Winophilia: Wine for Thought

Against wine extremism

Stephen Tanzer — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 09:12:56 +0000

There's a fundamentalist fervor these days about “natural” winemaking. This seems to me a disturbing trend, given the temperature of the rhetoric being tossed around on some wine chat boards.

For those who have missed the current tempest in a wine bottle, here are a number of the key elements of natural winemaking: No acid or sugar additions (or de-acidification). Exclusive use of native yeasts. No use of enzymes to extract or stabilize color and tannins. No sulfur additions. Minimal racking. No filtration. Little or no new oak. READ MORE »

Whither Burgundy?

Stephen Tanzer — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:42:42 +0000

It remains to be seen if the Chinese government will buy Europe’s debt, but that country’s wealthy collectors are certainly snapping up Europe’s wines. After focusing on Bordeaux in recent years, top collectors in China and Hong Kong are beginning to turn their attention to red Burgundy. Since production of the top Burgundies is just tiny fraction of the typical Médoc estate’s output, any sustained new demand from a powerful, cash-rich market is sure to place serious upward pressure on Burgundy prices. The other day a well-traveled Burgundy insider “joked” (at least I hope he was joking) that Burgundy prices could well double in the next few years. Even allowing for hyperbole, any significant price spike would be bad news for long-time American collectors. READ MORE »

The Rare Wine Company’s Historic Series Madeiras

Josh Raynolds — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:49:45 +0000

Here’s a wine fact that has always puzzled me: as universally loved and respected as late-harvest and fortified wines are by collectors, sales of all but the bluest of the blue chips move at a glacial pace. Perhaps this is because meals are mostly rushed affairs these days, and the fact that these wines are almost always relegated to the dessert course spells doom, since folks don’t take the time for dessert (or so they say) except at special dinners or when dining at restaurants.

Moreover, the idea that many late-harvest and fortified wines, especially those with high acidity, are actually better served as aperitifs or early on in the meal is almost completely lost on modern consumers, who tend to consider such wines exclusively as post-prandial oddities. As tough as the situation is for port, sherry and the late-harvested wines of Sauternes, the Loire Valley, the Rhône Valley and Germany, no category has suffered more in recent years than Madeira. READ MORE »

Bordeaux’s controversial 2010 reds

Ian D'Agata — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 09:48:30 +0000

Once in a while a Bordeaux vintage will polarize experts in a big way. An earlier example was the dispute among critics on the merits of the 1982 and 1983 vintages. At the outset, some critics were unconvinced by the soft, low-acid, opulent 1982s, which they viewed as almost too ripe and unlikely to enjoy a slow, positive evolution in bottle; they preferred the 1983s, which they regarded as more classic in style. Today, although 1983 is considered to be a very good vintage, its fame, and the value of its wines, pale in comparison to the much sought-after 1982s. READ MORE »

Pinot Noir Renaissance in California

Josh Raynolds — Mon, 09 May 2011 10:00:48 +0000

Fans of Old World pinot noir, specifically Burgundy, have long turned their noses up at California's attempts to master this notoriously finicky variety, and for years their disdain was mostly justified. Unlike the aromatically complex, delicate renditions of pinot for which Burgundy is known, the majority of California pinots were heavy, distinctly dark-fruity, often dull and seldom very complex. Too often they showed too much oak, too much alcohol, too much earthy character, or, frequently, a weedy, herbal component. The reasons for this, most would agree, were that (a) too much pinot was planted in hot areas where it didn't belong, which makes for low-acid wines without nuance or real aromatic potential, and (b) it was being made extractively, as if it were cabernet sauvignon, which unlike pinot can take some manhandling. Simply put, too much California pinot was a bad imitation of the genuine article. READ MORE »

What’s in your glass?

Stephen Tanzer — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:41:16 +0000

What are you drinking? We’d like to know, and we will soon be introducing a new polling feature on this website to find out.

For our coverage in the International Wine Cellar, Josh Raynolds and I each taste more than 10,000 wines a year, including major quantities of the world’s swankiest examples. On my 17-day Burgundy tour last month, for instance, I was lucky enough to sample the exciting, fleshy 2009s from barrel as well as the more classic 2008s from bottle, and I’d estimate the total street value of the wines I tasted at about $200,000. Needless to say, when Josh and I aren’t tasting for review purposes, we can’t afford these bottles any more than you can. READ MORE »

Natural wines: not always worth the headache

Ian D'Agata — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 10:29:01 +0000

Sulfur is an evil little word when it comes to wines these days, but the fact is, most people who condemn wine for its sulfur content and perceived potential harmful effects just don’t know what they’re talking about. Natural or sulfur-free wines are not the panacea for all ills—and many of these wines are lousy, flawed and give little pleasure to consumers. READ MORE »

The color of wine

Ian D'Agata — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 10:27:54 +0000

Of the three main parameters by which wine is judged–color, smell and taste—it is color that most people, including wine experts, pay least attention to. In fact, some very famous 100-point scales for scoring wines only attribute 10 points for color. This is a big mistake. Color can tell you a great deal about a wine’s origin, how it was made, and how it is holding up in the bottle. Most important, color can tell you something about a wine’s authenticity. READ MORE »

Take those early Burgundy reports with a grain of salt

Stephen Tanzer — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 10:06:40 +0000

Ever wonder where those early reports on the latest Burgundy vintage originate?

Here’s what typically happens:

Antsy importers and the mainstream French press start phoning the growers at the beginning of September, a couple weeks before the harvest, to get their quick take on the likely quality of the vintage. If the growers are happy—that is, if it’s been a warm, dry summer; a good quantity of healthy fruit is hanging on the vines; relatively little work has been required to fight various vine maladies; and the weather forecast is favorable—they’re almost sure to say that they’ve got an outstanding vintage in the making. On the other hand, if the vines struggled during the flowering, the summer was dismal, labor-intensive vineyard work was required to protect the fruit against rot and various fungal afflictions, and the fruit is still a long way from being ripe, the growers are going to sound depressed.

And so, as quick as a ricochet in cyberspace, and literally weeks before the first grape has been picked, the vintage is already being described as outstanding or as a washout-in-the-making. READ MORE »

Pneumonia’s Last Syrah

Stephen Tanzer — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 10:32:28 +0000

It turns out it is easier to get rid of a case of pneumonia than a case of syrah—or at least to prevent it. According to Dr. Orin Levine, Executive Director of the International Vaccine Access Center of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a mere $10 will vaccinate a child against the main causes of life-threatening pneumonia. And delivering effective antibiotic treatments for cases that do occur is even less expensive.

The Rhone Rangers had the inspired idea to participate in a new partnership to fight pneumonia: buy a case, stop a case. During the month of November, for every case of syrah they sell direct to consumers, participating wineries will donate $10 to the GAVI Alliance (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization) to fund pneumonia vaccines for children in the world’s poorest countries. You can enjoy delicious wine and help to fight the leading cause of death worldwide among children under the age of five. READ MORE »