Ladies in the Wine Industry

I hear it’s International Women’s Day today - so there’s something I’d like to draw our attention to.

Ladies of the wine industry, how do you feel about our progress?

A while back (but not too long ago!), I sat in a large lecture room designed for mock trials and similar events, at orientation day before beginning my first year at Quinnipiac University School of Law.  The dean was happy to inform us that finally, there were more female law students in the new “1L” class.  I was elated.  I’m not a feminist in the sense that many people see it.  Rather, I just believe in gender equality and opportunities for both sides.

I’ve been hearing quite a bit about women in the workforce since that day at our 1L orientation.  I felt a bit like a revolutionary in that I was a female entering an industry once completely dominated by men.  I felt like perhaps it might be a small but fun challenge.

What I didn’t realize was that three years after completing law school and taking the bar exam, I’d find myself changing courses and entering the wine industry.  And if I thought the legal field was dominated by men, I had another guess coming.  What’s the deal with the wine industry and all these men, and not nearly enough women?

To give myself a little inspiration, I read The Widow Clicquot about Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, and learned about her challenges and how she rose above such challenges - and obviously, this was at a time where far fewer women were involved in the wine industry.  Still, today I wonder where all the women are.  I hear too often about women being associated with thoughts of sweet pink and white wines and ditzy labels on bottles, and please don’t even get me started on cheap sweet Moscato.

Guys, that’s really not what we’re all about.

Some of the most important chateaux, domaines, and wineries around the world are currently owned by women, and there are some amazingly talented female winemakers out there as well.  But we don’t hear about them nearly enough.  Most of the people I interact with in the wine industry are men by a vast majority, and they’ve been in the industry quite a long time.  Sometimes it shakes my confidence a bit, but thanks to a few very experienced men in the industry, my confidence is easily restored.

But I’m not going to lie - I love having opportunities to interact with successful women in our industry - women on the local level, as well as from all around the US and in fact all around the world.  They should serve as an inspiration to all of us female wine professionals, that we may stand out and make a difference in the industry.

Take a look at this link for just a few inspiring ladies of the wine industry.

http://www.thedailymeal.com/women-pioneers-wine

Champagne “Just Because"

Recently, I realized that I just don’t drink enough Champagne.  In fact, here in the US, most people don’t drink enough Champagne.

How do I know this?

Well, our culture has emphasized that Champagne is for special occasions only, like New Year’s Eve, weddings, etc.

Yes, Champagne is ideal for celebrations.  But why not drink Champagne “just because?”  I know good Champagne is often expensive and people seem to be quite name- conscious when it comes to Champagne houses, and I know that such expenses and Champagne names are generally associated with special days.

Roederer’s Cristal was the Champagne of choice to celebrate my graduation from law school.  Moet & Chandon Imperial was the Champagne at my sister’s wedding.  Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label has been present for anniversaries, bachelorette parties, etc.  Bollinger has graced the Thanksgiving table.  Duval-LeRoy and Nicolas Feuillate have appeared at parties before.  Laurent-Perrier and Mumm have graced the table at a pre-Christmas celebratory dinners.  Dom Perignon was Kevin Zraly’s choice to mark the end of last winter’s Windows on the World wine school (and the image of him in a tuxedo taking a sip from the bottle of Dom still remains in my mind).

More recently, Champagne has been a part of my wine adventures.  New Year’s Eve started with Beau Joie Rose, followed by my very first experience with the (amazingly delicious) Taittinger Comtes de Champagne.

Those are, more or less, some of the more recognizable names in Champagne.

When we depend on those names, we either run the risk of landing in the “mass produced” trap where we rely on things we know so well (consistency is guaranteed, terroir expression is lost), or we go for something absolutely exquisite but based on the name, we overpay.

So why not change it up?  I’m not talking about Prosecco, Cava, Sekt, and Cremant - while those can be fantastic, I’m actually still talking about Champagne.  I mean small producers and names we hear a lot less often.  At these smaller Champagne houses (including grower Champagnes, where the Champagne house owns the vineyards, grows their own grapes, and produces the wines), the focus is on terroir and expression of the vintage and the location on the Champagne region.  The grapes are not sourced from all around Champagne; rather, they’re usually from the vineyards owned by the Champagne house centered around one village.  While quality is not always the same from vintage to vintage and some may regard this as lack of consistency, it’s actually what we want to see - honesty and expressiveness in the wines.

And oftentimes, the effort to hunt down some different and lesser known Champagnes is rewarded with an interesting wine at a lower price.

For Valentine’s Day, I picked the Vilmart & Cie 2007 Grand Cellier d’Or 1er Cru.  It was fantastic.  If you haven’t tried Champagne from Vilmart, I urge you to find it and try it.  And at just under $100, it’s great quality and it’s vintage Champagne.  How can you beat that?

I seem to be craving bubbles lately.  It’s what made me realize I haven’t been drinking nearly enough Champagne.  So not long ago, I picked a Philipponnat Brut Royale Reserve - on a weeknight, for no particular reason - “just because.”  Philipponnat is one of my favorites - it’s a somewhat bold Champagne with lovely texture and toasted notes with a lot of presence.  Haven’t heard of it?  Find it and try it, “just because” - it’s under $50!

Passion

Several years back, when I first started college, I was required to attend a poetry reading.  I thought to myself, this is going to be interesting - I enjoy poetry very much, but this wasn’t a reading of the poets with whose work I was already familiar.  No, this was an independent group of locals who fancied themselves poets.

There were a few charlatans reading their work and I wondered how they ever found the courage within themselves to read this nonsense in public.  And then there were a few whose work stuck with me - obviously it stuck with me, as none of it is published as far as I know of, and yet four particular poems have stayed in my mind since the poetry reading in early 2002.  One was some snarky version of haiku that was quite clever.  One was sort of a “wordsmith” approach to poetry, with a political twist.  One was written and recited by a mother who thought she lost her son on 9/11, only to learn that he survived the attack (and the incident was still quite fresh in the minds and hearts of us New Yorkers).  And the one that left me with a smile was by a lady whose poem I believe was called, “The Man Who Loved Plants.”

Why did “The Man Who Loved Plants” stand out to me?  I’m not really sure, except that it just seemed like such an interesting thought pattern in the poem at the time.  The lady recounted her days in school as a young woman, and a professor who had his room full of his beloved plants.  She described his passion for the plants and how he regarded them and treated them.  And all of this was while he graded her term paper in front of her.  And her question to herself was, “could he fondle a woman as well as a plant?”

Certainly, a passion can be taken to extremes, even as far as an obsession.  I don’t think of obsessions as a particularly healthy thing.  But passion?  Sometimes I wonder how anyone gets by in life without some kind of passion.

For me, passion is a true love for something and a sort of devotion to it - learning about it, embracing it, taking pleasure in it.  And I think of it differently than one person’s relationship with another.  Instead, I think of this kind of passion as one person’s relationship with whatever the subject matter may be.

I have an admiration for those in the wine industry who display that passion for wine.  I believe it’s that passion that allows the person to connect with the wines and appreciate them for what they are, and clearly it takes the person’s relationship with wine to a level far greater than than the flavor and simply drinking it and digesting it.  This passion required knowledge and dedication and an open mind and heart.

I remember my first real experience with wine professionals.  There were a few present and I took particular notice of one of them.  How he approached the wine as he explained a great deal about tasting, expression, etc., was unlike anyone I’d ever seen - the glass in his hand and how he held the white cloth behind it, how he swirled the wine in the glass, and how he bridged the gap for our class between the wine and its many complexities yet to be understood - he had a different understanding and clearly a different passion for wine than anything I’d ever seen before.  I’m guessing this is what’s gotten him to a point of great respect in the wine industry as a sommelier, educator, etc., and each time I’ve heard him present wine since that day, I’ve connected quite well with the wines he’s shown, and while I did learn a great deal from his lecturing and analyses of the wines, their grapes, regions, and styles, I also felt more relaxed even with difficult concepts and relatively unknown grapes and regions - and arriving at this comfort level, I felt again and again that he was helping bridge the gap between the wine and the complexities, making it easier to understand and enjoy.

This is the kind of passion and dedication that I admire.

When I’m not Being a Wine Rebel...

I’ve realized an interesting thing recently - I used to run to my blog to write all about a new offbeat wine I had tried.  I’ve been wondering why I do that less these days.  I find it’s because quite often it’s offbeat wines I’ve been drinking - Vranac, Negroamaro, Tannat, Mencia, etc.  I’m unlikely to stop going for the offbeat wines anytime soon, so perhaps I ought to take even more note when I go for a traditional style wine.

So what are my traditional style favorites?  Well, I’ve already written extensively about why I have a special place in my heart for Nebbiolo and how it translates to a similar feeling I have toward people and how we find our identities as we age.  Malbec I love because it’s delicious when well executed.  Super Tuscans are exquisite when not “overdone.”  So where does my traditional preference really lie?

Bordeaux.

And who wouldn’t love a great Bordeaux?  They’re majestic, delicious, and all-around wonderful.  And currently, my favorites seem to be coming from Margaux.  I’ve seen the question posed numerous times online: “If you could only drink wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, or Rhone for the rest of your life, which would you choose?”  Well, Burgundies are so easy on the palate and remarkably food friendly.  Rhones seem to be the most cost efficient and in my opinion among the most exciting and honest.  But Bordeaux - for me, nothing beats Bordeaux.  Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot blends, sometimes with a touch of Malbec, Carmenere, or Petit Verdot - what can be better?

I do realize everyone’s palate is different, but I’d be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn’t love a great Bordeaux.  And while they tend to be quite expensive, I think most of us would agree it’s hard to pass up on a great one, especially with some special vintages being released.

So at a special occasion, other than popping a good Champagne, what is it I choose to celebrate with?  It’s Bordeaux.

Wine Rebel? That’s Ok.

I like to step back and look at my wine racks sometimes - partly to take inventory, and partly to see what I’ve been leaning toward lately.

On one side, I have almost exclusively traditional and big wines - Burgundies, Bordeaux, Rhone, Loire, Alsace, Provence, Piemonte, Tuscany, Mendoza, and Napa, made with grapes we hear about all the time.  The bottles are dusty and content to sit there for as long as needed.

The other side is a bit more exciting - wines from lesser known grapes from Sud-Ouest (of course), Languedoc, Puglia, Sicily, Bierzo, Rias Baixas, Douro, Niederosterreich, Hungary, Switzerland, Uruguay, Canada - these are the bottles that turn over quickly, they get consumed due to my excitement about the offbeat grapes and regions, and those spots are quickly filled in the wine racks once again, with more offbeat selections.  I’m constantly looking for things I’ve never tried, and if I’ve never heard of it, all the better.  (And when I get to put them in brown bags and make for interesting surprises - well, that’s just my favorite thing to do right now.)

But even more exciting to me, better than picking offbeat wines to try, is being surprised by something I wouldn’t ordinarily choose for myself - even if it’s something I usually avoid, and going into it without any idea what it is (such as being on the receiving end of a brown bag) - I tend to enjoy it more.

Everyone has a few regions or grapes that they’re a bit prejudiced against.  For me, it’s Gamay, and sometimes Cabernet Franc, depending on the style.  I’m also less than fond of some of the wines from southern France (such as some from Languedoc) that show too much licorice and black spice and excessive pepper.  But I’ve had a few surprises recently - a few Gamay based wines that I’ve really enjoyed, a Cabernet Franc or two that showed extremely well and I connected with, and some others.

And what’s even more interesting is what happens in my mind when I open (blind or not) a bottle that I expect to enjoy, and find that I don’t connect with it at all, or that it seems completely overrated to me.  Sometimes it’s disappointing, but it’s always a revelation, and what’s important is learning from the experience.

When I started falling in love with offbeat wines from lesser known regions, I thought my taste was strange, perhaps.  But I was realizing that my palate could be satisfied for a fraction of the cost of the wines other people were drinking, and after introducing some of these wines to others, I find that my taste isn’t so strange - it’s just that I’ve been fortunate enough to have access to some of these lesser known wines, and so I was able to determine whether I liked them or not.  And that’s what my wine racks are based on - my own taste and wines that I’d like to share with others, in the hopes that they enjoy them as well, even if very few people know what they are, or where they’re from.  So maybe I’m a bit of a wine rebel - so what?  What would be the point in simply going with the flow?  Boring, I say.

Vintage Conscious

One of my favorite movies, A New Leaf, has a scene that makes me laugh every time I see it - Henry asks Henrietta whether she agrees that 1955 was a better year than 1953 for Mouton Rothschild.  She replies, but doesn’t reference the Bordeaux.  Instead, she tells him about a drink she calls the Malaga Cooler, made from Mogen David extra heavy malaga wine with lime juice and soda, and she tells him that “every year is good.”

I once heard someone in the wine industry say that a wine is good when every year is good - and proceeded to advocate for non-vintage wines.  The reasoning?  The wine will be more dependable that way.

I could not disagree more.  Being vintage conscious is important, and I’m sure there are a lot of people who would agree with me when I say that only certain years are good - for example, 2000 might be a great vintage for wines from one region, and terrible for those of another region.

This is why I love the wines that are not tampered with by their winemaker.  The wines are permitted to express themselves, their identity, and what was going on in the wine’s home when the grapes were grown.

Have you ever seen those birthday cards and booklets that are designed around a particular birth year?  That’s how I like to think of each vintage.  The time a person is born often shapes the person’s identity - the same goes for what happened in the grape’s environment the year the grapes were grown and the wine was made.  If there’s a bad vintage, it happens.  In all likelihood, grapes from a different region had a better growing season, so for the wine drinker, all is not lost - enjoy something different perhaps.  But don’t think that wines should be exactly the same every year - that’s ridiculous.  And it’s sort of like expecting someone born at one time to have the same traits and preferences as someone from a different time.  Let the wine be itself and appreciate it for what it is.

In Moderation

It’s January and it’s finally cold out, at least for now.  January is also the peak of flu season, and the flu seems pretty tough to beat this year, especially without a vaccination.  Most of the people I know have gotten the vaccination - I haven’t.  I did try, a couple of weeks ago, but locations near me were completely sold out.  I’m hoping I’m not speaking too soon, but so far I’m feeling pretty lucky.  I’d like to think I’ve been able to fend it off by having a glass of orange juice every morning and a reasonable amount of wine every night.  I’ve got myself convinced that’s the formula for keeping healthy.  That, and a few other factors.

I’ve mentioned several times in this blog that I was an attorney.  I’m not going to give away my age, but let’s say that I know a lot of people my own age who have plenty of grey hairs.  Toward the end of my first year of law school, a few of us girls started observing how many grey hairs we’d developed over the first year.  I was shocked at how many I had - I was only 22.  Stressful things like that tend to age us a bit quicker than we’d like.  (I also pointed out to a few friends in law school that my grey hair accumulation probably also could be attributed to the relationship I was in at the time, and I’m sticking with that story - that was far worse than anything law school could have handed me.)

I noticed during those years that I got sick quite often.  I didn’t like how I looked - my hair was thinning and greying, I had all but lost my natural tan, and I had almost no energy anymore.

After changing my life around, both professionally and personally, I noticed some positive changes in how I looked and how I felt.  If I had kept on the path of stress and unhappiness, I’d probably feel pretty lousy right now, and I’d certainly have a lot more grey hair (I’m still in my 20s, so there’s no excuse for too many greys).  But something I added to my life was a lot more wine.

I’ve heard from many sources all about the benefits of drinking more wine - including preventing Alzheimer’s disease, heart troubles, and cancer - as long as it’s in moderation of course.  And for that matter, it’s fun and relaxing, so as long as it’s not done to excess, it’s good for mental health as well.

Several years after law and an unfortunate long-term relationship, my natural tan has returned, my hair looks about the same as when I was in my early 20s, I’ve got my energy level back to where I want it, and overall, I feel good and quite happy.  I’d like to think it’s at least partly because I enjoy wine in moderation every night.  Aside from drinking wine for enjoyment, I’ve started thinking of it as part of my regular diet.

Each time someone tells me that their doctor has suggested drinking more wine, I feel better about my theory on wine and its health benefits.  I’m guessing there are even more benefits from drinking wine that we’ve yet to discover.  No, it’s not an excuse to get drunk all the time, because that’s obviously not the healthy way to enjoy wine.  But in moderation, like anything else, it has its benefits - and it certainly tastes better than a lot of other healthy things!

“Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.”  1 Timothy 5:23