Restaurant Wine Etiquette

Whether you like him or not, whether you agree with him or not, Christopher Hitchens can always be counted on to proffer his opinion on just about anything. And he does it with eloquence and aplomb. I just tripped over an article of his in Slate magazine, "Wine Drinkers of the World, Unite," about wine and restaurant etiquette.

Hitchens depicts the scenario where a waiter interrupts the table's conversation (which at Hitchens' table must be pretty entertaining) in order to pour the remaining contents of the wine bottle into all of the glasses on the table, unasked. He cites that the motivation for this rude behavior is to sell more wine by emptying the bottle well before the meal is completed and then pushing a second bottle.

I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me, and as Hitchens' states, not everyone at the table necessarily wants the second glass of wine. When I purchase a good bottle of wine and then have to watch it left unappreciated in the glass for the rest of the night, I feel sick at the waste. Once the bottle is open, everyone at the table is capable of pouring a glass for themselves. Furthermore, the host should be able to take the honor of asking the guests if they would care for a second glass. And if a second bottle is desired, I have absolutely no qualms about signalling to the waiter to bring another.

Hitchens' is requesting social change and I have to say that I am behind him on this one. He suggests that the next time you are interrupted at your table by the waiter attempting to pour your wine for you, you should politely but firmly tell him 'no.' We would not accept the rude interruption from someone from another table, why would we accept it from the wait-staff?

So the next time you are out to dinner, think about the Hitchens' call to arms. Take control of your wine consumption and enforce some restaurant etiquette.

Farewell Mondavi

On May 16, 2008, Robert Mondavi, father of California winemaking, died at the age of 94. Mondavi had a vision of California as a winemaking world capital, and he began pursuing this dream in the 1960s. He was one of the first to produce highly rated California wines, and his name is synonymous with stellar Nappa Valley wine.

For more information on Robert Mondavi, and his unarguably dramatic and interesting life, check out, “The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty” (Gotham Books, $28), by Julia Flynn Siler. Ms. Siler writes for The Wall Street Journal from northern California and is an authority on the Mondavi family. "The House of Mondavi" is a thoroughly researched account of the family's rises and falls, of its successes and tragedies, and particularly exploitative of the passions and personality of Robert Mondavi himself.

His dedication to the art of winemaking and his passion for perfection made him a master. He and his artistry will be missed.

Brunello Broohaha

If you enjoy a good bottle of Brunello, you may want to stock up now. The upcoming stock is in serious peril.

It all began in November of last year. Local reports began surfacing that Montalcino's grower consortium (Consorzio di Brunello di Montalcino) was not correctly monitoring that the Brunello production was meeting DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) regulations. It was rumored that the Brunello was not being produced with the Sangiovese grapes grown in the officially registered vineyards. These accusations have begun to be investigated by the Italian police under Nino Calabrese, Siena's public prosecutor. The police impounded at least one million bottles of 2003 Brunello from Argiano, Castelgiocondo, Pian delle Vigne, and Castello Banfi under the suspicion that they contained illegal grapes (those other than the certified Sangiovese).

These producers are crying foul. They allege a political motivation for the investigation and seizure, citing the time of the investigation appearing in the press is just as the wineries are meeting potential customers in Italy's most important wine fair, Vinitaly at Verona. They argue that the impounded wines were for their IGT (Indicazione Geographica Tipica) bottles. If this is the case, then they were incorrectly labeled. Lamberto Frescobaldi, director of viticulture and winemaker for Castelgiocondo asserts, "Whenever we have discovered dubious vines in our Brunello vineyards we have informed the consortium and used the grapes in our IGT Luce."

The investigation, impounding, and subsequent bad press has led some wineries to implement their own declassification. Argiano (one of the four wineries being investigated) has announced that it would declassify its 2003 Brunello to IGT so that it can still be sold. They feel that they have no choice but to declassify their wine and take the financial fall. They are a small producer dealing primarily in Brunello. They cannot wait for the final judgement of their wine to sell it. Wine Spectator Online claims that Antinori is also considering declassifying its 2003 Brunello di Montalcino Pian delle Vigne.

Unfortunately, the wine-makers' dilemmas do not end here. Now the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco and Trade Bureau (TTB) is threatening to block any shipments of Brunelllo attempting to enter the United States. The TTB has sent several letters to the Italian Embassy in Washington requesting a list of the Brunello producers under investigation and any other relevant information. These letters have remained unanswered. Not to be ignored, the TTB sent an ultimatum on May 7, 2008 that if they are not satisfied that the Brunello entering the United States is DOCG certified Sangiovese by June 9th, then the U.S. Customs bureau will hold all Brunello shipments unless, "the importer submits a full and accurate statement of contents verified by laboratory analysis, or a statement from the government of Italy demonstrating that the product is made from 100 percent Sangiovese grapes."

Francesco Marone-Cinzano, Montelcino's consortium president, remains positive despite the threats from the United States, "This is a diplomatic problem and I am confident it will be sorted out at the diplomatic level." Montalcino produces 6.5 million bottles of Brunello a year, and approximately 25 percent of that is shipped to the United States. Brunello consumers and producers alike need to hope that Marone-Cinzano is right.

*Factual information provided by Wine Spectator Magazine and Wine Spectator Online

Wines of the Friday Tasting Event

Every Friday night, the wine shop where I work hosts a wine-tasting. It is a really popular event because we usually offer several whites, several reds, and a bubbly or dessert wine. It gives people the opportunity to try wines that they have never heard of or that they might not be wiling to purchase blind, and thus discover new bottles to add to their collections. This Friday we had a combination of French, Australian, and Californian for our reds, and New Zealand, France, and Spanish for our whites.

The two whites that I liked the best from this tasting was the Spanish white table wine: Vina Somoza Louro Do Bolo Godello (2005) and the New Zealand grown and produced Southern Eclipse Sauvignon Blanc (2006). Jay Miller of the Wine Advocate gave the Louro 89 points. He says, "2005 is the first vintage of Louro do Bolo, a wine produced from 40- to 50-year-old Godello vines by winemaker Rafael Palacios, brother of the renowned Alvaro Palacios. This light gold-colored tank fermented and aged wine offers notes of mineral, melon, and citrus in its attractive aromatics. This is followed by a smoothly textured wine with excellent depth, intensity, and balance leading to a long, pure finish. Drink this excellent value over the next 12-18 months." I quite agree with Mr. Miller; this wine was velvety smooth, hints of honeydew on the nose and palate, and finished with a slight mineral tang that melted into a long and lovely citrus flavour. I primarily drink red wines, but this little Spanish table wine was delicious and a perfect choice for summer food pairings.

Southern Eclipse Sauvignon Blanc is produced in stainless steel by Michelle Richardson. This sauvignon blanc is one of the most complex and lingering sauvignon blancs I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. It has a lovely nose of mingling white fruits and mineral soil. The flavors are a complex combination of green apples, passion fruit and very ripe grapefruit. It finishes long and crisp, but without any acid bite. If you can find Southern Eclipse in a store near you or online, I highly recommend the purchase. (Ms. Richardson's Southern Eclipse Pinot Noir is out of this world as well!)

My two favorite reds from the evening were both from France. The first was a light and spicy number from Luberon, Domaine de Guillaume Gros, Pourquois Pas (2005). This wine is a blend of 50% Grenache Noir, 40% Carignan, and 10% Syrah. It is aged in oak and bottled unfiltered. The nose is predominately red berry fruits like strawberry, raspberry, and red currant, and these aromas are mirrored in the wine's flavor. The fruit is on the front and it ends dry with a spicy and slightly tannic finish.

The other red that I was most taken with was Mas Carlot, Vin de Pays d'Oc Cabernet-Syrah. This wine is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Syrah, and from the Languedoc region. It is highly complex, delivering great depth and longevity on the nose and palate. It is a very dark, inky, rich wine with jammy black fruit flavours (black plums and blackberries) on the front and ends with cassis, terroir, and charcoal. This wine's tannins are strong but silky smooth, and it is a full-bodied wine that will pair well with grilled meats and smoked cheeses. The Wine Advocate awarded it 89 points.

I encourage you to go out and try these wines. They are generally priced very affordably, and will be a welcome addition to any oenophile's cellar.

My Wine History

I have been a wine enthusiast for several years now. When I become passionate about something, I feel the need to learn everything I can about it. This compulsion led me to enroll in a lot of wine classes where I learned about wine-making, growing, wine regions, and what my personal preferences were. The classes also helped me hone my scent and flavor identification skills. Practice, practice, practice!!! Having a bit of a wine habit can get expensive too (especially when you begin to become more and more of a wine snob), so I have taken a part-time job at a local wine shop which allows me to get a good discount of my purchases, and gives me an insider's view of the wine business.

I have a very small collection at home. I live in Florida and it is really too hot to keep wine for long periods of time without a climate controlled cellar or refrigerator. I will post a list here soon. I am looking for a website or software program that will help me easily catalog my collection and share it online. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

I plan to use this blog to spread wine news, give personal recommendations/suggestions of the new bottles I've been drinking, and to provide reviews. I welcome comments and feedback too--let me know what you think! I'd like this to be a friendly forum for oenophiles.