The Wine Curmudgeon

Thank you, Staten Island Advance

Lo and behold, they appreciate the Wine Curmudgeon in the New York City borough. Food editor Pam Silvestri has a brief Q and A with me in today’s paper. All of my favorite subjects, like cheap wine and regional wine, are included.

True story: Silvestri sent me an email a couple of weeks ago asking to do the interview, and I thought it was a practical joke. I know more than a couple of people who would be more than capable of that, including setting up a fake email account. So how much of a curmudgeon does that make me?

I did call the number, and it was actually her. And we had a nice chat.

Technorati Tags: Wine Curmudgeon,Staten Island Advance,cheap wine,regional wine

Wine of the week: Vini Merlot 2007

Reasons to go crazy over this wine:

• Screw top.

• It costs $8.

• It’s from Bulgaria (and the back label notes that “Since we haven’t seen you in Bulgaria lately. …”)

• It’s actually available, which was really surprising given how many $10 wines that the Wine Curmudgeon likes that aren’t available.

• It may be the best-made cheap merlot I’ve ever had. It’s certainly the best I’ve had in a long time, with enough tannin and structure to complement the cherry and plum fruit. Best yet, it wasn’t cloying and jammy, like so many inexpensive California merlots. It’s pleasant enough to drink on its own, but it would also complement barbecue, beef fajitas, and meat loaf. Most definitely a candidate for the 2010 $10 Hall of Fame.

Technorati Tags: wine reviews,wine of the week,red wine,Bulgarian wine,Vini,merlot,$10 wine,cheap wine

Tuesday winebits 69: Fat Bastard, Sting’s wine, Euros ban labels

• Fat Bastard is sold: French producer Boisset bought the company that makes Fat Bastard, one of the first clever label brands. Boisset is best known in the U.S. for owning Deloach and inexpensive imports from the south of France like French Rabbit and Lulu B. This is another in what looks to be continuing consolidation at that end of the market, which has included Gallo’s purchase of Spanish producer Las Rocas.

• Sting launches wine label: The front man for the Police will sell about 2,500 cases of red wine made on his country estate in Tuscany. It is supposed to be available in the U.S. later this year. The wine will be a Super Tuscan, though it doesn’t have a name yet (and no, it probably won’t be called Roxanne.) And, yes, one of the headlines for this story in the cyber-ether was “Message in a bottle.” Ouch. The Wine Curmudgeon is going to have to teach these people how to write headlines.

• European label ban: The European Commission, in what looks to be a reversal of policy, apparently will not allow U.S. wineries that use the word chateau, clos, or even vintage on their labels to be sold in the European Union, reports Wines & Vines. This seems to be part of the long-standing trade dispute between the EU and the U.S. that everyone thought had been settled in 2006. But the Europeans have re-opened the discussion, which they were allowed to do. One of the biggest losers? Napa’s Clos du Val, run by French winemaker Bernard Portet, which had to stop selling its wine in Europe -- where it enjoys a fine reputation. I know Portet a little, and he will not be happy.

Technorati Tags: wine news,Fat Bastard,Sting,Clos du Val,European Union,wine labels

The Wine Curmudgeon enters the 21st century

Yes, the Wine Curmudgeon is on Facebook, and has entered the world of social networking. I am told it is a key part of the future, and the people who have told me that (and you know who you are, dammit) usually know what they are talking about.

So look for me there – my account is Wine Curmudgeon. We’ll see how this works, part of my never-ending attempt to negotiate the marketing environment in the New Millennium. The catch, of course, is that I have to post updates, which I have not been very good about doing in the short time I have had the account.

And I can tell everyone right now that there is no chance – ever – that the Wine Curmudgeon will ever Twitter.

Technorati Tags: social networking,Facebook,Twitter

Lowering the drinking age to 18

This is, oddly enough, one of the newest and most interesting approaches to fighting alcoholism. The theory, as propounded by a surprising number of experts, including some police as well as university presidents who are part of the Amethyst Initiative, says it may be the best way to fight an unprecedented wave of binge drinking and similar problems among college students. Take away the legal barrier, and you’ll take away a lot of the thrill and the incentive.

Or, as the police chief in Boulder, Colo., home to the hard-partying University of Colorado, told 60 Minutes: “The abuse of alcohol and the over-consumption of alcohol and DUI driving...are the areas we've got to focus our efforts. Not on chasing kids around trying to give them a ticket for having a cup of beer in their hand."

After the jump, a few thoughts about lowering the drinking age and why I’m writing about it.

Wine terms: Cheap wine

Say cheap wine to someone in the business, and they get insulted. I used to make that mistake all the time. Say cheap wine to a wine drinker, and their eyes light up. Isn’t that why most of you are here?

That’s because wine drinkers understand what industry types don’t: That cheap wine is about more than a price. When it’s done properly, it’s a style of wine that is consumer friendly, well made, and offers value. Equally as important, cheap wine isn’t associated with any of the snotty, winespeak, score-driven attitude that affects too much of the U.S. wine business.

It’s also the Wine Curmudgeon’s reason for being. After the jump, a few thoughts on what makes great cheap wine:

Wine review: Hey Mambo Swanky White 2007

This has been, for the past couple of vintages, a decent enough white wine blend. And then someone at The Other Guys, the subsidiary of Don Sebastiani & Sons (think Smoking Loon) that produces the wine and a Hey Mambo red, had a great idea: Use more viognier and chenin blanc and less sauvignon blanc. (And we know how much the Wine Curmudeon appreciates viognier and chenin blanc).

The result is impressive. Look for a fresh, apricot fruity and juicy wine that isn’t sweet and has enough zing to stand up to most white wine foods. It reminded me of many of the cheap and well-made Gascogne wines that have showed up over the past couple of years. The suggested retail price is $13, so it may be available for as little as $10.99 in some parts of the country.

And yes, that’s a Zork closure.

Technorati Tags: Hey Mambo white,Don Sebastiani & Sons,white wine,wine reviews