tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317303912024-03-23T13:07:02.486-05:00Vite Vinifera De Vino's BlogEat Well! Drink Well!! Live Well!!!De Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-48824908381695186532010-05-04T08:44:00.013-05:002010-05-14T13:25:47.148-05:00Vintages<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_H1CVITYpmD9zm5LxBeXG488bBzeLoA37YfTaAGUloUeOjRdz7DEvWTbxdgtfwYDpgWbLRRCBU9GIsoLE8Dz2fixdhZ8J6QdpZOtH_QE-pdu0hqPjjj4pQ9CpN6Occbuq1KkdVg/s1600/P1010253.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_H1CVITYpmD9zm5LxBeXG488bBzeLoA37YfTaAGUloUeOjRdz7DEvWTbxdgtfwYDpgWbLRRCBU9GIsoLE8Dz2fixdhZ8J6QdpZOtH_QE-pdu0hqPjjj4pQ9CpN6Occbuq1KkdVg/s400/P1010253.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471193561869756194" border="0" /></a><br /><span><span>Timing, as the saying goes, is everything. The art of doing the right thing at the right time is often a result of intuition and experience. Good timing is also often ruled by the unseen forces of luck and fate, which have made themselves known to us throughout human history (not too long ago we thought the earth was flat). Fate, luck and good timing are what prompted me talk about vintages in today's post.<br /><br />We all know that vintages can make a difference in taste, even if we're not sure how. In truth, a lot of us somehow have that knowledge branded in our brains. Sometimes we care about it even when is not really a factor. How have we learned about different years and their reputations? Most likely, it is because somebody reliable told us, "this vintage is good," or "this vintage is not so good." Since we cannot be present for every harvest of our favorite wines, we are left to trust wine professionals and friends. But how do those people define a great year, or an okay one, or a bad one? Here is where one can take a million different roads, depending on who he asks... and where he asks.<br /><br />Take, for example, the 1997 vintage in Italy. In Montalcino, the general consensus is that 1997 was one of the best vintages of the century. In Barolo, the vintage was also good, but experts will tell you that wines from 1997 will not last as long as wines from 1996, which happened to be a very poor year for Montalcino. How does one define a great vintage? Is it better when a year is hot or cold? Rainy or dry? Sunny or cloudy? There's no way to make a determination with a universal rule; such a thing doesn't exist. The answer lies in a single word, and is as easy as it is complicated --<br /><br />balance!!!<br /><br />I asked my teacher, the master winemaker Roberto Cipresso, what balance means, and if he could define a common rule for it that was valid all around the globe. He said that balance in viticulture has to do with the tangible factors of sugar, PH (acidity) and tannin (antioxidant), and the intangible factor of timing. In an ideal year, with a regular season cycle, there is an even maturation of the grapes, and the three tangible factors will be evident in the fruit. Of the three Roberto told me that the tannins are the most important. This is because the maturation of the tannins can be extremely variable, where sugar and acidity can be more easily managed, and will result in fewer surprises in the bottle. His words showed me, literally created an image, of what this all business was about. "Tannins will give me a good indication of how the year was," he told me, and he began to describe some of the specific indicators. "When the seed is red and crunchy, when the skin transfers the color to the pulp when you lightly touch the grape, or if I chew the skin for few minutes and the tannins are not bitter - these are all really good signs." Those qualities, matched with a balanced PH and an agreeable level of sugar (so as not to have a wine with exorbitant alcohol content) makes a great vintage.<br /><br />After that conversation with Roberto, I had a vocabulary for defining a "good" vintage. Then, I asked myself: what does "great" vintage mean, and does every grape need the same weather and season to meet those requirements? Let's start from the second question: the answer, frankly, is no. Vines adapt to their environments, and have been proven to do so quickly and efficiently. A balanced year for Burgundy, Barolo or Montalcino will have unique characteristics, as will the grapes for all of the different regions of the world. Just because all grapes are similar doesn't mean that each vine has the same optimal environment. To me, that would be like saying that every child should be raised the exact same way, regardless of advantages or shortcomings. It's just not true.<br /><br />The first question needs a little more articulation to the answer. "Great" is a value judgment, and since we have an idea of what "good" vintage is, we're obviously looking for something... well... better. For this reasoning, I return to the idea of time: more time makes a greater wine. Generally speaking, a "great" vintage translates into wines that have a notably long aging potential (buying a wine that has many decades of longevity is a good investment - vintage is often an excellent indicator of a wine's lifespan). Technically speaking, a wine will live longer when the fruit goes through an even maturation. This is a rare occurrence, and the result is a well-balanced wine that will develop evenly, elevating the wine's overall structure. Evenly developed tannins (neither to ripe nor too green) will also preserve longevity, as well as the acidity. There are, of course, a number of vintage exceptions to the rule that equates greatness with longevity. 1990, 1997, and 2000 for example, were all fairly warm years, but the vintages are almost unanimously described as "great." This may be because the wines were exemplary of their appellations, or perhaps because warmer vintages tend to be more approachable at an early stage of life, and the wines' great qualities were more immediately evident. Whatever conclusions we draw, we must remember that we are judging with a lot of subjectivity, and that no vintage is universally "great."<br /><br />By the same token, no vintage is universally "bad." I think it is worthwhile to look especially at the wines from great producers in difficult years. Here are a few reasons why. </span></span><span><span>Primarily (and most importantly, I believe) a man's hand can take action to deal with the problems that derive from unfavorable weather. This means that a skilled and experienced "vignaiolo" can develop the ability to manage his vines, and after careful supervision of his cellar, great wines can still emerge. A good winemaker can (and often will) downgrade the wine, using the best juices for what would be considered a "lesser" label. For example, in Montalcino in 2002 (a generally poor vintage), many great Brunello producers used all of their fruit to produce only Rosso di Montalcino, which bears a shorter aging standard and fewer fermentation requirements.<br /><br /></span></span><div>Another reason to look at good wines from bad vintages is more sentimental and emotional than it is practical. It has to do with the fact that any bottle of wine has a "memory"; the nectar in the glass will, in a sense, "remember" how hot, wet, cold or dry the year was. A few years ago I went to visit Riccardo Talenti in Montalcino and tasted his 2002 Brunello. We talked about bottling that year, and he told me that he corked only a few thousand bottles (very low production) and put a tremendous amount of effort into carefully selecting grapes. In the end, he managed to create a very good Brunello, a wine that he was happy with, but only because he worked so hard and sacrificed so much. He put his efforts in terms of history: he didn't make Brunello in 2002 for monetary reasons... he did it because he didn't want to miss the chance to do what only the greatest producers are able to do -- create good wines in bad years.<br /><br /></div><div>I found the resulting wine from Talenti was quite impressive, considering that the main problem in 2002 was a prolonged rain stretch at the end of the maturation, which can be devastating to a crop. The wine holds within it the memory of the year; truthful, not built. I bought a case of six bottles for a good price, and I am happy to say I have enjoyed them a few times already.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the casual imbiber: "great" vintages are good to know, but a "bad" vintage will give you the opportunity to really single out a "great" wine. It is also a great standard on which you can purchase wines from renowned producers at a favorable prices. This can help to increase your experience without killing your bank. For the collectors: I will repeat what Mark, a great lover of wine and huge collector from London, told my good friend Piers: the memory of a particular year, good or bad, will fade. Look for great producers in off years - inevitably, the name will outlast the year.</div><div><br />Remember: don't dismiss a "bad" vintage too hastily - you could be missing out on a great opportunity!<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Buona Bevuta a Tutti</div>De Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-59318923876873591372010-04-29T18:46:00.002-05:002010-04-30T12:29:24.550-05:00Instruction Manual<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDMvxt584gbJgg1GkWAI8j9ZKWSOitawaReif2WYYUBU4SCmlBkpylHSykVgLNQhx1ynTZrRMP25Y-2ows5MmsI4yrLYzSuPyCoPRVi-6eHj9SP1fZp90AffouPMcDI_Z1Y5zAcg/s1600/DSC_0094.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDMvxt584gbJgg1GkWAI8j9ZKWSOitawaReif2WYYUBU4SCmlBkpylHSykVgLNQhx1ynTZrRMP25Y-2ows5MmsI4yrLYzSuPyCoPRVi-6eHj9SP1fZp90AffouPMcDI_Z1Y5zAcg/s320/DSC_0094.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465983796151157586" border="0" /></a><br />Understanding wine is not limited to being able to provide a description of it. Understanding a wine also means knowing how to drink it. And no, knowing how to put the glass to your lips is not enough.<br /><br />In my previous post I talked about trade tastings, where a taster can try many different wines; today, I'd like to focus specifically on studying a single bottle. It's very important, I believe, to continue learning about the things you care for. With wine, going deeper and learning more means profoundly understanding a particular juice, which requires a lot of time, drinking many different bottles of the same stuff. Now, let's say you're getting a bottle (probably from your trusted store!) that you've never had before, and you walk out without any instruction on how to drink it. What would happen? Often, people don't know what to do - sometimes even I don't know, if it's a bottle I've never had before. That is when I sit back and I let the wine talk to me; I literally let it "open up" to me.<br /><br />For example: there is a winery in California called Coturri. They are certified organic, and their wines have the lowest allowable concentration of sulfates. Every time you open a bottle of theirs, it's a journey, and I love to try them time and again. After several different tastes, I have come to believe that the Coturris work with oxidation: sulfates are antioxidants, so a low sulfate content will not protect a wine from oxidizing. That said, a winemaker might as well use that process in his or her favor. This can have some interesting results. When you open a bottle, sometimes it will smell... you might even think it's bad. Obviously, I had this very experience. So the first thing I did was try to understand if the wine was dead or alive - I poured half a finger in a crystal glass and smelled it, set a benchmark and waited few minutes. Then, I smelled it again and noticed that the wine was losing its initial, unpleasant funk and was coming together. It was alive!!!<br /><br /><div>After that, I periodically tried it in small sips from fresh pours until it seemed ready. And when it was, I poured myself a glass and sipped, and began my analysis of the juice. Oxygen interacts with wine, developing it until it reaches a peak, and then through its subsequent decay. At the beginning, I poured only a small quantity because I wanted to have more air in contact with less wine. This technique accelerates the process of oxidation, like decanting. When I felt the wine was ready, I wanted to slow that process, so I could have time to understand what was happening in the bottle itself. By the end of that experience, I had learned that this particular wine was not a wine to drink immediately; it needs time and patience, so I refrain from recommending it for any occasion where time is short. I also make sure to mention that it can age in the bottle for at least another decade or more. After few hours that wine had lost all of its oxidation flavors and it was simply delicious.<br /><br />I purposely didn't mention which of the Coturri wines was the star of that story. Here's why: I have found that a winery's style is reflected in different degrees, depending on the bottle. To some extent, all of the Coturri wines will act like the one I had (I confirmed that intuition later, by opening all of their wines). But some may not take so long - others may take even longer. I don't want to tell you that you'll have the exact same experience that I had, because you may not; the specifics vary from bottle to bottle. The goal in fact is not just to detect and expose flavors to your friends, or to know a wine dead-on before you open it. The goal is to develop the ability to choose the right wine for the right occasion and to know what to do with it. That skill will dramatically change the emotions you'll feel and improve the overall experience of your meals, or whatever situation in which you've chosen to enjoy your wine. Then, you can transfer your knowledge to your wine friends, and they can do the same for you. You'll save time and money in the process of becoming informed winos.<br /><br />One bottle is never enough. If you find a wine you love, you should try it over and over, especially at the beginning of the journey. After years of experience, you'll have enough know-how to understand or at least have an idea of what to do even before opening a bottle. Your brain will be trained to remember better and to categorize the wine so that you'll be able to choose more deftly. Knowing more also make you more confident. You'll believe in your intuitions and surprise your friends and yourself by choosing wines you've never had before, but already having an idea of what they will be like. In this process, learning one bottle of wine will provide you with a knowledge base for countless other bottles - an invaluable category of information.<br /><br />I'll finish today with a short anecdote about wine confidence, and how it can truly guide you to new and exciting choices. I trust my wine intuitions often when I'm out with my girlfriend Susan; she is very passionate about food and wine, her palate is refined and challenging and even though she could easily pick a wine, she often asks me to do it. She made me think about being more specific in the way I choose wine from a list in a restaurant; several times after I'd made my selection, she would ask if I knew the wine. If I answered "no," she would ask what made me choose that particular bottle. I've always had to think about the answer, and at least at the beginning I wasn't able to put it into words... I was following a system but I didn't really know I had one. Having been coerced to think about it, I was inspired to write this post, through which I am finally able to provide an answer. I look at the list with confidence: if I see the selection is well thought-out, then I trust the palate behind the list, and my confidence increases. Then, if I know the wines from that region are good, and I am curious to try a new producer who I know to be very capable, again, my level of confidence rises, and ultimately, using my own intuition and shared information, I choose a wine I've never had before, and am often pleased with the results, and the subsequent journey.<br /><br />I hope that in the future, sharing this kind of information will be the main focus of wine publication as well. I also think it would be very useful if wineries themselves wrote suggestions for how to enjoy their wines on their back labels. Until that happens, the helm of the ship on your wine journey belongs solely to you - navigate well, and the journey will be unforgettable.<br /><br />Buona Bevuta a Tutti<br /></div>De Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-43044325949091209062010-04-09T12:00:00.000-05:002010-04-09T13:34:45.485-05:00Quick Sips<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpOzqUiozi-mceNYls5tR2Xp9TpdddYKftlwPmv7Rg14X5Lb50lOgfgJqF3pLqzv4TiOOJu88yd7mPsHActr28C3h9pEW-f8rN_FP8VYdKqCL-ysVhyphenhyphen-3gKyJe5ZrRDycbvPPk_Q/s1600/trade+tasting.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpOzqUiozi-mceNYls5tR2Xp9TpdddYKftlwPmv7Rg14X5Lb50lOgfgJqF3pLqzv4TiOOJu88yd7mPsHActr28C3h9pEW-f8rN_FP8VYdKqCL-ysVhyphenhyphen-3gKyJe5ZrRDycbvPPk_Q/s400/trade+tasting.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457853815927658402" border="0" /></a>If you read my previous post and found some truth in it, you may be looking for a new approach to the wine world. This particular world is not made of absolutes, there is no mathematical certainty. Even if you are able to retain untold volumes of wine statistics, the numbers and figures are bound to change every single year.<br /><br />So - how can we value a wine? A good start, I feel, is to create a sort of template that will put 'apples with apples and oranges with oranges,' so to speak. There are many different ways to taste and drink wine; in trade tastings or blind tastings, with food or without it, vertically or horizontally (no, that has nothing to do with body orientation... verticals are when you taste different vintages of the same wine from the same producer, and horizontals involve only one vintage), all these different ways will allow you to see and appreciate wine from different angles and prospective. Today, I'm going to stick to an analysis of trade tasting.<br /><br />When I'm tasting professionally, I'll have maybe two sips of each individual wine, and often I don't actually drink it - I spit it. All professionals have their own specific objectives at trade tastings. My goals are few and simple: I'm either trying new wines, or new vintages of wines I already know. In both cases, my limited tasting time forces me to taste the wine without context (trade tastings are often packed with people, and it is common to feel rushed). Instead, I make a summary judgment either on the differences from previous vintages, or the basic objective value of the wines (if I haven't tried them before).<br /><br />When I attend these tastings, my sole objective is to find wine that eventually I will buy for De-Vino. That action is comparable to being a critic, with one main difference: I do not primarily use my own personal taste. I buy based on more objective parameters; overall quality, observable elements of the bouquet, palate and finish (regardless of the style), balance, and acidity. Independent of my individual taste, I believe those criteria to be sturdy and thorough in the general assessment of a wine. There are, of course, more detailed parameters applied for specific kinds of wines; for instance, reds require a judgment regarding tannins, and in champagne, the finesse of the "perlage" must be taken into account. Provenance, the size of the winery and price are also key factors. A wine can be spectacular, but horribly outpriced for the market.<br /><br />These points will work for any style of wine, and I think they are just about as objective as they can be, especially in a field where personal taste is so highly prized. In this particular kind of tasting, whether or not I like a wine isn't as important as whether or not I believe my customers will like that same wine, keeping in mind, we may not have similar tastes. Sometimes I feel as though trade tasting is like speed dating; but, instead of meeting women, I meet wines.<br /><br />I don't mean to make it seem as though professional tasting is impersonal and menial. It's not. Going to big tastings lets you asses a flavor and style profile; modern, traditional, fruity, dry, full, light, floral, astringent, velvety... you can develop a vocabulary to match the sensations you get from the wines. It is also a good way for non-professional palates to create flavor memories. Part of my own education consisted of going to trade tastings with wine experts. Often, the producer himself (or herself!) will be pouring the wines, so just listening to the conversations between producers and experts can be a great resource. You'll learn about tannins, acidity, wood, mold, yeast, sugar, flavors and countless other elements of the winemaking and tasting process. That said, listening should always be a big part of the process. It certainly has been for me, from listening to my parents talking about wine at dinner as a kid, up to now, listening to the wine itself. If you're just starting out, don't worry if most of what is said doesn't mean anything to you. Consider, perhaps, that you are accumulating dots that only time and experience can connect. With patience, every piece of the puzzle will come together.<br /><br />Trade tastings are a great resource. It's like scratching the tip of the iceberg - it's a great way to broadly taste numerous wines and help you increase your flavor data base, learn terminology and vinification techniques from the people of the trade. But! It will not give you the value of emotion, because you are tasting wine without context, and thereby without the mechanism required appreciate the more subtle complexities it may have to offer.<br /><br />In the next few posts I will keep on analyze different ways to taste and appreciate wine, hopefully giving you more dots that than we can try to connect together. So for now and until next time...<br /><br />...Buona Bevuta a TuttiDe Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-28218313476881000502010-03-26T12:00:00.000-05:002010-03-26T15:43:02.486-05:00And We Are Back<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bPs6FigXSVXMgXCVy0cK8vRttXputcgp94UCxdh_ZvHKs4CM-yeqiTccdMmuKOG2eNo-Cbf1ceNGkJdyaVQUHEeg9wR9n4_4wanAesUdudmnOo_vIZEG4_ejnZQqKjAKfo5Yrw/s1600/deserto+aussie.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bPs6FigXSVXMgXCVy0cK8vRttXputcgp94UCxdh_ZvHKs4CM-yeqiTccdMmuKOG2eNo-Cbf1ceNGkJdyaVQUHEeg9wR9n4_4wanAesUdudmnOo_vIZEG4_ejnZQqKjAKfo5Yrw/s320/deserto+aussie.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452699694167008562" border="0" /></a>After a long silence, I have decided to come back to my blog. I'm not sure yet how often I will post, but for those of you that are interested I will write more regularly.<br /><br />There were many reasons behind my silence; one in particular was the sore state of the wine industry. It somehow made me lose hope, and thereby the will to write. The past year was difficult for many reasons... 2009 was the year of scandals, fights, accusations and a lots of turmoil in our world. There were many voices focusing on wines that were considered "great deals," and the fight for quality was definitely lost against the economic meltdown. On top of that, we had the Brunello scandal, which was not much of a scandal in my eyes. All of a sudden, purveyors became concerned that some of the wines bearing the name "Brunello di Montalcino" contained grapes other than Sangiovese (the DOCG law prohibits this). The notion that many Brunellos are composed this way was, to me, a well known fact, and it made me laugh to see the major Montalcino players in the "defendant" role. Even the "Consorzio" hierarchy, the ones who presumably preserve the Brunello quality, were accused of wrongdoing. The same sore of scandal occurred in Chianti and in the North of Italy where few wineries decided to bottle of Pinot Grigio and Prosecco that were tainted with muriatic acid (the same chemical as hydrochloric acid - yum!), and similar problems plagued some of the highly prized Bordeaux wines. It was fun to see the excuses behind the scandals; most of Montalcino blamed American wine critics. Evidently, in order to please the "American" palate, the winemakers had to put unauthorized grapes into their Brunello... so they were forced to break the law to sell their products. How absurd - especially if one thinks that critics are there to protect quality, when they often, in fact, force producers to lower it.<br /><br />Where is the truth? As always, I see it to be in the middle. Italians love shortcuts, the so-called "easy way." So, instead of trying to let the critics understand and explain what "Good Brunello" should be, they figured it would be easier (and cheaper!) to just tailor the wines to the critics' taste. Great job! Congratulations!!! The real misfortune is that, in spite of all the scandal, not much has changed. Critics still think that wine can be categorized with points and wineries still try to get higher scores in every way possible, even with clandestine methods, to sell more.<br /><br />Things aren't much different than they were a year ago... but I think it's time to express myself again. I will try, starting now, to approach the subject from a different angle. I will try to let go of the "Which Is The Best Wine?" philosophy, and focus more on When And Why Is A Wine Good?" Hopefully, this will leave my readers with options, rather than a hard and fast suggestion based on some circumstantial idea of expertise. I don't believe in the best wine, but in the right wine at the right time. So, instead of prizing a theoretical "best," I will give you options that you can use at your own "right time."<br /><br />Tasting many wines for work and drinking as many for pleasure, I often wonder why the point system is so successful. I mean, really. Does anyone really believe that the millions of differences that exist in as many wines can be explained and categorized with a 100-point chart? I've had wines that, on a given night, were perfect. Then, on another arbitrary night, the same wine was not as exceptional. That could have happened for several reasons: maybe my state of mind was different. I might have been upset, tired, taking medication or eating something different that didn't pair as well. Most likely, the weather conditions were also different; warmer, colder, drier or wetter. All of those factors change the perception of what a person is tasting.<br /><br />That said, it might be more useful if the point-based wine reviews also disclosed the conditions in which the wine was tasted. That way, enthusiasts will know that a particular wine was a 99-pointer when it was tasted after great news, or the taster was very happy, or had great sex the night before, or... whatever. Then, perhaps the same wine was an 85-pointer after the taster was audited by the IRS, or had a fight with his wife and slept on the couch, or was taking aspirin for a migraine. Obviously, I'm exaggerating the situation to give you a better idea, but if you consider the difference a 90 or a 95 score makes for sales, it's clear how important it can be to know the state of mind and the environmental settings when the wine is tasted. It is true that a professional taster is able to adjust and take in consideration things like palate fatigue or other interfering factors... but trust me, it is very difficult to be that objective, even for a professional.<br /><br />Scoring wines in a more realistic sense, however, is essentially pointless. Why? Because we all have different palates. I, for instance, like more challenging and austere wines. It's rare for me to like - or even see the value in - many 95+ Parker point wines... not because I have a better or worst palate than he does, but because I have a DIFFERENT palate. With Robert Parker, you deal with a well-defined style; many wineries around the world have been "Parkerized," meaning that they produce bigger, more concentrated, fruit-forward wines, because that's what Parker likes. So, when you buy a wine with a 95+ Parker score, you know that is going to be a big juicy wine. Easy. With a lot of wine publication, however, it's not that simple. You don't deal with just one palate or style, so the scores are all over the map, which makes deciding on a wine even harder for the final consumer. The scores just confuse the situation. And that's not even considering the fact that these publications also need to generate revenue of their own, leaving any active consumer with lingering suspicions regarding the origin of a wine's score. It is a vicious circle that can lead to uniform wines - if all producers start to make their wines for the critics, we will lose diversity for the sake of just a few palates. This is already happening in many places, like Chile and Spain... and the noble region of Montalcino.<br /><br />So let's find a new way to talk about wines together. Let's look at these beautiful juices with a perspective that is less mathematical and more empirical. Let's focus more on the right fit than on an abstract search for a non-existent "best." Wine is a complex matter, and I think that trying to simplify it is not the best we can do to transfer our passion to fellow enthusiasts. I think that the best thing we can do as wine professionals is to teach the people how to think with their own heads (and palates) instead of relying on someone else's numerical accounts. Let's get to it.<br />... Buona Bevuta a TuttiDe Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-66870296630378930222009-06-05T13:10:00.003-05:002009-07-05T16:50:29.855-05:00What Has Happened to the Journey?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0710/MilkyWayRoad_landolfi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 420px;" src="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0710/MilkyWayRoad_landolfi.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>A wise man once said that the greatest pleasure is not in the destination, but in the journey. In today's world, it seems we are way too focused on our destinations, so much so that we rush through our journeys, or we take the so-called shortcuts. Applied to wine, the journey is the time a vine needs to grow deep roots, or for a bottle to develop and reach its potential. When I try a new wine or a new vintage of something previously tried, I usually open it, pour a small amount in the glass, and try it right there to get an idea of the wine's initial condition. This helps me foresee how much time it needs to be ready to be drunk. A decanter will speed the process up, but sometimes it will speed it up too much, with the risk that the wine will die in your glass. Of course, you'll get the wine ready in a much shorter amount of time, but in doing so, you'll miss the journey, you'll miss years of the wine's life. To me, it's like giving birth to a kid that is already 21 years old and an adult, and I would hate to lose the experience of all of the years in between. I learned about the pleasure of the journey by riding motorcycles. I used to take long trips, and always chose the side roads over the highways, if only because they are much more beautiful to ride. I once went from Manhattan to Montreal, a ride that would have taken 8 hours on the highway. It took us 3 days, but it was one of the most wonderful trips I have ever taken. I was lucky enough to experience a wine after I saw, 5 years before, the vines right after they'd been planted. I saw them growing, until they were old enough to produce wine, and then tried the wine, and realize that it was better the day after it had been opened. The way I see it, waiting for a wine or the vines to be ready should be, romantically, part of the enjoyment. Seeing how it develops, like a baby taking its first steps, or saying its first words, is an irreplaceable experience.<br />Buona Bevuta a TuttiDe Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-60528482238198239852009-04-21T22:00:00.009-05:002009-04-22T14:47:56.469-05:00Nice evening at The Ten Bells<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://newyork.metromix.com/content_image/full/404386/560/370"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 389px; height: 209px;" src="http://newyork.metromix.com/content_image/full/404386/560/370" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I was introduced to The Ten Bells a few months ago, when I went for the Dresners' after-tasting party. Since then, I've been back another 4 times and liked it more every time. This is probably because it took me some time to get over the fact that they are cash only, and they serve amazing wines, but in the smallest glasses imaginable. The Ten Bells is a very informal French Bistro with no menus or lists. Everything they serve is written on huge chalk boards on the walls, where the decor is proportionally inverse to the quality of the plates and wines served. The service is home style, but the staff has a good grip on their extended wine list. As you can see in the picture to your left, they use a Erlenmeryer flask as decanter, the silverware is available in water glasses, and the bar napkins can be found in good old-fashioned silver dispensers, a symbol of many diners around the world.<br />Last night I went there with Bobby, an old friend who had moved to Austin a year ago or so. He came to visit and I brou<img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjl_XuzZ7Ib4p2i3-W5xk6NKkip5Y9Od_SQoBL6IIHwlqopmfRzhOg5kRtMfJR9accUMnbotbtF9xu9atOSDGV26dWx6RFK0YwytnUHdgFQxMpICJkkltfN-ilWBNSMjBpZia6A/s320/IMG_0205.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326506476782759650" border="0" />ght him to The Ten Bells for some wine and food. We chose an impressive bottle of Chinon 1989 from Olga Raffault, an organic producer, like all others present on their list. This was a Cabernet Franc from 50 year-old vines, facing south over the beautiful Loire Valley, in Savigny en Veron. Emily, our helpful and prepared wine-tender uncorked the bottle and poured some in the 500 ml "decanter" and a small amount into our tiny glasses. Contradictions are part of the charm of this place, and I have learned to love them. The wine was already open and still very vibrant in the nose, the palate, and the finish - it really didn't show 20 years of age. Herbal spices, red currant with hints of mushrooms and barnyard filled the nose, very elegant, with a complex simplicity typical of wines made by great "vignerole" that respect the vines more than favoring the cellar. While the wine was breathing we picked from the above-mentioned chalk board a spicy duck tartare, some delicate and lean lamb prosciutto, an octopus and potato salad, delicious, warm, seductive, and spicy that comfortably melted in my mouth, and finally, some trustworthy Cacciatorini. The Chinon was flowing and quickly opening (even too quickly), with persistent minerality and clear<img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://www.olga-raffault.com/images/stories/olga/picasses.jpg" alt="" border="0" />thinness. The wine was structured and ethereal and the texture built on the mature and yet still firm tannins. In the end, I'm not sure this bottle benifitted from decanting, as it had a fairly short window of vibrancy, and I had the sensation that the wine was descending by the last glass.<div>If you'd like to go there, I highly reccomend it - try to abide the unwritten house rules, and bring cash since no plastic is accepted.<br /><br />The Ten Bells is located at 247 Broome St., between Ludlow and Orchard.<br /><br /></div><div>Buona Bevuta a Tutti </div>De Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-56274224623696793772009-04-11T13:11:00.004-05:002009-04-11T13:21:49.120-05:00A volte capita......di svegliarsi non immaginando quel che si scoprira`, a volte capita di leggere una frase che cattura la tua attenzione non sapendone ancora il motivo, a volte capita di chiedere perche` "non ha senso" e di scoprire che un'amico di vecchia data se ne andato sbattendo addosso ad una macchina. La vita e anche questo purtroppo!!!<br />Ciao Riccardo Riposa In PaceDe Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-51670233330279927142009-04-01T11:27:00.005-05:002009-04-01T11:41:36.601-05:00Sadly I have to announce...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RbYy44cB0MQLG1SZ4b8pjN9_mFIyeSEyK1bAuNONe3Yf2uR8z0AdNNlP2x_oUZYRloXMCRMRNr-nBIFpSHMzQnqAV8uywMnuH5IWxyixRygsVdo6RuTPVbeOpWOPgeXRn9JvTQ/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RbYy44cB0MQLG1SZ4b8pjN9_mFIyeSEyK1bAuNONe3Yf2uR8z0AdNNlP2x_oUZYRloXMCRMRNr-nBIFpSHMzQnqAV8uywMnuH5IWxyixRygsVdo6RuTPVbeOpWOPgeXRn9JvTQ/s200/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319763140388255554" border="0" /></a>...that my journey in the United States has come to an end.<br />I sold the store and I'll be moving to Australia where I was hired by Yellow Tail. I'll be their ambassador to enhance the perception of the high quality levels Yellow Tail wines had reached to the world population.<br />I'll be gone by the end of the month it was a pleasure talking with you all for so many years.<br /><br />Buona Bevuta a Tutti and Happy April's FoolDe Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-20376709230398960962009-03-30T12:29:00.000-05:002009-03-30T22:04:52.929-05:00Wine in grocery stores?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/42/120628492_d8e8a7f66c.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 332px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/42/120628492_d8e8a7f66c.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>... Well, why not? I actually never understood why there are so many (seemingly) idiotic rules regarding alcohol in this country. After the Prohibition Act was repealed, each state retained the right to regulate for itself most matters pertaining to alcohol. The irony is that today the country that invented the free trade market and promoted the World Trade Organization does not have free trading within its own borders. Here's a great example: if I ship a bottle of wine to Massachusetts I can be incarcerated for a class A felony.<br /><br />What needs to change in order to have a fair competition between small stores and supermarkets? The first couple of issues I can see are the multiple locations - in NYS you are not allowed to participate in any way under more than one retail license. Does that apply to the new license for the grocery stores, or they will have the same rules they have now to sell beer? In that case, they will be allowed to have multiple licenses and if the current laws do not change, the retail stores certainly will not do it of their own accord. Second - are the retailers allowed to sell products other than alcohol and accessories? Current laws prohibit this, creating another huge disparity between the retail and liquor licenses. And finally, the hours of operation have to be reconsidered; stores are currently allowed to sell alcohol from 9 am to 12 pm Monday thru Saturday, and 12 Pm to 9 Pm on Sundays; grocery stores can sell beer until 3 am every day.<br /><br />So far there are no answers on how these issues will be handled. Obviously the supermarket lobbies are pushing to leave the things as they are, so they'll have an overwhelming advantage, and of course, retailers associations are raising numerous questions that have thus far gone unanswered.<br /><br />Personally I'm not scared of those changes. I'm actually in favor of free trading, where it's really free, and no one is ostracized because of economic reasons. I would like to have clearer (and fewer) rules, so that we all play under the same commandments. I doubt that will happen any time soon, considering the revenues that are connected to this trade. Some states act like private businesses, operating in total absence of competition, resulting in higher prices and lack of choices for the final consumer, and big revenues in the order of billions of dollars every year for the state. So now I'm curious to see what new changes will occur, knowing that there is a reason why stores like mine exist - I hope the powers that be will keep that in mind when it's time to decide what game to play.<br />Buona Bevuta a Tutti!!!De Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-15173797503535485622009-03-04T22:00:00.001-05:002009-03-05T12:08:36.816-05:00Choices.....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.openingsny.com/img/artist-Abplanalp/vineyards_III.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 307px; height: 507px;" src="http://www.openingsny.com/img/artist-Abplanalp/vineyards_III.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>That is the main job of a "vignerole"; making choices!<br />A while ago during a conversation with Roberto Cipresso, the subject of choices came up. That's when he told me that he wasn't so good technically speaking but he is good in making the right decisions. He also talked about intuition and sensibility.<br />Those 2 words are actually closely related to each other, without sensibility you can't hear your intuitive side. Roberto's sensibility allows him to "feel" the ripeness of the grape, "feel" the weather and then pick then right day to begin the harvest. One more piece to the puzzle is that, with some exceptions, there is no right or wrong decisions made during the wine-making process, the result is a difference in the wine. The different styles, philosophies and beliefs in making wine are neither right or wrong but they are just different paths to achieve different results. Let's take as an example a modern producer versus a traditional one with similar quality standards; both makers make very different decision. The traditionalist will try to express the terroir; where the modernist will try to enhance the bouquet and the structure and correcting the genetic faults of the grape itself. In the case of Sangiovese a modernist will produce wines that are approachable while young with silkier texture and a round palate. Whereas, the traditionalist's wine will result in a more tannic, closed and austere version. Now personally, I tend to like more challenging wines so I'm more of an old world guy. But, that does not mean that the modernist have it all wrong. Actually, they just have a different vision of what wine should be; I obviously am not talking about adulterated wines, that in my opinion, are at the same level as the worst processed food. These kind of wines follow a different path and the objective is to create a flavor based on marketing studies and chemical formulas. There is a certain path that wine drinkers walk throughout their life. Most begin with sweeter, fruit forward and jammy wines and progress to seaking out tannins, acid and dry ones. Similar to what happens with food as a kid; starting with sweets and candy and moving toward craving salt. In wine-making this path is filled with crossroads; that require many choices. When Roberto was talking about his intuition he meant that that skill helps him to make a choice from a different prospective. It's a hard concept to explain, but, with experience and much repitition, it is possible to reach a deeper level of understanding about the grapes and the process. Meaning that you'll decipher more information that helps in making those challenging decisions. When I walk the vineyards with any winemaker, the ritual of touching, looking and tasting, by eating some grains was common. Now, although I could get a sense of the maturation from eating the grapes, they were able to get information about past, present and possibly future problems they have, had or will have. All this information will help to then make decisions; like when to pick, how long should the wine be left to macerate with the skins, should the the temperature be controlled during the fermentation, were it should be aged; stainless steel vats or wood barrel, what size and for how long...<div>Is an intense job especially during the harvest time being that the wrong decision during that particular period could end up in the loss of a valuable section if not the entire crop. A typical example is when you are a few days away from a perfect balance, with an even maturation of the different components of the grape. Then rain is predicted within a day or two, now if you wait and it does not rain you win, losing will have disastrous effect on the grapes. Do you want an example on how disastrous the wrong weather at the wrong time could be? Think of 1996 in Tuscany, one of the worst years; now up to mid August 1996 was considered a perfect year, balanced with the right amount of sun and rain up until mid August then the weather turned and started to rain for weeks lowering significally the quality of the crop. Hopefully this helped you understand what is behind a bottle of wine, and also to demostrate how complex of a matter wine making is and where the grape is just one of the many factor that have to come together to produce the God's nectar. So complex that it's impossible to identify the best wine or the favorite ones. Like a winemaker you should have options more then a set favorite.<br />Buona Bevuta a Tutti!!!<br /></div>De Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-9937319759569346072009-03-02T15:22:00.009-05:002009-03-05T12:15:45.013-05:003 Bicchieri In Los Angeles Breaking News<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://blog.gamberorosso.it/cittadelgusto/testatamensile.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 420px; height: 135px;" src="http://blog.gamberorosso.it/cittadelgusto/testatamensile.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>It looks like this year in the Los Angeles Gambero Rosso kermesse the 3 Bicchieri are going to be sadly empty due to a snow storm that held the wines somewhere in the USA...anonymous sources stated that the wine will eventually show up by 4:30 Pm Pacific Time...more breaking news and maybe some picture from the West Coast to follow...<div><br />... the wines finally arrived at 7 Pm only problem they were in very bad shape being that after a trip a wine should rest for few days...What a disaster!!!<br /></div><div><br /></div>De Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-66711287561004796632009-02-06T13:42:00.013-05:002009-02-14T10:55:31.082-05:00Sorry for the silence<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjutommJkBustZ5leyfD3TBASRa2icO_vOT4vUOzyM7qtUI3-IzOpWDAhUojTTuDklOqB-KfRNzhvqBqV7LP863t1neSaffmsJW9StFhGoIsYvhly64enSPgM8Rb_52nEi8APBFDg/s1600-h/P1010020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjutommJkBustZ5leyfD3TBASRa2icO_vOT4vUOzyM7qtUI3-IzOpWDAhUojTTuDklOqB-KfRNzhvqBqV7LP863t1neSaffmsJW9StFhGoIsYvhly64enSPgM8Rb_52nEi8APBFDg/s320/P1010020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300103469846021570" border="0" /></a>It's not because I'm lazy or I'm drinking less, but lately I am having a hard time finding a subject. Is this whats called writers block? Most likely yes!!! So what should I talk about during a bad case of writer block??? What about a nice dinner...<br />Last week it was my sister's birthday and I decided to get some <a href="http://www.joesstonecrab.com/">Joe's Stone Crab</a> shipped from Miami, I've already talked about those fabulous claws in the past, but I like to reiterate the fact that I love the next day delivery of fresh crab to my door.<br />Along with those succulent claws we had 3 different kinds of oysters that my sister picked at <a href="http://www.citarella.com/">Citarella</a>. So far, the best venue I found, along with <a href="http://www.deandeluca.com/Default.aspx">Dean and Deluca</a> for fresh oysters. But, I'm open to suggestions as well if you have any? We also enjoyed some Scottish smoked salmon from Russ and Daughters. It wasn't a real party, Piers and his girlfriend were part of it and Danilo joined us a little later, but it was more an excuse, to enjoy some great seafood, wine and company. One way to think less about your personal problems become inebriated with life. I was in charge of cracking the claws and shucking the oysters. Piers tried a couple with mixed results. So I put him in charge of opening the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Nd2lqZYBvkCjim0CL2GE5Y3rr7EI7Aw1u5rABeoZqIlgABNohaSZRfA7Lnz7mwJXxPBmk8YpKTZr5MM2Z24GFw1183CLdh1ttcsR-lwq2PGxKxSTIkpEM0ZEAPK4HBTVqfDVtg/s1600-h/P1010006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Nd2lqZYBvkCjim0CL2GE5Y3rr7EI7Aw1u5rABeoZqIlgABNohaSZRfA7Lnz7mwJXxPBmk8YpKTZr5MM2Z24GFw1183CLdh1ttcsR-lwq2PGxKxSTIkpEM0ZEAPK4HBTVqfDVtg/s200/P1010006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300104020032056018" border="0" /></a>wines...yes right the wines. Ok! Let me just say that we might have gone overboard a little with the quantity. But sometimes it is better to have more then to run out, right? Going back to the God's nectar, I brought home a Magnum of Quintarelli Bianco Secco Ca del Merlo 2005 and a bottle of Villa Rinaldi Dolce di Creme` 1998, we loved it so much at the last dinner that I proposed an encore.<br />Piers participate with a bottle each of Percarlo 1998 and 1999 and we had to open a great bottle of Billecart Salmon Rose Non Vintage. Needless to say there is nothing better to put you in a great mood then some pink bubbles. The Billecart always surprises me for the elegance and intensity of the acidity, as soon as we popped the cork there were flavors that indicated a little age, so we looked and that bottle was disgorged in 2001, amazing!!! While sipping Champagne, shucking oyster and cracking stone crab claws I thought that life does not get much better than this! Maybe it could, but this is pretty damn good...after getting everything ready on the table we decided not to follow a particular order so I set 2 glasses one for the Quintarelli and the other for the Percarlo, it was interesting t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFP5iKJ6WG8Oz5vORdYhiH3eBGa3TGltVVWNBLM5KczZ_vx4ku2ZXESZAsY4EO222exUMwqVvh0T5SjR3OSexGpYO-_R1Au2h09_k5VolbFVExPV0zxff6VnlgihRByFm3e_OeA/s1600-h/P1010008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFP5iKJ6WG8Oz5vORdYhiH3eBGa3TGltVVWNBLM5KczZ_vx4ku2ZXESZAsY4EO222exUMwqVvh0T5SjR3OSexGpYO-_R1Au2h09_k5VolbFVExPV0zxff6VnlgihRByFm3e_OeA/s200/P1010008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300106152804404850" border="0" /></a>o see how going back and forth from red to white will work with the food. The Quintarelli had an evolution that surprises all of us; it started with elegance and a balanced acidity with flowers and a little citrus flavor. After a few hours it almost tasted like a Burgundy Grand Cru filled with tropical fruit, citrus and minerality. The wine was so impressive that Piers, a fervid believer that Italians can't make white wines, changed his opinion. It was an experience to be replayed having a small vertical of Percarlo, 1998 was rated by critics as slightly worse then 1999. Well we didn't have that impression; both Piers and I agreed on the fact the 1998 was drinking much better, it tasted much more traditional than the '99, it had more length and more depth, the '99 oak still hadn't integrated with the wine and was still a bit predominant. In favor of the 1999 I must say that the wine opened up with more time and knowing how much time the Percarlo needs to come around I'm curious to try it again in a year from now. After honoring the food and the wine it was time for dessert, I don't really have a sweet tooth, but I love the <a href="http://www.ladymconfections.com/">Lady M's</a> mille crepes, a highly addictive and dangerous cake, a truly decadent sweet treat that I paired with the Villa Rinaldi Dolce di Creme, a sparkling desert wine made of Garganega grape, that was the perfect match with the dessert. Another great evening was about to end, and the empty "corpses" left on the table was a clear sign of it. We had finished everything on the table and went to sleep happy, satisfied and fairly inebriated by the events...<br /><br />Buona Bevuta a TuttiDe Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-26542300482621900862009-01-28T09:05:00.008-05:002009-01-28T22:10:37.666-05:00In Vino...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.scran.ac.uk/packs/exhibitions/learning_materials/webs/56/Images/Objects/00985787.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 413px;" src="http://www.scran.ac.uk/packs/exhibitions/learning_materials/webs/56/Images/Objects/00985787.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Usually that phrase ends with veritas and is Latin for 'in wine there is the truth.' The Romans who coined those words, used to use the god's nectar like a truth serum.<br />As human beings, even after a couple thousand years, we still rely on a glass of wine for several healing reasons. Scientifically proven to be good for your health, in moderation, wine has also an effect on the soul. If you believe in the existence of it. The Romans already realized that one of the effects of the fermented must was to lower the inhibitions of an individual and put them in a state of relaxation. Thus, leading to being comfortable and speaking truthfully. So to connect to my previous post, I will say that probably in a period like this people will naturally seek some comfort in a bottle of wine more frequently. Recently I had quite a few bottles of really good wine, my friends and I are opening good vintages, Champagne is flowing in glasses and some of those special bottles hidden in the back of the cellar were popped. Other than the physical pleasure of tasting the flavors, I had emotions!!! I felt joy, love, excitement and shared moments. I traveled trough time and space and I lived the moment. Being inebriated, which I believe is different than being drunk, has lead to inspiration for many writers and artist for thousand years. Virgil loved his wine, sipped under the tree, while asking his muse for an idea, and the same emotions is what I long for in a bottle of wine. Now I don't think all wine is capable of that, I believe good wine is capable to inspire an emotions, that is actually one of the parameters that need to be satisfied when I judge a wine. For example, I opened up a bottle of Colin Delenger Santennay Ville Vignes 2002 with Edoardo, an old friend that is getting the wine collector virus, it was perfect, great spice, in the nose the ethereal notes of violet and roses where dancing in the nostril, filling the brain with magnificent images, the red liquid almost massaged the spine while descending the esophagus like a small electric charge passing through the discs. Not many wines give that kind of emotion and definitely not always the same one, it depends on the situation, the state of mind, the weather and every external factor that interacts with our life. In a way that's the beauty of wine, every bottle, even from the same wine same year from the same case has a different story to tell you and you are a different listener as well. You have to admit that is a level of complexity that not many recreational drinks have. Emotion, inspiration, soul soothing that's what wine should be about; as it has been in our history as human being.<br />Buona Bevuta a TuttiDe Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-44492086027951464652009-01-23T12:24:00.005-05:002009-01-23T14:54:47.888-05:00The State of NY feels I can close the business for a few days<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://profy.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/images/cyndy2008/nys_flag.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 380px; height: 190px;" src="http://profy.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/images/cyndy2008/nys_flag.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>That is the answer I got from the Juror office this morning when I called to see what option a sole proprietor and single worker of a business has!!!<br />When I said to the gentleman on the other side of the phone that closing for few days will actually put the business in jeopardy considering the economic slump. I couldn't believe his answer when his suggestion was; "well if you feel that the state of the economy is so bad why don't you just quit now?"<br /><br />I felt like I had been slapped in the face! I am left speechless with declining sales and increasing expenses. My property taxes raised by more then 50% from last year like every other expense related to the business. So, I would like to know why exactly the State of New York feels that I can close my shop for few days!<br /><br />Buona Bevuta a Tutti!!!De Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-27468377457581238642009-01-17T14:54:00.010-05:002009-01-21T18:04:05.225-05:00Do People Drink More During a Recession?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.museicapitolini.org/var/museicivici/storage/images/musei/musei_capitolini/percorsi/per_sale/museo_capitolino/sala_degli_imperatori/ritratto_di_nerone/10171-1-ita-IT/ritratto_di_nerone_sqlarge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 270px;" src="http://www.museicapitolini.org/var/museicivici/storage/images/musei/musei_capitolini/percorsi/per_sale/museo_capitolino/sala_degli_imperatori/ritratto_di_nerone/10171-1-ita-IT/ritratto_di_nerone_sqlarge.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I have heard it many time in the past few months and to tell the truth I don't know if it is an urban myth or there is some truth to it. In my experience people in general have been spending less for wine. However, I have been selling more or less the same amount of bottles as prior years. The big spenders are more rare and my private clientèle is a bit shyer. The axiom bad financial times and more drinking does not convince me completely. The only benefit for the wine retailers is that probably now the trend is to save money; so the first thing people cut is eating out in restaurants. Thus, the retailer's of wine and food, sales should go up. I did see that happening to a certain extend but that benefit has been leveled by the drop of the average bottle price. The so called 'big spenders' probably are not acquiring as many bottles as in past years, also because their cellars are most likely filled. So in such a time they are drinking what they have put away. This is what I find myself doing as well, drinking wines from my cellar, the weird part is that I am opening more great bottles than in the past. It's almost like Nero fiddling while Rome was burning down. I'm drinking Grand Crus while the world financially melts down. Maybe this is because in times like this, the trust in the future is kind of low, so that quote 'life is to short' is more valuable. Or is it just a reaction of a very bad economic slump, drinking good bottles is somewhat a reassurance that life is not that bad? Among my friends I see that happening, Piers is taking out of the cellar the good stuff, Michael is drinking vintage Brunello like there is no tomorrow and I'm sharing more great bottles like I never have before with my love. Are we just reacting in a foolish way to a critical period? Who knows but I would like to hear your opinions on this, so for now and now more then ever...<br />Buona Bevuta a Tutti!!!!De Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-46346165088724822362008-12-29T08:30:00.001-05:002008-12-30T08:41:07.145-05:00Time and Timing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://blogs.mie.utoronto.ca/roller/moradian/resource/Time.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 273px;" src="http://blogs.mie.utoronto.ca/roller/moradian/resource/Time.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Like everything else in life time and timing are two key factors to succeed in every field, meaning that all the qualities and skills in the world might be not enough to reach a goal if the timing is off. With the nectar of the gods time and timing is even more critical factor. Let's start with time; slow pace is what vines requires, from the moment you plant a vine it will take at least 4 years for the plant to be able to produce enough complex grapes to have a good wine, but it will take several decades in order to have grapes complex enough to produce a great wine, with time in fact the vine's roots will crawl down in to the earth and as exponentially the deeper they go the more complex the grape will get. Making a wine takes time, from the fermentation to being release to the market, some wineries will age their wines in their cellars for a decade, like Kalin cellars or Giuseppe Quintarelli (his Amarone Riserva is aged for 13 years). After being release to the market some wines are still not ready and will need several more decades of aging in the consumer hands (a clear example are the 2005 Burgundy). Timing is also essential in life as well as for wine, like in life there is not a magical formula that will teach you about timing and like in life good timing comes with intuition supported by experience. Famous is the "dumb" period in Burgundies a window where the wine will close without any apparent reason and can last for few years, also Chateaunef du Pape has timing issues, either you drink it young or you'll have to wait for a decade. Wrong timing is also when you'll open a bottle in the wrong conditions; an Amarone is best enjoyed when outside temperature is low, opening a 16% plus wine in the middle of August it might not be a good idea. Probably the only wines that are timing free are the sparklers, good with virtually any food, any weather, any occasions and reasons or any celebration!!!<br />Talking about that I guess this is going to be the right time to wish you a great 2009...<br />Buona Bevuta a Tutti!!!De Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-5279530179505401782008-12-16T20:48:00.002-05:002008-12-16T20:58:53.289-05:00Happy Holidays!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ymlmedia.com/images/iStockphoto/Holidays.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 347px; height: 347px;" src="http://ymlmedia.com/images/iStockphoto/Holidays.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />It has been very hectic here at De Vino and that's why I haven't post lately, I promise you I'll be back on schedule as soon the holidays will be over.<br />Meanwhile I like to extend the best wishes for a great Holidays Season and a wonderful New Year to all of you.<br />Buona Bevuta a TuttiDe Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-25952901538527573352008-11-23T10:33:00.014-05:002008-12-02T08:10:07.458-05:00Segni<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikC5EvAtyTLYpAev8o3F-J-zs8ofXVwhxjxzM5K5u9_pfVWBhyphenhyphenazAT62CmlWylj8KvQB6iGmMp7MwDPaxYN9u0hfG5NTKnMylvGebKRK4WfVExUX0U197LlMPfPr3EjV39uMRD8g/s1600-h/segni+-+gabrio+e+roberto.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikC5EvAtyTLYpAev8o3F-J-zs8ofXVwhxjxzM5K5u9_pfVWBhyphenhyphenazAT62CmlWylj8KvQB6iGmMp7MwDPaxYN9u0hfG5NTKnMylvGebKRK4WfVExUX0U197LlMPfPr3EjV39uMRD8g/s400/segni+-+gabrio+e+roberto.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274232636251087586" border="0" /></a>Back in what seems like another life, I briefly touched the winemaking world when I got involved in starting a winery in Sicily, the biggest island in the Mediterranean sea. That experience was fairly brief, but it did have a few added bonuses, one of which was a pact between Roberto Cipresso and I to make a wine together. Now, after 5 years, that pact will be honored - Segni is about to be bottled.<br />Let's go back to almost a year ago when Roberto came to New York with 12 small plastic bottles (much easier to transport) filled with different red wines from different vineyards around the boot. That day, we decided what the wine would be composed of. Roberto told me that he knew already what is going to be but he wanted to see what I thought before telling me. After going back and forth tasting through, two bottles stood out; a Syrah from Umbria and an Aglianico from Basilicata. We started then to blend out of the plastic bottles, higher percentage of Syrah, then more Aglianico or in equal parts and with some Montepulciano. In the past, I have done many barrel tastings in various wineries, and one in particular gave the sense of the importance of blending, even if the wine is produced from a single varietal. A clear example is the Fattoria Il Carnasciale, which I visited a couple of times. They grow just one grape - the "Caberlot" - and they have different parcels of land at various altitudes and exposures. In the cellar, all the parcels are vinified separately in barriques and every cask is like an instrument, with the wine maker as the director that needs to assemble the orchestra in order to create a sublime concert. And of course, that's exactly what happened we opened a bott<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgituHaBIgAaQdJemkamIxHd46dafN1B9od4azBLTwLBJh621jQBKWFBpiUMtmaPCBFStBirInS83LNyIDkn0YVK0GFIVxsw-0IZ4RGq5d4q8U0YdOaxAonzxyPMjz3qmwVteMmTQ/s1600-h/DSC_0028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgituHaBIgAaQdJemkamIxHd46dafN1B9od4azBLTwLBJh621jQBKWFBpiUMtmaPCBFStBirInS83LNyIDkn0YVK0GFIVxsw-0IZ4RGq5d4q8U0YdOaxAonzxyPMjz3qmwVteMmTQ/s320/DSC_0028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274232157176153890" border="0" /></a>le of Il Caberlot after tasting through the barrels. This time was a little different, therefore exciting, since my role changed from passive taster and appreciator of the final music, to active participant, all the way down to the choice of the instruments. So after trying in the store and then again last September in Montalcino at Roberto's cellars, the final blend was decided and the wine is about to be bottled... and soon we will be able to hear the sound of it. The final blend will be Aglianico and Syrah vinified separately:<br />the Aglianico comes from 44 year old vines situated in Barile (Basilicata), trained on a guyot system with a density of 10,500 plants per Hectare, at 480 meters above sea level. The vines produced 700 gr each and the grapes were harvested in the second week of October 2007. The fermentation lasted 10 days and it was carried out in stainless steel tank. The wine was then aged for 12 months in French oak barrels.<br />The Syrah came from 7 year old vines, situated in Orvieto (Umbria), and trained in "Cordone Speronato" system with a density of 7800 plants per hectare at 300 meters above sea level. The vines produced 500 gr each and the grapes were harvested at the end of September 2007. The fermentation lasted 10 days and it was carried out in stainless steel tanks. The wine was then aged for 12 months in French oak barrels. There will be 400 bottles and 100 magnums of total production. These two vineyards produce wines possessing big character that could be bottled as single grape, and it was almost a revelation to see how these two vineyards could compliment each other, enhancing the terroir-driven connotations. From the last barrel tasting, the wine was layered with fruits, minerality and salinity, with sweet, firm tannins and a lingering note of dark berries and hints of violet. In January, I will probably open a sample bottle and see how much more time the wine will need to sit in bottle.<br />Buona Bevuta a Tutti!!!De Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-83585126514697164532008-11-16T10:00:00.009-05:002008-11-18T11:20:25.484-05:00Why did you choose that wine?<div>Over time, young men come to know the rule that states, plain and simple: the old guys know the exceptions. This apparently simple phrase has opened up a new horizon in my wine education; I remember the general pairing rules that I learned as kid were - red for meat and white for fish, no artichoke or fennel, and beware of lemon... and caviar goes with vodka. Pretty straight forward, but maybe a little TOO straight forward. One thing I've learned is that exceptions confirm the rule... so where are the exceptions in the pairing world? That is what I've learned with time and casual pairings.<br />After many bad pairings and few lucky ones, I can still remember a great one from when I was 18 (in Italy we do not have age limits for alcohol - Mom and Dad take care of that) in a small but great restaurant in the Porto Ercole called Bacco, in Toscana. The pairing placed an Alsatian Gewürztraminer next to Mediterranean lobsters, and it was divine. To tell the truth, I learned that combination from my father, an Alsatian wine lover who, along with my uncle Riccardo, used to ravage the vineyards, filling the car with cases of wine at least once per year. They were the ones who told me about crustaceans and aromatic wines.<br />So, I was saying - after many years I learned slowly but surely the exceptions, the grey areas, the fine line of pairing where you can play with your creativity. Ironically, I was also learning that as a person, although I didn't leave the black and white comfortable ground in my life for few more years. Inside, I had an uneasy feeling of the fear of the new. So I carried on, holding on to my beliefs until I was ready to fly solo. A big help during that time came once again from Luciano AKA Il Frasca, a wonderful friend. When I was in charge of Il Bagatto's wine lists, we had a long conversation about pairing red wines with fish - a conversation that, like a fever, entered my soul and grwe strong with time.<br />Eric Asimov, in his blog <a href="http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/holidays-guests-that-are-easy-to-pair/">The Pour</a> wrote:<br />"Twenty years ago – back when critics used to talk of the wine “marrying’’ the food — I used to take this business of pairing foods and wines more seriously than I do now. I used to try for precise matches, carefully analyzing the characteristics of the food and conjuring up wines that offered sufficient compatibility, or contrastability, to achieve semi-perfection. But I tired of this approach. Or more precisely, it bored me out of my mind. My eyes still glaze over when I read some treatise outlining the supposed principles of food and wine pairing. I prefer a far more casual, instinctive approach."<br />I believe, judging from Eric's sentiments, that he got the same fever I did. He is right about the instinct, which is also supported by years of experience. You don't ask why you choose something anymore, you don't run the rules in your head, but instead you start to FEEL the wine - you have a sip and the pair will materialized in your mind... you think of an occasion and the bottle unveil like magic before your eyes. It's happened many times in my fairly short life with an increasing average as I grow, and I really spent a lot of time analyzing the change. But last Monday, my thinking began to shift. I was having a great lunch at Balthazar (definitely among my top 3 places in New York) with S. and ordered a 1990 Bourgogne Rouge 1er cru (sorry, I didn't take pictures, and I forgot the name:) with "Le Grand": two stories of delicious seafood, including oysters and other delicious raw delicacies.<br />So S. asks me "have you had this wine before?"<br />"Nope," I said. "I actually like to pick things I haven't tried before when I trust the list."<br />Then, innocently she asked "so why did you choose this wine?", and I stumbled a bit on my answer. I thought, well... I knew the plate, because I had had it many times before, and I did experience red wine with oysters (<a href="http://de-vino.blogspot.com/2007/04/oysters-and-wine.html">read here</a>). I had also had a heavier wine like the Marion Cabernet Sauvignon with mackerel, and that worked great, but none of those thoughts actually answered her question. So I smiled and said, "I don't know, but it worked, right?!!!"<br />And indeed, the Pinot Noir was integrating well with everything we had in front of us, including the company.<br />Then I read the Asimov article, and realized that I followed my intuition, just like I've been following it for quite some time now. I don't have a scholastic approach to wine - I just let the wine or the wine list talk to me, more then trying to talk to it. Yes... a good wine list will talk to you, and allow you to freely choose without preconceptions... and yes, a wine will talk to you about his home, the year, the problems and the good parts of it, the stressful periods and the happy ones and whatever else may have happened during its life, until the moment you drink it. Once you learned how to listen, I believe the wine will actually call to you, wherever the bottle is... in your cellar, in a shop or written on a list.<br />I guess what I'm trying to say here is that instead of just tasting a wine and use your knowlege to formulate a judgment, it might be more useful sit back drink the wine and feel what it has to say to you. Am I being too romantic??? Maybe. But what actually is the essence of wine, other than a never ending romantic story?<br /><br />Buona Bevuta a Tutti!!!<br /></div>De Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-29518782615840052082008-11-09T12:16:00.005-05:002008-11-09T13:11:28.693-05:00Tasting At The Times.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.vinoinrete.it/sommelier/immagini/vitigni/montepulciano2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 250px;" src="http://www.vinoinrete.it/sommelier/immagini/vitigni/montepulciano2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Lately the phone calls at the store have been bringing a fair amount of good news. Perhaps one of the best came a few weeks ago from Eric Asimov, the chief wine critic of the New York Times, bearing an invitation to be part of his panel to taste some Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.<br />This was my second time on a tasting panel at The Times, and needless to say, I consider that a great honor. I would once again go into Renzo Piano's creation to sit among the best palates in the world, at the headquarters of one of the nation's most read newspapers. I got there a bit early, and I was welcomed by Eric, who took me to his desk and started to talk about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Camilleri">Camillieri</a>, the author of "Il Commissario Montalbano," a series of books based on the stories of a Sicilian police inspector in a small town called Vigata. I'm a big fan of Camilleri's work, so much so that I've read all of the Montalbano books and I think he is simply a brilliant writer - probably the best we've had in Italy in the past century. The next topic was, of course, wine. We exchanged some opinions on 2006 Burgundies, and the scoop is that we both agreed on the notion that 2005 was not significantly better than 2006, though the prices are suggesting otherwise. Then, it was time to get upstairs to the tasting room, where the table was already covered with glasses filled with Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. Eric, of course, did a great job on describing the tasting and the results, and you can also hear my opinions on the tasting. (<a href="http://events.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/dining/reviews/29wine.html?scp=2&sq=montepulciano&st=cse">click here</a> to read the article) For this post, however, I will just focus on some thoughts about this fairly simple grape.<br />Like most of the Italian red grapes, Montepulciano's origins date back to the Greeks. But only since the 17th century has it been known as Montepulciano - the name has been contended between the Toscani and the Abruzzesi since then. The confusion started because of the many similarities, both organic and morphological qualities of the wines produced in Montepulciano (Tuscany) and the ones produced in Abruzzo. It was later discovered that the grape Montepulciano Primutico, grown in south of Tuscany, was in fact Prugnolo Gentile, a clone of the Sangiovese not related to the Montepulciano grapes. Going back several centuries, we find that the wine produced in Aptruzi (old name of the Abruzzi region) fed the Cartago Commander of Hannibal's army, and animals during the long-lasting Roman siege. The grape itself is quite simply, monochromatic. Montepulciano translates itself in cherry flavors - most other layers in the wine come from the terroir and/or the vinification methods. It is commonly used in "Purezza" (100%), or in blends. It is also a fairly adaptable vine, planted in most of the Italian regions. The wines are often very inexpensive and mass produced; wineries like D'Angelo and Zonin are a clear example, but Montepulciano also reaches the inner sanctum of the best Italian wines, especially when we are talking about Pepe and Valentini, the two iconic producers of the region. For some, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo could become the king grape of Italy dethroning the Sangiovese. In my opinion, we are still pretty far from that happening - but if go back with my memory to when I opened an Emidio Pepe 1980 a couple of years ago, I can see the reason why some winemakers think that way.<br />I would like to thank Eric Asimov for inviting me, Bernard Kirsch for choosing the wines for us and Florence Fabricant for being a great host at the panel tasting.De Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-25666899720245762712008-11-01T15:47:00.004-05:002008-11-01T18:00:06.551-05:00Heavy Metals Found In Most of European WinesThanks to Eric Porres's Blog <a href="http://www.nygrapes.com/">NY Grapes</a>, I learned that a study of biomolecular scientists Declan P. Naughton, PhD, and Andrea Petroczi of the Kingston University in London indicates that there are hazardous concentration of heavy metals in wines coming from the old world. The good news are that Italian Brazilian and Argentinian wines are safe to drink. Here are the list of the countries with the worst THQ (target hazard quotients) score:<br /><ul><li>Hungary</li><li>Slovakia</li><li>France</li><li>Austria</li><li>Spain</li><li>Germany</li><li>Portugal</li><li>Greece</li><li>Czech Republic</li><li>Jordan</li><li>Macedonia</li><li>Serbia</li></ul> <p>Hungary and Slovakia had maximum potential THQ values over 350. France, Austria, Spain, Germany, and Portugal -- nations that import large quantities of wine to the U.S. -- had maximum potential THQ values over 100.</p><p>You can read the full article on MD Web <a href="http://www.webmd.com/news/20081029/heavy-metals-found-in-wine">HERE</a><br /></p>De Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-28547799526520121262008-10-25T18:05:00.014-05:002008-11-01T11:47:35.416-05:00Comte Liger Belair<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.liger-belair.fr/vosne-romanee/img/philosophie-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 319px;" src="http://www.liger-belair.fr/vosne-romanee/img/philosophie-1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>In the ways of wine, it has been a good period lately - I guess the summer is over, so it is getting colder, and easier to open some cellar jewels. But before I get into that, I'd like to introduce Susan, a wonderful woman with whom I am glad to have shared some great time and obviously some of God's nectar with recently. Now, the wines - let's start with Comte Liger Belair Vosne Romanee. This micro-winery has a long history in Burgogne; the Liger-Belair family settled in Vosne when Louis Liger-Belair, a Napoleonic general, acquired the Chateau of Vosne in 1815. When the Comte Louis-Charles died, the family’s holdings covered more than sixty hectares principally in the Côte de Nuits, with ownership of some of France’s most prestigious appellations: the monopolies of La Romanée, La Tâche, La Grande Rue, a large portion of Malconsorts, parcels of Chaumes, Reignots, and Suchots in Vosne Romanée, Saint Georges and Vaucrains in Nuits St. Georges, Clos Vougeot and Cras in Vougeot, Chambolle, Morey, as well as Chambertin. In addition, they also held a domaine of fifteen hectares at Fleurie in Beaujolais. In 1933, because of the French inheritance laws and the will of most of Comte Liger's sons, the domaine was auction off entirely. In 2000, Louis Michel created his own ,buying back 1.5 hectares of vineyards in Vosne-Romanée La Colombière, Clos du Château, 1er Cru Les Chaumes. In 2002 he recovered another 1.6 hectares and today he mananages 8.7 hectares of vines in Vosne-Romanée, Nuits St. Georges, and Flagey Echezeaux. I first tried Liger wines at a Liz Willette tasting where I had the pleasure to meet Becky Wessman and her husband Russell. A small taste just gave an idea of what this wine can express, so after receiving few cases of both Vosnee Romanee and Nuits St. Georges 1er cru Les Cras, I shared the Vosnee Romanee 2006 with Piers. We open it at the store and drank it throughout the course of the evening (an hour and a half more or less) without food. These vines are 40 to 60 years old, planted in clay and limestone soil and merely 2600 bottles were labeled in 2006. I had the Nuits St. Georges a week later, this time at the store with Susan, and a decanter to help the wine along. The vines of this 1er cru are 70 years old, and they lay on fine clay soil that covers a limestone base. Fewer than 1600 bottles were produced in 2006.<br />Both wines were showing, although they were very young, a great complexity. Layers of flowers intersecting with mild wild strawberry scents were hitting the nose and the palate, firm and sweet tannins made for a long finish. The Les Cras was more focused and elegant, showing the age of the plants through a velvet texture with a touch of vanilla that disappeared after 20 minutes or so. Spicier and with great herbal complexity, this was probably the best 1er cru I have tried so far.<br /><br />Buona Bevuta a TuttiDe Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-44333102724508229952008-10-04T16:39:00.010-05:002008-10-13T13:06:41.302-05:00A Special Bottle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1gqIoyerksagMGuEDz07a5qby6yuu6hV-QfRokm3sIvPTsUAL2voE6vnwafp4m6wcAGIZtn7cTHzwGIGLzYWBnte6tc4Q_4Cj7xBEOn4w0yjQwn_3HK7iAhyrYUmFYV431jySg/s1600-h/01-060-002-98.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1gqIoyerksagMGuEDz07a5qby6yuu6hV-QfRokm3sIvPTsUAL2voE6vnwafp4m6wcAGIZtn7cTHzwGIGLzYWBnte6tc4Q_4Cj7xBEOn4w0yjQwn_3HK7iAhyrYUmFYV431jySg/s400/01-060-002-98.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255601067032717826" border="0" /></a>Every once in a while, an ordinary day can turn, just for a moment, into an extraordinary one. Picture this: a sunny and fresh Thursday afternoon during the Jewish holiday (a notoriously slow period for business), and the biggest economic crash in years - not many bottles were leaving the store, and I wasn't running around suggesting a white for sushi or a red for a gift. Although I can't be insensitive to what is happening in world right now, I actually like the fact that things are slowing down a bit, that I have time to think, and a reason (a very good one I will add) to read the signs and plan strategies for the future. Conclusively, I think New York, after the storm has passed, will be a better city. Sorry for the digression. - So this day, this slow and contemplative day, was dragging itself along aimlessly, when all of a sudden, a call from a blocked number on my cell started to flip things around. That call created an excuse to give a different meaning to an uneventful day. As it often happens, you don't create a special situation to open a special bottle, but it is the chance occurrence of that situation that will suggest what to open, and last night suggested that it was time to open a bottle of Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon Rose` 1998.<br />A word or two about Billecart-Salmon: the maison was founded in 1818 by Francois and Elisabeth Billecart, and today the seventh generation of their family is working the estate that covers about 30 hectares of land and source grapes from 110 hectares of 35 single crus. The Cuvee Elisabeth was first bottled in 1988, is an even blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, vinified white. Some Pinot Noir from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, vinified as red wine, is added to create the rose. I had never tried the '98, and my guest was the perfect fit for the task. We both put our noses in the glass and glanced at each other right after with a mixture of surprise and satisfied expressions on our faces then it was time for the palate to give an assessment. For a second the world disappeared around me and all I could see was the salmon color of the glass while I was about to ingest some of that nectar. A million bubbles started to gently tingle my mouth while several layers of fresh red berries, light violet and candied lemon skin were dancing between the top of throe and the back of the nose. Amazing!<br />The champagne was served at 9 Celsius degrees and I left the bottle in a bucket on top of the ice with just enough glass in contact with the ice to keep the temperature constant, drinking a Champagne like this one too cold is a sin. After I came back to earth, I felt like the first time you kiss somebody you care, I started to notice the firm acidity and other signs of youth, with time the flavors became more focused, it was incredible how powerful and yet elegant the wine was, like a beautiful, sexy and sophisticated lady...yes because a wine is not just about the flavors you fell but is mostly about the emotions you get from it, the little chill down the neck when the fine bubbles massages your palate, the time and space traveling while having it in your mouth, and the reminiscence of what it was in the finish tempting you for more until sadly you pick the bottle up and is empty. One thing tough if close my eyes now I can still taste it on my lips!!!<br />Buona Bevuta a TuttiDe Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-12764468424055111142008-09-27T15:55:00.010-05:002008-10-02T15:21:28.873-05:00Montevertine Fest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8nnbmX0V8D1TaNoGoCUiHLfS4a1oCOCCNTFSDKNzTKcHSuebuYuryI8BwaNLRUj9m8lbf6SZILKU8lTUxCTBX2IrF6bbtBE2GYFiUiWn7ujGu119BE3UBmcFI30GJLKkAJZj2A/s1600-h/IMG_0131.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8nnbmX0V8D1TaNoGoCUiHLfS4a1oCOCCNTFSDKNzTKcHSuebuYuryI8BwaNLRUj9m8lbf6SZILKU8lTUxCTBX2IrF6bbtBE2GYFiUiWn7ujGu119BE3UBmcFI30GJLKkAJZj2A/s400/IMG_0131.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251995743817649602" border="0" /></a>Thanks to Alessandro Lunardi, a long-time friend through the wine world, I recently had the opportunity to taste a vertical of Pergole Torte from 1983 to 2001. Alessandro was kind enough to invite me to his house on Saturday to crack open several bottles of one of the wines that changed the history of all Italian wines.
<br />For the occasion, I put a sign on the store door announcing that it would be closed for the following hour or so, then I jumped on my Vespa and in the London-like rain, rode to Varick where Alessandro has a beautiful loft. Elizabeth, Alessandro's wife, welcomed me and I got my precious goblet and started to stare at all the labels. Alberto Manfredi is the artist that creates a different painting for every new vintage of the Montevertine monster's label, it is actually fun for vinophiles to try to call the year just by looking at the label. The very first time I tried this 100% Sangiovese from Radda in Chianti was almost a decade ago. I was with my friend Frasca, while helping to prune a part of a friends of him woods. Yes you heard right - we drank a case of 1993 Le Pergole Torte in the middle of the woods. And to tell the truth we didn't even have glasses so we drank "contadino" style - directly from the bottle. It was an amazing experience - the only problem was that after a while it became very difficult to use the scissors without the risk of chopping off pieces of fingers with the branches.
<br />Going back to the veritable vertical Sangiovese orgy: this is a list of the wines Alessandro served:
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unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Tahoma; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:1627400839 -2147483648 8 0 66047 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:webdings;">Le Pergole Torte 2001
<br />Le Pergole Torte 1999
<br />Le Pergole Torte 1998 magnum
<br />Le Pergole Torte 1997
<br />Le Pergole Torte 1993
<br />Le Pergole Torte 1992</span></span>
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:webdings;">Le Pergole Torte 1990
<br />Le Pergole Torte 1988 12-Liter
<br />Le Pergole Torte 1987 magnum
<br />Il Cannaio 1997
<br />Il Sodaccio 1987
<br />Montevertine Riserva 1990
<br />Montevertine 1983</span></span>
<br />Overall, the wines were in spectacular condition. Some were showing some age signs, mushroom flavors and pale color, but some others were absolutely fantastic. In particular, the Il Sodaccio 1987, along with Le Pergole Torte 1988 and 1995 had something more than the others.
<br />I'd like to say something about the vintages, especially for the critics; 1985 for the so-called Supertuscans was an excellent year (famous is the 1985 Sassicaia, the "pinnacle wine of its generation"). In reality, 1985 didn't have the aging potential of the 1988 or the 1995 which have been forgotten by the media and the critics.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdi0VCRr84hf6FYzflS7-HurUsGGBz72PzHoey9pVbdDmdPFhLQl49QEhGahZtQ8rnBE2dwjdCSl2wzxCl67melio2K8rvoi5YJqcFwcnajnim7aFfC_Nsc9okMMtLvpkrLW2zA/s1600-h/IMG_0130.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdi0VCRr84hf6FYzflS7-HurUsGGBz72PzHoey9pVbdDmdPFhLQl49QEhGahZtQ8rnBE2dwjdCSl2wzxCl67melio2K8rvoi5YJqcFwcnajnim7aFfC_Nsc9okMMtLvpkrLW2zA/s400/IMG_0130.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251992705795678914" border="0" /></a> I remember when the 1995 Brunello were released in 1999. They were tight, tannic, bitter and closed, which is probably why most of the critics didn't made much of the year. In reality the vintage was spectacular... as a matter of fact, the 1995 Le Pergole Torte was showing what Tuscan Sangiovese is really all about; layers and layers of cherry, leather and big old barrel spice. The acidity was still bright, and there were mature tannins that were still biting, and exceptional. The 1988 was somehow similar, more developed than the 95 but still very vibrant and youthful. The cherry on the top of it all, so to speak, was watching Klaus (up to 2005, he was responsible for the estate) open up the Salmanazar and pouring it very carefully into several different decanters, making sure that the sediment didn't stir from the bottom of the bottle.
<br />Il Cannaio 1997 was also in spectacular condition. This wine was made exclusively for Giorgio Pinchiorri, owner of the Enoteca Pinchiorri, which is one of the few 3 star Michelin Italian restaurants.
<br />The time I had was, as it was always destined to be, sadly finished, and I had to leave the party to go back to the store. I had a big smile on my face and a renewed love toward one of the wines that made history in Italy, and all over the world. I would like to thank Alessandro and Elizabeth for being kind enough to invite me into their house and share so many great bottles.
<br />Buona Bevuta a Tutti.
<br />
<br />De Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31730391.post-57435009052094341132008-09-27T09:40:00.005-05:002008-09-27T11:26:16.905-05:00Good Bye Paul<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.moldova.org/movie/actors/p/paul_newman/thumbnails/tn2_paul_newman_4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://upload.moldova.org/movie/actors/p/paul_newman/thumbnails/tn2_paul_newman_4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Starting young Paul Newman was my idol, he had all the qualities and the faults I liked to have as an adult.<br />Born in Shaker Heights Ohio, he was color blind, served in the navy during WWII, his career started in 1955 as an actor and ended in 2005 as producer, always surrounded by powerful cars, tempting women, dangerous thrills, completed by fine taste that never spilled into opulence or excessive, yet always sober and elegant; I believe he lived a full life and died content of it.<br />My condolences to his family and friends.<br />Today is also Google 10th birthday.<br />Tanti Auguri.De Vinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01481250769010426965noreply@blogger.com0