The Wine Curmudgeon

Texas wine, the Legislature, and the state's budget crisis

This Texas industry is recognized around the country as a leader and innovator, providing thousands of jobs and adding more than a billion dollars to the state's economy. Yet the Texas Legislature is about to strangle this industry by cutting off its seed money and eliminating the work it does to market and research its product.

If this industry was oil and gas, or even wind (in which Texas leads the country in production), would the Legislature be so eager to eliminate its funding? Of course not. But because the industry is wine, the Legislature is poised to cut its $4.3 million in state funding.

This is a huge mistake, and not just because I write about wine. The Texas wine industry is an important part of the state's economy, and the money it receives from the state has played a key role in the wine industry's growth. In this, Texas wine is not some effete pastime enjoyed by a bunch of outsiders who don't like to drink Lone Star and eat chicken fried, but big business. Or, as we like to say here, Big Bidness.

Texas wine sales increased six percent in 2010, with consumers buying almost 240,000 cases of Texas wine from retailers that Nielsen surveys (which doesn't include Walmart-owned stores or restaurants). That, by the way, compared to a five percent or so increase for all wine sales in the U.S. Even more impressive: Texas wine outsold Argentine and Chilean wine -- combined -- in the state in 2010. The cost of this success? That $4.3 million in seed money, paid every two years. That comes out to less than $6 a Texan, or $3 a year. After the jump, how that $3 a person investment has paid off.

The Wine Curmudgeon's cava adventure, part II

This is the second of two parts about cava, the Spanish sparkling wine -- reviews of many of the cavas I tasted. The first part, an overview of cava, posted Feb. 3.

Mini-reviews of some of the cavas that I tasted during my Spanish adventure (photos here, courtesy of Mary Gorman, DWS). Full disclaimer: The trip was paid for by cava producer Segura Viudas, which is part of one of the largest cava companies in the world. But no quid pro quo was part of the trip, and I have not agreed to write anything in exchange for being invited. The reviews, after the jump:

The Wine Curmudgeon's cava adventure, part I

This is the first of two parts about cava, the Spanish sparkling wine. The second part, short reviews of several cavas, posted Feb. 4.

Two things confuse wine drinkers about cava, the Spanish sparkling wine. First, they assume that because it has bubbles that it's like French champagne or California bubbly. Which it's not. Second, because it's so cheap -- almost all of the world's cava costs less than $15 -- they figure that it's one of those cheap wines that they shouldn't be seen drinking in public.

Neither could be further from the truth. The Wine Curmudgeon is a long-time cava supporter; after all, it's cheap and offers value, and that's my reason for being. Yet even I discovered there is more to cava than meets the price tag during my trip to Spain last week. It is, as the inestimable Janet Kafka noted, "a wine that needs someone behind the label to explain it."

What those things are, after the jump -- and I have photos from the trip, courtesy of Mary Gorman, DWS:

Wine of the week: Segura Viudas Aria Estate Brut NV

Cava, the Spanish sparkling wine, is a conundrum. It's significantly less expensive than champagne, the French sparkling wine, which immediately makes it suspect among the Winestream Media. Their thinking, of course, is that something that isn't pricey can't be any good. Yet there is a not a thing wrong with cava, most of which deliver quality and value for around $10.

So, as a public service, the Wine Curmudgeon offers the Aria (sample, $13), since it is actually a little more than $10. (There are cavas that cost $20 and more, though they are rarely available in the U.S. I'll review several for those who are curious when I wrap up my Spain trip, paid for by Segura Viudas, later this week.)

The Aria is a little richer and more full bodied than basic cavas like Cristalino and Freixenet, and is probably a little closer in style to champagne. But it's still cava, with the typical fresh, clean lingering finish, a minimum of fruit, and a notable absence of yeast and oak. In all, a lot of wine for not a lot of money.

Serve this chilled on its own, or with most white wine dishes. It would also work with cold plates -- Iberian ham, corned beef on rye, and the like.

Winebits 165: U.S. wine market, Far Niente lawsuit, Andrew Lloyd Webber

• "Most lucrative in the world": Wonder why so many foreign producers want into the U.S. market (and send so much crummy wine over here in the process)? That's because we're "by far the most lucrative wine market in the world," reports Wines & Vines in its coverage of the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium. Said one analyst: "They all know how well New Zealand has done here with sauvignon blanc and how well Argentina has done with malbec. They will try to succeed, and they will keep coming relentlessly. That’s the downside of having the most lucrative wine market in the world." What's even more interesting about this is that the weak dollar doesn't seem to be an obstacle; imagine how much more intense foreign efforts would be if foreign wine was less expensive here.

• Far Niente heir sues winery: Or, from the Department of Things Can Always Get Worse, Despite the Recession, Jeremy Nickel, son of Far Niente founder Gil Nickel, has filed a lawsuit against three members of the board of directors of his family’s wine companies. The Wine Spectator reports that Jeremy says the board members misused company funds and gave themselves substantial raises at the expense of company shareholders. He wants at least $50 million in damages. Far Niente, of course, is a big-time Napa winery, and its holdings include Nickel & Nickel Vineyards, Far Niente Vineyards and Dolce Wines. The lawsuit doesn't name Jeremy Nickel's step-mother and cousin, who the company's co-owners, but the two said they support the current board. Sounds like lots of family fun, doesn't it?

• Wine collection goes for more than a song: Sorry -- couldn't resist. Part of musical impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber’s wine collection sold for $5.6 million in a Hong Kong auction. There were almost 9,000 bottles of French wine in the sale, including a case of 1982 Chateau Petrus, perhaps the trophiest of all tropy wines. It sold for $77,564, or about $6,500 a bottle. The sale exceeded expectations, and yes, that was because the Chinese still, apparently, have no limit on what they'll spend for rare French wine.