Archive for January, 2009

Despite all of the negativity surrounding Merlot in recent years, it remains Americans’ favorite choice when it comes to red wine, accounting for approximately 10% of all wine sales in the United States. That’s a lot of wine, considering most serious wine collectors tend to poo-poo the stuff.

Last week, when I sat down in our magazine tasting room to a flight of Australian red wines, I was pleasantly surprised when the wines turned out to be pretty good, albeit commercial, and even more surprised when they turned out to be Merlots. No, these were not powerhouse, complex wines of great aging potential, but they offered ripe fruit, moderate alcohols and fresh, engaging personalities. Merlots from Deakin Estate, Climbing, Oxford Landing, Yalumba’s Y Series and Hope Estate all scored relatively well given their modest price points (look for reviews in the May issue).

Against that backdrop, I was looking forward to gathering at a friend’s house last weekend, in which the theme of our tasting was set to be Merlot. Would the wines show themselves as something special, worthy of wine-geek fawning discussion? Or would they reinforce that insidious Sideways stereotype?

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Are you candid with friends in your opinions of the wines they share, or do you pull your punches for the sake of friendship?

There are all kinds of articles on wine etiquette, but there are those small questions and small moments that aren’t usually addressed.

At a party last year my wife was reaching for a bottle of down-market, Down Under wine to refresh her glass. With maybe (definitely) too much emphasis I stopped her hand and advised her to try a better bottle further down the table. The woman who brought that Aussie wine, a good, dear friend, caught this exchange and was visibly hurt and embarrassed.

Another good friend and I talked wine for years; he definitely gave off the vibe of sophistication and knowledge. When I finally visited his home he proudly showed off his collection: 12 or so $8 wines, stored in an open rack next to his radiator. I smiled approvingly, trying to find a way to say anything of educational value to him.

That’s part of the dilemma of working at a wine magazine, or just being “the wine guy” in your social circle. People look to you for approval. But, I’ve discovered, not criticism, not guidance. Give them that, no matter how diplomatically, and you get stamped with that frustratingly outdated label of snob.

An interesting point of etiquette, or is it ethics, is posed by Eric Asimov (The Pour), in which he related that, in these tough times, some hosts are pouring plonk for their guests while saving the good stuff for themselves. Do you save your best bottles of wine for your own enjoyment, or do you share them with friends?

I definitely save my best for when both my (legal drinking age) sons are home; usually at Christmas and New Years, we’ll have somewhat formal dinners in our dining room, in view of the fireplace and actually linger (like friends, not family), enjoying rich, complex reds. I don’t see the point of bringing great wines to huge parties, where it will be consumed without thought and maybe poured into a Sangria pitcher.

Best and second-best wines I bring to small dinner parties. But that’s always guesswork, isn’t it? Early in my wine education, when I thought anything with “Bordeaux” and “Chateau” on a label meant excellence, I uncorked a bottle with a flourish, poured it, and there was no place to hide when my underwhelmed friends made faces, albeit polite faces, of utter disdain.

For some, food is an adventure. There are people who try new dishes at every turn, constantly seeking new experiences. There are others who enjoy familiarity, they play it safe with comfort foods. I’m typically a member of the former, though lately my mindset has shifted. I’ve been getting cozy with foods that I know, whether it’s enjoying cooking at home, or dining on more casual foods. Am I the only one?

Last Monday I ate at Resto, a relaxed Belgian restaurant in Manhattan that boasts an extensive beer list and classic dishes like moules & frites and deviled eggs. I had the most divine cheeseburger I’ve ever had. The burger was a mixture of beef cheek, hanger steak, and fatback (pork fatty goodness) served with crisp fries and a choice of mayo dipping sauces. On a Monday evening, cozy Resto was nearly full, no small feat for a restaurant at any time of year, especially in these times.

Another restaurant was on my radar, The Redhead, in the East Village,  famous for its “bacon brittle” and fried chicken. I planned on detailing my experiece there, only to find that they had a two hour wait at 8:30 on the Friday we arrived. With some of the stories I’ve heard about empty dining rooms at upscale places, it seems people are making a shift. Perhaps my point has been proven for me?

These days, I’m less excited about going to a stuffy restaurant where the focus can be too much on pretense and less on amiability. Save the foam infusions and caviar on toast points for another time. Lately it’s all about a beautifully crafted cheeseburger, a hearty bowl of soup, or fresh roasted vegetables. I don’t want to worry about how hip my outfit is. It feels like we have bigger fish to fry these days (or maybe fries to fry?).

These warm, indulgent comfort foods are something we can cling to in uneasy times. Even if you aren’t taking comfort in the new era upon us with today’s inauguration, the comfort of a juicy cheeseburger is tangible and within reach. While I am by no means calling for us all to boost our fat intake (save the Luther burger for Paula Dean), we can treat ourselves once in awhile. You deserve it.

Have you been cozying up to your food lately? How have your eating patterns shifted this year, if at all?

Social networking sites, though not new to anyone under the age of 30, seem to finally be proliferating among the “elder” population. Most of my 30-something friends are communicating daily on Facebook—probably using it more than regular email. My 60-something father and  friends’ parents have accounts.  My wine industry colleagues—some of them poised, old-fashioned folks on the exterior–are gleefully updating their Myspace and Facebook pages to apprise friends, family and cyber pals of their daily moods (“XXX is feeling frisky”) and goings on (“XXX just ate a truffle that was to die for”).

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Tasting Director Joe Czerwinski posted an excellent blog on Monday regarding the current state of the economy and its impact on the wine retail business and consumer purchasing trends.  He notes that we in the wine industry have been inundated with reports that insist consumers are “trading down,” or purchasing lower priced wines than those they were previously allowing themselves to buy.  $10 is the new $15, and the more you can find for under $10, the better.

It is certainly understandable that people are cutting back wherever they can to get through these tough times while trying to maintain some level of normalcy and enjoy life’s more simple (or hedonistic) pleasures.  After all, at the end of the day, what is it all for if not some fulfillment and relaxation… and what better way to do that than with a delicious glass of wine?

I, along with many Americans, might have found a welcome alternative… beer. 

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Lately those of us in the wine media have been deluged with reports that suggest consumers are “trading down,” purchasing low-priced wines in place of high-priced wines. In 2007, the fastest growing segments of the wine market were from $12-15 and $15-20. But according to Morgan Stanley, for the four weeks of 2008 ending December 28, wine sales above $7 fell 4.5%, while those below $7 grew by 1%. It’s been well documented that on-premise wine sales have struggled all year, which also has translated into tough times for wines that retail anywhere in the double digits.
I get it—up to a point.

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You know something is seriously askew when Hollywood suddenly starts worrying about its image. Sunday night, the Golden Globe Awards will be broadcast, and I’ve read that some in the L.A. community are worried that an ostentatious display of couture dresses, expensive jewelry and elaborate hairstyles will turn off Americans who are under severe financial duress.

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Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal recently visited our new Mount Kisco, NY office to ask the question: “How do you taste wine?” In this video, Joe Czerwinski and Susan Kostrzewa answer it by explaining the blind tasting process while sampling some Australian Shiraz.  Everything from color to intensity, complexity and clarity are considered, amongst many other things:

How do you judge a wine’s quality? Leave us a comment, and let us know!

As a literature lover, I often bristle when asked to name my “favorite author “or “favorite book of all time.” While I have a clear and consistent idea of what constitutes solid writing, a good plot and interesting characters, I’ve found over the years that my taste for stories and tone is dynamic and certainly influenced by events and people in my life at that given time. While as a romantic teenager I devoured the poet Shelley and all of the breathless effusion he offered, today I turn to the worldliness of Miller, the caustic wit of Plath, the blunt magic of Marquez. And while sinking into a dense, head-bending session of Dostoyevsky makes perfect sense in the dead of winter, it’s not what I want in my hand when I’m kicking back on a beach in the tropics (think Marquez). I love them all, but to choose just one to encompass everything I was, am and might be, is pretty much impossible.

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