This World is Full of Crashing (Wine) Bores

Arthur Przebinda (of redwinebuzz.com) has an opinion piece published today in the L.A. Times' Blowback section. It's well worth a few minutes of your busy time to read.

In his well-written rebuttal of Joel Stein's amusing but ultimately misguided take on "wine snobbery", Arthur contends that the language of serious oenophiles is not meant to be pedantic, and is actually no different in principal than that of a dedicated sports fan (or a passionate follower of any field):

"...the knowledge informed wine enthusiasts possess is no less meaningful, less interesting nor more 'snobbish' or difficult than the performance statistics in the head of a sports fan or the technical information rattled off by car aficionados."

In other words, it's just geek talk. And geek talk does not necessarily a snob make...

By the way, I don't use the term geek pejoratively - in fact, I prefer to use the term "wine geek" to describe my own passion for wine (as do most of my wine industry buddies).

I love the company of wine geeks, just as I love the company of people who know way, way too much about the wood combinations of MTD basses. Because talking about wine, for me, is the apex of fun.

While I would rather leap off a 4 story building with my arms and legs bound and an anvil tied to my head than discuss fantasy baseball, you might love discussing fantasy baseball with your pals. I certainly wouldn't ridicule you for doing it - and I'd expect you to show the same respect to us wine geeks.

I think where Arthur has this right, and where Stein is way off the mark, is that wine talk itself does not equate to snobbishness. As the famous Micahel Broadbent put it in Winetasting:

"If there is such a thing as a wine snob, he or she will have all the atributes of any other sort of snob: affectation and pretentiousness covering up the lack of everything that makes a person worthy of serious attention."

Kind of like when Stein starts off an article with "When wine drinkers tell me they taste notes of cherries, tobacco and rose petals, usually all I can detect is a whole lot of jackass."

Far worse than a snob in any case is a bore. The seriously smart Mr. Broadbent was onto this in a big way - also from Winetasting:

"A great expert can be a bore, particularly if speaking out of context, being repetitive, pedantic, opinionated... or merely intoing in a tedious, grinding, long-winded way. The wine bore is the person who speaks about wine when no one is inclined to listen, or to the exclusion of all else."

Sounds right on the money to me, as it can easily be applied to any field of geek interest. Like wine, or fantasy baseball.

As Brit-pop music icon Morrissey sang, This World is Full of Crashing Bores. Wine bores. Fantasy Baseball bores.

And L.A. Times reporting bores.

Cheers!

(images: ewinetasting.com, viva-hater @ flickr.com, informationleafblower.com)

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¿Cuál es la gran cosa con España? (Iberian Wines and You)

What's up with Spain, anyway?

And for that matter, Portugal?

I mean... que pasa, dude??!?

Few wine regions are currently as exciting and vibrant as Spain and Portugal. Not too long ago, they were producing wines of specious quality, suffering from a similar Old World wine funk that once engulfed the (now impressive) wine regions like Chianti of Italy.

But now? Now the Iberian peninsula is kicking out quality wines all over the price-point spectrum. I've had killer Vinho Verde and Cava that have made me do a triple-head-take cartoon-style to verify that they really were that cheap. And don't get me started on the screamin' Priorats, aged Madeiras, and vintage Ports that I've tasted. Yowza!

Case in point - just so you don't have to take only the Dude's word for it:

"Spain continues to overperform... the number of truly fine Spanish wines continues to increase, with at least as much excitement at the lower end of the quality scale as at the higher end... Portuguese winemakers have now woken up to the tremendous potential that their country offers, making it a hotbed of innovation." - Tom Stevenson, The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia

BUT... with all of that Iberian awesomeness... why the heck do I find it so hard to consistently recommend good Iberian wines at a decent price point?

I posed that question to the wine blogging world's resident Iberian wine experts, Gabriella and Ryan Opaz of Catavino.net, when I took part in their 2+1 Iberian wine survey. I've reprinted their answer here, as I think it sheds some very interesting light on the marketing situation facing Iberian winemakers and wine distributors today (thanks, guys!). Enjoy...

Mi pregunta: Why are good Iberian wines so damn hard to find in the States? Spain & Portugal are poised to take the wine world by storm in terms of value for money, but most people’s experience with them comes down to seeing a $45 Priorat in their local wine shop and passing it on by, or picking up a $10 Rioja that is plonk and never touching Spanish wine again. Ironically, most of their wines offer incredible quality for the price, except the ones we get here. What’s up with *that*?

Joe, we wish the answer was easier to give. Truth is, there are a lot of Iberian wines available, although we believe the rush to exploit them has been slowed down by the strength of the Euro. Up until this year, everyone wanted a new Iberian wine for their portfolio and were willing to spend a lot of money to obtain them. Today, however, that same money doesn’t go as far. Coupled with this, people are afraid to see Iberian wine as more than “good value”. Many of our best value wines are spreading across the States and selling well, but in the end, it’s time to spend a bit more in order to diversify the availability.

Many of our best value wines are spreading across the States and selling well, but in the end, it’s time to spend a bit more in order to diversify the availability.

Then, there is the country specific problem, i.e. nationalism. Spain will never have the ability to market itself as a brand, no matter how much Wines of Spain tries and fails. There are too many distinct cultures and political divisions throughout Spain for this to work. Thus, Spain will always end up having fragmented marketing campaigns that will never fully co-operate to achieve good, unified branding.

Portugal, on the other hand, is set to overtake Spain, because at least they can have a “brand Portugal”, but sadly, a lot of their brand equity is tied up in the Port houses, and it’s not easy to convince them that they should help the smaller appellations. Additionally, Portugal has a confusing system of Appellations, where you have the highest “quality wine” category (DOC) falling below the wines of the “lower” regional wine category (VR). We don’t think it hurts the retail sector, per se, but it does hurt the in country’s organization and how it presents itself. The final factor that that weakens “brand Portugal”, is the overwhelming presence of the Vinho Verde, Douro and Alentejo regions. Until the smaller regions gain a little spotlight, these main three big guys will always overshadow the smaller ones.

Spain will always end up having fragmented marketing campaigns that will never fully co-operate to achieve good, unified branding.

Think of it this way. French wine is considered good, with wines of quality coming from Bordeaux, CDP, Burgundy, etc. Here, Rioja wine is great, which happens to be from Spain. Port wine is historic, but that is from the English (seriously people have told me this). Vinho Verde is fresh and vibrant. Cava is the “other sparkling wine”. Clearly, we’re fragmented. Portugal and Spain both need to be known for great wine. As you say, people see the $45 Priorat, and only associate it with the region, but never the country.

You can read the entire article over at Catavino.net.

For more on Spanish wines, you can check out The New Spain by John Radford.

Cheers!

(images: catavino.net, about.com, wine.pt)

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The Trouble with Vintages (When You Should Care - and When You Shouldn't)

Vintages. Can't live with `em... pass the beer nuts!

The question of whether or not wine vintages (the year printed on the label, which is almost always the year when the wine's grapes were harvested) matter is one that often perplexes the budding wine enthusiast.

The questions that the Dude here regularly fields regarding wine vintages generally come in this variety:

Is it a "born on" date? Or an indicator of quality? Or a deciding factor in how long (or if) a wine can be aged?
The answer is "Yes."

Sort of.

In this post, I'm going to try to clear up some of this vintage mess for ya. Mostly because I genuinely want to help. And, to be totally honest, because I get asked about wine vintages a lot, so I want to have a place to send people for more info. (read: I am lazy and don't feel like answering the question anymore... hey, so sue me, I've got a newborn in the house!)....

Here's the honest truth (well, the truth according to the 1WineDude, that is) about wine vintages: For the most part, the wine vintages printed on the label don't matter all that much.

The reason that wine vintages (mostly) don't matter is two-fold:

1. 99% of wine sold today is not meant to be aged. Most of the wine that you encounter is meant to be enjoyed within 6 to 18 months of the vintage. In this sense, the vintage year functions more like a "born on" date - if someone is trying to sell you a really inexpensive older vintage wine, it's probably because they want to pawn off their remaining stock of that vino that's won't otherwise sell because it's past its prime.
   
   Does this mean that the wine will magically turn into vinegar at the stroke of midnight 18 months after the vintage date, Cinderella-style? No - but thanks to the miracle of chemistry, there's a good chance that the fruit characteristics of the wine will start to dissipate after that time. For the majority of everyday drinking wine that you might buy, you can set a mental note to enjoy it before its second harvest birthday. That way, you will get a chance to sample those tasty fruit flavors before they disappear.
   
   

   For the most part, the wine vintages printed on the label don't matter all that much.

   
   
2. Modern wine-making can turn even poor harvest years into decent (and sometimes great) wine. Many moons ago, before the advent of versatile solutions for modern living that we take for granted today (like refrigerated transport, temperature-controlled fermentation tanks, and best of all those nifty little laser-pointer flashlights that can fit on your keychain), winemaking techniques were not as advanced as they are today. As a result, the conditions of a particular harvest year (weather, economy, invasion by the Huns, etc.) could have a dramatic impact on a wine's quality.
   
   While this is still true today to some extent, the stability of most of the world's major winemaking areas, coupled with ultra-modern winemaking techniques and technologies means that consistent producers can churn out decent everyday drinking wine even in poor harvest years. In my experience, this has even been true for some fine wine in "bad" vintage years from regions with consistent weather (like California - Opus One's 1998 blend is a good example of this).
   

So when does a vintage really matter?

Vintages do matter when you're splurging on a fine wine purchase from a region that has a variable climate year to year.

The most famous example of this being red Burgundy, the fickle Pinot Noir areas of France that can produce wine tasting like sublime berry seduction one year, and rotten cabbage the next. If you're going to shell out the coin for something special (either for drinking now or laying down for a special occasion later), it can't hurt to do a little vintage homework. I recommend using the mobile vintage chart from BBR.com, which you can reference right from your web-enabled cell phone while at your local wine shop. This can help you to gauge the relative quality of a vintage for a fine wine purchase.

BUT... don't steer clear of a vintage entirely just because it's been deemed of lesser quality than a previous year. Why? You can miss some amazing bargains that way - these vintages are like a lower stock value; it's time to buy. In an "off-year" you might have access to quality wines that might normally be out of your comfortable price range, and it's a chance for you to explore the winemaking styles of great producers without totally breaking the bank.

Vintages do matter when you're splurging on a fine wine purchase from a region that has a variable climate year to year. The most famous example of this being red Burgundy, the fickle Pinot Noir from France that can taste like sublime berry seduction one year, and rotten cabbage the next.

The majority of my fine wine purchases have been in "bad" vintages - I scoop that up like a day-trading stock hunter! The bottom line is that a passionate producer with talented staff and a history of great winemaking will still make impressive wine in an off year. They may not be wines of sublime perfection, but they sure as hell won't be bad, and they have the potential to totally knock your socks off.

Cheers!

(images: globalbeautes.com [modified by the 1WineDude], art.com, weimax.com)

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A PLCB Moment

Because it's been about a week since I railed against them. And you've gotta keep those people on their toes, right?

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A Spy In the House of Booze: How to Survive an Industry Wine Tasting

(images: tenaciously.smugmug.com)

Booth babes. Row upon row of free alcohol to sample, some of it top notch. Hobnobbing with local wine celebs (e.g., Marnie Old).

Man, the lengths I will go to give me readers a decent story!

I was recently (in Q4 2007) asked by a local restaurant / wine bar to help them out an industry tasting event, held in downtown Philadelphia (i.e., sample some wines, help determine what they should be serving up in the near future).


This particular event was hosted by Southern Wine & Spirits of Pennsylvania. SWS is one of the major suppliers of wine brands to the PA Liquor Control Board (the state-run monopoly that controls alcohol sales and distribution within PA). PA is the only state-controlled market in which SWS operates; that's because when you're a big supplier, you simply cannot argue with the billions of dollars at stake that are controlled by PA's potentially unconstitutional monopoly.

So what's it like to attend one of these events? Read on, dear reader, reader on...

First, these big portfolio tastings typically take place at a swanky location. In this case, it was the Crystal Tea Ballroom (which I'd just visited a few weeks prior for the Gravedigger's Ball in support of the Laurel Hill Cemetery).

There are, literally, a dozen or more rows of tables, each hosted by a winery, distributor, or importer who have their portfolio available for tasting. Most of these tables are staffed by young salespeople ("booth babes"), and are visited by equally young and beautiful sales reps, occasionally punctuated by a local wine celeb., or a wine geek (such as the Dude here).

There is a lot of sipping. There is a lot of tasting. There is a lot of handshaking. There is a lot of note-taking, smiling, and photo-shooting.

What there is not a lot of, is spitting - despite the proliferation of buckets provided specifically for that purpose. And that means there is a lot of drunken buzz happening at the end of the evening. In no way am I picking on SWS here - I'm pretty sure that this scenario would play out at any similar industry event (isn't that one of the reasons why people want to get into sales in the first place?).

Personally, Dude was doing very well - at first - and enjoying the excellent wines on display (particularly the Quintessa, as well as possibly the greatest array of Champagnes I've ever had the pleasure of comparing). Doing well, that is, until late in the event, when one of the booth babes grabbed our group and ushered us through the vodka section - where we capped off a series of rapid-fire tasting with shots of vodka that ran in excess of $200 a bottle.

I'm the 1WineDude, not the 'ManyVodkasDude'. My party spent the latter part of the evening stumbling around City Hall, looking for bar food to quell our munchies, and trying to remember our names.

If you ever find yourself invited to one of these events, how best to survive the experience?

Get there early. The event will eventually get packed, and it's probably going to be big. You will want to scope out the areas of most interest to you, and pace yourself based on the amount of time that you have to spend there.

Map out your plan of attack. This is the benefit of an early arrival - you can plan out exactly what booths you want to visit before the crowds arrive, start imbibing, and generally make the scene more confusing for you. I suggest dividing up the booths into categories such as "Must See", "B Priority", and "Will Check Out If Time Permits." That way, you try the things you and/or your employer are most interested in, and save the rest for a more relaxed run-through afterwards.

Don't Ignore the Little Guys. You will find wine brands that you'd not known about before, and you will like some of them. You should expect a handful of "ah-ha!" moments with some of the lesser-known producers - and they may be exactly what you're looking for to pair with your restaurant's newest dish, etc.

Take quick tasting notes, but not too many. You will NOT have time to write lengthy tasting notes. Recording some details is essential, but I'd recommend planning on writing one sentence (or less) on each wine you taste. Stick to the basics and record just enough info. that you will be able to make sense of it the next day.

Remember that Sex Sells. All salespeople and advertisers worth their salt know this. You will be bombarded by beautiful people. Remember, you're there to taste wine, not award your or your company's money to the distributor that has the best-looking staff.

Don't Forget to Spit. Well... duh! I'm not saying don't enjoy a full glass of a killer cab on display. But I am saying that if you don't spit, you will get hammered - probably not the best way to make an impression at an industry event.

If possible, carpool. Even when you spit, you absorb some alcohol through the tops and sides of your mouth. Eventually, it's going to impair your tasting judgment, especially at an event where there is so much tasting to be performed. This is why you should hit your highest priority / must-see booths first, take quick notes, and probably try to carpool (or take public transportation) when your tasting event is over. Safety first, as they say.

Cheers!

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Happy Birthday 1WineDude.com (Dude's Greatest Hits)

1WineDude.com quietly turns 1 year old today!

I say quietly, because 1) I prefer intimate birthday parties, and 2) while this blog is technically 1 year old, it's only really been
'all-grows-up' since October 2007, when Dude started "taking this blogging thing a bit more seriously," as they say. Not sure exactly who 'they' are, but I'm pretty sure 'they' say that.

To celebrate this mini-momentous occasion, I thought that I'd join the time-honored tradition exercised by so many other blogs, musical acts, and aging TV sitcoms by essentially giving myself the day off, and rehashing previously published content!

Kind of like they did on "The Facts of Life" with "throwback" footage, back when it featured George Clooney (by the way, I used to have hair like that... though I think I've destroyed most of the photographic proof in an incinerator somewhere in Northern NJ).

So, for your reading pleasure, I offer you Dude's Greatest Hits: A Collection of the Most Visited Posts from 1WineDude.com...

1. Does this Wine Make Me Look Fat? - Apparently a lot of people (and I mean a lot) want to know the answer to that question!
2. Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus - But There's No Such Thing as Sulfite-Free Wine - Dude always takes pleasure is busting up a wine myth; I'm just glad this one helped provide some clarity around the confusing topic of wine allergies and sulfites.
3. How To Become a Wine Geek Part II: Taste - This is the post that, while sort of stating the obvious, provided the groundwork for my first eBook.
4. The Top 10 Wine Books You Really Need - I should know, I've read almost all of 'em!
5. Hey, You Like One of Them Thar Some-Yeahs? - Trying to shed some light on the ultra-confusing world of wine education and certifications.
6. Making Sense of Wine 2.0 - YOU have the power - now go on out there and make it happen, people!
7. Wine Communism: U.S. State's Non-Compliance to Wine Shipping Laws - One of a few posts that will probably ensure that I am audited on my PA State income taxes for the next 5 years straight.
8. 20 Things I Learned About Life from Drinking Wine - A little glass of Wine Zen.
   

I need to give a special mention to 2 other posts that, while they may not have gotten a substantial amount of website hits, I had to include for historical purposes:

• Child of the `60s - The post that started the 1WineDude.com blog!
• 2000 Ch. De Sales Review on Ch. Petrogasm - Technically a post I "wrote" but not a post on 1WineDude.com, but the comment thread is hillarious!

Cheers!

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Book Review: Vino Italiano (The Regional Wines of Italy)

This post, the Dude is offering his review of Joseph Bastianich's & David Lynch's weighty tome on all things Italo-wine-related: Vino Italiano.

My review is part of a larger blog-carnival-type effort with near-simultaneous reviews of the same book happening at other wine blogs, called the Wine Book Club. You can check out some of the haps and conversation at the Shelfari book group. For more on the background of WBC, and a bit about the authors of Vino Italiano, check out my previous post on the subject.

The Low-Down
You'd think that a 500+ page book would warrant a lengthy review, but that's simply not the case here (thankfully!). This is mostly due to the well-considered layout of the book.

Vino Italiano is divided into three sections:

1. A primer on Italian wine history & wine laws (essential information if you hope to understand an Italian wine label!)
2. A tour of each of Italy's major wine regions in turn, starting with cultural interactions / story-telling, moving to well-written descriptions of the wine styles of the region, and ending with a recommended regional food & wine pairing
3. Reference material, including a glossary of Italian wine terminology, and a wine producer directory.
   

How To Use This Book
Novices will find the first section particularly useful. When you're dealing with Italian wine, expect to be confused - there's simply no easy way to deal with it, so you might as well jump right in; this section will help make that jump as painless as possible.

Wine geeks like the Dude here will find the 3rd section the most interesting, if only for a handy reference to remind us what some of the Italian wine label terms mean, or digging up the detail on what is and isn't permitted in some of the regional quality classifications, etc.

Most people, however, will find the book's large midsection the most useful. That's because the authors of Vino Italiano know what the Italians know: the only way to truly appreciate Italy's regional wine treasures in full is to experience them as part of a larger picture - that picture including a unique blend of regional culture, history, and (most importantly) food.

The majority of Italian wines are meant to be consumed with their regional gustatory counterparts - the recipe and wine pairings (provided by Lidia Bastanich and household-name Mario Batali) at the end of each chapter are not after-thoughts - they are essential components if you want to "get" Italian wine. Personally, I've been hoping to try the Spagheti alla Luganica and Anglianico del Vulture pairing (see pgs. 330-331). If you don't get hungry at some point when reading Vino Italiano, then you're missing the point.

You needn't read the book cover-to-cover - the book is structured so that skipping around to read about a particular region will give you a perfectly good understanding of that region and its wines.


Buy It or Skip It?
Buy it. Vino Italiano is well-written (Dude majored in English Lit. in undergrad, so he does not offer that sort of praise lightly!), and its harmonious blend of regional Italian culture, food, and wine make it a winner. It's also a book that will provide benefit for a wine lover at nearly every stage of his/her wine knowledge development. This is one of the few instances where a book's many accolades (on the jacket, and in its on-line user reviews) are well-deserved.

Cheers, and happy reading!

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Help, My Wife Only Drinks Bad Chardonnay! (How to Rescue Her From Wine Hell)

(images: nigella.com, mikesblog.typepad.com, gamerevolution.com, totalgambler.com)
Warning: This post details - and advocates - actions that are sneaky, surreptitious, and downright manipulative. If you are of tender constitution, or high moral standing, I suggest that you turn away now.

Still with me? Great - that's why I love my readers! You people ROCK!

Please note: In this post, you will encounter the use of Chardonnay and femine pronouns. I'm using 'Chardonnay Oak-Butter bombs' simply as an example in this post - you can feel free to replace that with any wine vareital / style that you don't like. Similarly, I'm using the female pronoun because it matches my particular experience - feel free to substitute the male equivalent to suit your needs.

Anyway, this will all make sense in a minute or two (I use that phrase a lot... is that, like, a mulligan for bad writing?). Got it? Good - let's get down to business!

The Problem: Wine Hell
Many of you will be familiar with this scenario: You're on a date with your wife/girlfriend/partner/whatever. You're about to order up a fantastic dinner. Then you remember it, like a nameless fear from the dark recesses of your consciousness:

• "My Wife only ever drinks super-oaky, buttery Chardonnay. I don't like those - and it's totally a BAD match for the food we're gonna order!"
  

Your blood runs cold - what do you do? Do you suck it up, and try to minimize the damage by ordering the least offensive option? Do you chance pissing her off by ordering some other (totally different) wine? Decisions, decisions...

Dude has been in this situation - and he is here to help you out. I will give you in this post some super-secret tactics to surreptitiously convert your loved-one away from the wine you don't like, thereby giving you a modicum of a chance to enjoy some wine that you do like (at least once in awhile).

Before I get to the brass tactics, let me tell you Dude's story...

Dude's Tale of Wine Woe
My wife used to drink super-oaked, buttery Chardonnay bombs. It was the only thing she'd want to order when we dined out. Now, Dude likes him some good Chardonnay, but when the wine tastes less like apricot & toasted brioche, and more like it came from a jug of rubbing alcohol that has had a stick of butter mixed into it using a two by four... well, let's just say it doesn't make him jump for joy.

Besides personal preference, I don't like the super-oaked, buttery Chardonnay bombs because they severely limit your choice of a really killer food & wine pairing. Why? Chardonnay is fuller-bodied (hefty), but doesn't have an overwhelming flavor profile; think baked potatos, or lobster. Naturally, you'd assume that a buttery wine would pair well with a buttery dish, and you'd be right. But oak tends to pair well with smoked dishes (the oakier, the smokier). When is the last time you had buttery smoked lobster? Or cooked it at home? It's just not that common.

Make Her a Convert!
I kicked my wife off the super-oaked, buttery Chardonnay bombs habit, by following one of the super-secret, tried-and-true tactics described below. I converted her to a lover of other wine styles. If Dude can do it, you can do it. Having said that, no guarantees are explicitly stated or implied regarding your potential success (especially with the more, shall we say, difficult cases you might encounter - see below). Your mileage, as they say, may vary.

If you want to get out of Wine Hell, you gotta get her to break that habit! It's important to remember that our mission here is not entirely selfish - that same dinner-ruining potential exists for any similar situation in which your partner is harboring an overly-narrow view of potential wine choices. (That's what I tell myself, anyway, so I sleep OK at night).

Just as in matching wine & food, a good pairing is essential for these tactics to work. For this 1WineDude.com experiment, start by determining what type of Subject profile best describes your dining companion, and then try the Tactic best-paired to that profile.

Got it? Good - let's boogie!

Subject #1: "The Newbie" - This is a person who is choosing to drink plonk simply because she doesn't know any other wines, and therefore resorts to picking what she considers 'safe'.
Conversion Difficulty: Easy to Moderate.
Tactic: "The Power of Suggestion" - You pass yourself off as someone who knows a bit about wine, and subtly suggest a different wine with dinner, one that you "heard was really wonderful" from an equally-knowledgeable wine buddy.
Why it Works: The Newbie is not necessarily afraid to try a different wine, she just doesn't know which ones to try next. Gentle suggestion, and the promise to buy her some of her same old wine as a safety net, will go a long way with The Newbie. Play your cards right, and you come off looking like a veritable knight in shining armor, rescuing her (and yourself!) from Wine Hell.
What Could Go Wrong: Don't play your cards right, and you come off like a smarmy know-it-all jerk. Whoops! No wine for you!

Subject #2: "The Victim" (a.k.a., "Once Bitten, Twice Shy") - This wine drinker tried another wine in the past, but she either had it with the wrong food, the wrong dude, got a bad bottle, or had some other semi-traumatic experience. Now, she plays it safe to avoid getting burned again.
Conversion Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult (dependent on previous level of victimization).
Tactic: "The Killer Combo" - Unleash the Killer Combo on her, Bruce Lee style. It goes down like this: You make her dinner, and make the night as special as possible. You tailor the dinner to a food she likes - and you find the most killer wine combination you can to pair with it (assuming this is not her usual plonk, of course). For example, you could branch out with some Viognier and Coconut Halibut.
Why it Works: You're providing a safe and inviting environment for the Victim, which is essential to getting her out of her timidity to a suggestive open-minded state. The Killer Combination of the great pairing and you're good deed will leave an indelible positive mark on her wine psyche - viola, wine curse broken!
What Could Go Wrong: Picking your own favorite food and wine and ignoring her preference can result in disaster, exposing you for the selfish jerk that you really are - which is doubly disastrous if she gets turned off to one of your favorite wines and never lets you order it again.

Subject #3: "The Immovable Object" (IO) - This girl likes her buttery, oak-bomb Chardonnay just fine and has been drinking it for years now and doesn't want to change and does NOT want to hear about it again THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!
Conversion Difficulty: Difficult to Impossible (proceed with extreme caution!)
Tactic: "The Bait & Switch" - The IO can only be countered by the most cunning trickery and deceit. Pretend to order her usual plonk, but instead order another (possibly similar) wine that is much better (to you, anyway).
Why it Works: If you time this correctly, The IO won't discover the bait & switch until after she's already acknowledged that she is enjoying the wine. In order to protect her pride, she may be forced to acquiesce. If discovered prematurely, you may be able to feign ignorance ("Oh, this is Pouilly-Fume?!?? Drat, I thought for sure I'd ordered Pouilly-Fuisse! You know, just to see if you'd like it, it is Chardonnay after all..."). With French wine labels as confusing as they are, you might just get away with it.
What Could Go Wrong: Just about everything. You are entering a veritable mine-field, and will need to execute each step flawlessly to win over The IO. Even then, you risk dire consequences should you falter on even the slightest misstep. Good luck... you are going to need it...

Assuming you have made a successful conversion, encourage your partner to expand her wine knowledge through wine books (ahem... might I humbly suggest purchasing her the 1WineDude tasting guide?) and tastings. You may just have a beautiful wine tasting future together.

And which Subject was Mrs. Wine Dudette? At the advice of counsel, I decline to answer...

Cheers!

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Fermentation's 2008 American Wine Blog Awards (Rock the Vote!)

I would like to give a huge shout out of thanks to my readers for voting for me in the 2008 American Wine Blog Awards!

I have a great deal of respect for what Tom Wark is doing over at his Fermentation blog, especially his continued fight against monopolized wine shipping - there's a passion that we both share!

Having said all that - I don't think I'm eligible to receive any of the 2008 American Wine Blog Awards. According to Tom's blog:

"Any wine blog in existence between January 1, 2007 and the end of January 2008, that has produced at least 52 posts during that time and is written in English is eligible to be nominated..."

Technically, 1WineDude.com has been around almost that long, but not quite - since February 2007. And while the total number of posts in that time is close, it's not quite 52. So it looks like I'm out on both counts.

Now, I can't stop you from voting for / nominating me (and believe me, Dude appreciates the love - and the free publicity!), but I certainly hope I don't discourage you from voting altogether even if I'm not in the running...

That's because these awards are pretty much meaningless without your voices! Otherwise, it's just a group of bloggers voting for / nominating each other, and personally I don't want to write just for other bloggers (as nice and interesting as they are) - I'm doing this to reach everyday people who want to increase the fun in their lives by appreciating the world's greatest beverage more.

So - get out there and vote. Personally, I've voted for Vinography.com for Best Wine Blog and Best Wine Blog Writing - for me, Alder (the site's author) has set the standard in overall quality that I try to emulate on a daily basis (though certainly our styles are very, very different). I suppose you can call this my official endorsement of Vinography for the 2008 American Wine Blog Awards. You're welcome, Alder! ;-)

The categories for 2008:

• Best Wine Blog
  
• Best Wine Blog Writing
  
• Best Winery Blog
  
• Best Wine Blog Graphics
  
• Best Wine Review Blog
  
• Best Single Subject Wine Blog
  
• Best Wine Business Blogging
  
• Best Wine Podcast or Video Blog

Now go out there and ROCK THE VOTE!

Cheers!

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Why Fruit Bombs Are OK (I am Here to Whet Some Palates!)

(images: jacop.net, pocketpcmag.net)

Warning: If you consider yourself a wine snob, or are easily offended (or both), then I am about to lose you as a friend with this post.

Because I am here to tell you that "Fruit Bombs" (those wines made in a style that deliberately dials up the varietal fruit and shoves it right into your face) are OK.

No, really, I'm serious. They're OK.

Yes, they really are. YES, they ARE.

Now, before I explain why Fruit Bombs are OK, I need to tell you a little about Jaco Pastorius (stick with me - this will all makes sense in a minute or two)...

Jaco Pastorius is widely considered to be the father of modern jazz bass playing. Often he is cited as the best jazz bassist to have ever lived (if not the best electric bassist ever, period). If, like me, you're a bass player, then you have to be inspired at least a little bit by Jaco's amazing playing and harmonious blend of musicality, technique, humor, and inventiveness - if not, you'd better have your pulse checked, 'cause you might be dead.

In the music biz, Jaco was just as famous for his quips as he was for his bass licks. Among his best: "women, children, and rhythm section first," "it ain't braggin' if you can back it up!" and my personal favorite, "I am not here to raise hippy consciousness, I am here to wet some panties."

Artistic Harmony is Important (Especially in Wine)
The key to Jaco's success was how well he blended all of the different elements of his musical abilities together into a coherent whole. You may not like jazz, but if you're really listening, you can't help but admire the genuineness and balance.

When I'm drinking wine, I'm looking for the same things: genuineness and balance. I may not like the style, but I will admire those elements, if they exist in the wine. Because a winemaker who is really trying will give you the most of those things that are possible given the winemaking conditions, raw materials/grapes, and other resources s/he has on command for that vintage.

Don't Dis Based on Style - Dis Based on Lack of Harmony
Fruit Bombs are nothing more than a style of winemaking. Do I think many of them suck? Sure I do. Do I prefer them to more subtle-flavored wine choices? Usually not. But I don't write them off on the whole any more than I would tell you that all country music sucks just because I'm not a fan of the genre in general.

Making a wine is a bit like fiddling with the EQ on your stereo. Crank up the bass and extreme treble all the way, and most of your music will sound like shit. And the bad, disingenuous music? That will sound even worse. In winemaking, if you crank up the fruit, you'd better make sure that you're also cranking up the structure (acidity, tannin, oak, etc.) to some degree, so that you're providing a balance and giving the disparate elements in the wine the best chance to come together as a cohesive whole. Or most likely your wine will taste like shit.

Wine is Music to Your Mouth
A wine, even an inexpensive one, should be like music to your palate - and the Brittany Spears of wine is inherently no better than Joni Mitchell of wine, depending on which one you're most into.

So let's not write off the fruit bombs, people. Let's write off the disingenuous wines that don't have internal harmony.

I am not here to raise wine consciousness, I am here to whet some palates!

Cheers!

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In The News: US Wine Consumption on the Rise - *Again*

There's a great little article by Janice Jones in today's Sierra Sun about the rising tide of wine consumption in the U.S.

According to the article, the U.S. has surpassed Italy and is now on the heels of France to claim the title of the world's largest consumers of wine by volume (at 2.77 gallons per wine drinker per year). Though I think Luxembourg still holds the title in terms of wine consumption per capita.

What is most interesting about the article is the picture it paints of just how vast our wine choices are here in the U.S. - 7,000 different brands (with the $20 and under category making up most of the market).

That's just... HUGE!

How's a wine consumer supposed to navigate that kind of territory?...

Janice offers some sound advice on this: keep track of what you're drinking, so you can build up your 'Wine IQ' and form the vocabulary to accurately describe what tastes you like - and don't like - in your wine. Preferably by using a notebook and writing down your wine experiences. Which is exactly what the Dude's Wine Tasting Guide eBook. Yeee-haw - vindication!! ;-)

In a way, the Sierra Sun article underscores why I wrote the eBook in the first place - to help people better navigate the crazy (but utterly wonderful) wine by building their own personal wine taste 'map'. Without that map, and considering the vast array of wine brands available, their multitude of styles, and the increasing 'pressure' to somehow get on board the rising wave of wine popularity in the U.S., you may find the journey into the world of wine so daunting that you never even take the first step.

And that would suck - because the journey is really an amazing one.

Cheers!

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Does This Wine Make Me Look Fat?: How To Drink Wine While You're on a Diet

Dieting - how do I love thee? Let me count the ways... OK, DONE!

No one really enjoys dieting, and while we may be of the epicurean mindset, even us wine lovers need to count the calories once in a while. To get our New Year's resolutions off to the right start, I've put together some information for wine lovers who might be wondering how wine factors into their their dieting plans...


All alcoholic beverages have calories. This includes wine. Most wines contain a very small amount of sugars - a few grams - even wines that are totally "dry." Very sweet dessert wines contain a bit more, but overall this will still be less than 10 grams on average. You may even find a small amount of Sodium (about 1% the recommended daily amount) and even carbs (around 5 grams, or about 2% DV). But those all contribute a very small amount of calories to the overall wine experience.

A Wine's calories are largely a factor of alcohol content. Alcohol content accounts for 80% or more of the calories in a wine. A typical glass of wine - about 4 to 5 fl oz -
will contain about 100 calories. That's the bad news. The good news - none of the calories are from fat (hey, there's a bright side to everything!).

Wines with Less Alcohol Have Fewer Calories - but Not by Much. If you want to get more specific, a general rule of thumb (as published on Wineintro.com) is that this formula will give you the approximate calories for any specific glass of wine: 1.6 x percentage x oz in glass = total calories. So, if you pour yourself a 5oz glass of modest Italian white (say, 12% alcohol), you're looking at 1.6 x 12 x 5oz = 96 calories. A big ol' honkin' glass of powerful California Zinfandel at 15% alcohol would be 1.6 x 15 x 5oz = 120 calories. Not a huge difference, but could be significant enough for you to change your wine choice at dinner, if you're expecting to have more than one glass but are trying to watch your weight.

If You're on a Diet, Drink Wine in Moderation. This one seems obvious, since in effect wine is contributing the the dreaded "liquid calories" (like soda) that most dieters try to avoid. But it's a lot tougher than you'd think. Restaurant pours of wine seldom adhere to the 4-5oz average, and some restaurants may pour you a glass nearly double that amount. Which means that glass of big ol' honkin' CA Zinfandel is really more like 240 calories. If you're on a diet, tread carefully when eating out.

Don't Binge. Another seemingly obvious recommendation, but consider this: drinking alcoholic beverages is proven to relax your inhibitions, which in turn makes you more likely to do dumb stuff. That includes taking diet-unfriendly actions like eating more, choosing to eat foods that you should avoid while on your diet, and generally begets more drinking (thus more calories). Binging on wine while on a diet is definitely NOT diet-friendly.

If You're Drinking & Dieting, Make Lower-Calorie Wine Choices. If you love wine way too much to cut it out of your diet, go for lower calorie wine options. Dry, lighter white wines will generally provide less calories. Heavy, fortified wines, like ports, will generally have the most calories. For more information, you can view a quick table of approximate wine calorie totals here, or check out the more comprehensive wine nutritional listings at calorieking.com.

Know When to Take a Break. The bottom line: if you are dieting, you need to cut back on the wine. If you're a contestant on Biggest Loser, then it's probably a good idea to abstain entirely from drinking alcoholic beverages of any kind for a short period of time (until you reach a safe weight-loss milestone, for example). Sure it will suck to go without your favorite Cab, but a healthier you is more likely to be around to enjoy future great vintages of your favorite wine.

Cheers!

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Update: More on Low-Sulfite Wines (Holiday Edition)

Happy Holidays to all, and greetings from sunny FL!

A (very) quick update on my last post regarding low-sulfite wines, just to prove I'm not totally biased against all organic / biodynamic wines!

I've come across a few other quality wines (featured in body + soul magazine, to which my wife subscribes) that I've recently learned are either organically or biodynamically made (or both), and that I've found to be of good quality...


Thought I'd take a brief moment during my holiday respite to share these wine finds with you. Hope that anyone looking for low-sulfite wines (that don't also totally suck!) will find this helpful:

• Bonterra Vineyards - Most of their wines are organic, and they make at least one decent wine that's also biodynamic.
  
• Fetzer - All organic, with a big focus on recycling during production and distribution.
  
• Frey - Both organic & biodynamic, and vegan to boot!
  
• Quintessa - Fully biodynamic since 2005; probably the most fabulous biodynamic wine you'll find out there, but you'll pay for it!

Cheers!

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Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus - But there's No Sulfite-Free Wine

My sister (a chemist) recently sent me an e-mail requesting some wine advice:

"I've got a friend at work who has been looking for a sulfite-free wine.  Do you know of any that are any good?"

My answer: "Nope."

Not that a sulfite-free wine might not be any good, it's just that right now, sulfite-free wines are like governments that don't tax - they don't exist!

Why this is has a lot to do with chemistry (lucky for me my sis is a chemist!). Which is one of the many splendid things when it comes to learning about wine - wine exposes you not just to the sensory pleasures of drinking it, but to the art/magic of constructing a good one along with the chemistry, agriculture, geography, and geology that go into making good wine. Lucky for you Dude has already done his homework in these areas (otherwise he'd have failed all those pesky wine certification exams...), so you don't have to!...

But before we delve into the chemistry, let's examine a bit of background on the whole wine / sulfite thang:

My sister's coworker has reason to be concerned about sulfites, if that coworker is allergic to them. That's because for those people, having exposure to sulfites in drinks and food can cause a severe (and in very rare cases fatal)asthmatic reaction.

But before you start pouring all of your fine wine down the sink drain, you should know that only 0.01% - 01.0% of the U.S. population is estimated to be allergic to sulfites (probably fewer than 1 in 100 people).

If you're even an occasional wine drinker, chances are that you've heard the rumor that sulfites in wine cause headaches. Despite being popular in the rumor mill, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that 'wine headaches' are caused by sulfites. In face, if you do get headaches when drinking wine, chances are higher that the headache could be a reaction to any of several esters (flavor compounds) that occur naturally in wine.

Chances are greater still that you simply have a hangover (so drink more water next time, my party-loving friend, or - egads! - drink less wine).

Now back to the chemistry - sulfites are produced naturally during the fermentation process (so you probably are exposed to them in some beers, soy sauces, and other fermented liquids). The amount produced naturally is pretty small - anywhere from 6 to 40 ppm (parts per million). PPM is roughly equivalent to 1 milligram of something in 1 liter of water. Another way to think about it - 1 ppm is about 4 drops of ink in a 55 gallon barrel of water. Dangerous if you're talking about arsenic, but not so much when you're talking sulfites.

U.S. government regulations stipulate that wines containing 10 ppm or more of sulfites need to display a warning on the bottle, in order to alert consumers that are allergic to sulfites. Since more than 10 ppm are created during fermentation, and given that the labels don't have to specify the amount of sulfites the wine contains, that pretty much means every bottle of wine needs to carry the warning - effectively making the warning a bit useless and confusing consumers that may not be allergic to sulfites but want to buy wine that has minial sulfite content.

Sulfites are also added during the winemaking process, which can up the ppm of the sulfites in your wine (the U.S. government allows up to about 300+ ppm). Why do winemakers do this? They've been doing it for hundreds of years - the first historical record of its use in winemaking is from a royal German decree in 1487 - in order to kill bacteria, prevent browning of wine form oxidation, and to help stabilize the finished wine. The 1487 decree specifies use of about 19 ppm of sulfer, which according to wine writer Hugh Johnson (in his Story of Wine)is an "improbably low" amount.

Some winemakers - mostly those making biodynamic / organic wines - deliberately avoid adding any additional sulfities (beyond those naturally produced during fermentation, of course). My personal thoughts on the current low quality of most organic & biodynamic wines aside, there are some quality producers out there who are trying to make great wines biodynamically, which are also 'lower-sulfite' wines (usually 100 ppm or less). A fine example is Frog's Leap - lower on sulfites, big on taste, and good for the environment to boot.

A final word of caution - when shopping for 'low-sulfite' wines, don't expect to find a long list of great-tasting options. So when you find a few that you do like, stick with 'em!

Those looking for a bit more on the topic of sulfites in wine should check out this handy reference from UC Davis.

Cheers!

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How To (Not) Go Green (Organic Wines Still Suck)

Dude has seen quite a bit of press regarding organic and biodynamic wines, which are understandably riding the marketing wave of increased consumer demand for healthier, more naturally-made food products.

At industry wine-tasting events, organic and biodynamic viticulture is touted at nearly every distributor's and/or winery's boot,h in order to get a edge over their adjacent competition for eyes, mouths, and wine orders.

Anyone who has had local, organically grown produce, or tasted a fresh hunk of free-range chicken right off the grill, knows firsthand that these products often taste better, are healthier for you, and are superior in quality to their mass-manufactured counterparts.

The story is a bit different when it comes to wines.

That's because most organic wines suck.

It's not just this dude's opinion - in 2005, Tom Stevenson (noted wine writer and critic, and the driving force behind the brilliant Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia and the indispensable annual industry Wine Report) wrote the following regarding the state of organic wines:

• "When great winemakers... "go green" they produce great organic or biodynamic wines. However, it is quite another matter when others less passionate about the quality of wine are organic. While they may well have a true passion for the environment, the majority of the world's organic producers clearly have no idea how to make a superior quality wine."
  

Part of this viewpoint undoubtedly has to do with our expectations as consumers of organic / biodynamic products, spurred on by marketing that goads us into automatically assuming that these products are better for the environment (usually true), are healthier for us (also usually true) and are of higher quality (uh... not quite...). That last part still requires skill, and a passion to make something of real quality, no matter what the methods.

As consumers, we're also confused about exactly what organic and biodynamic really mean. In summary, they are both government-regulated terms, meaning if you follow the production standards laid out by the government, then you're allowed to use those terms on the label. At a high level, this is what's required for winemakers to "go green":

• Organic: the wine is made with the minimum amount of sulfer dioxide, using grapes that have been grown without using chemically-based pesticides/herbicides and fertilizers.
• Biodynamic: the grapes are grown without using chemical or synthetic fertilizers & sprays; natural yeasts are used for fermentation of the wine, with minimal use of sulfer dioxide, filtration, and chapatalization (the addition of sugars to raise the potential alcohol in the finished wine - which happens much more often then you really want to know about...).
  

Notice what is NOT represented above - measurements of quality.

So, how have things fared in terms of quality standards for organic wines since the dire outlook penned by Mr. Steven in 2005? Not too good.

Most organic wines still suck.

A great example comes from the Organic Wine section of the 2007 Wine Report: according to the report, Chile (an ever-expanding hotbed of quality wine production) is becoming "a graveyard for failed organic projects" because in order to make quality wine some producers are running organic and non-organic wine growing systems in parallel - a total nightmare in terms of vineyard management.

The problem is that it's much easier to market organic than it is to make great organic wines. And if producers had figured out how to make top quality wine organically, they wouldn't need parallel systems - and certainly would have more certified organic acreage under vine.

Europe has, by far, the largest amount of certified-organic vineyard areas - just under 82,000 hectares, which sounds impressive but is only a "whopping" 2.2% of the total vineyard acreage. Half of that 2.2% is concentrated in just one country - Italy, whose farmers were subsidized heavily by the government to convert to organic! In the U.S., biodynamic conversions are on the rise, but the numbers are equally paltry - 1.7% in California (though Oregon is leading with just under 10%).

The moral of the story, at least for this dude, is not to jump too fast onto the organic bandwagon when it comes to wine. While there are some organic producers making top-notch stuff, if you don't know the producer and it says organic on the label, then it could (in fact, is likely to be) "green" plonk.

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In The News: Res-(veratrol)-ervations Part II

Some of you may recall that I've written earlier this month on the reported hype (and potential dangers) of the resveratrol craze.

I won't spend too much verbiage on this post, as I'm sure the developing story will be covered by dozens of talented bloggers today.

But I caught this story on NPR this morning and was captivated - it's a fascinating development in the scientific chase to find a 'miracle drug' based on compounds commonly found in wine, only this time there may be some true merit (and a potentially huge financial pay off as well):

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16727282


Cheers!

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How To: Select-A-Wine

Executive summary: Leave me a comment on this post with your special event / dinner / what-have-you, and I will respond back with a wine suggestion to match, no strings attached. If you like it, spread the word...

"Will this red really go with Aunt Martha's roast chicken and cloves...?"

Have you ever been in a pinch for selecting the right bottle of wine for a given occasion? Or just been frustrated by walking the isles in a supermarket or wine store, staring at the seemingly endless rows of bottles and wondering "what the hell is all of this stuff... I just want to know what goes with [insert dinner menu here]??!?"

I certainly have - in fact, it's moments like those that sent me on the path to 'wine geekdom'. One day long ago, while staring down the intimidating rows of French and CA wines, I made a pact with myself - I was determined that I would "lick this wine thing" and turn it into something that I enjoyed, instead of something that made me feel like running timidly out of the liquor store door.

There are hundreds of tools and articles to help match food & wine, but these can only take you so far, and rarely (if ever) describe the exact situation you may have when you're facing a a tough food & wine match, or one of those hot-date-night-gotta-get-right scenarios.

So... I've been thinking that it would be fun to help others on their quest for the right wine pairings for their given situation, and to use my newfound wine powers for the purpose of good, justice league style (just without the cape & tights).

So - I invite any of who stumble onto this blog to drop me a comment describing your situation/event/meal plan/etc., and I will respond back my recommendations on the style of wine (and, if possible, specific wines that have served me well in similar situations in the past).

Who knows - together we might build an impressive mini-library of real-world wine pairing experiences! And the worst-case scenario is that you get to try something new while tapping into my wine experience and knowledge (at no expense to you, and without having to take all of those damn certifications!).

Cheers, and happy pairing!

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