Pink Champagne

I recently posed a question to some of my friends, asking: is there anything sexier than pink champagne? I really don’t think there is (I am, of course, talking about non-living objects only).  Champagne, just the regular golden bubbly kind, is the sexiest class of drink on the planet, and adding that pink blush into the already enticing equation further elevates its status of sexy.

Now, champagne is something that I will probably only have twice a year.  I’ll have it once on New Year’s Eve and then at some random other celebratory moment during the year.  I cannot call myself a champagne connoisseur, but I think that everyone will agree that champagne is synonymous with celebration, and that champagne and strawberries is the classic combination for a romantic evening.  I think that people will also agree with me that pink=feminine and sexy.  If you don’t agree with this, see Victoria’s Secret and their line of “PINK” clothing.

Take the sexiness of pink; add the celebration, elegance, and romance associated with champagne, and you have, in my opinion the sexiest non-living object in the world.  Heck, your rose champagne doesn’t even have to be good for it to be sexy.  There is something about any glass of champagne and the bubbles that seem alive in the glass that triggers sexy and celebration.  Moral of the story: whenever you drink pink champagne, regardless of your feelings on its sexiness, I’ll bet that you are in for a good time more often than not.  And, with that, I rest my case for pink champagne being the sexiest non living thing on the planet.

Port Sundaes

Quite some time ago, I bought a bottle of port after a wine tasting in Santa Barbara.  Buying port is a rare occurrence for me because, for the most part, I don’t care for it.  This particular one interested me because it very distinctly tasted like Neapolitan ice cream.  I got individually brilliant tastes of creamy chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry out of the black cherry colored liquid.

Now, upon hearing that the winemaker named this particular port “Surrender,” I thought that this would be the kind of wine that I would have to open at the end of a romantic dinner, but several months after purchasing the bottle another idea struck me.  I decided that I was going to use the port as a topping for vanilla ice cream.  That bottle would turn into the most expensive chocolate syrup ever.

Just a short time ago, I put my idea into action.  I made sundaes with my vanilla ice cream and the port in shot glasses, using about 1/3 ice cream and 2/3 port.  The result was pretty much what I thought it was going to be.  It was a pleasant way to have two of the best things in the world at once.  The sweet, creamy treat was great, but not something that I would a) want on a very regular basis or b) would try with just any port because I could see it going horribly wrong.

Anyway, next time you are trying port, thing about using it with your dessert, either as a topping (I could see some ports going well on top of a chocolate cake, cheesecake, and of course ice cream), or as a drink to enjoy on the side.

Parker's Downfall

Because yesterday I predicted my ascension to the top of the wine writer and critic world, I figured that today I should share with you why Robert Parker will be forced to abdicate that throne.

Without a doubt, Robert Parker Jr. is the most famous wine critic in the world today, but is his influence with the current generation of up and coming wine drinkers waning?  Most of the Gen-Y members, also known as Millennials, were not yet born when the 1982 Bordeaux vintage that made Parker famous hit the market.  Fewer still have tasted wines from this vintage, and, fewer still are buying the remaining bottles from this vintage when they come up at auctions.  True, the 1982 vintage in Bordeaux was just the jumping off point for Parker and his fame in the wine world, and in the 20+ years since, his impact on the wine industry has been unmatched, but as the wine industry is noticing, this next generation of wine drinkers is shaking the market up.  For many people, value is replacing brand image, and experimentation is replacing the comfort of familiar names.  Because of these trends, started by the Millennials and reinforced by the current recession, the familiar Parker 100 point scale is taking a back seat of sorts to value and experimentation.

It is not my aim to overlook the significant impact that Robert Parker has had on the wine industry, but rather to highlight the extenuating circumstances in the industry that, I believe, will lead to his decline in popularity and influence within the next generation of wine drinkers.  For starters, the deck is stacked against Parker.  Free choice, varying opinions and taste, and thousands of available options can lead to the downfall of a single, albeit iconic, opinion.  The internet and proliferation of opinions from all corners of the globe via wine blogs (like this one), merchants, and casual drinkers are providing a more balanced and holistic view of wines than the world has ever known.  Parker is now a fish, a large fish albeit, in an ocean of opinion.  And, being internet savvy and always on the hunt for the next big thing, the Millennial generation drinkers are moving beyond just one opinion and taking hundreds of opinions into account when they purchase wine.  Varied options are the next strike against Parker.  With the widespread use of internet wine purchasing and distribution channels that are more efficient than ever, the consumers are presented with more varietals from more different countries than ever before.  South Africa, Ocenania, South America, Europe, Asia, and all corners of the United States are represented on grocery store shelves all across the country and this is just in typical markets.  Wine specialty stores raise the bar even higher.  The average consumer can develop a taste for Malbec from Argentina, Pinotage from South Africa, Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, Shiraz from Australia, Riesling from New York, Bordeaux from France, Rioja from Spain, Barbera from Italy, and be left with the comfortable Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons from California, all without breaking the bank and without travelling far and wide to find their preferred varietals.  Even by trying 10,000 wines a year, Robert Parker has no way of keeping up with the global market, and with these 10,000 opinions each year, Parker’s tastes are unlikely to match up with a consumer eager to try a variety of new wines from promising producers around the world.  Wine is becoming an adventure, and a beverage through which people can travel across the world while sitting at home.  This is an aspect of wine that Millennials are finding intriguing, and is something that has changed the wine industry in the recent years as some of the prolific wines producing nations have upped the quality of their products.  Finally, and most importantly to my generation is the aspect of free choice.  We millennials are much more likely to go against the traditions set in stone by traditionalists in the wine industry.  Our generation has consistently proven that we are willing to blaze our own path and stick with what we like, not what we are told to like.

The current recession is also playing into Parker’s downfall.  His influence was so great that a 90+ rating by him could be the difference in a $50 and $100 dollar bottle of wine.  With value being the name of the game currently, consumers both young and old are looking for wines they enjoy at prices they can afford.  There is, and will always be, the prestige factor in the wine industry, but it is unlikely that it will ever regain its prominence of the boom years of the 1990s and early 2000s.  The pleasure factor and affordability are weighing in on customers more and more.  This is seen in the fact that last year, Americans bought more wine, but at lower prices.  The Parker price leap may still have an impact, but to a lesser scale.

Perhaps most significantly, Robert Parker is not making a substantial effort to bring himself into the next generation of communication.  He does not have an official facebook page, he does not hold a twitter account (that I could identify on both accounts), and while there is a website titled “eRobertParker,” it is not what the next wave of wine buyers will be looking for.  WineSpectator.com and eRobertParker offer great websites, but they are subscription based.  Twitter and Facebook can accomplish many of the same things that these websites can, but without the monthly dues.  Furthermore, Twitter and Facebook are sites that most users check every day without fail, giving them the advantage of the higher user traffic. 

Is it possible for Robert Parker to take several relatively simple steps to ensure that he keeps his throne atop the wine world?  Of course, but just playing devil’s advocate, the deck seems to be starting to stack against him.  We are in for drastic changes in the wine industry in the coming years, and Parker’s downfall could very well be a part of those changes.

Why Riesling Should Be the New Chardonnay

Why should Riesling be the new Chardonnay?  Simple answer to this question… I like the varietal more.  And, as a fan of Riesling, I think there are some actual indications in the wine world that can (at least somewhat) justify my position here.

First of all, Riesling is relatively cheap.  It is possible to find a great Riesling for about $20.  And, while it is possible to find a good Chardonnay at almost any price point, I think Riesling’s consistent quality and low price points will allow for its expansion in the white wine market.  Think about it, back before Chardonnay became the white wine of choice for millions of people across the country, it had its small following and because of some positive press and improving quality, it exploded.

Riesling has hit its improving quality quota and is set up to explode.  Germany is producing some great examples of the varietal, as are both Oregon and Washington.  Wine Spectator has given Riesling, German wines, Oregon, and Washington some great press recently, and Jay-Z even gave Riesling some press in his last album.  Anytime a wine makes it into a rap song, you know a bump in popularity will follow (think Cristal).  The line I’m referring to is: “I’m beasting off the Riesling,” and while it doesn’t make much sense, it’s something that will get some people’s attention.  So high quality + low prices + publicity from traditional wine sources + added publicity from pop culture= justification for a spike in popularity.

Lastly, adding to my argument that Riesling is due to be the next big thing in white wine is the fact that it pairs with spicy foods.  Think about it wine lovers, pairing wine with Thai food, or more importantly with Mexican food?  Not easy, but Riesling works well.  Don’t believe me?  Try it out sometime.

Yes, I like Riesling on the whole much better than I do Chardonnay, so that was my reason for writing this post, but I think that this underappreciated varietal has a lot going for it right now and is in for bright days ahead.  And, if I’m wrong, well then I’ll still be happy because that means it will stay cheap.  And, better still, if I’m right, maybe this prediction will elevate my status as a wine writer/critic much the way the 1982 Bordeaux vintage did for Parker.

Bang for the Buck (or 2)

As an everyday partner with meals, is there a better brand of wine that delivers “bang for your buck” than Charles Shaw?  I’ve tried other stores’ brands that try to compete with Chuck, but across the board, I think that you’re hard pressed to find something that competes with Trader Joe’s Chuck.

I especially like their Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Grigio, and I would go so far as to say that they are consistently as good as wines that are 4-5 times their price.  True, I do like some of Barefoot’s wines, and there are some great wines to be found for under $10 (especially at Trader Joe’s), but when you think about it, would you rather have 3 bottles of Chuck or 1 bottle of Gallo?

With so much wine out there to try, I don’t like getting lost in a single brand too often, but I always like to have some Chuck on hand when I entertain (as was the case this weekend) as their variety of varietals will pair with pretty much anything I’d be inclined to cook for a larger group, and barring special occasions, I don’t want to drop $40+ on wine alone, so it’s a good option.

Also, Chuck mixes to make a great Sangria- check it out sometime.  That’s enough doting on Chuck for today.  Next time I open up a good bottle, I’ll appease my wannabe wine snob and write a bit about it.

Sunday Family Dinner

Every Sunday night, a bunch of my friends from college get together for a “Sunday Family Dinner.”  Last night was my first opportunity to host.

I had not planned on hosting a dinner last night.  I just wanted to watch football and take it easy, but hosting did give me an excuse to drink some good wine.  As is my usual practice when cooking, I opened a niceish bottle to drink while cooking, and then moved onto the Chuck and other selections for sharing with a large group.

The pre-meal wines last night were a Bordeaux and a Sangiovese.  My roommates all preferred the Bordeaux, but I thought the Sangiovese was better.  But, admittedly, we were cooking pasta, so I was biased a) because Sangiovese is my favorite and b) it went with the food I was cooking.

Since we were making a pasta dish with pesto sauce, the wine of choice with dinner was any white varietal of Chuck and a Torrontes from Argentina (while it lasted- it’s amazing how quickly you run through wine with 16 people drinking).

We had our dinner and played our board games as is our tradition and called it a night fairly early.  Overall, I’m glad we hosted the dinner because it brought a few things to mind.  First, I like hosting because people frequently bring you wine, meaning you get to try said wine at some point.  Secondly, as host, you get to steer the wine drinking in any direction you choose meaning you can get rid of bottles you don’t like (I did that with a white Zin that had been sitting untouched for 6 months) or that you want friends to try, you can open a variety and try a bunch of wines without wasting any, and if people bring wine, you can try things you might not normally try.

All in all, a good night with good wine and good people.  Can’t ask for much more than that.

Rioja

Have you ever had a bad Rioja?  I haven’t.  I was thinking about this when I had a glass last night.  And, while I’ve never had a Rioja that knocks my socks off, I’ve also never had one that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy.

Now, I don’t have a whole lot of experience with Rioja.  The extent of my dealings with the wine are confined to what can be found on grocery store shelves in the states and the minimal amounts I tried in restaurants on my last trip to Spain.  My last trip to Spain came before I was into wine, so I really missed out on an opportunity to try the nest Rioja has to offer.

Next time you are looking to try a fun, generally good wine, try a Rioja.  You won’t be disappointed. 

Wine Pairings and Football Movies

With the college football season over and the pro season a few weeks from its conclusion, I've been watching a bunch of football movies recently, in doing so, trying to trick myself into thinking the season is still going strong.  When I opened a bottle of Syrah while watching "Any Given Sunday" a few weeks back, it led me to an unexpected pairing of wine and movies.  Here is my guide to pairing wines with football movies.

Any Given Sunday- a good Syrah (a good Syrah can be a great pairing with this epic movie)

Friday Night Lights- Cabernet Sauvignon (the king of American wine goes well with this story set in the state that is king of football, Texas)

Varsity Blues- Merlot (an underappreciated movie and an underappreciated wine both capable of great things)

The Replacements- Chianti (this fun movie deserves my favorite wine that happens to be fun to drink)

The Longest Yard (old version)- Old Vine Zinfandel (this wine from old vines goes great with the classic movie)

The Longest Yard (new version)- White Zinfandel (why mess with a classic?)

Remember the Titans- Bordeaux (a great movie deserves a great wine)

The Blind Side- A Riesling with attitude (goes well with Sandra Bullock’s character)

Rudy- Pinot Noir (an emotional wine for an emotional movie)

Gridiron Gang- Franzia (if you’re watching this movie, you need as much wine as you can get)

We Are Marshall- a wine made from Nebbiolo (a deep and complex wine will taste different as you go through the ups and downs of this movie)

Invincible- Malbec (Malbec captures the mood of the movie nicely)

If I've forgotten any movies or you disagree with these picks, let me know!

Paso Robles Tasting Tour

Last weekend, I went wine tasting in Paso Robles with several friends.  We loaded up our cars after work last Friday and made the 4 hour drive from LA up to the little town of Atascadero (about half way between Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo).  Being the young energetic people that we are, always eager to take advantage of an opportunity to party, we stayed up until 5am that night in our hotel room playing games like Identity Crisis and Taboo, drinking beer and readying our palates for the next day’s tasting by drinking some wine.  The wine turned out to be horrible.  We bought a “Red Rover Barbera” from the local store, wanting to get something from the area, but it turned out to be the worst expression of that Italian wine I’d ever had.  Generally, I like Cal-Ital wines because I like to see what California producers can do with some of my favorite grapes, but I’d advise you to stay away from this one.

Needless to say, staying up until 5 did not give us a lot of sleep that night, and so at about 11 the next morning, we all dragged ourselves out of bed, and without much energy headed off to our first stop of the day- Bella Luna.  Bella Luna is a winery that I’d visited before, but on my previous trip there, they only had one wine to try as they were sold out of the rest.  This trip proved to be a better opportunity to taste their wines.  Bella Luna works with Zinfandel (common for the area), but also with Italian and Spanish varietals.  We got to try their Sangiovese, Barbera, and Tempranillo, all of which were pretty darn good, but a little too pricey for my liking.  I recommend checking this place out as you will have a fun tasting and will probably learn a lot about the wine making process on your visit.  Their tasting room is a garage that also houses their barrels for aging their wines before bottling.

After Bella Luna, we headed down the road to Wild Horse.  Wild Horse is a huge winery whose wines can be found in grocery stores across the country.  Their basic wines (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, among others) are decent for the price (about $15-$20), but the charm of the tasting room is that you get to try all of their “Unbridled,” or reserve wines.  We had a great tasting that included rare varietals like Malavisa Bianca, Negrette, and Blaufrankisch, as well as their single vineyard Pinot Noirs and reserve Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.  We also randomly found that their Zinfandel pairs extremely well with beef jerky.  This tasting compelled me to walk away from there with a bottle of the Malavisa (I’m generally a red drinker, but I like to buy white whenever I find something intriguing).

The day’s next stop was at Turley, the winery founded by Larry Turley, brother of Helen Turley (tabbed by Wine Spectator as “America’s best winemaker”).  I wasn’t a fan of this tasting- I got a bad impression of the place, not because the wine was bad, but because the person conducting our tasting came off as a bit of a b-word.  Anyway, the wine was good, but again a bit too pricey for me.  If you like Zinfandel, check this place out.

At the recommendation of the desk manager from the hotel, we had lunch at a local sandwich place nearby and took the opportunity to recharge a bit.  Part of what drew us to this location for lunch was the fact that there was a tasting room attached to the restaurant.  After eating, we decided to wander into the tasting room, but immediately walked out.  Four Vines’ tasting room struck me as a tasting room designed by Ed Hardy (not my style at all), so rather than waste our time drinking wines like “Chaos,” we decided to move on.

Now, my friend Alex is a big 49ers fan, so upon seeing a winery bearing the name Niner, he decided we had to stop.  Their brand new tasting room looked out of place surrounded by all of the tiny wineries and tasting rooms we had visited thus far, but it turned out to be a great tasting.  The man conducting our tasting was from the LA area like us and was a very engaging host.  We had good Cal-Ital wines, some Syrah and Zinfandel, took in their gorgeous new tasting room (which looks a bit like a barn from the outside, but is completely modern and decked out with marble on the interior).

Since most wineries close at 5, we were running out of time for the day, so at the recommendation of someone we had talked to earlier, we decided to make Lone Madrone, a small winery across the street our last stop of the day.  Lone Madrone was exactly what I picture a small winery to be.  It had a cozy tasting room, complete with a dog asleep on the floor.  We enjoyed our tasting (the highlight of which wasn’t a Lone Madrone wine, but a Pinot Noir from a small winery named Steven), and since the Steelers-Ravens playoff game was tied near the end of the 4^th quarter, rushed back to our hotel to see the end of the game and to catch the Packers-Falcons game.  Dinner that night consisted of pizza in the room and a quick nap before getting back at it.  Alex and I wandered to a local bar named “Club Soda.”  Complete with pool tables, shuffle board, and $2 PBRs, this was a small town dive bar.  We have a great tradition of visiting dive bars on wine tasting trips- I’ll have to explain that at another time.

Sunday marked checkout day at the hotel and our time to head home.  We squeezed in one last wine tasting at Ancient Peaks (my favorite of the trip).  Ancient Peaks is my ideal size for a winery.  Their production is about 14,000 cases per year.  Meaning it’s big enough to be found at the random wine store around the country, pop up on restaurant wine lists, and even occasionally be found on grocery store shelves, and at the same time, still be small enough to have some gems that have to be discovered at the winery itself.  We found some of these gems and had a great time to finish up our trip. 

Monday was a day of recovery and Tuesday was back to the grind.  However, refreshed by my latest wine adventure, I popped open a bottle of 2006 Epicuro Salice Salentino riserva from the deep south of Italy.  At just $6 a bottle from Trader Joe’s, it is a great match for pasta and meat, (I paired it with cheese tortellini and red sauce) and a great way to try a wine that comes from “off the beaten path.”

My Intro for the World of Wine

What qualifies me to write about a subject as complex as wine?  First and foremost, I love wine, and for someone my age, I like to think that I know quite a bit about it.  Secondly, along with my friends, I have had some adventures in the world of wine.  These adventures have been especially epic considering that we have all had less than 5 years of legal drinking experience in this country and that we all have very little disposable income to spend on these adventures (and on wine in general).  Lastly, on a recent trip to the wineries of Paso Robles, I was jealous of my friend’s “industry discount,” and am now determined to find my own “in” in the wine industry, thus reaping the benefits of that discount.  Hopefully this blog will help me down that path, allow me to have some fun, and maybe, just maybe provide the readers with some insight into the world of wine.

                A little bit about me, I’m 23, and while I’ve only been able to drink wine in this country for just over 2 years, my education in wine began about 6 years ago while living in Italy.  In Italy, I lived in Florence, the heart of Chianti, and fell in love with the city and the wine that is so engrained into the culture of Italian life.  When I returned to the states, that love of wine followed me.  Luckily, I live in California and am in the center of the American wine world.  I have been fortunate enough to take trips to Santa Barbara wine country, Paso Robles and the rest of the Central Coast, and Napa Valley, and on each of these trips, I’ve learned a bit more about the world of wine, the people that make it, and, with each trip, my drinking pleasure has grown.

                Now, with all that I’ve told you thus far, you would not be unreasonable to think that I am a “wine snob.”  I would love to be a wine snob, but unfortunately, I don’t have the means to splurge on wine that often, so I am frequently seen drinking the wines that can be classified as a wine snob’s nightmare: Franzia, Charles Shaw, Gallo products, etc.  Now, given the current economic status of the country, the big wine companies, critics, and consumers are all looking toward the next great value in the wine world, so my light pocketbook is aided by this trend.

                Another reason I don’t consider myself a wine snob is that I am fully aware that wine has alcohol in it.  It seems to me that most critics, publications, and wine writers seem to forget that wine can get you drunk.  A first-growth Bordeaux and a box of wine from Costco can both get you drunk.  My friends and I drink wine to enjoy it, but also because of the alcohol in it.   

                So, to conclude this initial post, I have to say that my posts will be varied.  I hope to include stories of my trips into regions famous for their wines, stories about the great (and often not so great) wine I drink, wine bars that I’ve found, and plenty of stories about drinking with the buddies.  In conclusion, the wine of the (last) night a bottle of 2009 Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon, better known as “two buck Chuck.”  It was mismatched with Mac and Cheese, but tasty all the same.