Pop a Cork....Snap a Cap!!

It has been an embarrassing couple of weeks without any posts. My computer was crushed like a grape or rather my hard drive crashed. I had to open a lot of bottles of wine to cope and they included wines with screw-cap closures. My journey to accepting screw-caps began about 4 years ago while attending a lecture at a Society of Wine Educators conference in California. The sound of a cork popped out of a bottle has always appealed to me. Over the years I have learned to listen to and enjoy different styles of music, so I reasoned why not let the snappy crack of screw-cap be added to my list of pleasant sounds. So lets get with the times folks and accept the fact that screw-caps are here to stay and for good reasons.
After all, how many of us when served a glass of wine, can really tell whether it was poured from a cork stoppered bottle or one closed with a screw-cap?
(GlobalCap closure picture courtesy of Guala Closures North America)
A recent survey by AC Nielson as reported in Wine Business Monthly, found that there was a significant increase in acceptance and usage of screw-cap closures in North America. Britain's leading wine merchant, Berry Brothers have just switched to Stelvin closures for its house French reds and white.
But perhaps more telling and certainly a bold move, was the recent announcement by Maison Jean-Claude Boisset to launch their 2005 vintage Chambertin Grand Cru and their Beaune Premier Cru Les Bressandes with the screw-cap closure. Boisset will be using the Stelvin Lux+, the latest generation of screw-caps, which ensures a slight oxygenation of the wine through their high-performance seals. Another argument lost by traditionalists who claim only cork will allow this micro-oxygenation. This is a bold and innovative move in the Cote d'Or, as it will be the first time a grand cru wine will be closed with a screwcap.
"This pioneering spirit has always been a strong family trait," explains Jean-Charles Boisset. "We respect tradition, but at the same time, we try to encourage people to consider a new approach if the means are there to improve upon a wine's quality." Boisset has been a front runner in Burgundy for some time. The launch of their French Rabbit (scroll down to my June 5th, 2006 entry) was another example of their leadership on the Burgundian scene. I'm convinced. Screw-caps are in. It will be interesting to see what Maison Boisset will come up with next.

(Wine) Diamonds are Forever!

We are all familiar with the wine diamonds found clinging to the bottom of a cork or that have settled to the botom of the wine bottle. Cold stabilization will reduce the amount of these tartrate crystals that will eventually show up in some wines. For a good description of "wine diamonds" check out this article. But I am now talking about the real thing. Click on the above picture to get a closer glimpse at an 85 facets, $12000 diamond. Moet & Chandon's smiling representatives Philippe Bures,Flame Rodriguez and Richard Loewen were on hand in Victoria, British Columnbia, to make a presentation of this diamond to Daphne Korths, winner of a contest held by Moet & Chandon.

Personally I would rather take two of the Nebuchadnezzars and the rest in cash. And of course I would revisit one of my favorite Champagne houses wher it all began. Do you think the Dom ever envisioned a magnificent diamond like this to be associated with the Champagne house he inspired when he exclaimed "Come quickly, I am tasting stars"
Here is to you Dom Perignon. You will forever be remembered!!

Make mine a Dealc Wine, please!

Market demand for big, fruity highly extracted wines has caused many a vintner, particularly in California, to delay the harvesting of grapes. This has resulted in significant increases in sugar content with subsequent production of wines with higher alcohol levels.

But is North America's love affair with these higher alcohol content wines coming to an end?

According to this report from Appellation America dealcing wines is much more common than generally believed. Apart from adding water to dilute the alcohol content, the two methods employed in North America are the reverse osmosis and the spinning cone procedure. At the recently held new wine equipment Simei Exposition in Milan, Velo introduced their Dealc 2000 system. (scroll down the article to the Velo dealcing system) This new technology lowers the alcohol content in wine by a combination of reverse osmosis and distillation. The reverse osmosis permeate is the only part of the wine to be heated to remove the alcohol by distillation. An indication that European winemakers are also concerned with high alcohol wines.

British wine drinkers, who by and large were responsible for the Bordeaux wine region's success are apparently returning to the more traditional style of wine. Marketing gurus at the major UK supermarket, Marks & Spencer are predicting a change in consumer preference towards a lower alcohol wine. A vindication perhaps of Jancis Robinson's opinion of the 2003 Chateau Pavie as opposed to Parker's preference. As I discussed in my December 2006 entry on this blog expect many exciting and interesting happenings in 2007. I leave you with this quote: "The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do." (Galileo, 1564-1642, Italian physicist and astronomer) Too much sun, too much sugar, too much alcohol. Maybe its time for some changes in viticultural practices, especially in light of global warming.

Here a vineyard, there a vineyard, everywhere a vineyard!

Old McDonald had a farm... but now it is a vineyard. Everywhere you go in North America, new vineyards are being planted and new wineries are getting established.

Including here on Vancouver Island, BC. One of the oldest and well established vineyards and winery is the Blue Grouse Vineyards in the beautiful Cowichan Valley. This picture was taken just prior to their bountiful 2006 harvest.

An amazing 1000 new wineries were added last year in North America. Colorado saw the largest % increase (46%) in new wineries of any of the states. Have a look at this well made video taken at the Winter Park Winery. You can almost smell the grapes.

Canada also had a large % increase with 128 new wineries added and British Columbia leading the way with 46 new wineries. Other wine regions, notably Chile, Argentina, Russia, India and China are also adding new wineries at a fast pace. Why is this happening? Certainly here in North America, it is fuelled by the tremendous surge in interest in all things related to wine, not the least of which is the health implication of drinking wine, especially red wines. Our love affair with wine is infectious and the exuberance shown by our younger generation is rapidly making wine an accepted and well established part of our culture.The consumption of wine by the Millennial generation has increased from 10 percent in 2004 to 17 percent in 2006.

We are making our own decisions as to which wines and what style we prefer. The Wine Spectator and The Wine Advocate are not nearly as influential with our new found knowledge and desire to make our own decisions.

"Designation and certification of American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in the United States and Designated Viticultural Areas (DVAs) in Canada has been, and continues to be, the necessary first step in shifting the North American wine culture to the kind of appellation-focused paradigm that will greatly broaden interest and expand markets." The foregoing is a direct quote from Appelation North America's publisher Roger Dial. As usual Roger has hit the nail right on the head. Be sure to read this interesting article.

One final note. We have all heard the expressions "So much wine, so little time" and "Life is too short to drink bad wine" My thought is that life is too short... period. So have another glass of wine and enjoy them all while you can. I know I will.

What's in a Name (Wine Label)??

As you will notice, I have added "DogPile" in my sidebar. It is a handy little search engine bringing all the best search engines like Google, Ask,
Yahoo!search and MSN search, together in a nice little pile. Give it a try.
I am sure you have noticed that I like to keep up on the benefits of drinking wine. Before it was generally known that drinking red wine is good for you, I was merrily drinking wines and even putting up with the side effects of partaking of too much of a good thing. Now I can look back on that and think that I was actually doing myself some good. So type in "Red Wine Benefits" into the DogPile Search engine and watch a few items come up.

And soon France will be sporting some new labels. Hurting from reduced consumption at home and slumping sales abroad caused by competition from New World wines French vintners will be able to present their wines with a new "Vignobles de France" label. Ooh la la! If you can't beat them , join them. You can't please them all though. Vintners in the Languedoc-Roussilon region aren't too thrilled with this new development. After all they have been promoting their single varietal wines for some time now on the export markets and were already producing "vins de cepage" wines. Fortant, The pioneer brand of French varietal wine was the leader and has been producing varietal labeled wines since the 1980's.

Just to help the French out a little I have produced a label for them as shown above. Or how about that Fat Bastard? Be sure to visit Peter Mays' site to get a look at over 200 unusual labels, including the above Fat Bastard Chardonnay. Is it time for the French to put out a "Skinny Bastard" wine?

In New Zealand they are rejoicing over a new wine label agreement. Members of the World Wine Trade Group (WWTG) signed an agreement on wine Labels. The agreement establishes rules for the what may be allowed on labels regarding product name, country of origin and alcohol content. A small victory for Canada as well, in that to be able to use the term icewine on the label, the grapes must be frozen on the vine.

Meanwhile back on the ranch in the good old USA a new labeling requirement has vintners alarmed and questioning its sanity. A new federal proposal would see redesigned labels to warn consumers who are allergic to certain foods. For a take on one person's enlightened opinion on that, go to this site.

So many good things to put on a wine label, why not simply lump all the negative requirements under "Consumer Beware" with a federal website address where you can go and spend a half hour or so reading all the terrible things that can happen to you when you partake of the "Fruit of the Vine"

Red wine Rx for your health!

Professor Roger Corder, head of the Department of Experimental Therapeutics at the William Harvey Research Institute in London has published his scientific research indicating that red wines rich in polyphenols, specifically procyanadins, are potent inhibitors of Endothelin-1. Endothelin-1 causes constriction of blood vessels in the heart which leads to formation of atherosclerotic plaque. Polyphenols are chemical components in grape skins which account for color and mouthfeel. Phenolic ripeness leads to soft sweet tannins creating a full soft mouthfeel. According to Roger Corder
regions that produce wines with higher procyanidins have longer life expectancies among the locals. Wines from southwest France appear to have higher levels. The Mendoza region in Argentina is another wine region where polyphenols accumulate in greater amounts
due to increased sunlight intensity at higher altitudes. The Malbec and Cabernet sauvignon grapes are particularly affected. Another great marketing tool in the making? Perhaps we can bring these wines in duty free with a prescription from our doctor. How would the boys and girls at customs deal with this if we brought in our wines after a visit to some of these regions because our doctors prescribed them? For a good article on resveratrol visit this site.

As always click on the pics to see the larger versions but above all have another glass of health giving red wine.

Fake Icewine warning......!!!

(click to enlarge pictures) Fake icewine label and Victoria, Vancouver Island's largest selection of Icewines at The Wine Barrel.

British Columbia had an outstanding Icewine crop for the 2006 vintage. (see my December 3 entry in archives) Other areas in the eastern states and Ontario have not had the required Icewine temperatures and most icewine makers have all but given up hope of picking grapes for this vintage. Some have picked the grapes set aside for icewine production and are turning it into late harvest dessert wines. Ontario did get a cold snap this past week and some Icewine harvesting is happening there. With an increasing interest in and popularity of Icewine there will be a shortage of Icewines next year. China will be making icewines but they won't be the real thing. Natural frosts with the grapes allowed to stay on the vine and picking the grapes in the summer and then using a deep freeze are just not the same. Because of the potential shortage watch for the imitation and fake icewines to come on the market in increased numbers. If it is a true Canadian Icewine look for the VQA designation on the label. Often fake icewine labels have some grammatical errors as well as spelling mistakes as in the above label. They dance around the word "icewine" carefully and use confusing language. One final note. With all that has been written these past weeks on Icewines there is one point that needs correction if you run across it. There are temperature and minimum brix requirements but there are no date restrictions. The grapes can be picked any time when the temperature drops to -8 degrees Centigrade and not November 15 as I have seen in some publications. I know, because I have discussed this with the world's expert on Icewine, John Schreiner. I hope you will get the opportunity to enjoy a "real "Icewine sometime soon.

More Air... with the Air Au Vin.

Wine needs a little air before consumption.
Enlarge by clicking on pics. If you happen to visit beautiful downtown Victoria, BC, stop at

The Wine Barrel and pick one of these up.

Be sure to read my follow up post for the reason air (oxygen) is an essential element in the development of great wines.

Grand Vin de Bourgogne....and 160 years of O2!

There is something magical about wandering among the vines in Burgundy, especially when you are Thierry Violot-Guillemard proudly harvesting his outstanding 2005 vintage. Well worth a visit if you happen to be in Pommard. Be sure to click on the above pictures.

Imagine the magic if you could have attended this special tasting. My invitation was lost in the mail but they went ahead anyway with a most memorable dinner in honor of Bouchard Père & Fils, celebrating its 275th anniversary. And what an incredible event this would have been. This is where you close your eyes every time you take a sip of these glorious wines. No Parker points needed. I don't think they even sent him an invite. Quoting from the article "Scientists know that the gradual interaction between a fine wine and small amounts of oxygen results in what we call aging." One hundred and sixty years of glorious Burgundian oxygen.

The great majority of us will never have an opportunity to attend such a grand affair but speaking of air (oxygen), I am a firm believer in allowing a little air to mingle freely with my red wine before I sit down to enjoy it. Decanting comes to mind but if you are in a hurry to get to your wine, which I always seem to be, then this nifty little gadget (click on the demo button) is what you have been looking for.

Wine... from Cradle to Grave?

Catholics have been in the marketing business for centuries. "Fish only, on Fridays" gave a huge boost to the European fish markets for centuries. Today we all eat fish because it is good for our health. Those good old omega-3's are found in abundance in fatty fish such as sardines,salmon, trout and herring.
So besides getting your daily dose of resveratrol, be sure to eat plenty of fish.
But a little future planning is always in order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland is ready to help you out. Always had a hankering to be surrounded by vineyards? Well, if it doesn't work out for you in this life, your loved ones can take care of it for you in your afterlife.
There is some marketing potential here. For instance, a case of wine or two could be produced in your remembrance on an annual basis. The back label could proclaim "This wine produced in the tranquil Valley of Peace has a lot of body....etc."
Perhaps a franchising opportunity in the making? Now if they also plant vineyards on property surrounding children's nurseries, the diocese could truly claim to be taking care of you from cradle to grave. Here is a toast to all you wine loving Catholics out there!