The Wine Curmudgeon

Wine of the week: Montecillo Verdemar Albarino 2009

Albarino is a Spanish grape that produces white wine that doesn't really taste like sauvignon blanc, though it has some sauvignon blanc-like qualities. This has left it in wine drinker limbo, since quality albarino usually costs a couple of dollars than sauvignon blanc. Its cause hasn't been helped by some Spanish wineries, which market albarino as a Spanish sauvignon blanc.

This is too bad, because well-made albarino is worth the extra couple of dollars a bottle. The Montecillo ($13, sample), made by the always reliable Maria Martinez, has everything albarino is supposed to have: some citrus, but not an overpowering amount; a long, clean, stony finish; and a more full, richer mouth feel that is completely different from that of sauvignon blanc. The wine geek term for albarino's flavor is lychees, which is best described as something between a pear and a grape.

And did I mention low alcohol? Or that it has a screwcap?

Having said all that, albariono is, like sauvignon blanc, a seafood wine. Think boiled shrimp or steamed mussels or even something more exotic. The Spanish like to drink it with barnacles, called percebes, that are prepared in more or less the same way as mussels.

Big-deal wine dinner tonight

Tuesday update: I did wear a tie, and I'm told there may even be pictures. The dinner was impeccable -- everything one expects from a chef of Rathbun's ability. The wine wasn't bad, either, and I was especially impressed by a rose -- called Deep Rose (sample, $18). Only a Mondavi could get away with using Napa Valley cabernet sauvigon to make rose, and I'm very glad he did.

The other highlight? Partida Tequila and its founder, Gary Shansby. I'll have more on that later this month.

Monday: Let's hope the Wine Curmudgeon doesn't embarrass himself. I get to share a table with Michael Mondavi (yes, that Michael Mondavi) at a restaurant owned by Kent Rathbun (yes, that Kent Rathbun).

Better wear a tie, huh?

Michael Mondavi, Kent Rathbun

Winebits 147: Drink local, wine awards, "value" wines

• Michigan wine passes critic test: Elin McCoy, who is about as first-tier as wine writers get, spent her vacation in Michigan drinking Michigan wine -- and she loved what she tasted. "A lot of [local] wines are pretty good and, as with the best bottles in Michigan, many cost under $25. Reasons, in my book, to become a locapour." And thanks for the shoutout to DrinkLocalWine.com, Elin.

• Decanter wine awards: And there are surprises from the British wine magazine among its 28 top wines (and a tip o' the Curmudgeon's fedora to Tom Johnson at Louisville Juice for finding this). How about best chardonnay, £10 and under, coming from Australia? Or Napa's Clos du Val being named best red Bordeaux blend, £10 and more?

• Wine Spectator looks for values: Because, after all, it couldn't say it was recommending cheap wine. What would its readers think? The survey accompanying the story found that only two percent of Specatator readers said they're looking for wines that cost less than $8, about 30 percent picked the $15-and-under category for value, and 29 percent said the $15 to $20 range held the most value. For comparison (and because, after all, I am the Wine Curmudgeon), wine sales in the U.S. bear no relation to whgat Spectator readers drink. About half of the wine sold in the U.S. costs $8 or less and only 9 percent costs $15 or more. That's truly an amazing contradiction, given the power and prestige that the Spectator has. And though I have always suspected that Spectator readers weren't part of the wine mainstream, I didn't realize they were that far out of it.

regional wine, Michigan wine, Elin McCoy, Decanter, wine awards, Wine Spectator, value wines

Social media and wine

Social media is supposed to save the wine business. The problem? The wine business doesn't understand social media and, more importantly, doesn't want to be saved by it.

Why this is, and what it means for wine drinkers, is after the jump:

2010 Regional Wine Week

The details are over at DrinkLocalWine.com. It's our third annual regional wine week, and it includes the usual fun stuff -- plus a haiku contest on the DLW Facebook page.

A haiku contest, you ask? Of course, I say. Would the Wine Curmudgeon be involved with something that isn't cutting edge?

DrinkLocalWine.com, regional wine

Wine review: Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio 2009

After we finished the final Kerrville wine seminar, it was time for takeout roast chicken and a decent white wine. I had stuffed a bottle of the San Angelo ($14, sample) in my wine traveling kit, figuring that even it wasn't much fun, it was white wine that would travel well. I could always put some ice cubes in it if worse came to worse.

Once again, the Wine Curmudgeon was reminded of the first rule of wine criticism: Don't judge the wine until you taste it.

The San Angelo was quite a pleasant surprise. It didn't have the turpentine-like aroma and flavor that so many less expensive Italian pinot grigios have. It also had more -- and better -- fruit than the turpentine wines; fresher and almost pear-like, and was quite nicely done. Serve this chilled with almost any picnic food.

Italian wine, white wine, pinot grigio, wine reviews, Banfi San Angelo

Kerrville wine and music festival

Seven things I learned at the Kerrville Wine and Music Festival:

1. I don't have the hips to wear a tie-dye man skirt. Though my legs are probably good enough.

2. Cowboy boots and short skirts are a particularly Texas fashion statement.

3. Two days of listening to music made by people who love what they're doing makes even the Wine Curmudgeon a little less cranky.

4. It's very difficult to drive five miles an hour. Very, very difficult.

5. All of the acts were terrific -- and some were even better than that, including The Marshall Ford Swing Band, Chet O'Keefe, Andrew Delaney, and a pickup band featuring Anthony DaCosta, John Elliott and Raina Rose.

6. The Kerrville wine seminar audiences are fantastic. They pay attention, they ask good questions, and they want to learn about regional wine. It's one of the few places I speak where the audience breaks into loud cheers when you tell them that it's OK to drink what they like, even if what they like is regional wine.

7. Brennan Vineyards makes outstanding Texas syrah, and the 2007 is no exception (and, at $17, is a fair value). It has found the sweet spot between Rhone, Californian and Australian syrahs. Open the bottle 20 or 30 minutes before you drink it, and it will surprise you with its depth and complexity.

Kerrville wine and music festival, Texas wine, regional wine, Brennan syrah