win December 2004

win@thebarn.com

5 participants
15 discussions

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, As you know, Matt's father is having some serious medical trouble. They are post poning the evening at Chez Stadelman. Bob had made a reservation at Bobino for 6:30, this Thursday. Style du jour remains Most Anything Aussie... Of course a good ringer Shiraz/Syrah from somewhere far (say West Coast US) or most anything from somewhere near (NZ, S. Africa, etc.) is always in good fun. Bobino 222 E. Henne 612-623-3301 Bob Lori Betsy Nicolai Karen Jim/Louise Your_name_here Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from ANNETTE STADELMAN <mandastad(a)msn.com> ----- X-MessageWall-Score: 0 (smtp-relay.enet.umn.edu) X-Originating-IP: [24.245.15.127] X-Originating-Email: [mandastad(a)msn.com] X-Sender: mandastad(a)msn.com From: ANNETTE STADELMAN <mandastad(a)msn.com> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: [wine] thursday Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2004 13:16:41 -0600 X-OriginalArrivalTime: 27 Dec 2004 19:17:00.0920 (UTC) FILETIME=[A4297F80:01C4EC48] X-Virus-Scanned: ClamAV 0.80/633/Thu Dec 16 19:56:33 2004 clamav-milter version 0.80j on slurp.thebarn.com X-Virus-Scanned: ClamAV 0.80/633/Thu Dec 16 19:56:33 2004 clamav-milter version 0.80j on slurp.thebarn.com X-Virus-Status: Clean X-Virus-Status: Clean X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.1.0-r109828 (2004-12-04) on slurp.thebarn.com X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.0 required=5.0 tests=MSGID_FROM_MTA_HEADER autolearn=ham version=3.1.0-r109828 X-archive-position: 141 X-ecartis-version: Ecartis v1.0.0 Errors-to: wine-bounce(a)thebarn.com X-original-sender: mandastad(a)msn.com Precedence: bulk X-list: wine Happy Holidays all: Hope everyone had a nice Xmas. Based on how our week is going, Matt and I are rescinding our offer to host the group this Thursday. His Dad went into the hospital on Xmas day and back again this morning for siezures compounded by a myriad of other health issues not uncommon for an 86 yr. old. Things will likely turn worse before they get better and we would rather reschedule our event for a later date, not to mention the fact that we already have 2 funerals to attend this week..... Kind of a morose weekend (including the Vikings loss)! Hope yours was better! annette ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 11 months

[wine] thursday

by ANNETTE STADELMAN

Happy Holidays all: Hope everyone had a nice Xmas. Based on how our week is going, Matt and I are rescinding our offer to host the group this Thursday. His Dad went into the hospital on Xmas day and back again this morning for siezures compounded by a myriad of other health issues not uncommon for an 86 yr. old. Things will likely turn worse before they get better and we would rather reschedule our event for a later date, not to mention the fact that we already have 2 funerals to attend this week..... Kind of a morose weekend (including the Vikings loss)! Hope yours was better! annette

20 years, 11 months

[wine] Barbera, Piedmont at Tratoria Da Vinci

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, The 510 was wonderful, as always. This week, we're doing Barbera and other fine things from Piedmont at Tratoria Da Vinci. Trattoria da Vinci 400 Sibley St., St. P, 55101 222-4050 It's in the "far end" of down town St. Paul, near the Farmer's Market. If you're traveling on I94, take the 7th St. Exit. Who? Bob Betsy Dave Nicolai Karin Jim Joe Cassel Fred/Kim Other things. Would be good to re-expand our Italian options. Perhaps January/February would be a good time to get into the place at Raymond and University in St. Paul (Biagio?) Still planning/hoping to be at Chez Stadelman next week. Not sure what the theme is. Current working limit is 10 people. Who? Matt/Annette Betsy Bob Dave Jim/Louise Warren/Ruth Nicolai Karin Russ/Sue Fred/Kim Cheers, Jim -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 11 months

[wine] TN Burgundies at 510 on 12-16-2004

by russellmccandless＠frontiernet.net

Happy birthday to Jim! The 510's good food, as usual. A large turnout; think we had sixteen. W1: sharp/thin on nose, full and smoky midpalate, thins out on finish. Ballot-Millot, 2002 Bourgogne Chardonnay. W2: rich oaky chardonnay nose, midpalate lacks structure, pedigreed white Burgundy flavor, finish emphatically alcoholic, pretty good though. Verget, 2002 Saint-Veran "Vigne de St-Claude." W3: excellent smoky nose suggestive of Chablis, midpalate lacks structure, interesting and attractive tasting wine but lacks W2's flavor distinction, finishes with good length but only fair power. Mestre-Michelot, 1999 Bourgogne Chardonnay. W4: amylic licorice nose, OK midpalate, citric finish, lacks interest. Bouchard Pere & Fils, 2002 Puligny-Montrachet. (Highly disappointing, if this was a representative bottle.) W5: mute nose with SO2 showing, big sweet citric and characteristically chardonnay midpalate, touch unconcentrated but tasty, good length, nice wine. Joseph Drouhin, 2002 Beaune 1er Cru, Clos des Mouches. (Still needs some time.) 1.1: young looking; small but round and rather new world pinot nose, astringent and medicinal mouth entry, tannic, decent fruit and structure, some alcohol showing and short on fruit at the finish, good wine though. Antonin Rodet, 1998 Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Vieilles Vignes. 1.2: lighter young color; pure but bashful nose; lacks concentration but OK fruit, some tannin; aromatic finish, more attractive tonight than 1.1 but generally a smaller wine. Louis Auguste, 2002 Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits. 1.3: color suggests more age; very reticent nose of spice, licorice, acid; full-smooth mouth entry, medicinal fruit; quite alcoholic on finish, shortish too. Pierre de Champvigne, 1996 Mercurey 1er Cru, Clos Voyen (Chevaliers de Tastevin bottling). (Some doubt expressed at table about whether this was a perfect bottle, although of course this is pretty old Mercurey.) 1.4: deep red, sizeable pure nose with the alcohol showing, big spicy alcoholic wine in the mouth, some tannin, lots of structure, big aromatic finish is the best feature, lacks length though. Mestre-Michelot, 2002 Santenay 1er Cru, Gravieres. 2.1: full purple; rich and meaty nose; full and smooth, lots of fruit without much sweetness, focused and true; finishes as it tastes, some alcohol but considerable finesse, excellent length, extremely good bottle. Vincent Girardin, 2001 Santenay 1er Cru, Gravieres. (This has put on weight since release and was showing very attractively tonight.) 2.2: medium to light red, nose medicinal but characterful, smooth mouthfeel but still tannic, midpalate lacks fruit, at an awkward age? The wine has presence all the way thru to the finish but seems to be sleeping? Jean-Jacques Girard, 2002 Savigny-les-Beaune. (Needs retasting. As a 2002, probably not "asleep" in the sense of what wines often do around their fourth year, but could be suffering from shipping shock or some such.) 2.3: medium red, color showing some age; very reticent nose; hard, medicinal, peppery, lacks fruit in this company, big wine though; in this company, no finish. Rene Engel, 1999 Vosne-Romanee. (This one, on the other hand, may well have been asleep. Good producer, fine vintage.) 2.4: dark red; sizeable cola nose, big astringent, medicinal unsweet fruit in the mouth, really good, moderately aromatic finish with more sweetness showing, decent length, could use time, this is very good. Maurice Ecard, 2001 Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru, Narbantons. (This one has REALLY put on weight since release.) 3.1: light red, lovely if not large sweet nose, smells of pure young red berry fruit; smooth midpalate, lots of darker fruits, tannic at the back end, highly aromatic finish, lovely wine, extra long. Bouchard Pere & Fils, 2002 Beaune 1er Cru, "Beaune du Chateau." (Reportedly available at Surdyk's priced in mid-$20s; remarkable value at that sort of price.) 3.2: dark color showing some age, distinguished maturing nose, mineral and vegetal components in addition to the fruit; smooth, smoky midpalate with BIG fruit, vegetal tastes following thru from the nose, very well structured; big aromatic and alcoholically hot finish, still needs some time. Joseph Roty, 1995 Gevrey-Chambertin, Cuvee de Champs-Chenys. 3.3: quite dark; big tarry nose; some lack of concentration and fruit but the flavor is distinctive; some tannin left but seems mature, power and length not all one could wish for. Faiveley, 1990 Beaune 1er Cru, Champs-Pimont. 3.4: dark color, sizeable nose still mostly primary, midweight in the mouth, balanced, smooth and pure, very attractive, minerals and tar with the fruit, flavor almost suggests nebbiolo, dark red cherry, touch of alcohol showing; excitingly smooth transition to finish, sweet and aromatic, good length, this is excellent. Bertagna, 1995 Vougeot 1er Cru, Clos de la Perriere. (Reported to be currently available at Haskell's. Caveat emptor.) Merry Christmas!

20 years, 11 months

[wine] Well Aged LeRoy Brgndy at N. Oaks Winestreets

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, Our friend Jason passes along this info. Happy shopping! I belive the North Oaks Winestreets is on Hwy 96 near Hwy 10. FKA: Cellars 859 Vlg Ctr Dr, N. Oaks. Hwy 96 to Hodgson Rd. N. 651 483-1767 C, J ----- Forwarded message from Jason Kallsen <jason(a)twincitieswine.com> ----- Reply-To: jason(a)twincitieswine.com From: Jason Kallsen <jason(a)twincitieswine.com> To: "'Jim L. Ellingson'" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> Subject: RE: [wine] Red/White Burgundy at 510 on Thursday Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2004 18:00:20 -0600 Jim: Winestreet North Oaks just took delivery of a ton of Leroy Burgundies, both red and white, from the 96 thru 99 vintages. Good prices. Pass info to everybody. Jason -----Original Message----- From: wine-bounce(a)thebarn.com [mailto:wine-bounce@thebarn.com] On Behalf Of Jim L. Ellingson Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2004 10:57 AM To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: [wine] Red/White Burgundy at 510 on Thursday Bit of an update and some ides on future events. Also an article on 2002 Brgndy from Wine Enthusiast. Their vintage chart shows 1999 and older white and 1997 and older red Burgundies to be ready. Karin would like to do Zinfandel at her home some Sunday. Matt/Annette would like to have us over on Thursday 30 December. Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 14:38:45 -0600 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: Red/White Burgundy at 510 User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.4i Greetings, Lots of interesting wines, good food at Erte. Bruschetta, chx-wild_rice soup, steaks were very good. This week (9/16/04) we're doing White and/or Red Burgundy at the 510. Head count may be an issue.... Ten pours is a practical limit. If **ALL** of the couples share a pour, then we're at 11. The 510 Restaurant 510 Groveland Ave MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55403 Phone: 612-874-6440 Who's coming Fred (Kim is doubtful) Jim/Louise Russ/Sue Warren/Ruth Betsy Bob B-Dave Karin Lori Nicolai Roger 11 pours 14 people Cheers, Jim -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 * ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 11 months

[wine] Red/White Burgundy at 510 on Thursday

by Jim L. Ellingson

Bit of an update and some ides on future events. Also an article on 2002 Brgndy from Wine Enthusiast. Their vintage chart shows 1999 and older white and 1997 and older red Burgundies to be ready. Karin would like to do Zinfandel at her home some Sunday. Matt/Annette would like to have us over on Thursday 30 December. Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 14:38:45 -0600 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: Red/White Burgundy at 510 User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.4i Greetings, Lots of interesting wines, good food at Erte. Bruschetta, chx-wild_rice soup, steaks were very good. This week (9/16/04) we're doing White and/or Red Burgundy at the 510. Head count may be an issue.... Ten pours is a practical limit. If **ALL** of the couples share a pour, then we're at 11. The 510 Restaurant 510 Groveland Ave MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55403 Phone: 612-874-6440 Who's coming Fred (Kim is doubtful) Jim/Louise Russ/Sue Warren/Ruth Betsy Bob B-Dave Karin Lori Nicolai Roger 11 pours 14 people Cheers, Jim Burgundy.s 2002 Vintage By Roger Voss Burgundy.s 2002 vintage is in bottle, and it.s now clear that the excitement that.s been brewing over the wines is absolutely justified. .They are great wines, there is no doubt about that,. says Fr�d�ric Drouhin of Maison Joseph Drouhin. .In the white wines, we had both ripeness and acidity. In the C�te d.Or reds, the wines have the ability to age for decades. They have color, fruit.they are charming. The alcohol, the acidity and the tannins are all in balance. .It.s rare to have a great vintage in both white and red,. Drouhin explains. .That happens once a decade. You have to go back to 1999, 1985 or 1978 to find similar vintages.. It was even a dream vintage for the winemakers. Gr�gory Patriat, winemaker of the Jean-Claude Boisset brand, says, .It was so easy to work. You had to control yields, of course. But if you did that, you couldn.t have had it better.. Vintage 2002 continues the run of successful vintages (some for reds, some for whites, some for both) that Burgundy has seen since 1996. Demand is intense, despite the weak dollar against the euro. British buyers have been particularly active, so wines may be available from the United Kingdom, if they are not accessible from your usual American supplier. Many top producers. wines are already sold out, and only canny importers are likely to get enough wine to satisfy demand. As for price, these 2002 wines are not cheap. The 2002s cost at least 10 percent more than the 2001s, and buyers who did not get enough of the great 1999s are coming back into the market with a vengeance. With such a small crop of 2003 wines in the pipeline, the prices for 2002 are likely to harden even further. You could pay as much as $175 for a top grand cru wine, while a village wine will cost around $60 a bottle. Drouhin believes that .for the consumer who can.t wait, the reds can be drunk in the next two to three years. The fruit will certainly please an American palate. But,. he cautions, .of course, fruit is only part of the wine. Great wines only reveal their heritage and quality and their terroir after aging.. He believes that while the village wines and entry-level Burgundy will be drinkable after five years, the premier crus will need 10 years, the grands crus even longer. Although, as Drouhin says, the wines will age, they are also immediately, tantalizingly attractive. I tasted nearly 200 wines, mainly reds, for this month.s Buying Guide, and one fact stood out: The fruit is so delicious, so mouthwateringly drinkable that it will be hard to keep these wines for the decades they deserve. While acknowledging the high quality of the reds, Louis-Fabrice Latour of Maison Louis Latour believes that .the whites could be even better than the reds. They have not been this good since 1996. [2002] has great sweet fruit, with lovely acidity and crisp flavors.. Certainly his signature Corton-Charlemagne is powerful and concentrated, the hallmark of a great vintage. For Burgundy growers, 2002 was a miraculous year. While the Rh�ne Valley and Languedoc in the south suffered appalling rains and floods at harvest time, Burgundy somehow escaped. .It was amazing, the rain stopped 100 miles south of here. We had sunshine,. says Michel Lafarge of the Volnay domaine of the same name. While Bordeaux.s pre-harvest heat wave turned rain-sodden 2002 from a potential disaster into a near-miss, in Burgundy the fine weather just went on and on. As with much of France, the weather during July and August 2002 was mixed. Burgundy got more rain than it usually does; by early September, rot had begun to set in. In mid-September, everything changed: The sun shined, while the northeast wind kept the conditions cool and dry, perfect for long, even ripening. Because Burgundy typically harvests toward the end of September, there was time for potential disaster to be turned into good fortune. This was especially true of the more northerly areas, including Chablis and the C�te de Nuits. They harvest later there than in Beaune or M�con, and, accordingly had a longer period to benefit from the late summer sunshine. It.s no surprise that these are the two regions.one white, one red.that produced the most consistently outstanding wines in 2002. The two stellar villages in the C�te de Nuits are Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny. The wines here already show the individual characters of each village: Gevrey is rich and muscular, Chambolle is softer, more exotic. Vosne-Roman�e.s wines have enormous structure but some of them seem to have missed out on the intense 2002 fruit character. Further south, in the C�te de Beaune, the vineyards around Beaune itself have produced red wines where the fruit really shows its paces. The best from the premier cru vineyards are packed with soft, rich, juicy fruit that will develop relatively quickly. They are unlikely to age as well as the wines from the C�te de Nuits, but will be great to drink in about 2010. In the C�te de Beaune, the whites also score well. Both Puligny and Chassagne grand crus are enormously rich, yet have some intense acidity from the cool wind during final ripening. They should age well as a consequence. Any lover of Burgundy should buy these wines, despite their high prices. This year, if it comes to a choice between Bordeaux 2003 and Burgundy 2002, I would go for Burgundy without hesitation. In the short term, these wines will offer much pleasure and, in the long term, the region.s greatest will join the pantheon of the best wines of the last 20 years. It is, as Bernard Repolt, joint managing director of Louis Jadot, says: .a classic year, well balanced with great acidity in both whites and reds.. That, to me, spells .buy.. Printed from HTTP://WWW.WINEMAG.COM/ISSUES/SEPT04/BURGUNDY.HTM Copyright Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Subscribe Today! -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 11 months

[wine] Verdict in phony Burgundy trial

by russellmccandless＠frontiernet.net

(This is from Wine Spectator's web site) Judges Issue Verdict in Burgundy Fraud Case Chanson's former managers were found guilty, but current chairman Etienne Bizot was acquitted By Per-Henrik Mansson Posted: Friday, December 10, 2004 A French court has acquitted Etienne Bizot, scion of the family that owns Bollinger Champagne, from any wrongdoing in the case of the scandal-ridden Burgundy house Chanson Père & Fils, which Bollinger's parent company bought from the Marion family in 1999. But former Chanson executives François and Philippe Marion each received a one-year suspended prison sentence and were fined 40,000 euros. At the trial in Dijon on Oct. 13, the Marion brothers pled guilty to charges that, between 1998 and 2000, they illegally blended Burgundies with wine from other appellations, which is a crime under France's strict Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée laws. Chanson's cellar master, Marc Cugney, was sentenced to an eight-month suspended prison term, but was not fined. He had explained in court how his bosses had asked him to make the illegal wines, and how he complied without denouncing them or resigning. Bizot, who was charged with knowingly selling the Marions' fraudulent wines after taking over management of Chanson, adamantly proclaimed his innocence during the trial, breaking down in tears after his integrity was questioned. After the verdict was read in court on Dec. 8, Bizot celebrated with a 1996 Bollinger Champagne Grande Année. "Justice has been made, but it has been a difficult time," said Bizot, 42, Chanson's nonexecutive chairman. The verdict was supposed to be announced on Nov. 17, but the court delayed it until this week. A Burgundy trade organization, the Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne (BIVB), had asked for a postponement so that the fraud case, which is viewed as one of the worst in Bugundy's history, wouldn't be a source of negative publicity before the region's annual Hospices de Beaune auction. That event, which was held on Nov. 21, attracts French and international media. The Marion brothers had supervised Chanson's winemaking for 34 years. For many vintages, starting in 1966, they said, they ignored French laws by blending wine types and appellations, which they argued improved quality. The Marions' lawyer, Olivier Morice, argued in court that these practices, which included adding Alicante from southern France to deepen the color of the reds sold as "Burgundies," were in line with the winemaking techniques used at other Burgundy shippers. He asked the three judges to show clemency toward his septuagenarian clients. The prosecution had asked for the Marions to be sentenced to one year in jail and fined 30,000 euros each. Given that the maximum fine for similar crimes is 37,000 euros, the court made clear its displeasure with the brothers by imposing a heavier penalty. There was never any doubt that the men would escape spending time in prison, given their ages and the white-collar nature of their crime, lawyers said. The Marions left the Beaune-based winery in 2000, when Société Jacques Bollinger and its representative, Bizot, took full charge. Bizot set out to improve the wines at Chanson, which is a négociant firm but also owns vineyards in several of Beaune's premiers crus. Since the 2001 vintage, Chanson has dramatically improved the quality of its wines. Bizot said he learned of the Marions' deceptive winemaking techniques in late 2000, and a couple of months later he denounced the brothers to police in Dijon and authorities in Paris and Beaune. A police investigation found that Chanson's cellar contained more than 700,000 bottles of illegal "Burgundies." However, Bizot became a target of the investigation as well. He was a director on Chanson's board, and then its CEO, in 1999 and 2000. Bizot told investigators that he was unaware that, during that time, Chanson had been selling some fraudulent wines to unsuspecting buyers. The Marions accused Bizot and Bollinger of hypocrisy, charging that the Champenois knew perfectly well what was going on at Chanson and in Burgundy in general. Eventually, prosecutors brought charges against Bizot this past summer. Although the full text of the reasoning behind their judgment has not yet been made public, the judges apparently believed Bizot more than the Dijon prosecutor, Jean-Claude Dumarets. "This was a painful period for Etienne, but he is innocent, that much is clear with this decision," said one of his lawyers, Gilles Boisséson. "Bollinger's actions were perfectly transparent."

20 years, 11 months

[wine] Red/White Burgundy at 510

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, Lots of interesting wines, good food at Erte. Bruschetta, chx-wild_rice soup, steaks were very good. This week (9/16/04) we're doing White and/or Red Burgundy at the 510. Head count may be an issue.... Ten pours is a practical limit. If **ALL** of the couples share a pour, then we're at 11. The 510 Restaurant 510 Groveland Ave MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55403 Phone: 612-874-6440 Who's coming Fred/Kim Jim/Louise Russ/Sue Warren/Ruth Betsy Bob B-Dave Karin Lori Nicolai Roger Cheers, Jim December 10, 2004 MONTALCINO JOURNAL Museum Puts Life, Truth and, It Hopes, Sales in a Wine By IAN FISHER MONTALCINO, Italy - With a wine as famous as the Brunello di Montalcino made here - and with a million tourists who come each year because of it - you might expect the museum that opened in this ancient Tuscan hill town in November to be a shrine to luxury and prestige. But the exhibits are more ordinary: how local cobblers or dressmakers lived; a rustic pitchfork carved from a branch; records of Jews who settled in this part of Tuscany at least since the 13th century. "Maybe you like Brunello, maybe you don't," said Stefano Cinelli Colombini, one of the top producers of the wine, who is opening the museum at his winery here, Fattoria dei Barbi. "But Brunello is unique. What we want to show is the connection between the wine, the territory and this culture. Brunello was created here by these people, who wore these dresses, who used these tools. Brunello cannot exist without them." Sounds simple enough, but like the wine itself, it's a little more complicated: Mr. Colombini's quaint museum is also a craftier version of the sales pitch that Italian wine producers throughout the country's varied regions are making to revive the sagging demand for Italian wine: that, as some of them say, you are buying Italian culture in a bottle. In the last few years, Italian wine exports have fallen by about 10 percent, a problem caused by a mix of the ever weaker dollar against the euro, which makes European products more expensive abroad, and continuing competition from good, less expensive wine from countries like Chile, Australia and South Africa. High costs in Italy - and, some argue, greed on the part of winemakers - makes cutting prices difficult. So the Italian wine industry is deep in a campaign not to compete directly on price or quality, but to emphasize what is distinct, and distinctly Italian, about its wine: how certain Italian wines go with Italian food; the life and history in the places, like here in Montalcino, where wine is made; the almost uncountable strains of grapes particular to Italy. "Ottavianello!" declared Umberto Benezzoli, a wine expert, as he swirled a glass at a conference of more than 1,000 winemakers in Turin in October. "Personally, I'd never heard of it until yesterday. It was on its way to extinction!" Ottavianello, it turned out, is the name of an obscure grape that a wine producer from the southern region of Apulia, Academia dei Racemi, found neglected in its vineyard - and decided to turn into a varietal wine of its own, rather than blending it with others. The company's exports to the United States, an important market, have dropped in recent years from 30 percent of what it produces to less than 10 percent, and like other winemakers at the conference, it is looking for an edge by selling wine that could come only from Italy. "This kind of grape tastes of our territory," said Cosimo Spina, 43, the company's winemaker, whose hands were stained purple. "You can't say the same of cabernet. That's French. It can't represent us." The notion of marketing Italy as a land of unique history and culture is not exactly new. (James Joyce, living unhappily in Rome, once likened the nation's hawking of its past to a man "exhibiting to travelers his grandmother's corpse.") And, certainly, it is no guarantee of success. The almost fetishistic devotion to Tuscany among foreigners has not faded, but wine sales still have dropped. Some experts say that what Italy really needs is a more organized effort to cut prices and to simplify for foreign drinkers an already too complicated range of wines. "People are put off," said Michele Shah, a wine consultant and writer who helped organize the Turin conference. "They don't know what they are drinking." Here in Montalcino, sales do not seem to be an immediate concern for Mr. Colombini, even if this question of culture and wine certainly does. It was a change in that culture that first inspired the museum two years ago. Montalcino, a town nearly emptied after a distant highway built in the 1960's replaced one that had enriched it since Roman times, has been flooded in the last two decades with outsiders as Brunello developed into one of Italy's best and most expensive wines, fetching $50 a bottle and up. Half of the 300 producers of Brunello, he said, are foreigners, as are half the town's 5,000 residents. "We had more or less an invasion," Mr. Colombini said. "Now our problem is to save the tradition and character of our community and to share our culture with the newcomers." "We want them," he added. "But we need them to be a part of our culture." So with the help of residents who scoured their attics, he collected 10,000 photographs of old Montalcino; the contents of typical houses of middle-class families and workers; tools from blacksmiths, cobblers (especially important on a stop along the old Roman road) and, of course, winemakers. The new museum, which also will include a room for a bottle each from the 300 producers of Brunello, this month, provides a further attraction for a winery that already draws some 50,000 visitors a year. Those are numbers that few Italian wineries can boast, yet each claims a local grape and a unique tradition in pressing, aging and bottling it. Italian vintners are banking on that singularity to attract new drinkers, shape tastes and, they hope, eventually lift sales. "It is impossible to think of the wine without the culture that generated it," Mr. Colombini said. "That's the mistake of most technicians. They think that a wine is like a wheel, like a car you can build anywhere. They think wine is a technical thing. But it's not true." "You can produce a superb cabernet anywhere," he added. "It's not a problem. But you can't produce this wine somewhere else." -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 12 months

[wine] Cab Blends at Erte, Wine Trade Laws

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, An update, and some info on the supreme court's review of rulings on direct shipment of wines. Executive summary of that. The court does not appear to be buying into the state(MI and NY)'s assertion that the 21st ammendmant allows them to regulate wine/beer/alcohol as they see fit. Rather, they are suggesting that the state's case is mere protectionism, in violation of the "free trade clause" of the constitution. States shall not put goods from other states at a disavantage. Big stakes here, as nearly half of all states prohibit direct wine shipments. Also, ruling will most likely spill over onto some of the "3 tier distribution" laws. ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Greetings, Bluegrass-Bob did some dialing, and has come up w/ the following for us. This week (12/9), Cabernet Sauv. based blends at Erte. Bob has made a reservation for 6:30 p.m. for eight people. Erte Restaurant. 329 13 Ave NE, Mpls 55413 612-623-4211 Who's coming (mostly guesses)? Bob Ruth/Warren Nicolai Jim/Louise Karin Roger Fred/Kim Next week (12/16): Red or White Burgundy at 510 Groveland. Not sure who's coming but.... Bob Betsy B-Dave Jim/Louise Warren/Ruth Russ/Sue Lori Janet Roger Nicolai Fred/Kim Cheers, Jim December 8, 2004 Justices Pick Apart Ban on Wine Sales From State to State By LINDA GREENHOUSE WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 - If the Supreme Court argument Tuesday on interstate wine sales proves to be a reliable roadmap to the eventual decision, consumers who want to order wine directly from out-of-state wineries will soon be able to do so with the court's blessing. The justices appeared notably unmoved by the arguments offered by New York and Michigan in defense of laws that prohibit the direct shipment of wine from other states while permitting in-state wineries to ship their products to their customers' homes. The 50 states are divided almost in half on a question that has grown increasingly contentious in the age of Internet advertising and sales. Twenty-six states permit direct shipment from out-of-state wineries; 24 ban it. The federal appeals courts are divided, too; one court upheld New York while another, almost simultaneously, declared Michigan's law unconstitutional. The states' central argument, presented by Solicitor General Thomas L. Casey of Michigan and Solicitor General Caitlin J. Halligan of New York, was that the 21st Amendment gave states such blanket authority over the "importation" of alcohol as to trump the constitutional principle that applies everywhere else in the national marketplace: that states cannot discriminate in favor of their own products. "Mere protectionism is permitted" by the amendment that repealed Prohibition, Mr. Casey said. "This case goes to the very core of the 21st Amendment," Ms. Halligan added in her turn. "It also goes to the very core of the Commerce Clause," Justice Anthony M. Kennedy responded. That clause, which empowers Congress to regulate interstate commerce, has been interpreted since early in the country's history to include the implication that states may not, on their own minus Congressional authorization, discriminate against one another. Justice Stephen G. Breyer said that in the 21st Amendment he found "not a word in any brief that I saw of any intent to get rid of the antidiscrimination principle." Nor did the justices demonstrate more patience with the fallback, that if the 21st Amendment did not simply obliterate the Commerce Clause, the laws could nonetheless be justified by the twin goals of preventing minors' access to alcohol and ensuring that the states could collect taxes from out-of-state shippers. Kathleen Sullivan, arguing for the 13 consumers who successfully challenged the Michigan law in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, pointed out that Michigan permits its 40 in-state wineries and 7,500 liquor retailers to make home deliveries. That showed "a pattern of exceptions that belies any implication" that the state's real goal was to protect minors, she said. Ms. Sullivan, a professor and former dean at the Stanford Law School, said several states that permit direct shipments from out-of-state wineries tracked the taxes owed by requiring the wineries to obtain permits and report monthly. Her points made an impact, and Justice David H. Souter observed to Mr. Casey, Michigan's lawyer: "Your opponents argue that there are no clear countervailing interests here, so by process of elimination you get down to nothing but protectionism. What's your answer?" The law really does enable the state to protect minors, Mr. Casey replied. "You say that, but how?" Justice Souter persisted. Mr. Casey's response that state regulators could punish a state-licensed business left Justice Souter clearly unsatisfied. The two state laws under review in Granholm v. Heald, No. 03-1116, the Michigan case, and Swedenburg v. Kelly, No. 03-1274, the New York case, are not identical. While Michigan flatly prohibits direct shipment by out-of-state wineries, New York theoretically permits it, as long as the winery maintains a physical presence in the state, including a warehouse to store its wines before sale. No out-of-state winery has qualified for this exception, and although the law has been on the books since 1970, the state has not issued the regulations necessary to make the exception operative. Clint Bolick, arguing for the plaintiffs in the New York case - small wineries in Virginia and California, along with three New York wine drinkers - said small wineries could not afford to set up offices around the country as the price of reaching customers in other states. "Our clients cannot compete with liquor distributors," Mr. Bolick said. "They can compete in the market. The Commerce Clause protects a level playing field." He noted that of 3,000 wineries in the country, 600 sell their products in New York's retail liquor stores. Mr. Bolick is strategic litigation counsel of the Institute for Justice, a public-interest law firm with libertarian leanings that began a campaign against the state laws several years ago. His lawsuit in New York succeeded in Federal District Court, but that ruling was overturned by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which took an expansive view of the 21st Amendment. Mr. Bolick said the amendment should be understood to permit states to regulate alcohol "by one set of rules, not two." He added that New York was engaged "not in legitimate regulation, but in economic protectionism." The Supreme Court's own view of the 21st Amendment has shifted over the years from one that was much like the states' position to one that has increasingly taken account of the Commerce Clause. In a 1984 case from Hawaii, Bacchus Imports Ltd. v. Dias, the court invalidated an exemption from a 20 percent excise tax the state gave to its local liquor industry. "It is by now clear that the amendment did not entirely remove state regulation of alcoholic beverages from the ambit of the Commerce Clause," Justice Byron R. White said in his majority opinion, which concluded: "We are convinced that Hawaii's discriminatory tax cannot stand." The Bacchus case was much discussed during the argument. The three dissenters in that case, Justices John Paul Stevens and Sandra Day O'Connor, along with Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, are still on the court, while no member of the majority is. Nonetheless, there was no indication from Justices Stevens or O'Connor - Chief Justice Rehnquist was not in court because of his treatment for cancer - that they did not accept the Bacchus precedent as binding. "If you can't grant a tax exemption," Justice Stevens said to Ms. Halligan, the New York lawyer, "it seems to me a fortiori that you can't prohibit importation." When Mr. Casey, Michigan's lawyer, said the Bacchus decision was wrongly decided and should be overruled, Justice O'Connor responded: "It's a little hard to plan on overruling it, so why don't you address how to distinguish it, because it has a lot of language that cuts against you." In addition to the states, the wineries and the wine drinkers, the wholesale liquor industry is acutely interested in the outcome. States regulate alcohol distribution by what is known as a three-tier system: producer to licensed wholesaler to licensed retailer. For the wholesalers, the stakes in this dispute are enormous. If consumers are enabled to buy directly from out-of-state producers, so, theoretically, might retailers be. "Under the same rationale, the in-state licensing system has to fall," Justice Kennedy observed at one point. -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 12 months

[wine] Upcoming Dinner Tastings

by Karin

Wine Co is hosting a number of interesting-sounding dinners in December: http://www.twcwines.com/wine_happenings.cfm - Karin

20 years, 12 months

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win December 2004