Brunello - The impatient need not apply

by Craig Camp
Wednesday, December 17, 2003

IF YOU don't have patience stop reading now. If you make snap judgments this article is not for you. If you judge someone in ten seconds find something else to do.

If you don't take the time to look deeper you often miss hidden complexity. That goes for wine too. The fashion today is to make wines that put all their charms up-front. Grapes like merlot and shiraz have excelled in this environment, but some grapes just don't give up their personalities quite so easily. Brunello is one of those grapes.

On a hill 25 kilometers south of Siena in Tuscany sits a medieval town clinging to the edge of the cliffs. The surrounding hills and slopes are planted almost exclusively with the sangiovese grosso clone of sangiovese. In these vineyards the sangiovese produces a particularly hard wine to get to know. In fact, the sangiovese grosso here is so distinctive it has its own name: Brunello. The town of Montalcino is ancient, but the wine Brunello di Montalcino is not. While its name is now famous, Brunello di Montalcino did not start to gain its current status on the world market until the 1970's. The wine as we know it today owes its character to two families: one Italian and one American.

The creators of Brunello di Montalcino could not be more Italian. When the patriot, Ferruccio Biondi, returned to his family after fighting with Garibaldi for Italian unification, he and his grandfather, Clemente Santi, replanted their estate, Il Greppo. Santi, a noted agronomist and enologist, was the first to identify sangiovese grosso and it was this variety they chose to cultivate. Their goal was to make a classic wine for aging. Instead of following the recipe for Chianti used in those days, which included a second fermentation to increase fruity flavors, they used only sangiovese grosso. Then they gave the wine an extended maturation in oak barrels. In 1888 they released the first vintage of their new wine. Some bottles of the first Brunello di Montalcino still live in the old cellars at the Il Greppo estate

Unfortunately, the Biondi-Santi family was obviously so far ahead of the times that no one bothered to follow their lead in Montalcino for about 60 years when they were finally joined by Fattoria dei Barbi, Costanti and a few other adventurous souls in the 1950s. However this still didn't do the trick for Montalcino. In the 1970's you could still grab vineyards at bargain-basement prices.

In 1975 less than a million bottles of Brunello was produced by less than 30 estates. Now, not quite 30 years later, the figure is approaching four million bottles with more than 130 estates in production and more coming all the time.

What happened? The Americans invaded.

Brunello di Montalcino was famous in spite of itself. To knowledgeable drinkers of Italian wine with the patience to see what could happen to a bottle of Biondi-Santi if you waited 3 or 4 decades, this wine surrendered its secrets. However, it was the arrival of John and Harry Mariani in 1978 that changed not only the face of the ancient town, but also what being bottled there.

The Mariani brothers were sons of Italian immigrants who had made good -- and made good in a big way. Their company, Banfi Vintners, and its chief import, Riunite Lambrusco, made the family fortune. Today, Banfi Vintners is as powerful as ever representing three out of the top ten imported wine brands (Concha y Toro from Chile, Riunite from Italy, and Walnut Crest from Chile). It has ranked as the largest American wine importer for thirty years running. Yes, all you old hippies, Riunite is still the second largest Italian brand in the USA -- somebody is still drinking a lot -- although strangely enough we never seem to see anyone actually drinking it!

So in the late 70s, the Mariani family came to sleepy Montalcino and, with the quiet diplomacy we Americans are famous for, loudly threw almost everything out the window. Although this was a great shock to the local wine aristocracy, the arrival of these American tycoons was the second best thing that happened to Montalcino since Siena lost the war with Florence. The first thing was the genius of Biondi-Santi family in recognizing the potential of the sangiovese grosso and its affinity for the region, but it took the Mariani's drive and wealth to expand the whole range of possibilities in the vineyards of Montalcino.

The estate that the Mariani's created they called Castello Banfi and everything they did was loaded with American business aggressiveness and scale. They purchased a large estate, took an old castle and created a consumer-friendly winery that would make the Mondavis feel right at home. They even opened a restaurant that was good enough to recently earn a Michelin star. While they pushed all the right marketing buttons and installed all the bell-and-whistles, they also spared no expense in researching what it takes to make great wine in Montalcino. At first regarded with suspicion by the local growers, the Castello Banfi estate is now respected throughout Italy and has been awarded every Italian winemaking award that you can possibly think of -- and some you can't.

What Castello Banfi did was to push the envelope not only to expand the concept of what was good wine in Montalcino, but what was possible if you pushed beyond the probable. Today every producer from Biondi-Santi to the newest estate owes Castello Banfi a nod of respect. The success of Banfi has also brought a new round of heavy-weight wine producers to Montalcino and the likes of Gaja (Pieve di Santa Restituta), Antinori (Pian delle Vigne), Frescobaldi (Castel Giocondo) and Ruffino (Greppone Mazzi) are now selling some very expensive modern style Brunello di Montalcino wines. Even the legendary Biondi-Santi estate has entered the new-wave market with the decidedly modern Sassoalloro. But don't worry-- the Biondi-Santi wines remain a bastion of classic Brunello di Montalcino. Montalcino is also home to the Mondavi and Frescobaldi Luce project.

The goal at Castello Banfi was to make a modern, internationally styled, type of Brunello. They pulled out all the stops and used all the tricks, but they have, in fact, proved only one thing -- you can't make Brunello di Montalcino into Australian Shiraz. While the Banfi wines from international varietals, like ExcelsuS, can take on the best of the internationally styled wines (and has the scores and price to prove it) their Brunello di Montalcino remains a wine that needs age to be fully appreciated.

In a recent tasting of their 1998 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino, I could not deny that their wine had more initial appeal than some, but more interesting is what happened to the wine over several days. At first the wine was all fruit and oak, but after one day the wine changed and the Brunello characteristics started to show. By the second day there was no doubt that, with time, this wine would reveal much more than the simple flavor profiles of oak and ripe fruit found when you first pull the cork. The longer you age the ultra-modern Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino the more it tastes like classic Brunello.

Sometimes terroir and varietal character win over technique.

Contrary to what most wine books suggest, Brunello di Montalcino is not a dramatic, obvious wine. It is a big wine; but not ponderous. It is powerful wine; but it is layered with delicate complexity. It is a concentrated wine; but it is lean and angular. It manages to walk the tightrope between all these characteristics to claim its rightful place as a great wine.

As in all of the world's great wine regions, most of the wines from here are not great and just go along for the ride with a famous name on the label. However, there are many outstanding producers and, as most of the production is exported, Brunello di Montalcino is easy to track down. Unfortunately, along with fame comes high prices and good Brunello di Montalcino is expensive.

So you have a wine that is hard to appreciate, requires aging and is expensive: hardly attractive for dinner tonight. However, the growers in Montalcino have a solution for you in Rosso di Montalcino. Both wines must be produced from 100% Brunello (sangiovese grosso) grapes, but Brunello di Montalcino requires four years of aging before release while Rosso di Montalcino requires only one year of aging. Producers use wines from younger vines or from casks that are more forward to make their Rosso wines more ready to drink in their youth. The Rosso di Montalcino wines from the best producers often reflect the style of their Brunello di Montalcino wines and offer a good starting point for learning the character of the area's wines and the styles of the various producers.

Drinking young Brunello is like playing hide-and-seek with greatness: patience pays off.

Some personal favorites:

-Andrea Costanti: classic wines needing aging to show their greatness.

-Eredi Fuligni: elegant and graceful.

-Fattoria dei Barbi: classic, powerful terroir driven wines.

-Lisini: powerful yet refined.

-Biondi-Santi: only when it's old and someone else is buying.

-Castello Banfi: very modern and approachable.

-La Rasina: great value

-Poggio Antico: graceful and restrained with lovely fruit.

Disco Dom

By Craig Camp
Monday, January 5, 2003

WHEN THE supposedly blind monk Dom Perignon first tasted the sparkling wine he had created he is said to have exclaimed, “I am drinking stars!” Perhaps a more appropriate statement would have been, “I am drinking dollar signs!”

It was almost 300 years ago when Dom Perignon (as legend has it anyway) conceived the idea of blending different vintages and varietals and capturing the gas formed during fermentation in a sealed bottle to create the sparkling wines in the Champagne region of France. This legend is probably as accurate as the other popular legend that always surfaces around the end of the year: Santa Claus.

The true Champagne method (methode champenoise) for making truly complex sparkling wines is time-consuming and expensive. There are other methods that make lovely sparkling wines for light-hearted consumption and entertainment, but these methods just don’t make wines that steal your attention away from the celebration at hand for more than a few seconds.

All the methods used for making sparkling wine work on one simple concept. When the yeasts eat the grape sugar they put out two waste products: alcohol and carbon dioxide (always remember that Dom Perignon is mostly made from yeast waste combined with the flavors of the dead yeast cells breaking down in the bottle). For regular table wine the gas is allowed to escape, but for sparkling wines the gas is trapped in the wine. You cannot add gas to a wine and call it sparkling wine. Wines made in this fashion must be referred to as carbonated wine on the label.

The main method used to make lighter, fresher sparkling wines for immediate consumption or for mass-produced cheap sparkling wines is the Charmat method. In this process the wine is put into a large stainless steel container and yeast and sugar (if needed) are added. The container is sealed and the yeasts go to work making the bubbles. The process can be carefully controlled by refrigeration and has the capability to produce delicate and elegant wines when the right base wines are used. When the second fermentation is finished the wine is transferred under pressure to bottles and is ready to drink from day one. The best examples of this style seem to be uniquely Italian.

Prosecco is both a grape and the name of a sparkling wine from the Veneto region of Italy. It is produced in both dry (brut) and just off-dry (extra dry) styles. Although it may be produced from both the Charmat and methode champenoise, the vast majority of these wines are produced by the Charmat method and I think with very good results. This type of fermentation emphasizes the light, fresh fruity flavors of the Prosecco grape and is perfect for producing this easy-drinking wine -- which is hard to beat as a choice for parties and an everyday aperitif. In the Piedmont region the fresh and lushly sweet moscato grape is transformed into the mouth-watering Moscato d’Asti and Asti Spumante wines. It is hard to imagine more refreshing after dinner quaffing than these two low-alcohol, sweet, sparkling wines. Moscato d’Asti has lower gas pressure than Asti Spumante and has a wonderful creamy texture that is unique. The Charmat method is the perfect way to produce these lovely wines. However, most of the wines produced by this method and the closely related “transfer process” are simple industrial wines that are better suited to giving shampoos to sports champions or improved with orange juice and other mixers.

Then there is the royalty of sparkling wine processes: methode champenoise. This is the method perfected by Dom Perignon and friends and is the only process allowed for sparkling wines produced in the Champagne region.

Champagne is first and foremost a place. It is a French winemaking region that makes both still and sparkling wines. The only true Champagne sparkling wines are from this region and this region only. There can be no doubt about the greatness of the sparkling wines of Champagne and there are two elements to their success: First the terroir: the vineyards, varietals and weather; and second, the work-intensive method required to make great sparkling wines.

Wines destined to become French Champagne can only be produced from three grape varietals, two reds: pinot noir, pinot meunier and one white: chardonnay. Almost all of the finest sparkling wines of the world also tend to use pinot noir and chardonnay as their base. The juice of these grapes is immediately separated from their skins so that none of the red color is given to the wine -- except for rose Champagne, which is a story for another day. The soils of Champagne are chalky and full of minerals and the climate is on the cool side for making fine table wines. In a very real sense, Champagne was discovered because the poor soils and cold climate of the region made thin, low color, high acid wines in most years. In other words, the perfect raw materials for making sparkling wine. This also created the necessity for inventing a non-vintage wine as blending wines from weak vintages with those of better years gave the weather-challenged winegrowers in Champagne the chance to offer wines of consistent quality and style every year. To this day, each Champagne producer is defined by their non-vintage cuvee, which represents their house style and the height of the blender’s art.

Once the base wine is fermented the winemaker blends the wines of the various grapes to achieve the style of their winery, or as it is known in the Champagne business: house. Each of these grapes offers different characteristics to the winemaker: pinot noir, depth and complexity; pinot meunier, softness and fruitiness; chardonnay, freshness and a unique ability to absorb the ‘toasty’ or ‘yeasty’ characteristics so highly regarded by Champagne lovers. Blends range to include any mixture possible of these three varietals including 100% unblended versions. Blanc de blancs refers to pure chardonnay wines while Blanc de noirs refers to 100% pinot noir wines. Wines that have high percentages of pinot meunier tend to be the simplest and cheapest Champagnes -- White Star anyone?

Once the blend is completed the wine is put into bottles with a bit of sugar and yeast, the bottle is sealed with a crown cap and the fermentation that makes the bubbles commences. This is the heart of the methode champenois process as the second fermentation and aging must take place in the bottle in which the wine is sold. Only the very large bottles are not produced in this way. Once the yeast have eaten up all the sugar they die and the newly sparkling wine is hazy with the dead cells. It is here that the unique flavors of Champagne are created as the wines are then left for years to age on the yeast cells -- which give the wines that special toasty flavor and bread dough aromas. During this aging the bottles are placed in special racks that allow the bottles to be gently shaken a quarter-turn at a time until they arrive to the upside-down position with all the sediment sitting on the bottle cap and leaving the wine clear. This process is called “remuage” and used to be done by hand, but these days is more than likely done by machine. When the proper aging point has been reached it is time to get those old yeast cells out of the bottle. This is accomplished by dipping the still inverted bottle into a super-cold brine solution that freezes the sediment in a plug of ice, which is then shot out of the bottle and then the bottle is topped up with a bit of old wine and a sweet syrup that adjusts the wine to the required sweetness level. This last process is called “degorgement”. Then it is off to the labeling machine and the market as the Champagne producers consider the wine ready to drink upon release. Some consumers like to age Champagnes longer, but with few exceptions I am not among them.

French Champagne is a work intensive winemaking method that requires producers to maintain massive inventories of aging wine and the grapes they buy from growers in the Champagne zone are among the most expensive in the world. Good Champagne can never be cheap.

The Champagne region long rested on its laurels secure in the knowledge that only they could make great sparkling wines, but today there is a long list of fine sparkling wines made by the Champagne method that show the unique character of their own regions and this small, cool region northeast of Paris no longer holds the monopoly on great sparkling wines. While there is only one true Champagne, the choices of fine sparkling wines available to the consumer are broader and better than ever.

Everyone loves bubbles and this combined with the rising costs and limited production zone in Champagne has inspired winemakers all over the world to make sparkling wines that can approach Champagne in complexity. The situation in the Champagne region has also forced the French Champagne companies to establish wineries throughout the world to increase their own productions. Most of the early attempts to make serious sparkling wines in the Champagne tradition fell short – including those of the French themselves. However today there has been a major transformation in the philosophy of sparkling wine makers outside of Champagne. Instead of making wines following the exact Champagne recipe they are making sparkling wines that reflect their own micro-climates and in the process have created a broad range of excellent sparkling wines that, while they don’t taste exactly like Champagne, are interesting to drink on their own merits and for their own style and character.

Top regions that produce outstanding Champagne method sparkling wines include: USA, Sonoma, Mendocino, Oregon and Washington; Italy, Franciacorta and Trentino; Spanish Cava; Australia and New Zealand.

It is safe to say the humble and pious monk who first tasted “stars” would be shocked and disturbed that the famous prestige Champagne bearing his name has come to symbolize conspicuous and thoughtless consumption by those who have more money than taste.

Dom Perignon is the prestige cuvee of Moet and Chandon; the giant sparkling wine conglomerate owned by LVMH the even bigger conglomerate selling luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and Christian Dior and Hennessy Cognac among many other expensive toys and baubles. Moet and Chandon loves to project Dom Perignon as a hard-to-get elite product produced only in limited quantities, but a quick look at the market would seem to tell us otherwise. Dom Perignon is not only available at every good hotel, upscale restaurant and wine shop in the world, but at most casinos, fancy discos, strip clubs, gentleman’s clubs (shall we call them) and in a huge number of locked glass cabinets behind the counter in countless seedy liquor stores, convenience shops and drug stores throughout the world. It seems while Moet and Chandon wants to project an elegant image, they are more than happy to have a significant amount of Dom Perignon sold in less than elegant surroundings and the more of them the better -- so much for limited production only in great vintages.

The growth of top quality sparking wines made by the Champagne method in all the great wine growing regions of the world is something for which Dom Perignon (the monk) can indeed be proud. Today there are more stars than ever to drink.

Some personal favorites (not including Rose):

-California: Iron Horse Blanc de blancs

-Other US:

Argyle Brut, Oregon

Gruet Brut, New Mexico

-Champagne:

Bollinger Brut N/V

Salon Clos de Mensuil

Ployez-Jacquemart Brut

Diebolt-Vallois Brut

-Italy:

Metodo Classico: Bellavista Franciacorta Gran Cuvee Brut

Prosecco: Col Vetoraz, Valdobbiadene Extra Dry

Moscato: Marcarini Moscato d'Asti

-Spain:

Mont-Marçal Cava Brut Reserva (best value)

Huguet Brut Nature Gran Reserva (top quality)

Some Sparkling wine terminology:

Vintage: a wine of a single year instead of blend. Usually only produced in distinctive vintages.

Nature: Absolutely dry – no sweetening wine added. Often too dry for most.

Brut: Extremely dry. The most classic of styles.

Extra Dry: Just off-dry.

Sec (dry): Lightly sweet.

Demi-sec (half-dry): Sweet.

Doux: Very sweet for desserts.

Bottle sizes in 750 ml. equivalents:

Magnum – 2 bottles

Jeroboam – 4 bottles

Rehoboam – 6 bottles

Methuselah – 8 bottles

Nebuchadnezzar – 20 bottles

Fifteen Buck Barolo

By Craig Camp
Tuesday, February 3, 2004

LAST NIGHT while at a friend's house for dinner our host pulled out a bottle of 1998 Barolo. While this normally would bring with it a sense of anticipation, the bottle in question only engendered suspicion. I had seen this label before on sale at the local grocery store at prices well below the going rate even for even average-quality Barolo. Sure enough, the wine was a thin parody of what Barolo should be. The same thing happened in the USA a few months earlier when another friend served a washed-out Barolo purchased at discount prices at Trader Joe's. Both of these wines sold for under fifteen bucks and proved the P.T. Barnum theory of sales: "There's a sucker born every minute."

You can't make cheap Barolo that tastes like Barolo.

Everybody wants something for nothing. However, the reality of the situation is that more often than not you get what you pay for. Selling poor quality wines with famous names is big business and buying these wines is certainly the worst wine value in the market today. It's a little like buying a Kia with all the nameplates changed to Mercedes: now it has the name you want, but it just doesn't go down the road with the same feeling. Cheap Barolo doesn't go down very well either. A famous name is not enough.

If you want a Mercedes you have to pay for it and it can be argued you get great value for your money. The same with wine: if you want both greatness and a famous name you have to pay. However, the winemaking world has changed dramatically in the last decades and advances in winemaking and vineyard techniques has created an explosion of wines offering outstanding quality and a distinct personality that are cursed with a name almost no one has heard of outside his own region.

At last night's dinner a $10 Nergroamaro from Puglia was also served, and at the end of the evening the Barolo was only half-empty while every drop was drained from the Negroamaro bottle. The palates had voted and Puglia had won. If you want real value for your money you have to do your homework and you often have to go outside the famous place-names and varietals for excellent wines that are good values.

The expansion of varietal instead of geographical wine labeling, powered by the commercial successes of New World winemakers, has created new and broader categories of over-priced wines that span regional and international borders. Merlot and Chardonnay lead the worst-value wines-without-borders category. With few exceptions you have to spend some serious money to get really interesting examples of these varietals. The store shelves are filled with bland, oaky examples of Chardonnay and Merlot selling for $20 or more, and the under $20 slots are mostly made up of commercial grade, fruity-sweet wine of indeterminate varietal character. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule as, for example, the many fine chardonnay wines from the Macon region of France, but these wines are most decidedly exceptions in the sea of mediocre and, all too often, expensive chardonnay and it is worth pointing out that most do not even carry the name chardonnay on their label.

If you want to buy a California white wine and have $20 to spend are you better off buying a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay if both go with your menu? For my money, you have to go with the Sauvignon Blanc because for your $20 you get a top-of-the-line wines in the cheaper Sauvignon Blanc category instead of a "budget priced" Chardonnay. Yes, $20 is budget priced for Chardonnay these days in California.

There is no denying the excitement and pleasure of great bottles from famous vines and vineyards -- and they are something that every wine lover should experience -- but don't expect to taste their wonders without straining your budget. However, instead of straining your budget I would recommend straining your eyes instead. A little time invested in research can fill your wine cellar with extraordinary bottles that don't require you to fight over allocations or sleep out by the mailbox so you can get your copy of the The Wine Advocate first and beat your buddies in the wine club to the store.

How do you find these wines? First of all you have to open your mind and palate to new grapes and place names, and second, you have to find a good wine merchant. If you walk into a store packed with promotional material touting the latest Parker or Wine Spectator scores you are probably in the wrong place. You have to find a wine shop with a buyer whose passion and curiosity matches yours. A place like this:

A customer walks into a wine shop on a slow day. There is not another customer in sight. The customer says, "I have a special occasion coming up and my wife and I want a really special bottle of wine, something old from a great vintage. I was thinking of a top Bordeaux like Latour or Lafite, because we have never had one. I think we are willing to spend three of four hundred dollars a bottle." Now here's the funny part. The shop owner actually talks the guy out of dropping that much money and convinces the guy to try a bottle that doesn't cost of third of what the guy was willing to spend. "After talking to him about what he liked and disliked and what he had enjoyed before I just thought he would be disappointed in an old wine," said Howard Silverman. "He was looking for drama and excitement that would match the occasion, so I recommended he experiment on a less important day."

How does a guy like that stay in business? This is not a fairly tale, and merchants like this do stay in business. In fact this store owner, Howard Silverman, has stayed in the fine wine business for over thirty-four years even though he has only just hit 50 years of age. In 1997 Silverman opened Howard's Wine Cellar on Belmont Avenue in Chicago after a career that started as a teenager in his father's wine shop, followed by over fifteen years as Wine Director at Sam's Wine Warehouse. Silverman's father was the legendary Leo Silverman who started the transition of Sam's, with owner Fred Rosen, from a corner liquor store and bar into what it is today: one of the largest wine stores in the world.

Every inch, top to bottom, of his small shop is packed with wine. "It is a little overwhelming for many people because they have never seen these labels before, normally people will pick up the first thing they recognize, but here they don't recognize anything," said Silverman with a smile. "Everything is here because I like it and I will not buy a bad wine no matter how good the reviews are."

"I buy what I like, not what I need. After all of these years I can judge intelligently enough to taste every category -- even those that are not my personal favorites. With only 1000 square feet it takes a special wine to get in," says Silverman.

Like small wineries, emerging wine regions, and unknown varietals small wine shops are under attack from the continuing consolidation of the wine business into the hands of fewer and fewer producers, distributors, and retailers. You may find super-low prices on some famous names at Costco and Trader Joe's, but you will not find thin, bitter Barolos no matter how cheap they are at wine shops like those run by Howard and hundreds of others like him to whom the title of wine merchant means responsibility to the client first and the accountant second. You may pay a bit more sometimes, but in the long-run you will save money and broaden your experience with these small shops. Personal service and knowledge are worth an investment.

When a deal seems too good to be true it usually is.

Some of Howard's current favorites:

-1999 Finca Allende, Calvario, Rioja, Single Vineyard Estate Bottled $46 from vines planted in 1945

-2000 Don Antonio, Nero d'Avola, Morgante $28

-2001 Castle Rock Carneros Pinot Noir $10

-2001 Cimicky Trumps Shiraz, Barossa Valley $14.50

-N/V Gruet, Brut, New Mexico, $12

2000 Givry A. Poncey. Domaine Parize $18

2001 Joesph Leitz Rudeshiemer Magdalenenkrunz Riesling Kabinett $12

Howard's Wine Cellar
1244 W. Belmont Ave.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 248-3766
email; howcell@jaske.com

The Food (wine) Chain

by Craig Camp
Enological Darwinism and the birth of a new species
Friday, February 13, 2004

YOU'VE HEARD about the food chain. A bigger fish eats a smaller fish, which is then eaten by a bigger fish, which is then eaten by an even bigger fish and so on and so on. But there's a wine chain as well.

Lately, the harsh realities of survival-of-the-fittest have hit the wine distribution industry in United States with a vengeance. Small wine distributors/wholesalers have been swallowed up by bigger distributors, who are then gobbled up by even bigger distributors. While this industry consolidation is cutting costs and increasing profits for the distributors, it has negative consequences for consumers as the available selection drops and prices increase because of the reduced competition.

The distributor is the middle tier of the deservedly maligned American three tier system of wine distribution. Distributors are the funnel through which all wines must pass before reaching retailers and restaurants who then sell to consumers. The distributor tier has a stranglehold on what is or is not sold in their individual markets, but more often than not their names are unknown to the very consumers whose drinking choices they control. This bottleneck is very important to consumers not only because of choice, but because of cost as it adds 30 to 40% or more to the price of a bottle of wine. In addition, the distributorship lobby, W.S.W.A. (Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America), is the prime force in fighting direct interstate shipment of wine to consumers.

One short-term gain for consumers is that as these companies merge they close-out many good wines as they eliminate unwanted items and suppliers. As mega-distributors meld multiple portfolios into one, they realize they cannot market so many items and many excellent smaller producers and importers find themselves without distributors. Money talks and the distributors keep large economically powerful suppliers and eliminate small artisan producers. If they can, they keep the super-hot garagiste and cult wines, but the less famous ones are shown the door. In the crush many excellent estates that offer great value, but are lacking a famous name or big marketing budgets, are lost. While these sales are fun to take advantage of, they also foretell problems for consumers down the road. Eventually consumers end up with fewer choices.

One of the markets hardest hit by consolidation is Chicago. Once a bastion of wide-open competition and independent family-owned distributorships, the invasion of the Godzilla-distributorships, like Southern, Glazers, and Charmer, has reduced competition to a trickle and created a huge problem for small wine producers and consumers who want to buy those wines. As in most states, according to Illinois law, restaurants and retailers are required to buy alcoholic beverages only from licensed distributors. These distributors are prohibited from selling directly to consumers.

Unfortunately, the situation is Chicago is happening in every market in the country and the results of this trend are having a direct impact on fine wine retailers, restaurants with serious wine programs, and consumers dedicated to finding wines with character.

Brian Duncan, Wine Director of the Bin 36 restaurants in Chicago, explains how it affected his restaurant, "We were warned in advance to expect problems from people we knew on the West Coast that had been through the process. With all the consolidations, customer service has really declined. It's a real mess. I have had to get very creative and go directly to the producers to get the customer service we need."

"There is an absence of accountability on the part of the consolidated distribution companies," says chef/owner Michel Kornick of MK, also in Chicago. "You can't find who to call. We received a 15% price increase on some of our wines-by-the-glass without notification. Their systems do not take into account a personal interpretation on how you do business."

Fortunately some little fish are faster swimmers and out of the ashes of consolidation a few small, passionate distributors/importers were born and some survived. These small distributors are dedicated to bringing wines from highly personal wineries to their markets. Many small but quick swimmers are popping up all across the USA and their dedication is a blessing for those who love distinctive wines. The best distributorships see their warehouse with the same eyes that sommeliers see their wine lists.

Two of those fast fish are Debra Crestoni and Scott Larsen, founders of two young fine wine distribution companies in Chicago. Both are seasoned fine wine professionals who are famous for their hardheaded commitment to wines of character even in the face of harsh economic reality. Their intensity and hard work well represent a tiny, but growing trend across the United States and offer a ray of hope to wine consumers seeking a broad and rich spectrum of wines to choose for their tables and cellars.

"There are a lot of sharks out there," notes Crestoni owner of Connoisseur Wines a new distribution company. "I know there are a lot of tough guys out there ready to crush small companies like mine." In 1999, Crestoni left another distributorship (since vaporized after being eaten by a Godzilla) where she had been a partner since 1992 and set out on her own to follow her vision.

She describes her radical vision in these words: "Our focus is not case driven. I try to appreciate the efforts of my producers, their visions, and to uphold the same standards that they have." Connoisseur Wines also takes the almost unheard-of position of holding vintages that need maturing before releasing them for sale. "We want to provide the customer with wines that are ready to drink. For instance, we have held some 1998 Burgundies and are now offering them for sale," points out Crestoni.

Crestoni entered the wine business in the mid-seventies after a career in fine art and worked at several well-known wine shops before going to work for the legendary Pete Stern at Connoisseur Wines on Chicago's North Side. This now long-closed store was devoted to exceptional small estate wines -- especially those from Burgundy. Under Stern's guidance she was immersed in a world of extraordinary wines from small, passionate, estate producers. She learned her lessons well. Crestoni named her new company in Stern's honor. Always a revolutionary, Crestoni is also planning to inaugurate the Chicago Professional Wine School in 2004 which will specialize in educating both consumers and professionals about wines that meet Crestoni's tough standards.

"I seek an understanding about what creates value in a wine and to find integrity, purity of expression and flavor at all price points," is how Crestoni sums up her goals. Crestoni has built a portfolio filled with small jewels like Araujo Estate, Bryant Family Vineyards, Harlan Estate, Martinelli Winery, Qupe, Isole e Olena Chianti Classico, Vignalta, Borgo del Tiglio, and the dynamic Burgundy selections of Rebecca Wasserman.

Chef Kornick says of Crestoni, "Debra offers a unique point of view, she's a trained sommelier so her staff education and training are at a very high level, and she knows the product well and can answer intelligently on any topic. Debra happens to be very passionate about what she is doing."

Scott Larsen, president of another start-up distributorship, the appropriately named Maverick Wines, was going to be a teacher when he was in college. Although he ended up in the wine business instead of teaching, Larsen has held on to his belief in education and that is his key, "I want education to provide a bond with the customer and to be a service that will support everything they buy from us."

Larsen entered the wine business over thirty years ago, joining his uncle Roger Copel in building Copel Wines. Copel was one of the first small fine wine distributor/importers in the Chicago market and introduced many fine estates such as Balthazar Ress from the Rheingau in Germany to Chicago consumers. From there he spent two decades divided between Heritage Wine Cellars and Direct Import Wine Company, two of the leading fine wine distributorships of that time. Only Heritage remains as an independent today and distributor consolidation both forced and gave Larsen the opportunity to found Maverick Wines in 2002.

"I had thirty-one years of relationships and I understood these types of wineries would not be happy at the consolidated houses (distributorships) once I convinced them I had the financing the rest started easily," said Larsen.

"I want wines that have a personality -- something to say. Wines that represent a place and try to be the best," is how Larsen describes his criteria in selecting wines for his portfolio. It is indeed a powerful fine wine portfolio including such luminaries as Shafer, Spottswoode, Calera, Leonetti, the exciting Italian estates of Summa Vitis (Matthew Fioretti), the French and Spanish selections of Eric Solomon, the distinctive French selections of Louis/Dressner and the remarkable German estates of the passionate Rudi Wiest. Larsen sums up his philosophy this way, "My vision is based on quality wines from the world over -- wines with personality. I believe that I have established my reputation with thirty-one years of dedication to customer service, quality and education."

Bin 36's Duncan says of Maverick, "The small distributors have a real spontaneity. Scott has been very aggressive in seeking out top producers and his results have been impressive. Companies like Maverick and Connoisseur are a breath of fresh air."

Fast fish and fine wine: a perfect match.

Connoisseur Wines
Debra Crestoni
6610 West Howard Street
Niles, IL 60714
773-561-8705

Maverick Wines
Scott Larsen
1231 Ellis Street
Bensenville, IL 60106
630-860-4600

VinInsanity 2004 - a visit to Vinitaly

By Craig Camp
Monday, April 26, 2004

SHE IS tall and seems even taller on top of her spike high-heels. She has long shiny black hair and is wearing an extremely tight black mini-skirt only slightly longer than her hair. The cleavage of the tiny dress is cut dramatically low and this, combined with a push-up bra of considerable power, creates a beacon that the eyes of the thousands of passing men just can't miss. There are three other girls just like her and they look so much alike under the layers of makeup they are almost interchangeable. Each girl is surrounded by a crowd of men easily twice her age holding on to oversized wine glasses while holding in their stomachs and trying to be as cool as possible.

Welcome to Vinitaly: the world's largest wine tasting. For five days in early April Verona is descended upon by representatives of every facet of the Italian wine business from every corner of the world. Verona is overwhelmed by the onslaught. This is not the time of the year to visit Juliet's Tomb.

The size and scope of the Vinitaly wine trade fair is staggering. The organizers recently announced that, to taste every wine on offer, you would have to sample over 2,000 wines an hour for all five days the fair is open. I believe more than one person attempts this feat. However, most of us must choose what we attempt to taste and this is where the models in the mini-skirts come in handy. The first thing you do is eliminate the producers that hire models to push their wines with push-up bras. Wine shows are like Italian television programs: the more girls in skimpy outfits, the worse the content of the program -- or the bottle -- will be.

One thing for sure is that every type of wine and wine marketing that exists in Italy is on display in Verona for five days every April. The character of the producers' stands range from mini-discos with dancing girls and loud crowds slugging prosecco, to the quiet, formal nature of the small Gaja stand where the walls glitter with the full range of Riedel crystal, but nary a drop of wine is to be found. If you never visit Vinitaly you can never truly feel the immense sprawl of wine that is Italy.

This is not the kind of wine event that American's have come to expect. First of all the scale itself is far beyond any other wine exposition except VinExpo in Bordeaux. The sheer number of choices available overwhelms even the most organized. The fiera in Verona was long ago outgrown by the number of producers wanting to participate and an increasing number of huge circus-like tents have been filling the remaining open spaces between the exhibition buildings. Unlike gleaming exhibition centers like the McCormick Place in Chicago or the Javits Center in New York, the fiera in Verona is a sprawling group of dreary airplane-hanger-type builders that are not connected -- a major irritation as it often rains in Verona at this time of year. The buildings are also not air-conditioned (or at least they don't turn it on) and bursts of warm Italian spring weather combined with the halogen lamps of the exhibitors' stands can make for less than ideal tasting conditions. The result is a disorganized patchwork of regions divided into various buildings each filled with a confusing array of small and large producers with wines of wildly varying quality -- come to think of it, it's just like Italy.

Another surprise for first-time visitors is the lack of tables with winemakers standing behind them pouring wine to anyone that shows up with a glass. You do not get a wine glass when you enter Vinitaly and if you want to have a guide you have to buy one. Although there are some producer's stands that have welcoming tasting windows, most are constructed more like an office where you are expected to sit down and have a business meeting along with your tasting. Vinitaly is only about the business of selling wine and it is constructed in that way. Particularly famous producers or elite importers may require reservations and business cards before you are granted entrance to taste. However, there is no need to worry as there are over 4,000 producers and you are sure to find many willing to show their wares to anyone who will listen. For the politically unconnected there are also the general regional stands and consorzio stands that feature a broad range of their member's wines and welcome all to taste as many wines as they want.

Tickets for Vinitaly are theoretically available only to members of the trade, but this is a theory yet to be proven. It is clear that many attendees are there for less than professional reasons and the weekend is overrun by packs of chain-smoking Italians willing to taste whatever comes their way. Sunday is so packed that many of the most serious tasters take the day off for a little sightseeing. Monday, the last day, seems quiet after the smoky, loud crunch of Sunday, but many producers start to leave by lunchtime. Ticket prices have soared in recent years, but at €30.00 a day or €80.00 for a five day pass they are a relative bargain.

If you want to see Verona, do not go to Vinitaly. The 265,000 inhabitants of Verona are buried under the onslaught of the 135,000 people attending the fair. Traffic is impossible and all the hotels are booked solid months in advance at the highest prices of the year. The restaurants are all overbooked and do not put on their best face for the exhausted customers waiting an hour after their reservations to get seated. Under this kind of strain even the finest kitchens do not produce their best food. As you can imagine this is a wine drinking crowd and a few restaurants have been known to publish a "Vinitaly" wine list with some, shall we say, special pricing during the event.

Perhaps nothing represents the chaos of Vinitaly better than the insanity that overtakes the trattoria Bottega del Vino during this week. The famed wine bar features an outstanding wine selection and serves good, rustic local food at long picnic-style communal tables. It is always very busy, but during Vinitaly this charming place changes into an over-run madhouse that is like eating dinner in a subway car in Tokyo during rush hour. As you turn the corner down the quiet little street to Bottega del Vino you see a strange sight: 30 or 40 people milling about with giant Reidel glasses in hand as there is no room to wait for tables inside. When the door opens and a few customers pop-out from the bursting internal pressure you can glimpse the waiters pushing through the crowds in a desperate, almost futile, effort to serve their well-lubricated customers. Most people go back every year -- some every night.

For all of its discomforts and strangeness, Vinitaly is not to be missed. That is if you are absolutely crazy about wine; otherwise don't go near the place. Nowhere else can you experience the true scope of the Italian wine industry and the full panorama of the direction it is going. Almost everyone is there and few producers stay away. A walk through the Tuscany or Piedmont pavilion for the first time is a religious experience for those have only experienced these wines from afar. Nothing ever replaces a vineyard visit for knowing a wine, but nothing replaces Vinitaly for knowing and feeling the experience of Italian wine in its full breadth and complexity.

As the last hour on the last day approached, my purple teeth and I headed for the gate. True to the spirit of inconvenience that you live with at Vinitaly, my car was parked about 5 kilometers away. After about a kilometer I stopped at a local bar for a cold beer and as I sipped on a much-appreciated Beck's I watched as thousands of producers packed up their remaining samples and displays into a patchwork quilt of trucks so intermeshed most could not escape until the outer layers of other trucks were peeled away. As the cold beer began to wash away the tannins from my teeth and tongue I was already looking forward to next year. I better start looking for a hotel room tomorrow.

Chinon, La Croix Boissée, Bernard Baudry, 2000

Light ruby with a touch of garnet. The spicy, herbal, minty nose broadens into refined bitter cherry and cranberry fruit. The lean flavors expand to involve every niche of your palate starting with a lively minty-ness that leads to bittersweet cherry. The long finish makes your mouth water with fresh acidity and spiced dark fruit flavors. A great food wine defined. Even better the next day.

Château Léoville Poyferré, Saint Julien, 2002

Here is the cabernet sauvignon I came to love three decades ago, before oak and super-maturity took over. A lovely light ruby with gracefully herbal highlighted dark bitter cherry fruit. This is a wine that you can get your complete palate around before any one component overwhelms. The lengthy cedar tinged finish is a pleasure.  Not likely to make anyone's top 100 list, but a hell of a wine to have with the best lamb chops you can find.

Oberhäuser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett, 2004, Dönnhoff, Nahe

Bright green gold. Clean, fresh aromas of peach stones, honeydew melon and lime. A lovely sweetness on the palate is well balanced by fresh acidity and a racy mineral edge. Firm, crisp tart peach flavors open into touches of ripe apricot and a faint touch of honey. All well balanced by a zesty backbone. A very lovely wine that draws you back for another, and at 8% alcohol, even another glass.

Doing It In the Vineyard - Sottimano Barbaresco

If you ever need proof that great wines are made in the vineyard, not the cellar, all you have to do is visit the Sottimano family in the Neive commune of Barbaresco. Faced with a string of wildly different vintage growing conditions in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004, the Sottimanos have excelled in each one, not because of tricks in the cellar, but from sweat and toil in their vineyards. In particular, the last three of these vintages offered challenges that many winemakers were not up to facing.

The meager sunshine in 2002 made many producers give up and sell their wine off in bulk. Not the Sottimanos, who reduced yields down to one bunch per vine and the resulting wines were lovely and charming. These wines are highly recommended for those without the cellar or patience for aging wines ten years or more.

In 2003, the sun would not stop shining, turning the steep Langhe hill vineyards into ovens that shrivelled and burnt the grapes. Ever in touch with the environment, the Sottimanos kept their yields high and did not remove as many leaves as usual. While most other producers offer over-ripe, overly-alcoholic wines from the vintage, the Sottimano wines are refined and balanced with a forward elegance and alcohols under 14%. Once again, they found just the right amount of crop for the year.

In 2004 nature offered too much of a good thing and the vines went into high gear, producing as many grapes as possible. Most producers had to take huge saigneé percentages (taking juice out of the fermenters to increase concentration) if they did not want to make Barbaresco rosé. However, the Sottimanos did not take a drop of saigneé out of their tanks as they had once again aggressively reduced their yields. In fact, they went as far as cutting the bottom half off some of their bunches. Yet again, they will produce one of the best wines of the vintage.

Father and son, Rino and Andrea Sottimano are making great wines with their backs, not with technology. That these are naturally conceived wines show in their superb balance and character. Nature is not something you overwhelm, but a spirit you need to learn to live in harmony with. If you don’t, you will always lose the battle. The Sottimanos always seem to win.

The new releases 2003 Sottimano Barbaresco single vineyards:

Fausoni – Bright garnet with touches of ruby. Very clean and spiced with touches of burnt blood oranges, bitter licorice and sweet cherry. Very lean and firmly tannic at this point. Its medium weight does not make you think of the boiling hot 2003 vintage. The finish is dominated by tannin, but sweet tarry notes are starting to emerge.

Currá – Stylish and delicate in a powerful nebbiolo sort of way. Spicy aromas with hints of wild-flowers over bittersweet tar. Quite lean and tannic at this part, not showing any over-ripeness. Very refined, but still very closed. Firm tannins finish with just a touch of oak.

Cottá – Richer, more powerful showing a deep earthy nose layered with sweet tar and bitter cherry. A real powerhouse while keeping its balance. Again there is no sign of over-ripe fruit. A great classic nebbiolo throughout. A decade or more of aging is going to be well worth it. The finish is still very closed and brooding.

Pajoré – Brilliant light ruby with garnet touches. Bright clean dark fruit aromas blend with wild-flowers, lavender, spices and a tangy tarry highlight. Very refined and elegant, but don’t let that fool you as this wine should be aged for at least eight years before pulling the cork. A great combination of power and refinement. This nebbiolo just dances across the palate before delivering a tannic crack of the whip.

My previous notes on the Sottimano wines:

2002 – http://winecamp.squarespace.com/journal/2005/11/18/the-greatness-of-wine-from-a-poor-vintage-sottimano-2002.html

2001 – http://winecamp.squarespace.com/the-wine-camp-columns/2006/2/21/sottimano-barbaresco-2001-vintage.html

Zind Humbrecht, Pinot Gris, 2004, Alsace

What a disaster and disappointment. What has happened to the wines of Alsace that I used to love? Their firm, mineral character have dissolved into a mess like this. The color is already golden and the nose reeks of sulfur. The wine itself is disjoined and sweet with loads of botrytis character. Undrinkable $19 pinot gris.

Almost every wine you try these days from Alsace are these overblown wines with too much residual sugar to enjoy with a meal. 

Sottimano Barbaresco - 2001 Vintage

The argument over which is the best Piemontese vintage in the string of exceptional harvests spanning 1996 to 2001 will probably go on forever. Which vintage you favor depends on your palate and the style of winemaking you prefer. As each of these vintages receives top scores from both winemakers and critics you can rest assured that when you purchase a bottle of Barolo or Barbaresco from a top producer from any of these years that you have obtained an excellent bottle of wine. Nebbiolo lovers are living in an golden age when good bottles are everywhere.

Up to now, out of this group I have had a personal preference for the 1996 vintage, but the more I taste the finished 2001 Barbaresco vintage, which is now ready for release, the more I am convinced that this vintage may even surpass the impressive 96s. Whatever the case, it is sure fun trying to decide.

Raccolta Selection:
2001 Sottimano Fausoni Barbaresco
all 4 Sottimano 2001 Barbaresco releases
(Fausoni, Curra, Cotta and Pajore)
Estimated retail price $65 - April 2004 release

Nebbiolo purists argue that using barriques for Barbaresco and Barolo is to destroy a grand tradition, but the Sottimano family in Barbaresco is proving that barrels themselves are not the enemy: it's what winemakers do with them. In a small village just outside of Neive in the Barbaresco zone is the tiny Sottimano cellar where Rino and Andrea Sottimano, father and son enologists, quietly produce some of the Barbaresco zone's finest wines.

Tasting their wines is proof positive that barriques can be used to produce nebbiolo while still maintaining every nuance that a vineyard can give a wine. Inspired by both the distinct characteristics of their four (soon to be five with the addition of Basarin) nebbiolo vineyards and the diverse "terroir" wines produced by Burgundy's finest winemakers, the Sottimano family does everything possible in the vineyard and cellar to bring out the character that nature gives their vineyards, the wines from which are each bottled under their own names. The results of their efforts speak for themselves in four superb Barbaresco wines that are excellent vintage after vintage.

The Sottimano family, as are the other Barbaresco producers, is now preparing to release their 2001 vintage. As excellent as the 2000 vintage wines are, the 2001 vintage looks to be an almost perfect vintage combining all the aspects required to make great Barolo and Barbaresco producing wines with every facet in harmony and balance and with fruit ripeness alone not being the major definition of personality. The 2001 vintage is for enthusiasts who love the both the power and idiosyncrasies of nebbiolo. In other words, if you prefer the austere pleasures of nebbiolo to the jam of shiraz, 2001 is a vintage not to miss and it challenges 1996 as the most classic vintage of this string of excellent vintages. As Andrea Sottimano noted during my recent visit there, "You have to love the purity of nebbiolo to love the 1996 and 2001 vintages."

The four 2001 Barbaresco releases from Sottimano are superb across-the-board, with each offering unique characteristics that are fascinating to compare as the wines are made in exactly the same way with their differences coming from the vineyards alone. Their wines spend their first year (the exact number of months depends on the vintage) in new, small French oak barrels then is racked into older small barrels for the last year of wood aging. This first passage in new oak helps "set" the beautiful colors and structure of the Sottimano wines, but as they are then moved into used barrels the oak flavors are a highlight and not the main theme. In fact, when tasting the 1996 Curra with Andrea it was hard to believe the wine had spent any time in barrique as no overt oak flavors marred the beautifully developing nebbiolo fruit. "I want people to think about the vineyards, not the barrels I used," explained Andrea. Four of the Sottimano Barbaresco vineyards fall within the Neive commune (Fausoni, Curra, Cotta, Basarin) while Pajore, one of the zones most respected vineyards, is located in the Treiso commune.

It is difficult to choose which Sottimano wine to drink as part of the pleasure is comparing the characteristics and development of the individual vineyards, but everyone has their favorites and for their current releases I will give a slight personal nod to the floral and spiced refinement of the Pajore in the ripe 2000 vintage and the smoky, deep black fruit intensity of the Cotta in the more structured 2001 vintage.

However, as my Raccolta Selection I am going to highlight the graceful and refined 2001 Fausoni not as the "best" Sottimano, as that choice is a personal pleasure, but because of the special characteristics of this vineyard. The need to age Barolo and Barbaresco is always a problem for restaurants and those without wine cellars and the natural characteristics of the Fausoni vineyard combined with intelligent vineyard techniques and winemaking used by the Sottimano family, produce a nebbiolo that can be drunk with pleasure in six or seven years - as always, when it comes to Barolo and Barbaresco the term "forward" is relative. The 2001 Fausoni Barbaresco is a rich ruby with garnet hints and is radiantly translucent. It is a graceful wine with a tannic punch at this early stage, but is already showing the classic "balsamic" character of vineyards in the heart of the Neive commune. Andrea Sottimano recommends at least 5 or 6 years of aging, but certainly more patience will be rewarded.

While it is one thing to make good wines in great vintages it is another to make good wines in difficult years and the excellent potential of the problematic 2002 and 2003 vintages still resting in barrel in the Sottimano cellar are a tribute to the winemaking skills of Rino and Andrea.

"What is most important is my terroir," explained Andrea -- a statement that truly lives in his wines.

A Marc de Grazia Selection - various importers including:
Michael Skurnik - New York
Vin Divino - Chicago

Intemperate Consumption: Play it Cool

Craig Camp
Friday, June 18, 2004

THE TABLE OVERLOOKS the frozen river, but it is warm and cozy by the fireplace at this local Italian restaurant with high aspirations unfulfilled. I order a bottle of Valpolicella as a safe choice from the spare wine list and it arrives at our table slightly colder than the river. “Do you happen to have one not quite so cold?” I ask with little hope.

After a long wait our waitress returns to the table with another bottle of Valpolicella. This one is almost hot to the touch apparently having been stored in a rack by the roaring fire. In a fit of inspiration I take both bottles and ask for a decanter. Upon its arrival I pour both bottles into the decanter under the confused gaze of the waitress. Once again the sum of two parts made a greater whole: the wine was now at perfect serving temperature.

Welcome to America, the land of the free, where we serve our red wines too warm, our white wines too cold and, though it makes me blue, dry rosé wines not at all.

There are few greater pleasures than drinking a two-year-old Napa Cabernet sporting 14.5% alcohol at 80°F -- making it a kind of very expensive warm tannic, raspberry alcohol tea. We are kinder to Lipton’s in the summer than we are to Screaming Eagle -- at least the Lipton’s gets a little ice.

We spend a fortune on Reidel glasses, hard-to-get wines, wine cellars, wine books, magazines and newsletters and all the accoutrements of the wine scene, but more often than not serve (or are served) our wines at the wrong temperature. This is a mistake that mars our enjoyment of a wine much more than the differences between Reidel and Spiegelau or if the wine has been decanted for the right number of hours.

Restaurants are often the worst offenders with red wines stored in warm storage rooms or behind the bar and with white wines stored in refrigerators with the appropriate brand name, Sub-Zero. Just take a look at the White Burgundies full of tartrate crystals in the ice-cold cooler at your favorite national steak chain. Apparently the restaurant management did not agree with the winemaker’s decision not to cold-stabilize the tartaric acid out of their wines. Worse yet are the ice bucket battles all too often won by busboys trained with military precision to keep the ice water glasses full and the white wine bottles in the bucket. The Lettuce Entertain You restaurant chain must put their floor staff through an intense brainwashing in this regard as they are obsessed with keeping your glass filled to the absolute brim with ice water and your white wine several degrees colder than your water. I often feel like a goalie facing a power-play as the busboys circle my table with their eyes on my bottle of white wine that I have already removed from the bucket several times.

There is one word to think of when it comes to the correct serving temperature for wines: cool. The range for enjoyment runs only from very cool to cool -- warm and ice cold don’t fit into the picture. There are exceptions to this rule of course. For example lousy wines (like lousy beers) should be served as cold as technology permits so that your palate is slightly anesthetized to the experience of drinking them. Sparking wines are served the coldest of all, but once again great sparkling wines should not be served at tooth-cracking temperatures. Why spend all that money on a Krug only to kill the flavor?

Proper serving temperatures would fall generally into these guidelines:

• Great red wines: just over 60°F (about 17°C)
• Young, simple fruity fresh reds: just over 55°F (about 14°C)
• Great white wines, dry rosés: around 50°F or a bit more. (about 12°C)
• Zesty fresh young white wines, sparkling wines and white dessert wines: about 45°F (about 8°C)
• White Zinfandel: about 20°F (about -7°C) -- love those White Zin-sicles

It seems “room temperature” would mean a pretty chilly room.

I have seen a special wine glass with a thermometer included in the stem: please shoot me if I buy one of those. Thermometers are not required, just good common sense. The flavor of wine is based on fruit and those flavors are enhanced by a cool serving temperature. The fruitier the wine the cooler you serve it. Thirty minutes in a normal refrigerator for your red wines is all that is usually required on warm days. For your best white wines the situation reverses itself: during cold weather thirty minutes out of the refrigerator before serving will open the flavors dramatically.

What temperature does to the taste of wine is simple: too much cold deadens the taste. Try your favorite big Barolo ice cold and you will discover the flavor has disappeared leaving only tannin and alcohol. Too much heat volatizes the alcohol and other components making the wine seem harsh and out of balance. As you pass 70°F (21°C) the alcohol starts to volatize faster and faster and alters the aromatics of the wine -- for the worse. For this reason it is always better to err on the cool side as the wine will normally warm up a bit in the glass or decanter unless you’re tailgating in December in Minneapolis.

Hot weather and the pleasures of outdoor summer dining are a bit of a problem when it comes to wine temperature. At home we eat in the garden both for lunch and dinner and, as the temperature runs in the high eighties almost every day during the summer, it gets harder and less enjoyable to serve big wines.

The other day I put two bottles of Barbaresco in the refrigerator thirty minutes before lunch. The first glass was perfect, but before I could finish the glass it was already too warm and what was an elegant, complex wine dissolved into a thin, bitter and hot wine in just twenty minutes. Ice buckets help keep your big reds cool enough, but this hot and cold temperature rollercoaster takes its toll on big tannic red wines. Sometimes matching the weather is just as important as matching the food. Hot days just don’t go well with big wines: red or white.

This fortunately is not a problem because you don’t have to be a big wine to be delicious and you don’t have to be pink or white to take a chill. There are many excellent reds that thrive on more than a little coolness no matter what the time of year. The key in finding interesting reds that can stand the heat of summer is in finding wines with lower alcohol levels, little oak, restrained tannins and a fresh acidity. A light chill brings out the lovely fruit of these wines and only enhances their refined balance. The ultimate example of a wine with these attributes, yet still offering real complexity, may be the stunning Domaine des Terres Dorées Beaujolais imported by Louis/Dressner, a wine so delicate, yet so complex it is impossible to put into words, so I recommend putting it into your mouth as often as possible. Other regions producing such wines include: red Loire wines like Clos Roche Blanche, Touraine Gamay (Louis/Dressner); fruity Oregon Pinot Noir like Benton-Lane; villages Burgundy like Côte de Beaune Villages from Drouhin, Valpolicella like Corte St. Alda Ca’Fiui (Europvin) and the lusciously spicy 2003 Dolcetto wines now being released like those from Vietti, Marcarini, Poderi Colla, Sottimano and Prunotto.

Warning: Once your palate becomes tuned to these svelte wines you may find yourself drinking them no matter what the weather.

Often, for summer meals, both the temperature and the types of foods served make rosé the best choice of all. However finding good rosé can be a problem. Because of the success of the often sticky-sweet White Zinfandel, the reputation of pink wines has taken a beating, but they don’t call White Zin a rosé for a reason. Top dry rosé wines come from many countries including: France -- Tavel, Lirac, Bandol, Provence; Italy -- Cerasuolo Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Bardolino Chiaretto; Spain -- Rioja, Navarra and a smattering of good dry pink wines are made by a handful of courageous (or hard-headed) producers in the United States including: Iron Horse Rosato di Sangiovese, Bonny Doon Vin Gris di Cigar and Saintsbury Vincent Vin Gris.

The most exciting rosé I have tasted in some time comes from Torre Quarto, an excellent estate in Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot. Their 2003 Guappo (87 pts. -$14) is about as delicious to drink as a pink wine can get. This is a fantastic rosato, just packed with flavor and freshness. The color is a radiant, bright light-scarlet and the aromas are filled with bittersweet cherries and strawberries. The full-bodied fruit flavors continue across the palate into the long, rich and lusciously fruity, but crisply dry finish. This is no simple light wine, but a dry rosato with real depth and complexity and it is my top choice this summer for burgers, brats and picnic foods. A blend of uva di troia, primitivo, sangiovese and montepulciano, Torre Quarto Guappo Rosato is imported by Montecastelli Selections.

The temperature inside and outside the glass both dramatically affect the way you perceive and enjoy a wine. To really appreciate fine wine both you and the wine have to be cool.

Amore e Amaro: Bitter Choices

By Craig Camp
Friday, July 25, 2003 

I'M BITTER and I like it.

No wait. That's wrong. I should say I like bitters.

Italy is famous for amore, but in reality it should be famous for amaro. Amaro is the bitter, sometimes bittersweet digistivo that is produced under dozens of name brands in virtually every corner of Italy. Fernet Branca, Ramazzotti, and Averna are sold throughout the world, but in Italy there are many major brands and in every region of Italy you will find local brands, some only sold in the town of their birth.

Amaro is magic. At least that what the monks that used to make it thought they were doing. They steeped herbs in alcohol to create medicine for almost anything that could ail you. In the 1700s, monasteries throughout Europe were producing alcohol and herb concoctions that were supposed to provide some sort of medicinal benefit. These beverages may not have cured you, but they made you care less about your ailment. This second factor increased the popularity of these potions to such a point that around 1800 these beverages began to be commercially produced. Most of the famous brand names of today were established by the late 1800s.

The recipes for these magic elixirs are closely guarded secrets. The producers blend around forty herbs, fruits, and spices with a base of grape brandy or grain alcohol. The varied recipes mean brands of amaro can differ greatly in flavor, weight, darkness of color, and alcoholic punch. The one thing they all have in common is that they are all bitter. Not that they bite, but the first taste by those not accustomed to the it often elicits a look of horror and a quick grab for the water glass. Amari (plural of amaro) are often an acquired taste, worth acquiring.

While herb-infused alcohol products are common throughout the world, in Italy they are part of daily culture. Every bar has five or six types often displayed in large 1.5 liter bottles. A 1.5 liter bottle of Fernet Branca would be several years' supply in most American restaurants, but in a busy Italian bar they're gone in a day. Italians believe with all their hearts that amaro aids you in digesting a meal, and that taken with sparkling water before a meal it not only aids your digestion but also stimulates the appetite. In a country filled with such a plethora of extraordinary things to eat, this perceived property alone could explain the popularity of amaro,

I agree with the Italians. Nothing settles the stomach like amaro.

Italy may be the home of amaro, but in the United States Jagermeister is the king of the bitters hill. Much to the chagrin and amazement of the powerful Italian brands, a German bitters has cornered the lucrative American market, leaving the Italian producers in chinaroot dust. Fernet Branca, the largest Italian brand with a sales volume in the same league as Fiat, is a far, far distant second in the category in the USA.

Amaro is normally severed at the end of the meal after your coffee. Some people like to add it to their coffee, but I prefer to enjoy it on its own. Usually amaro is served straight-up in a liqueur glass, but in warm weather an ice cube or two makes it even more refreshing. It is quite common in an Italian home to drink your amaro from your empty espresso cup, mixed with the leftover coffee and sugar. Served with a splash of sparking water, amaro becomes an aperitif and the large producers, being good marketers, are always coming up with some new cocktail with amaro as a prime ingredient.

Bitter Choices:

-Fernet Branca, Milano: Fernet is actually a type of amaro produced in the Lombardia region and Fernet Branca is the most famous brand of Fernet amaro. Darkly colored, pungently bitter, and with a strong alcoholic kick, the brand is far and away the best selling brand of Italian amaro in and out of Italy. Included in the recipe are aloe, bay leaves, absinthe, anise seeds, bitter oranges, basil, cardamom, nutmeg, peppermint, and saffron. It is quite bitter and has no fear of any amount of anything you have eaten: Fernet Branca will search and destroy whatever lurks in your stomach. This brand is easy to find almost anywhere and is often the only Italian amaro a store or restaurant will stock. I am amazed by its success in the United States because Fernet Branca is so intensely flavored. Jagermeister lovers will freak out at just at the smell. A great party trick to play on your enemies, Fernet Branca is an excellent product, but a little intense for most. A bottle lasts a long time.

-Branca Menta, Milano: This is Fenet Branca with a good dose of mint liquor. You can get a similar product at home by mixing Fernet with about 40% creme de menthe. Very refreshing on the rocks and much easier to take than straight Fernet, while getting the same digestive benifets.

-Averna, Sicilia: My favorite brand. Darkly colored, with a bitterness that is rounded out by rich fruit flavors. A bit of vanilla and sugar is included in the recipe and balances out the bitter herbs nicely. Quite rich in texture and mouth-feel, it is the fullest bodied amaro -- a good starting place for the amaro-deprived. Works almost as well on stuffed stomachs as Fernet Branca, but without the nasty face. Very smooth and easy to drink, Averna ices down nicely on summer days. Bottles of Averna have been known to disappear quickly.

-Ramazzotti, Milano: Another Milano brand that has caught on big time. In the eighties it was the brand to drink in fashion-conscious Milano. Medium-dark in color and quite bitter, but not as intense as Fernet Branca or as round as Averna. A great example of the Italian style. With Fernet at the extreme bitter end and Averna at the more generous end, Ramazotti would fall right in the middle of the range. An excellent digestivo with just enough bitterness to refresh without being too intense.

-Amaro Lucano, Basilicata: Decidedly bitter, but without the intensity of Fernet Branca. Very complex, nutty, herbal overtones without a trace of sweetness. The lighter body of Lucano makes it easy on a full stomach.

-Amaro Montenegro, Bologna: Very popular in Italy, with a unique squat bottle shape, Montenegro is quite similar in weight and bitterness to Lucano, but with a more citrus and nutty, spiced flavors. I don't think Lucano and Montenegro ice down straight as well as Averna, but they both work beautifully with sparkling water as an apertivo.

- Amaro Nonino, Friuli: The newcomer of the group and an innovation. Herbs are blended with the Ue brandy produced by this excellent grappa producer, then aged for five years in barrels. The result is very complex with warm, round flavors in the mouth. It brings the refreshing herbal characteristics of amaro together with the complexity of grappa. The Nonino is too serious and complex for ice and is a fitting end to the finest of meals.

-Amaro Braulino, Lombardia: Made with aromatic herbs which grow on the slopes of Monte Braulino in the Alps. This strongly herbal amaro is aged for years in barrel before release. Quite refreshing and bitter, it was reputed to be the favorite of Garibaldi -- how can you resist?

I can't. A meal without amaro is like a day without Rolaids.

Erdener Treppchen, Riesling Kabinett, 2003, Dr. Loosen Mosel Saar Ruwer

A pale light green with touch of gold. Deliciously fruity on the nose with touches of honeysuckle with a light touch of pineapple. Smoothly lush on the palate an acid bite soon shows itself. An absolutely charming wine that needs no aging for enjoyment, but it should age into a lovely wine in just a few years. Not great riesling, but very very good indeed.

Hedges Family Estate Three Vineyards, 2003, Red Mountain AVA, Washington

cabernet sauvignon 40%, merlot 56%, cabernet franc 3%, syrah 1%

There is so much to enjoy about this wine including the under $30 price tag. Brilliant ruby, with bright mint, cassis and vanilla aromas. Very forward and young without being simply fruity. Juicy and fresh yet firm on the palate with excellent balance. Certainly oaky, but it is well integrated into the concentrated fruit flavors. The finish is long with a juicy, youthful fruit that will evolve into something more complicated with a few years of bottle age. You have to love the structure of these Washington wines, which clearly remind one more of Bordeaux than Napa.

Dolcetto d'Alba Bruno Giacosa, 2003, Az. Ag. Falletto di Bruno Giacosa

You just won't find a Dolcetto better than this. Classic structure and balance that delivers a perfect food wine. No purple raspberry fruit bomb here (thank God), but a firm, yet easily approachable wine. Buy cases of this to drink over the next two years.

Sabato, Malbec, 2003, Mendoza, Argentina

I will be the first to admit I an not enamored of South American wines, but here is one whose charms are irresistible. Deep ruby colored, this wine approaches the "fruit bomb" category without going over the edge. The deep, forward dark fruit flavors are elevated by underlying layers of complexity. Ripe with firm edges that will match up well with your best steaks. An under $20 bargain.

Domaine de Valmengaux, 2003, Bordeaux AOC

Brilliant rich ruby. Ripe and velvety on the nose with a lush forwardness marked by touches of cabernet/merlot mint and herbs. Round and smooth on the palate with an excellent balance and a structure that carries the forward fruit on a firm backbone. The very round but still apparent tannins show themselves in a lovely finish. A modern style Bordeaux that does not forget its roots. Well worth the $25 price tag with a complexity and structure you will be hard pressed to find in new world cabernet/merlot at this price range. Drink over the next five years.

Raptor Ridge Pinot Noir Reserve, 2004, Willamette Valley, Oregon

Lovely, brilliant light ruby color. Firm mineral and iodine aromas blend with fresh black raspberry and toasty oak notes. Firm and powerful on the palate with a touch of earthy leather and sweet oak to balance the ripe young fruit. The finish is warm, sporting a 14.5% alcohol - surprising for a 2004. Still too early to see how this wine will resolve itself, but its off to a strong start.

Soter Pinot Noir, Beacon Hill, 2002, Yamhill County, Oregon

Here is a lush creamy pinot that covers every nook and cranny of your palate. Deep, velvety aromatics caress your nose. Opulent without any sense of over-ripeness, powerful without heaviness. I don't know if this wine will be a long ager, but why would you wait much longer to enjoy. A wine with no edges and a flavor profile that flies directly to your pleasure buttons.