Here we go again.
The topic of wine & health is no stranger to the (virtual) pages of 1WineDude.com. Basically, I like to keep on the topic, mostly because it provides such great fodder for ridicule.
Ok, that's harsh. Let's not call it ridicule. Let's call it poking fun. That sounds better, doesn't it? Ok, now that we have that cleared up...
According to ScienceDaily.com, a recent announcement by a joint team from Oxford and Norway - at least, I think it's joint Oxford / Norway team; it's listed in the article as "The team from Oxford’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and Norway", which I assume is a joint effort as it would be strange to have a Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and Norway (nothing against Norway, of course; after all, they brought us the... uhm.... err... let me get back to you on that...) - dang... lost my train of thought there...
Oh, yeah, I remember now - The joint team (as in, the collaboration between Oxford and Norway, not a team researching ganja) announced study findings that showed that chocolate, tea, and, of course, wine enhance cognitive performance.
Now, before you go out and get amped up on Starbuck's, blitzed on your favorite vino and buy stock in Ethel's chocolate, you need to know a few things.
First, the study is based on data from about 2,000 participants in their 70s. You might not be in this demographic.
Secondly, while the team suspects that polyphenols (in the form of flavonoids) are the source of the enhanced cognitive ability for the mature audience in the study, the researchers caution that "more research would be needed to prove that it was flavonoids, rather than some other aspect of the foods studied, that made the difference." In other words, the negative health impacts of imbibing too much caffiene, alcohol, and sugar/fat probably far outweigh the benefits of the flavonoids; moderate consumption, as always, is best.
Finally, Ethel's is privately owned - so you won't be buying any stock (sorry).
Cheers!
(images: creativelydifferentblinds.com)
Wine and Health (or "Here We Go Again")
International Conflict and Wine: Georgia's Treasures Under Fire
Just to bring a bit of palpable focus to the ongoing conflict in Georgia, I thought I'd highlight a few of the wine-related impacts of the fighting that is making worldwide news headlines:
Georgia's Caucasus region is widely believed to be the birthplace of wine, based on archeological findings of the oldest known cultivated vines. Georgian wine is still made, and its unique tastes and grape varietals (most notably Saperavi) are highly regarded, with their wines being widely sold in Europe - with the potential to generate increased sales in the international wine market, as well...
The current conflict is taking its toll on Georgia's wine trade. Russia, probably the largest purchaser of Georgian wine, had already placed a block on sales of Georgian wine. As you can imagine, most business in Georgia has slowed during the conflict, and among those protesting Russia's actions this week have been importers of Georgian wine.
Here's hoping that the conflict ends as soon as possible - and that Georgian wine, and the historical wine treasures of Caucasus, escapes relatively unscathed.
The Future of Small Wineries in America...?
Forbes.com ran an interesting (and sobering) article this week about the future of small to medium wineries in the U.S. (primarily CA, WA, & OR).
What this article says is that, due to the proliferation of wineries, wine brands, and distributors (5000+, 7000+, and 450+ respectively - in the U.S. alone), consolidation is inevitable. Throw in the escalating fight for retail shelf space (usually won by the largest players with the most retail muscle) and skyrocketing land value prices in those aforementioned states, and you have an industry almost ripe for the picking. According to the Forbes.com article, a recent study by Silicon Valley Bank estimates that over 1000 of wineries in those states may change ownership in the next 10 years.
This is not just a situation impacting the U.S. Global competition is creating large wine brand conglomerates with global reach. And rising land prices are certainly not unique to U.S. wine properties - just check out Noble Rot to see what land value and inheritance taxes are doing to the Bordeaux wine area prices, which eventually are driving smaller players out of the market (and ins some cases, out of their family properties) entirely.
With all of this going on, you'd think that Internet wine sales might help to level the playing field for these smaller players.
And you'd be wrong. Way wrong...
Why? Because antiquated wine shipping and alcohol sales laws, as well as unfair state licensing fees effectively prevent many smaller wineries from selling their products online.
Those wineries that do brave the insanity of interstate sales have a heady task in front of them - according to the Forbes.com article:"A winery shipping a single case to each state that allows direct sales (there are now 37) would have to submit 725 forms to conform with sales, excise and state income taxes."
That's not a joke.
This totally sucks, on two counts.
I've contacted the campaign centers for the presumptive 2008 U.S. Presidential nominees, Senators Obama and McCain, to find out where they stand on the issue of interstate commerce and wine sales.
So far, I've received nothing but canned responses... but I'll keep trying in the hopes that they answer, because for a geek like me this issue is part of the larger problem of archaic bureaucracy negatively impacting the economics of U.S. citizens. Watch this space...
Cheers!
(images: autocrisis.com, ecu.edu)
In the News: Can Red Wine Keep You Young at Heart?
No doubt that a glass or two of red vino can awaken your youthful enthusiasm, under the right circumstances of course (dining with friends, during a hot date...).
But can red wine literally make you young at heart? As in, keeping your ticker from aging?
Apparently it might, according to this article released today by BBC News.
Actually, what the article states is that our old friend Resvertatrol, a compound found in red wines, appears to be able to do this - for mice.
Actually, what the article states is that Resveratrol in substantially larger quantities than can be safely delivered to your body through normal amounts of responsible red wine drinking, might have an anti-aging effect on heart genes.
When we hit a real health breakthrough with wine compounds that has a positive impact on humans, we'll know it - because it will be much bigger news than any of these important (but inconclusive) lead-up studies.
If I sound skeptical, it's not because I think this type of research isn't valuable. It's because the media oversells this research a bit, thereby fueling a specious supplement market. And because I like to skeptical. And cynical (I know... what a jerk!).
Don't be too swayed by the media around this. When we hit a real health breakthrough with wine compounds that has a positive impact on humans, we'll know it - because it will be much bigger news than any of these important (but inconclusive) lead-up studies.
In the meantime, if you want to get some health benefit from red wine, then enjoy a glass tonight and let the joy of connecting with that wine allow your hair to come down for a few minutes. It will probably do just as much good (maybe more) than the resveratrol that you're consuming at the same time...
Cheers!
(images: thefavoriteplace.com)
Hail to the King, Baby (Robert Mondavi 1913 - 2008)
Most of you reading this will have heard by now that Robert Mondavi, patriarch founder of the Robert Mondavi winery enterprise, died on Friday, May 16, at the age of 94.
By the time this article posts to the web, there will probably be hundreds of well-written obits. available on the Internet.
Most of them will talk about how Mondavi literally redefined the world of winemaking by taking his (at the time far-flung) vision of putting California on the map as a fine wine locale - and making it a reality.
Most of them will talk about his charitable giving, and focus in his later years on establishing vital centers for the progression of art, food, and wine, most of which is chronicled in the book Harvests of Joy.
But I don't think too many will venture into the Dark Side of Mondavi. How he squandered the family enterprise, for example, or how his lavish giving my have contributed to the downfall of his family-run business empire.
And you know what? That is totally okay by me.
Why?...
Because for every single thing that Mondavi screwed up, he did about one thousand things right.
Mondavi's place in the world wine lore of history would be solidified if he was remembered only for establishing one of the world's most successful wine businesses. But when you factor in that he literally conceived of - and then implemented - the modern CA wine industry, taught the U.S. how to make low-cost, high-volume wine of consistent quality, actually made friends with the French, and almost single-handedly introduced wine into the lexicon of the idea of "fine living" in the U.S., you have something else on your hands entirely.For every single thing that Mondavi screwed up, he did about one thousand things right.
You have a veritable doer of great deeds.
A legend. A titan.
A King of the U.S. wine industry.
Oh, by the way, he did all of that stuff after he was 50 years old. You know, when most people have stopped working and have moved onto perfecting their golf games.
Is there a downside to all of this Kingliness? Sure.
Just as George Lucas' Star Wars changed movie-making forever for both good and bad, Mondavi's influence will forever be felt in the world of wine - both in making decent wine accessible to the masses, and in influencing the Parker-ized fruit bomb clones that currently flood the wine market.
Would you take that trade off? I certainly would.
Seems to me a small price to pay for the wine Kingdom of plenty that Mondavi was able to establish. Now, to the best of my knowledge I've never changed the world. But I imagine if I did, that I wouldn't necessarily be able to predict all of the minor negative ramifications of my good deeds. Can you fault the guy for not being a clairvoyant on top of being the King?It's never too late to do great things.
The chasing of Parker scores is peanuts worth of collateral damage compared to that.
If I had to boil it down, I'd say that the Mondavi era hasn't really taught me anything - at least, not anything I didn't already know from my experience with another "King" - King Lear.
In Shakespeare's Lear, the title character redeems his humanity - but only in the moments before his death at a very old age.
The lesson?
It's never too late to do great things.
All Kings die - even the ones that are larger-than-life. But great deeds? Well, those don't slip away quite so easily.
Hail to the King, baby!
Cheers!
(images: media.sacbee.com, nytimes.com, timeout.com, hd.org)
A Nose is A Nose is Splendor: Why Winemaking is Still More Art than Science
(images: weblogs.nrc.nl, gizmag.com.au)
The AP reported an interesting tidbit recently in the world of winemaking - interesting enough to be picked up by several other news sources, anyway:
Ilja Gort, the flamboyant Dutch owner of Bordeaux's Chateau de la Garde, has insured his insured his nose (and sense of smell) with Lloyd's of London, to the tune of 5 million euro (which my sources calculate to be close to $8 million USD - but by May could be more like $4.7 billion, if the U.S. dollar keeps dipping at its current nasty rate!).
Those of you who follow along with this blog even semi-regularly would likely deduce that the Dude here would be planning some blithe and pithy schnoz-related jokes about this topic, make you laugh a bit, and then be on his way.
Understandably so!
But you'd be way wrong...
Sure, it would be a blast to spend a page or two pointing out Gort's insurance policy caveats that prevent him from doing some things that would look totally awesome on a resume (most notably, he is not permitted to be employed as a knife thrower's assistant or as a fire-breather - two things that I would kill to be able to put in the hobbies section of my CV).
But I think it's much more interesting to discuss what Gort's policy represents in the grander scheme of the winemaking world.
To me, Gort's actions highlight a interesting - and keenly relevant - fact: in a marketplace that seems obsessed recently with trying to scientifically quantify the components that make up a truly excellent wine, winemaking remains (more than ever) more Art than Science.
Sure, Gort is no stranger to publicity, but he's no dummy either. Part of putting the value of his schnoz on such public display was to make the point that "his sense of smell is his wine taster asset."
This is a stark contrast to non-human techno tasters that can supposedly distinguish a wine's quality and origins, or to robots that can "taste" quality wine. Not to mention robot wine tasting machines with bee noses (ok, that one's a stretch, but read the article and it will make a bit more sense...).
I found it refreshing that, in an industry where so many sciences are required to be mastered just to make a quality product (geography, geology, agriculture to name but a few), someone is calling attention to the fact that a winemaker's nose and intuition are the simplest - and greatest - tools that she or he can bring to the tasting table.
That's because the greatest machine ever constructed for the purpose of wine appreciation is all organic - it's called the human.
Man vs. Machine?
Puh-leeeze. No contest!
My money's on the guy with the real nose (all $8 million worth of it).
Cheers!
In the News: Drinking Can Cut Risk of Heart Disease (+ Other Tidbits)
(image: healingdaily.com)
Mark Fisher, who writes the Uncorked blog at the Dayton Daily News, has posted an interesting piece this week with his thoughts on a recent American Journal of Medicine alcohol study.
Mark's thoughts are always worth a read, and this article is no exception (and thanks to him as well for mentioning my previous post on the same overall topic of wine consumption and health).
While the study itself highlights the positive effects of alcohol on middle aged baby-boomers, Mark uses the study to point out that the issue of alcohol consumption and health is not a simple one.
I.e., trying to binge on wine in your 50s to make up for the booze that you didn't have when you were younger is not gonna help you reap any wine health benefits. That kind of thinking is more likely to fatally turn your liver into a large hunk of scar tissue.
The good news is that the liver can recover from short-term damage - it just needs a break from the likes of coffee, medication, and especially alcohol. So if you've been hitting the wine tastings with added gusto lately, consider giving yourself and your liver the gift of a few days (if not a few weeks) of abstinence. Remember, I'm a wine nut, so if I'm saying it's a good idea to lay off the vino from time to time, it's not because I just like to type!
Also, for those of you playing along at home, Wine Blogging Wednesday #44 has just been announced by Gary V. over at Wine Library TV. Yes, that Gary V. The theme this time around is French Cabernet Franc. So, if you want to join the wine blogging community in a review, go pick up a wine and transcribe your thoughts! Details are available here (including what areas of France to look for at the wine store if you want to participate).
Cheers!
In the News: How Young Buyers are Impacting Winemaking
(image: darlingofourage.files.wordpress.com)
This is not your fathers wine buying.
There is a great little article posted today in SunJournal.com about how the tastes of a small, but extremely influential group of people are impacting the wine trade.
And they're NOT talking about the Robert Parkers of the world, whose tendency to enjoy big, alcohol-laden fruit bombs have influenced wineries the world over to produce 'bomb'-astic wines at all costs in order to chase the high-end of the big wine magazines' point rating systems.
These are 20-something sommeliers and wine directors that work for some of the most well-respected and expensive restaurants in the United States.
And the wines that they're looking for? "Wines that are quirky, regional, with rich background stories..." Wow - definitely NOT your father's fruit bomb style of wine!..."Their challenge is to find a wine that they're as excited about as the chef is ... about the flavor of his vegetables from the farmers market..."
This is very good news for "old world" style wines from Italy and Spain, which are finding increasing favor with this growing influential set of wine buyers. And it might be bad news for the fruit-bomb makers, who are seeing a growing backlash in the consumer market against these styles of wine.
Now, I've met some of this 20-something sommelier set, and I can tell you that 1) they do prefer regional, exciting wines that offer something unique, 2) they always seek to compliment the chef's food as much as humanly possible, and 3) their buying habits do help to set some trends with winemakers who are seeking to get a foothold into the exclusive high-end restaurant market.
What's also very interesting, at least to the Dude here, is how the article ends. SunJournal.com quotes industry analyst Jon Fredrikson regarding if and how this trend may impact what wines start to fly off the supermarket shelves (as opposed to what is recommended at the tables of the nation's high-end epicureans):"We way overestimate the knowledge of the American consumer..."
Ouch. Is this true?
Dude's opinion: I can see a great deal of merit in this 'don't-call-it pessimistic-call-it-realistic' view. The fact is that most wine consumers just want a decent wine that they will enjoy, at a fair price. You can't force people to make the jump into serious wine appreciation if they lack the desire to do so. But then again, introducing someone to a quirky, unique wine and in the process expanding their wine knowledge is one of the small pleasures of life for the Dude. I just don't expect everyone to be into that - if you forced your passion for, say, crocheting onto me, I would be finding an excuse to spend a little quality time away from you (like 10 or 12 years worth).
Your thoughts...? Shout `em out in the comments.
Cheers!
Weekly Wine Web Wrap-Up: After the Storm Edition
Greetings from PA, where we are digging out after a bout of winter weather; not the worst we've seen by a long shot, but the first significant winter storm we've seen all season - very, very late for these parts. I'm not going to jump the gun and blame global warming just yet... but... you gotta wonder...
Speaking of Global Warming
Wine Spectator reported this week on "The Gore-ical" giving the wine industry props for its efforts to Go Green, thus helping to preserve the environment and stave off some of our contribution to turning the Earth into a hothouse. I recently gave props to Domaine547 for going green, so we've got some good examples where this is impacting the thinking all the way through the wine retail chain. But so far, no one has called me the Dude-ical.
I got my first real in-yo-face close up with global warming in Samburu, Kenya a few years ago. One afternoon while staying at the Elephant Watch Camp, we hiked up the river. Literally, up the river - as in, walking up the middle of the river. This was very easy because there was no water from the higher elevations to actually fill the river bed, because the 'short rains' never came. The locals explained to me how this was possibly linked to global warming, and as I watched the animals dig like mad to get themselves a drink, I decided that I wanted to punch anyone that told me that global warming was bullsh*t in the face. Not that Dude is an angry person...
Don't Get Mad, Get Quoted
While we're doling out props, let's give some down-home Dude praise to Tom Wark, who was quoted (yet again!) by Business Wire this week in his fight against the monopolist practices in wine distribution. Anyone who thinks that the wine distributors' claim that they are maintaining their monopoly to keep alcohol out of the mouths of minors is anything more than a greedy witch hunt needs to check out Tom's blog."The American alcohol distributors’ calls for shutting down all direct to consumer wine shipments is a self-serving ruse demonstrated by the fact that if they really cared about minor access to wine, they would call for the shutting down of the channel of sales through which minors are most likely to obtain alcohol: brick and mortar alcohol sales. Rather, we only hear calls to shut down direct shipment of wine, the channel through which distributors don’t make money."
Go Tom!
(Even More) Power to the People!
Decanter reported that two self-published works picked up U.K. Andre Simon book prizes. That gives some very serious street cred to the self publishing phenomenon (and maybe even to the Wine 2.0 movement). Oh, yeah - the books were also from U.S. authors (whew-hew!).
She's So... Heeeeeavy....
Speaking of Decanter, and the U.K., the likes of Jancis Robinson and Oz Clarke railed out against a trend from luxury winemakers to bottle wines in what they (Jancis & Oz, not the winemakers) claim are needlessly heavy bottles. Score another hit for the movement against climate change, since heavier bottles = more energy to ship + higher shipping costs (passed on to you and me who are buying the stuff).
Speaking of Weights...
Those of us who brave the epicurean world to bring you our take on food & wine will undoubtedly want to check out this article from the Times online, which details how critics, chefs, and others in the food industry fight the after-effects of their foodie passions. Considering that wine doesn't have fat, but does have calories (mostly from its alcohol content), us wine bloggers & wine drinkers should take note. The good news is, we're not alone! Now, go get on that treadmill.
Ancient Land, New Wines
The Wall Street Journal posted a fascinating piece this week on the quality revolution underway in Israel's wine industry. Dude had an opportunity to taste some Israeli wine not too long ago during a visit in London, and he was mighty impressed. Watch this space, we could be seeing some exciting stuff as this very old world land makes some new-world styled wines.
A Moment of Silence
This past week we mourned the loss of Jamie Davis, co-founder of Schramsberg Vineyards. Jamie Davis was a pioneer, a bit like the Robert Mondavi of American sparkling wine.
That's all for now. Until next week's edition - cheers!
Weekly Wine Web Wrap-up - V-Day Hangover Edition
Welcome to the post-Valentine's Day Hangover edition of the Weekly Wine Web Wrap-up (where Dude highlights some of his favorite wine news items over the past week)!
Is it Getting Hot in Here, or is it Just Me?
You'd have been hard-pressed (ha-ha) to miss stories this week about the impact of global warming on the wine world, such as this nice article from the AFP. According to the report, the French in particular are in big trouble. The article does not state how the U.S. will save France this time around (we can only assume America will want to go for the "Bail France Out Trifecta" having already performed that service when France was threatened by phylloxera, and zee Germans...).
And the Winner Is...
Once again, Gallo is tops in U.S. domestic wine sales, shipping an estimated 66 million cases in America during 2007. That's about 792 million bottles of wine, or 59.4 billion ml of our favorite beverage. The only comparison to that in the scientific world in terms of concentration is spermatozoa. Yuck. OK, let's just agree to forget that I said that...
Yeaaaahhhhh
Looks like Tennessee is trying to do things right when it comes to Internet wine sales, according to this little blurb on TriCities.com. The article even cites the benefits that the state can reap by opening up their markets to Internet and mail-order wine sales. When will the other states listen to reason? Tennessee is showin' you folks how it's done (with good ol' Southern hospitality)!
Boooooooooo
By contrast, Colorado is getting it way wrong, as liquor stores and grocery stores battle it out to see who will get the Sunday liquor business from the state's consumers. Can't we all just get along?
Never Judge An Appellation by its Label
If you think total wine consumption and wine sales are the only titles the U.S. is battling the French and Italians over for the #1 spot, you've obviously missed this SanLuisObispo.com article on the debate over proposed changes to their appellations' wine labels. Because now it appears that CA is trying to catch up France & Italy in the battle of who has the most complex appellation and labeling laws. Drat.
The WORST News EVER!
This story is, like, the worst news EVER! I can't even finish reading it... Oh the humanity!!! Close your eyes, Marion! Keep your eyes SHUT!!!
Searching for Wine 2.0
Finally, the San Francisco Chronicle has given some nice publicity to Doug Cook's new wine search engine venture AbleGrape.com. Right On!!!
Cheers!
Wine Makes You Sexier (I'm just sayin'...)
(image: www.yandy.com)
And it's not because the object of your desire becomes more desirable after you've put on the "wine goggles."
According to a survey jointly sponsored by the Australian Wine Council and on-line dating service Match.com, having a healthy knowledge of the world's most romantic beverage makes you more attractive, with those people preferring Italian wines being viewed as particularly "sexy" and "stylish."
There's still plenty of time for you to order up a copy of Vino Italiano and join us for the first Wine Book Club. Just sayin'...
Wine X Magazine (as reported by autumnilia) backs up the "wine = sexier" conclusion in an interview with sexpert Dr. Ruth, who tells us that wine is an essential element of foreplay (she prefers Beaujolais Nouveau, gewurztraminer, and CA white, so those may be some of the sexiest wine choices, seeing as how she's a sexpert and whatnot- again, just sayin').
Finally - If you're totally desperate on this most Hallmark of holidays, Yahoo! Answers has a thread about what wine choices make a drinking partner appear the most attractive. Chianti and Sake got the nods there. Just sayin'.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Weekly Wine Web Wrap-up - In-Flight Dining Edition
Welcome to the 2nd edition of the Weekly Wine Web Wrap-up, where Dude highlights the wine news stories of the past week (complete with snide Dude commentary, of course!).
Cover Globally, Vinify Locally
The highest profile wine news coverage of the week is likely this article in U.S.A. Today, which details the growing trend of 'micro-brew' wineries in urban areas that source their grapes and/or juice from rural vineyards. A handful of these wineries and their winemakers in NY and the midwest are featured by name (thus ensuring that their websites crash and their ISP demand additional hosting charges for their traffic overages).
"Pardon me, old chap, but can I have my $36,000 back?"
The UK Press Association reported this week of a Zafferano restaurant customer (in London) who returned a bottle of the legendary 1961 Ch. Petrus that cost the bargain price of £18,000 (about $36K USD), under the complaint that it might have been a fake. The restaurant told him that the wine was off-tasting anyway - a case of sour grapes, perhaps...?
Whew-yew! Now you can pay even more for Yellowtail!
ABC news in Australia reports the comforting news that the recent oversupply of cheap Aussie wine is on the decline, which should result in a halting and then reversal of the recent declining price trend for those wines locally. Presumably, they'll be shipping those more expensive bottles of Yellowtail over to the U.S. since we seem to be drinking it up, even though most of them taste like plonk...
When We Got There, There Was No 'There' There
Don't you just hate it when you fly to Bordeaux to visit the Chateau of your favorite French wine only to find when you get there that the place doesn't exist? Me too. So do the British, as do the Fédération des Grands Vins de Bordeaux, according to this story in the Times Online. Apparently some Bordeaux wineries are selling wines under multiple labels, with specious references to non-existent Chateaus. The crackdown has begun in earnest against this practice - which has been outlawed in France since 1993. So to be fair we should give them about 20 more years to get things under control...?
Poisoning The Youth of Canada?
The St. Catharine Standard ran a story of a movement in Canada to introduce their younger drinking generation to Canadian wine. Youth that was weaned on Canadian wine? Does that include ice wine? Plus they have free health care, almost no crime, and legalized marijuana. Dammit, why couldn't I have grown up in Canada!!!
"Does That Come in a Double D?"
Uhm... uhhh..., well, you just can't make this kind of stuff up, can you?
A bra. That holds wine. You know what? Put Chateau Y'quem in anything and I'll probably drink out of it...
U.S. Kicks Britain's Butt Again!
And finally, despite the fact that British Airways has the venerable Jancis Robinson picking their wines for them, Fox reported that American Airlines bested the competition for in-flight wine quality in a recent international face-off (wine-off?). While it's too bad that you may need several stiff drinks at 30,000 feet just to deal with AA's notoriously poor service, as least those drinks will be the best that an airline can offer!
Cheers!
Reds for Winter: Main Line Magazine
Just in time for the not-so-Super-Superbowl (or any party occasion during these last few brink winter weeks), Jason Whiteside, my partner in crime over at 2WineDudes, has written a great article about soul-warming big red wines that are perfect for staving off the nasty chill of Winter, for the current issue of Philly's Main Line Magazine.
[ Just a bit about Jason, so you know why you should trust him when you read his stuff: Jason is a fellow CSW, was previously a Sommelier & Wine Consultant on the Dutch/French Island of St. Martin, and is part of the Wine Educator staff at ChaddsFord Winery. Like the Dude, Jason also holds the Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Wine & Spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. He's got bad-ass wine smarties. ]
Jason shares both bargain and splurge wine recommendations for each of the Big Red varietals that he features in the article, so you can put your newfound red knowledge to good use immediately (or at least before the weather warms up).
You can check out the article on-line here (go to page 108).
Cheers!
Weekly Wine Web Wrap-up - Groundhog's Day Edition
Welcome to the first edition of the Weekly Wine Web Wrap-up (W4..?), where Dude shares some of his favorite wine news bites from the past week (Dude spends a goodly amount of time trolling the 'net for interesting wine tidbits)!
Giant Wine Glasses Invade Britain
In this article from the International Herald Tribune, the Associated Press reports that Britain's Parliament blames part of the country's rising tide of problem drinking (particularly among women) on the growing portion size of common servings of alcoholic beverages, like wine. I've previously cautioned about the same thing (restaurant wine glass portion size, that is) for wine lovers to look out for when dieting.
Cult Cabernet Prices Aren't the Only Wine Crime in CA
The Napa Valley register reported on what appears to be an inside job of high-end wine theft from Jackson Family (Kendall-Jackson) Wines in Sonoma County. The accused men reportedly made off with $200,000 worth of wines - presumably they were going to use that money to buy four bottles of Harlan...
Shockingly Not-So-Good
If you follow wine on the web, you'd have been hard-pressed (ha-ha) to miss the less than stellar reviews of the latest wine-related film, Bottle Shock, about the famed "Judgment of Paris" event that put U.S. wine on the map as a serious contender in the international market. I suppose this film is meant to be the wine equivalent of Miracle, but it lacks the ass-kicking coolness of Big Trouble in Little China's Kurt Russel, and was therefore doomed from the start. Plus, this movie's villains (the French) aren't nearly as cool as Lo Pan.
Speaking of China...
According to Wines-Info.com, China is poised to be anything but little in terms of wine sales in 2008, as the market for wine consumption continues to grow in China and Russia. Hmm... let's see... where have I heard this type of prediction before...? Oh, yeah, I've heard it from every industry in every year for the last 15 years, most of which have not really done bumpkis to penetrate the Chinese market. But I'm sure this one will be different, right?
Fight the Power!
Another Senate bill to challenge a state's stupidly archaic wine shipping laws is coming up in New Mexico. If you've not checked out FreeTheGrapes.org and written your state legislators to let them know you want them to stop their evil ways... well, then shame on you!
Fight the Power! Part Deux
Michigan residents are once again upholding their fierce reputation by taking the wine shipping situation into their own hands. MLive.com reports that there is a thriving booze smuggling economy in the state, which presumably has grown as people increasingly try to bypass the state's restrictive monopoly on alcohol sales. Dude never advocates illegal activity. But if his wife did not hate cold weather so much, he might be contemplating a move to Michigan more seriously...
"I'm NOT Drunk Ociffer!"
File this one under the "We've all been there" department - the L.A. Times reports that the busloads of people hopping from wine tasting to wine tasting in CA's wine regions are getting disruptive enough that many CA wineries are starting to institute stricter regulations on these booze cruises. Dude is all about having a good time, but an obnoxious wine-loving drunk is still an obnoxious drunk!
Bilan Carbone
The Bordeaulais are launching a project to measure the carbon footprint of their winemaking industry (which is much, much, much bigger than just the high-end / high-priced market of the top Bordeaux Chateau). Looks like they're kicking the U.S.' ass in something after all - CA winemakers take note!
"Lovey, be a Darling and Pass the `82 Mouton, Would You?"
If you own your own island or 3rd world country, then you might be interested in this advice article in the New York Times, on the proper etiquette for tipping at a dinner when the final price tag on the check "is built from $600 of food and $1,000 of wine but the $1,000 comprises three bottles". Whoa, such a dilemma... maybe you could just offer the server a weekend at your 14-room cottage in the outer Hebrides in lieu of a tip?
Sexy Sweet
Just in time for St. Valentine's day, the Wall Street Journal has a nice introductory treatise on dessert wines. Dude has a serious sweet tooth, and he loves him some dessert wine! If you've not ventured into the realm of higher-end sweet wines because you think that you prefer your wines dry, check this article out because it may convince you of the truth (that you're cheating yourself out of some seriously good wine drinking!).
Cheers - and mind your shadow!
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!
In the News: NJ Fights for Wine Shipping Rights (Give Us Free! - Part III)
Found a great article on Newsday.com today detailing how the current archaic U.S. state wine shipping laws are negatively impacting the budding wine production business in New Jersey.
And if you think NJ is not state with fine wine potential, then you've probably not yet tasted the premium reds from Tomasello Winery, which was one of the top favorite picks of Andrea Immer on her TV show Simply Wine. For the record, Tomasello has stopped shipping wine to consumers within their own state.
This same scenario is playing out with similar negative effects all over the continental U.S. You can do something about it - starting with writing to your state legislators to let them know how you feel.
In the News: Wine Life Today gets a facelift
One of my frequent Blogosphere stops is Wine Life Today, which is a bit like Digg or StumbleUpon, but dedicated to wine blog submissions.
WLT has udergone a bit of a facelift and the site is looking great. If you're interested in the cream of the crop of wine news, check it out (and if you're so inclined, you can vote for my latest submitted article on WLT while you're at it).
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!
