I had the pleasure of being the other bookend to Ray Isle’s Wine is Food: The Art of Pairing session which explored four Pinot Noirs from four geographies (Oregon- St. Innocent, California- Dutton Goldfield, New Zealand- Pegasus Bay, and France- Domaine de l’Arlot) and then paired them with four different local chefs’ dishes, each a lamb dish using a specific cut (shoulder, loin, leg, shank) and a limited seasonal and local market basket of ingredients. Big, fun and nice flavors! It was also a treat to work with Ray who, while a friend and respected colleague in crime, is someone I had not had to opportunity to jaw with before the seminar.

There were killer al fresco lunches, various visits to wineries, and of course the always highly anticipated salmon bake which concludes the weekend’s festivities. It’s an amazing open air event in which local salmon is cooked/baked over fire in a manner that the Pacific Northwestern indigenous tribes did long ago. It is then served with a dizzying array of side dishes and ample amounts of Pinot Noir all in the context of 1000 or so of your Pinot loving peers. Something you have to experience at least once…

Standout wines were ample but a few wineries whose wares you shouldn’t miss moving forward include those on my panel (in no particular order…)- Cristom, Lange, Domain Drouhin, Sokol Blosser, Fiddlehead Cellars, Talley, Raptor Ridge, Anam Cara, Bergstrom, Ponzi, Loco, Westrey, Lafollette, Bodega Chacra (Argentina), Domaine Jean Jacques Confuron, Domaine David Clarke, and Domaine Marc Roy.

A lot of shopping in my future!

Been to this event?

I was in Louisville a while back and had a great time- visiting friends, doing a great book signing event at Proof on Main in the outstanding and uber chic 21c Museum Hotel, a de rigueur stop at the Louisville Slugger baseball bat factory and museum, gorging on western Kentucky BBQ (you must hit the Frankfort Avenue Beer Depot), and, of course, doing a small stop on the Bourbon trail, something I hadn’t done in years.

Bourbon, by definition, is made in the USA from a grain blend, at least 51 percent of which must be corn (most distillers use 65 to 75 percent corn). It must be aged for a minimum of two years in new, white oak barrels that have been charred, matured at no more than 125 proof, and nothing can be added at bottling to enhance flavor, add sweetness or alter color. It must be bottled at 80 proof or higher. Small batch bourbons are bottlings from non-huge volume “batches” of barrels that have been blended prior to the bottling. Some of the more well known small batch bourbons include: Baker’s, Booker’s, Basil Hayden’s, Knob Creek, Maker’s Mark, and Woodford Reserve. And finally, Bourbons called single barrel are the bottling of one “single” barrel of bourbon unblended with other barrels and would include: Elijah Craig 18 years old, Blanton’s, Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon, Henry McKenna Single Barrel, and Evan William’s Vintage.

I made a couple of stops but was most enamored (and impressed) with my visit to Woodford Reserve in the hamlet of Versailles (pronounced ver-sales) outside of Kentucky’s capital city of Frankfort. Woodford’s Master Distiller, Chris Morris, is as passionate and articulate about Bourbon as any obsessed winemaker is about wine. He’s also very, very nice! The grain blend that he employs includes corn, rye and malted barley for which the corn brings the elements of sweetness while the rye adds distinctive spice. The malted barley comes from outside of state, whereas the corn and rye are local (and yes, Woodford is the only distillery to employ locally grown rye, a rarity in Kentucky). They employ a proprietary yeast for alcoholic conversion of their sour mash and are the lone distillery to really be able to claim they use limestone water as theirs is pulled from wells far enough below the surface that they can avoid many of the purifying and treatment issues most of the distilleries by law must employ to use their limestone water sources. Woodford uses barrels which have been charred using wine coopering techniques (toasted rather than torched) and employ charred barrel heads (the lone distiller I believe to do so). They also mature their spirits between three and six years, young vis-a-vis some of the claims of other competitors. The result is an amazing elixir that will change your thinking on the category, delicious, complex, not too ‘sweet’, and expansive while not burning nor assaulting your palate.

There are over 400 brands of Bourbon out there in all shapes and sizes… only two make a single product… and Woodford is one of those two… and one of the best.

Fan of Bourbon?

We have had vending machines here in the USA for a long time, many indoors, but increasingly outdoors, selling sodas, energy drinks, mineral waters, and juices. Of course there are lots more that sell candy, chips, cookies, and other junk food. As technology has grown and with the evolutions of myriad products, and along with the delivery vehicles that come with them, I have been fascinated by the vending booths chock-full of neat stuff like Ipods, cool Bose headphones, Blackberry and Droid skins, and other tech products that were first seen at airports but can now be found (and tech purchased) at your local supermarket. Amazing to me. What could be next? Well… apparently it’s wine! At least in Pennsylvania!

According to a recent posting on Wine & Spirits Daily titled Swipe, Smile, Blow, the Keystone state has begun test marketing American’s first ever wine vending machine in two grocery stores.  Interested and motivated customers must swipe their driver’s license, look into the camera, and blow into a breathalyzer to purchase wine. And if the machines prove to be a winning formula for all, the state Liquor Control Board says it could expand the machines to up to 100 more grocery stores. From Pocari Sweat on the streets of Tokyo to Cabernet Sauvignon from a vending machine at Giant as you buy your fish and toilet paper. Love it!

Why not? You can get movie tickets, money, Ipods, and airline boarding passes. So why shouldn’t you be able to get some Pinot Noir from a machine too? What’s next… hmmm…

Thoughts?

We have a plethora of classic wine bars, which is to say places that focus on wine with minimal labor intensive offerings (cheese, salumi, breads, olives, and other foods that don’t require a high labor cost ‘trained chef’ and team). This formula works, is a lot of fun, and provides great ambiance and forums for social interaction. Though they’ve been around for awhile and aren’t per se that new (remember the London Wine Bar (now closed) in the financial district? Hello..), wine bars have been sprouting up like weeds. For a while it seemed that, in an effort to be different, some manifestations took on a more hybrid stance being restaurants and wine bars (CAV for example), but even several of those have succumbed to the aforementioned more simplified tactics for their varied reasons. Some restaurants went the other way and wine bar casualized with ample small plates and more traditional wine bar ambiance in addition to, or supplanting, their more ‘full service’ approach. And now we have wine kegs adding a new and hipper dimension to by the glass pouring which will surely result in another wave of, I suspect, hip wine bars offering wines by the glass and pitcher in a more informal ‘pub’ like atmosphere as opening bottles and sommeliers for wine service are unnecessary in such an operation.

And then there’s Starbucks. Yes, the espresso and gourmet behemoth has been thinking about this for a while- and why not?

If Starbuck’s raison d’être is to provide an American twist on the coffee house concept of Europe, and they have, and have done so well, then why not go a step further? Most European coffee houses offer some savory food, in addition to their basic non-savory fare, and do offer up other beverage options (and no I don’t mean tea and frappuccinos) for those who desire- tap beer, wines by the glass, and so on. So, it would make sense that Starbucks would consider ‘trialing’ a few new ideas. That’s indeed what they are doing in one of their stores in their home base of Seattle, you can read about it in the interesting article “Starbucks shop tries wine, ‘coffee theater’”.

Can we expect Starbucks to leap head-on into the world of licensed beverages? I don’t think so- too complicated and too distracting from their core competency. But as McDonalds has embraced the McCafe and had some success, so too must Starbucks take a hard look at their world, especially since McDonalds and other fast food titans have the gourmet coffee space firmly in their sites.

Now, when McDonalds follows the lead of their Euro-counterparts and starts offering wine in the United States, then, and only then, may I revisit my occasional hankering for their addictive fries… with a sharp grease cutting white or bubbly!

Thoughts?

I was overseas with a few of my colleagues a couple of weeks back executing the first ever Court of Master Sommeliers ‘level one’ and ‘level two’ courses and exams in China ex-Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s on fire with respect to wine and has had a robust sommelier culture for decades overseen by the very able Nelson Chow whose passion for wine is enormous and who has helped spread this culture on the island and in Kowloon. Shanghai was our chosen first mainland stop and, with planning for close to two years, we held our course at the lovely and service focused Radisson Hong Quan with the support of their management team and my long standing Asian ‘man on the ground’, Tommy Lam and assisted locally by the very capable Vivian Tian of the Kee Club (a small group of prestigious private clubs/bars/restaurants), and Eric Wu, who had spent a bit of his development in the wine world working in the states under the esteemed Virginia Philip MS of the Breakers in South Florida. The language issues will still need to be overcome to progress rapidly, and this will happen in time as the quality of English speaking is getting better all the time. Ongoing improvement in wine availability means too that students have exposure to a far greater range of offerings from around the world, which is critical to matriculation of MS courses. We had around 10 people pass this first go for level one and four at level two (Vivian had passed the year before in Hong Kong and Eric is working towards his level two this fall in same). Would we have liked more… of course… but am I excited about the palpable building interest? Absolutely.

Oh, I know you want to know my most memorable meal. One was an exquisite dinner at the Kee Club where in addition to great food and some exquisite wines inclusive of an aged Ribera de Duero and free flowing Dom Perignon, I did a book signing for Daring Pairings. The second was a simple but amazing Chinese meal at a well known traditional restaurant called “Traditional Beijing Roast Duck” on South HoNan Road specializing in, what else but… traditional wood fired Peking Duck… the best, by far, ever… and enjoyed with (truth be told) an ice cold bottle of Yanjing beer.

Sommeliers and wine culture in China… totally.  Just be patient…

I am not going to bother to quote you all the statistics and studies which are readily out there if you Google away but I will put it out there: America is currently the most significant consumer wine market in the world. Period. For now (yes, we are all eying China and Asia). But for now… America drinks volumetrically more wine (or depending on the study you read is about to drink more wine) than any country on earth (not per capita but as a nation), and we have been the most profitable wine market for several years. All of this is good for the consumer… and so, you ask, why?

While American wine producers have been the long standing beneficiaries of this information and have quietly watched their sales increase annually for the past 16 plus years (some years more than others… granted), other countries have increasingly figured this out and have collectively branded the dining rooms of American restaurants and the shelves of America’s retail outlets as being their modern day enological Waterloo- the big battle! This is decidedly reality and a bummer for all of these counties as they are all fighting for share of your valuable mouth and tummy with each other. California wine still commands the pole position with over 60% market share but that percentage has been slowly decreasing. American consumers, and especially the increasingly important millennial wine consumers, are more comfortable with wine, more curious about wine, and more value conscious regarding their wine than we ever have been. American consumers demand high quality and good value together and have minimal allegiance as to where we get it. This is good if you are an Argentina, Spain, or Portugal for example but not so good if you are a Napa Valley. Cost of land, cost of labor, cost of fruit, and cost of inventory all add up to far lower costs of goods coming from these other nations, who, in turn, can provide great price/value to the consumer. This is a bummer if you are an American wine producer, especially a premium one, as you have to be competitive and minimize your mark ups and, as such, your returns and profitability, just to call at the table in the game of enological poker… Forget raising in this market.

But this is all GREAT if you are a consumer because competition feeds the market and keeps prices in line, the quality of wine globally is better than it has ever been (thanks to advents in viticulture and in winery technology) and because the American market is so key to everyone’s success, well, this will not be changing anytime soon. So… shop and enjoy. Just like the title of the Jack Nicholson film, wine in American right now for the consumer is as ‘good as it gets.’

What do you think!?

Apparently the media has discovered this too. In a recent piece by Miriam Gottfried in the WSJ entitled ‘A Taste for Hotter, Mintier, Fruitier,’ she documents and assesses this increasingly mainstream palate evolution. Not only have we shifted toward an increased desire for flavor, we have simultaneously become more discerning and sophisticated within this quest. According to a company cited by Ms. Gottfried, International Flavors and Fragrances, not only do we crave more butter in foods but it’s brown butter (aka the oft-employed buerre noisette) that is preferred. She continues by providing countless examples of how we have become hooked on the intense, the forceful, and the bold. Indeed she notes that McCormick and Company, the behemoth spice business, had a roster of roughly 40 spices in their range, a figure that has grown twice as fast in the past two decades as it had in the 30 years prior. Yikes!

From gazillions of fancy new flavored chips, energy drinks, and indeed… vodkas, there seems to be no sating the thirst for flavor. In wine we have witnessed this in several different takes. First there’s the embracing of new varietals. Sure we will still love our powerful Cabernets, extracted Zinfandels and rich Syrahs but we’ve also discovered (or rediscovered) bigger and more flavorful wines like Petite Sirah, which has its own fan club PS I Love You, Mourvedre, Nero d’Avola and so on. In whites, we also like grapes with flavor as the growth in aromatic whites, from Marsanne to Rousanne, from Viognier to Torrontés, has demonstrated. Even subtler grapes, from Pinot Noir to Riesling, are at times morphing into wines that, alas, are more about power and less about subtlety to address those that expect punch. Pinot Noir becomes Syrah, and Rieslings with a bit more sugar and, dare I add, some oak (at times) consciously or unconsciously seek out this audience.

Regardless of where you fall out, the embracement of ‘more’ is here to stay. It will be interesting to see if the pendulum swings the other way… or maybe not. People do seem to want more, not less in what they ingest!

Thoughts?

OK, so you can write it off to being ‘old school’ in a very traditional country or you can say (being 23 years ago) that it was more a function of the times. I am willing to tip my beret a small touch to the former, as, to the day, when it comes to wine and sommeliers, France is still very much a man’s world when compared to the USA. But the times have changed and are no longer an excuse… or have they not?

I was saddened but bemused to read an by John Mariani, Women Wine Drinkers Overtake Men — Who Still Get the Wine List, in which he brings up this very issue and spends some time interviewing and discussing this same topic with another female MS, Virginia Philip, of South Florida’s celebrated property, The Breakers.

Apparently the more things change, well, the more they stay the same. Though women command 53% of the wine drinking audience in the USA, according to Mr. Marini’s article, they sadly get less than respected when going through the wine ritual at table in many of America’s dining rooms. And, if we add in the massive buying power women have over wine in the USA (just think of how many women do the grocery shopping and as such purchase the household’s wine!?), it makes one incredulous that such prehistoric stereotyping still exists. But alas we all know that it does. Sadly.

And you don’t need to fly to Beaune to find it!

Anything you’d like to add here?

Based in the south and almost exclusively in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the region of Serra Gaúcha is the enological epicenter of the country and produces close to 90% of the quality wines made in the country. Think of it like Mendoza is to Argentina in terms of its relevance to Brazil both in terms of quality of wines and quantity of wines. Though wine is produced in seven states in the country, it is in Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil’s south, where the vinifera grapes thrive and as such so does the industry. It’s critical to note that many labruscana grapes (including our beloved Concord and Isabella) are also grown, as are hybrids, for juice and consumption in both Rio Grande do Sul and other states. But for vinifera and fine wine, it’s all about Serra Gaúcha.

I spent a few days tasting and exploring this amazing area which resembles nothing of what one would expect from Brazil- it’s cooler, and with a landscape that seems and feels more European than tropical, and the population, most all of who are of Italian ancestry, look like they could and should be off the streets of Trieste or Verona and are not at all like the multi-cultural populace of Rio de Janeiro or São Paolo. The food too is what you’d expect from an Italianate culture- pasta, pizza, etc. No marsicada, fiery chilis, or coconut infused dishes here and, god forbid, you should have a craving for Chinese noodles or sushi (that’s a 40 kilometer drive).

That point made, the wines are decidedly more French in the sense that the core varietals are Merlot (currently the best overall red wine grape and very varietally spot on think like Washington State’s best examples), Cabernet Sauvignon, and a few players to be named later including Pinot Noir (some very good), Cabernet Franc (a real surprise and a stunt double for Chinon), Tannat (much like what you’d find in Uruguay vis-à-vis fruit profile but more ample in tannin (a la France), and then a few odd ducks including Teroldego (viticulturally one of the last vestiges of the Italian past and very good) and Malbec among others. In whites, it’s mostly Chardonnay and some of it is quite solid. All the table wines are moderate alcohol levels (12.5-13.5%) and with excellent natural acidity levels and, as such, very food friendly. However, it’s the bubbly, both high quality charmat and many method traditionelle bottlings, that was among the biggest surprises for me. Representing close to 30% of the production in the largest and best region of Serra Gaúcha, the Vale dos Vinhedos (Valley of the Vineyards), the bubbly based wines here are of high quality, often surreally complex (especially for the modest price points) and will clearly will help lead the charge of Brazilian wine into the USA when they begin their efforts in earnest this fall. Something definitely worth anticipating with some excitement. Though I only went to a few wineries, some brands to keep in the back of your mind include Casa Valduga, Miolo, Pizzato, Salton, and Lidio Carraro though there are many others worthy of your attention.

Well, I am off to Argentina and helping instruct a MS program for sommeliers from Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, and Peru. And east some good beef while in Buenos Aires. So until then, hasta luego or as they’d say in Brazil, Ate logo!

Ever had any experience with modern Brazilian wines?

Wine Thoughts for Passover:

“In recognition of this inspiring season of Pesach I felt it fitting to search the ancient texts for modern contextual relevance. The context for which I searched clarification was that of tasting wine; with friends, clients and, heaven help us, for ratings. As in relating any soul touching endeavor, describing of wine needs to take into account the broad array of individual personalities and judgment; not to mention the spiritual complexity of giving a single number rating that has any broad meaning.

Clearly, the Passover Haggadah was a place to start to help unravel these conundrums. Sure enough the answers were there. Those of you who have participated in a Seder will recognize these truths. Those of you who haven’t, find a Jew and crash one.

Tradition describes how different tasters approach the wine. Some are very curious and ask lots of questions, but others, who may be just as curious, are just too blasted to form a question. Some are very eager to seriously consider the details of viticulture, winemaking and perception; others care only for their own ego and just want to know how they can impress their friends. In all, the Rabbis said, there are four types of wine tasters, and each needs to be handled in a different way.

The Wise Taster: The wise taster loves wine, he asks, “What are the vineyard sources of this wine, is the soil a loam or a clay, what is the incline of the slope, the aspect, fermentation techniques, time in barrel, and why?” This taster wants to think about the wine and its subtleties, enjoy the wine and understand the wine. For him we should answer his questions with patience and detail, and support the enjoyment and respect he already feels.

The Wicked Taster: The wicked taster asks, “What did Parker give this wine, what did it cost, and can I get a deal if I come to your tasting room and suck up to the winemaker?” He cares for what this wine can do for him in the eyes of others, not the interest and beauty it possesses on its own. To him, some Rabbis would say, “This wine is for me, not for you. Had you been at the winery, you would not have been given this bottle.” Other Rabbis have not yet figured out how to deal with the wicked taster, but are open to suggestions. For the time being they just take their money and send them on their way.

The Innocent Taster: This one is the favorite of the rabbis. The simple taster is naïve and innocent. He is interested, but shy and doesn’t know what to ask, merely saying, “Tell me about this.” In response we should gently tell of the love that went into the craft he is enjoying, and that he should trust his own judgment and pleasure.

The Taster to Wasted to Inquire: This taster no longer realizes something special is going on. They might be slightly drooling, pour themselves unreasonably large portions, and occasionally make irrelevant comments. For this taster the rabbis would emulate the good models of their teachers, and make fun of them amongst their friends while they’re sitting right there.

The biblical dissertation of taster types is hugely helpful in helping to describe wine, but to understand the ancient traditions with respect to rating wine took more study. I scoured the Kabala, which deals with numerology, in search of some answers but to no avail. Then, through in-depth study of a long lost Hassidic Hagaddah, based both on ancient Jewish tradition as well as eastern philosophy, the exposition was found. The scholars described the infiltration of wine perception into the sensual psyche. Some raters are enticed by subtlety and nuance. They enjoy the patient endeavor of watching a wine unfold, and love detail and complexity. Others love huge impact and powerful immediate impression. Overall, the rabbis say, there are two types of raters.

The Size Queen: Study shows that the first use of this term dates to that great biblical scholar John Waters, whose masterpiece, Pink Flamingos, is still being studied for its deepest meaning. This rater will ask, “Is it huge? Is it sweet? I want it now, I want it fast, I want it big. Have I mentioned big?”

The Patient Priestess: This taster has a love of subtlety, complexity and staying power. She loves the slow unfolding of the wine’s initially hidden attributes and the pleasures of nuance. She will ask, “Is this a wine I could drink all night?”

Hopefully, these traditional contributions to our modern pursuits will enrich life for us all. I look forward to studying the “Days of Repentance” this fall.”

And where does Elijah come in?