The Wine Curmudgeon

Wine of the week: Domaine D'Arton Les Hauts 2011

Domaine D’Arton, a white blend from the Gascony region of France, is great cheap wine, even by the Wine Curmudgeon’s exacting standards. It’s not only on a level with the Gascon wines in the $10 Hall of Fame, but it also demonstrates that wine doesn’t have to come from the same old places and be made with the same old grapes.

The D’Arton ($9, purchased) is an odd blend, even for Gascony, made with mostly colombard and fleshed out with sauvignon blanc (not the region’s best grape) and gros manseng. The result is a dry white with some lemon peel in the front, yet underneath is that wonderful white grapiness that makes Gascon wines so distinctive and so much fun to drink. It's the kind of wine that doesn't require a critic or a sommelier; just a simple dinner or an evening on the porch, friends and conversation.

And I’m not the only one who feels this way, for all the doubters and chardonnay drinkers out there.

Is this a Thanksgiving wine? Is the Wine Curmudgeon a crank about cheap wine?

Winebits 256: Thanksgiving wine

What others are writing about wine for Turkey Day:

• Last minute holiday wines: From no less than Eric Asimov at the New York Times, which does not seem like something he would write about – rushing to the store just before Thanksgiving. And his selections include Beaujolais (no, not the Nouveau); Macon-Village, the inexpensive white Burgundy that I like a lot as well; and zinfandel, believe it or not. And here is where things get really spooky – Asimov recommends Ridge’s Three Valleys, which I just did, and Ravenswood’s Old Vine Sonoma County, a grocery store wine (I know, I know) that I tasted a couple of weeks ago, liked, and scheduled for a review.

• Go French: Oddly enough, that seems to be a theme this year. Among those who recommend French wines are Pam Busch of Examiner.com, who notes that “It s almost impossible to go wrong with these French wines at this time of year.” She likes a Kermit Lynch producer, Domaine Dupueble, which begs the question: When is not a good time for a Kermit Lynch wine?

• An eclectic selection: The Denver Off the Wagon website has something for everyone – literally. There must be more than three dozen selections, including those from two Bouder experts, Bobby Stuckey and Arian Kara. The J pinot gris is always a good choice, as are the French choices (more French agan): the Bertrand cremant from Limoux and the Humbrecht pinot blanc from Alsace.

Holiday wine trends 2012

The one consistent from last year? Consumers are still looking for value, and they’re still worried about prices. Or, as my pal Gil Kulers, who works for Atlanta’s Tower Wine and Spirits, one of the largest retailers in the southeast, described it: “If it’s a choice between spending $1 more to get a better wine, and not spending the $1, I had a customer who didn’t want to spend the $1.”

The good news is that prices remain consumer-friendly, save for some higher end wines and Champagnes. In addition, the retailers I talked to said we’re looking for value in places that we haven’t necessarily looked for value in the past. The details are after the jump:

Thanksgiving wine 2012

Hmmm, that Gascon wine sounds like a fine choice for my turkey dinner.

The only rule when choosing Thanksgiving wine? "If Aunt Dorothy likes [insert a wine you hate here, like white zinfandel or a sweet red], who are you tell her she can't have any?"

So forget all that stuff about proper pairings and $50 bottles of 94-point wine. Thanksgiving is not about wine snobbery, but about having a good time and sharing food and wine and memories with your family and friends.

This year’s suggestions are after the jump:

Friday Birthday Week 2012 giveaway: Two tickets to DLW 2013: Maryland

And the winner is: Pat Valas, whose number was 313; the winning number was 298 (screenshot to the right). Thanks to everyone who participated in all of the giveaways for birthday week.

Today, to celebrate the blog's fifth’s anniversary, we're giving away two tickets to DLW 2013: Maryland, set for April 12-14 in Baltimore. You'll have to get there on your own, but if you can, you'll get to attend all the events, including the seminars and Twitter Taste-off. It's the final of the week's daily giveaways.

Complete contest rules are here. To enter, pick a number between 1 and 1,000 and leave it in the comment section of this post. If you get the blog via email, you have to go to the website to enter. Once agan: Leave your entry in the comments section of this post. Don't send me an email or leave your comment in any other post. It won't count unless you leave it here, and people have been doing both all week.

At about 5 p.m. central today, I'll go to random.org and generate the winning number. The person whose entry is closest to that number gets the glasses.

Thursday Birthday Week 2012 giveaway: Wine accessories gift pack

And the winner is: DLB., whose number was 75; the winning number was 66 (screenshot to the right). Thanks to everyone who participated. Tomorrow's prize: two tickets to DLW 2013, the final giveaway for birthday week.

Today, to celebrate the blog's fifth’s anniversary, we're giving away a wine accessories gift pack, including a wine diary, wine tote, and waiter’s corkscrew. It's the fourth of five daily giveaways. Check out this post to see the prizes for the rest of the week.
Complete contest rules are here. To enter, pick a number between 1 and 1,000 and leave it in the comment section of this post. If you get the blog via email, you have to go to the website to enter. Please, please, please: Enter in the comments section of this post, and don't send an email or leave your comment in any other post. It doesn't count unless you leave it here, and people have been doing both.

At about 5 p.m. central today, I'll go to random.org and generate the winning number. The person whose entry is closest to that number gets the prize.

Wine Curmudgeon most popular posts, 2012

I'd better read the blog to find out about that Cupcake chardonnay. And how to hold a wine glass.

How much has the blog’s world changed in the past year? From November 2010 to November 2011, the highest-rated white wine review was Cupcake chardonnay, at No. 25, and no white wine review had ever made the top 10 in the blog’s four-year history.

This year, that’s almost completely changed. That same Cupcake review skyrocketed to No. 5, while a 2012 Cupcake review was 34th, even though it didn’t appear until September. A 2011 Two-buck Chuck pinot grigio review, meanwhile, was at No. 9.

And the blog’s usual preference for red wine? That pretty much disappeared. No red wine review made the top 10, while the annual Tormaresco Neprica review fell to No. 69. How the mighty have fallen.

Some things, though, remained the same. You really don't like reviews for rose and sparkling wine. Rose didn't show up until No. 42, and it wasn't a review, but the link to the rose category. And sparkling wine? Not until a 3 1/2-year-old Gruet review at No. 90. Even an expensive wine – the 2004 Stag’s Leap Artemis, which appeared in 2009 – did better than either, at No. 38. On a cheap wine blog, at that. Not to worry, though – I will continue to review rose and sparkling until I make my point.

After the jump, the top 10 posts between November 2011 and November 2012: