Books on Wine

Some time ago, I decided to buy a book on wine just to see what some “experts” on the subject had to say on the subject.  I quickly learned that most books written on wine have several distinct characteristics.  The first of which is that they are as much about travel as they are about wine.  This means that after reading one book on wine, you probably have heard about the author’s favorite trip to Burgundy, Bordeaux, Tuscany, Napa Valley, and three or four other, “new frontiers” of wine (think Argentina, Germany, South Africa, Texas, etc.).  This means that once you have read one book on wine, you know the hot spots and reading a second or third book on wine means you’ll visit some familiar locations and the story can get repetitive.  Secondly, writers always place their emphasis on relationships in the wine industry.  They will go on and on about a person they like dealing with, or a particular location that sticks out in their mind, all the while, trying to connect with the reader.  I like this aspect of wine writing because I believe that wine is about more than just the act of drinking, it is about people, places, memories, and any other human emotion imaginable.  I do not like this aspect of wine writing because often writers try too hard to make this emotional connection and just come off as snobby, talking about “enchanted little Chateaux, housing wine over a century old.”  Third, wine writers generally do a fair amount of advocating in their books- they are quick to recommend wines they like or quick to call a particular vintage or region “the next big thing in wine.”  This is helpful, but can get old too.  I tend to think to myself, “I bought a book, not a commercial.”

I realize that there were a lot of negative sentiments toward wine writers in the previous, and while I do think that all my criticisms are fully warranted, I have to say that I truly enjoy reading books about wine.  Some people may be turned off by stories about the authors going to Bordeaux, and all of the other famous wine regions on business trips, eating nice meals, and drinking fabulous wine that would cost the normal consumer an arm and a leg, but to me they are fascinating stories.  My logic is that I am a) learning more about wine by hearing other people’s stories, and b) gaining knowledge for the day that I am able to take similar trips.

Without a doubt, my favorite book on wine is “The Accidental Connoisseur” by Lawrence Osborne.  The subtitle for this book is “An Irreverent Journey Through the Wine World,” and that is part of what drew me to this book.  Osborne wasn’t a practiced wine critic, just a fan in search of the meaning of terroir.  Terroir can be a confusing concept to some (I’ll write more about it later), and the simplest definition is that it is the effect that the geography, geology, and weather have on a wine, but to some wine fanatics, it is much more than that.  Osborne tells a great story and gets to the heart of the question “what is terroir and why does it matter?”  If you are a wine fan, I highly recommend picking up this book.

For as good a writer as he is, Jay McInerney is not a good wine writer at all.  Remember my thoughts about wine books turning into a commercial?  If you want to see what I was talking about, open one of his books.  The two books on wine that I’ve seen him come out with are little more than his recommendations for a wide variety of wines with minimal story thrown in for filler.

If you want a book that looks into wine’s past a bit, pick up “The Billionaires Vinegar.”  This book tells the story of wine that was supposedly once owned by Thomas Jefferson.  The book tries to turn itself into a mystery, but it is more just a collection of stories from about some of the oldest bottles of wine on the planet and how they survived 200+ years.

Reading a book on wine is quite the time commitment, but no matter which book you read, if you decide to pick up a book on the subject, you will walk away with some great insight into the wine world and will be inspired to try some new wine.

A Short Guide to Wine Tasting

Wine tastings and tasting rooms can be intimidating to people that don’t know much about wine.  Trying several different wines in a short period of time can lead to the wines running together and may cause you to overlook a very good wine.

Luckily, there are several easy steps that you can take to get the most out of the tasting, and whether you feel like it or not, these steps will make you look like you know what you are doing.  Wine is a drink that plays on four of your senses- sight, smell, taste, and touch (some would argue that touch and taste are pretty much the same with wine, but I think they’re different).

The first sense that you have to engage is sight.  Look at the wine in the glass, and if possible, look at it in the light with a white back drop so you can get a clear picture of what the wine looks like.  Is it cloudy, clear, watery, evenly colored, etc.?  You’re not likely to want to drink a wine that is visually unappealing (I’m talking about a brown wine, or a wine with chunks of sediment or cork in it).  Now, make a quick mental note about the color and move onto the next step, smell.

Smell is what throws most people off when talking about wine.  Most wine critics will list off 5 or 6 aromas that they detect on the wine, but for the most part, casual drinkers will only be able to get one or two.  The important thing to remember when smelling a wine is to not be shy.  Swirl the wine around in your cup energetically because the more the air gets in there and opens up the wine, the easier it will be to discern scents.  Secondly, get your nose in the glass and take several short, deep sniffs.  Repeat as necessary.  Some people claim that smelling a wine with one nostril at a time will help you detect different scents, but I haven’t found this to be the case with me.  Talk about what you smell with the person conducting your tasting or your tasting companions, bouncing thoughts off of each other and re-assessing will help you make a more complete assessment of the wine’s aroma/bouquet.  Don’t be thrown off if someone smells something that you can’t or if you detect something that no one else does.  This doesn’t mean you’re wrong, just that something else jumped out at you.  Again, make notes in your mind and move on to the next step.

Taste and touch may seem like interchangeable words with a liquid because the only touching of the wine you are doing is with your mouth, the mouth that also tastes.  I argue that they are both independently applicable to wine drinking because a wine’s tastes will be different than a wine’s feel in your mouth.  Think about it, wine can taste like fruit, like spice, etc.  But, wine can also feel round, sharp, acidic (stinging), tannic (dry your mouth, make you pucker).  Look at it this way, for your first sip of the wine, play with it on your tongue and try to get an accurate read on the tastes in the wine.  Again, this may be a tough and intimidating task, but just think about anything that comes to mind.  There are times that I’ve pretty accurately described a wine by comparing them to a person, car, movie, or other completely unrelated object.  Wine will taste like some combination of spice and fruit, etc. but these tastes are often hard to describe, so thinking about it in terms that are more comfortable to you will help.  Again, bounce ideas off of your friends and people working there.  For your next taste of wine, roll it around in your mouth for a good 10-15 seconds.  Still be alert for tastes while doing this, but more so than that, get a feel for how the wine feels in different parts of your mouth.  Does it sting your mouth, does it dry up your mouth, and does it make your mouth water?  Think about these different aspects.  This is what I think of as the feel of a wine.  A wine that is too acidic, too tannic, too alcoholic, etc. can be a sign that the wine is too old, too young, or just poorly made.  For this reason, I think that touch is an important part of the wine tasting process.

Take all of these factors into account when tasting wine.  This seems like a chore at first, but with just a bit of practice, it will enhance your understanding of the wine and will hopefully help you remember it better so you can compare it to others that you will taste and begin to build up a mental library of wines tasted.  And, on tasting trips, it will help you decide which wines to buy and which ones to pass up.

This is a lot to do, especially when tasting 5+ wines at a winery, and multiply that by the 5+ wineries you can visit on a single weekend trip, and even for an experienced drinker, that can be too much to remember.  So, one tip is to take notes.  Every tasting room I’ve been to has had a list of the wines that they taste, printed out on a piece of paper that you can take notes on/keep if you want to.  Be sure to pick one of these up.  Also, ask for a pen or pencil (or carry your own) so that you can make notes.  The helpful thing about the tasting notes provided by the winery is that they will already have some of the important information on them, so just fill in with your own personal notes.  Also, when planning a trip, do a bit of research beforehand.  Pick out wineries that you want to visit, research varietals to keep an eye out for in a particular region, etc.  Have a game plan.  Lastly, don’t be afraid to spit.  Wine does have alcohol in it, so consuming too much can not only make you incapable of driving, it can impair your senses and make it impossible to taste anything meaningful or remember anything about the wine.  Tasting rooms have spittoons that you can use whenever.  It isn’t rude and it won’t offend the people working there.  It is protocol.  In Europe, people spit on the floor of wineries, it’s just what you do.  Get a good taste of the wine and calmly spit into the designated area.  If you look like you know what you are doing, no one will ever question you.  Basically, just do it and don’t make it a big deal.

Hopefully this will take a bit of the edge off of the intimidating situation that is wine tasting.  Remember the goal in tasting is to learn more and find out about stuff you like.  At the end of the day, your taste is the only one that matters, so don’t be intimidated by people that may seem to know more than you.  You always know more about your palate than even the most accomplished wine critic.

The Future of Wine Marketing

Major publications like the New York Times and Wine Spectator have recently written that the wine industry is at a crossroads.  With the economic recession and the millennial generation coming of age, wineries are forced to change their marketing practices to meet the changing demand.  In the past, small wineries could count on their tasting rooms to sell most of their wine, and that, coupled with their wine clubs was enough to provide sustainability. 

With the market saturated with wine that is constantly increasing in quality, many customers have turned their focus toward value.  This shift of trading some of the prestige of expensive wine for the frugality of buying value wine has made created new problems for some wineries, but for wineries that are willing to adapt to the future of the market, this is a great opportunity.

Today, there are a number of widely used social media sites that provide free exposure to brands that are willing to put in the effort to master their uses.  Facebook, Twitter, and blogs (among others) have revolutionized communication and put people in touch in a way that was unimaginable even 10 years ago.  For businesses, these social media engines are an opportunity to advertise for free, and an opportunity to advertise to an entirely new target audience. 

In a recent issue of Wine Spectator, it was written that the generation that has come of age in the last ten years has gotten interested in wine at a younger age than previous generation.  This means that an industry that is steeped in tradition will soon have to change to cater to the generation that is quickly becoming its largest consumer base.  Fortunately, this generation is the one that grew up using the internet and is generally most heavily rooted in social media engines like Facebook and Twitter.  For wineries, this means that catering to their new customers can be done effectively and cheaply, but it will take an effort to learn about these new means of advertising.

As a member of this emerging generation that dominates the market when it comes to wine sales, I have to say that the way I learn about most new wines is online.  Granted, I do not subscribe to any winery facebook pages or twitter accounts, but I do check online deals often and I am inclined to research a product online, especially if it is a more expensive purchase.  Heck, I even bought Bordeaux futures online the other day.  I would love to see a winery master the uses of social media and begin to cater to what I am looking for in wine and in available information.  Gallo has done a good job thus far as they have a wine-food pairing function on their website that will allow users to pick a meal and their programs will choose a wine to match that meal.  I have used this function multiple times, bought the suggested wines and have been happy with it.

The notion of the “wine club” is also changing.  Wine Spectator now rates more wines online than they do in print.  Virtually all wineries have websites and conduct orders through those websites, and while tasting rooms will always provide a valuable connection to the relationship of people, place, and wine, tasting rooms are not the only place where this connection can take place.  Having a wine club that offers more ways to reach out to customers will allow for casual drinkers to learn about the winery and the spirit of the wine without travelling to the site.  Social media makes this easier and more comfortable than it ever has been. 

With producers from all corners of the world in competition, people have more choices than ever when it comes to what wine they will purchase.  And, while I likely did more to raise questions about what is next for wine marketing and social media than actually answer them, I hope this post was interesting and will make you aware of the changing face of the industry.  Take a look at wineries online.  Google “wine club,” to see what pops up.  Check out your favorite winery on Facebook.  There is a whole new world of advertising available to this tradition laden industry, and the extent to which wineries use these new means of advertisement could shape the wine industry for generations to come.

A (Modest) Defense of Merlot

Ever since Paul Giamatti vowed not to drink Merlot in the movie “Sideways,” the varietal has gotten a bad rap of sorts among some wine lovers.  I’ve even been accused of having it out for Merlot (see the comment from my Start Liking Wine post), but it just isn’t true.  I have nothing against Merlot, I enjoy it on the whole.  My problem with Merlot, and the reason I don’t drink the varietal more often is that it is a red wine, and being a red wine, it has more competition from other varietals that I just flat out like better.

I’ve said many times that Chianti is my favorite type of wine; I’ve also written about how I like Rioja, I love Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, wines made with the Barbera grape, Nero d’ Avola, Pinot Noir, and the list goes on and on.  So, with so much competition, I just don’t get around to drinking as much Merlot as I do other varietals.  It is rare that I will walk down the aisle of a grocery store or wine shop and have a bottle of Merlot catch my eye over some of my favorites.

Merlot can be great, both as a stand along varietal, and as a blending grape.  Some of the best wines in the world are blends that are contain significant amounts of Merlot (think Bordeaux).  But, most of my exposure to Merlot has come in the form of the wine that Paul Giamatti cannot stand (side note: in “Sideways,” Giamatti’s prized bottle of wine, a 1961 Cheval Blanc contains about 40% Merlot), Merlot as a standalone varietal.  I enjoy Merlot because it is a diverse wine- it can be either full or light, depending on the location and style in which it is made.  This makes the wine a bit tricky though, you can end up with a heavier version than you might have wanted, or lighter than you anticipated.  So, safe bets for Merlot are brands, or at least regions, that you are familiar with.  On the whole, I would classify Merlot as a smooth wine, so it is pretty easy to drink and pretty easy to pair with a wide variety of dishes.  But while I like all of these things about it, I have to reiterate that it has to compete with all the other red varietals, so for that reason alone, it doesn’t get much love from me.

Think about it: when you have a steak, you want a big, bold wine to go with it (Cab Sav, Syrah, Bordeaux, etc.).  When you have pasta, you go Italian.  Asian and Mexican food generally leads you to white wine.  There just aren’t a whole lot of foods that immediately jump out to me as slam dunk pairings with Merlot (but, Merlot would pair decently well with any of them).  I will say that I could see pizza being a good partner for Merlot (if I decide to take a break from Chianti or don’t happen to have any on hand).  I’ll have to try that pairing next time and report back. 

So Merlot generally gets a thumbs up from me but there isn’t a whole lot of space in my world of red wine for it to get too much playing time.

Brunello di Montalcino

When I can afford it, Brunello di Montalcino is my wine of choice.  It is made with the Sangiovese grape, like my everyday favorite, Chianti, but Brunello is the full expression of what the grape can become.  Brunello can only be produced in a tiny town in Tuscany, Montalcino, and its production is heavily regulated by the Italian government so they can ensure that only the best bears the name Brunello.

I fell in love with wine in Italy, and while I didn’t get to drink Brunello all that often, I had some meaningful exposure to it early in my wine drinking career.  And, since returning to the states, I have tried to always have a bottle or two on hand for those times that I have a craving for it.

Now, Brunello can be frustrating for several reasons.  First and foremost, it is one of those wines that have the potential to age forever, so when you buy a bottle, (ideally) you have to play the waiting game to wait for the wine to hit its “peak.”  This can be frustrating because after spending 50+ dollars on wine, you are likely going to want to drink it.  And, waiting too long to open it can cause the wine to start to decline and not be as good as it once was.  Also, when you do open a bottle, it is recommended that you open it 9+ hours before drinking it.  This means you have to open a bottle to drink at dinner while you are eating breakfast.  This is a pain, but also kind of nice because you get to start your day with the promise of Brunello and have it to look forward to all day long. 

Part of my attraction to Brunello comes from the fact that 3 of the great vintages of recent history for the wine have been the years that I happened to live in Italy.  1997 was considered one of the best vintages in history, 2004 was very good, and reports are that 2006 (not yet released) is way up there as well.  I think that I am just a good luck charm for the wine, so maybe I should move to Italy to ensure that every vintage is perfect.  I’m not usually one for discriminating based on vintages because bad wines can be found in good vintages and vice versa, but my living in Italy trend and the quality of Brunello from each year was too much for me to overlook. 

Just the other night was one of those rare nights that I got to open up a bottle of Brunello.  This one was from 2003, and even at 8 years old, it was extremely young tasting (they mellow out a bit with age and gain some depth).  Granted, I had this wine at a restaurant with a friend and we didn’t get to open it 9 hours early like we should have, but it was still an incredible wine and we got to experience one of the great traits of wine- it evolved with each glass.  As the wine reacted to the air being swirled around the glass and the bottle, the wine opened up so that the first glass was different than last.  Wine is alive in its bottle, and when it dies, it turns to vinegar.  If you want proof that wine is alive, try a bottle of Brunello or young Bordeaux and see how it evolves from the moment you open the bottle until the minute you pour the last glass.

Because opening a bottle of Brunello is a special occasion, it demands a good meal to go with it.  The other night, we had pappardelle al cinghiale (pasta with boar), a classic Tuscan dish, and perfect to pair with the wine.  Good steaks also pair extremely well with the Brunello, you just have to be sure that you eat a meal that will stand up to, thus enhancing the wine, rather than a meal that will just be overpowered by the wine. 

If you like wine and haven’t had the opportunity to try a Brunello yet, I highly recommend it.  It is likely to be a fairly expensive bottle, but it’ll be worth it.

Start Liking Wine

In the spirit of yesterday’s post, I’ve decided to further aid my roommate in his quest to begin liking wine by giving some actual recommendations for him to try out as he learns to like wine.  Yesterday, I worked on the mental aspect for him and wine, today is the physical aspect, so here it goes.

If someone is just beginning to explore wine and hasn’t quite developed a taste for it yet, I would recommend that they start by drinking white wine.  I think that overall, it is a bit more user friendly than red is.  And, when you first start drinking wine, you aren’t necessary looking for the best, you are looking for something that will act as a stepping stone- something that you can enjoy and that will enhance your appreciation of the next bottle that you drink. 

Starting with a Chardonnay would probably be the easiest thing to do.  I make this suggestion for 2 reasons- 1 because there is a ton of Chardonnay available at every store and restaurant, and 2 because it is easy to drink and, when made even half way decently, it tastes pretty good.  Try a Barefoot Chardonnay.  It is cheap, fruity, and not over oaked, meaning that it should be smooth and friendly.  When buying wine, remember that it isn’t necessarily about how much you spend but whether or not you like the wine.  Aka, ignore the stigma that comes with price tags (especially when the price is on the low side) low prices don’t always mean bad wine and high prices don’t guarantee good wines.

After the Chardonnay, I would move onto a Riesling.  Chateau Ste. Michelle makes a good one and, again it is cheap.  The move from Chardonnay to Riesling will show drinkers the variety that different varietals can offer.  The Riesling will be lighter, and will be more acidic (stinging the tongue a bit), but it will also be fruitier.  You will taste citrus fruits (acid), melons, pears, and any number of other fruits.  It is a great wine to drink cold on a warm day.

Now is when we move onto the red wines.  I’m going to suggest that new drinkers start with a Pinot Noir.  I pick the Pinot Noir because they are light, fruity, but also have the earthy tones that you can find in some other types of red wine, making it a good introduction to the heavier wines.  For this varietal, the recommendation is La Crema Pinot Noir from Sonoma.  This is a middle class Pinot that will be a bit more expensive than the whites, but one that is a good “gateway” wine for people moving down the path into wine appreciation.

After the Pinot, we move onto Chianti, my favorite.  Again, this is a softer, medium red that is easier to drink than some of the big, spicy, heavy varietals out there.  For my money, Da Vinci makes one of the best Chiantis out there (widely distributed in the US that is).  Chianti is a fun wine.  It has a bit of everything that a red wine should- fruit, spice, earth, drinkability, etc.  Hopefully by this point, you are beginning to realize the differences in types of flavors a wine has, even if you can’t specify them individually.

Last on this list is a Cabernet Sauvignon- the most popular red wine in the United States.  This heavy red will have dark fruit flavors and will also occasionally taste like the soil in which the grapes were grown, leather, tobacco, pepper, and other spices.  For this one, try a Merryvale Starmont.  It is a good wine, straightforward and will give you a great example of a good Cabernet, and will hopefully open your eyes to all that wine has to offer.

Now, with all the wine that I’ve recommended, I would suggest that you have it with food.  Wine is better with food, especially when you are just beginning to appreciate it.  Pairing wine with food can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t need to be.  As a general rule, just pair the color of the wine to the color of the food.  Dark meat, red wine.  Light meat, white wine.  This works pretty well and will usually give you a decent pairing.

Happy drinking!  Hope you enjoy the suggestions and hopefully it helps people out as they try to appreciate wine.

Why All Guys Should Like Wine.

I just had a roommate move into my apartment, and when I offered him some wine the other day, he declined saying he “doesn’t like wine.”  I responded by saying: “you’ll learn.”

That got me thinking about how/why people (men in particular) could not like wine.  True, it does taste pretty awful until you gain a taste for it and an appreciation for it, but so does beer.  True, Sauvignon Blanc can taste like minerals and have vegetal tastes/smells, and red wines can taste of earth, leather, and tobacco, all of which don’t sound appealing at all, but not liking wine on the whole?  I can’t understand it or justify it with any kind of argument.  So I’ll do the opposite.  I’m going to make the argument that all men should like wine.

Reason 1, women like wine.  In America, something like 75% of wine is purchased by women and 60% of wine is consumed by women.  So, since most men my age have the goal of getting with a woman, it would benefit a guy to develop a liking for wine to improve his chances with the majority of females that drink wine.

Reason 2, it is much more likely that women judge men for drinking whiskey or beer than it is for them to judge men for drinking wine.  Think about it, drink too much whiskey and you’re an alcoholic, drink too much beer, and you get a “beer belly.”  Drink too much wine?  You’re cultured.  Ok, so this paragraph was a bit harsh on females and quick to jump to conclusions, but you get the picture.  Wine doesn’t carry the negative vibes that other forms of alcohol do.

Reason 3, wine is the ultimate guy drink.  Why?  Because most people don’t know a whole lot about wine so it lets guys boost their egos by talking knowledgably about wine.  And, since wine is so complex and every taste is different to every person, guys can bs their way through it if they sound confident and opinionated.

Reason 4, more so than other beverages, wine can be a status symbol.  If you have a date you want to impress, break out a good bottle of wine.  If you want to impress the in-laws, bring a nice bottle of wine to dinner.  Need a gift for a client or a boss, buy them wine.  Quite apart from drinking wine for pleasure, it is one of the most useful drinks out there to make impressions on people.

I’ll have to update this list as more ideas come to mind, and will probably refine the reasons that I have already stated, but all in all, there is no downside to liking wine.  It can help you out in so many different ways throughout the course of your life.  So, roommate, keep drinking and you’ll learn to appreciate wine.