Swirls: The coming out of organic wine -- some things to keep in mind

Suddenly, it seems, the organic wine crowd is coming out of the woodwork. From growers to importers to supermarkets and other retailers, the wine world is seizing on “organic” as never before. Some growers, of course, have been making natural wines for years, including quite a few in France’s Loire Valley where most choose not to call attention to the fact, preferring to let the wines speak for themselves. And many of them do as wines of distinction. So the bar is high for wineries that trumpet the fact that they are producing organic wines or wines made from organic grapes (I’ll explain the difference in just a minute). My guess is that the market is ready to embrace the organic wine movement more broadly, but the wines will have to demonstrate that they have character, passing the same critical (and consumer) taste tests that non-organic wines must endure.

One that does is Cirelli’s 2010 Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, a delightful and refreshing non-oaked white made from organic trebbiano grapes in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy. A group of friends really liked this $14 wine when we served it at a holiday dinner party a couple of weeks ago, and my only regret is that I didn’t buy three or four bottles of it from Chambers Street Wines here in New York, which, speaking of natural and organic and biodynamic wines, has pioneered the trend among retailers for some years now. With stone fruit, pear, herb and citrus notes, Cirelli’s trebbiano is enhanced by an underlying minerality and was excellent with cheeses and other appetizers. Alcohol is a modest and welcome 12.5 percent. (A Zev Rovine Selection, imported by Fruit of the Vine, Long Island City, New York.)

Few wines in this country are labeled “USDA Organic.” That’s because under Department of Agriculture rules, organic wines cannot contain added sulfites, which are used in varying degrees by the vast majority of wineries as a preservative (and which some people say gives them headaches). If a wine is made from organically grown grapes but has sulfites added, the label can only say that it is made from organic grapes, as with the Cirelli wine.

Before the other day, I couldn’t recall the last time I received a wine with the USDA Organic designation. The bottle was from Italy, La Cantina Pizzolato’s 2010 Organic Cabernet Sauvignon NSA, from the Piave appellation in the Veneto region. NSA refers to “no sulfites added,” and the labeling on this wine makes the point that it contains “naturally occurring sulfites.”

I didn’t quite know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. It's a light cabernet with an almost unheard of alcohol level of 12 percent (most New World cabs are in the 13.5-15 percent range). It has good varietal character with red fruit and blueberry notes and a subtle herbal touch. Made without oak, it reminded me more of Beaujolais than Bordeaux and was stylistically as far away from California cab as you can get. Delicate and refreshing and a bargain at a suggested price of $11. Try it slightly chilled with chicken, pork and veal.

The wine was sent to me by Natural Merchants, an importer of organic and biodynamic wines in Grants Pass, Oregon. Interestingly, I received a press release the other day from Whole Foods Market announcing the fact that it was the only national retailer to carry NSA wines from Italy and Spain, including the cabernet and others from Pizzolato, which it described as “Italy’s top-selling organic winery.” Organic and NSA, it seems, are about to go mainstream.

Swirls: My proposal for Starbucks wine, Chinese Lafite counterfeits, weighing in on wine bottles

SWIRL: Let’s face it. Finding a casual and convenient place for a quick glass of wine or beer can sometimes be a challenge. So Starbucks is expanding its reach into alcoholic beverages with plans to offer them in seven stores in the Chicago area by the end of next year, the Chicago Tribune reports. Beer and wine are currently served at five stores in the Seattle area and one in Portland, Ore. No doubt, the big commercial wine brands are already setting their sites on these re-imagined Starbucks stores. But consider this: how cool would it be if Starbucks were to take a refreshingly un-corporate approach to its wine offerings? Instead of some  marketing committee in Seattle deciding on the wines based on lobbying from the big wine companies, why not offer a sampling of artisanal or lesser-known wines from around the world that changes each week? How about a grüner veltliner from Austria, a cru Beaujolais, or a sparkling Crémant from the Loire Valley with an emphasis on organic and biodynamic growing? Might take a little training of the staff but I have a hunch that many Starbucks customers might be open to a little adventure and smaller-production, sustainable offerings when it comes to wine.

SWIRL: It’s not surprising to hear that in Bordeaux-crazed China, counterfeit bottles of Château Lafite are making the  rounds.  China Digital Times reports that “curiously, China appears to consume far more of the top foreign wines than it actually imports, with counterfeiting rising alongside the legitimate trade. Empty Château Lafite bottles are salvaged from restaurants to be illicitly refilled, and rumours speak of a floating wine factory hidden aboard a cargo ship.” Here’s the full story.

SWIRL: We’ve all received them, those extra-heavy bottles intended to signal a wine’s stature and status, meant to distinguish, say, a reserve wine from a regular bottling. But in this eco-conscious era in the wine industry and beyond, are these bottle behemoths really necessary? Paul Gregutt in the Seattle Times thinks not, and I agree. He cites the growing use of the heavy bottles among wineries in Oregon, a state that, paradoxically, has often led the way on environmental concerns. This story is long overdue.

del.icio.us Tags: Chateau Lafite,China wine,Starbucks,Starbucks wine bar,Seattle Times,Chicago Tribune,China wine counterfeiting,Wine bottles,China Digital Times,Paul Gregutt,Edward Deitch

Swirls: Wine store tsunami video, wine fashion statement, Chinese wine tasting 101

SWIRL: It’s not often that a wine video gets more than a quarter million views on YouTube, or that that many viewers focus on a liquor store in  Sheboygan, Wisconsin, for that matter. But at Superior  Discount Liquors, the wine was flowing freely the other day after a wall of bottles came tumbling down – 6,810 of them to be precise. You can watch the video below and read about it in sheboyganpress.com, which began its story, “Talk about not being able to hold your liquor.”

 

SWIRL: I’ve never thought about making a fashion statement with the wines I serve, but Banana Republic and California’s Clos du Bois have teamed up to do just that with special limited edition  labels for the winery’s popular North Coast Chardonnay and  Cabernet Sauvignon. Would you be surprised if I told you that the effort was launched just in time for the holidays? According to a press release, the chardonnay features Banana Republic’s “go-to” little black dress and the cab shows “a red full-skirted frock made for romance and dancing the night away.” In case you had any concerns, Clos du Bois Bois’ winemaker, Gary Sitton, says, “"We are still offering the same quality and consistency of the wine itself, but with a festive twist that makes it even more enjoyable to drink." The wines sell for under $20. By the way, a quick check of Banana Republic’s website reveals – surprise! – no fewer than 13 little black dresses for sale.

SWIRL: With China developing an almost unquenchable thirst for wine and the wine world counting its blessing for that fact, there remains the challenge of teaching the Chinese about wine basics – everything from how to use a corkscrew to deciphering western-Oriented tasting notes. The Chinese, notes CNN, have little familiarity with blackberry or licorice.

Technorati Tags: Banana Republic,Clos du Bois,Edward Deitch,Clos du Bois and Banana Republic,Wine marketing,Gary Sitton,Superior Discount Liquors,YouTube wine,Wine videos,Sheboygan Press,China wine,CNN wine,Chinese wine market

Swirls: From “Flasq” to the Food Network to “Mommy” wines, thoughts on wine packaging, branding and gimmickry

Almost every day, the wine business brings us news of a new kind of packaging, branding gimmick or commercial tie-in. This week I read about FLASQ Wines, which bills itself as “the first domestic  wine sold in 100% recyclable and quick-chilling aluminum bottles.” Would you be at all surprised to learn that the wines were developed “to suit active, highly mobile lifestyles and Mother Earth herself?” (Check out the Web site, especially the “Any Time” category with its heavy emphasis on boating, in which DWI happens to be a significant  problem.)  Ah, yes, and then there’s the wine itself. “No doubt,” says a press release, “FLASQ’s Chardonnay and Merlot varietals taste great, hailing from California’s prominent  Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties.” The wines are priced from $5.99-$7.99 for a 375 ml (half bottle). I have little doubt about the environmentally friendly qualities of the aluminum bottles cited by the company, JT Wines of St. Helena. But at its heart, this seems to be yet another example of a company coming up with a wine “concept” in which the wine itself almost plays a supporting role. It joins a growing list of wine bags, wine boxes, wine bladders, and other motley containers entering the crowded wine space. If any small, artisanal producers have turned to any of these packages, I haven’t heard about it.

Then there’s the line of wines, due out in August, announced last week by the Food Network, a powerful brand that will undoubtedly push sales of the wines far. The wines are (again) from California, this time from Wente Vineyards. They’ll be called Entwine and the project, we are told, was in development for 18 months. And what did they come up with? A a pinot grigio, a merlot, a chardonnay and a cabernet sauvignon, all priced at $12.99.

Before this week, I had no idea that there were two wine brands that appeal directly to overworked moms and capitalize on the word “Mommy.” Yes, there’s “Mommy’s Time Out,” which includes a garagnega-pinot grigio blend and a primitivo from Italy, and “Mommyjuice” from Clos Lachance Wines in California. It turns out, as Reuters reported, there’s a trademark fight involving the two brands, which, if nothing else, should send sales through the roof – and for far less money than any marketing campaign.

Technorati Tags: FLASQ,FLASQ Wines,JT Wines,Food Network wines,Wente Vineyards,Mommyjuice wine,Mommy's Time Out wine,Clos Lachance,Edward Deitch,Wine packaging,Wine marketing,Wine gimmicks,Wine branding

Swirls: Wine news roundup -- resveratrol, India, Hong Kong, plastic bottles and poisoning Romanée-Conti

SWIRL: An update on the science of resveratrol. Benefits? Yes, but only  to a point. Wine Spectator.

SWIRL: India’s wine market explodes, with consumption projected to almost triple by the end of next year from  2008. Most of the wine is domestically made; importers are waiting for more favorable excise policies. Commodity Online.

SWIRL: There’s “auction fever,” meanwhile, in Hong Kong as Sotheby’s starts an eight-day sale, with more than $5 million spent on the first day. It all has a kid-in-a-candy shop feel. Bloomberg.

SWIRL: Bottling wine in plastic is growing in France to meet a perceived market demand, but there’s a huge debate over the practice from region to region. AFP has a good, in-depth look.

SWIRL: The plot to poison the world’s most famous vineyard is chronicled as a thriller in Vanity Fair.

Technorati Tags: Resveratrol,India wine,Wine Spectator,Vanity Fair,Romanee-Conti,Sotheby's wine,Hong Kong wine,China wine,Poison wine plot,AFP,Bloomberg

Sips: Bag wine follow-up – tasting month-old sauvignon blanc

Pouring myself a glass of sauvignon blanc from a container that was first opened 30 days ago is not among the more appealing wine images that come to mind. But that’s exactly what I did the other night when I realized that it had been almost a month since I first tasted and wrote about the 2009 North Coast Sauvignon Blanc from Indulge, which is offering a line of California wines in a lightweight bag called an Astrapouch, complete with a little plastic tap with which to pour yourself a glass. At the time, I found the wine attractive and a good value at $20 for a liter and a half, the equivalent of two conventional wine bottles. Marketing of the wine includes an emphasis on its environmentally friendly packaging and the claim that it will remain fresh for up to a month. In fact, the wine was just fine, perhaps not quite so fresh tasting as it was when first opened, but still showing its fruit without any off tastes that would emerge had a regular bottle been left in the fridge for a month. I doubt that many people will leave the wine that long, but it’s nice to know that the system works.

Technorati Tags: Bag wine,Astrapouch,Indulge Wines,Indulge sauvignon blanc,Edward Deitch,Wine containers,California sauvignon blanc,North Coast sauvignon blanc

Swirls: Dangerous corkscrews, wine temperatures, preserving wine once opened

SWIRL: For every newfangled wine opening gadget I’ve tried over the years, I’ve always gone back to any number of basic corkscrews.   They’re reliable and safe. I was reminded of this as I read about the recall of a Sunbeam product, the Air Pump Wine Opener (Model NBSKWA2600), sold this past November and December by QVC.  The problem? Some wine bottles have been breaking while people have been using the product. Sunbeam said it had received 52 such complaints, including 22 reports of  injuries. About 159,000 of the openers are being recalled. Read the press release from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

SWIRL: Wine temperature is everything. Okay, not everything, but a very important factor in the enjoyment of wine. Most red wines are served too warm, making them taste clumsy; most whites are poured too cold, which obscures their tastes. With that in mind, how about a thermometer that tells you when your wine has reached the temperature you desire – a wireless thermometer to boot? Read about it in the LA Times.

SWIRL: Once opened, many wines actually get better with exposure to air, whether its for an hour or two or even two or three days. Beyond that, air becomes the enemy and things start  to go downhill.  A new product may help. It’s called the Platypus Platypreserve Wine Preservation System. As far as I can tell, it’s a variation of the system used in boxed wines that expels the air above the surface of the wine. It is, of course, reusable.  The Globe and Mail has more.

Technorati Tags: Sunbeam Air Pump Wine Opener,Platypus Platypreserve,Wine thremometers,Wine temperatures,Preserving wine,Wine openers,Corkscrews,Edward Deitch,Wine gadgets

Swirls: Wine in a bag – ‘Indulge’ line from California make its debut with ‘Astrapouch’ technology

As I write this, I am sipping a glass of white wine that came out of an unusual container. The tipoff when it arrived the other morning was on the shipping box – a big red sticker that warned, “Do not open with sharp object.” Inside, I found what immediately reminded me of an I-V drip bag. In fact, it was a liter and a half of 2009 California North Coast sauvignon blanc from a company called Indulge.  The bag or pouch or whatever it was  appeared to be the grownup equivalent of the ubiquitous little juice containers known as “Tetra Paks.” But instead of inserting a straw in a hole at the top, you break off a hunk of plastic and remove a piece of foil on the spout at the bottom of the bag to dispense yourself a glass of wine. Now let’s take a look at what this is all about.

The bag is called the Astrapouch, or AP. It came out of South Africa a couple of years ago and seems to be a sturdier variation of the bags, or bladders, in boxed wines.  It caught the attention of Pierre LaBarge IV, who wanted to market a line of varietally correct wines in an alternative package that could travel easily – to the beach or an outdoor concert, let’s say -- and was environmentally responsible (the  Astrapouch’s weight is said to be 98 percent wine and just two  percent packaging). The bag,  which purportedly keeps wine fresh for up to 30 days once opened, stands up so it can fit upright in the refrigerator (or on its side if you prefer). It has two sets of holes at the top so it can be carried like the bag that it is or perhaps  placed on a pole and left to hang (I can’t help but think of that I-V image again).

“There’s a paradigm shift occurring in the wine business right now,” LaBarge declares in a press release and then states rather obviously: “Consumers and their taste are increasingly relevant. Scores may still matter, but what matters more is what the consumer enjoys. They want good wine at good prices. It’s that simple.” On that last point, he is absolutely right.

As for his sauvignon blanc, he is right about that is well. It is good wine, though not outstanding. It’s quite racy with green apple and lime tastes and some minerals on the long finish, though a bit leafy as well. At $20 for a liter and a half (the equivalent of two conventional wine bottles), the price should be a draw. The sauvignon and a pinot noir at the same price, which I haven’t received yet, are the first two offerings and are available only in California at this point but will be distributed nationally this summer. Cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay and syrah are also in the works. It will be interesting to see whether they rise above so many inexpensive, generic California wines being marketed these days in colorful clothing.

Technorati Tags: Indulge Wines,California sauvignon blanc,North Coast sauvignon blanc,Astrapouch,Edward Deitch,Wine packaging,Pierre LaBarge IV,Alternative wine packaging

‘True Grit’: more on the wine and movie connection

After my piece yesterday on “True Grit” the movie and the wine, I heard from Jan Mettler, a partner at Boss Dog Marketing, which represents Parducci Wine Cellars, the producer of True Grit Petite Sirah. In an email, Jan related how she and her agency came up with a tie-in for the 2007 vintage of the wine with the launch of the movie. She wrote:

“… when the partners at Parducci Wine Cellars requested that we look into a connection, we joined IMDB (the Internet Movie Database) and pulled the phone number for Joel Coen's agent.  One conversation led to another and we followed up with wine samples to all, from Mike Zoss Productions (the Coens’ production company) to Coen's PR handlers, to top executives at Paramount.  Doors opened and True Grit became the exclusive wine pour for the screening at Academy Theater.”

She continued: “The folks at Paramount Marketing liked the True Grit so much that they bought 160 bottles to send to their media and another 175 bottles as gifts for their employees. “ Jeff Bridges, she added, sent Parducci an email saying he was enjoying the wine.

It was, as they say, the kind of exposure money can’t buy.

Technorati Tags: True Grit,Jan Mettler,Boss Dog Marketing,Parducci Wine Cellars,True Grit Petite Sirah,Edward Deitch,IMDB,Joel Coen,Coen brothers,Mike Zoss Productions,Academy Theater,Paramount

SIPS: Reflecting on ‘True Grit,’ the movie and the wine

I usually ignore wine and pop culture tie-ins, such as the one I received not long ago for “True Grit” featuring the re-make of the movie classic and the wine of the same name. In this case, however, not only did I thoroughly enjoy both but was fascinated to come acros s the back story of just how True Grit wound up on the a wine label.

True Grit the wine is a $30 Petite Sirah produced by Parducci Wine Cellars, part of the Mendocino Wine Company in California’s Mendocino County. It turns out that the idea for the name came in 2005 when a publicist suggested to Tim Thornhill, Parducci’s proprietor, that petite sirah was a “John Wayne among reds,” Thornhill related to Wine Spectator. The publicist was Jo Diaz, who has promoted petite sirah for years through her “PS I Love You” campaign (but who does not represent Parducci itself). I’ve always thought the slogan was a bit hokey and  haven’t referred to it until now, but it seems to have worked well for the variety, and Jo, I’ve discovered, has a very good ear for this sort of thing.

She recalls the Parducci experience on her own wine blog  and reprints a release on petite sirah she wrote at the time in which she called it the “all-American variety” and a “burly, manly wine.” The description may have fit well with the petite sirah campaign and the True Grit narrative, but I doubt Jo will mind if I say that it doesn’t quite do justice to the 2007 True Grit, which is a wine of elegance and complexity (along with a little brawn). It is marked by herb-infused black cherry and blackberry notes, an earthy core and unsweetened cocoa on the long and considerably tannic finish. Although alcohol is 14.5 percent, this is not a big or heavy wine, with the overall impression bright rather than ponderous. As I breathed in the  aromas again a few days after opening the bottle, Bordeaux even came to mind.

No, True Grit the wine may have a pair of cowboy boots with spurs on its label, but I can’t imagine Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges or John Wayne) trading his bottle of hooch for a glass of this sophisticated and just slightly gutsy red. (Received as a press sample.)

Technorati Tags: True Grit,True Grit wine,Parducci Wine Cellars,Parducci True Grit,Mendocino Wine Company,Jo Diaz,Edward Deitch,Wine Spectator,Tim Thornhill,Jeff Bridges,John Wayne,Rooster Cogburn,Petite Sirah,True Grit Petite Sirah,Wine marketing,Wine packaging,California red wine,Mendocino County petite sirah

SWIRLS: wine as top investment, iPad wine lists, iPhone bottle opener, Long Island wine in China, Joe Bastianich

SWIRL: As an investment, fine wine, as in top  Bordeaux, has  outperformed all other asset classes for a second straight year, beating out gold, oil and stocks. Decanter.com has the full story.

SWIRL: A Chicago steakhouse is among the latest restaurants to offer iPad wine lists – 40 of them at a cost of $700 each, according to an AP article. Let’s see: that comes to $28,000 in technology. How do you feel about this emerging trend? Will it be good or bad for ambience to see people all over a restaurant stroking their iPads in search of that perfect bottle of wine?

SWIRL: We saw this first with certain brands of sneakers – a bottle opener built into the soles that would do the trick in a  pinch. Well now, you can buy a protective case for your iPhone 4 with its very own bottle and can opener. There’s a picture of it on NewsFactor.com.

SWIRL:  Newsday reports that wine-crazed China has started to  import small quantities of wines from a number of Long Island wineries, including Peconic Bay Winery. It didn’t hurt that the importer spent weekends in the Hamptons while living in New York for the last four years before moving back to China. Read the full story here.

SWIRL: Joe Bastianich, the wine and restaurant impresario,  discusses his life in food and wine (plus weight loss and marathon running) in an interesting Q & A with Bloomberg’s John Mariani.

Technorati Tags: iPads wine lists,iPad,Wine in cans,Chilean wine,Chilean wine in cans,Paul Gregutt,Seattle Times,Edward Deitch,iPhone,iPhone bottle opener,iPhone can opener,NewsFactor.com,Newsday,Long Island wine,China wine,Long Island wine in China,Joe Bastianich,Bloomberg,Wine as investment,Bordeaux,Decanter.com

SWIRLS: Plastic wine bottles, 7-Eleven, supermarket wine

SWIRL: Let’s just admit it. The idea of plastic wine bottles is  kind of gross (as pretty as the photo makes them appear), unless you’re on a plane or a train and there’s no choice and you have to take what wine you can get. That said,  plastic does leave less of a carbon footprint because it is so much lighter than glass and burns less fuel in shipping. And it’s catching on in some corners of the wine market. Europe’s biggest manufacturer reports a major increase in production of PET plastic bottles this year over last, with the Japanese market one of the biggest sources of growth, most notably for 2010 Beaujolais nouveau. (Beveragedaily.com)

SWIRL: 7-Eleven expands its list of proprietary wines with  Cherrywood Cellars, offering a chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and merlot priced at between $7.99 and $8.99. 7-Eleven sells other wines from $3.99 to $9.99. (Convenience Store News)

SWIRL: Buying cheap wine in a supermarket might be everyone’s cup of tea, so to speak, but The Guardian has a useful guide on how to increase your odds of getting a decent bargain bottle. Among the  advice: avoid “funny” labels, look for “private brands” and try less popular grape varieties such as chenin blanc and grenache “before people catch on.”

Technorati Tags: Plastic wine bottles,PET bottles,Beajuolais nouveau,Beveragedaily.com,7-Eleven,7-Eleven wine,Cherrywood Cellars,Convenience Store News,Guardian Britain,Supermarket wine sales,Edward Deitch

Swirls: English bubbly takes top honors; airline wine secrets; keeping opened wine fresh – for weeks!

SWIRL: If wine and England seem oxymoronic, think again. The British have been distinguishing themselves in recent years by making some very good sparkling wines in the south, which,when you look at  the map, is not terribly far away from Champagne.   The latest proof comes from a little known producer in the South Downs of Sussex, Ridgeview Estate, whose 2006 Grosvenor Blanc de Blancs has won a Decanter International trophy as the world’s top sparkling wine, beating out more than 700 entries in the category, including some top Champagnes. Read the full story in the Telegraph.

SWIRL: Most of us can only pretend we’re drinking good wine when we’re flying; those little bottles, most of them plastic now, are usually filled with generic juice, whether from Bordeaux, California or elsewhere. The class system of the airlines applies to wine as well as cabin real estate; the higher you go the better the wines get. Lettie Teague in the Wall Street Journal takes a look at what you get for your first- or business-class ticket on five carriers. Beyond the wines themselves, the well-researched piece offers a number of things I didn’t know about airline wine, including just why both the reds and the whites are so cold when you get them.

SWIRL: I’ve often sung the praises of day-old wine (okay maybe even two- or three-day-old wine). Alder Yarrow in his Vinography blog goes one step further, making the case that many wines stay good for weeks if re-corked and stored in the refrigerator.  With the reds, you’ll have to let them warm up a bit, but I’m curious to see how they hold up for extended periods. One thing I do know: when reds are left on the counter at room temperature, they may open up nicely after a day or so, but then start to decline quickly with oxidation.

del.icio.us Tags: Ridgeview Estate,Ridgeview Grosvenor Blanc de Blancs,Ridgeview sparkling wine,Champagne,Decanter International trophy,English sparkling wine,Lettie Teague,Wall Street Journal wine,Airline wine,Alder Yarrow,Vinography,Storing wine

Sips: Francis Coppola’s lovely ‘Sofia’ rosé

The shape of a wine bottle is not something I usually care about, and a friend echoed the feeling the other day as we opened a bottle of rosé before dinner. She said of the wine, “You’d think with a pretty bottle like that it wouldn’t be good.” Unusual bottle shapes, cute labels, clever names – all can be indications that a winery is trying hard to overcome or mask a mediocre bottle of wine. Fortunately, this is not the case with  Francis  Coppola’s  2009  Sofia Rosé, a delightful summer wine that deserves a  place among the season’s standouts.

The grapes are grenache and syrah from Monterey County, and the wine shows pretty fruit notes of cherry, pomegranate and raspberry with an herbal touch on the finish. It’s also lightly tannic, which provides a nice structure for the fruit. The overall impression is fresh and bright. This is a lovely wine to enjoy on its own before dinner or with light appetizers and will also match well with grilled chicken and fish, even burgers and steak. Alcohol is 12.5 percent and a quick search of the Web reveals a price range of $16 to $19. As for the bottle, its elegant design will deservedly help “Sofia” stand out from the rest of the rosé pack.

del.icio.us Tags: Francis Ford Coppola,Francis Coppola Winery,Francis Coppola Sofia,Francis Coppola Sofia Rosé,Monterey County wine,Edward Deitch,Rubicon Estate,Monterey County rosé,Wine packaging,California rosé

Sips: a box-wine bargain with a surprisingly good New Zealand sauvignon

Bringing a bottle of wine to dinner at a friend’s house isn’t usually a complicated affair. I simply ask for a general description of what’s being served, focusing on the main dish, and make a selection. Then I’ll often bring a second bottle, almost always a white, a rosé or a sparkling wine, to serve before dinner with appetizers. But when the dinner is “pot luck” with lots of people bringing all kinds of dishes, choosing a wine becomes a bit more challenging, as it was the other night as we got ready for a Fourth of July pot luck dinner.

But then I thought of a wine I’d been meaning to try, the one in the light blue octagonal box. Yes, box. Until the last few years,  boxed wine was thought of largely as generic and uninteresting – cheap, drinkable stuff that you bought in the supermarket in large sizes that would last for weeks, if need be, after opening. But there have been recent moves toward packaging better wines in boxes, whether they are in the familiar “Tetra Paks,” which don’t preserve wine any longer than bottles but which are considered more “green,” or the larger bag-in-box containers that keep wine fresh for weeks and are more environmentally friendly as well.

The wine I chose fell into the latter category, the 2009 Silver Birch Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand’s Marlborough region. I wanted something fairly bold that would hold up to just about anything served at the dinner, and this one did. The wine, a brand of California-based Underdog Wine Merchants, went well with everything from salmon to chicken to rice pilaf and couscous. It was fairly typical Marlborough sauvignon, though not as racy as some, with notes of grapefruit and lime, an herbal touch and a little vanilla on the round finish. Almost everyone found it pleasing.

The box system, which prevents oxidation and is called the Octavin Home Wine Bar, has a black spout that you pull out from inside the cardboard and then twist to pour yourself a glass. It may have taken a little getting used to for a decidedly non-box wine crowd but proved to be a nice curiosity and a pleasant surprise when folks took a sip of the wine. The box contains three liters (the equivalent of four standard wine bottles) and sells for $24, making it a bargain if you think of it as $6 for a standard a bottle. The labeling claims the wine remains fresh for up to six weeks after opening, though it’s hard to imagine anyone keeping it that long. This bag in a box of wine is good enough to be drained well before that. I’ll plan to review other Octavin offerings in future posts. (Wine received as a press sample.)

del.icio.us Tags: Silver Birch,Edward Deitch,Underdog Wine Merchants,New Zealand sauvignon blanc,Siliver Birch Sauvignon Blanc,Marlborough sauvignon blanc,Octavin,Octavin system,box wine,boxed wine

Swirls: New York Jets wine; direct wine sales; storing wine

AT THE NEW MEADOWLANDS STADIUM over in New Jersey yesterday, the New York Jets unveiled a commemorative wine, tied to the opening of the new venue, called Jets Uncorked. The wine is a red, of course, a cabernet sauvignon, naturally. (Can you imagine the flak they’d get if it were a  merlot?) It’s the creation of a California winemaker (Marco DiGiulio) and a  California lifestyle marketing company (Wine By Design), and on that note I am not the only one wondering  whether a New York wine, say from  Long Island, which makes very good wines and where the Jets are all but worshipped, might have been more appropriate and original. In any event, the wine is a 2008 Napa Valley cab described in a Jets press release as a “premium-quality yet affordable blend that captures the essence and spirit of the team and its fans.” It will sell for $27.99 and 8,000 cases were made.

THERE’S A GOOD DISCUSSION in the Washington Post on the value to wineries of direct-t0-consumer sales. One context is the current debate in Congress on a controversial bill to strengthen the three-tier distribution system and weaken direct sales (H.R. 5034) that’s backed  by the wine wholesale industry. Oregon’s Adelsheim Vineyard has found a successful blend, so to speak, with a dual strategy that incorporates both traditional distribution and direct sales and has seen sales grow, even in this tough economy. Read the full article.

THE ISSUE OF WINE STORAGE is explored in a useful article by California wine writer Dan Berger, who reviews the best methods for storing wine at home and in stores and finds conditions at some retailers highly questionable.

del.icio.us Tags: New York Jets,Jets Uncorked,New Meadowlands Stadium,Marco DiGiulio,Edward Deitch,Adelsheim Vineyard,H.R. 5034,Wine sales,Direct wine sales,Wine By Design,New York Jets wine,Storing wine,Wine storage,Dan Berger

Swirls: wine & Islam, natural winemaking and “cup-a-wine”

For the first time, as far as I can tell, wine is being used as part of a growing backlash in France against what some refer to as the  “Islamisation” of the country, which has the biggest Muslim population in western Europe. Read what happened when one group announced a pork-and-wine party in a largely Muslim neighborhood of Paris. Read how AFP reported the story.

Eric Asimov in The New York Times examines the good, the bad and ugly in natural winemaking, including attitudes about the practice. “Most people who make or like the wines,” he says, “feel  as they do simply because they enjoy the way the wines taste, not because they follow a particular dogma. When successful, natural wines can be superb, seeming bold, vibrant and fresh, graceful and unforced.” I, for one, agree. Read the full article.

And it was probably only a matter of time, but we have entered the era of “cup-a-wine” with the introduction of a product called Le Froglet in the UK.  That’s the not-particularly-endearing name of a plastic glass of French wine filled with a your choice of shiraz ,  chardonnay or rosé and kept in the glass with a “tear-off lid,” as in a cup of yogurt or fruit juice. One business news website says they are “flying off the shelves” at the Marks & Spencer chain. That may be the case, but it’s also worth reading one British wine blogger’s assessment. The product is also profiled in The Daily Mail, which has a picture. Sounds, uh, klassy.

del.icio.us Tags: Le Froglet,cup-a-wine,Marks & Spencer,Eric Asimov,natural wine,Islam and wine,pork-and-wine party,France and Islam,Daily Mail,AFP wine,Edward Deitch

Sips: An ‘Over the Edge’ pinot noir at (gasp!) $15

It took the right bottle of New Zealand pinot noir to get me interested in the category, and I found it the other day with an exceptionally tasty example from the Martinborough sub-region on the southern tip of the North Island, where pinot noir  is the signature variety.  The area is known for its cool temperatures, dry autumns and low yields, making parallels with Burgundy inevitable. Those conditions, note Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson in “The World Atlas of Wine,” Sixth Edition, give Martinborough’s wineries “the chance to make some of the most vivid and Burgundian pinot noir.” They go on to say that the wines range from “potently plummy to lean, dry and earthy; but then so does Burgundy.”

The wine I enjoyed was the 2009 Pinot Noir called Over the Edge, and the name reminded me that New Zealand is among the regions smitten with creating catchy names for their wines, something that has always given me a bit of pause. If your wine is good, why is it necessary to slap a clever name on it, especially since there are an awful lot of bottles out there with labels that are, to be frank, more interesting that the wines inside them? In any event, the Over the Edge pinot noir will draw people with the name and reward them with what’s inside. I loved its expressive fruit, mainly cherry and blueberry notes, combined with a bit of meat, its earthy minerality and conservative use of oak.  And yes, it is Burgundian in style, with refreshing acidity that obscures the fact that alcohol is 14. 5 percent.

The wine is produced by Escarpment Vineyard, whose vines grow  in alluvial gravel soils along the Huangarua River and whose winemaker and part-owner, Larry McKenna, is one of New Zealand’s foremost makers of pinot noir. My biggest surprise about this wine was the price. It’s listed at under $15 on several Web sites. Enjoy it with everything from grilled salmon to lamb and duck. Imported by Meadowbank Estates, Alexandria, Virginia. (Received as a press sample.)

del.icio.us Tags: New Zealand pinot noir,Escarpment Vineyard,Over the Edge Pinot Noir,Martinborough,Edward Deitch,Value pinot noir,Pinot Noir,Larry McKenna

Swirls: A cork alternative (and it’s made of cork)

It’s called the DIAM, and although I’m certain that I have pulled it out of numerous wine bottles, I hadn’t heard it described since a  French winemaker told me about it last night. But first, a little background. 

By now,  alternatives to cork are very much in the mainstream of winemaking. The biggest revolution has been the increasing popularity of screw caps. Randall Grahm, the founder of California’s Bonny Doon Vineyard, has used them for years on all his wines, including his signature red, Le Cigare Volant, and white, Le Cigare Blanc; overall, they have gained broader acceptance for white-wine use than for reds, although many producers in Australia and New Zealand are using them for both.

Alternatively, plastic closures have captured a piece of the market, mainly for inexpensive wines intended for quick drinking. Some still question the ability of the new closures to permit long-term wine aging because they allow less air to enter the bottles. One of the leading reasons the industry has turned to them, of course, is the fact that a small but annoying percentage of natural corks are tainted with TCA (2,4,6-trichloroanisole), a compound that “taints” the wine and infuses it with a musty off-smell that is often described as resembling a damp cellar or wet newspapers or cardboard.

That said, there those who still refuse to part with the cork, including most French winemakers. “I’m against plastic, I’m against screw caps,” Pascal Guilbaud, owner of Guilbaud Frères, a producer of Muscadet in France’s Loire Valley, declared as we sat together at a dinner built around Muscadet last night here in New York (I’ll have more on the wines in a coming post). And then he told me and a colleague, Tyler Colman of Dr. Vino, about the alternative he does use, describing a product that is reconstituted from cork after it is broken apart, heated and purified.

With a little research, I landed on the Web site of the DIAM closure, a so-called “technical cork.” How is it made? At a production facility in Spain, raw cork is cleaned by boiling, then ground into a cork “flour.” These cork granules are then subjected to a process using pressurized carbon dioxide that penetrates and cleans them. The company says this removes 99.8 percent of TCA as well as other harmful compounds that can cause bad aromas. The granules are then re-assembled and baked with a binding

agent “to give each DIAM closure a homogeneous structure and perfect neutrality,” according to the Web site. “This combination allows free expression of the wine's aromas without interfering with its natural development.” In other words, the corks allow the wine to breathe. Dozens of wineries are using DIAM closures in the U.S., France, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Back at our dinner, Pascal Guilbaud said he now swears by the  newfangled corks and hasn’t seen one bottle of his Muscadet tainted by TCA since he started using them. No, he has no use for plastic or screw caps at this point. But with the DIAM closure, aided by a little technology, he can still say he uses corks in his bottles.

del.icio.us Tags: Wine closures,DIAM,TCA,Edward Deitch,Screw caps,Tyler Colman,Pascal Guilbaud,Muscadet,Cork taint

Randall Grahm, Hall of Famer

I’m just catching up with the fact that Randall Grahm, the founder of Bonny Doon Vineyard and one of California’s original “Rhone Rangers,” was among those inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame last weekend by the CIA. No, not that CIA -- the Culinary Institute of America.

For more than a quarter century, though, Grahm has been an agent, so to speak, of change and innovation in California winemaking, pushing the boundaries of traditional thinking about wine and wine marketing, often in highly entertaining, if not hilarious, fashion. I don’t think anyone else, for example, could have come up with the “Death of the Cork” event I attended one evening a few years or so ago. Grahm, I recall, came dressed as the Grim Reaper at this wake-like dinner and announced that, henceforth, the cork would be replaced by the screw cap closure on all of Bonny Doon’s wines. It was great fun.

Grahm says he feels fortunate that “my ‘work’ has never really struck me as real work. It has largely been about play, uncontrolled vinous id.” He continues: “I’ve explored an ungodly number of grape varieties, and worked in a wide range of wine styles, but everything I have done to date has fallen squarely into the realm of ‘wines of effort.’ It is now time for me to buckle down and really apply myself to discovering/creating an authentic wine of terroir. For me, this is what has true value.” His real work, he says, has yet to be done.

del.icio.us Tags: Randall Grahm,Edward Deitch,Bonny Doon Vineyard,Vintners Hall of Fame,California wine,Wine corks,Screw caps