VinoWeek - Episode 76 - Back in the Saddle

Bill and I are back. Pardon our absence as family needs took a higher priority for both of us lately. On this podcast we offer up a quick summary of what we have been doing during our hiatus. While we may have been busy handling family affairs we still found time to have an adult beverage every now and then. We’ll share some of those discoveries on this show. Also I continue to post regularly on Twitter eerr X.

Having never participated in a “Dry January” I have found myself consuming less alcohol; more like a “Damp January and February’. I certainly sleep better on nights minus alcohol. Bill postulates that spirits especially vodka are easier for the body to digest. As with so many other things in our lives the key to a successful lifestyle is moderation.

We are having a wonderfully wet winter in Sonoma. The rainfall total are up to 123% of normal as of March 2nd and the consistent soakings show no signs of subsiding. If one could draw it up this winter cycle has been picture perfect. We’re getting all the precipitation we need without the drama of bomb cyclones or floods. Our fingers are crossed that this trend continues. If you’ve ever considered visiting Sonoma County, the springtime in my opinion is probably the best time to come and explore what wine country has to offer. Less crowds, moderate prices on lodging and a slower pace present an excellent opportunity to make some new discoveries.

Thanks to everyone for listening. Cheers!

VinoWeek - Episode 75 - Reflections on Gambero Rosso and Slow Wine

As we head into springtime this year more wine and food events are returning to the our calendars. On this podcast Bill and I discuss our recent experiences at the Gambero Rosso and Slow Wine events both held in San Francisco. The Gambero Rosso was held at Fort Mason in the Marina District. The Slow Wine event was held at City View at Metreon in the Financial District. The Gambero Rosso publishes a guide that rates Italian wines using independent experts who blind taste submitted samples. The Slow Wine approach is different as they have ambassadors visit the wineries to not only taste the wines but to learn the agricultural methods the producers use and the cellar practices. The wines may be viewed through different lenses but the results are the same; the wine quality at both shows is always very high.

We also discuss the recent Silicon Valley Bank meltdown and how it has disrupted business for wineries in California.

Bill and I discuss these items and more in this week's addition of VinoWeek. Thanks to everyone for listening. Cheers!

VinoWeek - Episode 74 - Good Eats in Sonoma

Bill and I recorded this podcast the morning of the Super Bowl so good eats and adult beverages were front and center of our discussion. We go on a jag about the lack of places to find good bread in Sonoma County and come up with a pretty good impromptu list of great places to eat in Sonoma County. So if you have any plans to come to wine county there are lots of good tips in this podcast. Thanks to everyone for listening. Cheers!

Our wine recommendation this week is the 2019 Poggio Scalette Chianti Classico. Poggio Scalette (hill of tiny steps) is a small property in the Greve municipality of Chianti Classico and is run by the Fiore family. Initially started by wine consultant Vittorio Fiore who’s name is prominently displayed on the front label the property is now run by his son Jurij. The top wine at Poggio Scalette is Il Carbonaione a 100% Sangiovese which sells for about $50 retail. Today we will be focusing on Il Carbonaione’s sibling or Scalette’s second wine a Chianti Classico.

The vineyards for this bottling sit at an average elevation of 1,500 feet and were planted between 1928 - 2003. The grapes are 100% Sangiovese di Lamole, an ancient clone of Sangiovese and are fermented in concrete vats and aged for ten months in concrete before bottling. Medium ruby color going clear to the edge in the glass. Pretty red fruit and floral aromas complement the cranberry, sour cherry profile on the palate. Medium bodied and mildly tannic with zippy acidity the wine is refreshing and laid back. It shows great drinkability and I immediately went digging into the wine stash to see how many I had on hand ( always a good sign ). I was delighted to discover that the Poggio Scalette Chianti Classico clocked in at 13% abv. Which means I can have more than two glasses in one sitting if I desire without having to worry about overindulging. The drinking window for this wine is short and its probably best enjoyed in the near term. It would pair well with a variety of appetizers, light main dishes, pasta and pizza. $19 Buy it here.

Show Links:

French government floats €160m fund to ease ‘wine crisis’

How product placement gets wine bottles into shows like ‘The Last of Us’

Gallo is laying off 355 employees

Why one of Sonoma’s best wineries hired a winemaker who'd never made wine before

Deadly Wildfires Devastate Vineyards in Chile’s Central and Southern Wine Regions

The Uncertain Future of Island Wines

Luca and Elena Currado Vietti say goodbye to the Vietti winery

VinoWeek - Episode 73

Esther Mobley of the San Francisco Chronicle reports on the sale of the Robert Sinskey Vineyard Winery, tasting room and vineyards. However billionaires Stewart and Lynda Resnick elected to not purchase the brand. For the moment the Sinskeys plan to lease back the facility and continue business as usual.

Press Democrat writer Sarah Doyle pens a piece on how Sonoma County winemakers are “passing the torch” and making plans to extend their family legacies.

Ingredient labeling for wine starts this year in the EU. The rest of the worlds wine markets will soon follow suit. Is ingredient labeling a win for consumers and producers?

Jess Lander uses an electric corkscrew regularly but she seems to think she may be in the minority. Do you own and electric corkscrew?

Jackson Family Wines has filed a lawsuit against their insurance company for failure to honor claims submitted due to fire damage from wildfires.

Bill and I discuss these items and more in this week's addition of VinoWeek. Thanks to everyone for listening. Cheers!

VinoWeek - Episode 72 - Holiday Wines

With Christmas around the corner we put together a list of some of our favorite wines for the holidays. The Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hikes hasn’t slowed the uptick in wine prices. It can be fairly easy to blow up your wine budget with just one or two bottles of splurge purchases. Most of the wines on our list can all be had for under $35. Searching for one wine that pleases everybody is a fools errand. It’s invariably better to select a variety of wines, open them all at once and let your guest choose what they would like to drink. There are plenty of wines here to please even your most finnicky guests. Thanks for listening to our podcast and Happy Holidays.

2019 Château Vitallis Pouilly-Fuissé Vielles Vignes - Father and son team Denis and Maxime Dutron use Chardonnay from their oldest parcels, some as old as 85 years of age to craft this beautiful White Burgundy. 100% Chardonnay, natural fermentation, left on the lees for a year, 70% stainless steel the rest in barrel. Taut and mineral, with green apple and grapefruit. A distinctive Macon that may bring the ABC (anything but Chardonnay) crowd back into the fold. $27

2019 Ramey Russian River Valley Chardonnay - In contrast to the former old world Chardonnay the Ramey’s make a 100% Chardonnay using a plethora of the old world techniques. Whole cluster pressing, native yeast barrel fermentation, lees aging, malolactic fermentation and light fining sans filtering. Baked apple and pear notes complement the layers of savory oak and baking spice. Beautifully textured and balanced. $38

2021 Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc - A perennial crowd pleaser the grapes for this Sauvignon Blanc are sourced from all over California. Its style remains remarkably consistent from year to year. Ripe melon and white peach aromas jump out of the glass. Lemon and lime flavors work well with the clean mineral finish. $12

2020 Michel Delhommeau “Harmonie” Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie - Michel and Nathalie Delhommeau farm the Melon de Bourgogne grapes for their Muscadet in the volcanic rich soils of the Loire Valley in northwest France. After fermentation the wine spends 5 months “Sur Lie” (in the tank on the lees). Lemon, apple, fresh and vibrant with a bracing minerality and tingling acidity on the finish. This Muscadet calls out for fresh oysters on the half shell and other light seafood dishes. $17

2021 Quivira Rosé Wine Creek Ranch - Cranberries, rhubarb and strawberries aromas compliment the zippy acidity of this 70% Grenache, 11%Counoise, 9% Mourvèdre, 5% Petite Sirah blend. Made with organically grown grapes. $20

2020 Concerto Reggiano Lambrusco - Most of us have never served a dry red sparkling wine. Here’s your chance to wow your guests. Concerto, made from 100% Lambrusco Salamino comes in an attractive bottle that is shaped like a bowling pin. The grapes are organically farmed. When poured into a glass you get a beautiful purple froth. Dark ruby red in color the wine taste of raspberry and strawberries with hints of licorice. It’s completely dry on the palate with a fresh zippy clean finish. Serve it slightly chilled not cold. $30

Frederic Magnien Crémant De Bourgongne Blanc De Noir - If you love Champagne but you need to watch your coins a bit more closely try exploring sparkling wines from other regions of France. French sparkling wines that use the traditional method and are made outside of the Champagne region are called Crémant. This 100% Pinot Noir from the Burgundy area can be served as an aperitif and also has the body and weight to be served throughout a meal. A light amber color, very fine bubbles, aromas of bing cherries and strawberry. Champagne quality without the sticker shock. $20

2019 Siduri Russian River Valley Pinot Noir - The consistency of the Siduri brand which was acquired by Jackson Family Wines several years ago continues unabated. Adam Lee may no longer be the winemaker but the assertive and beautiful Pinot Noir style he pioneered continues. Black cherry and spicy raspberry flavors on the palate, medium in length with good acidity. A very attractive entry level Pinot Noir. $30

2020 Bedrock Wine Co. Old Vine Zinfandel - Morgan Twain-Peterson crafts this deep ruby colored wine from old vineyards (some 100+ years old) throughout Sonoma County. Made with native yeast fermentation and aged in French and Austrian oak puncheons and foudres. In the glass black and red fruit, lavender and pepper aromas. On the palate black plums, a round texture with good acidity and length. Drink and enjoy this youthful Zinfandel now and do yourself a favor and save a few bottles for the next few years. $22

2019 Hess Collection Allomi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - This 79% Cabernet Sauvignon 9% Petite Sirah 5%Malbec 4% Merlot 3% Petit Verdot blend comes from the Allomi vineyard in Pope Valley of northeast Napa Valley. Black and blue fruit, tobacco and oak lead the way for this seemlessly integrated full bodied red. A cushy textured mouthfeel with a long finish. $30

2019 Obsidian Ridge Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon - 94% Cabernet Sauvignon 2% Petit Verdot 2%Malbec 1% Petite Sirah 1% Syrah. Grown in the volcanic rich soils of the Red Hills of Lake County the wine is aged for 18 months in Hungarian oak barrels. Black fruit, black cherry and vanilla, full bodied and tannic. $35

Show LInks:
Best Wines
Columbia Winery Tasking Room
Lets talk with Maureen Downey
AMOS Electric Autonomous Tractor Tour Visits Lodi
Mendoza declares emergency after late season frost
Freak frost hits Argentinian vineyards as Mendoza declares emergency
E & J. Gallo Winery Announces Acquisition of Denner Vineyards in Paso Robles AVA
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/article/carlo-trinchero-arrest-17584624.php

VinoWeek - Episode 71 - Wine Tastings Making a Comeback

A recent article by Colman Andrews titled Paradise Lost: The Flame Out of Napa Valley’s Iconic Wine Country raised a number of eyebrows in Northern California. The article’s main themes being that the Valley’s growth has lessened its charm and that corporatization has made visits to Napa Wineries too expensive for most people.

I just recently attended the 18th annual Wine & Spirits Top 100 tasting at the City View at Metreon in San Francisco. This was the first public wine tasting I have attended in several years (we all know why) and that reluctance to attend public events was the sentiment of so many other attendees that I met and talked with over the evening. I offer some observations of how public wine tastings are changing and for the most part for the better.

Peg Melnik pens a nice piece highlighting pioneering Italian winegrowers in Sonoma County. Not everybody is selling out. It’s refreshing to see these families holding onto their traditions and successfully passing the business of winemaking onto their descendants. Bill and I discuss these items and more in this week's addition of VinoWeek. Thanks to everyone for listening. Cheers!

Our wine recommendation this week is the 2017 Vigneti Massa Derthona. Derthona is the age-old name of Tortona, a village in southeast Piedmont, in the northwest region of Italy. Derthona is Timorasso, a grape that had all but been abandoned until Walter Massa recognized its potential to make compelling wines. Up until the eighties Timarasso vines had been pulled and replanted with Cortese and Chardonnay which were easier to sell and more popular at the time. Massa began working with Timorasso vineyards he could find and also began planting new Timorasso vineyards in the eighties and nineties. This 100%Timorasso is a mix of several vineyards around the village of Monleale, although it should be noted that Massa also produces three vineyard designated Timorasso bottlings. It’s fermented using indigenous yeast, receives skin contact for 48 to 60 hours beforehand and battonage after fermentation in stainless steel and concrete vats. He holds the wine for six months after bottling as Timorasso can be quite shy and unexpressive when young. With bottle age it comes around and begins to display its powerful and concentrated flavors. In the glass the color is a bright vibrant gold. The aromas show yellow fruit, honeyed almonds and beeswax. On the palate more of the afore mention flavors the wine is intensely rich and unctuous with surprising freshness and acidity and a medium length finish. Given the substantial structure of this wine I suggest you pair it with rich chicken and pork dishes or fondue. When Massa started this rediscovery of Timorasso there were just a handful of hectares planted. Today there are more than 150 hectares planted in the Colli Tortonesi DOC (Tortona hills). This is a wine you will probably have to hunt down. Unless you’re working with a specialty wine retailer you’ll have to source it over the internet. Having said that if your your looking for a new distinctive high quality wine to experience and learn about then don’t miss out on Walter Massa’s Derthona. 13.5% alc 5,000 cases $32 - $39

VinoWeek - Episode 70 Has your palate changed?

Do you prefer your wines younger or do you have a taste for aged wines? I’m firmly in both camps having developed a palate for both. As bottled red wines age they give up some of their youthful freshness, the tannins soften and the wines begin to display secondary aromas. On this podcast Bill and I offer our thoughts on aged wine, particularly California Pinot Noir. We also talk about how our palates have changed over the years. Bill suggests it just may be our lifestyle that is leading our changes in taste.

I spent a few months this year working as an intern at a Russian River Valley winery this fall. My goal was to learn how to make high end RRV Pinot Noir. Mission accomplished. It’s been a long time since I’ve dragged hoses around a cellar but I took to it again like a duck in a new found lake. I worked with a wonderful crew albeit I was merely a part timer. It was a great experience. It was my wife’s first participation as a harvest widow. She was not a fan. She is so glad harvest is over. I’ll share a little of what I learned during harvest 2022.

Thanks to everyone for listening. Cheers!

VinoWeek - Episode 69 - Wildfire Hangover

Bill and I get together for a new podcast after an extended absence. On this podcast you can find out where we’ve been, what’s new in wine country and what we’ve been drinking and eating.

It’s summertime so we find ourselves drinking less red wine and more rosé and white wines. Our wine recommendation for this week is the Mönchhof Ürzig Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett. The Mönchhof is said to be one of the oldest wine estates in the West German Mosel Valley dating back to 1177. This fruity off dry version of a 100% Riesling is grown on vertiginous, brick colored, cliff-like hills that tower over the village of Urzig which sits on the left bank of the Mosel river.

A light yellow color with a tinge of green this Riesling has a lovely green apple, lime, lees and jasmine blossom nose. Lovely baking spice, honeyed peaches complexity on the palate, with fresh bright acidity balancing out the light sweetness. A lovely way to welcome in the summer this sublime Riesling would pair well with a variety of fried foods, charcuterie boards, vegetables and sushi. Thanks to everyone for listening. Cheers!

World Beer Cup 2022

VinoWeek - Episode 68 - Wine Tasting Hospitality Has Changed

Consolidation in the U. S. wine industry continues at an unabated pace. Most of the mergers and acquisitions are followed weeks later by layoffs and closures of production facilities. Sebastiani, Coppola and Chateau Ste. Michelle are some of the most recent buyouts.

Right now is one of the best times to be looking for a job in the California wine industry. A quick look on winejobs.com will yield hundred of job offers.

Terri and I finally ventured out and went wine tasting for the first time since the start of the Covid pandemic. Bill and I discuss our visit to Ledson Winery in Sonoma Valley and lament the loss of the casual drive up tasting we were able to enjoy before Covid changed our world.

Climate change is wreaking havoc everywhere. Recent flooding in Belgium and Germany and in particular the Ahr Valley wine region has cost hundreds of lives and many businesses and livelihoods have been lost. James Lawrence shares the story of how Weingut Paul Schumacher was destroyed by floods.

Bill and I discuss these items and more in this week's addition of VinoWeek. Thanks to everyone for listening. Cheers!

Non Disclosure Wine

The pandemic has been difficult for everyone and the economic fallout for businesses has been immeasurable. There have been winners and losers in the business world. Lord knows I wish I had listened to the Bitcoin believer we sat next to at a communal table a year and a half ago at our local pizza parlor. If I would have heeded his advice I would be awaiting the arrival of my cases of 2016 First Growth Bordeaux. Alas, my curse is my conservative nature with regards to investing.

Remember the 2001 U.S. recession, the result of the Y2K boom and the dot com bust? Cameron Hughes started his wine company out of those ashes. Not unlike today he found himself in a business environment where there were too many good quality wines and not enough buyers. He leveraged that moment in time to create one of the most successful wine nègociant companies in the world all the while landing an exclusive with mega-box store Costco to feature his products. For years Cameron profited by cutting out the middle man (wholesalers) and capitalizing on the oversupply of quality wine in the U. S. Once the oversupply dried up so did his business. Cameron didn’t survive the cyclical nature of the agriculture business and ended up in bankruptcy court and his business was eventually sold to Vintage Wine Estates in 2017.

I won’t go down a rabbit hole chronicling the drawbacks of the three tier alcohol distribution laws that were instituted after the repeal of prohibition in 1933 and how the scales are tipped in favor of ensuring the greatest profits go to the wholesalers. Large distributors wield considerable political clout so changing legislation moves at a glacial pace. However, the pandemic has brought about substantial changes in the channels that are now being used to get alcohol to consumers.

An economic downturn hits everyone along the distribution chain but restaurants have borne the brunt of this recession. Hundreds of notable restaurants have closed and those that depend on tourism and thriving downtown commerce are barely getting by. A winery operating a good direct to consumer business out of a tasting room loses all of that revenue when they are forced to close due to local or state Covid restrictions. Restaurant closures further erode demand for wines. When producers have their distribution channels disrupted they have to find other ways to move their wines. Smaller producers (less than 20,000 case production annually) often get lost in the inevitable cost cutting and consolidation of distributors. Zoom calls and specialized sales and marketing teams created to promote smaller brands are stepping in to fill the sales voids.

Year 2021 economic conditions for high end wine producers are similar to those two decades ago. Premium wineries find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. They have done all the hard work and produced great products, but there simply aren’t enough buyers to consume the supply. If they discount their offerings to move pallets they risk devaluing their brand while courting the prospect of shaved profit margins in the future. If they sit on their inventory and wait for market conditions to improve the holding costs eat away at their profits. If they don’t move the wine quickly enough it could age out and need to be discounted anyway. Even more so the winemaker may need the tank space for the upcoming vintage. What’s a vintner to do?

Enter the modern day wine retailer/ nègociant. Although it may not be a new trend for retailers to look outside their normal channels to secure premium quality wine at great values (wine consignment and auctions), there are an increasing number of players in the game now. Have you ever had a non disclosure wine? Chances are you have although you may not have been aware of it. Offers flood my email inbox daily touting 93 to 96 point wines made by 100 point winemakers. The one common denominator is the non disclosure pronouncement. “We can’t tell you very much about the wine or who bottled it for us. What we can tell you is that the wine is 50% off the list price that it normally sells for”. The non disclosure agreement shields the producer from being exposed for selling their wine at a discount. The offer is an easy sale for a reputable retailer as the customer can know that they are getting a great wine at a discount even if they can’t conspicuously display the lofty label of the producer to their friends. The key here is the consumer has to look beyond the label and use their knowledge of wine to evaluate what is actually in the glass, i.e, trust your nose and your palate.

I discovered the 2017 Kalinda Russian River Chardonnay recently. It’s on offer with KL wines. According to the staff, “This parcel was initially headed to an overseas market before 2020 happened...and now we're simply the lucky benefactors thanks to our long relationship with the winery”. I’ve tried numerous wine under the KL wine house label and been happy with the results so it was easy for me to pull the trigger on this bottling. If you are a lover of $40 to $60 Russian River Valley Chardonnay but would prefer to pay $30 here’s your chance to secure a Cadillac Chardonnay in Chevy Vega clothing. Aromatics of stone fruit and citrus complement the spice, lightly toasted nuts and caramel notes. Medium bodied and seamless from the attack to the finish displaying a richness and elegance that one only gets with wines that have spent time in expensive French oak and were subjected to labor intensive battonage. Serve this Chardonnay to your friends that enjoy drinking high quality wines instead of labels. If one had the ability to slap a Dehlinger, Ramey or Rochioli label onto this bottle, no informed RRV Chardonnay drinker would consider questioning its provenance. That’s how well crafted it is. This is a non disclosure wine you don’t want to miss. Cheers!

A Cadillac Chardonnay in Chevy Vega clothing

I discovered the 2017 Kalinda Russian River Chardonnay recently. It’s on offer with KL wines. According to the staff, “This parcel was initially headed to an overseas market before 2020 happened...and now we're simply the lucky benefactors thanks to our long relationship with the winery”. I’ve tried numerous wine under the KL wine house label and been happy with the results so it was easy for me to pull the trigger on this bottling.