In an endless winter, wines that will transport you to summer

As I write this, it’s about to drop down to two degrees again here in New York, hardly the kind of weather that brings on thoughts of refreshing summer wines. But as part of my own strategy for coping with this brutal blast of winter we’ve been enduring for weeks, that’s exactly what I’ve been tasting. They're not a substitute for a warm beach, but they've taken some of the chill out of my mind, at least, and given me a jump on some exciting new releases to be enjoyed in the months ahead.

From New Zealand, Mud House’s 2014 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($12) immediately got me in the spirit of spring. This is classic Kiwi sauvignon with delicious grapefruit and gooseberry notes, vibrant acidity and a touch of cream on the long finish. It’s notable as well for its roundness -- there’s nothing strident, as New Zealand sauvignons can sometimes be. Alcohol is 13 percent. Imported by Accolade Wines North America, Napa, California.

I have often said that rosés can and should be drunk through the year, a point reinforced by the first two rosés I’ve tasted this year. They represent two very different styles and both are memorable.

From France’s Loire Valley, Saget La Perrière’s 2014 La Petite Perrière Rosé ($14) is as refreshing a rosé as you’ll find, It is made from 100 percent pinot noir, an under-appreciated Loire variety. I was struck immediately by a liveliness produced by its bright acidity, just the right quality to counteract a deep-winter funk. With its light salmon color its tastes evoke ripe cherry and strawberry with some lemon, orange and a touch of cream on the finish. Alcohol is 12 percent.

In a slightly fuller style, the 2014 Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé ($14) is notable for its minerality that punctuates concentrated strawberry and raspberry notes. There’s a refreshing citrusy finish on this one as well. Alcohol is 13.5 percent. Los Vascos is produced in Chile’s Colchagua Valley and is owned by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite). Both rosés will be available this spring and are imported by Pasternak Wine Imports, Harrison, New York. All three wines were received as samples for review.

Thanksgiving wine lists: what Randall Grahm and others in the business are thankful for

There is no shortage of Thanksgiving wine advice out there, so instead of joining the pack, as I have for most of the last decade with my own pronouncements about Thanksgiving wine pairings, I decided to do something different this year. What were some of my friends and colleagues in the wine business planning to serve or recommend – from wine styles to regions to individual bottles? A set of email queries prompted a quick response and a broad range of possibilities, which included wines from California, Oregon, Washington, many parts of France as well as Italy, Austria, Germany and Chile. If one theme emerged, it is this: when it comes to Thanksgiving, there are very few rules about wine. Like the stuffing or the gravy, everyone’s tastes and preferences are going to be different. I would add (and the responses largely bear this out) that the wines, whether red or white, will work best when they are on the leaner and less  alcoholic side. Beyond that, my friends seemed to gravitate toward wines with finesse and individuality, as you’re about to see.

The most enviable response came from Joshua Greene, editor and publisher of Wine & Spirits Magazine, for which I occasionally serve on tasting panels. Josh said he would raise a glass, in absentia, from Spain, where he will be meeting on Thursday with the owner of one of the great Rioja producers, R. López de Heredia. “Will think of turkey, native Americans and pilgrims,” he said, “as I toast with a 1981 Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia.”

Randall Grahm, the founder and self-proclaimed president-for-life of California’s Bonny Doon Vineyard, put Thanksgiving in the context of his own wine evolution (or is it revolution?). He wrote: “These days – and I’m more or less counting on this being a semi-permanent state of affairs – I’m pretty much only interested in wines that might be called vins de terroir: wines that express a sense of place, but also wines that exhibit a quality of minerality or life-force (two sides of the same coin). As it turns out, I do think that these sorts of dynamic ‘vital’ wines are in fact a great foil to turkey, which is itself, shall we say, somewhat static.” Among whites, Randall is thinking about a dry riesling from France’s Alsace, perhaps an older example from Fréderic Emile, or one from Austria’s Wachau, or a grüner veltliner, perhaps a Prager Grüner Alte Reben. For reds, he said, “it will most likely be infanticide of an ’05 red Burgundy,” perhaps from Fourier, definitely decanted, or maybe a Cornas from the northern Rhône. As an apéritif, he’s going to try to get his hands on some of Eric Bordelet’s Poire “Granit,” a pear cider from Normandy.

Sips: some favorite late-summer wine values from Spain, Chile and Italy

SIP: The weather has cooled slightly, but there’s still lots of time for rosé, including Julián Chivite’s 2009 Gran Feudo Rosado from the Navarra region of Spain.  It had been a few years since I tasted this wine, and I was reminded the other day just how delicious it is for all of $10 (that’s what I paid for it, but I’m sure you can find it for even less). Made from the garnacha (grenache) grape, with notes of cherry, cassis and spice. It’s great on its own and will match with lots of foods, including chicken, duck, tuna and bluefish. Alcohol 13 percent. Imported by Spain Wine Collection, Congers, New York.

SIP: Natura is a line of wines made with organically grown grapes by Viñedos Emiliana in Chile’s Valle Central. The other day I got  around to tasting the 2008 Natura Cabernet Sauvignon. This is superb, inexpensive cabernet (Wine-Searcher.com lists it from $8 to $12) and is superior to almost all cabs from California at this price. It’s 85 percent cabernet with 10 percent carmenere and smaller amounts of cabernet franc and malbec. It shows good varietal character with notes of blackberry, black cherry, mocha and some herbal overtones. Well balanced, moderately tannic and ready to drink (I enjoyed it slightly chilled). Alcohol 14 percent. Imported by Royal Imports, Old Brookville, New York. (Received as a press sample.)

SIP: With Italian-style tomato sauces, I am partial to Italian wines, and one of my recent favorites is Fontanafredda’s 2008 “Briccotondo” Barbera from the Piedmont region. I’ve bought it twice recently in New York and Long Island, paying $15 each time. The other night we enjoyed it with a simple sauce created from a big bag of “seconds” tomatoes I bought for $2 at one of the local farm stands, some basil and parsley. I tossed the pasta into the sauce in a cast-iron skillet,  sprinkled some grated mozzarella cheese on top and then broiled it for a few minutes to create a wonderful crusty top. Our whole meal (for six people) cost about $10 or so and the Briccotondo was the perfect accompaniment with its ample acidity and notes of cherry, blueberry and earth. A good, inexpensive barbera like this one is just made for simple, fresh tomato sauces that we are lucky enough to make at this time of year. Alcohol 13.5 percent. Imported by Domaine Select Wine Estates, New York.

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Swirls: the top imported wines for quality and value – consumers and the wine trade weigh in

In terms of wine quality, which countries stand out the most to consumers? The question was put to more than 600 wine consumers in a survey by Wine Opinions, an Internet-based research firm. Wines were divided into four categories: whites/rosés under $20, reds under $20 and reds in the $20 to $50 range. The results:

• When it comes to under-$20 whites and rosés, more consumers rated the wines of Germany, New Zealand, France and Italy “outstanding” than those of other countries.
• For reds under $20, the wines of Italy, France, Spain and Argentina came out on top.
• For reds in the $20 to $50 range, France and Italy got the highest marks, with each rated outstanding by fully two-thirds of consumers, while roughly half gave the reds of Spain, Australia   and Argentina top marks.

What countries do best when it comes to value? Wine Opinions put that question to more than 200 members of the wine trade.

• For whites and roses under $20, the leaders were Argentina, Spain, Chile and Portugal. Despite a lot of lower-priced Australian whites on the market, Australia was at the bottom of the value chart in this category.
• When it comes to reds under $20, Argentina led the way, followed closely by Spain and Chile. Italy and France were somewhat lower.
• As for more expensive red wines, those priced at $20 to $50, Spain, Argentina, Italy and Chile were the value leaders. All were  considered “good” or “outstanding” in this regard by about three quarters or more of the respondents. France’s rating was relatively low, at 59 percent, “an indication of the difficulty France is having in this price category,” according to Wine Opinions’ analysis of the results.

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Swirls: Free case of wine? Which region would you choose?

I know I’m going a bit heavy on the surveys this week, but I was stuck by some of the results in a newly released study on attitudes toward imported wines. It was conducted by Wine  Opinions, an Internet-based research company that focuses on attitudes and preferences of frequent U.S. wine purchasers and consumers  and members of the wine trade. Among the findings:

• Argentina and Chile have seen major gains among consumers buying their red wines over the last couple of years, leading all other countries  in growth.
• Italy, New Zealand and Australia, saw significant increases in white wine and rosé purchases and, along with France and Germany, are the leading countries consumers turn to for these imports.
• Respondents from the wine trade say they’ve been selling a lot more wine under $20 from Argentina, Chile and Spain since the start of the recession in 2008, which is not surprising given the emphasis on value wines from those countries. Also not surprising: roughly a third or more say they are selling less wine in the over-$20 category from just about every country.

So, a lot of growth, it appears, in New World wines over the last couple of years. However, on the intriguing question -- from what country would consumers want to receive a free mixed-case of wine? – the Old World wins hands down. France was the first choice among 30 percent, Italy second at 26 percent, followed by Australia at 13 percent and Spain at 10 percent.

The results were based on responses from 642 consumers and 214 members of the wine trade. I’ll have more from this survey in coming days. For more information about the survey you can contact Wine Opinions at info@WineOpinions.com.

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The virtues (or not) of virtual wine tastings

One more example of how the wine industry is changing at lightening speed in terms of how it markets and promotes its wares came my way this afternoon. In the past, Wines of Chile, a trade group, might have invited a group of journalists and critics like me to a tasting event or a dinner, presenting the wines with some commentary by a winemaker or two. Today I received an invitation to attend a “virtual Wines of Chile blogger tasting” on May 12. The invitation said that prior to the event I would receive a “tasting kit” that would include eight Chilean sauvignon blancs, tasting notes and “suggested recipes that pair well with the wines as well as other information to make the experience as informative and enjoyable as possible.”

They make it sound as though tasting wines is a painful experience.  A sommelier, Fred Dexheimer, will be part of the event, as well as winemakers from eight of Chile’s “top-rated wineries.” Wow. With all those tasting notes and recipe suggestions, with all that commentary and guidance from a  sommelier and an army of winemakers, will there be anything left for me to figure out on my own, like whether I think the wines are well made or good values? I’m reminded of what a colleague told me eight years ago, when I was about to launch my column on MSNBC.com. He said, speaking for the audience: describe the wines in basic terms, give us some context, but leave something for us to discover on our own. They are words I’ve tried to live by in my many years as a critic. And they apply well to Chilean sauvignon blancs, which tend to be fresh, uncomplicated wines --the very thing that makes them attractive. They simply do not need to be overanalyzed. Yes, I’ll attend the virtual tasting next month with all that firepower and tasting ammunition. As always, I will like some of the wines more than others and I will let my readers know, in my professional opinion, why. But don’t be surprised if I spend at least part of the event with the volume on my computer turned down.

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Swirls: Wine loss from Chile quake put at $250 million

It’s been three and a half weeks since the earthquake in Chile, and I received an update on the situation yesterday from Wines of Chile USA, the trade group representing Chilean wineries here in this country. An assessment by the group found that damage to wineries affected 13 percent of the 2009 harvest, resulting in a loss of about $250 million. It noted, however, that the ‘09 harvest in Chile was unusually large. “We are confident to report,” said Lori Tieszen, the group’s executive director, “that supply to countries around the world will not be affected and that the 2010 harvest, which has begun in the northern wine regions, is proceeding as planned.” The organization is asking for donations to a fund set up specifically to support vineyard and winery workers affected by the quake.

Separately, American importers of Chilean wine have also made substantial contributions, including $150,000 from Banfi Vintners and $50,000 from TGIC Importers, which also released a video appeal for further support from its president, Alex Guarachi.

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Swirls: tough times for some in Napa, Chile

I came across an interesting take from Australia on the impact of the recent earthquake in Chile, not only on that country’s wine industry, but on how damage from the quake might affect the fortunes of Australia’s wine business, which is dealing with “chronic oversupply problems.”

Meanwhile, I was struck by a report on the continuing fallout from the recession in the Napa Valley, with land values down and the threat of foreclosures up.

del.icio.us Tags: Chile wine,Chile quake,Australia wine,Napa Valley,Edward Deitch

Chile quake update – first pictures

One can only imagine what it’s been like in Chile for the the last two weeks as it works to recover from the massive earthquake that struck the central-south part of the country, the heart of Chile’s wine industry. Ten more aftershocks jolted Chileans on Thursday, including those attending the inauguration of the new president, Sebastian Pinera. The biggest was a powerful  6.9-magnitude quake, almost as big as the one in Haiti in January. It’s always hard to generalize, but as  more wineries report in, the bottom line seems to be that while most  were affected by the quake on February 27, the damage could have been much worse.

The well-known Casa Lapostolle reported a significant bottle loss of the 2008 vintage at its winery in Cunaco in the Colchagua Valley (a zone within the Rapel Valley), amounting to 20 percent of that year’s production. Beyond that, it said that loss of wine in barrels was less than five percent for the reds and almost nothing for chardonnay. Casa Lapostolle released the photo on the right, saying the narrow spacing of the barrels prevented many of them from crashing down and breaking.

Beyond that, the winery said losses in tanks were mainly in wines intended to be sold in bulk. The 2009 vintage, it said, is “completely intact” and will be released this May “to compensate for any losses  in the 2008 bottles.” Bottling and labeling lines will be back in operation Friday and shipping will resume on Monday. At right, picking up the pieces in Lapostolle’s warehouse.

Another winery, Viu Manent, also in Colchagua, said its vineyards were “very much intact” and reported only minor damage to its cellar. As for its wine, it said an initial assessment showed that losses “do not exceed 15 percent and mostly resulted from the collapse of some of our largest tanks, some barrels, and some bottled wine.” It said winemaking equipment is intact and ready for the 2010 vintage, which has started in Chile. Beyond its wine operations, Viu Manent said the greatest damage was to its tourist area, including the collapse of an old adobe building, which will preclude visits to the winery for a few months.

BuzzNet Tags: Edward Deitch,Chile wines,Chile quake,Casa Lapostolle,Viu Manent,Earthquake damage

The latest from Chile

Christophe Salin, the president of Domaines Barons de Rothschild, which produces the Los Vascos brand in Chile, reported no damage to the company’s vineyards, buildings and technical equipment in the Feb. 28 earthquake but said in an e-mail that “some tanks, barrels and bottles have unfortunately collapsed and we anticipate a loss amounting up to 20 percent of our wine inventory.” As the harvest approaches, he said, the winery should be back to “business as usual” next week when it expects electricity, water and phone lines to be restored. He said shipments might be delayed, however.

Meanwhile, Banfi Vintners, the largest U.S. importer of wines from Chile, said shipments of its wines will resume this Thursday from the port of San Antonio. Banfi imports the wines of  Concha y Toro, Chile’s largest producer, including its Trivento and Emiliana brands. Banfi said the wineries had resumed production after suspending it for a week or so. James Mariani, Banifi’s co-chief executive, noted that wine exports “constitute a key component of the Chilean economy; thus, we are all firmly committed to seeing business resume as swiftly as possible.”

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Chile quake update

Over the weekend, I heard from Georgio Flessati of Viña Falernia, whose excellent wine I wrote about in my column last year. In an email yesterday, he reported that while neither Falernia’s winery nor vineyards were affected by the earthquake nine days ago (it is one of Chile’s northernmost estates some 300 miles north of Santiago), it did lose wine that was in transit close to the ports of Valparaiso and San Antonio. 

Flessati described the wine picture after the quake as “quite complicated,” noting that the most affected area is the central-south part of the country, which accounts for 75 percent of the wine production. He said the losses there were “around 33 million gallons of wine from collapsed tanks.”

He noted that wineries in the region suffered a good deal of damage in infrastructure and production capacity, particularly in their grape reception areas. With harvest getting under way, he said everyone was working hard to be able to start the new vintage in decent condition. “Other problems,” he told me, “are the roads and water and energy, but I think in a few days the situation will be under control.” He added that “all the wineries in a few days will be able to start production and shipments and I think all of them will respect the agreements with the customers.” So, at this point, it sounds as though supplies and shipments from Chile won’t be too affected.

Technorati Tags: Edward Deitc,Chile wines,Chile quake

Chile’s wineries report significant quake losses

The impact of the massive earthquake on Chile’s wine industry became more clear today, and it is significant, as are the ripple effects extending well beyond Chile.

Concha y Toro, Chile’s largest producer and exporter with vineyards throughout the wine region, said it had suspended its production for at least a week while it assesses the full extent of the damage. In a statement, it said “our company, as well as the rest of the industry, have been heavily impacted by this catastrophe.” It described serious damage to some of its main wineries and “important loss in wine and production capacity.” It noted that the area in central Chile that felt the biggest impact from the quake “is the heartland of wine production.”

Another big wine operation, Miguel Torers Chile, said “material losses are significant” at its winery in the Curico Valley. About 300 oak casks were smashed, thousands of bottles were destroyed and a stainless steel vat with a capacity of 100,000 liters cracked, losing all the wine.  The winery’s president, Miguel Torres Maczassek, was on a business trip to the United States when the quake hit. Melanie McEvoy Quirke, a spokesperson for the winery in New York, told me that some of Torres’s vineyards were even closer to the epicenter than the winery itself and that “as we speak they are getting ready for the harvest.” She had no information yet on vineyard damage.

Worries about the harvest were echoed in a comment to my post below by Tim Britton, an importer of South American wines in Berkeley, California, who said he had two concerns: “One, that not only have some of the vineyards lost stock, not all but many have some significant losses of bottle and vat stock; and two, the harvest is not far off and both equipment and workers will now be in very short supply. The impact of this quake on Chile's wine exports may be felt for many years. The good news from our contacts is that with one exception no wineries incurred loss of life due to the fortunate timing of a Saturday early morning.”

Juliet Rizek, a spokesperson for TGIC Wine Importers in Woodland Hills, California, said two of the wineries it represents, Viña Montes in Colchagua and Viña Santa Ema in the Maipo Valley, suffered some wine loss and structural damage to older buildings. She said the wineries had generators and were keeping the temperatures of the wines under control. In a statement on the company’s Web site, the president and founder, Alex Guarachi, who is Chilean himself, offers a list of relief organizations to which donations can be texted on cell phones.

(Map above used with permission and courtesy of WineWeb.com)

Technorati Tags: Edward Deitch,Chile wines,Chile earthquake

After the quake, Chile’s wineries assess damage

Along with just about everyone else in Chile , those involved with the country’s wine industry were getting a sense of the damage from Saturday’s massive earthquake, and at this point it seems to considerable, just as Chile is about to begin the 2010 harvest.

James Molesworth of Wine Spectator reports that wineries in the  Maule and Curico valleys near the epicenter were hard hit, with damage as well further north in the Maipo and Rapel valleys. To put in perspective what’s at stake here, Chile’s wine exports exceeded $1 billion last year, The New York Times noted in its coverage of the quake.

Concha y Toro, Chile’s largest producer and exporter, has vineyards in Maule, Curico, Maipo and throughout the country’s large wine-growing region. Ed Barden, the New World portfolio director for Banfi Vintners, Concha y Toro’s U.S. importer, told me the company is assessing the damage to its facilities, a process that will take two or three days.

Technorati Tags: Chile quake,Chile wine,Edward Deitch

Wine in a box (yes, good wine)

The innovative wine company Yellow + Blue has come out with its fourth offering, a crisp sauvignon blanc from Chile. It joins a malbec and a torrontes from Argentina and a rosé of syrah and monastrell from Spain that, together, present  a quartet  of excellent wines for everyday drinking. See my MSNBC.com column on Yellow + Blue from earlier this year.

The wines are all made from organic grapes, which is worth applauding in itself. They’ve also made me a convert to wine in a box, a concept that I found a bit difficult to swallow until now. The wines come in one-liter boxes that contain one-third more wine than a typical glass bottle. The juice is shipped to this country in containers and then packed  in the Tetra Pak boxes. The process reduces the carbon footprint of shipping wine. (The  point is that Yellow + Blue = green.) The 2009 Sauvignon Blanc from Chile’s Central Valley is fermented in stainless steel with native (naturally occurring) yeasts and shows notes of lime and orange with a bit of vanilla on the finish. It has a suggested price of $11. Once you pour yourself a glass, you’ll quickly forget that it came from a box.