A Trio of Terrific Summer Wines
Posted by Bob Prewitt | Filed under Hospitality News, Tips and Trends Series, Travel
Lois Gruner Veltliner (2008) Austria – medium weight, dry white, fruit forward. GV is the historic, legendary white varietal of Austria. The producer here is Fred Loimer Winery—one of the most highly regarded, artisanal winemakers in Austria. This wine is a great chicken wine and also goes really well with firm bodied fish and Asian wontons, dumplings and meat stir-frys. It holds up to spicy foods too. Great, great value at about $13.50.
Chateau de Montfort Vouvray (2008) France – slightly sweet with a big acid backdrop. I love Chenin Blanc, and this is a great representation of the varietal. You have to have a palate for sweetness to appreciate this wine, but if you do, you will adore it. It attacks with honey and cantaloupe and pears and Grand Marnier. Try it with Asian food or cheese, or just sip it on a pleasant weekend afternoon while you sit by the pool. About $15.
Gruet Sparkling Wines (non vintage, all types) – Albuquerque, New Mexico – the best sparkling wines made in the USA. In fact, in my opinion, these wines are as good as any sparkling wine made in the world outside of Champagne. I am particularly fond of the Blanc de Noirs. They go with anything and everything foodwise—I mean it—and the price/value relationship is unbelievable. About $13.75.
Read What’s Happening in the Wine World, Part II
What’s Happening in the Wine World, Part I
Let me tell you.
Wine is a significant component of the “Hospitality and Travel Lifestyle,” which partially explains our interest in them here at Dana Communications. Another reason we are interested is that we like to drink them. Duh!
Three of us actually have formal training in matters oenological. Eric Welsh’s family owned a prestigious wine store in Lambertville, New Jersey, where he spent a lot of time growing up. Isabelle Tourneau writes about regional foods and has the passion for food and wine pairing that one expects in a professional foodie. I am a founding member of the Society of Wine Educators, which happened when I worked for Wine Institute—the trade organization for California wineries.
So I decided to call around and ask my wine friends, “What is the most significant thing happening in the Wine Industry today?”
The first person I talked with is Robin Kelly O’Connor. RKO is presently Director of Sales and Education for Sherry Lehman, one of the truly remarkable retail stores in the country (located at 59th Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan). Previously, Robin spent over a decade working as Trade Liaison for Bordeaux Wines. Robin has an energy and passion for learning about wines like no one else I know, and he has gifted chemical senses—thus a great palate. On numerous occasions, I have seen him correctly identify a wine from a region that most people in the room had never heard of.
His response was, “2009 Bordeaux. They are equivalent to, if not better than, the 2005 and 1982 vintages. And maybe deeper than the 1961 and 1929 vintages.” This is major stuff, as those four years are considered the benchmarks by which all wines are compared, not just Bordeaux.
Then I called Bruce Cass, one of America’s greatest wine educators and writers. Bruce studied pre-medicine at Stanford and uses this scientific training to make the chemistry and biology of wine accessible to the layman. Attending one of his classes is a remarkable experience, as he has an enthralling way of making the complexities of wine understandable. He has also trained his chemical senses so that his palate is world class.
“The ongoing development of direct shipping is my first thought,” said Bruce when I asked about what is happening. “After 20 years of battles, we can now say that we can legally ship across state lines—almost. The Supreme Court will ultimately make the final decision, and that might take another 20 years. But in the last year, we have seen a major movement toward direct shipping.”
He also commented on the wine-consuming behavior of the Millennial Generation and how that is leading to a dramatic increase in wine intake in America. “Millennials drink a lot more wine than Gen-Xers, and they are a big, big group of people—the Baby Boomer Echo. Within the next 5 or 10 years, the US will become the largest wine-consuming nation in the World… Of course, that will last only a few years, when China will take over.”
Then I talked with Laely Heron, owner and winemaker at Heron Wines. Laely has been making wines for 20 years—in France, Spain and California. Her wines are highly regarded for their price/value relationship, and you will see them served by the glass in a lot of successful, wine-oriented restaurants. Laely has traveled to virtually every spot on the planet, is fluent in four languages and conversant in many more and has a uniquely refined palate due to her extensive travels.
Her answer to my question: “We have a glut of product. Over the past years, the industry has overproduced, and we are sitting on product that is expiring and that needs to be sold now. I am seeing a lot of quality, old wine from good vintages being sold by the glass at under-market prices.”
Laely goes on to say that this means two things. First, “The recession will last longer in the wine industry than in most other industries. We are dealing with difficult economic times and an excess of product that is time-sensitive and must be sold soon.” Second, she feels the ability to buy older wines at great prices will continue. “This is not a new phenomenon. Smart buyers have known how to get great deals—particularly online—in recent years. However, the buyers market will only get better. It is a good time to figure out how to find the great bargains that are available.”
We’ll post What’s Happening in the Wine World, Part II next week—check back then.
For more about partnering with Dana—or to get to know us over a glass of wine—contact jzech@danacommunications.com.
June 29th, 2010 at 11:16 am
[...] Bob Prewitt continues his tasting notes from those who know and love wines. (Click here if you missed Part I) [...]