Wisconsin, Egypt and Wine

Many of us are familiar, at least on a basic level, with the situations in Wisconsin and Egypt, where the oppressed or otherwise swindled populace of each locale revolted.  Time will tell what ends might be realized in these revolts, but the important part is that they happened.  In both situations, greed went too far and the people said ENOUGH!  What many people may not fully grasp yet, is that we are faced with Wisconsin and Egypt-esque dilemmas almost every which way we turn.  The wine industry is no exception... in fact, it's a good case-in-point for us apolitical winos, like Tom Philpott points out in his article "A new era dawns in the wine world"

Rather than summarize Philpott's points in this post (seeing as I already wrote my own Rant on the issue), I'll just encourage you to go read it.  It's easy to digest whether or not you know anything about wine, and I agree with 100% of Philpott's observations and assertions.  No sector of society, not even the drunk sector, can afford to ignore these issues for one day longer, and popularity be damned, I am going into the trenches.  

MostWineIsGood @ Netroots Nation 2011

As I write this I am enjoying a nice cold Summit EPA for free at the blogger meet and greet at Netroots Nation, 2011.  The event has been incredible so far, lots of painfully practical ways to start the global and national healing process for America are being volleyed around, and these people are so friendly that networking is fluid and fun.  You may, rightfully, be wondering why a wine blogger is at a progressive political conference, and I find I have to really explain it to everyone I meet, so I thought I'd take a small break and explain it right here in detail.

The predominant reason for my attendance is personal, but as the author of MostWineIsGood, I also have a deep concern for the viticultural practices used in wine making, not only in the U.S., but globally.  The same profit-driven agricultural mechanization that ruined domestic U.S. farming (see my recent rant for a full run-down of this problem as it concerns grapegrowing) also threatens our wine production.  Since Netroots Nation is all about We The People taking creative routes to solving issues that impact all of us regardless of political or religious beliefs, I hope to take a lot of the networking and lessons from this conference and use them to help the Minnesota wine industry ensure that it is sustainable while also seeking drastic improvements in wine quality, not in the lab or through chemical treatment, but by better viticultural practices.  I also intend on making a documentary about some of the grape-growing pioneers here like Alexis Bailly Vineyards.

I'll keep you all posted as key goals are met in this journey.  It's me against everyone else right now, and I could always use some help.

Confused? Drink Champagne.

No matter who, what, why, where, when, or how... Champagne* is the answer!  It pairs almost universally with food -and by almost I mean fully-, it is great on its own, and it suits any occasion.

So when in doubt... er, Confused, make it Champagne.

*I mean Champagne, not champain.

A Rant in Wine Sharp Major

I have a vision of the evolving future of wine, and some of it is good, some bad, and some downright ugly.  Though small-time, as an insider I primarily know what I know of the wine "industry" through its modern retail trends and studying the historical tale at length.  For example, I can tell you that the number of people who fall for ad hype are about equal to the number of people that will boycott any hyped wine on principle.  I can also tell you that viticultural practices are leading further away from achieving an idealized harmony between the vine and soil to create the best fruit possible, to getting the most tons of grape per acre possible, leaving the chemists to make something drinkable from the giant vats of mechanically tortured grape juice (I'm sure that one lab has even heard: "Make it taste $30 worth, we feel that's our optimal price point", or, dare I suggest, even handed off 'object samples' for the oenologists to mimic).  I've had countless wines already from either category, and either method can produce both good and bad wine.  Bad wine from the more natural process is usually the result of unfortunate weather, but many obstacles in natural wine-making have been easily conquered, one great case-in-point is champagne.  Bad wine from the modern volume-focused producers, is the result of barbarism... which is plainly obvious and requires no further entertainment.

Wine got better over the years because viticultural challenges were being met with innovations that only served to preserve the methods that were already working.  The vines had to be tended, by hand, and giant commercial vineyards would have been impossible in non-slave states without industrial innovation.  The first massed produced wines were terrible, but they eventually grabbed the attention of drunks by being less costly than your average case of beer or bottle of booze (exceptions abound, but you can't think in today's prices; not six years ago $2 wine was a common retail sight, but the success of wine has been so great that all producers have been able to afford a price hike comfortably).  As more people began to drink wine for its affordability, the once elite world of wine opened up to new consumers.  The new-found growth not only prompted better, cheaper wine, but also production methods that allowed for higher output.  Compare an audiophile's taste in stereo equipment to your general retail stereo system and you get the gist of what happened in the modern wine market.

From my vantage point I can see only one plausible arc for the continuing history of wine, and it encompasses both Big and Small wine trends, or accounts both for the purists and those who want a bargain.  So let's start with the good.  The good I can see is that decent wine will remain within most of our grasps.  I have no doubt about this, especially as more U.S. domestic producers spring up and continue to out-create the bigger players.  This means lots of exciting local wines will be available in the States like never before, and that maybe we can begin to enjoy better wine at more European prices (trust me, they're drinking better and cheaper over there).  Let's not leave out less prominent foreign producers like Chile (one of my current favorites), Argentina, Israel, Hungary, Austria, etc.  Yet, even though this aspect of the vision is exciting and I welcome it, it comes with the bad directly in tow.

Mass production and mastery of "lab-wine" will prevail in a struggling economy, and I see no immediate hope for that changing aside from individual countries agreeing to stop shipping and to simply produce for their own local populations.  Fat chance.  Seeing as the conditions are right for mass production to take over (I mean, who are we kidding, it is taking over), I can only hope that smaller rebel producers will continue to rage against the machine and allow the faithful to at least get their mitts on a good bottle without breaking the bank, like some "rebels" will ask you to do... which leads finally to the ugly.

Noting that labor in some of the countries where wine production is growing is already cheaper than domestic labor, it can be easily assumed that larger investors, with the steady increase in both quality and quantity in, say, Chile, would immediately recognize the opportunity to silently slip in with briefcases full of cash ready to do this to any and all adjacent vineyards or villages.  Rob the farmers and train them how to do repair on the new machines, how to fix wine batches with chemicals, how to wash their uniforms.  This has happened already on a smaller scale in the U.S.   Migrant workers willing to labor on the cheap are quickly shown how to pick the fullest bunches, but don't have the meaningful experience of grape farming required to really inform the selection process.  In fact, most of the migrant worker hiring by large producers is likely done so the producers can claim "hand-picked" on the back of the bottle come marketing time.  The Mondavi's were probably not going to "Fern Gully" the Languedoc, but others would, and who knows, Robert Mondavi is probably not even privy to the ambitions of his potential heirs.  Yet, even this story highlights the conflict, and lends credence to the notion that a large scale agricultural takeover of an emerging wine region is possible, and where there is possible profit, there is likelihood.

This could all be avoided, of course, but there are so many factors.  Government restrictions that are somewhat akin to those of France, Italy and Spain might really help the now dying middle class of wine producers, but is U.S. wine innovation and production going to bend?  I smell a no and it smells like a board room.

[ I should stop looking for more data to back me up on this; just found a few of my favorites got swallowed by the machine: http://www.winebusiness.com/wbm/?go=getArticle&dataId=85188 ]


 

Review: Terre Rouge "Tete a Tete" 2005

You are looking for a very good wine.  You are not trying to break the bank.  You love red wine with loads of personality, depth and, most importantly, high levels of DELICIOSITY.

By now you've figured out that I am going to tell you the bottle pictured to the right is just that.  The bottle pictured to the right is just that.  I've been a fan of Terre Rouge's red and white wines since discovering them in 2006, but this one will scare the bats out of your basement, unclog the shower drain, beat all Angry Birds levels with three stars and then do your laundry.  That's just how loving and pleasure-heavy this wine is.  In fact, while documenting the wine in my personal tasting notes, I abandoned all heady analysis of the wine, choosing instead to simply remark on the hedonistic bliss freed from the bottle.  It has everything I love in a full bodied red wine: balanced oak, spice, DARK fruit, balanced acidity and alcohol, and a lingering finish that feeds the unfolding of layers with each sip.  "Tete a Tete" is a phrase meant to convey an intimate conversation between two kindred spirits, and that is how it tastes.  Considering that this wine can be found for an average of $17 per bottle, it's a no-brain-er.  Most Wine Is Good emphatically recommends this wine, and will likely begin to feature more Rhone-style reds in the coming months.

Don't go wine shopping while drunk on Gin

Most of you would never do this, but tonight a lovely couple I've known for months to be avid wine enthusiasts, who aren't afraid to pay for decadence, came in to shop reeking of gin.  The one claiming to drive seemed alright at first, otherwise I would not have proceeded to sell them alcoholic beverages, but their loyalty won over in the moment so I pointed them to some solid bottles ranging from $72 to $15 a bottle.  Those first few they took on simple recommendation without needing to sample them first, however, when I offered them a Cab/Carmenere blend on sale for $6.99 they wanted to taste it first.  Then they claimed it had no finish, even after loving the nose and front palate.  Not only was I disappointed, but also highly suspect of this appraisal having tasted that vintage already.  That's when I finally had to verify.  "So, which wines were you enjoying over dinner?" seemed like a tactful way to confirm the obvious.  "Martinis" was the response I got.

How are you going to tell me the wine has no finish when you have been drinking gin all night?  Well, that's drunkenness for you, I suppose.  And even though the $6.99 was no major loss for the store, having someone open a bottle of decent wine worth well over the asking price for you in a retail store MIGHT (especially at this price) just obligate you enough to go ahead and buy the damned thing.  Sure, it was no Goldschmidt, but come on now.

/rant.

I don't usually post this casually, so pardon me.  I'm off to enjoy some wine, with nary a note of Gin on my palate.

Reader Rebuttal

That picture is not representative of anybody; I recently happened across a response to my earlier post on choosing wines by the label.  In that post I described labels which feature graphics of mythical beasts and lofty, often fantastical stories about what the marketers want you to think is the history or philosophy of the wine.  I find this obnoxious when it is done along side an utter lack of real information regarding the wine.  What matters to me most about wine, is the juice in the bottle and how it got there.  As any wine lover comes into the maturity of their own wine journey they will invariably discover something they believe is sacred.  For some it's Terroir expression, for others it's the grape variety, blended vs varietal, etc., but for me its what the bottle claims of what it holds inside.  However, after reading Jainomo's take on the issue, I felt compelled to clarify something, especially on the grounds that I really enjoyed the post, and if you didn't read it, go back and do so.

What I liked about her take was that (and I'm not even near paraphrasing here, this is just personally embellished summary), the author bolstered her stance that playful labeling and good wine are not mutually exclusive by including images of some of her favorite labels, or examples of ones that had a good aesthetic appeal while also possessing quality and character in the wine itself, and it got me thinking about past bottles I have held onto not only because they were so beautifully decorated, but because they were also at least quaffable.  While I mentioned this in my original post, I still felt some level of pressure to justify for the rest of my readers that really creative and striking labels are nothing I detest or avoid.  Should I ever be lucky enough to find a beautiful looking bottle which also tells me something about the wine inside, I'm much more likely to grab it.  In fact, I've never faulted a customer for requesting a striking bottle because they were going to a party and wanted it to look impressive.  I think that's perfectly logical, and the odds that the wine inside is terrible are low...ish.  Like three of my own random favorites:

The thing to keep in mind, for me, and why I still recommend that the beginning enthusiast stick to honest labels, is that if the wine tells you plainly what it is, your evaluation and resulting reinforcement of genuine knowledge of the wine will be reliable.  With an eye-candy driven wine that reveals little or nothing of its nature, you can only learn whether or not you enjoyed it.  Which is fine if the only goal was to find a wine to enjoy... which is obviously also fine.  I'm just sayin' is all.  Hedonism has its place, but it's exactly hedonism that the beginner should sacrifice, save for occasions, in order to learn enough to have it really pay off later when that more mature hedonism, that which borders on sex in terms of pleasure center activity, is possible.