Yes indeed the third Thursday of November is upon us shortly and with that comes the annual (albeit less and less awaited) arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau. Pardon me if I don’t get too excited. Maybe I am too old? Too jaded? Or just too pragmatic?

When I started in the biz in the late 1970’s the yearly nouveau season was touted as big event and indeed it was. The wines, made from the Gamay grape in the French region of Beaujolais via a process called carbonic maceration, are unique- fresh, vibrant, electric fluorescent magenta in color and effusing aromas and flavors of fresh banana, bubble gum, gushing strawberry, grape, and raspberry fruit all enveloped in smooth soft to non-existent tannins (a resulting byproduct of carbonic) and easy to drink… going down as easy as Kool-Aid but with a bit of a kick and often a prickle of spritz from the carbon dioxide trapped in the wines as they are bottled, sold, and shipped off. Continue reading »

Sometimes dramatic things happen with very little fanfare. Such is the case of a fairly significant change in law in France that went into effect on July 1st. According to a little box I came across when reading Gourmet Magazine’s July 2009 issue (page 25 to be exact!), the new VAT (Value Added Tax) on food (but not on alcohol) has been reduced from a very high 19.6% (where alas it still will be for wine) to a far more modest 5.5%. This is a huge victory for French restaurateurs who have been lobbying for years that they should be levied at the same rate as fast food outlets which were only being levied that 5.5%. Does this mean that fast food wasn’t considered food? Hmm… one has to wonder… Continue reading »

Of course, the answer to that question, without context, is: it depends. In this case, the well posed question stems around the truth or fallacy of wines being less expensive in Europe than they are here. I was reading an article by Katherine Cole of the Portland Oregonian entitled “Why wine is less expensive in Europe.” After reading her compelling article, my answer would be… depends.

In the article, the author points out several compelling reasons why wine can be less expensive and often is indeed less expensive in wine rich Europe. For one, wine is often, as in Spain, considered food from a taxation standpoint and, as such, not subject to the extreme levies of spirits. It’s not unusual to walk into a tapas bar and be able to order a glass of simple and tasty wine for the same price (or less) as a plate of any tapa, ración or bocadillo. Literally the equal of a buck or so, if not less, at times. Marvelous.
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One of the questions I am most frequently asked is how do you know when to buy a wine? Or simply put, how do you know if a wine will age well? Great questions..complex answer.

The easy part of it is to know that certain attributes in wines will enable a wine to age longer. Tannin and sugar are two obvious preservatives. That’s why many of the longest lived wines are sweet dessert wines and big full-bodied and intense reds. Indeed collectors who are serious regularly collect big tannic reds like Bordeaux, Barolo, Cote Rotie, Napa Valley Cabernet along with their Sauternes, TBA Germans and, of course, Vintage Port.

Acidity too is a needed for a wine to age and high levels in wines with balance are often good indicators of wine’s ability to cellar well. Continue reading »