The Wine Curmudgeon

Thank you, blog visitors

Last week was one of the two or three best in the blog's almost four-year history, and the number of visitors on Thursday set a record. Meanwhile, October will be the best month the blog has ever had. Which means I can't thank everyone in the cyber-ether enough. The blog's birthday week begins Nov. 14, so I'll have to get some really nifty prizes.

As Thursday's post noted, there are times when doing this wears me down, and I do wonder if I'm shouting into a wildneress that is not only empty, but fenced off to keep it that way. But then last week happens, and it's all worthwhile again.

Or, as I told a friend when we were discussing this: "My goal is help Americans see wine as Europeans do, as something to drink every day. Even if it kills me."

One other note, and a tip o' the Curmudgeon's fedora to visitor Dietmar Stapelfeld, who brought to my attention that there was no way to link to Facebook from the blog. Which is kind of silly given how much attention I pay to social media in my posts. Hence, there is a Facebook like button under each post. Thanks, Dietmar.

Has Robert Parker had enough?

There is a very odd interview with Robert Parker, the most important person in the wine world, in the current issue of Meininger's Wine Business International. The Italian Wine Guy, who brought this to my attention, says Parker seems tired, bored and angry.

Which is certainly true. He also doesn't seem to have much confidence in the people he has hired to write for the Wine Advocate, his ratings magazine, or that the Advocate will survive much past the time he stops writing for it. It's as if Babe Ruth expected baseball to go away after he stopped playing. More, after the jump:

The future of the wine business -- and it's not what the wine business thinks it is

The Wine Curmudgeon has seen the future of the wine business, and it is not like anything that we have imagined. It is not about scores or cult wines or big name critics or even the Winestream Media. Rather, it is about consumers drinking wine because they like it or their friends like it or someone they know through social media likes it -- and, most importantly, they really don't care what anyone else thinks about what they like.

And, with apologies to Jon Landau, at a time when I needed to feel young and positive about wine, and not middle-aged and cranky and full of despair about cute labels and the flavor of the month and wine spelled with dollar signs, developments over the past month or so have reminded me of what wine is and why I love it and why I do this.

The starting point was Allison Davis' brilliant rant and primer and manifesto on the Hairpin blog, addressed to those 25- to 35-year-old women who like wine but don't understand why they're not allowed to like it the way they want. Why, as Davis wrote, they end up "smiling through a glass of something at a dinner party that [they] can't pronounce and aren't sure if [they're] supposed to enjoy, instead of actually enjoying the wine." More, after the jump:

Wine of the week: Wente Sauvignon Blanc Louis Mel Livermore Valley 2010

The Wente family has been a mainstay of California winemaking for four generations; patriarch C.H. Wente learned the business from Charles Krug, one of the industry's pioneers, in the late 19th century. There is even a specific kind of chardonnay grape, the Wente clone, named for the family, developed about a century ago.

So why don't you hear more about Wente wines? For one thing, their winery is in Livermore, hardly as sexy as Napa or Sonoma. For another, their wines can be very traditional in style, which doesn't appeal to the mass of critics who follow California wine and think old fashioned is a cocktail. But the Wente wines are always well made and always offer value, particularly at the Wine Curmudgeon's price point.

The Louis Mel ($10, purchased) is an excellent example of that quality and value. This is a pleasant midweek wine that worked wonderfully with oven fried chicken and would go well with any grilled chicken or white fish. It's not overly complex -- just some citrus and pear -- but that's not a problem. It's actually nice to taste a sauvignon blanc that is more restrained than the grapefuit puckerers so often found at this price, even from California. All in all, a more than solid wine for the price.

Winebits 199: Hall of Fame, cheap wine, wine labels

• Six chosen for Hall: Peter Mondavi of Charles Krug heads the list of six men elected to the Vintners Hall of Fame. The other five are Albert Winkler of University of California-Davis; Joe Heitz of Heitz Cellars; former Beringer winemaker Myron Nightingale; Mendocino County's John Parducci; and long-time winemaker Richard Sanford. Eugene Hilgard, one of the fathers of modern soil science, was selected by the nominating committee. This year's balloting seemed to go much more smoothly than previous years, thanks to the absence of wine writer Robert Parker, who was not nominated this time (and still deserves to be in the Hall). The Wine Curmudgeon voted for five people: Mondavi, writer Bob Thompson, Sanford, labor leader Caesar Chavez, and Chateau Souverain founder Lee Stewart.

• Wine Enthusiast best buys: The Winestream Media comes in for a lot of criticism on the blog, but I try to be fair. Hence these kind words for the Wine Enthusiast's 2011 list of 100 best buys for $15 or less. Most look to be solid choices, and if there were some wines that I would quibble with (Kenwood zinfandel for $14 seems a bit much) and what look to be some availability issues, they did have to find 100. Still, the top 10 were especially impressive, including the blog's favorite wine, Tormaresca Neprica at No. 8; Bogle sauvignon blanc at No. 3; and Pacific Rim riesling at No. 1 (a tad high, but I think they're focusing on the sweet wine market, which seems to be so popular these days).

• French labeling laws: The French wine police have charged a colorful Loire winemaker with violating the country's very strict labeling laws, and the winemaker seems to be daring the authorities to put him in jail. Decanter has the story, and though it's difficult to follow -- these are French labeling laws, after all -- the gist is that the winemaker, Olivier Cousin, has repeatedly violated several laws to protest what he says are flaws with the regulations for his region. He has been charged with mislabeling and bringing the appellation into disrepute, which carries a €37,500 (US$51,400) fine or up to two years in prison. And they think they have it bad in California.

Expensive wine 32: William Fèvre Chablis Champs Royaux 2009

The Wine Curmudgeon is not a big vintage guy. The charts and ratings that are supposed to guide us through the maze that is vintage aren't really necessary for $10 wine -- or for most wine, in fact. Remember: 9 out of 10 bottles of wine that are made aren't made to age. They're made to drink.

Having said that, when I find wines that are worthy of age, I pay attention. And it looks like the 2009 vintage from Burgundy is going to be one of those vintages. I reviewed a Macon in August that was amazing (and for only $13), and the Fevre ($22, purchased) is even better. The 2009 vintage in Burgundy should keep those of us who like that style of wine happy for a long time.

Why do I say style of wine? The Fevre is white Burgundy, which means chardonnay (and one from one of the best producers in the region of Chablis). But it's not New World style chardonnay, with oak and butter, and, in some cases, tropical flavors. It's very Old World -- no oak at all, with lots and lots of minerality, a steely character, and very tart green apple fruit. But it's very well put together and not a simple wine by any means. Best yet, look for this to add character over the next couple of years and become even more interesting -- which, for $22, is saying a lot.

Serve this with roast chicken (which I did, with chicken cornbread dressing) or almost any grilled seafood. It's also a handy wine to have around as the holidays approach, whether to pour at dinner for guests or to save for yourself after a long day. Highly recommended.

Why regional wine matters (and other good stuff)

DrinkLocalWine's fourth annual Regional Wine Week ends tomorrow, and the blog will return to its normal programming next week. Full disclosure: The Wine Curmudgeon, for those who haven't noticed, is a co-founder of DLW.

Interestingly, the blog set a record for cancellations this week, which is probably a good indicaton that regional wine still has a way to go to reach the winestream. But that's OK. I love a challenge. Wrapping up regional wine week after the jump: