Making the Odd Bottles Fit
9 years ago
Monday, January 5, 2009
Vino 2009 Convention
The artistry of Italian wine is coming to the United States at the end of this month with the Vino 2009: Italian Wine Week. Vino 2009 is the first industry convention of Italian Wines in America. It is hosted by the Italian Trade Commission and it will be held in New York, Boston and Miami between January 23rd and the 30th. It will begin in Boston with a series of educational seminars and it will culminate on the 30th in Miami with a day-long Grand Tasting of Italian wines. This convention is one of a kind, and it will introduce a myriad of delicious, artisanal Italian wines to the US wine trade industry. Viva La Vino will be at the Miami portion of the convention and I can't wait to write about all the amazing sights, smells and flavors that I will experience. This convention will also be covered by the team at BarrelandBrew.com, so I will post links to their articles and photos as soon as they go up. If anyone else is planning on attending this event, drop me a comment and let me know. I'd love to meet you all.
Friday, August 1, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, May 19, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
