I've Moved!!!

From now on, I'll be posting all wine related anecdotes, tall tales, opinions, tasting notes, etc. to my new blog:

Pursuit of the Happy Grape

http://pursuitofthehappygrape.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Final Round of Competition

They started a wine tasting competition about 30 minutes ago. Guess who was out in the first round? Yep, that would be me. You'd think that I'd be able to tell my white wines apart...as in a Gewurz from a Pinot Gris...oh but no. 

They're on the final round now, the essay competition. There are seven people left...take a look.

Who will win.....? We'll find out momentarily.....

Ok how about now...

Not quite yet...the folks from CIA are grading papers...

Ok, she's talking...

Bob Ascher - Finalist 1

Michael Wangbickler - Finalist 2

Doug Cook - Finalist 3

All men...interesting.

The final 3 are now tasting one more wine for the grande finale! Now they're each picking one wine, then they will taste, and describe them to us, the audience. Well, they will when they return from the bathroom.

Ok - they're back. 

Michael is up first - he's tasted his white and is telling us about the wine now. He's saying it's a Chard from Russian River, 2006, pair with roasted chicken. Not heavily oaked and finishes dry. 

He was officially tasting.....drum roll please.....Sonoma Cutrer Chard, Sonoma Coast, 2006. Amazing! I need to work on my palate.

Doug Cook is up now. Swig, swirl, think. He's telling us about it now: Medium-deep ruby color, red currant and cherries, toasty oak, bit of acidity, alcohol sticks out. Not too complex, simple, pleasing. Zin, 2006, from Dry Creek

Officially he was tasting...2006 Rosenblum, Rockpile Zin

Ok, I'm fully impressed.

Bob Ascher is up next. Same deal - sip, swirl, taste, ponder. He says: Extremely tannic, finish is long and puckery, acidic, young, steak with it to cut through the pucker. 2005, Sonoma County (is that cheating?), didn't mention the varietal.

Officially he was tasting: 2004 Huntington Merlot

The results are in.....who's the winner??

DOUG COOK

Congrats to you and your CIA course prize!

Wine Blogger Conference 2008 - Day 1

Here I am at the Wine Blogger Conference in Santa Rosa and we have JUST started the mad dash of tasting with wine makers!

Wine 1

We are talking with David Cole from James David Cellars about his new wines, and we're talking about his 2007 Muscat. You think Muscat, you think sweet. Not with this one. This is as dry as it comes - RS is only .17. Smells sweet, like dripping honey, tastes nice and dry - just my style. Why does he use Minnesota over Missouri oak? It's better. Christina from my table agrees, but for other reasons she's from there.

Wine 2

BOHO Vineyards - eco-friendly, beautiful packaging (think Cost Plus World Market meets California Winery). Their goal is to keep their footprint small, but their wine impact big. We're tasting their Central Coast Chardonnay - light on oak, crisp on the palate, pale yellow in color. I've been surprised by some 3L wines, but this one didn't knock my socks off. Could be because I'm not a white-wine-lover but I'm trying to be unbiased!

Wine 3

Jeff from Twisted Oak Winery has just joined us to share The Spaniard, a blend of Tempranillo, Graciano, and Granacha. Just took my first sip - it has a twang to it - my wine knowledge doesn't cover which varietal that could be.  The bottle is beautiful - and I mean the glass itself. Strong, tall, heavy - hmmm sounds like me. Just kidding. 

Wine 4

Dark Horse Dry Creek Zin is up next. The winemaker is exactly what a winemaker should be - proud of his wine, rough around the edges, plaid shirt, pushing the envelope. His wine matches his style - bold, forward, and spicy. Now that's what he is - and his wine - spicy.

Wine 5

Paul and Katherine from Small Vines Winery is here to pour us their Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. They are all about the terroir - they want us to taste every inch of those vineyards and someday I hope to be able to sniff and sip that out. This wine is what I believe Pinots should be - bolder in color and in fruit, small production (525 cases), passion, tour-friendly, willing to share all of their knowledge. Will definitely be looking them up to get one of those tours - I love that stuff.

Wine 6

Cupcake Chard is next, and oddly enough, it smells like cupcakes. Power of suggestion? Who knows. I've seen this wine in Cost Plus and was attracted by the label. Knowing how Cost Plus works, it had to be from one of the big suppliers - and it is. This doesn't deter me, hey I work for one of those big guys. Guess what - they're giving us REAL cupcakes. Yep, real cupcakes. Ok anyway, about the wine. It's sweeter than I'd normally like, but I guess for the right wine lover, this would be a great summer wine.

Wine 7

Kanzler Pinot Noir - no label yet it's so new. We're getting straight-from-the-barrel wine here, and this is awesome. Three people, 420 cases of their Pinot, again one of my favorite Pinots. Round, supple (and I use that word only scarcely because it's a sort of icky word), delicious. I guess the alcohol will be steep on this guy - is that why it's so hot in here? -  but I'm not judging. When this wine is released, I'll definitely have to hunt it down.  

Wine 8

Alright - I'd buy it because the name is great - bink. Syrah is her flagship wine, which in France is called "black ink" hence "bink." You gotta love a good story. It's a virtual winery, so no visiting, but I will be emailing her to chat more and taste her Syrah. Her Pinot Noir is what she offered, and it was delicious. I must love Sonoma Pinots...the good ones anyway.

Wine 9

Lionheart Wines - what do we have here? A Roussane. I've never had a Roussane. It's light and airy, not a wine that I would necessarily choose off a list of shelf. Think a hot day on the deck - nice and refreshing. It's an old world grape - made in somewhat the old world style.- old world, not what you'd expect here in California. trpoical fruit, smooth without being flat, and has enough acidity to pair with foods - this would be great with 

Wine 10

Sean Minor Four Bears Winery (their four kids - nice). They're shooting for wines under $20 - always a good thing. It's an easy Cab, has some kick on the nose, but mellows about halfway on through, and it now has hints of marshmallows (maybe it's just me?). This would be great with a juicy hamburger - it's heavy without being overly tannic, and has enough complexity to drink and to pair with food. By now, the winemakers are getting their shpeals down, we're movin fast. 

Wine 11

Yellow + Blue - this is one of the ones that I wanted to see. It's a 1L Tetra like the Bandits, easy to pour and a small footprint. We're tasting a Malbec - I love Malbecs...let's see what it tastes like...Not quite what I expected - a little soft. It's easy though which makes it perfect for a Tetra pack. This is a great step into the wine world - eco-friendly packaging, great price point, and I just got the 1L - it's organic! I'm cutting it a little more slack because of all of its pros, but it either needs a little bit to breathe or it's not quite my style.

Wine 12

Next up is Bonterra. I probably shouldn't blog about this one since the company I work for makes a direct competitor. Ok, I will anyway. We just had our first corked bottle, but they grabbed another and now we're back on. This is a single vineyard wine, and tastes dusty but smooth. I try not to overuse too many descriptors but there's only so many ways to say "smooth" right? I'm blogging about a different wine every 5 minutes, so I'm a little stressed. I'll try harder to use the thesaurus part of my brain. With this wine as a single vineyard, it's better than I expected, as is the fact that it's a blend as well. Merlot, Cab and something else...I'm moving fast here. Sorry.

Wine 13

Clos La Chance - a Cab from the coast directly west of San Jose. The wine name comes from her mom's maiden name, and the hummingbird on the label started as her mom's thought that they're cute to her dad's resignation that it was ok because they're actually aggressive birds. I guess that makes everything ok - an aggressive bird. Smells fab - let's taste. This is one the best wines I've had today - it's juicy, it's robust, it's from a family. It's only about $30 retail - makes it that much better.

Wine 14

I guess there  isn't a wine 14. That's good. My hands hurt and as much as I tried to spit, I think I may have swallowed a little more than planned. Good thing we'll have dinner soon.

Saturday's Imbibing

Saturday night I met with my poker crew actually not to play poker, but to enjoy dinner, wine and conversation. We had some Belvedere Chardonnay, which was pretty good for a chard. Not too oaky or buttery (which I used to love, by the way) but not too acidic (which I'm starting to like more but not quite there yet).

Overall, this was pleasureable to drink, a little bit of refreshment after a long week.

2.9 corks for overall ok-ness, but in general it was a little too boring.

Celebrity Wines - Chapter 1

Lil John has decided to take his private label-only wine and go mainstream. Awesome. Here is his official statement:

"I'm not no 'drink wine every day' kind of dude. I'm not like an expert, so don't ask me no questions ... I just like the taste. The wine is more nature: I wanted to not just have a direct connection, but make it just alittle bit more upscale than regular Lil Jon. This is not no ghetto Boone's Farm; this is some real wine."

(http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=25464)

If I had cash like that, and the means to create random wine labels, Iwould too. At least it's not "no ghetto Boone's Farm." Hey wait, what's wrong with a little Boone's?

4.7 corks just because this is so random.

My New Rating System

I'm going to add in a rating system here...I'm thinking that since I love corks, and tend to keep them when I can, I'll just use those!

1 cork = No thanks, can I have a beer?
2 corks = Just ok, probably will not drink again.
3 corks = Good, will order/buy again, has enough going on to keep me interested.
4 corks = Yummy, will definitely order/buy again, fun things happening to explore.
5 corks = Divine. Will tell you everything you need to know about this wine.

Finally...

...I got to visit the very elusive-to-me Pizza Azzuro. I have to say, it was well worth the wait! Having moved to Main Street recently, Pizza Azzuro stepped it up in decor and location. With its blue & white striped outdoor curtains and long frabric shades, to the black woodwork and large mirrors, everything about this place says "stay here and enjoy." And that I did.

I met a friend there this evening to catch up, have a glass, and share some stories. We both ordered the Siduri 2005 Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley in Oregon. It started out rather astringent, but opened up beautifully and was a pleasure to imbibe. Soft tannins and smooth mouthfeel welcomed a teeeeeny bit of spice and a lot of killer fruit flavors with open arms. (I know no one actually says "mouthfeel" in real life, but it's such a perfect description! I'm all about texture, and mouthfeel is the perfect term for my version of wine texture.)

A swing dance partner to my sweet onion and goat cheese pizza, this wine held its own, even with the powerful flavors of my delicious, patiently-awaited Pizza Azzuro dinner.

Rating: 3.5 corks

Hello, Pinot

Last night, a friend and I went out to dinner at Uva here in Napa. Great place, good food, fun atmosphere. I brought along a bottle of my favorite wine - the 2004 Wren Hop Pinot Noir from Holdredge. I know this blog is supposed to be about wine tasting in general, not just the same wine over and over, but this wine is delicious. I was saving my 2004s of this pinot for a special occasion, and my friend moving across the country was reason to break out the good stuff as a goodbye for her. This vintage, 2004, is my absolute favorite so far. It was everything I remember it being - round, smooth, and cherries all over the place.

We had that with dinner, then took a bottle of 2004 Passalacqua Old Vine Zin to the bar. Again, delightful, fun, jammy, chewy....all things that zin should be. Nothing can trump my Holdredge pinot, but that zin was delectable. Sort of made me want toast with jam. Interesting.

Oooo a Test.

Far too many people are wine snobs. Some people, especially those in the Millennial generation, think that because a bottle of wine is $30+, it's automatically good, and better than anything under $15. I do concede that many, many bottles over $30 are good, but I don't think it's a hard and fast rule. Unlike many generations before, Millennials and Gen Xers tend to buy more expensive bottles, and either hold on to them for "special occasions" or drink them as everyday wines. Everyday wines at $30 a bottle? That's $7.50 a glass. For that price, someone had better be serving me that glass of wine and offering me bread service.

There are many good bottles of wine that are under $30. I will make that statement now. As a test, I will host some dinner parties, decanting some under $30 wines, and see how my guests react. As often as I can until the end of the year, I'll test a $20 bottle, a $15 bottle, a $10 bottle, and then something under $10. Fascinating.

Of course, if you're reading this, you're probably invited to dinner because I probably know you pretty well. This test is on you. Have fun.

One more thought....

I forgot to write about my adventure across the street today, from Holdredge to Davis Family. If you've been down Front Street in Healdsburg, you know that on the left there are five wineries (Holdredge, Camellia, Christie, Sapphire Hill, and Huntington) and across the street there is the one with the metal sculpture of the lady. The very large sculpture. Yes, that one - Davis Family Vineyards.

I wandered over there this afternoon for a taste of their barrel wines, as well as a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc - these usually are more lavish and lingering than California Sauvignon Blancs, which have a tendency to be crisp and fruity with very little to play with after. For a red-only drinker (this is sloooooowwwwllyyy changing), I did like the Sauvignon Blanc at Davis, however I was much more taken with the dry Riesling out of the barrel. Not only did the sign on the barrel entice me (it said if you were a wine geek, to ask what was in the barrel....I did. I'm a geek on so many levels), but the wine was GREAT, a white I would actually drink! Mark the day! It was soft on the nose with no overt flowers or sickly sweet aromas, and the palate welcomed acidic fun and refreshing flavors. Home run, baby. Home run.

Oh My Feet...

I just got home after a weekend of pouring for Holdredge Winery. They make my favorite wine - the Holdredge Wren Hop Pinot Noir. It was awesome to be out there in the wine-lover's world again. Weekends like this remind me of why I got into this business to begin with.

Yesterday I showed up at the big barn in Healdsburg, home of Holdredge. They used to share this barn on Wine Road weekends with Sapphire Hill, but the space is all theirs now. I discovered them years ago, while doing Winter Wineland (another Wine Road event) with friends. This diamond in the rough sparkled, shimmering so brilliantly that I tout them to everyone I know as making my favorite wine ever. Ever, yes, ever. I know that's a bold statement, but I am still in love with the flavors and aromas of that Wren Hop Pinot.

This weekend, I told everyone I poured it for that it was my favorite, and of course, I was asked why. For some reason this is a difficult question to answer...but I'll try. Each sip of the Wren Hop Pinot Noir is like a smooth, round ball smothered in black cherries and a dusting of cinnamon rolling around in your mouth, tantalizing your tongue. I think that about covers it.

They have many other wines, including 3 other Pinots, 2 Zins, 2 Syrahs (Lovers Lane is delectable), and 2 late harvest wines. I highly, highly recommend Holdredge! Next weekend, March 8-9, is weekend 2 of Barrel Weekend. Swing by on Saturday!

Repeat Post from Earlier This Month...

Since my new blog is allaboutthewinebusiness, I thought I'd copy over this posting from my other blog....

Back to the Biz (I do reference getting back into wine in here....hope this new blog counts as a step in the right direction)

I just got home from a wine business seminar at COPIA. It was a general overview of the industry trends, what's hot/what's not, off-premise/on-premise focus, and general industry numbers. I never thought data would interest me, but I guess it helps that the data is about something I love! NOTE: The next part is commentary on the wine business. It'll be very worky.

Guess what one heavily covered topic was? Yep - Millenials. Almost exactly one year since I started in the wine biz, this trend of younger consumers (born 1977 - 1994) with disposable income is leading the charge in wine consumption both in dollars and in units. You would think, given this information, that there would be more wines targeted to these consumers, myself being one of them. Speaking as a consumer, there is a lack of focus in the target price point - $10-15, with wines from all over the world and wines that are a single SKU. I love trying new things, but the quality has to pull me back as a loyal-ish customer, not just the price or name.

I'm thinking I should start a winery where the focus is Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Cab. I would make a KILLING. These varietals are hot, and they are varietals that, Cab probably being the exception here, can play to the more adventurous wine drinker, the typical millenial. They can have interesting labels, fun stories, viral marketing, entertaining yet educational blogs, and engaging websites. Anyone want to play venture capitalist for me?

As much as it seems like the market is ridiculously saturated with wine (just walk into any Safeway), there are huge holes that are just begging to be filled with wines in that price point in those varietals. The big wineries capture the majority of the market in the $1-$9 segment, and the small wineries easily capture some of the $20-$100 market. Where does that leave the millenials, the folks looking for those $10-$15 wines, the ones who are adventurous and curious and willing to try new things? This powerful group of 21-30 years olds use the internet to research everything, including wine. They trust the word of mouth recommendations from their friends, funny and informative guys like Gary Vaynerchuk from Wine TV, wine blogs, and tastings. They have yet to be fully tapped as a wine consuming group, and we in the wine biz need to start cashing in on their curiosity to try new wines and eagerness to learn.

Coming from the tech world into the wine world, I knew I'd have to make adjustments. This industry is not on any cutting edge, and trying to force this industry into thinking in a new way, into considering the web as a viable place to do business or even just to reach consumers, will not happen overnight. It probably won't happen until the bubble has burst. I am hoping that this data on millenials and hot varietals, both qualitative and quantitative, will seep into the presentations to winery CEOs, retailers, and restaurants, and will creep into the vocabulary of sale forces and wine biz leaders. Just these two things - just two things! - can change the marketplace, the profitability and the direction of established wineries.

Hope that all made a little sense. Word to the millenials.

Out of curiosity - what do you buy? Are you loyal or adventurous?

Cheers to the wine biz - may it live long and prosper!

PS (you know how much I love these) - One of my New Year's resolutions, besides losing weight of course, is to try new wines. I'm sure Napa has a group of tasters but since I have yet to meet anyone, it's time for me to taste and taste, see what's out there, live up to my generation's stereotype. Bring it on.

Other Things Wine-Related

From previous posts on a different blog....

Superbowl Sunday 2007
Wine & Chocolate Fantasy at Rodney Strong 2007
Life Lessons on Swig, Swirl, Suck in air, Spit
One Company Owns the World
Thursdays - the New Friday.
Good Weekend All Around - May 2007 (back in the day when I was newly 29...)
Ode to Camping - August 2007
The Mobile Tasting Room - October 2007
The Affair That Wine & Food Had This Weekend - Part I - November 2007
New Starts - November 2007

What I Thought a Year Ago....

Yesterday I learned that there was finally a name for my age group (those of us between Gen X and Gen Y): The Millenials. Sounds like a trippy 60s soul rock band.

Today I learned that there are no wine writers in the industry between the ages of 21 - 30. Today I decided to change that. No, I won't be writing for Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast, or even the Napa Valley freebie papers, but I will write here as often as I can. I'll tell you about my adventures in the world of wine (probably referred to later in this blog as WoW, because I know how many people dig acronyms), tastings, reviews, people I meet, and more.

Thirteen months later, I still have the same feelings - the thrill of working for a wine company and the fun of writing about an industry I love. This blog will be dedicated to the pursuit of the happy grape.