Put A Cork In It?

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Fewer sales reps are more paranoid these days than cork salespeople. They barrage you with emails damning all other types of closures. At trade shows they meet winemakers with frigid stares that have changed over from cork to something else.

The battle is fully engaged on what is the best closure for a wine bottle and as always, in the heat of battle there is often more confusion than fact. Much as a war correspondent sees through the smoke of conflict, writer George Taber has cut through all the brouhaha to offer us a clear look at the cork conflict in his book, To Cork or Not to Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science and The Battle for the Wine Bottle. Taber is also the author of Judgment of Paris, which is bound for the big Hollywood screen. The journalistic temperament that Taber brings to his book, a rarity in wine writing, should be no surprise as he is a twenty-one year veteran of Time Magazine.

The combat is about the dreaded TCA (2,4,6 trichloroanisole) that destroys anywhere (depending on whose giving the stats) from 3% to 15% or so of every bottle of wine sealed with a cork in the world. These are the so called “corked” bottles as wines spoiled by TCA have a distinct musty character that can range from the wine seeming just not quite right, to bottles that almost make you gag. What makes TCA the nightmare of winemakers it that most affected bottles are consumed by unsuspecting consumers that are unaware the the wines are actually spoiled, instead thinking that whatever the winery is just doesn’t make very good wine. This dramatic rate of failure combined with disastrous PR has turned many wineries away from natural cork to closures like screwcaps, crown caps and glass stoppers.

To Cork or Not to Cork is a must read for wine professionals and aficionados alike. Don’t expect to have the best closure revealed in the last chapter as Taber presents the whole story without judgment as you would expect from someone with his journalistic credentials.

As Taber points out, all closures currently in use have potential issues so the jury is still out and the closure of the future probably is not invented yet. My major issue with many cork fundamentalists is the constant reference to the tradition of cork and the romance of the ritual and sound of pulling a cork. Screw tradition, the argument should always be about wine quality not superficial issues like romance. What’s romantic about a corked bottle of $50 wine?

Perhaps in the end the solution will be different closures for different wines. After all, cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir age very differently and what is good for one may not be good for the other. Put a cork in it? The answer seems to be sometimes yes and sometimes no. Whatever happens in the future, the century old monopoly of the cork is over.
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Wordy

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Every once in awhile I like to remind Wine Camp readers that I can be significantly longer winded than I am in my normal posts on Wine Camp. So here I provide an annual reminder that I don't employ an editor by providing links to some of my favorite longer articles:



Habitual Innovation

I thought the article titled “Can You Become a Creature of New Habits?” by Janet Rae-Dupree in the Sunday Business Section of The New York Times was an outstanding look at the process of innovative thought. You can read the article at this link:

Can You Become a Creature of New Habits

Here are some of the most meaningful quotes:

  • In fact, the more new things we try — the more we step outside ourcomfort zone — the more inherently creative we become, both in theworkplace and in our personal lives.
  • The first thing needed for innovation is a fascination with wonder
  • It’s that stretch zone in the middle — activities that feel a bit awkward and unfamiliar — where true change occurs.

 

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

 

DaveBrubeck_01 I’ve had a very good year jazz legend wise. In the last six months I’ve had the honor of seeing Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor and Dave Brubeck play live. As all of these great artists are now closer to one hundred than fifty years old, I note with sorrow that it is an experience that I’m unlikely to repeat.  While I realize that at their age that none of them was at their peak form, what I felt from each of them was a deep knowledge and intelligence in each note they played.  The energy of youth had been replaced with a deeper feeling and experience that made their playing more sublime than powerful. The depth that age brings can be just as seductive as the pyrotechnics of younger players.

This edition of The Dave Brubeck Quartet includes veterans Randy Jones on drums, Robert Militello on saxophone and flute and Michael Moore on bass. Brubeck left the lead roles to these worthy musicians who solidly carried the evening. Militello is in the tough role of being compared to Paul Desmond, who played on most of the pieces that the audience was familiar with as he was the composer and the sound that made Take Five a big hit. However he admirably struck out on his own instead of trying to reproduce the Desmond sound. It has often been said that Desmond was the sound of a dry martini, but Militello would have none of that as his playing had a rougher, more dramatic edge than the svelte playing of Desmond. On bass Moore was nothing short of stunning, but the highlight of the evening was two drum solos by Jones, which included a fitting show stopper on Take Five.

The fact that Brubeck played two sets of almost an hour each as he closes in on his 90th birthday is amazing. While he left a lot of the evening to his bandmates, his quiet, elegant solos reminded that you were in the presence of greatness. As I write this I am listening to his latest recording Dave Brubeck Indian Summer, which is a subtle and gorgeously complex solo effort. It is a brilliant and compelling recording. Fortunately he had the energy to share a few pieces of this beauty with the audience at this concert. The passion which this quiet, restrained recording radiates is nothing short of stunning.

The evening inevitably concluded with Take Five, but the quartet transformed the almost fifty year old standard into an energetic and fresh interpretation that thrilled the entire audience from jazz novices to aficionados. For me I left feeling privileged to have been given this experience as I often wonder if you can really understand a jazz artist if you don’t see them play live. One thing for sure, as often as I’ve heard Take Five, it will always sound more alive to me now that I have seen Brubeck play.

Below is the same Quartet that I saw perform in a 2006 concert. 

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Photo by Skip Bolen

Take Five White Rabbit

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The guy next to me kept screaming “White Rabbit!” at the top of his lungs for the better part of two hours. It was a Jefferson Airplane concert in 1971 and the band, despite a change of personnel could not escape their hits. No matter how well they played that guy would only be happy if they played White Rabbit.

Last week, while attending a performance of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, a true jazz legend and creator of West Coast Jazz, the guy in front of me screamed “Take Five!”. It seems no matter how many decades pass that fans are more interested in hearing your hits instead of your music. In Brubeck’s case he has progressed far beyond his Take Five days and created am amazingly diverse body of work. Yet, even with all he’s done since Take Five was recorded in 1959 I’m willing to bet that the majority of concert goers were there to hear Take Five, which is probably the only jazz composition most could name from memory. Of course, I’m sure few of them knew that the piece they were screaming to hear was not written by Brubeck, but by the late, great Paul Desmond, who played saxophone for The Dave Brubeck Quartet when they recorded Take Five.

Winemakers face the a similar dilemma. Once you get a big score, your big hit, you can feel locked into that style. It takes great courage to evolve your style in a way you believe in instead of just playing the same old hit over and over again. What most consumers don’t understand is that a winemaker can be relatively unhappy with a wine even though it gets a high score. As difficult as it is to believe, behind closed doors winemakers are often amazed at a high score they’ve received. What happens if you get a 93 from Robert Parker on a wine you’re not particularly pleased with? Do you keep making that wine or follow your own vision?

Brubeck seems to have resolved this dilemma perfectly as when he did finally play Take Five for the crowd, it was not the Take Five of 1959, but a piece that reflected the talents of the current Dave Brubeck Quartet. While it started with the famous chords and catchy quintuple time, it soon evolved, in the great tradition of jazz, into a distinctive exciting performance with a personality all its own.

Great winemaking should take its cue from the improvisational spirit of jazz as each vintage is a singular performance that deserves its own riffs.

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Worth Reading: Expression and Comprehension

A Blog on Champagne, Wine and Food, by Peter Liem

Interesting commentary on the concept and tradition of terroir.

“The problem is that not enough tasters, whether professional or amateur, are equipped to recognize distinction of character. One of the difficulties is that it’s far easier to identify technical quality than quality of character, and often I feel that many people are too easily satisfied with the former. Even the way that we taste is oriented largely towards the identification of technical quality: blind comparisons, sterile conditions, numerical scoring. On the other hand,we have not yet developed a system for identifying character, which is far more difficult. One could even say that the idea of character,while ultimately identifiable, defies the whole concept of systemization.”

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Hillary Scores Free Bourbon for Obama and McCain

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DIAGEO CAPITALIZES ON HILLARY’S PUBLICITY STUNT

An article in Ad Age calls Diageo “as shameless as politicians,” claiming the company“pounced” on the free publicity after Hillary Clinton’s shot-and-a-beer act earlier this week. As you’ll recall, Hillary took a shot of Crown Royal and drank a beer in front of TV cameras in an Indiana bar, and Diageo is apparently using the incident as a marketing opportunity (do you blame them?).

“It used to be that whenever the cameras came around, you’d see the politicians hiding their drinks behind their back,” said a Diageo spokesman to reporter Jeremy Mullman. “But she was using it … as a way of touching the people.”

While Diageo isn’t planning to use Clinton’s image in any Crown Royal ads, the company reportedly plans to send bottles of its obscure Jeremiah Weed Bourbon Liqueur to all three remaining presidential campaigns. Diageo hopes to boost the brand through sampling, word-of-mouth, and a brand website launched yesterday.

When asked why the company wasn’t using the “watershed” moment to promote Crown Royal, the spokesman pointed out: “Well, you all are doing that for us.” (from WineBusiness.com)

A Humble Critic

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Here's an interesting comment from one wine critic on wine criticism. Jancis continues to prove that she is one of the most thoughtful wine writers today. One can't miss the cult of personality that has grown around certain American wine critics whose followers often seem more concerned about the critic than wine itself. This can be seen in the fact that even the slightest criticism of such critics will generate howls of protest and comment spam against the perpetrator.

Robinson's comment, "We must always remember that we are parasites on the business of winemaking" should be in the back of every critics mind. Considering Robinson's status as one of the most influential wine writers in the world this is an striking statement that only adds to her already substantial and well earned respect within the wine trade.

Critics should be guides, not gurus.

See the Decanter article at the link below.

Jancis Robinson: critics should show more humility - decanter.com - the route to all good wine

More Taste, Less Filling

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My flight was delayed and I was facing a three hour wait at DFW so I decided I might as well eat. Picking out the most promising restaurant I could find, I sat down at the bar and ordered the simplest thing on the menu, which is always my defensive eating strategy in such places. I was in no hurry so stretched out my dining experience as long as possible. During those forty five minutes or so the guy next to me downed four Coor’s Lights. With nothing else to do, but watch my barmates, I noticed they were all drinking light beers. On top of that they they were all drinking a lot of them and not a glass was in use. Lots and lots of long neck lights were being downed while the draft lines went undisturbed.

Coming from Oregon I’m used to anybody and everybody drinking craft brews. Besides the fact that there seems to be as many brew pubs as gas stations in Oregon, you even find a line-up of craft brews on tap on the dumpy-ist country tavern. Here taste in beer tends to run to IPA’s with such bitter hop intensity that Coor’s Light has more in common with Perrier than our local brews. Living in such a place makes you forget what most Americans want in their food and drink.

What they want is little or no flavor or extremes of flavor. In some ways the Oregonian adulation of beers with so many hops that you can taste nothing else is just the mirror image of the Coor’s light drinker who likes it because it has almost no flavor at all. This is why we have such extremes of flavor in our culture and why you have people washing down blistering hot Tex-Mex and Asian foods with flavorless beer. Look what we do to Sushi, that most delicate of foods, as we insist to douse it in wasabi and soy sauce, which only insures we can’t taste if the fish is fresh or not. Sushi insiders know if you want the chef to give you the best fish you have to show him you’re not going to ruin it.

This is a huge dilemma for winemakers. Are we faced with making only innocuous industrial wines or supercharged spoofulated wines to stay in business? Fortunately no, as wines with complexity, balance and elegance can never be mass produced and there will always be a niche market for such wines. However, such producers have to accept that most Americans will never understand their wines as their palates just are not attuned to delicate, complex flavors.

On this same trip I was lucky to eat at the excellent Parkside Restaurant in Austin Texas where chef Shawn Cirkiel features one of the best selections of the freshest oysters you’ll find anywhere. The people next to me asked many questions about the oysters. They’d been to some great restaurants including Gary Danko and The French Laundry and were clearly into food. When their pristine oysters arrived they requested Tabasco and proceeded to obliterate each and every nuance of the assorted oysters in front of them. For wine the Tabasco is too much new oak, over-ripe grapes, dry ice and all the other over-manipulations of modern, spoofulated winemaking.

Today taste in America means more is better. Light beer is popular because you can drink more of it. Burning hot food is popular because anybody can taste it. Huge portions must be a great deal, right? It’s no wonder that wines with the most (most flavor or most advertising) are the most popular at all points on the price spectrum.

Alcohol Is Not The Demon

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raisins There have been major rants and counter-rants (their words not mine) lately about high alcohol wines by Alder Yarrow at Vinography and Thor Iverson at oenoLogic, there's lots of good thinking, interesting reading and great debate in these two posts. However, I think they miss the major point on this issue.

Nobody who has tasted a lot of wine can deny that they've tasted many wines with high alcohol that worked. Wines that despite their potent alcohol were balanced, interesting to drink, complex and great with food. There is also the reality that not all varieties are created equal when it comes to gracefully carrying high alcohol levels. For example the elegant pinot noir is often overwhelmed by alcohol levels that zinfandel and syrah lightly carry.

The issue should not be the alcohol level of the wine, but if the wine tastes balanced and still reflects the 3 V's of great wine: variety, vineyard and vintage. It is here that higher alcohol wines often fail, but the reason is not the alcohol level itself.

The faults often blamed on high alcohol come not from alcohol itself, but the fact that the grapes were harvested super-ripe, which is just another word for overripe. These overripe grapes, which are the fashion as one of the routes to pointy wines, obliterate the three V's as varietal character disappears as does the personalities of vineyard and vintage. A byproduct of these overripe grapes is high alcohol, which is created by combining exaggerated sugar levels with super-efficient cultured yeasts that can keep eating sugar and excreting more alcohol no matter the alcohol level in the fermenter. In the old days all the yeasts would have died, but today's macho yeasts can handle 16%+ with no problem. The result of all this is a wine with huge fruit flavors of indeterminate origin, 4.0 pH, 15% alcohol and 90+ points. Of course, it has only a generic personality as it could come from anywhere as can easily be seen in wines from Spain, Australia and California that are totally interchangeable and indistinguishable. After all, what is an appropriate alcohol level for a stateless wine with no varietal character?

The first issue should be if the wine has any personality at all before we get to the alcohol level. Once that issue has been resolved we can think about wether the alcohol level is appropriate.  Appropriate alcohol levels also should vary by vintage and a winemaker that makes natural wines will have alcohol levels that change year-to-year. My experience is that even in hotter vintages that produce higher alcohol levels well made wines will achieve a balance that works, although it may take some time to attain equilibrium. No, wines from a hot vintage may not be the best a producer makes, but they can be excellent wines. The key issue for the winemaker is to harvest ripe, but not overripe grapes each year if they wish to produce distinctive wines. Ripe grapes produce wines with alcohol levels that will find a natural balance in the wine of that year, but wines from overripe grapes produce not only out of balance alcohol levels, but cannot achieve any kind of natural balance as every aspect of the wine becomes distorted and exaggerated.

It's overripe grapes, not demon alcohol, that are the villains in this debate.

 

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Gracious Gary

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While Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV may seem a bit frenetic on stage/screen, his personal responses to recent criticisms have not been and are to be commended. His responses to criticism here and on PinotBlogger have been polite, thoughtful and even humble. His reaction to criticism has been just the opposite of Robert Parker’s tirades. This type of real communication can only make wine criticism and the information available to consumers more diverse and inclusive.

I have criticized Gary for giving wine points (no big deal as I criticize  all critics for that) and a generalization, but I repeat a point that I have made many times that Gary is to be complimented for his passion and ability to bring wine to new consumers in a way that entertains rather than intimidates.  Let’s all hope that this conversation not only continues, but grows.

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Wine Notes

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Recent tastes I’ve enjoyed, all under $20 except for the Barolo, which is about $40:

  • Isola de Nuraghi IGT, Perdera Argiolas, 2004 - Produced 90% from the monica variety, this is a wonderful bargain in a wine that actually has a distinctive character. No great wine here mind you, but a very interesting drink.  With just enough earthiness to keep it interesting and enough bright fruit to make it charming. A nice wine with hearty home cooking.
  • Barolo, La Morra, Mauro Molino, 2003 - Modern Barolo that manages to still taste like nebbiolo. Not my favorite style, but still a well crafted wine. Like most modern Baroli, it is approachable now, but should evolve into a better wine with more age. What I like about this wine is that it is still clearly nebbiolo in character as they did not try to erase all the edges of the wine.
  • Barbera d’Alba, La Morra, Mauro Molino, 2005 - Big, juicy modern Barbera that puts a velvety coating on your tongue then slices it with a acid stiletto. I’ve never had a real problem with the modern style of Barbera as the natural brilliant acidity, bright fruit and low tannins of Barbera marry well with oak. Loads of charm here, although California palates may find the acidity shocking, but by Piemonte standards it’s tame. What’s important is there is a lot of pleasure right up front in the wine and there is more than enough acidity to be great with food.
  • Nebbiolo, Langhe, Castello di Verduno, 2006 - This wine is nothing short of an outstanding bargain that you should grab cases of as soon as you can. It is a pure, classic Piemontese nebbiolo with all the tar and roses you could want. Not at all ready to drink (although I can’t resist it) and those with enough patience will be rewarded with a lovely wine. No it is not Barolo, but it’s darn close and better than many more expensive wines that (mis)use the name Barolo. Nebbiolo aficionados will love the biting tannins and the unique angularity that is possessed by nebbiolo alone. With another 3 to 5 years this should be a beauty.
  • Nero d’Avola, Siciia IGT, Rossojbleo, Az. Agr, Gulfi, 2006 - Big, ripe and fruity. A great pizza and burger wine. This is the type of wine you want to have a case around of in the summer to serve with all those grilled meats. Lots of pleasure with no thinking required, Yummm…
  • Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Farnese, 2005 - A very nice everyday wine. Well balanced, lots of fruit with more than a passing hint of complexity. Nothing fancy, just good wine. An excellent party wine. Sausages anyone?
  • Côtes du Ventoux, La Vieille Ferme, 2006 - Is there a better wine value out there for your house wine? At $10 and under a bottle this is a winner that’s always easy to find. On top of that its got a screwcap so there are never corked bottles to pour down the drain. Best served lightly chilled in large gulps.
  • Bourgogne Rouge, Cuvée Sylvie, Domaine Sylvie Esmonin, Gevery Chambertin, 2005 - I’ve written about this wine often, but every time I open a bottle I want to write about it again. The only thing I can say is this wine is alive, which for me is the highest compliment you it give a wine. It is just so bright and lively it can’t help but seduce you.  A great pinot noir bargain.

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    Opinionated About

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    opinionatedabout Those that were around the main wine and food forums four or five years ago will remember the tenacious argumentative spirit of Steve Plotnicki. If you weren’t on those boards in the past you probably won’t remember Steve because he was tossed off all of those forums by the moderators years ago. The intense energy and passion that drove Steve into those endless arguments about food and wine led to his banishment from those forums, but also led him to found his own.

    That new project became Opinionated About, which anyone who has had an interaction with Steve knows, he is with a brutal passion. One of the first products of Steve’s banishment from the more heavily moderated forums was his own blog and forum, which he appropriately named OA or Opinionated About. The one thing about Steve is that he is only interested in dining as a perfect experience and so his blog for some time has been a virtual window into the best restaurants of Europe and the United States for those of us without his budget or time.

    Now this abrasive, but focused passion for fine dining has created a new restaurant guide, The Opinionated About Fine Dining Survey, which can only be described as the exact opposite of Zagat as the reviewers are screened by the irascible Plotnicki, in contrast to the American Idol format used by Zagat and with the same artistic results. The result is a listing of the best-of-the-best restaurants in Europe and the United States. The restaurants in this guide are where to eat if seeking perfect food and wine is your only goal and money is no object. There are no best buys here, just all out hedonistic pleasure. I think the result of his effort is something completely new, a guide for those seeking perfection to those seeking to attain it. One thing is for certain, if you are lucky enough to dine at any of these restaurants it will be something memorable. As a first edition, it is clear that this guide is not all inclusive or prefect in it’s ratings, but who cares at this level. At only $6.95 a copy the guide will cost you less than the valet parking at most of these restaurants. By the way, I am one of the reviewers anonymously sending in my opinions for this guide

    I will be sure to have a copy with me each time I travel as, unlike any other guide, I know it lead me to a restaurant that is as passionate about food and wine as I am.

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    Pinot Grigio Sucks? That's Vayrrogant

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    While watching a video feed from a Twitter buddy and fellow blogger, I was once again exposed to the snap judgements of Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV. The jarring and uniformed nature of his words shocked me as he ranted to the group in front of him, “pinot grigio sucks”. Can such flippant comments reflect someone who really cares about wines and the people that make them? I can assure you that winemakers like Jermann, Felluga, Borgo San Daniele and so many others, including many producers in Alsace and Oregon, don’t think gris/grigio sucks and, in fact, make lovely wines from this variety.

    There are several reasons I take issue with Gary’s attitude. First is probably my age, as a 50+ year old person I could be missing something in his style that is appreciated by younger wine drinkers. On this level I’ll give the benefit of the doubt back to Gary. On the second point I’m not so prepared to give ground. This kind of off-the-cuff statement only insults and degrades the work of winemakers, people he professes to admire and reveals a lack of knowledge and experience.

    It is interesting that Vaynerchuk made his “pinot grigio sucks” statement in a disingenuous attempt to pump up his take on greco di tufo, a variety that like pinot grigio, produces mostly forgettable wines. The difference of course is that while pinot grigio has a huge market that draws oceans of industrial grigio to the United States, greco di tufo is unknown to Americans so only the better wines reach our shores. Something tells me that Vaynerchuk has spent little, if any, time in Northeastern Italy, where many producers are crafting wonderful wines from pinot grigio. The same goes for Campania, where a lot of ordinary greco di tufo goes down the throats of uncritical tourists. Perhaps if he had actually visited the vineyards and cellars he would have an deeper understanding of these varieties and the people that make wine from them.

    If you are going to make a living on the work of others you should at least respect what they do.

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    Elegant Infanticide

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    95 yquem The confident, tuxedoed waiter bends over and intimately intones, “Wouldn’t you like something a little sweet with your foie gras.” All to often, in America’s finest restaurants, the glass that arrives contains Château d’Yquem, the most famous of all dessert wines. I can’t count the times this has happened to me over the decades and, yes, I consider myself lucky to say that. As petty as it may seem, I have a problem with it.

    The problem is that there are two Château d’Yquem wines. One is the wine that promises to become d’Yquem and the other is the d”Yquem, which is something that only arrives with time.  The first is an excellent dessert wine, the second is a legend. Anyone who has tasted this wine at its zenith understands that d’Yquem does not become d’Yquem until, at a minimum, it passes its twentieth birthday. Before that this great wine offers only potential greatness, not greatness itself. Yet bottle after bottle of this outrageously expensive miracle are poured out in restaurants in the name of elegant infanticide. These restaurants and their sommeliers should know better than this, but do it anyway seemingly struck by the d’Yquem label, more like groupies following the lastest star in People Magazine than serious wine aficionados. To drink young d’Yquem is an intellectual exercise at best and a terrible waste of potentially sublime wine at the worst.

    Besides being a horrible waste of one of the world’s greatest sweet wines, it is also a disservice to their customers as there are many wonderful. perfectly ready to drink sweet wines that are more exciting to drink than immature Chateau d’Yquem. It seems to me that a competent sommelier should never be star-struck and serve a wine based only on its name with no regard to whether the wine is ready to drink or not: especially at this price level.

    The poor d’Yquem that died a early death a few nights ago was a 1995 Château d’Yquem, an incredible wine that is nowhere near ready to drink. While still tight and a bit pungent, you cannot miss the greatness simmering underneath that will require at least another decade to release itself and perhaps ten years after that to achieve its pinnacle. With current retail prices for this wine at around $200. it should not be hard to encourage you to sit on your investment so you really get what you paid for. Everyone should rise up to protect this great wine and defend it against the next sommelier that wants to serve it before it actually becomes d’Yquem.

     

    Wine Camp on Wine Cast

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    I was happy to join hosts Tim Elliot of Wine Cast and Jeff Lefevere of Good Grape  along with fellow panelists Ryan from Catavino, Jeff Stai a.k.a. El Jefe from Twisted Oak, Kaz & Randy from Wine Biz Radio and Jill from domaine547.com on an current episode of Wine Cast. You can hear the show by following the link below:

     

    http://winecast.net/2008/04/01/unfiltered-8-awba-twitter-amazon-more/