The Wine Curmudgeon

Wine of the week: Marqués de Cáceras Rose 2008

People always ask: "How do you pick wines to review?" The Wine Curmudgeon has a couple of criteria. First, it has to be an interesting, well-made bottle of wine. What's the point of wasting my time telling you what not to drink? Second, it has to be available. What's the point of wasting your time by telling you about a wine you can't buy?

In this, it doesn't much matter whether the wine comes from a struggling artisan producer whose fingernails are dirty or a huge multi-national whose idea of terroir is a country-specific marketing campaign. In the end, wine is about what is in the bottle.

And what's in the de Caceras ($9, purchased) is worth writing about. It's a Spanish rose, made with garnacha, and you can find it almost anywhere wine is sold. I took this to a barbecue a couple of weeks ago, where there several people who like wine but who were intimidated by it. They're the kind of people who never want to tell me what they like, because they're afraid I'll belittle their choice. "You're the expert," they say. "You tell us what to drink."

Which makes me crazy, because everyone should drink what they want to drink. So I bring pink wine like the de Caceres in situations like this, because no one believes I drink white zinfandel. And pink wine still means white zinfandel to too many Americans.

Then, they taste the wine, and discover that it's full of strawberry fruit, is bone dry, offers great value, and is barbecue friendly on a 100-degree Texas afternoon. So I've accomplished two things: First, they've learned something about a new style of wine. Second, they've learned not to judge the wine before they drink it. What more can the Wine Curmudgeon ask for?

wine reviews, wine of the week, Spanish wine, $10 wine, cheap wine, inexpensive wine, Marques de Caceras, rose

One consolation: France still makes great wine

The 2010 World Cup has not been a shining moment for French soccer. The players went on strike, a variety of national soccer federation officials quit in disgust, and the French sports minister reprimanded the team so severely that many of them cried. And, of course, Les Bleus didn't win a game, scored only one goal, and finished last in their group.

Or, as one of my favorite newspapers, the French sports daily L'Equipe put it, "Ridiculous to the end"

Yet it could be worse. The Wine Curmudgeon is a Chicago Cubs fan, so I know more than a little about losing and ridiculousness. And the French can at least take comfort in white Burgundy, which is more of a consolation prize than a Cubs fan will ever have.

World Cup, France, white Burgundy

Winebits 135: Wine bottles, wine buying trends, organic wine

• Reusing wine bottles: A company called Wine Bottle Renew wants to change the Americans recycle wine bottles. Its plan, based on European practice, is to sanitize old bottles for re-use. That could save wineries 10 to 40 percent in the cost of bottles, uses 25 percent less water, and reduce the bottle's carbon footprint by as much as 95 percent, say company officials. Its goal is to clean 1.5 million to 2 million cases each year. This idea, which has failed in the U.S. before, may have better luck this time. One of its backers is Jackson Family Wines, whose labels produce 5 million cases of wine a year. That's quite a financial incentive for the system to work.

• Are wine buyers trading down? Most studies of wine sales during the recession have reported that consumers have traded down; that is, bought $10 wine instead of $15 wine and $20 wine instead of $30 wine. Not so, says a new study by The Nielsen Co., which reports that more than three-quarters of consumers surveyed said they did not change their alcohol purchases because of price. Of that group, one-quarter said they were buying less and about one in eight said they buy the same products, but wait until they go on sale. I'm not sure how to interpret this, given that it contradicts so many other reports, including figures from Nielsen. At some point, do we have so much data that we can interpret it any way we want?

• Europe says no to organic wine: The European Union has rejected a proposal to create an organic wine category, reports Decanter. Currently, European wines can be labeled "made with organic grapes." The proposal would have limited sulfites and additives, and banned winemaking techniques such as the spinning cone, which removes alcohol from wine.

wine bottles, recycling, wine sales, wine trends, organic wine

Wine Century Club: 100 varieties of grapes

The Wine Curmudgeon has finally found a practical use for his fascination with obscure and little known wine grapes. It's called the Wine Century Club, and membership is open to anyone who has tasted 100 different grape varieties.

This is not as easy to do as it sounds. The group's literature notes that a well-regarded sommelier managed only 82 grapes, and I had to make an effort to come up with the 105 that I submitted And I've tasted frontenac and sauvignon gris -- to say nothing of spending 25 years drinking U.S. and European regional wine. On the other hand, some members have reached the 200-, 300-, and even 400-grape level (which makes me wonder if their social lives are even less interesting than mine).

The goal of the group, of course, is honorable: That quality wine exists that is made from grapes that aren't cabernet sauvignon, merlot and chardonnay. It's not about wine geekiness, but about exploring wine. In this, it is the exact opposite of the forces that propel the modern wine business, whose goal is to get everyone to to drink the same thing.

Membership is free and open to anyone who can fill out the form. Click through on the Web site to find it, mark off grapes, and email it back. You'll get a certificate in a couple of weeks. Membership is on the honor system, and reminds me of bird watching (which I've read about but never done). One keeps one's list handy, and then crosses off a ruby throated hummingbird or a blanc du bois.

Can I reach 200? Probably not, but it will be fun to try.

wine grapes, Wine Century Club, grape varieties

Wine review: Amador Foothill Zinfandel Clockspring Vineyard 2007

This is how the wine business works. A winemaker makes wine, and then has to find a distributor in each of the 50 states to sell it to retailers and restaurants in that state. For the largest producers, who make millions of cases of wine, this isn't much of a problem. Distributors make money based on how much wine they sell, so they are obviously happy to take brands that make millions of cases.

But what do you do if you're a winemaker who doesn't turn out millions of cases? Then you're stuck with wine to sell -- often wonderful wine -- and no way to sell it to consumers. Which is where Amador Foothill Winery finds itself.

The winery, located about an hour west of Sacramento, wants to sell its wine in Texas, but can't find a distributor. I know this because a friend of mine brought me several of the wines and shared this tale of woe. I don't often write about wines with limited availability, but this one is worth making an exception.

The Clockspring Vineyard ($16, sample) is one of the best-made zinfandels I have had in years, and that includes wines from Ridge and Nalle. It has brambly cherry fruit, moderate alcohol (14.7 percent) for a zinanfadel, and lots of spice. Drink it for a Father's Day barbecue, but know that the only way to buy it -- for most of us, unfortunately -- is from the winery.

wine reviews, Amador Foothills, zinfandel, red wine, California wine

Father's Day wine 2010

A few thoughts for the wine-loving Dad on your list (and keep the wine gift-giving guidelines in mind, which apply to Dad, Mom and anyone you buy wine for):

• Xplorader Malbec 2009 ($8, sample): The Wine Curmudgeon did a malbec taste-off a couple of weeks ago, and this grocery store wine was the pleasant surprise. Plenty of blueberry fruit, though a bit thin, but more than acceptable.

• Pepi Sauvignon Blanc 2008 ($10, sample): I had not seen the Pepi wines in years, until this sample arrived. It was everything I remembered it being -- less tropical fruit than similar wines but with California grassy-ness (the smell of a freshly cut lawn, which can be quite pleasing), and very well made for the price.

• Stoller Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 2007 ($25, sample): Just when I despair of ever tasting pinot noir that tastes like pinot noir, this shows up. It's classically Oregon, with earthiness and black fruit, and a pleasure to drink. Highly recommended.

For more on Father’s Day wine:
• Winecast 6: Winemaker Mike Martini
• Expensive wine 13: Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
• Father's Day wine 2009

holiday wine, Father's Day wine, wine reviews

Americans really do care about soccer

Or at least wine-drinking Americans who read the blog. The number of visitors was down 15 percent over the weekend, comparable to what happens when where there is a major U.S sporting event or holiday. Yes, I know, it's hard to believe, but people watch the Super Bowl instead of coming here.

So what kept the visitors away last weekend? The only thing I can think of is soccer's World Cup -- or, as "football" aficionados in the U.S. like to remind us, the Super Bowl and World Series for "the most popular sport in the world." Plus, the U.S. played Saturday, against our arch-rival England.

And, as long as I'm on the subject, did you know that blog traffic falls off by one-third on weekends? Don't tell your boss, but most studies have found that people read blogs between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. While they are at work.

World Cup, soccer, wine blogs