The Wine Curmudgeon

Virginia Governor's Cup 2011

It's almost enough to make one think Virginia wine is jinxed. First, there was the terrifically unseasonable heat and humidity during the Wine Bloggers Conference in Charlottesville in July, and we know how that turned out. Then, Hurricane Irene hit the Atlantic coast at the same time that judging was scheduled for the white wine portion of Virginia Governor's Cup competition.

Two judges canceled, and Landsdowne Resort, where the judging was held, was as empty as I have ever seen it (and the Wine Curmudgeon has been to Landsdowne more times than he would have thought possible). And even I was a little worried about the storm -- probably from watching too much shouting on The Weather Channel. More, after the jump:

Judging wine in a hurricane

The Wine Curmudgeon is supposed to be in suburban Washington over the weekend to judge white wines in the Virginia Governor's Cup competition. Coincidentally, so is Hurricane Irene. Or, as my pal Dave McIntrye said, "Look for viogniers with salinity."

The irony, of course, is that when I lived in Louisiana there were no hurricanes. So what happens when I go to judge wine? A hurricane, of course. Hopefully, Irene will stay well out to sea and not bother anyone. So, while I worry about that, here is John Fogerty's take on hurricanes, courtesy of kvs123 at YouTube.

Enough wine for you?

The back room at the Indy International wine competition, where the 2,500 wines entered in the three-day event are kept during the competition. The photo is courtesy of Dave Falchek -- click here for the larger, more impressive image.

Indy International 2011

The 20th annual Indy International wine competition offered a variety of insights into wine competitions and U.S. regional wine. It offered a glimpse of the future of the former with a test of electronic scoring, while reaffirming that the latter are legitimate members of the wine community and deserve to be treated as such.

This year, there were 2,500 entries from 15 countries and and 38 states, which seemed to be not as many as last year. But my panel judged 212 wines over two days (not including the final round of taste-offs), and that was enough.

More, after the jump:

Indy International, day 2

A quick note before the final day of judging today, when we pick the best of the best. Yesterday, our panel gave a double gold to a red Bordeaux blend made with cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. We won't know the name of the wine until later today, but it's worth noting that we think it came from the U.S. East Coast.

It was an excellently made wine (my pal Dave Falchek called it a knee-buckler) that combined the structure of the cabernet franc with the fruit of the cabernet sauvignon. Equally as important, the wine showed its terroir -- it was lean and reserved, and was noticeably different from similar California wines.This is not to say one style is better than another, but that they are different, and one of the great joys of wine is appreciating those differences.

Indy International, day 1

What can you say about a day judging wine when the last flight includes ouzo? Yes, the Wine Curmudgeon understands that this beats working for a living.

A couple of highlights from the first day of the three-day competition, held at Purdue University:

• I'm judging with Rene Chazottes of the very fashionable Pacific Club in Los Angeles and Indiana wine distributor Michel Pascal. We judged together here last year, and I learned a lot. Learning even more this year. Michel, for example, grew up on a vineyard in the Rhone, which gives him a perspective not many others have. Our head judge is Amanda Stewart, who is doing important research on growing hybrids.

• Gave a gold medal to a chambourcin and a double gold to what seemed like a cool climate syrah among the 100 or so wines we tasted today. Otherwise, quality seemed uneven, though there were some very well done sparkling wines, including a catawba.

• We judged a bunch of white wines made with grapes I had never heard of, like ehrenfelser and geisenheim. One of the reasons I enjoy this competition so much is because I get to taste these kinds of wines. Anyone can judge chardonnay; who gets to judge ehrenfelser?

Lone Star International Wine Competition 2011

The Wine Curmudgeon endures much criticism because he doesn't really care for merlot and because he wishes California producers weren't so obsessed with high alcohol wines.

So what were two of my favorite wines in this week's Lone Star competition, the 28th annual? A merlot and a high alcohol viognier from California. Which, as I am constantly reminded, is why one should taste the wine before one judges it. And, not to be overlooked, we tasted the infamous blue wine pictured on the left. The rest of my judging panel liked it a lot more than I did.

More, after the jump: