New World Wine
- Cork Recycling
- The Price of Wine
- Direct Sales Grow Steadily
- Green Wine
- U.S. Wine Sales in 2007
- The Cutting Edge of Cali Varietals
- Great Wines from Argentina
- 2008 Wine Literary Award
- 2008 Paso Robles Zinfandel Fest
- Two-Buck Chuck
Posted by
Alan Boehmer
Alan Boehmer
Portugal's largest wine cork producers introduce a bold recycling program to Oregon and Northern California.
Amorim & Irmãos of Portugal, the world’s largest producer of natural cork wine closures (over 3 billion annually) and their U.S. sales offices, and Anorim and Portocork America, have instituted a pilot program in California and the Pacific Northwest to recycle natural cork wine closures.
Natural cork offers advantages over all other wine bottle closures, along with a few serious disadvantages. Between 5-9% of all wine sealed by natural cork will be affected by TCA, or cork taint. These wines are ruined. However, this year a French company, Oeneo-Bouchage, introduced the first taint-free cork—DIAM—now in use by some of Alsace's largest wineries. This may signal a move away from synthetic closures.
Amorim's ReCork America program has set up recycling centers in several wine regions, including Napa Valley, along with a convenient recycling program. The used corks are placed in the same bags used to deliver fresh corks and trucked by the recycler to a processing plant where the material is prepared for use in floor tiles, building insulation and gardening products. A company is Missouri is producing attractive flooring made from recycled corks and has already partnered with ReCORK to pay for transportation.
Natural cork is a fully sustainable agricultural product. The bark is stripped from cork oak trees once every nine years; the trees live for around 200 years. Natural cork is the closure of choice for all the world's finest wines.
Natural cork offers advantages over all other wine bottle closures, along with a few serious disadvantages. Between 5-9% of all wine sealed by natural cork will be affected by TCA, or cork taint. These wines are ruined. However, this year a French company, Oeneo-Bouchage, introduced the first taint-free cork—DIAM—now in use by some of Alsace's largest wineries. This may signal a move away from synthetic closures.
Amorim's ReCork America program has set up recycling centers in several wine regions, including Napa Valley, along with a convenient recycling program. The used corks are placed in the same bags used to deliver fresh corks and trucked by the recycler to a processing plant where the material is prepared for use in floor tiles, building insulation and gardening products. A company is Missouri is producing attractive flooring made from recycled corks and has already partnered with ReCORK to pay for transportation.
Natural cork is a fully sustainable agricultural product. The bark is stripped from cork oak trees once every nine years; the trees live for around 200 years. Natural cork is the closure of choice for all the world's finest wines.
Posted by
Alan Boehmer
Alan Boehmer
Will the Price of Wine Rise along with Other Commodities?
The media have braced us all for rising prices across the board. We're already suffering from enormous increases in energy costs and since all commodities depend upon energy, everything seems to be skyrocketing. How will this affect the price of wine?
Well, on the bright side, the price of Two-Buck Chuck remains still at two bucks. And inexpensive imports seem to be holding the line for the time being. We've not yet seen the full effect of rising costs in domestic wine, but they are almost certain to impact the cost of wine in the years ahead.
Other factors, too, will affect the price of wine in the coming years. In addition to rising costs of production and transportation, basic market factors will drive up the prices. Wine Business Monthly reports a projected shortage of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay grapes in the years ahead. Not a single year shortage, which would impact the price of those wines, but an indefinite shortage due to the fact that newly planted vineyards are not going to keep up with the demand.
We can know almost with certainty just what the anticipated shortfall will be over the next three years, since it takes three years for a new vineyard to come into production. The numbers suggest the greatest undersupply in recent history.
If you are a lover of fine Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, now is the time to buy those wines and lay them down (in a cool place!) to enjoy when the price of those wines rises as it inexorably will.
Well, on the bright side, the price of Two-Buck Chuck remains still at two bucks. And inexpensive imports seem to be holding the line for the time being. We've not yet seen the full effect of rising costs in domestic wine, but they are almost certain to impact the cost of wine in the years ahead.
Other factors, too, will affect the price of wine in the coming years. In addition to rising costs of production and transportation, basic market factors will drive up the prices. Wine Business Monthly reports a projected shortage of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay grapes in the years ahead. Not a single year shortage, which would impact the price of those wines, but an indefinite shortage due to the fact that newly planted vineyards are not going to keep up with the demand.
We can know almost with certainty just what the anticipated shortfall will be over the next three years, since it takes three years for a new vineyard to come into production. The numbers suggest the greatest undersupply in recent history.
If you are a lover of fine Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, now is the time to buy those wines and lay them down (in a cool place!) to enjoy when the price of those wines rises as it inexorably will.
Posted by
Alan Boehmer
Alan Boehmer
Fine Wines Are Just a Click Away.
No sector of retail sales features the labarynthine maze of regulations that wine sales suffers, especially in the United States. One of the legacies of Prohibition was the development of the "Three-Tiered-System." Producer—Distributor—Retailer. Only recently have some state laws softened to allow consumers to order wine directly from the wineries and have it shipped to their homes. States that allow these purchases are known as reciprocity states. At the time of this writing there are 20 of these in addition to Washington D. C.:
About half the small wineries we have visited in California, Oregon, and Washington are not seeking distributors. To obtain a distributor a winery must produce a certain volume of product which is sold to the distributor at a substantial discount. This is not feasible for the small producer focussing on a high quality product.
So we are seeing a sea change in the way fine wine is marketed. Many of the finest small producers sell only through their tasting room, cellar clubs and online sales. This is becoming an increasing trend. Some of the most desirable wines—Kosta Browne Pinot Noir, for example—are being sold only to members of their mailing list .
- Alaska
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Nevada
- Hew Hampshire
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
About half the small wineries we have visited in California, Oregon, and Washington are not seeking distributors. To obtain a distributor a winery must produce a certain volume of product which is sold to the distributor at a substantial discount. This is not feasible for the small producer focussing on a high quality product.
So we are seeing a sea change in the way fine wine is marketed. Many of the finest small producers sell only through their tasting room, cellar clubs and online sales. This is becoming an increasing trend. Some of the most desirable wines—Kosta Browne Pinot Noir, for example—are being sold only to members of their mailing list .
Posted by
Alan Boehmer
Alan Boehmer
The Rise of Organic and Biodynamically Farmed Wine
First it was organic farming, then sustainable farming, then biodynamic farming. Now all these efforts are recognized by the California State Legislature which has awarded Certificates of Recognition to the winners of the 1st International Green Wine Competition to be held on May 5 in Santa Rosa, California.
The International Green Wine Competition will answer the question, "Which Outstanding Wines Should 'Green' Consumers Buy?"
This is the first competition devoted to recognizing and awarding outstanding wines made from "green" grapes.
"This competition is all about the grapes," added co-founder and Director De-Anna Alba, explaining that only wines made from biodynamically grown grapes certified by Biodyvin (France) or Demeter certified biodynamic grapes, certified organic, transitional, 3rd party certified, and natural grapes will be judged
The interest in organic and biodynamic viticulture is exploding, with many small and mid-sized wineries planting experimental vineyards. Sustainable agriculture has been a major focus of California’s Wine Institute.
When compared directly with non-organic wines from the same producer, we’ve noticed a significant difference in the biodynamic wines. They will certainly be more expensive; and whether the added cost is justified in the quality of the products has yet to be clearly seen.
The International Green Wine Competition will answer the question, "Which Outstanding Wines Should 'Green' Consumers Buy?"
This is the first competition devoted to recognizing and awarding outstanding wines made from "green" grapes.
"This competition is all about the grapes," added co-founder and Director De-Anna Alba, explaining that only wines made from biodynamically grown grapes certified by Biodyvin (France) or Demeter certified biodynamic grapes, certified organic, transitional, 3rd party certified, and natural grapes will be judged
The interest in organic and biodynamic viticulture is exploding, with many small and mid-sized wineries planting experimental vineyards. Sustainable agriculture has been a major focus of California’s Wine Institute.
When compared directly with non-organic wines from the same producer, we’ve noticed a significant difference in the biodynamic wines. They will certainly be more expensive; and whether the added cost is justified in the quality of the products has yet to be clearly seen.
Posted by
Alan Boehmer
Alan Boehmer
Which varietals were most popular in 2007 and what trends were discovered?
According to The Nielsen Company, U. S. consumers purchased 111,584,589 cases of wine in 2007. That's 4.4 750ml bottles of wine per person in the U.S., including infants, infirm, and elderly. The U.S. has become a nation of wine lovers.
We looked at those purchases by sector and uncovered some interesting facts:
We looked at those purchases by sector and uncovered some interesting facts:
- The largest sector of wine purchases was in the $0-2.99 category. Could Two-buck Chuck be responsible for this surprising figure? In any case, we are seeing a continual rise in quality in the lowest-price wines.
- 30% of all wine sold in the U.S. was imported. The biggest importer by volume was Australia. The biggest importer by value was Italy. Surprised? We were.
- Both France and Chile only garnered around 7% each of the import market.
- As expected, Chardonnay topped the list as the most popular wine in America. Merlot, the next contender, achieved around 50% of the Chardonnay volume. Cabernet Sauvignon was slightly lower in volume.
- Another surprise was the meteoric rise of Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio. This is the new White Zinfandel. Over 7 million cases of Pinot Grigio were sold compared to 22 million cases of Chardonnay and around 12 million cases of Merlot. Pinot Grigio is more than half as popular as Merlot among U.S. consumers.
- Varietal wines outsold generics by almost 3 to 1. This reflects an increasingly savvy American consumer who not only knows what Pinot Noir is, but who may even know how to pronounce it.
The Cutting Edge of Cali Varietals
Posted by
Alan Boehmer
Alan Boehmer
A report from the Family Winemakers' of California 9th Annual Trade Tasting in Pasadena, CA
Trade tastings like the Family Winemakers' of California Annual Trade Tastings in Pasadena and San Francisco show the current state of affairs in the California wine industry. At the Pasadena tasting on March 18 more than 300 wineries were represented. "Family Winemakers" in this context means not incorporated. So many of the big guys like Kendall-Jackson were represented.
Each year the wines offered to the trade represent the state of commercial wine in California. Rising stars become apparent, such as Grenache (12 examples) and Petite Sirah (37) show rising interest in these formerly obscure varietals. Tempranillo (9), once the most widely planted Italian varietal in California—by far—is failing to attract an audience. On the other hand, Syrah (129) surpassed even Zinfandel (95) and has now found a place among the standard tried-and-true California varietals.
A considerable number of wineries continue to test the waters with lesser-known varietals: Charbono, Vermentino, Grenache Blanc, Malbec, and others. We applaud their efforts and wish to see more of these unusual offerings.
A surprise was in the growing number of rosé offerings (46). This shows that American audiences have finally outgrown their adolescent infatuation with white Zinfandel. All the rosé wines we sampled were dry or slightly off-dry and many were outstanding.
Gewürztraminer (9) and Riesling (8) were poorly represented. California winemakers have largely been less than fully successful with these varietals so far, although there are a few notable examples.
Kings of the hill were, as expected, Cabernet Sauvignon (187) and Chardonnay (129). It's what people continue to purchase at all price points, so that's what wineries that want to stay in business offer. Pinot Noir (104) continues on the rise and Merlot (94) seems to be holding its own.
Each year the wines offered to the trade represent the state of commercial wine in California. Rising stars become apparent, such as Grenache (12 examples) and Petite Sirah (37) show rising interest in these formerly obscure varietals. Tempranillo (9), once the most widely planted Italian varietal in California—by far—is failing to attract an audience. On the other hand, Syrah (129) surpassed even Zinfandel (95) and has now found a place among the standard tried-and-true California varietals.
A considerable number of wineries continue to test the waters with lesser-known varietals: Charbono, Vermentino, Grenache Blanc, Malbec, and others. We applaud their efforts and wish to see more of these unusual offerings.
A surprise was in the growing number of rosé offerings (46). This shows that American audiences have finally outgrown their adolescent infatuation with white Zinfandel. All the rosé wines we sampled were dry or slightly off-dry and many were outstanding.
Gewürztraminer (9) and Riesling (8) were poorly represented. California winemakers have largely been less than fully successful with these varietals so far, although there are a few notable examples.
Kings of the hill were, as expected, Cabernet Sauvignon (187) and Chardonnay (129). It's what people continue to purchase at all price points, so that's what wineries that want to stay in business offer. Pinot Noir (104) continues on the rise and Merlot (94) seems to be holding its own.
Posted by
Alan Boehmer
Alan Boehmer
Robert Parker Reports Huge Strides in Argentine Wine
Argentina may the most overlooked important New World wine region. It's primary varietal, Malbec, is not well known to most American and Canadian wine lovers, who often assign it to a quality level far below Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon. While Malbec never produced a truly great wine in it homeland, France, it has found ideal growing conditions in the Mendoza region of Argentina, just across the Andes from the fine winegrowing regions of Chile.
Our tasting panel will present its own reviews of Argentine wines later this Spring. Meanwhile, here are some highlights from Mr. Parker's rating:
At the top of the list, rated 98-100 points on the 100 point scale are the 2005 and 2006 Vina Cobos Malbec Marchiori Vineyard ($150). A little less expensive is the 2005 Achaval Ferrer Malbec Finca Altamira at $79-100; rating is also 98 points. Vina Cobos second label Bramare Malbec, 2005 Vina Cobos Bramare Marchiori Vineyard garnered 96 points and is priced at $75.
We were happy to see the 2003 Bodegas Trapiche Malbec Tributo Vina Felipe Villafane win 95 points. It's priced around $45 and a huge bargain.
All Argentine wines rated 95 points or above were Malbecs. Some Cabernet Sauvignons climbed up to 94 points. A standout in that category is the 2005 Vina Cobos Bramare Marchiori Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon at $55. Try finding a 94 point Napa Valley Cabernet at that price!
The economy standout was 2005 Bodegas Poesia Clos des Andes, a 93 pt. Malbec priced at $12.
Our tasting panel will present its own reviews of Argentine wines later this Spring. Meanwhile, here are some highlights from Mr. Parker's rating:
At the top of the list, rated 98-100 points on the 100 point scale are the 2005 and 2006 Vina Cobos Malbec Marchiori Vineyard ($150). A little less expensive is the 2005 Achaval Ferrer Malbec Finca Altamira at $79-100; rating is also 98 points. Vina Cobos second label Bramare Malbec, 2005 Vina Cobos Bramare Marchiori Vineyard garnered 96 points and is priced at $75.
We were happy to see the 2003 Bodegas Trapiche Malbec Tributo Vina Felipe Villafane win 95 points. It's priced around $45 and a huge bargain.
All Argentine wines rated 95 points or above were Malbecs. Some Cabernet Sauvignons climbed up to 94 points. A standout in that category is the 2005 Vina Cobos Bramare Marchiori Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon at $55. Try finding a 94 point Napa Valley Cabernet at that price!
The economy standout was 2005 Bodegas Poesia Clos des Andes, a 93 pt. Malbec priced at $12.
Posted by
Alan Boehmer
Alan Boehmer
A thousand wines are tasted in Sullivan's honor.
Charles Sullivan has been called the Dean of Wine Historians and rightly so. His monumental two-volume work, "A History of Wine in America," contains a thousand pages of 8 pt (?) text and 161 pages of notes. It is an exhaustive affair that deals with every aspect and corner of viticulture in America from its inception in South Carolina in 1567 to the present. The book is current, including descriptions of reverse osmosis and spinning cones to reduce alcohol in wine and offers thoughts about the future of wine and wine making in the coming years.
The award ceremony will be held at the California Culinary Institute in San Francisco on April 25, 2008. It is open only to invited members of the wine writing community and around 1,000 distinguished wines will be offered for tasting, along with a lunch prepared by the students of the CCI and an awards dinner in the evening.
Previous winners of this prestigious award include Robert M. Parker, Jr., Gerald Asher, Anthony Dias Blue, Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson, Michael Broadbent, Robert Balzer and others.
The award ceremony will be held at the California Culinary Institute in San Francisco on April 25, 2008. It is open only to invited members of the wine writing community and around 1,000 distinguished wines will be offered for tasting, along with a lunch prepared by the students of the CCI and an awards dinner in the evening.
Previous winners of this prestigious award include Robert M. Parker, Jr., Gerald Asher, Anthony Dias Blue, Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson, Michael Broadbent, Robert Balzer and others.
2008 Paso Robles Zinfandel Fest
Posted by
Alan Boehmer
Alan Boehmer
The general public is invited to sample over 200 Paso Robles Zinfandels.
The highly celebrated 2008 Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival is set for Saturday, March 15, at the Paso Robles Event Center. Paso Robles is one of the six major Zinfandel appellations in California and maintain their distinction by being chewy, fruity, peppery wines that typically carry alcohol levels around 15%. Some rise to the very limit of unfortified wines at 17%.
The Zinfandel Festival is intended to allow wine lovers to experience the full spectrum of Zinfandels from this respected appellation in an unlimited tasting format.
The Festival is a weekend-long event, featuring special events at many member wineries. Such events will include Zinfandel and food pairings and vertical tastings. But the main events take place on Saturday afternoon and evening:
Live Auction—4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The Live auction is offered both in standard auctioneer and silent formats and will include many special offerings including hotel stays, luxury trips, private winemaker dinners, and many large format bottlings (magnums, Jeroboams, Rehoboams, Nebuchadnezzars (?).
A special feature of the Live Auction will be the chance to taste this year's Zinfandel Collaborative Blend, made by this year's selected blendmaster Steve Felton of Norman Vineyards.
Grand Tasting—7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
This is the Festival's showcase of the finest Zinfandels produced in the Paso Robles appellation, and some would say, in all of California. Visit www.pasowine.com for further details and ticket prices.
The Zinfandel Festival is intended to allow wine lovers to experience the full spectrum of Zinfandels from this respected appellation in an unlimited tasting format.
The Festival is a weekend-long event, featuring special events at many member wineries. Such events will include Zinfandel and food pairings and vertical tastings. But the main events take place on Saturday afternoon and evening:
Live Auction—4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The Live auction is offered both in standard auctioneer and silent formats and will include many special offerings including hotel stays, luxury trips, private winemaker dinners, and many large format bottlings (magnums, Jeroboams, Rehoboams, Nebuchadnezzars (?).
A special feature of the Live Auction will be the chance to taste this year's Zinfandel Collaborative Blend, made by this year's selected blendmaster Steve Felton of Norman Vineyards.
Grand Tasting—7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
This is the Festival's showcase of the finest Zinfandels produced in the Paso Robles appellation, and some would say, in all of California. Visit www.pasowine.com for further details and ticket prices.
Posted by
Alan Boehmer
Alan Boehmer
How does Fred Franzia do it?
Charles Shaw wine, a.k.a. Two-Buck Chuck, offers a range of varietals at $1.99 and is sold exclusively through Trader Joe's grocery company. Included in the line-up are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Gamay Nouveau, Valdiguie, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Charles Shaw Chardonnay won bragging rights to Best California Chardonnay at this year's California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition, winning a Double Gold Medal. (We suspect that it was served late in the queue and rated by judges who may have neglected to spit.)
We included a bottle of Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon in a blind tasting of California Cabernets. Predictably, although a terrific bargain and sound cooking wine, it placed last.
Trader Joe's has now sold more than 300 million bottles of Two-Buck Chuck. The winery, Bronco Wine Company in Ceres, CA (Central Valley) controls more than 30,000 acres of vineyard property and produces around 20 million cases of wine annually. Bronco is headed by Fred Franzia, a nephew of Ernest Gallo, and is a growing operation. They are planning to expand into Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Colombard.
"The market is going to need a lot of wine," said Fred. And he's planning to meet the need.
Franzia claims that the key to his ability to provide sound wines at such a low price lies in his total control of the operation from vineyard to bottle, although other wineries with similar abilities can't seem to compete.
Other brands offered by Bronco include Forestville, Estrella, Montpelier, Grand Cru, Silver Ridge, Rutherford Vintners, Hacienda, Fox Hollow and Napa Ridge. Bronco is now the 4th largest winery operation in the United States.
Charles Shaw Chardonnay won bragging rights to Best California Chardonnay at this year's California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition, winning a Double Gold Medal. (We suspect that it was served late in the queue and rated by judges who may have neglected to spit.)
We included a bottle of Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon in a blind tasting of California Cabernets. Predictably, although a terrific bargain and sound cooking wine, it placed last.
Trader Joe's has now sold more than 300 million bottles of Two-Buck Chuck. The winery, Bronco Wine Company in Ceres, CA (Central Valley) controls more than 30,000 acres of vineyard property and produces around 20 million cases of wine annually. Bronco is headed by Fred Franzia, a nephew of Ernest Gallo, and is a growing operation. They are planning to expand into Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Colombard.
"The market is going to need a lot of wine," said Fred. And he's planning to meet the need.
Franzia claims that the key to his ability to provide sound wines at such a low price lies in his total control of the operation from vineyard to bottle, although other wineries with similar abilities can't seem to compete.
Other brands offered by Bronco include Forestville, Estrella, Montpelier, Grand Cru, Silver Ridge, Rutherford Vintners, Hacienda, Fox Hollow and Napa Ridge. Bronco is now the 4th largest winery operation in the United States.
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