The Wine Curmudgeon

Winebits 229: French wine, regional wine, wine investments

 • New French president drinks wine: Not as odd as it sounds, since his predecessor preferred Coca-Cola, reports Decanter. Still, there are some doubts as to whether the newly elected Francois Hollande will be much of an improvement over Nicolas Sarkozy, given the state of the beleagured French wine industry. Said a trade group spokesman: "...Neither candidate’s manifesto detailed anything with precision concerning our industry, so we will have to wait and see. What French winemakers really needs is for the economy as a whole to bounce back, and for that I am more hesitant." Still, as the Wine Curmudgeon is fond of saying, a president who drinks wine, as opposed to one who doesn't, is going to be better for the wine industry regardless.

• The regional wine gold rush: No less than Mike Dunne, one of the preeminent California wine writers, has seen the future of the wine business and detects regional wine in it: "If you routinely drink California wines, such as chardonnay and zinfandel, a "marechal foch" from Wisconsin or a "norton" from Missouri initially may startle you. Give it another sip. You just may find something in the glass that grows on you, in a pleasant way." He also has a few words of wisdom for those, including California winemakers, who judge regional wine before they taste it. Which made the Wine Curmudgeon smile.

• Wine investment index sinks: Or, as too many of us forget, wine is made to dirnk, not as a way to make money. The Lix-ex Fine Wine 50, an index similar to the Dow Jones Industrial Average for wine, continues to slide. The blog that I linked to, which tracks wine investments, is fun to read. Or depressing, depending on your point of view. Honestly, do people really think they can make more money investing in Sauternes than in real companies?

What does Bed Bath & Beyond know about selling wine?

Will we be able to use these 20 percent coupons to buy wine at World Market?

We're about to find out, since the housewares superstore chain has bought Cost Plus World Market, best known to regular visitors here for its usually excellent inventory of cheap wine.

Wall Street, as is its wont with any sort of acquisition, was bubbly and enthusiastic about the deal. The shares of both companies went up when it was announced, and the usual sort of biz-speak was thrown around, including the dreaded term "synergy." 

The Wine Curmudgeon, who has spent many years writing about business, always cringes when he hears that word, since it's usually used to make a case for something where no case exists. More, after the jump:

Expensive wine 39: Handley Cellars Anderson Valley Pinot Noir 2009

One day, when the Wine Curmudgeon is feeling especially cranky, he will write the ultimate pinot noir rant. It will cover all of the changes in pinot over the past decade that have practically changed the definition of the varietal -- the high alcohol, the relentless use of oak, the gobs of sweet fruit, and the unnecessary addition of tannins.

Until then, I will drink Handley Cellars pinot noir and be glad someone still cares enough to do pinot the way it should be done. One of the best pinots I've ever tasted, and that includes those from pinot's birthplace in the Burgundy region of France, was the Handley 1998 Reserve. It was an exquisite wine, classic and timeless and a wonderful example of what pinot can be in California. Somehow, this 14-year-old wine was still youthful and fresh, with the traditional black cherry fruit, some earthiness, and a touch of oak. Sadly, it's almost all gone; there's maybe a case or two left at the winery.

But the 2009 ($30, sample), which I tasted with winemaker Kristen Barnhisel, is a worthy successor. It's still a little tight and needs more time in the bottle (perhaps six months?), but when it's ready, it will again showcase what Handley can do with pinot. The cherry fruit is there, as is the proper amount of oak and the Handley earthiness. And its tannins are those of pinot, not cabernet sauvignon. Highly recommended, and especially at this price.

Mother's Day wine 2012

Doesn't Mom deserve wine for Mother's Day?

Buy Mom wine for Mother's Day. She'll appreciate it. Right, Mom? Or, failing that, buy her wine for Mother's Day brunch. Whatever you do, though, keep our wine gift-giving guidelines in mind -- "Don't buy someone wine that you think they should like; buy them what they will like."

These suggestions should get you started:

• Bonterra Viognier 2010 ($14, sample): Easily the best California viognier I've had in years (yes, damning with faint praise, but praise nonetheless), with crisp, clean apricot fruit. A little oily, which was interesting, and a decent finish. If it was cheaper, it's probably in the $10 Hall of Fame.

• Local wine: We tasted wines from a dozen or so states at our recent DrinkLocalWine conference, and there is plenty of quality and value out there. If you're in Colorado, try the Guy Drew riesling 2010 ($16, sample), with lemongrass, a lot of acid, and a fair amount of residual sugar that is barely noticeable because of all the acid. Excellent example of terroir and high altitude grapes. Not in Colorado? Ask for a recommendation for your Other 47 state in the comments or send me an email.

• Toad Hollow Risque NV ($16, sample): Sparkling wine that takes sparkling wine to a place it doesn't often go. Sweet? Yes, but not just to be sweet, but as a style. And there are plenty of bubbles to balance the sweetness. It was a favorite of the late Todd Williams, who ran Toad Hollow and always told a good story about this wine.

More about Mother's Day wine:
• Mother's Day wine 2011
• Mother's Day wine 2010
• Wine of the week: Luc Pirlet Pinot Noir 2009
• Wine review: Cline Cellars Cool Climate Syrah 2010

Cartoon courtesy Gerald_G via OpenClipArt, using a Creative Commons license

Wine of the week: Luc Pirlet Pinot Noir Barriques Reserve 2010

The Wine Curmudgeon's winning streak with cheap pinot noir from the Languedoc region of France continues. First, there was the Tortoise Creek, and now there is the Luc Pirlet ($10, purchased). Who'd have thought this was possible, given the region's problems with pinot noir?

Frankly, this was much, much better than I expected (being the curmudgeon that I am). It has moderate black fruit, plus some pepper and earthiness. What's missing is what I expected to find -- that New World kind of fruitiness that makes cheap pinot taste like it could have been made anywhere in the world. But this is 100 percent pinot noir, so the flabby fruit that comes from adding syrah or grenache is missing.

It's not quite as well done as the Tortoise Creek, but it's still a stunningly well-made $10 bottle of pinot noir -- let alone from a region where pinot has such a sorry history. This is a candidate for the $10 Hall of Fame, and yes, Mom, would appreciate it over the weekend. Drink this on its own, or with burgers, barbecue or meatloaf. Who knew pinot, normally so expensive and often overpriced, could turn into a midweek dinner kind of wine?

Winebits 228: Wine experts, wine sales, phone apps

 • "Why do they buy wine?" The wine business would benefit if it listened to experts outside the industry on marketing its products. That's the opinion of Helen McGinn who used to buy wine for the British Tesco supermarket chain, who told a conference that the wine business is too insular in its approach. “The golden ticket," she said, "is thinking why does someone want to buy a bottle of wine in the first place? Who are they drinking it with? Is it a celebraion or special dinner? And then giving them options.” This will not come as a revelation to regular visitors here, and I think it's especially significant in the wake of the industry's shock that the wine buyer for Costco isn't awed by wine as much as they think she should be.

• Direct-to-consumer wine sales: Wine drinkers buying directly from the winery could well be a key part in the future of the wine business, says the Wine Intelligence consultancy, tripling over the next decade. But there are a couple of caveats. First, the indsutry must still struggle with draconian shipping laws left over from Prohibition. Second, it's a tiny, tiny part of wine sales -- just 30 million Americans buy direct in a six month period, and it accounts for just one bottle in 50 sold in this country.

• The failure of iPhone apps: Writes Paul Mabray of VinTank in Palate Press: "Why are wine iPhone apps not succeeding when other niche apps like Foodspotting are doing so well?" The piece offers a couple of good reasons, including and most imporantly the lack of wine drinkers who want to use them. It's not so much that wine drinkers are interested, says Mabray, but that there just aren't a lot of wine drinkers to use them, and especially when compared ot food apps. Since everyone, after all, eats and only 60 percent of the U.S. population drinks wine.

Wine terms: Wine glasses

Pretty pictures notwithstanding, wine glasses affect the taste of wine.

This may seem like a silly topic for a post. How are we supposed to drink wine unless we use a glass? Would that it were that simple. The concept of wine glasses can be as complicated as wine itself; how else to explain something like Riedel's $139 sommelier black glass?

The trick, then, is to approach glasses with the same skeptical eye that we approach wine with. Do you need a decent wine glass to get the most out of wine, even if you're drinking $10 bottles? Yep. Do you need to go overboard and spend hundreds of dollars on a glass? Probably not.

After the jump, a few thoughts on buying and using wine glasses: