this year in downtown Cincinnati is auctioning everything, it looks like, to the bare walls. Restaurant and kitchen equipment goes Friday (10-21-05), and antiques, artwork and wine are gaveled on Saturday(10-22-05).
The list of wines is a fun read and includes everything from the Parker-100-point 1990 Ch. Montrose (in magnum, no less!) to Penfolds Grange Hermitage from a decade apart (1987 and 1997) to luxury California cabernets such as Caymus Special Select, Opus One and Beringer Private Reserve. And a whole LOT of other stuff.
Oh, and the final lot consists of assorted beers, including Heineken, Beck’s — and Bud Light.
If you were going to buy just ONE bottle off that list, what would it be and why?
For more information on the auction, call 818-884-3747.
And save a glass for me.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Pairing wines with unusual foods
You folks gave GREAT suggestions to Cynthia’s query last week about restaurant wine lists — and she needs your help again. Her dilemma:
“I’d like to branch out a bit with my choices for pairing wine with food. I get the difference between
beef and fish, but what about more unusual foods? I love Chinese food but how can I learn more about which wine varieties work best? (I’m not opposed to trial and error, but that can be fattening!)
I’d be interested in hearing what some of you have chosen to pair with non-standard foods such as sushi, game, Thai, Mexican, tofu, etc. Thanks!”
Any suggestions?
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The Tannins of 1986 and the Wines that Love Them
Around 1989 or so, I recall shelling out some serious coin to taste a small sample of the newly released 1986 Mouton-Rothschild at the south Arrow Wine store’s “old” location next to Dingleberry’s. It was not a pleasant experience. The wine tasted like overbrewed tea, with tannins that coated the mouth like a layer of sprayed-on Teflon, making it impossible to taste anything else. I’m not sure I tasted my orange juice the next morning.
Those Bordeaux ’86s, the experts said, were firm, structured wines that only the young and very patient would ever enjoy. I’m neither young nor very patient these days, nor do I have many 1986 Bordeaux in my cellar (one lonely bottle). But I seized the opportunity to taste some 1986 vintage wines — mostly Bordeaux, a couple of Californians — offered up by Dayton-area wine enthusiasts whose love of wine is exceeded only by their love of the Cleveland Browns. It was, needless to say, an early Sunday afternoon tasting, and the telly was locked in on the Browns-Ravens debacle — er, game.
Overall, even after nearly two decades from harvest, the 1986 Bordeaux vintage
lived up to its reputation. Some tasting notes, in ascending order of preference. All of the following were 1986s:
Chateau Siran: Muted nose, and the palate is short and clipped, with robust acidity and only faint fruit.
Ch. Rausan-Segla: Firm and tannic, with fruit just peeking out from behind the thick veil of tannins in both the taste and the finish.
Buehler Napa Valley Cabernet: The person who brought this wine described it as “an inkwell in its earlier life,” and it has softened only slightly and thus fit in comfortably in this tasting. Substantial tannins can’t completely mask the solid core of fruit, and the finish bodes well for the future.
La Lagune: Showing a bit of amber in the rim, the wine boasts earthy, cedary aromas followed by appealing fruit. Some tasters thought it opened up with time in the glass; I thought it firmed up and got “shorter.” Will it improve, or is it in decline?
Montrose: Rhymes with monstrous. Complex nose of iodine, lead pencil and earth. Earthy fruit, tannins and acidity balance in the mouth, though the tannins end up winning the war in the finish. Many years of improvement to come.
Heitz Martha’s Vineyard: The trademark mint in the nose is missing, but the black fruits shine through, and the tannins have receded after doing their job admirably. The wine is smooth, almost silky, with just a bit of a rough edge (alcohol?) showing up in the finish.
Lynch-Bages: Size, balance and finesse, this has everything to like in an aging-but-still-young Bordeaux. Dark fruits, camphor and forest-floor aromas jump from the glass, and the complexity of flavors carries through to a lengthy, lovely, and did I mention lengthy, why yes I believe I did, finish.
Not an overbrewed tea in the bunch, but this vintage is still for those who don’t mind a tannic wallop in their wines — even at age 19. And will the Browns ever again score a touchdown??
Go Bengals, and pass the Lynch-Bages.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Wine, Women and ‘Niche Marketing Run Amok’
Is it savvy marketing or silly patronizing? You be the judge.
Here’s a paragraph from Mike Steinberger’s piece in Slate online magazine which takes a look at the increasingly aggressive efforts to market wine to the fairer gender:
“I don’t recall this being declared the Decade of Women in Wine, and I will admit to being a little surprised by this sudden outpouring of sisterhood. Here I, and probably every other male oenophile, thought we were having a terrific coed party, only to
now be told that the women weren’t having much fun at all. But before the ladies pack up their Riedel glasses and head off to drink by themselves, a question: Is the wine world really so inhospitable to women that voluntary separation is necessary? Or is this just an example of niche marketing run amok?”
If the experience I had with my sister-in-law in May 2005 is any indication, I think I’d throw my vote to “niche marketing run amok.” Here’s how I described it in a Dayton Daily News column at the time:
“Lord knows, I’m not qualified to judge the newly released White Lie 2004 Early Season Chardonnay from Beringer Blass Wine Estates. Wrong gender. The wine — billed as a low-calorie, low-alcohol white wine — was created by women for women, according to its makers. The marketing pitch is this: Chardonnay grapes growing in the cool coastal areas of Santa Barbara County are harvested early, before they develop high-sugar content that makes grapes sweet. When the underripe grapes are fermented, the resulting wine is naturally low in alcohol and calories — and thus, perfect for women. That last part may be the real White Lie. But don’t take my testosterone-driven word for it. Ask my sister-in-law, who lives in suburban Columbus and who tasted the White Lie Chardonnay on a fine May weekend. She’s no wine snob, just a mom of two teenagers who drinks the occasional glass of wine and no doubt part of White Lie’s target audience. She wrinkled her nose at the first sip. “It tastes watery, like someone put ice cubes into it and let them melt,â€? she said. She continued to sip the wine as I told her about the concept behind it. Her skepticism did not diminish: “If calories or alcohol are that big of a deal for someone, they should just drink less. But I’d rather drink less of a good wine.â€? Ouch.”
Ouch indeed.
What do YOU think about the marketing push to sell wine to women?
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Mystery Surrounds Calif. Warehouse Fire That Destroyed $100 M In Wine
Interesting developments surrounding the Vallejo, CA fire that destroyed a whopping $100 million worth of California wine stored there. Here is the latest from
the San Francisco Chronicle. And for an insider’s take on the disaster, check out Tom Wark’s excellent wine blog Fermentations.
I don’t know about you, but even I have only a modest cellar, I’m going to go to my basement today and console my bottles over the senseless loss of so many of their brethren.
Then to honor the memories of those who have fallen, I’ll open one.
It’s’ the right thing to do.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Selling Wine = License to Steal? Well, Not Exactly…
Let’s keep it light and brief since, here in the midwest anyway, we’re headed into a
beautiful autumn weekend.
And no, I’m not making this up.
The National Wine Marketing Conference slated for Nov. 8-10 in northeast Ohio is entitled “License to Steal.”
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Bet You Can’t Read This Without Drooling
Here’s what’s happening in the Dayton area in the way of wine tastings this weekend and wine dinners and other events coming up soon, courtesy of a local wine list serve. My drool cup overfloweth.
Sorry if it’s hard to read — we’re working on it.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
Jay’s Kitchen Door Friday, October 14, 2005 4-8 pm 2004 Les Charmes Macon Lugny 2003 La Spinetta Barbera di Asti 2000 Podere Scopetone Brunello 2000 Gorelli Le Potazzine Brunello 2000 Le Nacioche Brunello
Saturday, October 15, 2005 1-6 pm 2001 Merryvale Pinot Noir 2001 Merryvale Reserve Cabernet 2001 Merryvale Profile
Rex Hill Wine Dinner Thursday, October 20, 2005 7 pm $60 Sole with Warm Endive Salad, Buttered Dungeness Crab with Citrus Vanilla Sauce, Trio of Duck – Duck Leg Confit, Seared Duck Breast, Foie Gras in a Balsamic Blackberry Chutney, Rack of Lamb with Smoke Tomato and Portabella Relish, Au Gratin Potatoes and Truffled Asparagus, Pinot Noir Ice Cream with Fresh Berry Cake Accompanying wines will be Rex Hill Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Carabella Pinot and Weber Pinot
Arrow – Oakwood Saturday, October 15, 2005 11-4 pm 2004 McWilliams Riesling 2004 A to Z Pinot Gris 2003 Rubens (Spanish Red) 2000 Franus Cabernet 2002 Benzinger Pinot Noir 2002 Alto Moncayl, Garnacha
Holiday Wine Tasting - Arrow Wine Centerville Great wine, food and live music. Sunday, November 13, 2005 6:30-8:30 pm $30.00 per person - call 433-6778 and make your reservations now!
Dorothy Lane Market (DLM) DLM’s Holiday Food & Wine Show Thursday, November 3 from 7:00-9:30 pm Tickets are available.
DLM Oakwood Friday, October 14, 2005 5-8 pm 2002 Mt Eden Estate Chardonnay 2004 Le Pigeoulet en Provence Vins De Pays De Vaucluse 2002 Rosso Delle Cinciole 2002 Hess Collection Mountain Cuvee 2001 Torre Muga Rioja Brown Bag!
Saturday, October 15, 2005 1-6 pm 2004 The Furst Pinot Blanc 2003 Dare Cabernet Franc 2003 Route 1 Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 Sarican Poggiassai Super Tuscan 2003 Vieux Telegraphe Chateuneuf Du Pape
Bonus Bottle!
DLM Washington Square Thursday, September 8, 2005 5-8 pm 2003 La Spinetta Moscato D’ Asti 2004 Gini Soave 2003 Bootleg Zipper Grande Tuscan 2002 Silverado Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 Viader Dare Cabernet Franc 2001 Storybook Mountain Vineyards Zinfandel Eastern Exposures 2001 Torre Muga Rioja
Saturday, October 15, 2005 12-5 pm 2004 Coppola Sophia Blanc de Blanc 2004 Work Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2003 Hawk Crest Chardonnay 2002 Domaine Olivier Pinot Noir 2002 Cesari Mara Vino di Ripasso 2003 Finca Sophenia Malbec
Dorothy Lane Springboro Friday, October 14, 2005 3-7 pm Toad Hollow Chardonnay St. Francis Claret St. Francis Old Vine Zinfandel Cave de Tain Syrah
Saturday, October 15, 2005 12-5 pm Mount Eden Chardonnay Stags Leap 01 Cabernet Dare Cab Franc Jadot Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar, 4457 State Route 725 Bellbrook, OH Tuesday – Thursday 11:30 – 7 pm Friday and Saturday 11:30 – 8 pm New wines beginning Friday, October 14, 2005 Giesen 2004 Riesling La Begude 2001 Roussane Brown Bag White #1 Brown Bag White #2 Petraio 2002 Primitivo/Sangiovese Kinkead Ridge 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon
FOOD: Venison Pate, Oyster Shooters, Soup du Jour
BEER: Oktoberfest
Monday, October 17 Wines of Burgundy Dinner (Or “A Burgundian Beast of a Feast�)
Frank Slezak of Langdon Shiverick Importers has selected a collection of Burgundy wines to accompany the menu.
Escargot en Croute - Burgundian Snails stewed with vegetables and herbs, cooled then roasted in a rich Chablis, garlic and pesto sauce, served in a puff pastry shell and topped with a pat of Brie.
Stewed Rabbit Coq Au Vin Style -Fresh farm raised rabbit slow-cooked in Red Burgundy, garlic, carrots, onions, mushrooms, bacon and herbs served with oven roasted potatoes.
Cheese & Crusty Bread Pork Shank Dijonnaise - �Fall off the bone� Pork Shank braised in white burgundy, whole grain mustard, tomatoes, and chives served with haricots verts.
Rustic Country Tart $65.00 per person Call 937.848.2161 for reservations.
B. R. Scotese Fairfield Wine tasters! Wednesday, October `19, 2005 4:30 pm will find many of the Fairfield Wine group at B. R. Scotese! The restaurant is no smoking on Wednesdays!
Autumn Wild Game and Wine Dinner Sunday November 20, 2005 @ 6:00 $60 per person ($40 designated driver) Reservations required 431-1350
Appetizer: Wild Boar Sausage and Grapes Wine: Piping Shrike 2002 Shiraz
Soup: Duck and Barley with Tarragon Wine: Duxoup 2001 Charbono
Salad: Ancho Chile Rubbed Pheasant over Bibb Lettuce with a Pecan Pomegranate Vinaigrette Wine: Fritz Haag 2003 Estate Riesling
Entrée: Citrus and Juniper Elk Loin with Parsnip Potato Puree and a Cabernet Reduction Wine: Coyoteville 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon
Dessert: Drunken Chocolate Cake Port: Dow Crusted Port
SIPS 1035 S. Main Street, Centerville (close to Kroger and Elder Berman) Wine tasting 5-7 pm every Saturday Saturday is an all Italian tasting featuring five different wines.
Wine Dinner - Neil’s Heritage House Wines presented by: Artie Bonnano of Estate Wine Wednesday, October 19, 2005 - 6:30pm
Chicken “Coq au Vin” Pie Onion Strings w/Fried Apples and Maytag Blue Cheese Pepper Breadsticks with Bunderfleisch Francois Montand, Blanc De Blanc NV
Seared Scallops w/Red Pumpkin and Butter Beans Pinot Grigio, Colli Orientali 2003
Salmon and Barley Stew w/Bacon and Horseradish Cream Taft Street Pinot Noir, Sonoma County 2003
Grilled “Spice Rubbed” Lamb w/Israeli Couscous and Root Vegetable Tagine Stepping Stone, Atlas Peak Cabernet 2002
Burnt Orange and Pomegranate w/Honey Brandy Sabagon Valecian Sun Moscatel, Aroma De Turis NV $60.00 per person + tax + tip Please call 298-8611 for reservations
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The Next Great Wine-Producing Region in California?
I thought this post — from a former Dayton-area resident who now lives in California — deserved its own separate entry, but keep those comments coming on the restaurant-wine discussion going on below. Cheers! Mark Fisher
“As an ex Dayton resident, now living and wining in …
…Livermore, I wandered into this forum while surfing for Dayton news. Since one thought leads to twenty threads of thinking, and I was mentioned below, please allow my two cents worth of comment in different directions…
Livermore appellation is interesting in that it’s going strong and getting stronger. More Livermore wineries are being established and they’re finding their own “voice,” with the Chamber of Commerce trying to make the region a wine tourism destination. It’s an easy place to spend a long weekend tasting, and buying opportunities tend to be about half the prices of a Napa tour. Lines at winery tasting counters are often very small or non-existent. A low-key experience at tasting is one of my measures for enjoyment. I’d say it merits being a destination.
I’m finding that the winemaker and their decisions on how and what to blend and what flavors they favor is about as important as the grapes’ appellation. I have found several quality levels here too. Certainly there are wide variations in Napa offerings as far as price, much of it due to the cost of grapes and decisions on how many tons per acre they choose to grow. Livermore growers are having a hard time with pruning to low tonnage, but it’s beginning to happen. What may seem so obvious to all: selecting wine by brands can lead to disappointment if they changed winemakers or started buying from different vineyards versus “that one I liked so much from last year”. And wineries that made a “79” rating one year may turn it around and make an “89” the next year, because they’re really getting better at it. Some Livermore wine makers are getting excellent.
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Aren’t There ANY Good Wine Restaurants Out There?
Here’s a question from Cynthia, a local wine enthusiast and “Uncorked” reader, that deserves its own topic. Can anyone help her?
“Often when I’m dining at a restaurant with a wine list, I see a selection of wines that I’m not familiar with. Does anyone have any tips on how to make a good selection?
Not counting price, and assuming I know enough to describe what I like, is it safe to trust the server’s recommendation? I hate to keep ordering the
same wines I know, but it seems risky to pay restaurant prices for an unknown quantity.
What are the best restaurants around the Dayton area that are known for their wine lists and wine service?
Thanks for any suggestions!”
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Making Wine Since Before Christopher Columbus Was Born
When it comes to wine, Americans can swallow a stiff dose of humility over our place in wine history simply by looking to the continent that “discovered” us. Europe’s centuries-old wine-growing heritage puts our mere decades (or maybe a century-plus if you stretch it) to shame.
As they say, time matters.
Consider the Italian winemaking family of Marchesi Antinori. The Antinori family has been making wine for more than 600 years, since Giovanni di Piero Antinori registered with the Guild of Winemakers in 1385. Let that wash over you for a moment: Christopher Columbus wasn’t even BORN yet!
The winery has been run by 26 generations of the family; today, Marchese Piero Antinori is director of the company, assisted by his three daughters, Albiera, Allegra and Alessia, who are
personally involved in the business.
The Springboro wine shop Grapes of Ruth will host a tasting of Antinori wines presented by Allen Todd of Allied Wines on Thursday, Oct. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. The wine shop is located at 495 N. Main St. in Springboro; for more information, call 937-748-3807.
As deep as Antinori’s history is, other Italian families trace their histories back even farther. Here’s a column I wrote in the Dayton Daily News in February 1996:
“Every once in a while, we Americans confront just how minuscule our place is in the overall scope of world history.< Need proof? Come and meet a young man by the name of Stefano Benini.
Stefano represents the 30th generation of his family to be involved in the making and selling of wine. The Frescobaldi family began making wine in 1308 from grapes planted on the hillsides around Florence, Italy.
The Frescobaldi family traded wines to Michelangelo in exchange for paintings, which hang today in the Frescobaldi castle. And still they make wine, from their 688th vintage.
In contrast, most of today’s big-name wineries in California got started in the 1970s. A few trace their roots (through several changes in name and ownership, usually) to the 1800s.
Then there are those precious few wine producers such as Frescobaldi.
Leonardo Frescobaldi, the winery’s vice president of international affairs and Stefano’s uncle, said the longevity speaks well of the efforts - and passion - the family has poured into winemaking over the centuries.< “Each generation has a larger, heavier responsibility to uphold” that tradition, Frescobaldi said.
The winery produces Chiantis from Nippozzano and Montesodi, a Mormoreto Cabernet Sauvignon and red and white Pomino wines. Though steeped in tradition, Frescobaldi has modernized its winemaking methods and targeted American palates with some new releases, including a varietally labeled Sangiovese. The most recent vintage, the 1994, tastes not unlike a lush California merlot, with soft, nearly sweet fruit at first sip, but a slightly tart finish that betrays its grape variety and Italian heritage. The wine costs $9.99 a bottle.
Leonardo Frescobaldi said the next vintage, the 1995, will be even better. One can almost imagine the generations of Leonardo’s predecessors nodding approvingly at those words.”
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Gettin’ Horizontal
Seven or eight years ago, when it became clear the 1994 vintage was a special one for California cabernet sauvignons, some fellow enthusiasts and I each bought one full case of a highly regarded cab with the idea we would get together once a year or so, taste the wines and track how they were changing – hopefully, improving – over time.
Schedules have proven difficult, folks moved away or divorced, so
… our little “horizontal� collection of 1994s (a “vertical� collection, as you wine geeks already know, is a collection of the SAME wine over multiple vintages) hasn’t been tasted as regularly as we would have liked. It’s been nearly two years since the last tasting, and that time, the wines were nowhere near as impressive as their pedigree (and their price tags) would have suggested.
So it was with a bit of trepidation that we popped the corks on the batch of ‘94s Sunday afternoon.
No worries, mate. The best of the bunch had rebounded nicely, and overall, the wines showed better across the board, with only a few minor disappointments.
Tasting notes of these 1994 cabernets in ascending order of preference:
Caymus Napa Valley (NOT the Special Select): medicinal on the nose, lacking fruit in the flavors and a short, clipped finish, this wine appears past its prime.
Pine Ridge Andrus Reserve: meaty-but-not-quite-gamy nose, with tannins smoothed out while retaining good acidity. Fruit is starting to fade, and the finish isn’t quite up to its peers.
Robert Mondavi Private Reserve: This is one of the two wines that changed the most during the three hours of sampling and nibbling. At first, the nose was muted, and a strong tannic core overshadowed the fruit. But the wine opened up a bit later, and the fruit peeked out. Still, a leaner style of cab.
Spottswoode Napa Valley: This is the first of three grouped tightly together, and all three very good. The wine boasted a complex array of aromas from dark fruits to a bit of camphor, with a solid core of lush, sweet fruit and a long finish.
B.R. Cohn Olive Hill: Dark fruits and just a hint of toasty oak in the nose, with dense fruit and solid tannins in the mouth. The tannin cuts the finish just a bit short, but this wine still has a ways to go to reach its peak.
Chateau Montelena Estate: Similar in structure to the BR Cohn, this is a deep and brooding wine with a tannic edge at first sip. The tannins later step aside to let the dense core of ripe fruit emerge. A lengthy finish bodes well for the future as well.
LaJota Howell Mountain: This wine boasts everything you’d want in a California cabernet. There’s a purity of fruit evident beginning with the nose, and it delivers on the palate with ripe, beautifully balanced dark fruits and a long, luxurious finish. Fruit, acidity, tannin and oak are all aligned in the proper balance. One sip begs the next, and you won’t want to put the glass down.
Dominus Napanook: About 10 years ago, I attended a tasting put together by the Arrow Wine folks that pitted 1990 Bordeaux against 1990 California cabs. The tasters were served several wines blind and had to guess which was the country of origin. It was more difficult than I expected, and the one wine I was slam-dunk, ain’t-no-doubt-about-it certain came from France was … the Dominus from California. The 1994 also smells and tastes like its French brethren, with hints of brett, lead pencil and iodine alongside fruit in the incredibly complex nose. In the mouth, the wine has a full array of complex but still ultimately fruit-driven flavors. And what a finish.
Hmmm . Maybe we didn’t waste our money after all …
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Test Your Knowledge of California Wine
These facts and figures come from the Wine Institute, which describes itself as the “Voice for California Wine.”
— If California were a country, it would be the fourth-leading wine-producing nation in the world behind France, Italy and Spain.
— For the first time in recent history, red wine edged out
white wine by sales volume in food stores in 2004. Red held a 40.5 percent market share; white, a 40.4 percent share; and blush accounted for 19.1 percent share of case volume, according to ACNielsen.
— Chardonnay remained the leading varietal wine, followed by Merlot, White Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. Together these four varietals made up over half (55 percent) of the wine sales in food stores.
— California winery shipments made up roughly $15 billion of the $23 billion estimated retail value of all wine sold in the U.S. in 2004.
— Wine as tourism: Wineries and vineyards are the second most popular tourist destination in California after Disneyland. A total of 14.8 million tourists visit the state’s wine regions each year.
But keep in mind: only Myles (you remember him, from Sideways) drank out of the dump bucket…
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Feast Your Eyes on What We’re Tasting in Dayton, Ohio
The best German Rieslings balance a bit of sweetness with an almost electric acidity, making one sip just BEG the next. But why take my word for it?
Dorothy Lane Market’s Oakwood store – one of many Dayton-area venues to hold casual, drop-in wine tastings this weekend – will offer the 20004 Leitz Dragonstone Riesling tonight (10-7-05) for sampling, among other wines. The Dragonstone has been a consistent performer in recent vintages, and the ’04 is no exception. This is as good as under-$20 German wines get.
So feast your eyes on what local shops are pouring this weekend, and if you’re reading this page from outside southwest Ohio, well, check out the good thing WE’VE got going in our little corner of the heartland. Y’all come visit sometime.
To view the list of tastings, click on “Continue reading,â€? and if we missed any events or you know of something else interesting coming up not listed here, simply post a comment and let everybody know. The tastings information comes courtesy of a local wine listserve. And if you attended the Thursday night tasting at Dorothy Lane Market’s Washington Square store of Ceja wines, give us a report by posting a comment. Don’t MAKE me beg …
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
Friday, October 7, 2005
—Jay’s Kitchen Door, 4-8 pm 2003 Verget Cuvee De La Butte Chablis 2000 Chateau Plaisance 1998 Chateau Poujeaux 2001 Chateau Du Hart Milon 2002 Chateau Du Hart Milon
—Dorothy Lane Market Oakwood, 5-8 pm 2004 Leitz Dragonstone Riesling 2002 Noah Zinfandel 2000 Havens Reserve Merlot 1998 La Grace Dieux 2001 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon – Alexander Valley
—Dorothy Lane Market Springboro, 3-7 pm Groth Sauvignon Blanc Keltie Brook Pinot Noir Teira Zinfandel L’ Ecole Merlot
—Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar, new wines beginning Friday Schlink Haus 2003 Spatlese Riesling Attems Collio Sauvignon Blanc Voga 2004 Pinot Grigio DonnaFugata Anthilia Bremerton Old Adam 2000 Shiraz Gennaio 2001 Sangiovese Barnett Vineyards 2002 Merlot Delectus 1999 Cuvee Julia Cabernet Sauvignon
Saturday, October 8, 2005
—Jay’s Kitchen Door, 1-6 pm 1997 Louis Latour Batard Montrachet 1998 Clos Rene Pomerol 1998 Clerc Milon Paulliac 1998 Chateau Angelus St Emilion
—DLM Oakwood 1-6 pm 2004 Guidon Muscadet 2003 AtoZ Pinot Noir 2002 David Bruce Petite Sirah 2001 Robert Pecota Kara’s Vineyard Cabernet 2000 Elio Altare Barolo Bonus Bottle!
—B. R. Scotese Former Fairfield Wine tasters will gather at the restaurant on Wednesday, October 12 at 4:30 pm Palacio de Bornos Verejo Alomos Pinot Noir Di Majo Sangiovese Desolation Flats Rustler’s Red Hess Artezin Zinfandel Hess Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
—SIPS in Centerville 5-7 p.m. Naia Wellington Chardonnay Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc Kris Pinot Grigio Joseph Drouhin Pinot Noir Errazuriz Merlot Bella Novel Cabernet
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This Pinot Noir from New Zealand is no Kiwi
I’m still a relative newbie to the blogging ways, but my colleagues nationwide — actually, worldwide — organize what they call “Wine Blog Wednesdays” in which we all taste a similar wine and write about it. (For a listing of wine blogs, check out Wine Blog Watch. For a peek at this week’s sampled wines, check out the Cincinnati Wine Garage
This time, the wine had to be a pinot noir from someplace other than France or the west coast of the U.S. (THAT narrowed it down a bit …)
The wine shop nearest my home had but one that fit the criteria, so …here goes!
2003 Mt. Difficulty Pinot Noir Central Otago (New Zealand) $29.99: No one will confuse this pinot with Burgundy, though it could pass for a Santa Barbara County pinot. The emphasis here is on ripe, ripe fruit, decent supporting acidity and high alcohol, which is listed at 14 percent.
The first sip is impressive, with the sheer concentration of fruit carrying the wine into a long finish. But on second and third tastes, the alcohol takes over, and the wine seems clunky and one-dimensional. I drank the wine with grilled salmon, and instead of blossoming through the meal, the wine became tiresome to drink.
Anybody else try a pinot from someplace other than the usual suspects? What about pinots from Ohio or elsewhere in the U.S. other than the west coast?
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Stealing a Wine’s Place of Birth
What difference does it make where a wine comes from? I mean, as long as it tastes good, who cares what it says on the label, right?
Well, wrong. This is America. Consumers have rights. We have truth in labeling laws. We expect some level of integrity. We would have a problem if some huckster grew red grapes on a hillside in Arkansas and labeled his resulting wine “Napa Valley Red.� And I can assure you, so would winemakers in Napa Valley — and their lawyers.
Or course, it was U.S. winemakers who stole, then bastardized, the names of prestigious winegrowing regions of France, i.e. Hearty “Burgundy,â€? Mountain “Chablis,â€? Ohio “Champagneâ€? and California “Port.â€? But gosh, never mind about THAT …
Now, a Washington D.C.-based organization calling itself the Center for Wine Origins (its web site was still under construction as of 10-4-05 but was supposed to be up and running soon) has launched a three-year “location mattersâ€? campaign. The first magazine ads are showing up already — I found one in my copy of “Food and Wine” magazine that arrived at my house on Monday (10-1-05). The campaign is funded, interestingly, by
the European Union — yes, the EU — and by consortia of Champagne growers in France and Port growers in Portgual. Sherry producers from Spain will join the effort next year.
(Winemakers in Napa Valley, Oregon and Washington State, which joined with those same foreign producers in July in a joint declaration to help protect wine place names, haven’t ponied up to the Wine Origins campaign. Maybe they’re planning their own campaign, or maybe they’re too preoccupied with paying their own attorneys to fight all these battles in courtrooms.)
Wine Origins spokeswoman Miranda Duncan said the goal is to educate Americans that origin matters when it comes to wine. The organization released survey data that suggests a wine’s origin ranks second only to “recommendation from a friend� among factors most important to American wine consumers in making wine purchase decisions. Origin was more important than the wine’s brand name, price or recommendation from a store, the survey suggested.
“The bottom line is consumers do not like being deceived,� Duncan said.
Of course, wine marketers have been doing that for decades, here and overseas. I wrote a column for the “Dayton Daily News” 15 years ago on the phenomenon of foreign winemakers putting very, very American-sounding labels on their wines (Marcus James from Brazil, Walnut Crest from Chile, Ashewood from what was then Yugoslavia). Some seemed to go out of their way on their labels to hide their places of origin, to pass themselves off as California wines. And as recently as summer 2004, the California Supreme Court ruled against a company that was making wines with “Napaâ€? on the label but which contained few or no Napa grapes. The lawsuit was brought by those who DID grow Napa grapes.
Seems like it’s high time to put a stop to the foolishness. The U.S. and European Union signed an agreement earlier this year that opened up each other’s wine markets, but the agreement sidestepped the thorny issue of origin name-stealing, saving that debate for another day, according to Wine Origins officials. Seems like the common-sense thing to do would be to call a moratorium on future stealing, co-opting and bastardization of wine places of origin, while recognizing it’s impossible to reverse the stealing, co-opting and bastardization that has already occurred. “Grandfather in” all the existing poachers, unjust as that may be, but draw the line today. No more.
That way, folks can keep their Hearty Burgundy, but we’ll avoid the specter of New York State “Bordeaux” — or that Napa Valley Red from Arkansas.
What do YOU think?
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Ohio Wines Quietly Opening Some Eyes — and Minds
Ohio Wines are quietly gaining momentum - and a bit of national recognition.
The Ohio Wine Producers Association reports that more than 36,000 people
attended its Vintage Ohio event in August at Lake Metroparks Farmpark in northeast Ohio, and more than 7,300 lined up for samples of Ohio dessert wines in the Ice Wine tent, a new feature this year. And the folks at Valley Vineyards in Warren County say their annual three-day wine festival drew somewhere around 30,000 people.
Meanwhile, the Kinkead Ridge winery in Ripley is basking in the warm praise in Tom Stevenson’s paperback wine guide, “Wine Report 2006.â€? The book names Kinkead Ridge’s 2003 Viognier/Roussanne blend as one of the “100 most exciting wine finds in the worldâ€? and selects the winery as an up-and-coming producer in the Atlantic northeast region. The ‘03 is sold out at the winery, but the KR folks proclaim the ‘04 vintage is even better.
Some Dayton-area wine shops have Kinkead Ridge wines on their shelves; last week I tried the winery’s 2003 Syrah ($19.95), which is one of the best Ohio reds I’ve sampled. It’s a lighter-styled syrah with appealing flavors, a wine that shows the state can make red wines that can compete with the big boys as some of its white wines already do.
Eleven wineries at the other end of the state (in the Akron-Canton area) have banded together for a second annual “Halloween Haunt� event. For more information, link to The Ohio Wine Producers Association or call (800) 227-6972.
Interesting things are happening in the Buckeye state, wine-wise. Stay tuned.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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decanting wines: myth vs. reality
This message from my colleague and guest blogger John Canelli reminds us that wines are living, dynamic things:
“Decanting is something usually reserved for special bottles of wine pulled from your wine rack where they’ve been slowly gathering dust. Actually the wine you bought last Saturday could benefit from decanting. Recently I tried a Pinot Noir by St. Eden. The flavor improved gradually as I poured a new glassful. Obviously, the wine had time to ‘breathe.’ Then it dawned on me, I could have helped the wine reach it’s peak of flavor faster by decanting it and letting it stand for an hour.
On Saturday I opened a bottle of ‘02 Cabernet a friend suggested. The first taste had a bite of tannin in it. About an hour after decanting, the wine had a smooth, rich flavor. Just about every bottle of wine you buy could benefit from decanting.”
Here are my own few cents’ worth.
— Older wines don’t need decanting unless they have plenty of sediment, and even then, the decanted wine should be served immediately and not left to “breathe” for any length of time. For an older wine that is over the hill or fast approaching it, the extra breathing time won’t benefit the wine’s aromas and flavors, and could in fact have the opposite effect.
— Young wines, especially reds, may well taste a little more lively and vibrant and be a bit smoother with some breathing time. But do more than just pull the cork, which exposes just a quarter-sized surface area near the top of the bottle to air. Pour a healthy glass from the bottle so a greater surface area of wine touches the air.
— refrigerator-cold whites may benefit from decanting for reasons unrelated to the decanting process. Twenty minutes in a decanter will bring the wine up to the optimum serving temperature, and flavors will emerge that just don’t show in an ice-cold wine.
Additional advice or decanting experiences? Please share by posting a comment!
Mark Fisher
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French sparkler sparks memories of Loire vineyards
Sipping the 2001 Domaine du Landreau Preference Cremant de Loire Brut at Cuvee’s wine bar on Saturday took me back for just the briefest of moments.
First, the wine itself is gorgeous: creamy, rich and dry, with luxurious tiny bubbles usually found in fine, expensive Champagne. But this sparkler wasn’t made in Champagne, but in the vineyards of France’s Loire Valley, from a blend of chardonnay (80 percent) and chenin blanc (20 percent). And best of all, it costs $13.99, a fraction of the price of fine Champagne.
The Loire can be a treasure-hunter’s paradise, and it was a destination, oh so briefly, the one time I visited European vineyards, in the summer of 2001. Here’s what I had to say about the wine and family-travel experience at the time. Sit back, and I hope you enjoy! I know I did …
In California, the current epicenter of American winemaking, a winery with a
long' history has been making wine since, oh, maybe the 1960s. The really
historical’ wineries date all the way to the 1800s.
Whoop-de-doo.
Compare that to the Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi winery in Italy, one of the country’s largest wine producers. Its owners trace their family wine history back 700 years, give or take a century. The family archives contain contracts for the purchase of wines signed by King Henry VIII of England. (The fat dude reneged on a loan, too, the archives suggest, but that’s another story… .) Frescobaldi today is run by the 30th and 31st generation of the family.
Throughout Italy and France, the story is much the same. You can feel tradition oozing from the 1,000-year-old stone walls of Frescobaldi’s Nipozzano castle in the Tuscan hillsides outside of Florence. You can sense it in the knowing glance between an aging father who has passed his winemaking skills - and duties - on to his son at Chateau Pibarnon in the Bandol region of southern France. You can see it on the historic hillside in Crozes-Hermitage, where a centuries-old, one-person chapel overlooks some of the Rhone’s steepest and most scenic mountain vineyards.
I know. For a brief time early in the summer, I saw, felt, breathed and tasted this winemaking history. At least, when I wasn’t muffing my way through the countryside making first-time, stupid-American-tourist gaffes.
Come with me for a whirlwind tour. Won’t cost you what it cost me and my family, I can tell you that. But lord, was it worth it.
LOIRE VALLEY
First stop, the Loire valley, west-southwest of Paris, where white wines are king.
(Click the “continue reading” link for the rest of the story)
In regions such as Vouvray and Montlouis, the predominant grape is chenin blanc, an eminently forgettable variety in California, but here, oh my, the winemakers take it to incredible heights. When fermented dry, the wine can have a steely backbone and a tart lime component that marries remarkably well with food. When harvested late, the sweet wines can rival any other dessert wine in power, longevity and the ability to trigger diabetic shock.< But enough winespeak. My first goal was to find the darn winery at which I had an appointment - Domaine Francois Chidaine in the Montlouis region - on the first full day I was driving a rental car in a country in which I didn’t speak a word of the native language. I had very specific directions. Chidaine’s winery was in a tiny town. Should be no problem.
Big problem. I couldn’t find the place to save my soul.
After an hour of driving around, searching, I see a fading sign painted on a stone wall at an intersection. The top two-thirds of the sign is obscured by ivy or some other type of dangling plant life. I stop, lift the leaves, and see `Chidaine’ with an arrow. By now 45 minutes late, I show up. Francois does not seem to be expecting me. Nor does he speak a word of English. We stand babbling at one another, though I notice I’m doing most of the babbling. A winery employee who knows just a smidgen of English rescues me. Barely.
We taste wines together (hmm, something universal there). Chidaine’s 1999 and 2000 demi-sec (just a hint of sweetness) wines are powerful, full and rich, yet finishing with a jolt of acidity - that lovely wine-magazine term that describes the difference between orange Kool-Aid and real orange juice. Anyway, the conversation with Francois is, shall we say, limited.
After a while, Chidaine opens a dessert wine from a legendary vintage, a 1990 Les Lys Selection de Gran Nobles. It is awesome, filling the mouth with sweet, ripe fruit, a thick, viscous wine whose flavors reverberate long after swallowing. As a wine geek, I’m curious when he thinks the wine will hit its absolute peak. Through my interpreter, I ask, `If you had only one bottle of this wine, when would you drink it?’
The 30-something, married-with-children Chidaine ponders the question a moment, smiles, then responds in French. The interpreter - a young woman, younger than Francois - visibly blushes, giggles, and looks at me without translating. I protest. Eventually, she relents.
`He says if he had one bottle of this wine, he would drink it on his 80th birthday … with two 20-year-old girls, one on each knee.’
Vive la France! ON TO TUSCANY
In Tuscany in northern Italy, I eliminate any chance that I will get hopelessly lost trying to find Frescobaldi’s Nipozzano winery: I refuse to rent a car. I successfully beg the Frescobaldi folks to come to Florence to pick us up - this one’s a family trip, with my wife and two sons, age 12 and 13, joining the journey.
Our guide, Adriane (Odd-ree-ON-ee in Italian, I’m told) - a native of Germany who married an Italian and moved to Italy five years ago - speaks fluent German, Italian, French and English. While driving in Florence traffic, though, she curses in Italian. With gusto.
The castle-winery sits high on a sun-baked Tuscan hillside, overlooking a wide valley, surrounded by grapevines and olive groves. I’m ready to move here right now. Oh, there might be a few financial obstacles, a language barrier, some family considerations, a visa problem or two. But I’m ready.
The original castle was built in 1000 A.D.; the wine cellars followed in 1500. It was bombed extensively during World War II and restored in the decades that followed. But parts of the original castle remain, as do the five-century-old cellars.
It is here we encounter the rather, um, relaxed attitudes of Italians (and
French, too) toward alcohol. When offering a wine for sampling, a server
pours first into my glass, then my wife’s, then walks around a table and
does the same for both my boys, without even a glance toward mom or dad to
seek approval. My 12-year-old peeks at his mom as if to say, I didn't do
it, honest.' My 13-year-old looks up and smiles as if to say,Yeah, this is
the way it ought to be.’
We know we’re not in Ohio anymore. Oh well, when in Rome … we allow a few sips. They swirl and sniff like pros - hey, where’d they learn that? Oh, yeah. Never mind.
Adriane explains there is no real minimum drinking age in Italy, or in many other parts of Europe. Wine is an integral part of meals, and children are often allowed to consume it at the dinner table. The expectation is that they’ll do so responsibly, or they’ll lose the privilege. Officially, the minimum age to purchase alcohol is 16, but that rule is rarely enforced.
Right? Wrong? Who knows? Sure is different here in ‘Murrica.
Another `tradition’ that might not fly on this side of the Atlantic: In the family that controls Frescobaldi, it has been the practice to celebrate the birth of each child by laying down bottles of wine from the child’s birth year. For each female child, 100 bottles are carefully separated out and stashed away in the cellars with her name on the racks. For each male child - 600 bottles.
A few decades back, one of the patriarchs who had the apparent misfortune of having nothing but daughters proposed changing the tradition. His siblings would have nothing of it. They voted him down. The practice continues to this day.
Another shock: wine prices. Two Frescobaldi wines I had purchased in Dayton prior to the trip - A $10-$11 Remole and a $22-$24 Nipozzano Riserva - cost about $4 and $10 at the source. Adriane apologizes for the Nipozzano price - `we just raised it to $10’ - while I ponder the fact I thought the delicious ‘97 was a decent buy at $20-plus. How much room do we have in our suitcases, dear? Oh, right.
BACK TO FRANCE
Next stop, Provence, the south of France, which means in culture and cuisine, it’s roughly equal parts French and Italian. And I’m confident enough to once again be back in a rental car. A lovely Renault mini-van of sorts. Brand stinkin’ new. Stick shift? No problem. As a card-carrying American male, I know how to drive stick shifts.
Driving away from the rental car agency? No problem. Parking overnight? No problem. Getting up and heading off by myself to a visit to a Provence winery outside the little town of Lambesc? No problem. For the first time in Europe, I actually am running ahead of schedule. I decide to park my car in town and explore a bit before driving up to the winery. I pull in and park head-first against a stone wall and take a look around. I come back. I get in. I go to put the car into reverse.
And I can’t.
It dawns on me this is the first time I’ve had to back up. I study the diagram on the gear-shift knob and conclude I’m doing everything right. I try pushing down, pulling up, wiggling … nothing. I consider forcing it. Then I remember that the car is brand new. I chicken out.
I go in search of help. I walk 200 yards to a hotel, figuring someone there must speak English. I find three people in the cafe, two of them employees. None speaks a word of my language. They lead me to a real-estate agent next door who does indeed understand my pleas and lets me use her cellular phone. I call the vineyard guy who I’m now tardy to visit. He agrees to drive in and meet me and try to diagnose my problem.
Which turns out to be quite simple: I’m a stupid American. I don’t know that on these Renaults, the driver must lift up on a little ring just below the stick-shift knob in order to put the car into reverse. Vineyard manager Emmanuel Pageot knows how to do it, and quite well at that. The shift glides into reverse as if through microwaved butter. He glances at me with a look that speaks volumes.
My humiliation is complete.
My male gender card now in serious threat of revocation, I follow him back to the Domaine des Beates Winery, which produces Les Beatines, Domaine de Saint-Esteve and Terra d’Or for the M. Chapoutier winemaking empire. I’m sure it’s only my imagination that Emmanuel is telling everybody we encounter about my little transmission gaffe - in French, of course.
Emmanuel’s wife, Karen Turner, is the winemaker. Talk about spousal pressure. Your husband slaves all year to bring in a crop of flawless grapes, and if you don’t scrub out a holding tank well enough, you can end up ruining the whole batch. She’s Australian by nationality, and has that Crocodile Dundee accent going.
Bet she knows how to put a car into reverse.
We escape Europe with a few extra bottles in our bags and baguettes in our bellies. The wines? Delicious. The culture? Fascinating. The sense of history? Awe-inspiring.
The opportunities to rediscover one’s humility? Endless.
By Mark Fisher Dayton Daily News Published Sept. 30, 2001
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