How many times have you driven or walked by a quaint little place in your neighborhood and never popped in? Sometimes the greatest gems are right in your backyard. And yet often enough we find ourselves wanting to get "out" and end up exploring elsewhere. Funny creatures we are....
Well, I've learned my lesson. Pop on over to Wicked Local today to learn more about my adventures closer to home - and find out about a pretty great Pinot Noir to boot!
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Monday Musings
Since I've gotten more and more passionate about wine I've become more acutely aware how much everyday experiences are impacted by the bigger picture, the larger context at play. With wine I find it's not just about the juice, but what you are eating while drinking it, if you are celebrating a special occasion with a great group, or if you just want to unwind on your porch after a long week.
This year I've made a resolution to make the most of every experience I can and to stay ahead of the economic fray; I'm committed to maximizing every opportunity. This spring I'm orchestrating a bit of fun not only for me and fellow wine lovers, but also for those who are ready to bust out their spring spirit donning a piece or two of this year's finest fashions....
Jump on over to WickedLocal today to learn more about a Wine & Style event I'm co-hosting with The Stylish Eye next week. Come on... you know you're ready to put a little spring in your step! Join us!
I'm always enamored with folks who truly enjoy their work - ever happy to be challenged while doing what they love. It's how I got into wine, to be honest. And it seems this is often the case in this line of work.
Pop on over to WickedLocal today to meet the Holtzman's of Harvard, Ma. They're making their own nectar of the gods (ice wine) using the hottest commodity in their hood... apples!
Several years ago I found myself sitting in my doctor's office picking up a copy of "O" magazine. Not much of a magazine reader, I was just thumbing through it to pass the time. And then an article about a group of nine women, passionate about wine, caught my attention. They called their close-knit wine education group "Divas Uncorked" - and they were hanging out, talking about wine just up I-93 in Milton, MA. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. I was deep in the throws of my professional leap to the wonderful world of wine and together, however informally amongst themselves, they were doing what I hoped to do.
In a nutshell, they were described as dynamic, and engaging - and when it came to wine their motto was approachability. They believed wine was a vehicle for all kinds of things: fun, new adventures, new learning and community.
When I discovered last week their public, 10th anniversary Vintners dinner was just a couple of weeks away, it was easy to approach them about an article for my new, Monday wine column on Wicked Local/Somerville (yea!). Learn more about their festivities here - and then tell us:
What's your wine motto?
Two Mondays ago we mused about the challenge of judging wines because a new report by Robert T. Hodgson was released about the difficulty in doing so. Largely my comments were geared to judging competitions themselves, only briefly mentioning the points systems often used (by Robert Parker and increasingly others, like Gary Vaynerchuk).
What I didn't say was how much I detest any "official" point system. That's why my "ratings" here at Pour Favor never go down a numeric scale; I opt for a much more user-friendly, experiential way of expressing my likes and dislikes. "Yum" describes the wines I've enjoyed most; "pass" describes ones I don't need to have again.
I get it. Ratings sell wines to the masses. Fortunately, I don't have to like it and I don't have to subscribe to it myself. In our boutique shop we offer our own descriptions of a wine. Only 1 in maybe 15 is a mass-produced "shelf talker" with a Parkerized-rating listed. Larger stores depend on the mass produced marketing materials (and the number system) because they don't have (as many) expert staff on hand to talk to customers about a particular wine. Suppliers need to give as much fodder to these bigger stores as possible to "move the product" for them.
But what about a winery's feelings on the topic? I'd say it's gotta be pretty varied, depending on your larger marketing plan, your size/production capability and your personal philosophy. Getting any score can be a good news/bad news thing.
On Friday Gretchen Roberts at Conde Nast's Portfolio came out with a list of "The Parker Holdouts", or wineries which prefer not to submit their wines for review. Roberts interviewed Phil Woodward of Woodward/Graff wines. He said he "prefers to work with local journalists who like to tell a story rather than rate a wine". Clearly he is a man who believes if you romance your potential customers with information about a wine, they're more likely to pick up a bottle, and if they like it, get emotionally involved in your product.
Ric Henry of Karl Lawrence Cellars has a similar strategy. He "wants to cultivate customer loyalty, not flash-in-the-pan buyers who chase scores." He even likens his product to the Oakland Raiders, where "in a good year or bad, I stick with my team". Gotta love a man with a sports analogy for wine.
As much as I appreciate the philosophy these (two) wineries have about scores, I also argue they are looking at the bigger picture and "protecting" themselves. If you get a bad score, you can be totally screwed in the future. If you get a good score, you sell a ton of that one wine (which is limited in supply). The pressure to produce more of the same wine in the following year can be difficult to manage - you don't want to jeopardize quality, but you may feel more compelled to meet the demand. But who knows what the next vintage will bring? Too many times we see a good wine go south the following year because they cut corners or change their blend because they only have so much juice in the first place.
All of this said, at the end of the day you do need someone out there "judging" wines for you to a) find the cream of the crop and then b) help you make a selection based on an informed impression of a given wine.
The question is, do you prefer your wine "judges" to be your local buyers, or the Robert Parker's of the world? Does it matter to you?
Friday it was frigid outside, but it was hard to feel cold when all of you kept the votes coming to celebrate our 100th post! Today we're back to business, though - and unfortunately, it's a nasty one. Here's the scoop:
Late last November wine consumers made a toast to Judge Zobel (US District Court) for allowing winery-to-consumer wine shipments to proceed in Massachusetts. As you probably recall from my original post on the topic, this ruling was thought to be long overdue; the previous state law stipulated wineries producing more than 30,000 cases of wine per year and having a Massachusetts wholesaler were not allowed to ship directly to consumers themselves. Zobel ruled this regulation was discriminatory and unconstitutional.
But nothing is ever easy. News broke last week Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coaxley is going to fight the ruling. My question is simple: why?
Those in favor of the law are attempting to protect MA wineries and wholesalers. But the truth is, if you travel to a vineyard in say CA, WA, OR, or NY and decide you want a case of their wine, savvy consumers will only select wine you can't otherwise get locally. Why pay the additional shipping otherwise? The folks at Free the Grapes also report "winery anecdotal evidence clearly shows that a bottle of wine that is shipped directly does not replace a bottle purchased at a favorite restaurant or from a wine merchant. Legal winery-to-consumer shipments help to build awareness of wines and their sales through traditional sales channels." This is what I call a win-win, not a sum-zero game.
Even when I put on my Retail Hat and take off my Average-Jill-Wine-Consumer Hat, I can't see an argument in favor of this law. Allowing free trade state to state simply will not measurably impact sales negatively - for us at the shop or the wholesalers we work with. A case here and there just doesn't make or break you. Consumers will still seek wine expertise locally. And many won't be able to justify the additional shipping costs.
When I put on my Tax-Payer Hat I can't help but go bananas. In one breath newscasters are telling us about how schools will be closed next fall to help close the state budget gap. And in the next breath they tell us the state is using our tax dollars to finance the AG's efforts to appeal a federal ruling. Give me a break. This is good old fashioned inefficiency - and stupidity - at work.
Do you agree with my take?* Or do you see a stronger argument in favor of the Attorney General's efforts to maintain the law as is?
*NOTE: For any readers who agree with my stance, you can take action.
On the heels of the Super Bowl, it's hard not to think about the role of referees in sports. I love instant replay technology. Some of those calls are ridiculously hard to make. Such technology helps us to keep everything on the up and up. Meanwhile, because football coaches are only allotted a certain number of Challenge Calls each half and they are penalized if they get it wrong helps keep everyone honest - and the game clipping along at a reasonable pace.
We're dealing with a different kind of sport when it comes to wine. As a former springboard diver, I argue wine is more like a diving competition where 5 judges have a say in a person's performance. Is this fair?
On the one hand, whenever you are dealing with a subjective entity you have to go with a panel of judges to render a conclusion. In the case of diving, whenever my mom was judging me, my scores were lower. Naturally she feared giving me too high a score so as to show favoritism. Fortunately, they drop the high and the low scores on each panel and average the middle 3. It's not a perfect system but it's the closest thing to fair you can get.
It doesn't always work that way for wine. It seems that each competition has its own judging process, typically on either a 100 point or 20 point scale. Rules are established as to what attributes a wine must have to score a certain rating, but I don't think they ever drop a score. Goodness knows they should! There are a lot of external factors that make this particular 'sport' a challenge to referee.
A recent study conducted by Robert T. Johnson over three years showed "of approximately 65 judging panels... just 30 panels achieved anything close to similar results, with the data pointing to "judge inconsistency, lack of concordance--or both" as reasons for the variation. The phenomenon was so pronounced, in fact, that one panel of judges rejected two samples of identical wine, only to award the same wine a double gold in a third tasting." (Source: Wines & Vines) The abstract of the official report made an interesting point, too: wines that are bad, are consistently rated poorly; it's the good to great wines that prove more of a challenge to judge fairly.
So what do scores really mean? Who are these so-called "experts"? How can we know they don't suffer from palate fatigue after tasting 100 some odd wines in a given time period? I know from personal tasting experience my judgment is definitely questionable by 6pm on Tuesday Tasting Day at the shop, as compared to when my energy, mind and palate is "fresh" at 10am. Am I drunk? Not at all. We spit so you don't have to. The truth is, no matter how professional you are, circumstances dictate your experience with a wine. Subjectivity is the only writing on the wall.
What are we to do? Well, the average consumer can rest assured there are numerous folks out there in the trade assessing the quality of a wine. Consumers are automatically tasting the better stuff on the market - even if it isn't your preference. But for me this kind of study simply underscores what I'm always saying: context is everything; scores are relative. Find your congenial wine guru after giving a few "judges" a try based on knowledge and compatibility and then taste from their cup of suggestions.
Do you think wine judging is a worthwhile undertaking or too subjective to have much merit?
Reading is one of my favorite, totally self-contained escapes. Since wine became my "job" though, I've falled off the wagon in some ways.... I constantly seek more information and so I'm reading to learn, rather than for the sheer pleasure of it. But I realized the wine books I've been picking up of late are finding some middle ground; they are lighter on their feet, if you will, offering great information in a delightfully palatable package. It seems unfair to keep some of these finds to myself, so in the coming year, I hope to explore more of these texts and share the fruits of my efforts with you.
Natalie MacLean offers just one such diversion in her Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass. If I knew MacLean in real life, I can only imagine she (like me) thinks she is the funniest person she knows - and is all the better for it. (I mean, come on. If you were stuck on a desert island and you only had yourself to entertain, you BETTER be the funniest person you know!) The best news is, MacLean is open about what she does and doesn't know about her subject. She is unabashed but refreshingly professional (read: respectful) as she explores wine. Her book takes you through the new vineyards of California, the history-entrenched vineyards of France, the bowels of a wine shop, the floor of a high-end restaurant and... beyond. She is nothing if not funny and thorough.
MacLean delivers something for everyone, at every stage in their wine knowledge/enthusiasm. I, for one, loved her chapters on French regions in particular - her tales of meeting some of Champagne's most important women, tromping through Burgundy.... I also enjoyed reading about her experiences trying retail for a day (and the price she paid for wearing fashionable shoes, rather than comfortable ones) and attempting life as a Sommelier for an evening.
I also appreciate how much perspective MacLean brings to the various places wine breathes (no pun intended on that one, but I'll keep it!). Case in point: while she's working in one San Francisco shop she learns how hard some shops work to meet their customers needs such that "[wine] comes alive for them". (p. 146) It's not just about business, but sharing something special with customers - both a new wine and just as important, the genuine interaction with the customer him/herself. Both MacLean's historic ruminations and her real life revelry with her subject underscore the reason so many people I know are drawn to wine: it is a lovely, warm quilt, representing and connecting myriad facets of life.
Naturally, there are a few segments where I was less enthralled and I'm still deciding whether her on-line wine/food matcher is a tool I can use with confidence. But MacLean is witty and honest. For a subject where neither are a given, I applaud her efforts and hope she continues to capture her musings.
What wine books have struck your fancy? Have you found others that expand your horizons - while entertaining you, too?
Whether you are in the majority for or in the minority against our next President, chances are you are getting a bit wrapped up in the fervor that surrounds us. Almost everyone I know - correction: everyone I know - is ready for change in 2009. And we're bound to see some soon enough!
Where wine and the Inauguration is concerned, a few things have been on my mind lately... First, when we were looking at our post-New Year's bubbly stock at the store last week, we had to decide if we had enough depth and range to satisfy our customers' demand on Inauguration day; bubbly is a natural, but truth be told, the festivities really start over breakfast. Will people be drinking that early on a weekday? Second, is bubbly too 'just-done' (with the holidays just behind us) such that folks will be looking for something else special to open later that night?
And then, last Wednesday, my fellow wine bloggers took on a challenging topic for Wine Blogging Wednesday: Wines for Breakfast Foods (no bubbly and no rose!). Things were too nutty after the New Year for me to participate in the fun, but I was intrigued by the challenge. Eggs are considered one of The Hardest food/wine pairings, and bubbly is the given answer - but that wasn't allowed.
Since I'm always a proponent of trying something unknown and since we're about to take on the world from a different perspective (Obama's), today it seemed natural, with just a few hours left under the old world order, to get us thinking outside the box about our Inauguration Celebration wine. And since Inauguration festivities will begin tomorrow morning, it's only appropriate to start with breakfast.... Below I'm going to link up a few of the posts from last week's Wine Blogging Wednesday and another article or two I've come across lately. Hopefully this will give you enough time to think about where your plans will take you tomorrow - and to get to your local shop to pick out something special to accompany them!
For those of you starting early, here are a few WBW Breakfast Wines...
Three fun reds? Who knew. It's a Twisted Breakfast(s) extravaganza!
Having a party? Pairing wines for each (breakfast) course. Too much fun.
Anyone who thinks to describe a wine's texture "like wearing some kind of tasty satin underroos for your tongue" deserves a closer look-see, I'd say. Definitely outside of the box thinking on that one!
Or...
If you want to stay domestic in your celebratory sipping, while taking it outside the box (aka NOT California) and giving yourself a real treat, check out the musings of Gaiter and Brecher.... Those two know where it's at.
Are you toasting over breakfast? Which wine do you have in mind?
The last few years I've noticed a trend where holiday parties are held in January. The idea is that this is a more sane time; you face less "competition" from the party circuit and you don't have to add party-planning to your already busy holiday season. For two reasons I wager this trend seems to have grown quite a bit more this year. First, the weather gods were at play across the country throughout much of December. Many of the traditionally planned parties had to be postponed because it wasn't safe for folks to travel. Second, more and more people are entertaining their friends, thinking this a cost-effective alternative to going out or exchanging gifts. (I can't help but wonder if in another couple of weeks there may even be a third reason: The Inauguration!)
With all of these festivities abounding this January, I've fielded a flurry of questions about how much wine you should have on hand for an event - so much so I thought it worthy of a post! Here's the scoop:
If you are having a basic wine tasting event, where someone like me comes over to help you and your guests have fun while experiencing a series of wines, you'll only need to pour ~2 oz per person (of each wine). One 750ml bottle is equal to 50 oz. To cover your basic tasting needs then, the general "rule" is that 1 bottle will cover about 25 people. It's your call how much more you want to have on hand after the tasting is over. (A typical glass of wine is about 5-6 oz, or 1 bottle for every ~4 people.)
If you are having an all out fiesta, where wine alone will be flowing in typical glass pour sizes all evening, the equation many professionals use is: (# of people x 3)/5 = the number of bottles you'll need.
Of course, if you are having a party where wine will be just one option on offer, you have to consider the tastes of the people you are hosting and use your best judgment. If you don't know your group's preferences and plan to have beer, liquor and wine on offer, use the formula above to get a sense of how much wine might make sense.
No matter your party type or size, please be a responsible host! Make sure to have plenty of water available and cab numbers at the ready.
Will you be hosting or attending any soirees this January? Any particular reason for them?