It’s the Little Things that Count

They say that it’s the little things that count.

I’d tend to agree.  Sure, they also say that life is measured by the moments that take your breath away.  That sounds great, but in reality, how often do you have your breath taken away by something?  Speaking for myself, I can honestly say that while I’m very satisfied in my life, it doesn’t happen all that often.

So what keeps it exciting?  Well, that’s where the little things come into play.  In our everyday lives, we don’t have monumental things happening all the time.  What makes life worth living, and what keeps it exciting and fun all the time, are the little things.

These days, I’ve come to appreciate the little things a lot more.  Seeing beauty in something simple, giving or receiving a small act of kindness or thoughtfulness, and taking a moment to appreciate something that would otherwise go unnoticed are what I find most important.  If that didn’t happen, life would get pretty boring - at least I think so.

So how does this apply to wine?  Well, when you first start enjoying wine, you might go for big wines with big characteristics that deliver seemingly a thousandfold.  It’s just a huge wine that bursts with aroma and flavor and has a rich texture that satisfies your palate.  Bigger is better.  They do say that too, don’t they?

Think of it this way - perhaps bigger isn’t always better.  In fact, often, bigger really isn’t better.

Drink too much “big wine” and your nose and palate will only recognize and appreciate the big aroma and flavor.  Or you could try enjoying some of the lighter style wines that show elegance and finesse - and when the wine isn’t overpowering, we can detect and appreciate the little things - subtleties that we’d never find with a big wine, because the ripeness and largeness of it fail to allow the hints and soft characteristics to come through.  If we take our time and enjoy and sense the slight notes and characteristics, such as expression of earth and soil type, and perhaps other fruit notes, floral notes, herbs, and spices, we can feel the wine speaking to us.  We get to hear the whole story, instead of just one huge part of it, which tends to distract us from the little things.  Don’t overlook and underestimate the lovely little things - they have a way of telling us so much more, if we only allow them to.  When a friend is recounting their day, not every part of the story will be some big juicy news - most of it will be the little things.  The same goes for wine - let it tell you the story with the fine little details, and not just some blast of a single characteristic that overshadows everything else.

On Aging Gracefully and How It’s Done

They say that the vast majority of wine produced is intended for immediate consumption.  And it’s true - most wine should be opened and enjoyed not long after their release.  But there’s this fascination with older bottles - and rightfully so, because only wines made in special years, of special grapes, from special vineyards in special regions have true aging potential.  And a great older wine can be spectacular.

Years upon years of sitting, waiting for the right time to be opened, the great bottles reach maturity.  If you’re the one who bought the bottle in its youth and decided to age it on your own and hold it until it’s ready, then I’m guessing (and hoping!) you took the time to know how to store it properly - not to move it around, not to leave it in a place without the proper temperature or darkness or humidity, etc.

But perhaps you decide you want to invest in an older bottle, something that’s mature now, and you’re willing to pay the price for it, but you weren’t the one who aged it.  This means that you’ve got to gamble on whether it’s been stored properly over the years.  And unless you’re buying the wine from a reputable place, the wine might not have been kept correctly over the years.  We know what this means - there’s a strong chance the wine is not good any longer - it’s gone bad, the color will be off, the aromas and flavors will be nothing at all like a wine that’s been properly stored, the texture will be unappealing - basically, the wine is ruined, or at least not aged as correctly as its counterparts who have otherwise been kept properly.

Last year, I wrote a post about the aging potential of some wines, namely Nebbiolo, and created a parallel to the aging potential in people, and how some people just have a better capability to age gracefully than others do, and some are, in fact, better with age.  But not all people are that way.  Some are genetically less equipped to age gracefully.  Others bring it upon themselves and live a life that tends to age them quicker than others, and perhaps quicker than they otherwise would have aged.  They don’t look so good, they don’t feel as well as they could have, and there’s no possibility of recapturing their youth at any time.  An unhealthy or foolish lifestyle tends to have these results.

Think of it as the way we store a wine for many years.  The ones properly cared for will probably age well, if they were produced as wines with aging potential.  But improper care will eliminate chances of aging potential.  Too many rough spots, bumps on the road of life, will do the same thing to a person, coupled with an unhealthy lifestyle for too long.

If you go into a wine shop where older bottles are available, be careful when selecting an older bottle.  Observe the conditions and inquire about the care of the bottle.  Of course, you’ll have to depend on your own judgment, but remember that there could be a reason why the bottle may be sitting there so long, perhaps past its peak time, particularly if the price seems a bit too low.  Think twice - it may be worth the gamble, or maybe not.  And if you decide that the gamble is not worth your trouble, remember that you can always choose a different older bottle, or stick with a wine for immediate consumption for the time being, and play it safe.  Risk-taking can be fun, but only when the results are to your liking.  No one wants to be disappointed.

The Case for Wine Tasting - In Case You Need a Reason!

Do you love wine tasting?  Who doesn’t?

But why do you go wine tasting - is it for fun only?  Or maybe to experiment a bit and see what wines work best for you?  Either way it’s a good thing, especially if you do it for both reasons.

Think of it this way - when you go shopping for clothing, do you just pick up an item and bring it to the counter and pay for it and bring it home, never knowing if the item is right for you until you put it on for the first time at home?  Probably not.  You probably bring the clothing into the fitting room and put them on, see how they look and feel, take a look in the mirror, and take another look in the mirror, and possibly ask for the opinion of an employee at the clothing shop, or bring a friend for another opinion.  Only then, after careful deliberation, do you decide to make a purchase.

Why not do the same thing with wine?  If you’re permitted to taste before you buy, why not take advantage of the opportunity?  It lowers the risk of not liking the wine you purchase, and tastings are generally not expensive, and some tastings are free, whether it’s at the winery or at a wine shop.

This summer I’m scheduled to pour a lot of in-store weekend tastings, aside from my regular Friday tastings.  The public will have an opportunity to try before they buy, and I’ll have an opportunity to explain the products to them, and help them find the wines that are right for them.

When someone says, “no, thank you” in response to whether they’d like to taste, for free, I wonder why that happens.  It only takes a few seconds to taste, it costs nothing, and you won’t get drunk on one sip.  And if you’re still afraid of getting drunk, taste it and then spit it into the bucket - that’s why the bucket is there.  People at tastings sometimes tell me that it’s a waste for me to spit it out, when they see me do that.  This makes no sense to me - it’s a much bigger waste to buy a wine that you’re not sure you’re going to enjoy.  Just taste it - trust me, you won’t be sorry.  What have you got to lose?

You Know You’re a Wine Geek If...

You know you’re a wine geek if...

1. You spend more on wine than food.
2. You spend more on wine than other life expenses.
3. You pair your dinner to your wine, not the other way around.
4. You walk into a wine shop and immediately go to the “esoteric” section.
5. You know that German wine means so much more than just Riesling.
6. And you know that not all Riesling is “sweet.”
7. You know the difference between Pauillac and Pomerol, Saint Estephe and Saint Emilion.
8. You can pronounce Gewurztraminer and Blaufrankisch.
9. You realize that bocksbeutel does not necessarily translate to Mateus.
10. You don’t think Tannat is excessively dry.
11. You can explain botrytis cinerea and start dreaming of good Sauternes.
12. You strongly prefer Grower Champagne over the well known houses.
13. You try, to no end, to explain the concept of terroir to just about everyone.
14. You don’t laugh when you say “Cahors.”
15. You keep records of everything you ever drank, and when a new vintage is released, you take notes all over again.
16. You know that Malbec, Tannat, and Carmenere have their origins in France - not South America.
17. You think it’s fun to say “Gruner Veltliner,”
18. You enjoy sparkling wines from outside of Champagne, and still wines from Champagne, and think nothing of it.
19. You have a new favorite grape and region every day.
20. You have a section in your collection dedicated to Aglianico.
21. Your iPhone apps include vintage charts and you check them regularly.
22. You find brown bagging to be a most exciting game.
23. All day, you wonder what bottle you’ll be opening this evening.
24. You carry a corkscrew wherever you go.
25. When you’re invited to parties, the host automatically expects that you’ll be bringing wine.
26. You know what a GSM blend is.
27. The statement, “I don’t drink Chardonnay; I only drink Chablis,” frustrates you.
28. You think those intentionally oxidized wines are so cool.
29. You can spend an entire evening with friends talking about wine.
30. You dream of trips to Burgundy, Jura, Campagna, Nahe, and Priorat.
31. You really only drink rosé in the summer months.
32. You secretly want to kill people who put ice in their wine - especially in their red wine.
33. You have an urge to marinate your steak in Pinotage.
34. You were loving Sancerre long before it became a massive trend.
35. You’re not worried about Parker reviews - at all.
36. You panic when a thunderstorm knocks out the power on a hot summer night - because the temperature will rise and might affect your wine collection.
37. You celebrate milestone birthdays with wines from your birth year.
38. You start swirling orange juice, coffee, water, anything that’s in a glass or cup, and begin sniffing it before tasting.
39. When you hear the word “bouquet,” you don’t think of flowers - you think of aromas.
40. You prefer to support “vignerons independants” - because the wines are fascinating and because you feel it’s the right thing to do.
41. All of the pictures you post to Facebook are of wine labels.
42. You have a collection of different shaped wine glasses and use them accordingly.
43. You’ve been involved in a heated argument regarding corks versus screw caps.
44. You place a light behind a bottle as you decant.
45. You have designated Friday wine, Saturday wine, Sunday wine - and weeknight wines.
46. You don’t just save special bottles for special occasions - oftentimes, opening the special bottle counts as the special occasion.
47. You tell “wine jokes” and “wine puns” and expect everyone in the room to laugh.
48. You die a little when you hear someone at the next table order White Zinfandel.
49. Your knowledge of geography revolves around wine regions.
50. The more you learn about wine, the more inquisitive you become, and the more you realize there is left to learn.

Gewurztraminer - My Gateway to Wine

Some people remember their first real wine epiphany, and others don’t.  I remember mine - it was some years ago.  I really didn’t drink much wine except Asti Spumonte on New Year’s Eve.  And then one day, I met a wine that would be my gateway into the world of wine, and would, in a sense, change my life.

That wine was Gewurztraminer, from Alsace.

What is it about Gewurztraminer that gave wine a permanent grip on my palate?  Well, with Gewurztraminer, a light golden color looking beautiful in the glass, it might just begin with the nose.  Gewurztraminer is very aromatic with notes of fruit (in particular lychee, tropical fruit, and orchard fruit, and a hint of ripe citrus), spice (as reflected in its name), and blossoms.  Who can resist the beckoning call from a glass of Gewurztraminer, with such enticing aromas?  Certainly not me.  I was ready for a taste very quickly, and immediately I loved the wine.  Even at that time, with a completely underdeveloped palate, I knew the wine had a lot going on, and I was captivated.

What I’d later realize is that Gewurztraminer seems to share some of my personality traits.  I’ve written a bit on wine personalities (remember the Nebbiolo Man?  How about Cabernet, Malbec, and a post from two years ago about a Pinot Noir personality?), but when I think of my own quirkiness, I can’t help but relate to Gewurztraminer.  No wonder Gewurztraminer was my gateway into wine appreciation!  For many people, the gateway (or as I sometimes call it, “training wheels”) is Riesling, and for others, it’s White Zinfandel.

I think when a novice wine drinker tastes Riesling or Gewurztraminer, sweetness is the first thing to come to mind.  But to be more fair and respectful to a properly crafted Riesling or Gewurztraminer (two of the most important grapes in Alsace and Germany), we’re sometimes fooled by the fruitiness of those two grapes, mistaking them for sweet, and missing out on the individual characteristics, aromas, flavors, and textures each has to offer.

So while Gewurztraminer ushered me into a new world of wine appreciation, these days I spend more time examining the wines made from this fascinating grape, noting the characteristics on the nose and palate and feeling for the textures the wine has to offer.

And I’ll be forever indebted to Gewurztraminer for the introduction to wine.

Difficult Crop

I was told the other day that this was not a particularly exciting year for the NFL draft, which took place yesterday.  I asked why this was the case, and the answer was that the pool of players to choose from just didn’t seem so exciting.  I replied that perhaps a surprise would come from either the pool of first round draft picks, or perhaps someone picked much later on would have the best first season of all the young men entering the NFL.

Sometimes a particular year produces a bad crop.  The weather in the growing season may not have been conducive, or anything else could have affected the outcome of the quality of the grapes picked at harvest time.  When this happens, it can affect one region, or it can affect many regions.  The result could be a very limited yield and therefore very high prices on a small amount of wine, or it can result in wines of a lesser quality than normal.  Either way it can be disappointing, due to there being not much wine available that vintage (and consequently wines being far from affordable), or undesirable wine from our favorite regions.

We’re all well aware of the downside of a bad crop.  But what about the upside?  I think the upside is that there can be some surprises, a diamond in the rough, or perhaps an opportunity to look to other regions that may have had a better crop - perhaps places from which we don’t normally drink the wine, for no particular reason except that we’re so used to drinking those from our favorite regions, that we forget to look to other places.  Well, a bad crop in some regions might be the best excuse to drink wines from somewhere else.  We might even find some new favorites.

I’ve been hearing quite a bit about rough vintages lately, for a few reasons.  One reason is that in France, some bad weather brought about some lesser vintages and some very limited yields, even in places that normally have lovely and often predictable weather (e.g., Provence - the 2012 vintage was down about 14-20% across the region, which poses a problem for rosé consumption).

The other reason is - well, I’ve been asked for my ID enough times this year that I suppose I have nothing to be ashamed of, so it’s safe to tell you - I’m turning 30 this coming November, and I’m looking for as many 1983 bottles as I can find.  As you may know, 1983 wasn’t the best vintage, and aside from prices, 1983 bottles that are available and drinkable in 2013 are very difficult to find.  So far, I’ve found two, perhaps a third, but I’d like to find more than that.  I’ve been keeping my age a secret from just about everyone but the importance of finding 1983 bottles has trumped my vanity.  And while snooping around for the wines, I’ve realized just how difficult a vintage it was.  But what might happen is that I may find some bottles from regions I never really thought about, and those might make up some of my choices this November.  And that could be part of the upside of a difficult vintage in my birth year.

One thing is for certain - difficult crops make us appreciate a great vintage all the more.

But Since When Does Anyone Have a Clue About What They Want?

ne of my favorite parts of working in the wine industry is getting to hear about what people think of the wines - what they enjoy, what’s a mystery still, and what’s trendy.  Talking with store managers, restaurateurs, and people in the wholesale end of the industry fascinates me when we compare observations.  Pouring tastings that are attended by the public is often the most interesting for me.

I’m amazed when I hear things like, “that doesn’t taste like Pinot Noir, it’s so light,” “why is it red if it says Sancerre,” and “I don’t drink Chardonnay but I like Chablis.”  I know that not everyone has the time or inclination to learn more about wine, but I do try to take the time to understand things in other fields just so I know what I’m saying and how to form an opinion and preferences about it.  And it’s a good idea to take the time to learn more about what we think we like and dislike, and why.

My favorite line from Bruce Almighty is, “but since when does anyone have a clue about what they want?”

And it’s true.  Many of us, probably all of us actually, don’t really know what it is that we want, in many parts of our lives.  But isn’t it worth trying to find out?  Isn’t it worth knowing why we tend toward certain things and repel other things?

Just like people, wines are all individuals.  No two of them are the same.  As I’ve explained in prior posts, we see a great deal of variation in wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  A Pinot Noir can be so light and bright (Burgundian style) or it can be rich and deep and smoky (California style).  A Chardonnay can be crisp and lemony and almost tart, or it can be creamy, buttery, and reflect almost baked fruit characteristics.  Do you have a preference?  I know I have preferences!  But we need to keep on tasting in order to find out what we like best, before just saying outright, “I don’t like Chardonnay” or “I love Pinot Noir.”  What style do you like?

I did enjoy the movie Sideways, but I was pretty annoyed when I realized that people were going around saying they love Pinot Noir just because Sideways told them to do that.  (And for the record, most of the Pinot Noir shown in Sideways was not made in the traditional Burgundian style - I recently tasted Sea Smoke, which was shown in the movie, and I can assure you I prefer something Burgundian in the same price range.)  I can also assure you that another line from that movie caused the sales of Merlot to plummet, and undoubtedly the people who knocked Merlot after seeing the movie never actually tasted a good Pomerol or Saint-Emilion.

My point is, the best way to learn is to keep on tasting.  If it sounds like a fun learning experiment, it is!  It’s how I did most of my learning.  Yes, I’ve read up on lots of grapes, regions, production methods, etc., but tasting is how most learning is done, when it comes to wine.  And there’s no better way to find out what we like best.  That’s how we find out what we really want in a wine.  Pouring tastings are fun for me for that reason - I love it when someone tastes something they’ve never had before and realize that they connect well with it, they want to know more about it, and ultimately leave with a bottle of it.