The Wine Curmudgeon

Wine of the week: Line 39 Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Here’s today’s metaphysical question: Is Cecchetti Wine Company, which makes Line 39, an artisan producer because it’s family-owned, or part of evil Big Wine because its owners once worked for the company that makes Pepperwood Grove, about as $7 a grocery store wine as it gets?

Sometimes, we make wine harder than it needs to be.

The question we should be asking “What does the wine taste like?” And. as I noted for the 2009, the 2010 Line 39 ($10, purchased, 13.5%) is “more than I expected.”

It’s also interestingly different from the ‘09, with less fruit and more California grassy-ness (the smell of a freshly mowed lawn that is a hallmark of a certain kind of California sauvignon blanc). Look for some lime zest and a sort of slate finish – all clean and crisp. This is nicely done wine that, if it not quite $10 Hall of Fame quality, is the sort of thing to keep chilled around the house so it’s handy when you feel like a glass.

Winebits 265: 2013 wine prices edition

Because everyone wants to know what wine prices are going to do this year:

• Limited price hikes: From no less an authority than Rob McMillan at Silicon Valley Bank in his annual state of the wine industry report: “Wine businesses expect to increase bottle prices in 2013, although SVB believes that will prove difficult.” The report doesn’t say so specifically, but the reasons for this could lie in two other findings – that mergers and acquisitions of vineyards and wineries will continue at a record pace, which means increased economies of scale to keep prices in check, and “massive” bulk imports, especially for the cheapest wine, as producers look globally to keep costs down.

• So what do we call it now? Trader Joe’s is raising the price of Two-buck Chuck in its California stores, the first increase since the brand was introduced 11 years ago -- It will go from $1.99 to $2.49. Before everyone panics, though, note that the wine costs $2.49 to $3.79 in the rest of the country, and that the rate of inflation since then would have pushed the cost of the wine to $2.54 – so you’re still saving a nickel.

• No more £5 wine? The average price of wine in a British shop has crossed that threshold, but not necessarily because of rising wine costs. Since 2002, reports thedrinksbusiness.com, 80 percent of the increase has come from higher taxes. The British government is trying desperately to crack down on binge drinking, and this appears to be one of the most effective methods. By compairson, the average cost of wine in the U.S. is around $6 -- less than £4.

The Wine Curmudgeon's Guide to Cheap Wine

The Wine Curmudgeon has vowed, more than once, to never write another book. Let it be said that the horror stories you hear about publishers are true and leave it at that. And agents aren’t much better – see Raymond Chandler’s essay, “Ten Percent of Your Life.”

However, in today’s publishing world, you don’t need a publisher or an agent, so I don’t have any excuses. Hence the forthcoming publication of “The Wine Curmudgeon’s Guide to Cheap Wine,” which should be available in time for Mother’s and Father’s Day.

Look for the ebook at $9.95 and the paperback at $14.95. It will be for sale on the blog, as well as the usual Internet and digital retailers.

More, after the jump, including the video I made to promote the book on Kickstarter:

Expensive wine 46: Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages 2005

This is a classic California wine, practically dating to the state’s wine pre-history. In 1990, when the first vintage was bottled, Robert Parker had barely scratched the surface of California wine.

This is a critical part of the success of Cing Cepages, a red blend that is mostly cabernet sauvignon. It has an identity that few other high-end, highly-valued, and highly-scored wines have, which give it a basis for comparison. Each vintage doesn’t exist in a vacuum, ready to be discarded when the next winemaking trend comes along.

This does not mean that the wine doesn’t change, because it should. The weather and soil aren’t constant, and different winemakers bring different approaches. But the change comes within the house style, something that doesn’t happen often enough in this country.

The 2005 ($75, sample, 14.4%) is just getting ready to enjoy, is still available, and at a discount. I had it with prime rib and Yorkshire pudding, and the pairing couldn’t have been better. Look for rich black fruit that is well forward, but complemented by  layers and layers of flavor (graphite even). This is an iconic wine, and it's easy to see why after you’ve tasted it.

All the wine statistics you'll ever need

This ties in nicely with the various Big Wine discussions we’ve had on the blog over the last month, and it also puts many of the numbers that I’ve reported over the years in one place -- wine consumption, wine production, and most popular wines according to grape variety. The chart is courtesy of the Statistic Brain website, compiled in August; just ignore the misspellings.

Pay careful attention to the most popular restaurant wines, listed near the bottom of the chart, which is as Big Wine as it gets. Click here for a PDF -- it's the only way I could get the chart on the site and make it readable.

Wine of the week: Alaya 2009

There’s a certain style of Spanish wine that is decidedly un-Spanish but has become a particular favorite of the Winestream media. These wines are red, often made with garnacha, and are fruitier and higher in alcohol than most Spanish wines.

Having said that, some of them are actually worth drinking. We’ve covered Evodia on the blog (and I’ll be reviewing the new vintage later this year), and the Laya ($9, purchased, 14.5% alcohol) fits into that category as well.

It’s not quite a $10 Hall of Fame wine – the oak that’s there gives it an almost Adams Extract vanilla flavor. But everything else is present for great cheap wine, including lots and lots of black fruit that is neither sweet nor extracted – just intense. Yes, the alcohol is high, but the wine handles it well and you won’t flinch when you taste it.

It’s probably a bit much to drink on its own, but it would pair with most winter dinners, including beef stew and maybe even macaroni and cheese.

Winebits 264: Grocery stores, wine strikes, sweet red wine

• Ontario testing supermarket wine: Two Canadian provinces, Ontario and Quebec, are famous for their state store liquor system. But even they’re feeling the pressure to deregulate alcohol sales; Ontario has announced a test program to sell liquor and wine in 10 grocery stores. The National Post newspaper reports Ontario wine drinkers will buy wine at state stores set up inside the grocery stores. This means they’ll have to pay for their wine separately from their food – not as dumb an idea as Pennsylvania’s wine vending machines, but not all that brilliant, either. How much fun will it be to wait in two check-out lines during rush hour?

• South African wine workers on strike: Thousands of of South African farm workers are on strike in the Western Cape wine region, says Reuters, part of a series of violent strikes in which two workers were killed and vineyards were damaged. The farm workers, many of them black seasonal hires employed to pick and pack fruit, suspended their strikes in December.

• Consumers clamoring for sweet: And especially sweet red, says Nielsen – up 62 percent in the year ending Dec. 8. Sweet red, in fact, has passed moscato, last year’s sales darling, in annual growth. Where this ends is anyone’s guess (and horrific fear, if I know the Winestream Media), though I’m sure sweet red is going to get a lot more popular before it peaks. I was at a consumer wine thing last week, and Cupcake Red Velvet was one of the most popular topics of conversation.