Cal’s Zins
This is the big red that you can open up and drink without having to worry about whether it’s “ready” or not. It provides direct sensual pleasure that is usually not cloaked behind barricades of tannin. And it’s not for everyone. The potent, sometimes dizzying alcohol levels tend to put... Read More
There’s Something Good To Say About Merlot!
There are, of course, other reasons Merlot is out of favor with the cognoscenti. There is an awful lot of mediocre, thin, flavorless wine in bottles today with Merlot on the label. The grape’s trajectory through the market has been nothing short of meteoric. Since the overall wine business is... Read More
Prosecco’s Strong Strong Niche
If most wine drinkers who enjoy bubbles today were to describe the pyramid of acceptable quality sparklers it would no doubt start with Champagne at the pinnacle, followed by method traditionelle wines from California, Cava at the base and Prosecco sandwiched somewhere in the middle. Prosecco is a popular everyday... Read More
LBV Ports
After explosive growth in the 199Os, Port sales in the US have been in the doldrums, flat to negative, this entire decade. The larger trend is that the entire fortified wine category has contracted. Despite periodic calls to “re-invent” itself and become more relevant to younger consumers, the major fortifieds... Read More
Wine 2005
Americans not only consumed greater quantities of wine during the year (about 3 to 4% more, as has been the case for several years), they drank more red wine and on average they drank more expensive wine. Blush wine, primarily White Zinfandel, continued to decline as a percentage of the... Read More
Chablis
It’s ironic that Chablis, a geographic place name adopted to adorn jugs of standardized branded blends for the last several decades in the US, is actually among the most distinctive and inimitable wines produced anywhere. The signature aroma and flavor of its wines are even “more unique” than those of... Read More
Wine 2005 Examined
The Year in ReviewTrends & Projections The mood in the industry, fueled by growing consumer excitement, is upbeat. Having successfully weathered a number of lean years where discretionary spending was down, overall economic confidence weak and unemployment growing, wine has proven its staying power. Put succinctly, a broader array of... Read More
Brunello di Montalcino
Italy remains, by far, our number one source of imported wine in the United States. However, because consumers at the luxury end of the market remain largely unfamiliar with its multiplicity of names, regions and grape varieties, Italian wine is rarely a first choice at business gatherings or celebrations unless... Read More
New Zealand Cloudy Bay
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc was the first wine from New Zealand I ever tasted. And the second and the third. Talk about starting at the top! Not that I’d heard of the now iconic winery or even that I could differentiate anything more about New Zealand as a winemaking country... Read More
Pinot Uprighted
The Pinot Noir story is a remarkable one. It’s amazing what “the movie”, whatever you happen to think of it, has wrought in the wine business. What’s more amazing is how long wine professionals have been patiently sniffing, tasting, talking and writing about their pet grape variety to virtually zero... Read More