Russ McC has been recommending the Merk. Uurz Wuuz for a while now:
Your 2014 Resolution: Drink Adventurously
By ERIC ASIMOVJAN. 6, 2014
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Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
Here's my resolution for 2014: Drink adventurously.
Nowadays, great wines come from all directions and continents. You can easily be content drinking familiar, wonderful wines. Yet for me, the joy of wine requires the warm embrace of old friends and the thrill of recognizing new ones.
Obscure wines hold one potential advantage over their better-known counterparts: greater value. Because there is less demand for unfamiliar wines, they can offer a greater ratio of quality to price. A $20 bottle from the old reliable Mâconnais may bring you a pretty good expression of chardonnay. But that same $20 may also bring you one of the best possible expressions of vespaiolo, a white grape from the Veneto in northeastern Italy that, for now at least, has all the cachet of an old sock.
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It's long been my contention that the greatest values in wine can be found in the neighborhood of $20 a bottle. It's not cheap, I know. You can certainly find many drinkable wines for less than $10 a bottle, and some wines that are highly interesting for $10 to $15. But the number of fascinating bottles rises exponentially in the $15-to-$25 range.
Here, in no special order, are 20 winter wines for about $20 apiece that offer not only value but also intrigue. Not all are unknown (Côtes du Rhône, anyone?), but many pique the interest because they come from unfamiliar places, are made from unknown grapes or reflect an unusual style. They are delicious testimony to the bounty of unexplored wines.
Not all will be easy to find. I purchased these in New York City retail shops, but if you have no luck, a good wine shop ought to be able to recommend something similar, and of course the web offers tools like wine-searcher.com, which will give you a fighting chance at tracking them down.
Recent Comments Hall monitors gonna monitor.
Some of you may be moved to quibble with my choices. No chardonnay but three rieslings? Well, what of it? I happen to love both chardonnay and riesling, but on this occasion, the rieslings were singing beautifully and the chardonnays were maybe a bit flat. Riesling, of course, is not exactly an obscure grape. But riesling from Michigan? My guess is you will be hearing a lot more about Michigan rieslings in the near future.
I'm not one for strict seasonal rules regarding wines. Even in winter, I eat a fair number of dishes that call out for whites. You might even find a rosé on my table in the dead of January. Still, I do make adjustments, seeking out fuller-bodied wines among both whites and reds. Yet I believe there's always a place for delicacy. In deciding what to drink, I pay more attention to mood and food than to weather.
Graphic: 20 Winter Wines for $20
1. The Eyrie Vineyards Dundee Hills Pinot Blanc 2011
In the last few years, I've really come to appreciate pinot blanc, a grape that rarely gets its due. It makes a wine characterized more by texture than fruit flavor, and so doesn't lend itself to effusive description. I love this wine, from a pioneering Oregon producer. It's creamy yet lively, rich yet energetic. In short, delicious.
2. Destro Terre Siciliane Nausìca I.G.T. Bianco 2012
The reds from Mount Etna in Sicily get most of the attention, but the whites are fascinating. This one, from Destro, made of both carricante and catarratto, is provocatively fragrant, with an almost resinous, lemon balsam aroma. The wine blossoms as it warms in the glass, becoming pleasantly savory. It will get even better with another year of age. (Panebianco, New York)
3. Left Foot Charley Michigan Riesling Dry 2011
Michigan? As is often said, all 50 states now make wine, but Michigan is one of a handful making notable wines with excellent potential. If you can find Left Foot Charley's riesling - Michigan's best white grape - it's absolutely worth trying. It's bone dry, with an almost decadent aroma of dried flowers and stones, and is exceedingly refreshing.
4. Eva Fricke Rheingau Riesling Trocken 2012
In recent years, the Germans have moved decisively toward dry rieslings. This modest but lively trocken is an excellent example from the Rheingau, with a little more body than you might find from, say, the Mosel. It's fresh, tangy and winning, with nutlike, melon, mineral flavors. (Bonhomie Wine Imports, South Orange, N.J.)
5. Alfred Merkelbach Mosel Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett 2012
Is it wrong for a winter wine to be graceful, delicate and light-bodied? Beauty is always in season, and this lightly sweet riesling is gorgeous, harmonious, graceful and delicate. It's the balance that draws me in. Pure pleasure. (A Terry Theise Selection/Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y.)
6. Kabaj Goriska Brda Ravan 2010
Goriska Brda is in Slovenia, just east of the border with the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy. Many terrific wines come from this historic area. The bottle identifies the grape as "green sauvignon," which makes sense. Green sauvignon is supposedly a synonym for tocai friulano, but this offers the brash snap of sauvignon blanc, too. Zesty and fresh with persistent, tangy flavors. (Blue Danube Wine Company, Los Altos Hills, Calif.)
7. Brovia Dolcetto d'Alba Vignavillej 2011
In the Piedmont region of northwest Italy, dolcetto is a workhorse grape, perennially underrated in the rush to exalt Barolo and Barbaresco. Perhaps that's as it should be, but when it comes to drinking, dolcetto is what the people of Piedmont pour daily. The 2011 Vignavillej from Brovia is kind of a baritone version, with deep, dark, persistent fruit flavors and, of course, the typical pleasing bitterness. (Rosenthal Wine Merchant, New York)
8. Leo Steen Dry Creek Valley Saini Farms Chenin Blanc 2012
If you can't imagine good chenin blanc coming from California, here is Exhibit A. This lively, delicious wine ought to gladden the heart of any chenin blanc lover with its aromas of lemon, minerals and herbs, and that touch of honey that marks chenin for me. It's rich but not heavy, the kind of insistent wine that I can't resist.
9. Ponce Manchuela Reto 2012
The Manchuela region of east-central Spain is little known to Americans, and grapes like the red bobal and white albillo are equally unfamiliar. But quality has greatly improved in recent years, and the wines are increasingly interesting, like this dry, penetrating albillo from Ponce, with a juicy, persistent citrus flavor, a pleasantly oily texture and a welcome touch of bitterness. (T. Edwards Wines, New York)
10. Domaine de Ferrand Côtes du Rhône Cuvée Antique Vieilles Vignes 2011
A Côtes du Rhône needs little explanation, especially when it's as soulful and satisfying as this 2011 from Domaine de Ferrand. It's made primarily of old-vine grenache, and the soft, supple, juicy red fruit simply sings. (Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, Pa.)
11. Contrà Soarda Breganze Vespaiolo 2012
Like the albillo, the white vespaiolo grape is almost completely unknown. Contrà Soarda specializes in the indigenous grapes of the Veneto. Its Breganze Vespaiolo is full-bodied and substantial, with a ripe, rich citrus flavor that cries out for oily seafood. This wine was bottled with a dose of carbon dioxide, which gave the first glass a surprising, pleasant spritziness. (Jan D'Amore Wines, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
12. Filliatreau Saumur-Champigny La Grande Vignolle 2009
The Loire Valley remains a bargain-hunter's paradise, and Saumur-Champigny is fertile ground for lovers of cabernet franc. The 2009 Grande Vignolle from Filliatreau is rich and mouth-filling, with ripe flavors of red fruit, as befitting the warm vintage. But the fruit is laced with an undercurrent of minerality that kept drawing me back for more. (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York)
13. Bloomer Creek Vineyard Finger Lakes White Horse Red 2008
Cheval Blanc, White Horse: get it? Just as with the great St.-Émilion, White Horse is a blend of cabernet franc and merlot, and if it lacks the polish, gravitas and staying power of the classic, it's nonetheless deep, rich and structured, generous and well shaped with flavors of earthy red fruit. Great value from the terrific husband-and-wife team of Kim Engle and Debra Bermingham from the Finger Lakes.
14. Broadside Paso Robles Margarita Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Fine California cabernet sauvignon is not restricted to Napa Valley. I've had wonderful cabernets from Sonoma and the Santa Cruz Mountains, and this one from one of the cooler areas in Paso Robles. I've enjoyed Broadside's classically structured cabernet for several vintages now, and the '11 is especially good: dry, rich and slightly tannic, with snappy red fruit and an herbal tinge.
15. Mulderbosch Stellenbosch Faithful Hound 2010
This blend of five Bordeaux grapes - cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot and malbec - is a big, juicy, tannic mouthful that really develops aromatically in the glass. It's both distant and inviting in a classic Old World style, fruity yet not sweet. Roasted meats, please. (Mulderbosch, Bridgeport, Pa.)
16. Burlotto Verduno Pelaverga 2012
Beyond the most famous wines of the Piedmont are those made from more esoteric grapes like freisa, ruchè, grignolino and pelaverga, a specialty of the Verduno area. Burlotto's Verduno Pelaverga is like a fresh breeze, light, spicy and pure. Delightful and versatile, for when you need a break from the heavier reds. (Bacchanal Wine Imports, Port Chester, N.Y.)
17. À Vita Cirò Rosso Classico Superiore 2010
When was the last time you said, "Cirò from Calabria"? It's new for me, too. But because I've come to know and enjoy the Savuto wines of Calabria, the unruly toe of the Italian boot, I was excited to try a Cirò, made with the ancient gaglioppo grape. It was both surprisingly delicate and profoundly tannic (give this a few hours in a decanter), with an intriguing mealy, nutlike note. With air, it developed a pretty aroma, like pressed roses. Serve with fatty meats. (DeGrazia Imports, Winston-Salem, N.C.)
18. Joan d'Anguera Montsant Altaroses 2011
Montsant is to Priorat as Gigondas is to Châteauneuf-de-Pape, a modest but charming region that both benefits and suffers from its association with the grandeur of its neighbor. While proximity to Priorat makes for an easy sales pitch, it also tends to obscure what Montsant does best, offering delightfully amiable wines like this one from Joan d'Anguera, made entirely of garnacha, or granatxa as rendered in Catalan, gently fruity with grippy tannins and touches of anise and earth. (De Maison Selections, Chapel Hill, N.C.)
19. Domaine le Roc Fronton La Folle Noire d'Ambat 2010
What is negrette? What is Fronton? What on earth is La Folle Noire d'Ambat? To answer that last question, you must try this red, made from the inky black negrette grape grown in Fronton, in southwest France just north of Toulouse. You will find La Folle Noire d'Ambat is a ripe, succulent, exotically fruity wine that makes for delicious, easy drinking anytime. What else do you need to know? (Langdon Shiverick, Los Angeles)
20. El Maestro Sierra Oloroso Jerez-Xérès-Sherry 15 años 375 milliliters
Isn't it time to climb on the sherry bandwagon? Oloroso is the sherry equivalent of red wine, as against fino's white. While this 15-year sherry offers an aroma of sweet fruit, it is dry and graceful with complex, luscious flavors of caramel and minerals. Though light and refreshing, it is 19 percent alcohol. Nonetheless, try with red meat or game. (De Maison Selections, Chapel Hill, N.C.)
A version of this article appears in print on January 8, 2014, on page D4 of the New York edition with the headline: Exploring, a Bottle at a Time. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe
James Ellingson
James Ellingson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
School of Engineering at the University of St. Thomas
Mail OSS 100, 2115 Summit Ave, St. Paul, MN 55105-1096 USA
651 962-5415 mobile 651 645-0753 James.Ellingson(a)StThomas.edu<mailto:James.Ellingson@StThomas.edu>
British wine writer Jamie Goode has an interesting and perceptive set of
2014 predictions on his blog this week (wineanorak.com/wineblog)
[In Minnesota terms, for "supermarkets," read "large wine stores" - which is
certainly timely with the arrival of Total Wine in our market. I thought #5
was particularly interesting.]
1. The commoditization of wine will continue apace
Supermarkets do their job well. For most people, wine is just wine, and they
want a glass of something red, white, pink, or fizzy at a good price. The
improvement in quality of cheap wine, coupled with the near monopoly on
route to market that supermarkets enjoy (bringing with it irresistible
negotiating power) means that wine is becoming a commodity. In the absence
of strong brands, and with infinite substitution in this fragmented
category, there's a huge downward pressure on price. It's great for
consumers looking for drinkable inexpensive wine, but not good for producers
playing at this end of the market, who are struggling for profitability.
2. Wine will continue to lose market share; craft beer is on the rise
2014 could be a big year for craft beer. At the more commercial end of the
market, wine is becoming expensive and quite boring; you have to spend quite
a bit now to get something really interesting. Beer used to be a boring
category, with most beers stuck in a limited flavour space: the rise of
craft beer has seen beer become more interesting, without it becoming more
expensive. You can now get some great flavour experiences from beer for
relatively little money. The same isn't true of wine, and those who make
mid-priced boring wine are the ones who will suffer loss of market share.
3. It's going to be a good year for the Balkans and the ancient wine
countries
In 2013 we have seen some interesting wines coming out of the
Balkan/'ancient wine' countries. Georgia, Turkey, Serbia, Greece, Israel,
Hungary, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Romania are all now making some
really good wines, and are starting to sell these successfully in export
markets. They have good stories to tell, interesting grape varieties and
good terroirs. As they begin to get their viticulture, winemaking and
marketing up to speed, they'll find buyers even in competitive markets such
as the UK. Wines stocked by the Wine Society, Waitrose [major British
grocer, big player in the wine market] and especially Marks & Spencer
[British department store, another big wine market player] are testimony to
this.
4. It's going to be a bad year for many wine writers
The barrier for entry into wine writing has been lowered massively over
recent years, with the dawn of the internet, blogging and social media. It's
not a bad thing: personally, I have been a beneficiary, having come to make
a living out of wine communication as an extension of a hobby website. But
it means there are increasingly more people writing about wine, most with
relatively little reach. For existing wine communicators who have failed to
adapt to the digital age, it has been very bad news indeed. And as PR
companies, generic bodies and wineries struggle to assign authority to the
massed communicators (how do they decide who is worth investing in, in terms
of samples, press trips and invitations?), a lot of people are going to lose
out. Let's just hope that the talented voices, new and old, rise to the top,
and not just the aggressive self-promoters.
5. Many will wish they'd paid more attention to their established markets
A lot of generic bodies and wine producers have been seduced by the lure of
making easier money in China. While there is little doubt that China is
going to be an incredibly important place to sell wine, in 2014 many will
wish they'd not abandoned their established markets to the degree they have
in recent years in order to chase China, which is proving to be a tricky and
uncertain market at the moment.
6. 2014 will be the year of the niche
Wine is a niche interest. And in 2014 we'll have realised that, and we'll be
fine with that. Look: lots of people drink wine, and lots of people enjoy
wine, but for the majority it is just a drink, and they don't have a special
interest in it. Those of us who write about wine need to recognize that
reading about wine is just too abstract to be of interest for most people,
no matter how accessible our writing is and no matter how engaging we are.
But there are enough people who have a special interest in wine for it to be
a niche worth bothering with. We, as communicators, just have to remember
who we are communicating with. The good news: the internet has made
connecting with those who are interested in what we have to say much easier,
and the likes of Kickstarter and the ease of electronic publications has
made it possible for authors to produce books which are too niche for
mainstream publishers to be bothered with.
7. The rise of neo-prohibition will threaten the wine industry in many
countries
Wine contains alcohol, and alcohol is the enemy in the eyes of influential
public health advisors [and Muslim governments - R.]. Many loud voices in
the medical profession are lobbying against alcohol, which is seen as an
evil in much the same way that tobacco has been targeted over recent decades
in western countries. In this debate, there is little acknowledgement of the
social and medical good achieved by modest wine consumption. Alcohol is bad
and it is increasingly being legislated against. This poses a direct threat
to wine, and expect to see this grow as a problem in 2014 as governments
lose patience with the ability of the alcohol industry to regulate itself.
In the UK, binge drinking among teenagers is rife, and becoming an epidemic.
The reaction against this is going to see wine caught in the crossfire, and
the danger to wine production and sale should not be underestimated - not
only have we legislation to fear, but also broader societal attitudes
towards drinking.
8. We'll finally see some real innovation in the wine category
Go into any supermarket and browse the wine aisle. The wall of wine is made
up largely of products packaged the same way (in tall glass bottles), which
look the same, and to the average person, taste the same. There is massive
clustering in terms of look and flavour in the wine category, and there's
little sign of real innovation aside from a few brave attempts with label
design. 2014 will be the year that finally sees some new brands with the
courage to be genuinely innovative. One of the reasons that wine has become
commoditized at the bottom end is because of the lack of strong brands; and
with commoditization comes an inevitable downward pressure on prices.
Happy New Year to all!
Russ
