Dr Vino's wine blog

It’s only 15 days until the campaign of spin stops and you can vote on that decisive electoral issue. You might think I am talking about foreign or economic policy. I’m actually talking about wine.

As I have written previously, Massachusetts has a state-wide ballot initiative taking place on November 7 that would allow wine sales in food stores. It’s a no-brainer from a wine lover’s perspective: buying wine where you buy your food makes it easier to have wine with your dinner. It’s such a novel concept that 34 states already allow the practice. People in Massachusetts should vote yes and make it 35 states.

But the issue makes people say funny things. Is it the wine talking? Or the campaign contributions?

“A dramatic expansion of alcohol sales as proposed in Question 1 would undermine the system as a whole and make meaningful enforcement nearly impossible,” Eddie J. Jenkins, the chairman of the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, said last week.

“I am opposed to Question 1 because it would make alcohol more accessible to underage persons and will dramatically increase the availability of alcohol in Massachusetts,” said Ted Mahony, the agency’s chief investigator.

Not only are these positions laughable–ever heard of carding?–but these unelected officials are now having their statements reviewed by an Ethics Commission since they are not supposed to “engage in political activities” while on the job. Their boss, State Treasurer Timothy Cahill, an opponent of the measure, gave them the green light to speak out according to the Boston Globe. He received $22,000 last year from distributors in campaign contributions.

In an unusual coalition against the measure, package store owners have been joined by some distributors and 28 local police chiefs. Since the measure is backed by Stop & Shop and Shaw’s, two supermarket chains, the distributors who are opposed must fear that retailer consolidation would be a significant counterweight to their market power. The cops’ demagoguery about drunken driving I just don’t understand.

Supermarkets do not have reputations for selling high quality wine. And they don’t always deliver wine at the best price. But there’s always the chance that they will try. Certainly Whole Foods does a good job though you pay a premium for the convenience. And Trader Joe’s has solid offerings at reasonable prices. Maybe they will serve as guiding lights for the bigger chains in Massachusetts.

Both sides have raised $7.6 million thus far according to the Boston Globe. And the irony is that if the measure passed, as polls suggest, November 8 would not bring cases of Kendall-Jackson to Stop & Shops. It would simply allow the right for municipalities to set their own rules.

I would vote yes to make wine one step more convenient and more like a normal, enjoyable consumer product, a part of everyday life.

tags: wine | massachusetts wine | supermarkets

At 7:46 AM today, America hit the 300 million inhabitants mark. Whoever thought of giving this an exact time is a marketing genius extraordinaire. The 400 million expected in the next 50 years (exact minute not yet specified), what’s the likely impact on wine?

It’s likely to be good.

America is already forecast to become the world’s largest market for wine by 2008 according to VinExpo, a French trade group. Not only are Americans currently drinking more per capita, but with an expanding populace America is likely to remain the favored market for the world’s wine producers. While producers from France, Italy, and Argentina, have to look abroad for growth American producers can focus on the growing home market.

And those American producers could be smaller and more dispersed. Wine Business Monthly estimates that there are close to 4,000 wineries in America now. In 50 years, there could be 20,000. And many of those could be in the other 47 states that are not California, Washington, or Oregon.

For consumers, more local wine might mean knowing more winemakers. Wine makers could be less of celebrities and just a member of the community, a vigneron if you will. Snob value could be shed in favor of actual drink value as more wines make it on to the American table. Probably many of those will also be imported since foreign producers seem particularly clever at making and marketing wines that sell at low prices.

Wine might also finally lose some of its lingering stigma and become the choice of moderation that Thomas Jefferson thought it. Quirky laws known as “blue laws” and laws against shipping that keep wine sales different from other consumer products might have withered. The market for distribution might even be more competitive.

So let’s raise a glass to the demographer’s most likely choice of the 300 millionth American, Maria, born in LA this morning at 7:46!

tags: wine | wine consumers | American wine

Rick Trumbull is an engaging character. He used to sell chemicals to farmers. Then he had a conversion to sustainability and organics. Now he makes compost for vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley such as Seven Hills vineyard.

I visited his compost facility in Walla Walla recently. I recorded a few minutes of Rick talking about making his compost. Get the poop and listen to the audio!

I also put up a photo of Rick in front of his “compost tea” brewer. Rick essentially steeps some compost in water, which then forms a nutritionally rich solution that can be applied to the vineyard. I never knew dirt could be so interesting.

Download audio 3mins 49secs, .wma format.

(Sorry about the wind–I’m new to audio. Hopefully podcaster Tim will be able to provide technical advice.)

tags: wine | sustainable agriculture | compost | walla walla

A dozen intrepid tasters gathered at the Dr. Vino World Headquarters on Saturday to answer two pressing questions: (1) is mourvedre the next grape “for men” and (2) if we see more of it thanks to global warming, is that a good thing?

The two questions are interrelated. Because mourvedre (minus one for machismo—French name) has a long hang time (plus one!) it can produce powerful red wines (plus two!) that are high in alcohol (plus three!).

Further, the late bud break and late ripening mean that it does well in warmer climates, such as its ancestral homeland, Spain. The grape has grown so well in Provence that the appellation Bandol mandates that all reds must have at least 50 percent mourvedre. As the world heats up, are we going to see more mourvedre?

Mourvedre is popping up around the world. Originally named after the Spanish town of Murviedro, it came to cover much of southern France. In the late 19th century when phylloxera devasted vineyards, mourvedre lost out since it was difficult to graft, the successful remedy against the louse. Only in the last 50 years was mourvedre able to be grafted and as a result it has swung back into favor though it still lags the other big reds.

It is often blended with grenache and syrah in the Southern Rhone. Chateau de Beaucastel has had as much as 70 percent mourvedre in the blend. Known for giving brambly, rustic, gamey or animal aromas it can take a wine to the wild side. Australia also makes blends known as “GSM” after the three grape varieties although I found it hard to locate one with a significant amount of M.

The best wines from mourvedre are known to improve mightily with age. So I wanted to be sure to include some with age as well as from various growing areas. And it tends to be good in its inexpensive incarnation from Spain, so I wanted to include a few of those too.

I bought ten wines that were mostly mourvedre—or monastrell as it is known in Spain or mataro as it is known in California. Seven of our wines are currently available on the market. One, the Castano Solanera 2001 had been in my cellar for the past couple of years since I purchased it for about $10. The two others, the Tempier and the Ridge, I purchased from Hart Davis Hart in Chicago.

They came from Spain (5), California (3), Washington State (1), and France (1). I bagged them that morning so the tasting would be free of prejudice.

The tasting (in my order of preference)

Ridge, Mataro, Evangelo Vineyard, ATP, 1993. $25 find this wine
An excellent example of aging gracefully. Soft and delicate tannins, notes of forest floor, brambles, dust, leather and some tart cherry, this bottle was quickly emptied. With only seven barrels made, this was a small production that is now out of production.

Tablas Creek, Esprit de Beaucastel, Paso Robles, 2003. $38 find this wine
Wonderfully balanced with notes of earthy rusticity. The luscious black fruits, supple tannins, and mouth-filling charm with layers of complexity including faint clove, briars, and sage made this my favorite of the young wines. 50 percent mourvedre.

Rafael Cambra, Valencia, 2003. $30 find this wine
Modern in style, this wine exhibits the intensity of the grape in its youth: a slight minerality and acidity followed by solid but fun tannins from the oak as well as the grape. This one could do with 3-5 years in the cellar.

Castaño Solanera, Yecla, 2001. $10 find this wine
Although this wine had a couple of years of age on it, the tannins were still serious. But they made it seem more grown up. Sadly, a second bottle opened after the tasting was corked.

Juan Gil, Jumilla, 2003. $15 find this wine
This highly praised wine from importer Jorge Ordonez is fun and approachable with big concentration and supple tannins and notes of dark fruit, bacon fat, and vanilla. Many tasters enjoyed it, as did I. But I couldn’t help wondering if, in the future, if it wouldn’t be just a tad dull? Still it was the best performer of the currently available under $15 group.

Domaine Tempier, La Migoua, Bandol, 1998. $35 find this wine
Still very dark in color, this single vineyard Tempier with eight years of age was a disappointment. It exhibited musty, skunky notes with licorice and fatigue. I tried it again after the unveiling. A half a bottle remained at the end of the evening.

McCrea, Mourvedre, Red Mountain, Washington State, 2003. $13/375ml find this wine
Bottled in clear glass, the wine has a bright, Jolly Rancher color. It was a prelude to a taste: odd sweetness permeated the wine. Well made and improved with some of the cheeses, but oddly sweet finish remained.

Casa Castillo, Jumilla, 2004. $11 find this wine
No great complexity, no tannic backbone left me thinking, “eh.”

Luzon, Jumilla, 2005. $7 find this wine
With the previous vintage receiving huge praise (although my experience was one good one bad), I had thought that this would be a ringer. Unfortunately it was not to be. There was an odd mustiness that would not blow off, bright berry up front and oak that was not well integrated.

Garretson, mourvedre, “la graosta,” Paso Robles 2004. $30 find this wine
This 100 percent mourvedre had odd notes of sea salt and sulfur that took a while to blow off. Bright cherry and wet dog notes also present. Perhaps blend in some grenache or syrah? The alcohol too was perceptible with 14.8 percent on the label.

Returning to our two questions, mourvedre may not be too manly since men and women enjoyed the wines equally. And if we do see more of it in an era of global warming, it is able to produce exciting wines, particularly when blended with the fruitiness of grenache and the spiciness of syrah. On its own, a great site and top winemaking skills appear needed to make a good one. If game or fowl is on your plate this fall, try matching it to a mourvedre in the glass.

Wineau RIP: R.W. “Johnny” Apple’s obit in the NYT.

Wine glut: merlot hangs on the vine [Sonoma Press Democrat]

Wine glug: Americans drank 2.1 percent more wine last year polishing off 273.7 million 9-liter cases according to Adams Beverage. Imported wines overall grew 5.6% while domestic wines rose 0.9%.

Wine truth: Sonoma in the brand name now must be 75 percent from Sonoma. [Sac Bee]

Wine woot: I got the loot. All arrived safely and promptly.

Holy wine: Jesus turned water into wine. The Church of St Mary in Christchurch, NZ is turning it into cold, hard cash selling its own brand of wine to fund building work. [stuff.co.nz]

Wine bling: C$30,000 for a half-bottle of ice wine from Canada. Only 5 cases produced. Yikes.

Ice wine: Dan Aykroyd gets into the ice wine action with Dan Aykroyd Signature Reserve Vidal Icewine 2005, due out next year. Not expected to be $30,000 a bottle.

tags: wine | wine news | icewine

Arnold Kennedy, Christophe Baron’s dog, at Cayuse Vineyards in Oregon last week.

What caption would you put on this photo? Post a comment!

tags: wine | grape harvest

With California state wine month a mere three days away, the state will be without a “historic” grape. Eegads! Amador County loses…

From the SF Chronicle

(08-29) 07:40 PDT SACRAMENTO — Zinfandel will not be designated “California’s historic wine” after legislation to do so was vetoed Monday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who said it was “inappropriate” to single out one variety for recognition.

Initially, the bill — SB 1253 by Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco — would have made zinfandel California’s official state wine, a designation the rest of the state’s wine industry strongly opposed.

Weakening the bill to simply labeling zinfandel as historic since it’s been grown in the state since the 1849 Gold Rush still did not win Schwarzenegger over.

“California wines have inspired authors, artists and Oscar-winning motion pictures,” the GOP governor said in his veto message. “Singling one out for special recognition would be inappropriate.”

Migden said the veto showed the governor didn’t have much of a sense of humor.

“It ought not to be a zin to be for zinfandel,” she quipped.

UPDATE: here’s the NYT lede on the same subject

Sorry, Zinfandel, Maybe Next Term

By JESSE McKINLEY
Published: August 30, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 29 — In a robust, full-bodied move with just a hint of censure, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill on Monday that would have declared zinfandel to be the “historic wine” of California. [link]

tags: wine | zinfandel | Schwarzenegger

If you can’t buy wine in your local supermarket, do you think you should be allowed? Massachusetts residents will be asked essentially that question on a statewide ballot initiative this November. If I were a resident of the Commonwealth, I would vote yes.

As crazy as it may sound to residents of California, Illinois or Florida, many states in the northeast still have laws that prohibit the sale of wine in supermarkets. Wine and spirits must be sold at spearate (but equal?) stores. Chains are prohibited in New York where licensees can only have one license in the entire state. Massachusetts is somewhat better with a maximum of three locations per licensee.

Here’s why I would vote yes on “question 1” on November 7:

1. Convenience. If you are going to have wine with dinner, you can’t get more convenient than buying wine where you are also buying the ingredients for dinner.

2. Price. The prices of high volume wines would come down. The Massachusetts Food Association, a trade group that is pushing the initiative, estimates that the reform would save wine consumers between $26 – $36 million. While it’s hard to say exactly how much it would save, it’s easy to tell which wines would benefit. If a consumer wants a branded commodity wine, then they should be able to get that at rock bottom prices. The large purchases of supermarkets and big box retailers would give them the clout to deliver those low prices.

3. End the stigma of wine as “different.” Wine has made significant inroads into American life in the past decade. For that to continue, it has to be easy to buy and at a good price. Selling wine next to cheese and not in a different store will continue this positive trend.

4. The big retailers will have increased clout in the market to offset the clout that the distributors crurrently wield.

5. Sales to minors will not increase as a group against the initiative suggests. It’s funny to see shopkeepers using this rhetoric since it is usually employed by the distributors. Many supermarket chains require any alcohol purchase to be done with an ID. Some even enter the ID number into the computer system.

6. Lest you think I am being too cruel on the “mom and pop” package stores, it will actually improve the small shops that survive. Instead of selling branded commodity wines with thin margins, they will be able to move more upmarket and sell premium wines with fatter margins. They will be forced to provide a better selection, better service, and better wine events than the supermarkets. And that will be a boon for the both the curious and the enthusiast wine drinker.

* * * * *

Question 1: Sale of Wine by Food Stores
This proposed law would allow local licensing authorities to issue licenses for food stores to sell wine. The proposed law defines a ““food store” as a retail vendor, such as a grocery store, supermarket, shop, club, outlet, or warehouse-type seller, that sells food to consumers to be eaten elsewhere (which must include meat, poultry, dairy products, eggs, fresh fruit and produce, and other specified items), and that may sell other items usually found in grocery stores. Holders of licenses to sell wine at food stores could sell wine either on its own or together with any other items they sell.

Related:
Study hits wine sales ‘monopoly’ [Boston Globe]
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