The Wine Curmudgeon

Book review: Beyond Jefferson's Vines -- The Evolution of Quality Wine in Virginia

Who knew that the next big thing in wine books would be regional wine? But that's the case, with publishers scrambling to find writers who can do justice to the subject.

In this, Richard Leahy's publisher found the perfect author. I suppose there might be a couple of people who know more about Virginia wine than Leahy does, but they haven't come forward yet. "Beyond Jefferson's Vines" ($19.95, Sterling Publishing) reflects this knowledge -- it's comprehensive, authoritative, and complete. Those of a technical bent will find thorough discussions of terroir and grape growing and wine making techniques, while those who want the broader picture (as well as suggestions for Virginia wine tours) will get that as well.

More, after the jump:

Wine and Tax Day 2012

 

Uncle Sam can't believe the criticism that cheap wine gets these days.

Tuesday is Tax Day, the deadline for U.S. residents to pay their state and federal income taxes. Which is an ideal opportunity for the Wine Curmudgeon to remind everyone about the blog's reason for being: cheap wine. What better day to write about wine we can afford to drink than the day our taxes are due?

 

Americans hate Tax Day, and one study claims that we're more prone to die in a car accident on the day our taxes are due. If that's the case, then we need to change our behavior. It's only money, after all.

What better way to enjoy Tax Day than to stay home and drink cheap wine? After the jump, a few thoughts on how to do that.

Wine prices: Is it time for another update?

One of the best things about new media is that it doesn't require a lot of bureauacracy or capital investment to do a story. In other words, when I need to write about something, I don't have to clear it with a boss or wait days or weeks or even months for it to wend its way through a printing plant and delivery truck.

I mention this because, since I first wrote about wine price trends for 2012 in January, a bunch of things have happened to make that post seem outdated. But if I was still writing for a newspaper, I wouldn't be able to ready update the post, and readers would be left thinking that wine prices in 2012 will go up.

Fortunately, since I'm not tied down to a traditional media publishing platform, I can correct that impression whenever it needs to be corrected. I've updated it once, and it looks like it needs to be updated again. More, after the jump:

Wine of the week: Vinos Jeromín El Posadero 2010

During our #winechat discussion last week, one of the questions I got was how regional wine producers could make it easier for Americans to drink wine that wasn't called chardonnay, cabernet, and merlot. Many regional wines are made with grapes most consumers aren't familiar with, like blanc du bois, viognier and tempranillo; hence, they're reluctant to try them.

My suggestion: Don't call the wines by their varietal name, which too many wineries feel compelled to do for reasons I've never been able to figure out. Call them something fun or interesting or inventive.

Case in point is the El Posadero ($10, purchased), a tempranillo blend that is more or less the Spanish equivalent of U.S. regional wine. It comes from a less respected region around Madrid, and not the better known tempranillo appellations of Rioja or Ribera del Duero. This means the wine starts out with an image problem, especially for U.S. consumers. Calling it El Posadero goes a long way towards fixing that. Even if you don't know what El Posadero means (innkeeper, actually, and there's a picture of an inn on the label), it sounds Spanish and intriguing.

And it's a pretty nifty wine, too. The El Posadero is blended with syrah, but doesn't have as much fruit as I thought it would (and is actually a little old-fashioned in spirit). Look for an almost spicy wine with some cherry fruit and lots of acidity -- practically sour cherry tart. It needs food, like smoked chicken or beef, but that's part of the appeal of the wine.

Winebits 224: Craft beer, wine bloggers, wine snakes

• Listen up, wine business: Jules Van Cruysen's article in Palate Press, "What the wine idustry can learn from craft beer," is nothing short of brilliant. He points out why craft beer does so well with the same people that the wine business has so much trouble reaching, and "The answer is simple – they have mobilized their consumers around a set of shared principles to advocate on their behalf – not only to drink craft beer, but to demand it at restaurants, bars and liquor stores and to force it into the hands of family and friends." You mean that works better than elitist and unintelligible wine reviews and point scores? Hard to believe, isn't it?

• Most influential wine bloggers: And the Wine Curmudgeon didn't make the list (which isn't suprising, is it, Groucho?) The nine names includes some surprises, no women, and someone who doesn't blog any more. It comes from the respected Paul Mabry at the Vintank consultancy in Napa, who I'm not quite sure expected the reaction to the post (if one feels like wading through the comments). One of the nine was our pal Lenn Thompson at New York Cork Report, who does yeoman work with regional wine. 

• Remember the wine fridge snakes? They were rescued from a construction project in suburban Chicago in February, when their habitat was destroyed, and placed in a wine refrigerator to finish hibernating. Turns out, reports the Chicago Tribune, that all is well. The 82 snakes were released last week into a new, specially designed snake den in a state park. No word yet on what the wine fridge will be used for next.

"Wine writers -- donkeys that most of them are"

As long as we're on the subject of wine writing and its various deficiencies, consider this video. It pretty much puts everyone in the wine business in their place, from consumers to wine writers to retailers to restaurants to producers. Congratulations to VinnyFi1 at YouTube, who certainly knows how to cork a bottle.

The section about wine writers is priceless. The quote in the headline is from the video, and there are a couple of others that are almost as good, whether it's calling the Wine Spectator the Wine Dictator or discussing how to hoodwink those 30-something wine types who want to be famous more than they want to know about wine. And calling restaurants burglars for their pricing strategies isn't bad, either. Don't know who VinnyFi1 is (and this is his only video), but the Wine Cumudgeon is jealous that he didn't think of this first.

I'd also like to recommend a video called "96 points," from Dalforno, also from YouTube, which pretty much says everthing that needs to be said about the 100-point scoring system. It includes the classic exchange: "What does a 96-point wine taste like? Between a 95-point wine and a 97-point wine." Be warned, though, that the language is reminisicent of my days working on newspaper copy desks; if that's a problem, you'll probably want to skip it.

Expensive wine 38: Inniskillin Pearl Icewine 2007

This is one of the most expensive wines ever reviewed on the blog -- $50 for a half bottle, assuming you can find it. Icewine requires bitterly cold winter temperatures, and the past couple of winters have been so mild that not much has been made. Hence, this is the current vintage, and there isn't a lot of it left.

Icewine is made from grapes that are left to hang on the vine and only picked on the coldest day of the year. Leaving the grapes on the vine concentrates the sugars, just like a raisin. Picking the grapes after they freeze concentrates the sugars even more. The result is a dessert wine of amazing qualities, somehow very sweet and yet also balanced. The residual sugar is 24.2 percent, about eight times that of white zinfandel.

So the equivalent of $100 a bottle for the Inniskillin (sample), one of the world's top producers, is not as ridiculous as it sounds. This vintage, made with the vidal grape from Canada's Niagara region, is a stunning wine, sweet and luscious and rich and overwhelming. A couple or three sips are almost enough; swish the wine slowly around in your mouth before you swallow, and savor the way the apple, pineapple, and honey flavors blend together.

Some people claim they can pair icewine with food -- cheeses and berry desserts. But, frankly, there's no need. If you're lucky enough to find some, drink it slightly chilled as dessert, and make the bottle last as long as you can. It will be worth it.