The Wine Curmudgeon

Update: Wine writers and certification

The cyber-ether has been flaming since Thursday's Enobytes post about certifying wine writers. Who would have thought wine writers cared that much? Even the Wine Curmudgeon has been flamed, and right here on my own blog. Given that this is not the kind of blog that gets a lot of comments (what's there to say about a $10 wine review?), getting flamed is even more rare. Almost made me feel hip and with it. Thank you, Mack Daddy and Ned.

The Enobytes post is up to 159 comments as of this morning, many of which are mini-posts themselves. A look at some of the most interesting ones, as well as comment from other wine blogs, after the jump:

Certifying wine writers and keeping the riff raff out of the business

Imagine the Wine Curmudgeon's shock and surprise when he read this:

"In all honesty, I think most readers would prefer to learn from those that were educated in a specialized field (wine) and those that have real hands on experience (at a restaurants, wineries, sales positions, winemaking and such) rather than learning from those that were taught to write prose (journalism) while learning about wine on the job."

The quote comes from a post on the Enobytes wine blog, which regularly ranks among the top blogs in the business. It was written by Pamela Heiligenthal, who co-founded the blog and has an impressive list of credentials after her name, including a couple of wine certifications. It generated tremendous comment (almost 80 the last time I checked) and a fair number of them agreed with Heiligenthal.

That doesn't mean, however, that her premise makes any sense. In fact, it is flat out wrong. Why, after the jump:

James Tidwell on the dilemma of wine availability

James Tidwell of the Four Seasons in suburban Dallas is one of the top sommeliers in the country, the co-founder of the TexSom sommelier wine education group, and a wine blogger. As such, his view of of the wine world is a little different from the Wine Curmudgeon's -- call it more top down than bottom up. James buys wines from distributors to sell in his restaurant, which means he has more wines to choose from and which is not quite the same thing as desperately searching a retailer to find something interesting for dinner.

Or, as James told me the other day, "People used to tell me they couldn't find good wine to drink, and I thought they were crazy."

But not any more. James is on The Dallas Morning News Wine Panel, which recommends affordable wines that are generally available. (Sounds familiar, doesn't it?) And he has discovered that finding affordable wines that are generally available is not easy. (Sounds familiar, too, doesn't it?) The panel may taste a wine it likes, but it can't use the wine it isn't sold in two retailers in the Dallas area.

"Every retailer seems to have the same 300 wines," he says. "No wonder consumers end up drinking the same grocery store-style wines over and over."

Which is the point of this story. If one of the most knowledgeable wine people in the country is frustrated by the conundrum that is wine availability, then don't feel badly if you're frustrated by it, too.

Wine of the week: Kanonkop Kadette 2008

South African red wine has always baffled the Wine Curmudgeon. Its shiraz is often little more than an Australian knockoff, and its signature grape, pinotage, is, to be polite, an acquired taste. There is also the infamous burnt rubber aroma, which shows up in many of the red wines.

So I did not have high hopes for the Kadette ($15, sample), a blend of pinotage, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc. Nevertheless, it was easily the best pinotage I have ever had -- and this is not damning with faint praise.

There is juicy New World berry fruit, but not overdone or too sweet as is the case with many California red wines at this price. Plus, moderate alcohol and soft tannins make it that much more interesting. The pinotage adds to the wine and doesn't overwhelm it; if I had tasted the Kadette blind, I'd have said it was a California Bordeaux-style blend. And no burnt rubber anywhere at all.

Serve the wine with pot roast and mashed potatoes, a rich, wintery and saucy meat lasagna, or even eggplant parmesan. The Kadette is a tremendous value.

Winebits 162: Pacific Rim, sommeliers, nutrition facts

• Grahm sells Pacific Rim: Randall Grahm has sold one of the last parts of his $10 wine empire, the Pacific Rim white wine brand, to the family that owns Banfi Vintners, a leading U.S. wine importer, and Italy's Castello Banfi winery. No sale price was disclosed. Grahm, the impresario of California's Bonny Doon, broke up his $10 wine operation in 2006, selling the Big House and Cardinal Zin labels and splitting Pacific Rim off from Bonny Doon. Pacific Rim, based in Washington state, is best known for riesling, but also does gewurtztraminer and chenin blanc.

• Not enough qualified sommeliers? That's the opinion of top sommelier Jordan Mackay, who says demand for the wine experts in restaurants has outgrown supply. "Inexperienced sommeliers are winding up in jobs that they're simply not ready for," he wrote on Zester Daily Web site. This has hurt restaurant wine sales and reputations, he says, and isn't so good for the rest of us: "And, diners, for a while, be warned that you may face young somms intent on selling you the wine they like (instead of the one you're asking for)."

• Diageo wants serving facts on labels: Diageo, one of the world's largest drinks company, wants the federal government to allow producers to put nutritional information, like serving size, alcohol per serving, carbohydrates and calories, on wine and spirits. The government's alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau has been considering the Serving Fact Information proposal since 2003 -- so long ago that I wrote a newspaper story about it. It has been held up by resistance from the industry, as well as a low priority in Washington. Diageo, seeing a marketing advantage, wants the TTB to let producers voluntarily include the information.

WC video 3: How to drink a glass of wine

What, you say, you already know how to do that? Don't be so sure. And, for good measure, the Wine Curmudgeon throws in advice on holding the glass, smelling the wine, and even spitting it -- just like the pros do. And check out those rockin' hand gestures (plus, of course, my hat).

Wine review: Castello Monaci Piluna Primitivo 2008

Yet another wine that the Wine Curmdugeon judged before tasting -- and was, as usual, completely wrong about.

Though I had my reasons. Really. The PR materials that came with the Piluna ($13, sample) were, to be kind, a bit overwrought. They included a line that said, "Here spreads the sun which floods the land with light. ..." I've been writing professionally for too long to take that well. Plus, I'm wary of Italian primitivo, which was one of the varietals of the moment before the wine business crashed in 2008. I wonder how much primitivo is sitting in distributor warehouses, gathering dust, never to be heard from again.

Though, of course, neither of those had anything to do with what the wine tasted like. Maybe that should be my New Year's wine resolution: Drink the wine before you write about it, stupid. So, needless to say, the Piluna was a pleasant surprise. Though it had more oak than it needed, there was lots of very impressive black fruit, and the necessary amount of acid to balance it. I drank it with roast chicken, and it paired well. It would also work with beefy winter braises and stews.

One other thought: The wine comes from Puglia, in the Italian boot heel. This should have been a clue the wine was worthwhile; the blog's favorite wine, Tormaresca Neprica, comes from Puglia (as does its sister chardonnay). Like I said, stupid.