The Wine Curmudgeon

Mini-reviews 2: Fess Parker, Savennieres, Gordon Brothers, Croix de Rambeau

A monthly feature – reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the final weekday of each month.

• Fess Parker Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2006 ($28): Classic California chardonnay toned down a notch, which means you can taste the pineapple fruit.

• Domaine des Baumard Savennières 2004 ($20): This is chenin blanc from the Loire, but more fruity than the usual steely, clean style.

• Gordon Brothers Syrah 2006 ($20): If you want to spend this much on New World syrah, you can do a lot worse. Look for a bit of tar and lots of black cherry.

• Château Croix de Rambeau 2005 ($17): Red Bordeaux that is mostly merlot, made in a more New World style -- 14 percent alcohol and more fruit than I would have liked.

Technorati Tags: wine reviews,Fess Parker Winery,Savennieres,Gordon Brothers,Croix de Rambeau

International Eastern Wine competition results

The Wine Curmudgeon can’t decide if the highlight of the the 34th annual competition was the quality of the regional wine we tasted, how many cheap wines won gold medals, or the picture of me in a lab coat.

Probably the first two.

I don’t think there is any doubt that New York wine, and especially the rieslings, can hold its own with wine from any other region in the world. Yes, some of it is still “regional” – inconsistent and too tasting room in style. But there is a solid tier of affordable, well-made wine that’s worth writing about. I hope that the wine media in New York is paying attention, and doesn’t automatically opt for California wine when there is New York wine available.

And the cheap wine? Oh my. One of the finalists for the competition’s best red wine was a $10 merlot from a Central Coast winery, Five Rivers. It didn’t win, but I liked it more than the wine that did win.

After the jump, some highlights from the competition.

Billington Imports closes

And so ends an era in the wine business.

Don Alfredo, as Billington founder Alfredo Bartholomaus is fondly known, is one of the best people I have met in my time writing about wine. (Though his penchant for the pisco sour, a Chilean cocktail, always baffled me.) Bartholomaus was among the first importers to bring cheap, well-made South American wine to the U.S., and every time you enjoy a bottle of Argentine malbec or Chilean sauvignon blanc, you have Don Alfredo to thank.

My pal Dave McIntyre has the sad details about Billington’s end on his blog and in the Washington Post. It’s the recession, of course – the recession that all the wine wise guys said wasn’t going to hurt the wine business. Well, when it claims someone like Don Alfredo, it hurts the wine business.

I met Bartholomaus several years ago when I took the famous Billington trip to Chile. He was a joy – understood how wine writing worked, never asked for a favor, and understood that those of us on the trip would write about the wines we tasted because they were good, and not because he was paying the bills.

One of the best parts of the trip, which was a tradition, came on the last night, when Don Alfredo recited Pablo Neruda’s love poetry after dinner. How do you replace a tradition like that in today’s multi-national, label-driven,celebrity winemaker culture? You can’t, and the wine business will be the worse for it.

Technorati Tags: Billington imports,Alfredo Bartholomaus,wine business,recession and wine

Wine of the week: Ravenswood Sonoma County Old Vine Zinfandel 2006

Those of you who remember my post last month lamenting the current state of zinfandel will be surprised to see this particular wine of the week. But the Wine Curmudgeon is more than willing to admit when I make a mistake. And this Ravenswood Sonoma County (about $15) is worth drinking.

Joel Peterson, who runs the winery today for Constellation Brands, started  Ravenswood as a zinfandel house more than 30 years ago. And he still remembers how to do it in the classic style – moderate alcohol with jammy, berry fruit. Is it old-fashioned in this day of high alcohol, over-ripe zinfandels, many of which taste more like port than table wine? You bet, and that’s a good thing. Serve this zingy red wine (not to be confused with sweetish white zinfandels or Ravenswood’s basic $10 wine) with barbecue – brisket, sausage and all of the trimmings.

I'm going to write more about zinfandel in the next week or so, after pondering my April post and tasting some more of the wine, and I have a podcast with Peterson that will go up next week.

Technorati Tags: zinfandel,red wine,wine reviews,wine of the week,Ravenswood Sonoma County,Joel Peterson

Fred Franzia: Love him or hate him?

Or, actually, ignore him, which the wine industry seems incapable of doing. Franzia, the man behind Two Buck Chuck, Crane Lake, Forest Glen and a bunch of other cheap wines in the guise of the Bronco Wine Co. loves to throw his success in the faces of the people wine writer David Falchek calls the vinerrati. And they can’t help themselves – foaming at the mouth, spewing venom, and the like whenever Franzia does it.

The latest turmoil (and the cyber either is full of it, from the New York Times to Cincinnati to California) centers around a profile of Franzia that ran in the New Yorker. Two things struck me. First, that an old media property could cause such a stink among so many New Media types, and second, that what Franzia said wasn’t any different from what he has been saying for years and years. And years. He thinks wine is overpriced and that most wine people are phony snobs.

Which is hard to disagree with, given the foolishness that the Wine Curmudgeon sees in the wine business every day. Though, to be fair, The Times’ Eric Asimov notes that Franzia’s motives are far from pure: “He’s not a man of the people making high-quality bottles available for less. He’s a businessman masquerading as a populist for his own benefit, which is fine but his defenders ought to be honest about Mr. Franzia’s motivations.”

Which doesn’t change his message and why the vineratti dislike it so. And nothing will change until all $100 wine is 10 times better than all $10 wine. Until then, Franzia will continue to drive them crazy.

Technorati Tags: Fred Franzia,Two Buck Chuck,vinerrati,Bronco Wine Company

Winebits 79: Recession update, Dan Berger wisdom, Eric Asimov on cheap wine

• Cheap wine is good wine: Ah, validation.Joseph Gallo, (yes, that Gallo), speaking at a conference for states that sell liquor (or control states), on the effect of the recession: ”People realize that wine they'd never consider before is actually good.  It has started a trend that you don't have to pay a lot for wine to taste good...the market is showing that.” Note to Mr. Gallo and other industry types: The Wine Curmudgeon has many thoughts on this subject. Give me a call. I’m actually a lot less expensive than most of the consultants you pay.

• Add an ice cube: The next time some wine drinker is being particularly snotty, show them this, from the great Dan Berger. Berger, who knows more about wine than most of the rest of us combined, focused a recent column on the theme of “Hey, if you like it, go for it. It’s your dinner table and your wine. Do what you like.” Among his suggestions? Yes, adding an ice cube if the wine is too warm or too alcoholic.

• “I have nothing against people who choose to drink boring wines:" Eric Asimov, the wine columnist for the New York Times, has an intriguing look at cheap wine. He makes a distinction that I would argue with, since it assumes that most cheap wine is boring wine. This, of course, is far from the case. He also recommends several cheap American-made wines (though his definition of cheap includes wines that cost $20). He laments that there aren’t more, which surprised me. I’d suggest he try the Bogle petite sirah and the Avalon Napa cabernet, as well as Peirano's The Other Red and White.

Technorati Tags: Dan Berger,Eric Asimov,recession and wine,cheap wine

Winecast 8: Eric Renaud, Bern's Steak House

Eric Renaud is a breath of fresh air in the restaurant wine business. Renaud, in this late 30s, is the passionate, intelligent and customer-focused senior sommelier at the legendary Bern's Steak House in Tampa, Fla. Bern’s is renowned for its wine list, which has 6,800 different selections and more than one-half million bottles. Frankly, if more restaurants took Renaud's approach, they'd sell more wine and make more money doing it – and wine drinkers would be better off.

We chatted during a break in judging at the 34^th annual International Eastern Wine Competition in Watkins Glen, N.Y. Renaud, as he says, is an example that anyone can learn about wine. He started at Bern's lugging cases and bringing bottles up from the cellar. This perspective has taught him to give customers what they want, and not what he wants to sell them; to help them find value on a restaurant list; and to treat wine as something to be appreciated – and not something to be intimidated by.

The stream or download the podcast, click here. It's about 9 megabytes and 10 minutes long. You’ll even hear some wine judging and glass tinkling going on in the background.

Technorati Tags: Eric Renaud,Bern's Steak House,podcasts