January, 2007
Written by: Ryan Fujiu on Wednesday, January 31 2007
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Wine Marketing powerhouse Inertia Beverage Group announced that their Rethink Wine Trade system is now available in California, as well as Washington State, the District of Columbia and New York.
The initiative allows wineries to ship directly to restaurants and retailers, instead of having to go through wholesales. This is a big step forward for wineries, restaurants and retailers in the aforementioned states.
Inertia’s system utilizes a three tier system where the restaurant or retailer can place an order through the winery’s website. The order then goes through a designated wholesaler who takes the order through a “virtual inventory,” but never actually takes possession of the wine. The wholesaler bills the restaurant then pays the winery. The winery then ships the wine directly to the restaurant or retailer.
This whole transaction happens instantaneously over the internet and complies with all federal and state regulations. This is a big step forward for California’s wineries and will undoubtedly help restaurants get their hands on small production wine.
Written by: Ben Bicais on Wednesday, January 31 2007
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While California’s wine consumption is on the rise, the opposite seems to be happening in France. According to a recently released study per capita wine consumption in France continues to fall. Between 2001 and 2005, the average French citizen drank 11% less wine.
And there is no sign that this trend will slow anytime soon. By 2010, it is estimated that French wine consumption will drop another 7.84%. In contrast, worldwide consumption of wine is expected to increase by 9.4% over the same period.
Demand for wine is growing very quickly in the United States and Britain. At the current rate, America will overtake France as the largest wine consuming nation in the world by 2010.
As domestic consumption in France continues to drop, export markets are increasingly important to the nation’s wine industry. But there is fierce competition for these markets from New World wine regions including California, Australia, and Chile.
These countries employ many marketing and labeling tactics that are prohibited by the French AOC and Vin de Pays systems. For example, in most cases French wineries are not able to put the grape varietal on their labels, and must identify the wine by geographic region instead. This is confusing to many consumer, especially at mid to low-range price points.
Much of the wine France is currently producing goes unsold and ends up distilled by the European Union. Since 1988, the EU has also been paying struggling grape growers to pull their vines in a practice called “arrachage.” Over production is particularly a problem in Languedoc, but even Bordeaux is not immune.
To combat this glut, Plan Bordeaux was devised in 2005. It calls for 42,000 acres of vineyards to be uprooted in the region. But the plan has met resistance from growers, negociants, and government officials. It remains to be seen how well the French wine industry will adapt to the changing international market and the decrease in domestic consumption.
Written by: Ben Bicais on Tuesday, January 30 2007
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AC Nielsen recently reported that in 2006, sales of wines bottled with screwcaps increased by 24.6% in the United States.
Paige Poulos, Founder of the Alliance for Innovative Wine Packaging (AIWP), released the news at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento. Because natural cork is widely believed to be susceptible to TCA taint, screwcaps are increasingly being used by wine producers. Wines bottled with screwcaps made up 4% of all sales of 750mL bottles of wine in 2006.
No one doubts that TCA taint is an issue, but the extent of this problem is widely disputed. Estimates of bottles affected by TCA range from 1% to 20%. While screwcaps solve the problem of TCA, many experts believe they adversely affect the ability of wine to age. This explains why most age-worthy red wines continue to be sealed with natural cork. According to AC Nielsen, “white wines, imports and wines priced $8 to $11.99,” are most likely to be sealed with screwcaps.
In regards to the potential of screwcaps to replace traditional cork, Poulos said, “The burgeoning market for innovative closures is not about direct competition with natural cork. This is about diversification and convenience, creating new opportunities for the enjoyment of wine as an everyday beverage, and expanding the market. In the immediate future, we see traditional packaging continuing to thrive, with screwcaps and other innovative closures seeing widespread consumer acceptance. This is a very healthy market dynamic.”
Screwcaps have clearly found a growing niche, and I agree with Poulos that this is less about direct competition with natural cork, (which will likely always be used for expensive red wines), and more about diversifying the choice of closures for wineries who are not making an age-worthy product.
Written by: Ryan Fujiu on Monday, January 29 2007
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The world’s largest bottle of wine arrived in New York two thursdays ago. At 6-foot-5 and 1,300 pounds, this behemoth bottle of wine is not for the faint of heart. Australian Kim Bullock is expecting a hefty price tag; she already turned down a $100,000 offer.
But that’s nothing compared to the world’s largest keg. At 27 feet long and 25 feet tall, this mammoth keg puts the 6-foot-5 bottle of wine to shame. As you could image, the keg holds a good amount of beer, 55,345 gallons to be exact. This keg is the pride of Germany, and makes its home in the Heidelberg Castle.
Let compare vital statistics:
- # of 4 oz glasses of wine in a bottle: 7
- # of 16 oz beers in a keg: 124
- # of bottles of wine in largest bottle: 387
- # of 15.5 gallon kegs in the largest keg: 3570
- # of 4 oz glasses in the largest bottle of wine: 2709
- # of 16 oz beers in the largest keg: 442,680
- % alcohol in wine: 14
- % alcohol in beer: 6 (German beer might be pushing 8)
- # oz alcohol in 4 oz glass of wine: 0.56
- # oz alcohol in 16 oz beer: 1.12
- # oz alcohol in bottle of wine: 3.92
- # oz alcohol in 15.5 gallon keg: 138
- # oz alcohol in largest bottle of wine: 1517
- # oz alcohol in largest keg: 492,660
- # of friends it would take to drink the largest bottle of wine in the world: ?
- # of friends it would take to kill the largest keg in the world: ?
Written by: Ryan Fujiu on Friday, January 26 2007
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The 16th annual Zinfandel Festival began on Wednesday with their “Flights, A sit down multi-Zin tasting,” and culminates tomorrow with the Zinfandel Tasting. This San Francisco based event has 273 Zinfandel producers confirmed to pour over 1,000 wines.
The Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) organization is a 501© (3) non-profit dedicated to “advancing public knowledge of and appreciation for American Zinfandel and its unique place in our culture and history.”
This event promises to be a great experience. If you are in the area, stop by the Fort Mason Center on Marina Blvd. The event goes from 2 – 5 pm, and is $65 at the door. As far as I know, there are still tickets available. For more information, check out the event website.
Alder Yarrow recently wrote a great piece of advice:
“Don’t try to park anywhere near Fort Mason. Take a cab or public transportation. You’ll miss the whole event while looking for parking. Get there early and have a list of producers you want to visit. As with all public tastings: wear dark clothes, come with a full stomach, and for Pete’s sake, spit your wine. Don’t become one of the stupidly drunk folks who everyone laughs at.”
I would pay particular attention to “…spit you wine…” as most of the Zinfandels will be pushing 16% alcohol.
Some popular wine bloggers are meeting up at the media tasting from 10am – 1pm. If you can get your hands on a media pass, join Josh Hermsmeyer from PinotBlogger, Joel Vincent from Vivi’s Wine Journal and Wine Life Today, Russ Beebe from Winehiker Witiculture, Alder Yarrow from Vinography, Ben and I for some good old fashion fun.
Written by: Ryan Fujiu on Thursday, January 25 2007
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Every so often, a winery will introduce a fun, interesting idea to engage their customers and allow them to participate with their wine. While most wineries are separating themselves from their customer base, Fantesca Winery is doing the opposite.
For the past three vintages, Fantesca has printed quotes on their wine’s corks called Fortune Corkies. Who submitted those quotes? The people who drink their wine of course. This kind of fun participation is exactly what the wine industry needs. And if your quote makes it onto the cork, you get a 1.5 liter hand bottled magnum of their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon with your quote as the closure.
If you haven’t heard of Fantesca Winery, they are a small artisan winery in Napa Valley’s famed Spring Mountain AVA. They produce limited quantity Cabs from their estate vineyard and a Hyde Clone Carneros Chardonnay. Although they are a relatively new winery, they have received tremendous acclaim.
“A relatively new operation, this 800 case winery on Spring Mountain dedicated to 100% Cabernet Sauvignon produced an outstanding 2002…It should age nicely for 10 – 15 years. This is an impressive start!” – 90 Points, Robert Parker, Jr.
Here are some examples of quotes that have made it in the past:
- “Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions, and more tolerance.” – Ben Franklin
- “In water, one sees one’s own face, but in wine, one beholds the heart of another.” – French Proverb
- “Wine is like sunlight held together by water.” – Galileo Galilei *
- “There is nothing like good food, good wine, and a bad girl.” – Anonymous*
If you are interested in submitting a “fortune corkie,” email the submission to fortunecorkies@fantesca.com.
Written by: Ryan Fujiu on Wednesday, January 24 2007
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The beauty of California’s wine country can inspire even the most disheartened individuals. These are some my favorite California images. If you are viewing this from an RSS reader click here
California Wine Country Images
Featured are vineyard images from Oakville, Rutherford, Carneros, Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill and he Dry Creek Valley.
Written by: Ben Bicais on Tuesday, January 23 2007
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At its best, Pinot Noir is like no other wine; both graceful and powerful at the same time. But how does one pick a good Pinot Noir?
Probably the most important variable to look for is the region the wine is from. Pinot is a finicky grape that requires a long growing season with sunny days and cool nights. France’s Burgundy region is the most famous Pinot Noir region in the world, but it is extremely complicated and inconsistent.
A smarter bet is one of the many California or Oregon Pinot Noirs that are available today. While they never reach the heights of the best Red Burgundy, they are also less likely to be corked or simply disappointing for what they are trying to be.
Within California, there are several regions to look for: Santa Rita Hills (Santa Barbara), Santa Lucia Highlands (Monterey), Carneros (Napa and Sonoma), Russian River Valley (Sonoma), and the Sonoma Coast. Because of their moderate climates, these are the top Pinot regions in the Golden State.
Oregon’s two best Pinot Noir regions are the Willamette Valley and the Dundee Hills. Both have cool, coastally influenced climates, and have established international reputations for producing the grape.
Another important variable is the alcohol level in the wine. There is an unfortunate trend in California of producing this delicate grape at high alcohol levels (14.5% +). If the alcohol is this high, the grapes were probably picked when they were overripe. This can wreak havoc on the flavor profile, and may throw the balance of alcohol and acidity off.
In the end though, it is your personal tastes that should determine which Pinot Noir you pick. If you like big, jammy Pinots, then disregard the advice about balance between acidity and alcohol.
Along the same lines, many wine connoisseurs love the mystery of opening an expensive Red Burgundy and not knowing if it is going to be vile or beautiful. There is a saying in that region that, “there are no great wines, just great bottles of wine.” But if need a good, well-priced Pinot for your dinner party, California or Oregon is the way to go.
Some of my favorite Pinot Noir Producers include:
- Santa Lucia Highlands AVA: Rosella’s Vineyard, Garys’ Vineyard, Paraiso Vineyards
- Santa Rita Hills AVA: Sanford Winery , Sea Smoke Cellars, Babcock Vineyards
- Russian River Valley AVA: Siduri, August West, Williams Selyem
- Carneros AVA: Etude,Acacia Winery, Truchard
- Sonoma Coast AVA: Freeman Vineyard, Flowers Vineyard, Kistler Vineyards
- Dundee Hills AVA: Lange Estate, The Four Graces, Archery Summit
- Willamette Valley AVA: Raptor Ridge Winery, Amity Sunnyside Vineyard, Sineann
Written by: Ryan Fujiu on Monday, January 22 2007
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News that the wine blogosphere is growing is probably not surprising to anyone reading this post. But compared to the rest of the internet, it’s moving at a snails pace. On the surface, this may seem like bad thing, but nothing could be further from the truth.
The internet is known for exponential growth, and change that happens just as fast. This fosters a dog eat dog environment where a start-up can go from an idea, to multi-million dollar “flavor of the month,” to nothing in a matter of months.
To a large degree, technological breakthroughs are responsible for these inevitable changes. If an internet company is not constantly aware of the technological ebb and flow, they are sure to be left in the dust.
In an interview by the Press Democrat, Pro wine blogger Tom Wark explained how the number of wine blogs increased ten fold from 2004 to today. This may seem like a large jump to many, but in internet terms, this is far from exponential.
Exponential growth is what many start-ups dream of when they take ideas from concept to reality. But there is a price that comes along with this kind of growth, and thats long-term viability.
The wine-blogoshpere is growing, but at a slow, constant pace. Wark mentions that “At this stage there are probably 10 wine blogs that generate income from advertising.” What? In three years of growth, only ten wine blogs are making money?
Although this may seem like a dreary statistic for most wine bloggers, it’s actually a very good sign. It means that the wine blogosphere is here to stay. Slow growth is a strong indicator of long-term viability.
Eventually, the wine blogosphere will hit critical mass and many will make “a fine living by sitting in their pajamas in front of their computer, sipping wine and tapping out blog posts about the latest Russian River Valley pinot noir.”
With this in mind, its important for up and coming wine bloggers to keep putting out great content and building a community around their blog. It may not happen over night, but that’s a good sign that WINE BLOGS ARE HERE TO STAY.
Written by: Ryan Fujiu on Thursday, January 18 2007
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What can you learn from the greatest problem solver in history? First of all, even the most difficult problem can be solved with a bit MacGyver ingenuity. That’s right, if MacGyver can foil world domination with a tooth pick and a rubber band, you can do just about anything.
Inspired by a syndicated MacGyver episode, this post explains how to convert your Mini-Fridge into a fully functional Wine Refrigerator. Specialty Wine Refrigerators are very expensive; they can set you back anywhere from few hundred, to a few thousand dollars. Why waste your money when you can convert your mini-fridge into a perfectly functioning make shift wine refrigerator.
Problem: Raising the Mini-Fridge temperature from 42 degrees F (too cold) to 55 degrees F (proper wine storage temp).
- At the lowest setting of my Mini-Fridge’s thermostat, the temperature was about 42 degrees F; which will ruin a bottle of wine if left for too long.
Solution: Override the Mini-Fridge’s thermostat to raise the temperature by using an appliance timer and a thermometer.
- By using an appliance timer and a thermometer, you can create your own cycle of power to the Mini-Fridge; raising the temperature to the proper level for wine storage.
Components and Information:
- 1 – Mini-Fridge (preferably used in college to store old pizza and beer)
- 1 – Heavy Duty Digital Appliance Timer ($13.98)
- 1 – Refrigerator Thermometer – Digital is best (Ours was $4.99)
Step 1: Buy Heavy Duty Digital Appliance Timer and Refrigerator Thermometer. You can buy the appliance timer at almost any hardware store with an appliance section, or online here. We bought ours at Home Depot in the lighting section. Really, any appliance timer will due as long as is has at least 12 cycles and a three prong input. Refrigerator thermometers can be found at most any grocery store, or online here. Any refrigerator thermometer will due.
Step 2: Plug Mini-Fridge power cord into your appliance timer, then plug timer into outlet. Turn the fridge to lowest power setting possible, and place thermometer in Mini-Fridge. Allow Mini-Fridge to run at lowest setting then check the temperature. If it is below 55 degrees F, move on to step 3.
Step 3: Set Appliance Timer On/Off Settings: Because each Mini-Fridge is different, getting the timing right will take a bit of trail and error. Your appliance timer will allow you to run the Mini-Fridge for a set time, then have the power off for a set time. Interchanging on and off will raise the temperature of the Mini-Fridge to the correct wine storage temp (55 degrees F). We set our timer for two hour increments (2 hours on/ 2 hours off). This raised the Mini-Fridge temperature to 56 degrees F, which is perfect for wine storage. Start with this interval, if the temperature reads too low; adjust intervals to allow longer “off” periods (maybe 1 ½ hours on/ 2 ½ hours off). If the temperature reads too high, adjust intervals to allow longer “on” periods (maybe 2 ½ hours on, 1 ½ hours off).
Once your Mini-Fridge has stabilized at the correct temperature, you have your very own Specialty Wine Refrigerator. Store your favorite wines until you are ready to enjoy them.
*If you are storing your wine for more than six months, it would be wise to invest in a humidifier for your new wine refrigerator.
Written by: Ryan Fujiu on Wednesday, January 17 2007
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January 17th, 2007 – The MKF Research LLC of St Helena released the results of their study on the economic impact of wine, grapes, and grape products. The outcome? It turns out that these products contribute $162 billion annually to the United States Economy.
The news was delivered today in Washington D.C. by the Congressional Wine Caucus, a 182 member coalition of Congressmen and women from around the country. The study was titled “The Impact of Wine, Grapes and Grape Products on the American Economy: Family Businesses Building Value.” It took into account a almost every major contributing factor from the wine, grape, grape juice, table grape and raisin industries, including; agricultural statistics, employment, taxes, and product revenues.
The MKF modeled their research after IMPLAN, which was developed by the U.S. Forest Service and University of Minnesota. They measured the direct, indirect, and induced economic impact of wine, grapes and grape products. It seems that the MKF covered all of their bases in this study, which is considered by many to be “fully comprehensive.”
Congressman Mike Thompson of St. Helena, co-chair of the Congressional Wine Caucus said “Grapes, wine, and other grape products are truly an economic catalyst with tremendous growth potential in all 50 states. Policymakers can maximize these economic benefits by supporting legislation that enhances the wine and grape-product industry. Our support will ensure that this all-American industry continues to produce superior products and provide a strong contribution to our economy.”
Congressman Thompson is right about the potential of grape and grape products potential across the country. The number of U.S. wineries increased from 2,904 in 2000, to 4,929 in 2005. According to the study, they contributed over $11 billion in revenue from winery sales alone. In addition to winery sales; distributor revenue contributed $2.7 billion, restaurant wine revenue was just under $10 billion and wine tourism generated over $3 billion.
As you can see, the American wine industry is booming, and is a major contributor to the U.S. economy. But what does this mean for the wine industry and their surrounding communities? Congressman Randanovich of Mariposa Ca, noted that the wineries and vineyards have contributed over $129 million to charitable causes. And the wine, grape and grape products industry generated over 1.1 million full-time jobs nationwide.
However, there are challenges facing the wine and grape industry, which were examined in the report. Some of the most important, included; scarcity of skilled labor, climatic risks, volatile and ever-changing market for wine grapes, shortage of certain types of wine grapes, highly competitive market, increasing pressure from imports, price-value pressure, continuing restrictions on market access reflecting the legacy of Prohibition.
Looking beyond these challenges, there is hope. The study also revealed several opportunities for the wine industry, including; growth of wine tourism, a growing market for wine in the U.S., research documenting many positive health benefits of wine and grape products, and direct-to-market wine shipments within and between many states.
These opportunities are the sparkle in the eye of California’s wineries and vineyards; seeing that roughly 90% of the nations wine production occurs in California. The closest competitors are Washington State and New York, each with a 3% contribution. Even with the inherent limitations of the wine industry, this growth doesn’t seem like its going to stop or slow anytime soon. With any phenomenon, the wine industry will eventually reach its carrying capacity, but since the wine consuming market is growing at a relatively proportional rate, this carrying capacity is not anywhere in sight.
Written by: Ben Bicais on Monday, January 15 2007
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A recent proposal by the Federal Government to require listing fining agents as “ingredients” on wine labels is drawing criticism from the industry. At issue is whether or not trace amounts of these agents can cause allergic reactions.
Several fining agents such as egg whites, casein, and isinglass are often added to wine to remove unwanted materials. They bond to debris including dead yeast cells, microorganisms, and astringent tannins before sinking to the bottom of the tank.
The fining agents and unwanted solids are then removed through filtration, racking, or cold stabilization. Bill Nelson, President of Wine America, explains, “It’s kind of like sweeping the wine. You’re putting in something that holds onto those particles in suspension.”
This is where the issue becomes controversial: are the fining agents completely removed, or are there trace amounts left behind that warrant being labeled as ingredients?
Many industry leaders, including the Wine Institute and Wine America, argue that labeling these substances would simply confuse consumers. After all, casein is a milk protein and isinglass is a substance found in sturgeon. Most people do not think of wine containing egg whites, milk protein, and fish derivatives.
On the other side are several lawmakers and a Harvard scientist named Christine Rogers. They point to studies that show food allergies to be a serious health concern for a small amount of the population. The Federal Government seems quite adamant on this issue, but they have opened the door for the wine industry to prove that there is no real health threat. But this will be a costly and drawn out process.
Written by: Ben Bicais on Friday, January 12 2007
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The Matthews Laboratory at the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology released an interesting graphic on the effect of grape yield and berry size on quality. Conventional wisdom asserts that the smaller the berries and yields, the higher quality. But the Matthews Laboratory declared,
“It’s not the destination, but the journey that matters.”
According to the study, vineyard management techniques and physical phenomena are the true reasons for quality levels; not simply berry and yield size. The graph illustrates the “sensory or fruit attribute payoffs” that results from the “journey” that grapes take during the growing season.
For example, small berries that develop in a well-shaded environment will have less color and less tannin. Without treatment, grapes will have more color and slightly more tannin. Grapes that are grown in a water deficient vineyard will have more color and more tannin.
Low yielding vines that are grown in a water deficient environment have less veggie and more fruit flavors. Cluster thinning in this situation has no effect on the grapes’ flavor profile. What I found most interesting was that low yielding vines that are pruned will have more veggie and less fruit flavors according to the graph.
This is a bit counterintuitive as I was under the impression that there was a more or less proportional relationship between pruning and quality. The data from the Matthews Laboratory suggests this is an overly simplistic view.
Written by: Ryan Fujiu on Friday, January 12 2007
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Jan. 13th, 2007 – The 4th annual Decanter World Wine Awards is now open for entry. This year, all entries can be made online. Decanter is expecting over 7,000 entries from every recognized wine producing region in the world.
According to Decanter, this competition’s aim is to “provide credible recommendations for today’s wine consumer.”
Because the registration and entry system was moved entirely online, there is no limit to the number of entries. The new system provides a number of benefits; entered wines are archived, so if you enter the same wine in future years, all you need to do is change the vintage.
Publisher Clare Malec commented “This is a fantastic step forward for the Decanter World Wine Awards and all those entering wines will see huge benefits. The system has been tailor-made to make it as easy as possible to enter wines.”
You can register your wines at here. The cost of entering per wine is:
- £85.00 (£72.34 + VAT) per wine – wines sent from within the UK
- £100.00 (£85.11 + VAT) per wine – wines sent from outside of the UK
Written by: Ryan Fujiu on Friday, January 12 2007
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The World of Fine Wine Magazine is a periodical based out of London that is sold internationally by subscription. The writers for The World of Fine Wine Magazine are as good as they come; topics include, Authenticity in Wine, Wine and the Brain, Terrior in Australia and more.
New England Vine is the complete online resource for wine enthusiasts in the New England region of the United States. Many of you may not know about the New England area as a Wine Region, visiting their site is a great way to experience a new wine culture.
Fufluns.com is an international wine touring website. They focus on wine tours of Tuscany, but that is not all they offer. Also featured are custom wine tours, corporate tours, wine cruises, cooking classes, Tuscan weddings and banqueting.
Written by: Ben Bicais on Thursday, January 11 2007
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Wine Enthusiast Magazine is one of the most widely read and respected wine publications in the world. At the end of each year, the magazine announces its coveted Wine Star Awards. Alexander Valley was recently named wine region of the year for 2006. The results were published in Wine Enthusiast’s December 15th, 2006 issue.
In the article, Wine Enthusiast alludes to Alexander Valley’s long history of producing Zinfandel which dates to the 19th century. The valley’s propensity for premium quality Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are also cited.
Written by: Ben Bicais on Wednesday, January 10 2007
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A wine’s complexity and ability to develop with age is directly related to the physiological ripeness of the grapes. This may seem counterintuitive because most New World wines are not generally known for aging, yet the grapes are harvested at much higher Brix levels than in the Old World.
Today, Wine Business ran a fascinating piece that illuminates key distinctions between ripeness and Brix levels. Originally written by Lance Cutler on October 15th, 2005, the article is a discussion with 3 experts (Charles Hendricks, Stefano Migotto, and Clark Smith), that addresses the controversial subject of dealcoholization. As the name implies, Dealcoholization is the process of removing alcohol, usually through cross-flow filtration or reverse osmosis.
Contrary to popular belief, Clark Smith asserts that California grapes do not have high Brix levels because the climate is warmer than Europe. The reasons, he argues, are more complex, and involve California’s higher diurnal fluctuation (day to night temperature swings), and low rainfall in the autumn months preceding harvest.
While the exact reasons for this phenomenon may be debatable, the fact is that grapes in California do not physiologically ripen until sugar levels are higher than they are in Europe. If California vintners harvested at the same Brix levels as Europe, the grapes would not have ripe tannins in the skins, seeds, and stems. Wines would lack complexity and taste “green.”
But Hendricks, Migotto, and Smith all argue that going by the numbers when deciding when to harvest is a mistake as well. Instead, they make the compelling point that there is no way around actually tasting the grapes to determine ripeness, regardless of the Brix measurement.
If the Brix is too high to produce a wine with balanced alcohol, tannins, and acidity, then dealcoholization can be carefully used lower the heat. However, as Charles Hendricks says, it can be difficult to find this “sweet spot.”
What particularly struck me about this article is that advanced technologies are being used in California to effectively produce a more traditional, Old World style of wine. California may have the capability to make the extracted, high-alcohol wines that have wowed many critics and consumers recently, but I am glad to see that some wineries are still pursuing balance; albeit through unconventional channels.
Written by: Ryan Fujiu on Wednesday, January 10 2007
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Jan. 10th, 2007 – Pro wine blogger and wine marketing extraordinaire Tom Wark was appointed the Specialty Wine Retainers Association’s (SWRA) new Executive Director. As an organization, SWRA works to build a market for retailer-to-consumer sales. SWRA president Leslie Berland commented, “Tom’s long background in wine marketing and communications and his keen understanding of the issues that confront wine retailers and consumers put him at the top of the list to lead SWRA.” The SWRA lobbies in legislative and regulatory areas to curtail “discriminatory laws” that hurt both retailers and consumers.
Written by: Ryan Fujiu on Tuesday, January 09 2007
3 comments
Riding the coattails of popular culture, Tastes of the Valleys is set to open a wine bar called SIDEWAYS. As most of you probably know, SIDEWAYS is an Academy Award winning movie set in Santa Barbara County. The SIDEWAYS wine bar will feature wines from 15 Central Valley and Central Coast producers.
Dave Chambers, Wine Merchant and Partner in Tastes of the Valleys said, “The film had done so much for the Central Coast, not just for Pinot Noir itself, but for Pinots all over the Central Coast.” Chambers and his associates successfully convinced Fox Studios to license the name SIDEWAYS for their wine club and wine bar.
The wine bar is going to be located in Solvang, which is right in the heart of the Central Coast wine region. SIDEWAYS wine bar is going to be the designated tasting room for Au Bon Climate and Qupe.
They are going to specialize in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Rhone Varietals; which comes as no surprise to anyone who has seen the movie. Most of the featured wines are going to be from Santa Barbara County, and San Luis Obispo County.
With hundreds of tasting rooms scattered throughout wine country, it’s nice to see someone making an attempt to stand out from the rest.
Tastes of the Valleys, a SIDEWAYS wine bar is located at 1672 Mission Drive, Solvang, Ca. Hours are 11:00 A.M. until 8:00 P.M. Toll free: (877) 622-9463.
Written by: Ben Bicais on Monday, January 08 2007
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The Modesto Bee recently ran an interesting piece about the boon to negociants like Cameron Hughes from California’s wine surplus. Hughes is famous for bottling excess wine under his own label and selling it at Costco as well as on his website.
Hughes’ efforts embody one of the hottest business models in the California wine industry today: buying high-quality wine that is sitting in tanks and selling it under a different label.
As the industry becomes increasing competitive, this trend will likely gain momentum as producers look to cut costs and maximize profits.
This business is clearly booming; Hughes estimates that he will make about 70,000 cases this year, up from 29,000 last year. “We are absolutely on fire right now. We are rocking and rolling. We have so many wines in production.” Hughes is not the first nor anywhere near the largest participant in the negociant game. Fred Franzia’s Bronco Wine Company is much larger, producing labels like Charles Shaw “Two Buck Chuck.”
But Hughes sets himself apart, first and foremost though quality. Unlike many of the larger negociants, he very picky about the wine he buys. Hughes seeks out premium wineries that happen to have excess wine. As the Modesto Bee’s article points out, an amount of surplus wine is produced to give the winemaker more leeway in blending, as insurance against unforeseen problems, or simply because the winery stopped making a particular varietal.
Additionally, not every vineyard block will make it into the final blend, but this is the result of nuanced and subtle decisions rather than poor quality. This wine may very well be delicious on its own, but it simply does not contribute the winemaker’s vision for the vintage.
And this is where Cameron Hughes enters the picture. He buys this wine at a considerable discount and passes much of these savings to the consumer. While the net affect is higher quality at a lower price point; these practices have been criticized as there is a danger of undermining the premium market. For this reason, Hughes does not reveal who he buys his wine from and only labels his bottles by region and lot number.
Summing up his niche, he recently remarked, “The high-end business is always in oversupply. Guys always make more wine than they need.” As California’s wine industry continues to evolve, negociants like Cameron Hughes will continue to challenge the status quo.
Written by: Ben Bicais on Friday, January 05 2007
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With the direct shipping issue raging, the battle lines have been drawn. One of the major arguments against direct shipping, (mainly wholesalers and prohibitionist groups), is that the alcohol industry already targets a youthful audience and less regulation would lead to minors buying wine directly. But a new Penn State study takes issue with these alleged efforts to push booze on children.
From 2001 to 2003, Professor Emeritus John Nelson comprehensively searched for economic evidence of this accusation. In the journal, Contemporary Economic Policy, he published his findings from examining the reader demographics of 28 different magazines that ran 3,675 alcohol advertisements.
Professor Nelson’s conclusion is quite stark: “The percentage of youth readers is not significant in any of the economic regressions, regardless of the model. Policymakers would be well advised to turn their attention to other aspects of youth drinking behaviors, rather than decisions made in the market for advertising space.”
In short, he found no evidence that the alcohol industry intentionally targets a youthful demographic. The most popular magazines for advertisements were about subjects including men’s style, sports, entertainment, and music.
According to Nelson, theses are not especially popular subjects for young people and they make up a small percentage of the readership. He goes on to say an intuitive truth: that audience size and ad costs are the true determinants of promotional decisions.
Written by: Ryan Fujiu on Friday, January 05 2007
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One of the members of our community recently started a wine blog. Jeff Williams, or napa spa as we affectionately know him, is going to posting on wines from the Napa Valley.
“This blog is about the wines of Napa Valley. Here I post thoughts, comments, wine ratings, wine reviews, and links to interesting Napa Valley information. Read about my experiences at Napa Valley tasting rooms, spas, lodging, restaurants, local business and more…
I certainly look forward to reading more from napa spa, and encourge community members to check it out and support him in his wine blogging endeavors.
You can read the most recent posts here
Written by: Ben Bicais on Friday, January 05 2007
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Premium Cabernet Sauvignon producer Atalon Winery recently moved from Oakville to Calistoga in the Northern Napa Valley. Atalon was previously using Cardinale’s production facilities and is now making wine at the old Robert Pecota Winery and Vineyards.
Regarding the sale of his land, Mr. Pecota said, “I’m 68 now and with my daughters tending their families and other interests, it seemed like a good time to downsize and get back to doing the things I love most — driving a tractor, growing grapes and making small quantities of handcrafted wine. That’s what I intend to do and I hope our longtime customers will accompany me on the journey.”
Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke are the current owners of Atalon. They purchased the “ghost winery” a few years ago.
Written by: Ben Bicais on Friday, January 05 2007
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Vinfolio is expanding the functionality of its wine cellar management tool called VinCellar by allowing collectors to value their wine more accurately. VinCellar will now evaluate both retail and auction prices from sites like Wine-Searcher and Vinfolio’s Wine Price File in real time.
Regarding the new service, Steve Bachmann, Vinfolio’s Founder and CEO, said, “Gathering relevant and current price data in a systematic fashion to value your collection is difficult. Being able to do this within VinCellar is a natural extension of the software. Knowing what wine you own, where it is and its current value are all essential elements of managing your wine collection.”
Written by: Ben Bicais on Thursday, January 04 2007
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As the wine industry becomes increasingly globalized and competitive, regional branding is more essential than ever. This is especially true for areas other than the handful of famous ones (Napa, Sonoma, etc.) that do not immediately bring to mind a luxurious experience.
Because the majority of its wines are sold at low price points, the Central Valley is very prone to foreign competitors like Australia’s Yellow Tail. Many countries and states have formal institutions that promote their wines and in some cases lobby for protectionist measures. California lacks this resource, but the state does have CAWG (California Association of Winegrape Growers) on its side.
CAWG recently announced that it is raising money to bolster the state’s wine industry. Rodney Schlatz, the Chairman of CAWG and a grape grower in Lodi, explains the initiative: “This is a voluntary effort to come up with $500,000 in the next few months. If we had a dollar for every acre of wine grapes in the state, we’d meet our goal.”
Most of the money will be spent on events and press releases that raise awareness of sustainable farming practices in California’s vineyards. Karen Ross, the President of CAWG, says it is all about branding the state’s many grape growers. “Consumers want to know more about the growers, the people behind the bottle. Let the wineries promote their brand, and let the growers promote their brand.”
This initiative is more than just about selling wine; rather it is about emotionally connecting with the consumer on such issues as fair employment practices and organic farming. It is about developing and articulating the entire experience of consuming California wine and setting the region apart by illuminating the people who are behind it all.
Written by: Ben Bicais on Wednesday, January 03 2007
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On December 27th, 2006, U.S. District Court Judge Charles R. Simpson III ruled that a Kentucky law banning direct wine sales to consumers who did not physically visit a winery was unconstitutional.
In May of 2005, The Huber Orchard and Winery, an Indiana-based producer, initially filed the lawsuit against Kentucky’s wine shipping statutes. Huber eventually dropped out of the suit, but Cherry Hill Vineyards, an Oregon winery, took over as Plaintiff. Cherry Hill successfully argued that the “in-person requirement” discriminated against out-of-state wineries.
Simpson’s ruling effectively allows small, out-of-state wineries that produce less than 50,000 annual cases to ship directly to consumers in Kentucky. But it is likely that the State of Kentucky will appeal the ruling in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Direct wine shipping lawsuits have frequently been in the news lately, begging the question of when this issue will be settled. The short answer is no time soon. At its core, this is a conflict between the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution and the 21st amendment.
The Commerce Clause was written to help remedy the highly ineffective Articles of Confederation in the early years of the United States. From an economic standpoint, many states were acting like sovereign nations implementing tariffs and other protectionist measures. The Commerce Clause made it unconstitutional for individual states to discriminate against another’s economic goods.
It should have been just that simple, but then the 18th amendment was passed and Prohibition was enacted. Although the 21st amendment repealed Prohibition about a decade later, it gave states the right to continue to ban alcohol as well as regulate distribution and sales if it was permitted. The result is the legal confusion and complexity that we see today.
Written by: Ben Bicais on Tuesday, January 02 2007
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I enjoy Zinfandel as much as anybody else, but I have to admit being a bit taken aback by some of the very high alcohol levels of late. Not that these wines aren’t enjoyable for what they are, but sometimes I wonder if I’m drinking a Port rather than a table wine.
However, there are some noteable exceptions, and Nalle Winery is one of them. Winemaker Doug Nalle prides himself on making Zinfandel with moderate alcohol that above all else is balanced. This may not be the type of wine to turn heads at blind tastings, but if you are enjoying it with food, that is a good thing.
The Nalle Family has owned their Dry Creek Valley estate since 1927. After graduating with a Master’s Degree in Enology from UC Davis, Doug worked with several famous winemakers including Richard Arrowood and John Kongsgaard. In 1984, he made his first vintage of Nalle Zinfandel.
While many other winemakers age Zin in American oak, Doug only uses French barrels. This contributes to his wines’ considerable finesse, grace, and restraint. His oldest son, Andrew, has been the assistant winemaker at Nalle since 2003. I highly recommend visiting their tasting room in Northern Sonoma County near the town of Healdsburg.
California’s Wineries can Ship Direct-to-Restaurants Thanks to Inertia Beverage
