Should Wine Come With A Warranty?

I recently purchased an HD Camcorder that I am going to use to do some video features for foodandwineblog.com (more to come!). I bought the camera from an online store and a few days after it arrived, I received an e-mail from the retailer offering an extended warranty plan at about 1/5 of the cost of the camera. After weighing in the cost of the coverage, the chance of the camera breaking, and the price of replacing this exact camera in 3 years, I decided to pass on the warranty. Read more

Lately, I’ve been just enjoying the wine: Why it’s nice to put down the pen from time to time.

Tonight Kim and I ordered Chinese food; hot and sour soup, steamed dumplings and beef with broccoli. We have four take-out restaurants within 1 square mile, but our favorite is Asian Taste (on 36th St. in Hampden). They have sushi, too, but it’s not always that fresh and a definite pass.

With Chinese food, I generally prefer white wine in the form of either Gewurztraminer or Riesling. Gruner Veltliner from Austria works well, too. Tonight we went with one of our favorite producers of German Riesling; Joh. Jos. Prum. Last weekend we enjoyed a pair of ‘01 Prum Rieslings which were truly outstanding wines, so we had high expectations for this 2002 Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett Riesling.

The bottle was opened, food was passed around. We ate. We drank. Everything was good with the wine again being top notch. But other than telling you that there was an interesting dill component and it’s at least a 90 point wine in my book…I didn’t take notes and don’t intend on saying much else.

For those of you who know me well, you are aware this is out of character. I am of course referring to the fact that I have multiple wine notebooks and journals (such as the one I’m with above at Pardiso di Frassina in Montalcino!). I am never without my trusty point-and-shoot digital camera, always prepared to snap pictures of wine bottles. Per my request, Kim always has a pen and paper in her purse so that I am prepared to take detailed notes on how a wine looks, smells, and tasteds as well as other miscellaneous notes on the experience the wine provides, at the drop of a hat (or pop of a cork). Even at a nice dinner or special evening out, I can be caught scribbling notes on a napkin or typing notes into my phone. Obsessive? Yes, I’ve become quite obsessive- but it’s part of the fun of drinking and collecting wine for me.

But lately I’ve just been enjoying the wines. No notepad, no pen, no interrupting a nice dinner to contemplate the multiple compenents of a wine and how it pairs with each flavor in the food. And you know what, it’s pretty nice.

It makes me remember when I was first getting into wines and just drinking everything I could get my hands on to learn more about my new hobby. I wasn’t interested in remembering what wines brought leather, plum, was racy or finished with a touch of heat. I just wanted to know whether or not the wine was something I liked so I could buy it again in the future.

A few months back I wrote a piece titled “Ignorance is bliss…” in which one of the points I tried to make was that perhaps wine is more enjoyable before you know too much or drink the “best” wines in the world. Sure it’s nice to be able to appreciate great wines on a multitude of levels, but is it really necessary? I mean, isn’t the point of drinking wine to enhance a meal and bring friends and family together?

My hiatus from formal note taking is most likely just a phase (how would I continue being an amateur wine critic otherwise!). Perhaps after a weekend away in the woods of Virginia I’ll come back and return to my diligent note-taking self. But until I feel the need to return to my rigours bookkeeping I’m going to just be “ignorant” and enjoy some wine with my friends and family. After all, these are truly the most important things in life.

Cheers!

“Cruel abuse of wine drinkers” article on Slate.Com about wine service in restaurants

Slate.com writer Christopher Hitchens wrote a piece that appeared yesterday titled “Wine Drinkers of the World, UniteYou have nothing to lose but inflated bills and interrupted anecdotes.” Hitchens’ describes a recent event at a “fairly decent restaurant” in which a server rudely reached across him during a conversation. He goes on to say that “[wine waiters] can be a bit of a grandee, putting on considerable airs that may intimidate those who know little of the subject”. He finishes saying that “people somehow grant restaurants the right to push their customers around in this outrageous way.” While I agree that wine service isn’t always great in restaurants, it is something that you can control by speaking up and it’s surely not something that is going to ruin my meal.
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“Cellar Notes” on WYPR: Great programming, but not always great advice!

As a PhD student, I spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer that is attached to electrophysiology equipment, a big microscope equipped with a CCD camera, and a giant laser used to stimulate neurons in rat brain tissue. I spend hours and hours recording electrical activity of neurons with the hope that I’ll positive data so I can graduate some time before the 2005 Bordeaux’s are at their peak (in the next 20-40 years). The advantage to my day is that I can listen to music, podcasts, and watch videos while my experiments are running. Most of the day, though, I am just simply listening to National Public Radio (NPR) trying to keep up on the news, politics and other things going on in Baltimore and the rest of the world.

I think it’s fair to say that I’m slightly addicted to NPR. I listen at all hours of the day and night and home. I am really impressed with our local NPR station (WYPR in Baltimore). One program I really enjoy is a short (5 minutes or so) segment called Cellar Notes. Each day around 5:30 PM Al Spoler and Hugh Sisson discuss wine topics ranging from wine pairing advice and wine events, to recently to the new up and coming varietal.I really enjoy and appreciate the programming, and try to catch it at least a few times a week. I think it’s a great way to get people excited about wines and is very informative and well produced.

In the last few weeks though, two comments were made that I completely disagree with. One, involving American Pinot Noir versus those of Burgundy. The second, being a comment on foods that go better with beer (rather than wine).

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Wine ratings and tasting notes: Perspectives and context

A wine by any other price will smell even sweeter? Eric Asimov, writer and wine blogger for the New York Times, wrote a piece this week (”Wine’s Pleasures: Are they all in your head?”) outlining the variables that contribute to enjoying a wine, as well as the functionality and utility of tasting notes. He addressed the issue that has been the focus of recent research; that many people like or dislike a wine based on price or rating, rather than actual taste. Overall, Asimov’s article is a good read, summarizing a few recent studies that have the same basic conclusion: many people (non experts) seem to prefer less expensive wines.

In his article, Asimov stated that he feels that “consumers face an impenetrable swamp of winespeak.” At this point, he referenced a tasting note written by Wine Spectator’s James Molesworth: “Dark and rich, with lots of fig bread, mocha, ganache, prune and loam notes. Stays fine-grained on the finish, with lingering sage and toast hints.” (Moleworth responded in his blog, acknowledging Asimov’s professionalism yet pointing out that Asimov himself often uses similar writing descriptors when evaluating a wine. Molesworth also contends that as long as the reader understands the terms, they are quite useful). This got me to thinking: have tasting notes gone too far? Are they no longer useful and if anything, an antagonist in the “wine can be informal and fun” movement? I don’t think this is the case at all. Read more

The Wine World Gone Crazy: I guess wine ratings do mean everything

If you frequently visit the forums of the major wine publications, you’ve been noticing a fervor of activity as of late regarding the 2005 vintage of Bordeaux wines. As most of you are probably aware, Bordeaux is one of the premier wine regions in the world. Each year more than 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine (both white and red) are produced while people (enthusiasts and speculators) across the world wait anxiously for their release. Bordeaux wines are so popular that you can buy them up to two years before their release (called buying “futures”). These “futures” are intended to allow wine enthusiasts to secure bottles of their favorite, highly sought after wines year in and year out at a set “release price”. The reward of buying futures is that in a good vintage, such as 2005, the wines tend to go up in cost by the time the reach the market. This is especially true when a vintage is over-hyped (again as 2005), as is even more so when the US Dollar is very weak against the Euro. Read more

A short note on QPR

What is QPR?
A wines Quality to Price Ratio (QPR) is an assessment of a wines value based on the ratio of how good the wine is to how much it costs. Wines with high QPR exhibit good value and are generally recommended (the quality of the wine warrants its price). In contrast, a low QPR wine isn’t unnecessarily a bad wine, just one that isn’t worth the money.

QPR based wine ratings are used either in place of, or along side, traditional numerical ratings. These tend to give consumers a better idea of whether a wine is worth the price. For instance, I would purchase what I feel is an 89 point wine if it was $15. This is a good quality for the price. Take that same wine, and put it at $25, and to me (and many people), it’s no longer worth it. With thousands of other wines avaialable, I’m better off seeking out another bottle of wine before spending this much on what I would consider 89 points. Read more

Wednesday Wine Rant - 03/26/08 - Brunello, Brunello - say it ain’t so.

I LOVE BRUNELLO. You all are aware that Brunello di Montalcino is one of my favorite wines. The “Brunello” grape is a specific clone of the Sangiovese grape that is unique to the area surrounding Montalcino (Tuscany), having first been planted in the 1800’s by the Biondi Santi family. Today, Brunello di Montalcino is one of Italy’s most prized wines made by over 200 producers, all who have to stick to the basic formula:

• 100% Brunello clone of Sangiovese
• Normale Bottling: released 50 months after harvest (minimum 2 years aged in wood, 4 in bottle)
• Riserva bottling: released 62 months after harvest (minimum 2 years aged in wood, 4 in bottle)

The result of this process is a beautiful developed wine with concentrated, ripe fruits when young and delicate tannins with age. (Image taken this past November of downtown Montalcino, from the fortress!).

No one likes a cheat. It seems like some Montalcino vinters aren’t playing by the rules. Wine Spectator’s James Suckling blogged on the topic last week, mentioning the allegations that some winemakers are adding other grapes to their Brunello blend to make it more fashionable for todays wine consumer. He noted that this was merely allegations and no formal accusations were made towards any one vineyard.

Well today, our friends at Vinowire.com have reported that they have direct confirmation from the president of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, Stefano Campatelli, stating that the allegations are in fact under investigation and it appears there is some truth to them. I have contacted the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino for further comment and will update you when I hear anything.

From Vinowire: “Stefano Campatelli, who has confirmed that “irregularities” have been found in wines labeled as Brunello produced by at least twenty producers in Montalcino. According to outside sources who have requested anonymity because they were not permitted to speak publicly about the investigation, that number could be as high as 80 or 90.”

Please, say it ain’t so…

For more on the topic, check out the story on Vinowire.com. I’m almost afraid to follow this story to find out which of my beloved Brunello producers are guilty of this terrible crime. More reading and initial report here: Vino al vino

Wednesday Wine Rants - 3/19/08

Enough with the cork already! Glass enclosures for wine bottles are becoming increasingly popular. As I have opened three corked wines in the last 2 weeks, I can understand why! I’m fed up with old-school corks and ready for the industry to transition to glass enclosures or screw caps. Sure the magic of the whole uncorking process will be gone, but if it prevents me from pouring out another $30 bottle of wine, then so be it!

My Fading Dream: Europe in November: The Euro is killing the dollar. I’m planning a two week “food and wine” extravaganza with my father to Austria, Italy and Spain this November but with how bad our dollar is, the trip almost seems like a bad idea! With the Euro KILLING the dollar, it seems to make more sense to head to either California or perhaps South America. But I don’t know if I can trade in two weeks of drinking Priorats, Gruner Veltliner’s and Barolo’s for Malbec and Cabernet! There has to be a light at the end of the black hole that has become our economy!

You have to be kidding me: Krug recently unveiled their 1995 Brut Blanc de Noirs Clos d’Ambonnay Champagne. The priciest Champagne released to date is targeted towards the super-wealthy (read: those who don’t realize they are being ripped off) and will cost around $3500 USD. Only 250 cases were produced, so get yours today!

What haven’t you read about 2005 Bordeaux? “Vintage of the century”, “best vintage since 1961″, a “powerhouse vintage”…and the list goes on. Having tasted only a handful of 2005 Bordeaux’s, I’m taking the word of the hordes of experts that agree that 2005 was outstanding. I’ve purchased a few wine futures and am anxiously awaiting their arrival. That said, I’ve heard enough! The prices on the ’05’s are going up week by week. Maybe if we stop parading about how great the vintage is, the prices will stablize and more people will be able to afford a few bottltes to conclude for themseleves whehter or not this is the greatest vintage ever? With the prices of the first growth’s well into the $1000’s (per bottle!) and with James Suckling giving 8 wines 100 pts, I doubt we need this vintage to by hyped up any more. Why not start talking about Bordeaux’s that most people can afford - what wines are drinking well from the 2002 and 2004 vintages?