The Wine Curmudgeon

More natural cork foolishness

The natural cork business has spent the past year spending millions of dollars to convince consumers that cork is not only the perfect closure for wine, but will save the environment. This campaign is strikingly odd, and not just because it glosses over cork's efficacy as a closure. Which, as noted, isn't good.

As Decanter's Adam Lechmere wrote: "The statement's sentiments are as suspect as its syntax. It demonstrates once again that the cork industry's grasp on the realities of public relations is as shaky as ever."

A friend of mine, who does cork marketing, said that the biggest problem with the cork campaign is not just that it's an unusual approach. The problem is that even if it wasn't unusual, it would still be difficult to accomplish successfully. The cork industry is asking consumers to buy wine based on the closure, and not what's in the bottle. How impractical is that? More, and an amazingly dumb video, after the jump:

Wine of the week: Toad Hollow Chardonnay 2009

The late Todd Williams always took pride in being just a little bit different. This was a Sonoma winemaker, after all, who had Missouri nortons in his wine cellar.

So, in 1993, when he made 3,000 cases of unoaked Toad Hollow chardonnay, the wine world probably chalked it up to his eccentricity. Who would make an unoaked chardonnay for $10 and expect to be taken seriously when California was famous for expensive, heavily oaked chardonnays?

This vintage of the chardonnay ($15, sample) continues the winery's tradition of quality wine at a fair price. No, it's not $10 any more, but it still has lots of green apple fruit, a long mineral finish, and not a hint of oaky or toasty. It's a wine you can keep in the refrigerator during the holidays in case anyone drops by, and it will also work well with all sorts of holiday leftovers or Chinese takeout.

The winery has also gone to screwcaps (wonder what Todd, a cork man, would think of that?), so let this sit for 10 minutes or so after you take the top off. It will improve the flavor markedly.

Did you enjoy the M&Ms, Canadian customs?

Canadian customs, called the Canada Border Services Agency, seems to do a fine job. They go after phony jewelry, untaxed cigarettes, and drug smugglers.

And, apparently, the Wine Curmudgeon's birthday M&Ms. One of the winners of the birthday week giveaway lives in Canada, so I filled out the necessary paperwork and dispatched his prize, including the tin of M&Ms, north of the border. I got an email that said all arrived, though he noted that the M&Ms seem to have been sampled in transit. No doubt some sort of anti-terrorism measure?

Next time, I'll send two tins -- one for the prize winner and one for customs.

Winebits 158: Wine salaries, wine sales, wine bootlegging

• Salaries decrease: Unless, of course, you were a big shot. Wine Business Monthly's 2010 Salary Survey Report found that wine industry salaries increased 3.3 percent this year, fueled by bonus payouts that averaged 24.5 percent. Without the the bonuses, overall salaries decreased 1.3 percent over 2009. Bonus pay between 2009 and 2010 increased 29.8 percent for executives, although winemakers saw their salaries fall 1 percent and vineyard managers saw a 4 percent decrease. Is it any wonder the wine business is in trouble?

• Sales up: Consumers seem to be buying more wine, according to figures compiled by Wines & Vines magazine. Domestic table wine, as measured by dollar sales, increased 6 percent between October 2009 and October 2010. Wine that cost $20 or more saw 22 percent growth over the past year, but also saw the average price go down almost a dollar a bottle. In other words, consumers who traded down are may be starting to trade back up -- if the prices are cheap enough. In addition, sales finally look have recovered to 2008 levels. Did all those executives who got bonuses figure on that?

• British bootleg wine: Yet another example of why there will always be an England. The UK Border Agency says it seized thousands of liters of wine from smugglers. Among the contraband: nearly 13,000 liters of Spanish wine (about 1450 cases), described as "car parts." And the story gets better. The confiscated wine will be turned into fertilizer, and the bottles recycled. Well done.

Wine terms: Oak

Winespeak always includes references to oak (even the Wine Curmudgeon is guilty of this), and most of the references always seem to describe the wine as toasty and oaky. This can be quite confusing, since the relationship between wine and oak is not obvious.

How can something made with grapes be toasty and oaky?

That's because some wines are aged in oak barrels. Generally, but not always, these are more expensive wines, and they are more often red wines than white wines.

Oak aging helps temper the acid and tannins in red wine, making it more drinkable. The only white wine that gets much oak is chardonnay, and California has turned this into a unique style -- rich, buttery, oaky, almost caramelly wine. I recently tasted a high-end chardonnay from a major California producer, and the wine was spot on for creme brulee. More, after the jump:

Holiday gift guide 2010

A few thoughts for the wine drinkers on your list. Keep in mind our wine gift-giving guidelines ("Don't buy someone wine that you think they should like; buy them what they will like") and Champagne and sparkling wine glossary.

• $10 wine: Volteo, five Spanish wines that combine quality, value and approachability. I especially liked the tempranillo and a white blend made with viura, viognier and sauvignon blanc (which I haven't reviewed yet, and might be better than the tempranillo). These wines will likely end up in the 2011 $10 Hall of Fame.

• Regional wine: Have someone on your list who likes wine, but can be difficult to buy for? Then think regional. There is New York riesling, Texas viognier, Virginia red blends, Missouri norton, New Mexican sparkling, and Pennsylvania chambourcin -- to name just a few.

• A top-flight corkscrew: The best corkscrews are double-hinged -- the part of the corkscrew that rests against the top of the bottle has two parts, which makes pulling the cork that much easier. Best yet, they cost as little as $10.

• Wine books: Kevin Zraly's Windows on the World Complete Wine Course and The Wine Trials 2011. Yes, I recommend the Zraly book all the time, but that's because it's that good. I even give it as a gift. This is the new version of the Wine Trials, which rates wines that cost $15 and less, and is up to its usual standards.

• Expensive wine: My standby is Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet, a $50 wine that offers depth and  complexity. It's white Burgundy, which means chardonnay, but not like chardonnay that most of us have ever had. My red wine choice is HDV's Belle Cousine, a $60 merlot blend from Napa made by Burgundy native Stephane Vivier.

More about holiday wine gifts:
• Holiday book gift guide 2009
• Holiday wines 2009
• Expensive wine 21: Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
• Holiday wine in a hurry

Expensive wine 21: Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Another reminder why points are worthless.

The Grgich ($60, sample) is a gorgeous, beautiful wine with all elements in balance, and it's only going to get better as it ages. It's a lesson in winemaking -- how to produce a Napa Valley cabernet that speaks to the terroir without the excesses (too much oak, too much fruit) that drive so many of us crazy.

So what scores did this wine get? How about 89 points from something called the Connoisseur's Guide? How about 92 from the Spectator? I've got $10 wines that score that well. To add insult to injury, Robert Parker wrote: ".. high acids and high tannin give the wine a monochromatic, clipped, lean character that will not age out. Rather, the wine is likely to dry out."

All of that negativity, of course, is because the Grgich is a gorgeous, beautiful wine without any of the excesses that drive so many of us crazy and that earn the wines with the excesses such high scores. Look for black cherries and a rich, long finish without any of the sweetish fruit that the excess wines display -- and, at the risk of offending Mr. Parker, this wine is not going to dry out.

This is a holiday wine for prime rib and Yorkshire pudding, or nuy it as a gift for someone you really like and who will really appreciate it. And, thanks to the recession, it's available for as little as $45 at a variety of Internet retailers.