The Greedy and the Greedier!

I have always been under the impression that wine was a gift from God and that a talented winemaker would take the fruit of the vine and create one of life's greatest pleasures. Good food, good wine and good company. Is there anything better?

At the wedding feast in Cana everyone had a blast and to top it all, the price of the wine was great.
"It was such a wonderful wedding feast! The music, the dancing, the food and wine."
Everyone ate, drank and was merry.
And up untill the 1970's some of the greatest French wines could still be bought at reasonable prices.

Then along came Parker and his 100 point rating system. His proclamation on the 1982 vintage
not only put him in the wine world limelight but also started a significant increase in wine prices. Any one lucky enough to have him review and rate a wine 90+. was on their way to wealth and fame. But even Robert is getting a little uncomfortable with the greed displayed by the Bordeaux elite. There seems to be no sanity in the outrageous prices top chateau are demanding for their 2005 vintage wines. Chateau Petrus has smashed all records. Who in their right mind would pay 1600 EUR or 2012 US dollars for a single bottle of the 2005 Petrus? Now if you are between 30 and 40 years of age, you'll probably live long enough to enjoy it. But if you are 50, 60 and up, chances are you might not be around when it finally finishes aging. Seems a little crazy to pay this much for a wine you won't be around to enjoy. But if you are buying it just so you can make the big bucks..... well I guess greed could be a factor at play. But all good things eventually come to an end. At the lower end of the Bordeaux wine spectrum things aren't going too well. Too much wine, and talk about crazy prices. Good for the consumer? Not really. These extreme price variations will hurt a lot of good people who are just using their God given talents to bring us the fruit of the vine, the fruit of their hard labour.
" Wine: soil, sun, rain, and the hand of man."
Author Unknown

Global Warming Update.

This is what excessive heat can do to vines and soil. Also in my previous post I forgot to link to the article on global warming for those really into the scene. So here it is this time. I guess the heat is getting to me. Enjoy the summer!

Global Warming Gives Greenland Grape Growers...a golden opportunity to produce medal winning wines!

Glolbal warming is raising hopes for British wine makers to produce world class red wines.
Hotter weather boosts British red wine!
"British red wines could soon be competing with the finest French clarets as global warming leads to perfect growing conditions in southern England". According to UK NEWS English vineyards are benefitting from new higher summertime temperatures. But then a thousand years ago Europe was enjoying warm temperatures and grapes were thriving in British vineyards. (click on the cool wheather grapes picture I took in Alsace to enlarge it and see what soon may become a good grape,Gewurztraminer, for colder climates.) It takes years to develop a new grape varietal. New York State's Cornell University has recently released three new wine grapes ideal for their harsh winter conditions. But it takes decades to produce new suitable varietals. Spanish vintners on the other hand are becoming concerned with the new warming trends and wineries may move into the cooler Pyrenees. Similarly California vintners are showing concern. Since vines can be productive for well over fifty years, new varieties need to be developd for these hotter grape growing regions. Better grapes for New York, better grapes for California, lets see.... perhaps its time to pick up some cheap acreages in Greenland. For those who are deep into the pros and cons of global warming have a look at this (albeit lenghthy and possibly dated) report.

No Screwcap for this Big Beautiful Bottle...of wine!!

The debate about which is the best bottle closure continues. But you wont find a screwcap on this Nebuchadnezzar sized botle anytime soon.

In a recent extensive survey by Wine Business Monthly, it was found not surprisingly, that natural cork remains the closure of choice but screw caps are reaching parity with other alternatives. The oxidative quality of cork and the possible reductive potential of screwcaps continue to be an issue wine makers struggle with.

Eventhough screwcaps have become much more acceptible by the wine consuming public in North America, it is still not the closure of choice in most European wine regions. A smart new way to stopper a wine bottle that is making inroads is the ZORK closure from Australia. ZORK is a revolutionary new wine closure that seals like a screw cap and pops like a cork. An interesting video on the Zork closure can be seen at this site. A delightful Cabernet Sauvignon under Zork is the Red Knot Cabernet Sauvignon 2004.
The good thing of course is that when all this closure problem is sorted out we'll find that there will be a host of new and effective ways to close our favourite wines. In the meantime as Jancis Robinson, one of my favourite wine writers, states "I feel sure we are far from throwing away our corkscrews."

Global Grape Glut continues to be a problem....

Please click on globe to get larger image.

Australia is suffering from an overproduction and growers fear the worst. The great glut is lowering wine prices and is even affecting New Zealand markets. The continued over production in Europe has created an estimated 1.5bn litres of surplus wines. The European comision has dished out millions of Euros bailing out the industry by converting unsold wine into industrial alcohol. It is expected that over 500 million litres of excess wine will be converted to bio-fuel. Sweeping changes, which will include ripping out vineyards are on the horizon. Years of huge production subsidies has created an imbalance between EU wine supply and demand creating excessive surpluses that could not be readily sold. A major shake-up is required.

Australian growers had hoped for a $60 million sbsidy plan but agriculture minister Peter McGauran rejected any bailout for struggling growers or winemakers. Similarly no plan to convert excess wine into ethanol is contemplated. Consumers are celebrating low prices while they last. New markets are needed and Australia may have found help in the new emerging affluent middle class in China. Extensive vineyard plantings in China and India may be the next contributor to another world glut. In the meantime smart marketing but above all good quality wine production is the key to success in getting attention from wine consumers around the globe. As always there is so much good wine and so little time. But I am trying my best. Cheers.

King Tut to Tetra Pak...!!

King Tut was a tippler and it turns out he liked white wines.
( Most pictures in my blog can be enlarged by clicking on the images. Try clicking on Maddie in my previous blog and you'll see what I mean )

According to researchers at the University of Spain in Barcelona, a research team discovered amphoras believed to have contained white wine. King Tut was sent off to the hereafter with both white and red wines. Wine amphora and wine scenes as pictured above have been found in Egyptian tombs as far back as 3150 BC.
Fast forward about 5000 years and we arrive at BIB's (Bag in the Box or as the Aussies call them Chateau Cardboard)
Wine companies such as Boisset from France and the Centerra wine company with the Vendange series from California claim to be having a measure of success in traditional markets. But really now, BIBS and Tetras might be fun and great for the patio and out among the Ponderosa pines, but would you really bring them out and plunk them on the dinner table while serving an elegant dinner for your guests, or with your Christmas and Easter dinners ? Do I hear dissenting voices? On the positive side, read Nick Lees article in Canada's Wine Access Magazine about the quality of boxed wines.
Help may be on its way, if you like your wine in a bottle . A UK mineral water company has launched the first biodegradable bottle. Now you won't even have to take those bottles back for a refund. They'll self destruct in no time. Of course mineral water and wine are quit different in their chemical composition. It remains to be seen whether the problem of the acidic nature of wine prematurely dissolving your bottle can be overcome. You wouldn't want that to happen before the wine has had a chance to age at least 3 months. What's next? Its summer, enjoy your wine in whatever vessel you prefer.

Maddie not mad about grapes!

Just a message and a reminder from Maddie:

Please no raisins or grapes for all my dog friends out there. The exact cause is not known but some dogs can definitely die from acute renal failure after ingesting grapes and raisins. So all you vintners out there please remember come harvest time not to let your pets get into those luscious grapes. To the rest of us who enjoy the fruit of the vine in its fermented form Maddie says "enjoy", but don't give me and my friends those wonderful sweet temptations. Cheers everyone!

Empires Come and ....Go

As promised in my last posting, we'll cover Emperor parker. I am sitting here with two recently acquired books. One is Hugh Johnson A Life Uncorked. The second one is Elin McCoy's The Emperor of Wine. Lets start with a well known fact that drinking and tasting wine is all very subjective. What Parker likes is not necessarily your or my cup of tea (or in this case ....glass of wine). The recent transAtlantic battle between Parker and Jancis Robinson proves that point once again. Jancis Robinson called the 2003 Château Pavie "a ridiculous wine". Parker loved the wine and thereby questioned her integrity. It is Parker's rating system that is creating all the buzz. Quoting from Hugh Johnson's " A Life Un corked, "If I missed the point of what Robert Parker was trying to do with his percentages of perfection, I made a mistake. To me his numbers game was simply irrelevant. He could score away as he liked, and I could enjoy my wine untroubled. It took years for the realization to dawn that his scoring was influencing the way wines were being made. He, of course, would say for the better. We have different tastes."
Parker has thoroughly ruffled the British wine press' feathers.
Sommeliers in all the finest restaurants do not have a great love for Parker Points. Says Eugenenio Jardin of San Francisco's "Jardiniere" ... "I tell a customer who says, 'Why don't you carry this Parker 100-point wine?' that if I serve you a wine you don't like, I'll be right here to talk about it. But if I serve a wine that Parker loves and you don't like it, I won't be able to get him on the phone for you." The power of Parker points are demonstrated in this slighlly altered Bob Johnson's cartoon shown above.
And how about Parker's recent sojourn into judging "star" wines. "Parker insists that when he used “opulent and luscious”, he was referring to the wine, not the star. OK,what about that Italian winemaker Roberto Cipresso. A very respected winemaker going into business with Savanna Samson. Formerly a papal vintner and now making wine with an American pornstar. Now let me see 1.1 billion Catholics or Parker Points porn star. I think I would stick with the papal crowd. I think the "Emperor" is slipping in the ratings. My favourite all time Emperor is still Moet & Chandon's biggest fan, The Emperor Napoleon himself. And you wondered what that picture at the top of this entry was all about? Well now you know. Empires come and go. Good luck Mr. Parker.

Labels sell wine!!

Especially when they show cuddly, feathery or other critter creatures. Sales of "critter " label wines have seen dramatic increases over the past five years. When a critter is on the label, Americans buy a new wine twice as often as the competition, according to the marketing information company ACNielsen. This whole phenomenon started with the introduction of Australia's [yellow tail] Even Robert Parker has good things to say about this success story from down under. (More about Mr. Parker in my next blog entry.) Last year 7.5 million cases were sold in the US alone. Jon Fredrikson, a California wine industry consultant, calls it "the perfect wine for a public grown up on soft drinks." All the more remarkable when you consider America's love affair with white zinfandel: 35 percent of US consumers drink this wine, accounting for sales of twenty-one million cases last year. But the trend is changing as the American palate matures. According to AC Nielsen, sales of Pinot Grigio ( Pinot Gris) increased 18.6 percent last year. Pinot Gris is predicted to surpass white zinfandel as the fourth-largest varietal in just two years.
It is also predicted that by 2009, the US will become the largest wine consuming country in the world. Italy will remain in second place and France is expected to fall from first to third spot. A number of factors account for this increased consumption of wine in North America. An increased awareness of the health benefits from moderate drinking as well as the fact that wine is becoming much more a part of our culture. There is a keen interest in anything relating to wine. Wine tourism, along with culinary tourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry.
For "critter" labels to be effective, the wine in the bottle has to be at least consumable. No one will buy the wine again, if it isn't at least good. Yellow tail delivers more wine than the price would indicate. Not great, but it satisfies the fruity style that Americans have grown to like. There are actually some "critter" label wines that are quite exceptional.
Venturi- Schulze Vineyards on Vancouver Island has a remarkable wine behind a different kind of critter label(shown at the top of this post). Not only is this an outstanding Champagne method wine but it also answers the question of which came first: The chicken or the egg. There is no doubt that it was the Grape that came first. The label was created by Cowichan Valley artist Angela Beltane. This fresh, lively, sparkling wine is made from Siegerrebe and Madeleine Angevine. It is named for the mix of small and large grapes in the Siegerrebe bunches.
How long will critter label wines stay popular? Anybody's guess. But I think only long enough for the next fad to come onto the marketing scene
Happy drinking and don't forget to pet your pet.

Wine, wine everywhere.... and too many drops to drink!

The world of wine is in a turmoil. Competition around the world is changing how governments, wine organizations and vintners think about how to compete in an ever-expanding wine market. The wine glut discussed in a previous post, has resulted in a variety of responses. To complicate matters, scientists will soon be able to genetically manipulate grapes. This will not only affect the quality of grapes but also their production levels. And how will that impact the influence of "terroir"? Will it give the big corporate wine companies an increased stonghold on the world wine markets? Scientists at the San Michelle all"Adige institute in Trentino have begun mapping the genetic make up of the Pinot Noir grape. Once the genome project is complete, alteration of the grape's genetic make up will become a reality. At the University of California, Davies, researchers are looking at ways to make wines an even more healthful drink by genetically altering grapes to increase their vitamin C content.
Meanwhile the EU is bowing to US demands to allow wines finished with oak chips to be sold in Europe. It is eassy to understand why. US wine exports to the EU were worth $325 million in 2005, while EU exports to the US were valued at 2.6 billion. The market is dictating what is acceptable and the EU is now allowing the use of oak chips. The French government has created quite a stir among traditionalists everywhere by legislating the use of oak chips. Just to add another wrinkle to wine sale worries, China's Changyu Group Co.,the oldest and largest wine producer in China has set its sites on becoming one of the top ten international producers in the next decade. Well there is another way of dealing with the competition. Just close your borders. Russia has effectively done that with wines coming from Georgia and Moldova. Is this a new form of cold war? This seems to be a politically motivated event and understandably Georgia and Moldova are outraged. Is the Russian Bear just rattling its saber or will sanity prevail?
Ultimately, quality is where it will be at. Germany is using a quality, as well as innovation approach. A new glass stopper is attracting some attention. Spain as well is clamouring about quality and some excellent wines from Spain are now available. Just to keep the cork versus other closures debate going, Spain has just legislated that all DO wines have to be stoppered with a real cork.
As the old hymn implores us "Let there be Peace in the Valley", all the great grape valleys in the world. Its time for me to open a bottle of wine, grab my favourite glass and partake of "the fruit of the vine". As Galileo said: "Wine is light, held together by water". And I am ready to enjoy one of the lights of my life. Till next time and remember: God in His goodness sent the grapes, to cheer both great and small; little fools will drink too much, and great fools none at all.-Anonymous.