Where are “Our” Wine Boosters?

We’ve been writing about local wines since 2008 and over those years we have observed the value of an engaged, motivated and winery supported blogging community for the local wine industry.  One needs look no further than the Virginia wine community of bloggers to get an idea about how our Midwest wine industry could benefit.  Here are just a few of the Virginia wine boosters:

Drink what you like: http://drinkwhatyoulike.wordpress.com/

Swirl, Sip, Snark: http://swirlsipsnark.com/?tag=virginia-wine-blog

VA Wine Dogs: http://vawinedogs.blogspot.com/

Virginia Pour House: http://virginiapourhouse.com/

Virginia Wine Time: http://www.virginiawinetime.com/

As of January, 2014 Virginia had 223 wineries (source: Wines & Vines) and the 2012 Economic Impact the wine industry had on their state was about $775 million dollars.  Currently the state of Virginia is number #5 for number of wineries.  That’s a big deal and a lot of that is in rural communities.

The Midwest wine region certainly can support an enthusiastic array of wine writers, photographers and boosters to help show the world that our wines are worthy of attention!

WINE WRITERS UNITE!  We encourage writers, lovers of local wines, photographers to start a wine blog, populate it regularly with content, and share it with us and your friends.  Together we can make a huge difference for our state/region, the industry and to good wine drinking.

Help us find other Midwest wine bloggers and writers by dropping a note here or on our Two Wine Brothers Facebook page.

Cheers,
Brad

I Say "Make More Bubbly!"

Jeff, Kirk and Brad - Producers for the film:
Wine Diamonds: Uncorking America's Heartland
www.winediamondsfilm.com

This past Thursday we were putting the finishing touches on the fundraising "pitch piece" we'll be using in the near future for our movie, Wine Diamonds: Uncorking America's Heartland.  We filmed a few segments in the winery at Kirkwood Community College before heading over to the Hotel at Kirkwood, a working/teaching hotel and conference center where we'd finish filming our pitch.

We knew Kirkwood's own wine/viticulture program lead and head

Lucas McIntire, Winemaker

winemaker (Lucas McIntire) would be there pouring samples of his wines and giving the first taste of this brand new sparkler.  Lucas is the kind of winemaker you think of when you think of those great winemakers: full of passion for the industry, knowledgeable, creative and his love of wines is contagious!   

The line to taste his wines seemed to recycle very frequently and he could be heard across the room enthusiastically describing each one to his adoring fans. His wines are extraordinary!

After shooting our pitch we met up with Lucas and our friend Lauren (who owns the Secret Cellar) and we shot some additional footage for our "on-the-road" segments.  

Frontenac Gris - note the amber color of this "white" wine.

Toward the end of our filming we were invited back to his wine cellar where we sampled his wines and was completely amazed by this Frontenac Gris wine.  He grows several dozen varieties of cold-hardy grapes and Frontenac Gris, when fermented by the uninitiated can come off as tart, or bland and unappealing, but not this one.  Lucas described how he had to patiently wait while this gris (grey) grape slowly ripened, waiting, testing, and waiting until an amber elixir of the most elegant nature emerged.  This wine is big, juicy, mouth-filling, fruity, dry and absolutely delicious.  Honestly, this is one of the very best white wines I've had in the Midwest ...hell, anywhere!  Just amazing!

The crazy thing is...while this spectacular wine was captivating it's

Available in Eastern Iowa Only!

sister, a sparkling wine, made in the traditional method (Methode Chamenoise), from Adelmiina (a grape you've probably never heard of before), LaCrescent and Okanagon Riesling grapes was jaw droppingly exquisite.  On this night Lucas debuted his 2013 release of his sparkling wine.  In the glass this lively bubbly was gorgeous, trillions of bubbles (just an estimate), a sexy straw color, and a dazzling array of aromas - citrus: lemon and lime, apple blossom, and fresh bread; and to top it off, the flavors popped with bright acidity and a scrumptious citrus, apple, and toasty yeast essence that whispered how well it'd be with food.

The sad news for those not living in eastern Iowa is that you're missing out on some of of the most exciting wines coming on the scene.  

Lucas' sparkler is among the best I've had.  This is a winemaker to follow...and if you have the opportunity to buy his wines, particularly this beautiful bubbly, get it today!

If other Midwest winemakers could emulate what Lucas McIntire (Kirkood Community College) and John Burns (Barrelhead Winery) are doing with traditional method sparkling wines then we'd soon gain national prominence.  

I say...make more bubbly!!  

Crazy Good Wines!

By Brad Johnson

My brother and I began writing about wines back in December of 2008 and since then a lot has transpired, both personally and professionally, but the last couple of years were a gut punch of sorts as I left my job to care for our mother before she passed away.

Leaving my winery job, my dream job, was difficult but in the long run has been really good for me.  In the past two years I began working as a wine industry consultant helping wineries and other businesses with public relations, marketing and communications.  Last year my friend and business partner/guru (Kurt Karr) and I were speakers at the Iowa Wine Growers Association where we shared our views on branding, social media marketing, and marketing in general.  It was a hoot!

This year, after working with a local creative productions company (we created television commercials for a mutual client) called MVP Video Productions, we decided to come together and create a feature length documentary movie, called “Wine Diamonds: Uncorking America’s Heartland.”  We’ve been filming since July 2014 and will continue to shoot until fall of 2015.

Winemaker John gives Jennifer a barrel sample

Out and about I get to taste a lot of wine, a lot of very good wine, and occasionally there are wineries where something magical is taking place.  Those are the wineries I get very excited about.  I’ve known about Barrelhead Winery (near Dubuque, IA) for several years and revisited them again this fall with our good friend Jennifer Farnum.  We’d planned an all day long winery road trip but never made it past John Burn’s winery.

Barrelhead Winery is one of Iowa’s (if not the Midwest) best wineries!  Period.  Or is that Exclamation point?!  Either way.  Granted, I’ve known John for a while and have always been impressed with his wines, but on this trip (and another more recent trip with my friend Martin Blind) it was reinforced. 

John was kind enough to take us into his barrel room and provide us samples of his wines - all estate grown and made.  Our first wine, a Marechal Foch, straight from the 2014 harvest and still in its stainless steel tank was our first “barrel” sample.  Extraordinary!  If you know anything about Marechal Foch it is a bugger to work with, in other words, there is what’s become affectionately known as the “Foch Funk,” a heavy herbaceous quality that’s just not the most appealing aroma or flavor for a wine.  Somehow, someway John has tamed the Foch beast and created an amazingly special wine.  Let me say that again to those that have ripped out their Marechal Foch plants - replant, talk to John, and make more of this lovely elixir. 

This Foch is so un-Fochlike that some wine competition judges have docked his Foch wine for lacking Foch characteristic --- Really!?!?  Wasn’t that the point? 

Moving on in the barrel room we were given samples, of various years, of St. Croix, Leon Millot, GR-7 (Geneva Red 7) and Marechal Foch.  One thing was for certain - these wines are fantastic!  The St. Croix and Leon Millot, both wines typically suffer under the heavy hands of some winemakers, are elevated to the heavens in this back road winery. 

Back at his winery tasting room we were treated to more exceptional wines.  Don’t get me wrong when I say the following, because his dry red wine are really amazing and worthy of serious recognition, but his sparkling wines…are as good as I’ve ever had.  Painfully good!  He wants to go toe-to-toe with the French in competition and given what I know about John and his wines, I’d place my bet on his sparklers!

John uses the traditional method (also known as Méthode Champenoise) - the slow and laborious way to make sparkling wines (aka: Champagne style wine) and in my opinion, the only way to make a truly great sparkler - using his own grapes.  Enchanting!

Folks…this is the real deal.  If every winery in the Midwest made wines like these there is little doubt we’d become a serious wine destination!

John is a character, the best sort of wine character with a lot of personality and passion for wines that others could emulate.  I highly recommend visiting his winery to enjoy these fantastic wines.  You can only find his wines at BarrelheadWinery.   

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

2009 Fireside Winery, Frontenac, Iowa

Terry Post:

2009 Fireside Winery, Frontenac, Iowa

A few years ago I was discussing with my brother a concept taught in B-School, that was the, "unfair competitive advantage".  An unfair competitive advantage is a business situation where a company has a product which was so superior or so different that it was seen as having an unfair advantage over its competitors.  As an example, a few years ago the brand Soft Soap was the first to market with soap dispensed from a bottle via a pump. 

For those of you under thirty trust me on this one - it was a big deal.  The unfair competitive advantage held by Soft Soap was that the pump device which was necessary to patented and the Soft Soap brand bought exclusive use rights over the pump mechanism for three years.  This unfair competitive advantage allowed Soft Soap to firmly establish itself as the premier product and immune from competition for three full years.

Now to Iowa wine.  What is the unfair competitive advantage which Iowa holds over France, California, Australia, Oregon, Washington or any other wine producing region?  Could it be Frontenac?  I am not sure.  I think when things settle out, it is my opinion that Brianna will provide that unfair competitive advantage for Iowa grape growers.

My impressions: 

Garnet in the glass. 

Not much on the nose.  With a lot of sloshing and more effort than should be necessary I could detect tart cherries.

One dimensional fruit with a brief acidic finish.  Warming.  Perhaps some added alcohol??

It paired satisfactorily with the Mother's Day prime rib I prepared for my bride of thirty-seven years. Food friendly thanks to the acidity.  A good but not great dining companion.

Disclaimer:  It is perhaps not fair to be writing about a 2009 Frontenac in 2014.  Five years in the bottle may be too much to expect from any Frontenac.

Recommended.  If for no other reason than I really want Iowa wines to succeed.  Will buy a more recent vintage the next time I make the trip West.

$15ish at the Winery

~ Terry

2011 Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Russian River Valley

Terry post:

Restaurant Week in Washington DC is a wonderful thing and the wife and I are taking full advantage with one dinner, one lunch and one brunch out.  Yesterday we had a nearly perfect lunch at Range, one of the dining off-shoots from “Top Chef” alumnus Bryan Voltaggio.

During evening hours the restaurant advertises three sommelier on duty but during lunch there are precisely zero.

So even I, dear reader, was somewhat overwhelmed by page after page of sparklers, whites and reds in their aluminum-covered wine list.  What to do?  What to do?  I took the cowards way out and selected a nice safe Paul Hobbs Chardonnay.

My impressions:

Medium gold in the glass - a shade deeper in hue than any chardonnay I have sampled in a very long time.  

Bright citrus and vanilla on the nose when first poured and swirled about.  Too much oak?  I don't think so.

Medium bodied with a brief caramel finish.

It paired spectacularly with my intensely flavored goat cheese ravioli. 

Food friendly.  Complementing while not overwhelming. 

Recommended.

$62 at Ranch in DC.
$35ish at retail

~ Terry

Terry post:

2010 Port of Leonardtown Winery "1634" Chardonnay

When it comes to wine I am a "homer".  That is, I strongly support the local teams and unabashedly so.  So, it came with a great deal of anticipation and apprehension that I visited the Port of Leonardtown Winery a few weeks ago and bought a case of Vidal Blanc and a case of their premium Chardonnay, labeled "1634".

The anticipation was that I bought a case of the Vidal Blanc - I believe it to be far-and-away their best wine. 

The apprehension was that my last sampling of the 2009 "1634" was deeply disappointing.  It's razor sharp acidity made it nearly undrinkable.

I was hoping that for whatever reason: global warming, Federal Reserve policies, Kepler's harmonic theorem, sunspots, or whatever that the 2010 version of their premium chardonnay would be superior to the 2009 version.

I was not disappointed.

My impressions:  Light wheat color in the glass.  Subtle perfume of flowers and grass in front.  Nicely balanced with the acidity only slightly over-taking the understated sugars.  Medium bodied.  Not a full-bodied monster like French Montrachet and also not overly buttery.  A friendly companion for dining.

I enjoyed a bottle with a dinner of Pasta with Oysters and Mushrooms.  It stood up very well to the challenging umami-intense offering. 

Highly Recommended

$15ish at the winery

Updated on August 22, 2013 based on three subsequent tastings.

Midwest Winery to Watch - Elmaro Vineyard

Brad Post

This past weekend my wife, Jill, and I spent the New Years Eve weekend in Lacrosse, WI.  While there we made time to visit some friends who recently opened a winery (Elmaro Vineyard) in Trempealeau, nestled beautifully within the Mississippi River valley.

Elmaro Vineyard (taken from website)

The winery, built on the family farmstead, is attractively styled for visitors and creatively designed for wine making.  Planning includes use of gravity-fed systems, to gently move the grape juice and must, thoughtfully constructed cold-stabilization rooms to take advantage of naturally cool temperatures, and a top-tier mobile bottling line (useful for bottling at their winery and contracting to other local wineries - read more about it here).

Elmaro Wines - picture from website

The beautifully crafted and undulating tasting room bar encourages visitors to cozy up to the bar.  Our hosts were gracious and allowed us ample time to taste and enjoy each of the wines.  The Elmaro Rosa, a fruity and fun blush wine containing Concord and Catawba, was wonderfully balanced and it's easy to see why it is incredibly popular.  Mine and Jills favorite was the off-dry Vidal Blanc - sumptuously aromatic and deliciously pleasing on the palate!

One of the most satisfying aspects of visiting a winery is getting to know the owners, their wine making philosophy, and to get a read on the passion they have for wine making. It's truly a family operation with an immense sense of pride and professionalism going into each bottle.  

Great things are happening at the winery and if you have an opportunity, or live within a few hours, you really need to visit!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

We Wear Many Hats

Brad Post:

When most people think of working in a winery they probably conjure images of the winemaker, the tasting room attendant, or someone out in the vineyard tending the vines. And for large winery operations it's probably a valid conceptualization, however, for most of us in the wine business, those of us in a small-to-mid sized winery, we wear many hats.

In 2005 I began playing around with making wine and shortly thereafter enrolled in an enology (wine science) program.  By 2008 my interests took me to a local winery where, until June, I volunteered to learn winery operations and gained a great deal of knowledge.  With my shiny new wine making credentials in hand and my college teaching baggage behind me, I sought full time employment.

The wine gods must have been smiling on me because, in short order, I found myself up to my neck in a job, whose making was my own.  You see in these parts of the country it isn't often a guy can find full time employment in a winery, frankly because most operations are small family-run enterprises, but I was lucky.

Understanding wine from the perspective of a winemaker, and as a vocal advocate for a regional wine industry, was a bonus as I began my new endeavor.  As the External Relations Manager, a fancy new title that captures everything from public and social media relations, writing and editing, to my main focus - strengthening and building a wholesale program, I wear many hats.

Some days I visit potential wholesale/retail accounts, other days I deliver wines, many days are filled with scheduling my volunteer wine ambassadors monthly wine tastings.  There are days when I work behind the tasting room bar serving guests, while other times I shoot a short video and post on YouTube, but all times I am thrilled to be part of a growing local wine industry.

I'd like to think that I am somehow special in this way but I know I am not.  I meet many colleagues who wear the same hats, perhaps in different ways, but we are all trying hard to do it right.

The days become weeks and weeks blend together too quickly.  The Summer events are now the snapshots I visit on my Facebook photo album, and our harvest, which began in late August finally reached its zenith last week with the delivered Cabernet, Merlot and Zinfandel.  I rode shotgun during the fermentation while the winemaker took a week-long vacation.  Another hat.  Working in the cellar doing Punch Downs and Pump-Over operations was enjoyable and brought me back to my wine making roots.  I've missed that.

Can't help but wonder what's in store as the next year approaches and what style of hat I'll be wearing. 

Cheers, my wine friends!
~Brad


















 

NV Freixenet, Cordon Negro, Brut, Spain

Terry post:

Sparkling wine and Champagne are associated with special occasions. I once read that over 70% of the sparkling wine and Champagne consumed in America was reserved for parties, celebrations and other non-ordinary days. Only around 30% of those wines being consumed during non-special times such as ordinary dining.

Sparklers can be reliable friends for pairing with foods when nothing else seems to fit. Having characteristics which are both bold and subtle I am fearless in pairing sparklers with virtually any food. They go with anything!

It was Winston Churchill who famously consumed vast quantities of French Champagne with oysters during with colleagues during late night political ramblings at his country home, "Chartwell". While I have not had a Churchill Champagne/Oysters night myself: it remains one of my bucket list.

My impressions:

Light-gold in the glass.

Fragrant with flowers and green apple most prominent when first poured. As the wine warms in the glass I noted a more pronounced citrus fragrance.

Wonderful acidity but not to the point of overwhelming. Very food friendly. I have paired this sparkler with omelets, curry dishes and Alfredo topped pasta all to great success.

Long-lasting citrus finish.

I continue to be impressed with this wine. I have enjoyed it for several years now and found it to be a reliable friend. It is a very good wine at a very reasonable price making it a spectacular value in the sparkling wine category.

You don't need a special occasion to drink this sparkler. At the price and quality this is an every day wine which should not be passed by.

Highly recommended.

$9.00ish at the Fort Belvior PX.

~ Terry

2010 BV Coastal Estates, Pinot Grigio, California

Terry post:

Poetry is a lot like wine. Some like it and most don't and everyone has an opinion about it. And like opinions about wine they are equally valid because if you like it - it is good. Anybody who tries to tell you otherwise has an ax to grind. My opinions about wine and poetry are just that: my opinions.

"Barking" by Jim Harrison.

The moon comes up.

The moon goes down.

This is to inform you

that I didn’t die young.

Age swept past me

but I caught up.

Spring has begun here and each day

brings new birds up from Mexico.

Yesterday I got a call from the outside

world but I said no in thunder.

I was a dog on a short chain

and now there’s no chain.

I like Jim Harrison's poems a lot. They all are rich and crisp and pair well with my favorite foods. They are inexpensive and easily found. They are deeply hued and smell of flowers, citrus, grapes, loss or love.

My Impression:

Pale straw in the glass.

Light bodied with floral nose. A little more acidic than I expect from a Pinot Grigio making it a better candidate for food paring. Short green pepper finish.

Recommended, but only because of it's price. Were this an $10 Pinot Grigio I'd take a pass on it. But being a value shopper I am willing to endure its timidity.

$4.99 at the Fort Belvior PX.

~Terry

2009 Port of Leonardtown Winery, "1634" Chardonnay, Maryland

Terry post:

Those who know me and those who read my blogging know that I appreciate the challenges and efforts of small wineries who are working to determine which varietal grows where best and how coax the best wine from the grapes. I have particular interest in Maryland, Virginia as well as Iowa. For different reasons all are exciting grape growing areas where the jury is still out on which grapes are best suited to the soil and the climate.

My personal experience has been such that I have enjoyed Chamborcin, Vidal Blanc and Merlot in Virginia and Maryland and Brianna in Iowa. The coming decade will prove an interesting time as growers and consumers negotiate what they like and what they will try.

That brings me around to a Chardonnay grown in Maryland. There is always a challenge for any American winery when they enter into the realm of the varietals which are well-known and for which a certain expectation exists. This makes life challenging for the mid-Atlantic states when they create a produce which is well known and well understood by the wine drinking public but which is not optimized for the soil or the climate.

My impressions:

Pale yellow in the glass - lighter in color than most Chardonnays.

Bright citrus on the nose.

Overwhelming acidity across the the palate to the point where I couldn't taste anything beyond the acidity. Short tart finish.

I tried pairing the wine with creamy and butter-based sauces and found it's razor sharp finish too demanding of even the richest sauce Alfredo. Easily the most acidic tasting Chardonnay I have ever sampled.

I wished that I liked it more. I have drank three bottle and found that it did not vary in it's characteristics.

The Port of Leonardtown Winery is taking a big risk in growing Chardonnay in Maryland. I wish them every success. This offering is not up to their usual high standards of quality.

Not recommended.

$16ish at the winery.

~ Terry

2009 Port of Leonardtown Winery, Captain's Table, Dry Red Table Wine, Maryland

Terry post:

Note: This is my second review of this wine. The first review can be found here.

If it isn't already obvious, I am a fan of this Maryland brand as they dig and claw to create something new and wonderful as the state bureaucracy seems bent on destroying indigenous wine.

My Impressions:

Medium red in the glass. A middleweight fighting up one weight class against bigger bolder reds.

Spicebox on the nose with cherries and dark fruit across the palate. Interesting blend but lacking the punch I'd hoped for.

Short herbal finish.

The label is mute as to its constituent wines. My guess is that it is primarily Merlot and Chambourcin, with a low tannic red (Cab Franc, maybe) and maybe an off-dry white to fill in the cracks and round off the edges. Just guessing. But, I'd be surprised if Merlot and Chambourcin were not the primary wines in the blend.

I paired it last evening with pasta with marinara sauce, steamed artichokes and garlic bread. Despite it middleweight status it held up very well against the garlic-infused marinara sauce.

Recommended.

~ Terry

2010 Barton & Guestier, Vouvray, France

Terry post:

I have very little experience with Chenin Blanc wines having been turned off early by the crap which came out of California in the late 1970s. Having endured sweet Chenin Blancs from the likes of Ernest and Julio Gallo did, for a very long time, turn me off completely from the varietal.

Well. It is the 21st Century. Maybe it is time for me to give another Chenin Blanc a try.

My impression:

Very pale in the glass.

Off dry. Not razor sharp and crisp like a Chardonnay nor syrupy like so many of the U.S. Chenin Blancs.

A nimble combination of understated acidity balanced with a light floral and melon nose.

Slightly drying in the herbal finish.

I enjoyed this wine with seared sea scallops and an apple compote. They worked very well together.

Recommended.

$8.99 at the Fort Belvior PX.

~ Terry

What Eagle Outfitters can Teach the Wine Industry about Brand Ambassadors

Terry post:

Much as been written about the persuading customers to become brand ambassadors for a given companies product line.

A few years ago the clothing brand Quicksilver featured an outrageous video of surfers tossing dynamite into a river and then surfing the waves downstream. While innovative and an instant viral video, it did little to cause individual consumers to more closely identify with the product. It was sensational but did not customers to align with the brand.

Gatoraide a manufacturer of sports drinks, "...tweets good luck messages to star athletes..." and "...Girls Intelligence Agency...gives them free products...(to) organize a slumber party with their friends to try them out..." (Source: The Economist).

My favorite example of brand ambassadorship has to do with Eagle Outfitters on New York's Time Square where they employ a huge multi-story LED display to flash pictures of anyone who buys their products. This instant, albeit brief, celebrity enables the buyers to get pictures of themselves on the huge screen and then to share the images with their friends.

The Wine Industry has not been all that innovative with creating unique examples of brand identity. If you are aware of unique techniques being used in the Wine Industry to more closely align vintners with the buying public: I'd love to hear about it.

~ Terry

Source: "Hidden Persuaders II", The Economist, , September 24, 2011, p. 80.

2009 Penfolds, Koonuga Hill, Shiraz Cabernet

Terry post:

When ever I think of Australian wines I have two memories which come immediately to mind.

The first memory is that of being Officer of the Deck on the USS ENGLAND (CG-22) during a mid-watch in the South Pacific Ocean as we steamed South. It was a calm, cloudless and moonless evening as we sliced quietly through the dark waters en route to Australia. I recall standing alone on the starboard bridge wing and looking up into the universe above me. The ocean was pitch with only the slightest phosphorescence as the bow pierced the occasional wave. The sky was the clearest I have ever seen and the millions of stars which shone upon the sky seemed close enough to touch. My place as a human being on a ship in the ocean seemed so utterly small and meaningless that I laughed out loud. It was humbling and an experience that I hold close in my heart twenty-six years after the event.

My second memory was tasting red wines from South Australia. They were not very good.

Thankfully, in the nearly thirty years since my one, and only trip, to Australia things have improved in the Australian red wine scene.

My impressions:

Big nose on this one. Eucalyptus, dark fruit and cherries dominate.

A middle-weight on the palate with dark fruit quickly displaced by thin tannins and a brief finish. There isn't really anything wrong with the wine, but it isn't the sort of shiraz-blend powerhouse which I have recently come to expect from Australia.

That said: I like it. I paired it with a dinner of leftover Beef Bourguignon, pecans, dates and cheese. It stood up very well with the hearty beef offering.

All-in-all a great value providing a full, dry red wine experience at a bargain basement price. It is not full-bodied monster like some of the Yalumba shiraz blends, but at $8 to $10 at retail you'd be hard pressed to find a better value.

Recommended

$7.99 at the Fort Belvior PX.

~ Terry

What Steve Jobs has to tell the Wine Industry about Quality

Terry post:

It would have been five, or so, years ago when a winery rep showed up at the door at Restaurant 213. She was rep'ing a mid-sized winery located in the beautiful rolling hills West of Baltimore and brought along twelve different wines.

We tasted them all and chose not to add any to our wine list as none were sufficiently interesting and they were pricey given the quality of the product.

I was thinking about this wine rep's visit this past weekend as I visited my brother in Iowa. He'll shortly be taking on rep duties for a Iowa winery and I was sharing my thoughts on the matter.

Forbes magazine recently carried a short article regarding a telephone conversation between Steve Jobs (Apple CEO) and Mark Parker (Nike CEO) in 2006 regarding quality. According to the article, Mr. Jobs recommendation to Mr. Parker was quite succinct: "...you also make a lot of crap. Just get rid of the crappy stuff and focus on the good stuff".

It sounds like common sense advice: do what you do well and get rid of the stuff you don't do well. But, how many of us would be willing to discard a large portion of our product line to focus on a few select items.

As a good comparison take a look at the web site for Apple and then Nokia and search for their phones. Both Apple and Nokia sell smart phones but it is evident that Apple follows Mr. Jobs advice to focus on the good stuff. The Nokia site is complicated and once you get to the telephone section you'll note that there are twenty-two phones to choose from. Apple has one phone, their best product, the iPhone 4.

Now how does this apply to the wine business? In my wine tastings it is far too common to see ten, twelve or even more wines being produced at a single winery: this is the equivalent of Nokia providing twenty-two cell phones.

It takes guts to reduce the size of any business portfolio be it consumer electronics or wine. When Mr. Jobs returned to Apple, the company had more than 300 different products. Today you could place the entire Apple product line on a small dining room table.

Apple's elimination of low margin products allowed the company to focus on their core competency of innovation and design.

It is inconceivable that small capitalized wineries have the time, expertise and experience to field a wide portfolio of offerings and that over-reach results in underperformance. The Apple model of concentrating on a small portfolio, executed well seems to provide the best example for the small winery.

Perhaps, just perhaps, small wineries could benefit from Mr. Jobs advice and, "Just get rid of the crappy stuff and focus on the good stuff".

~ Terry

Source: "Steve Jobs: Stop Making the Crappy Stuff", Forbes Magazine, May 16 2011

What the Dresden Codex has to Tell us About Wine Rating

Terry post:

How about a little experiment?

I'd like you to begin counting. Speak the numbers to yourself or out loud: it doesn't matter. Count out five or six numbers which are consecutive. Now ask yourself, "why did I begin where I began"?

If you are like the overwhelming majority of people you'll have begun counting with the number one and proceeded through two, three, four, five and six. You'll have started at the beginning and worked outward from there. But did you really begin at the beginning? What about zero? Why did you begin at one and not at zero?

One of the great mathematical breakthroughs was developing the concept of zero as a value. In the earliest times the value of zero was represented by the absence of a value in a chain of values. It took time, a lot of time, for the concept of a zero value to have taken hold.

The Aztec's and Greeks appear to have both come upon the concept of zero as a numerical value sometime between 32 B.C. and 150 A.D. with the New World and Old World both laying claim to the honor.

Reading through Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast and other wine rating publications I am reminded of the value of zero.

When reading these magazines I see page after page of 80s and 90s with a scant few 70s. What happened to the 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s? Are these wine-rating values the equivalent of zero in the pre-Columbian ages?

If Wine Spectator and others rate limit their ratings to a 30 point band between 70 and 100, then why don't they just do so? What is the point of having a 100 point scale where no one scores below 70?

When I was in high school in Greenville, Michigan I had a math teacher who one day explained how the grading system worked. Simply by showing up and taking the test you'd score 50 points. The remaining 50 points were earned by working the problem. So the test was really a 50 point test and not a 100 point test. Never really understood why that was.

So, maybe wine ratings are more akin to taking a high school math test were everyone is given 50 points just for showing up.

~ Terry

I Drink Local Wine

Brad Post:

As some of you may have gathered The Two Wine Brothers (Terry & Brad Johnson) are seriously geeky about wine.  I've been known to go to extremes in my (Brad) attempt to immerse myself in wine - literally during the harvest and crush.

So it isn't too much of a surprise to learn that I am a vocal advocate and promoter of local wines.  

 
During the past year I have launched a wine industry e-zine, called Winedustry: wine news for the "other" grapes.  Focused on new wine regions and grapes, the ones you may have never heard about, Winedustry is intended for the nontraditional, non-vinifera wine community.  Winedustry readership continues to grow each month, because in large part of our volunteer contributors (writers) and state field editors.

During the past few years I've taken my wine education more seriously through formal education.  During this time I've expanded my knowledge of my personal wine making, then as of the past few years working at a commercial winery, and throughout collaborating with innovative wine industry folks.

One of those collaborations is now blossoming into a new project: Midwest Wine Review.  Modeled in part by the successful regional wine competitions and from mainstream wine magazines, Midwest Wine Review will bring together skilled, knowledgeable and professional wine evaluators.  The goal is to replicate, in the best way possible, the wine scoring systems of major magazines, but for new wine regions.

In the planning stage, Midwest Wine Review will conduct quarterly (or as needed) sensory descriptive analysis sessions and rate wines using an updated 100 point scoring system.  This scoring system is a familiar metric for many wine consumers.  The rating scores and accompanying brief description will be available to participating wineries.  (See Midwest Wine Review story describing process).

Not long ago, I was communicating with my Winedustry Maryland Field Editor ((find her on Twitter as @ourgirl) or at her blog (http://thevineyardwife.com/)) about badges for Winedustry.  She possesses extraordinary graphic artist skills and I asked her to design an image, a badge, to support local wine consumption and purchases.  She came up with this image (see above).  She elaborates on the creative process of making "I Drink Local Wine" badge - please READ STORY!

Nearly immediately, after posting a copy of this image (above) on Facebook, it went viral!  Support for local wines is huge and this image has been shared more than 100 times in the first day!  (Feel free to copy and use on your blog, facebook status update, or website).

New wine regions, places like Iowa, Missouri (which has a very long wine making history), Virginia, Michigan, Maryland - just to name a few - are making amazingly good wines.  In many instances, you won't find a traditional varietal, and that's fine.  Good is good...and Great is Great!  Give new wine regions a chance and allow your own palate to be the judge.

Let us know what you find!


Cheers,
Brad

2008 Tait Wines, Shiraz, "The Ball Buster", Barossa Valley, Australia

Terry post:

The Barossa Valley continues to provide to provide superb examples of what the Shiraz grape can render when the vintner is not afraid to enhance the grape with the roundness of the Merlot and the intensity of the Cabernet Sauvignon.

Such is the case with the Tait Shiraz blend, the aptly named, "The Ball Buster". The Tait Shiraz was one of a number of wines which I recently enjoyed at the Blue Wind Gourmet during an very inexpensive $6.00 tasting of 12, or so, wines.

My impressions: Very dark garnet in the glass. Dark berries, cherries, spice-box and cocoa prominently on the nose. Moderately acidic: balanced nicely with the immense fruit serving. Mildly tannic leading to a huge, warm, lingering finish which goes on forever.

It is a superb wine. It is full bodied and was a delightful dining companion with grilled steak. If you can find a bottle of the 15,000 cases produced you'd do well to buy it.

Highly recommended.

77% Shiraz, 12% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon.

$15.99 at the Blue Wind Gourmet.

~ Terry

Power of Words

Terry post:

This past weekend my wife I and visited another Maryland winery and purchased several more bottles. It was an interesting visit for a number of reasons: beautiful hillside location, sunny day, mild temperature, good wine and the words carefully selected by the woman hosting the tasting.

The woman presented each bottle in a practiced manner first pointing out the label, providing the source of the grapes and then a description of the varietal characteristics. It was the description of the varietal characteristics which I found most telling.

I didn't take notes at the time, and as I drove away I wished that I had. Working from memory, her description of their Chardonnay was something like this: "...it is a beautiful straw color...you'll taste pronounced fruit in this year's vintage with substantial hints of apple and lemon...it is a medium bodied wine and you'll notice the aggressive acidity at the finish..."

It was like this with each wine: as though she'd prepared a detailed listing of the grapes varietal characteristics and recited them for each potential wine buyer.

Of course, as the tasters sipped the wines she'd nod knowingly and re-affirm the characteristics, "Taste the fruit?", as we worked our collective way thorough the pour. Her actions reflected her earlier description and made the tasters co-conspirators in her vineyard propaganda.

When I disagreed with her description of their Shiraz offering as, "...huge and powerful..." she dismissed my comment with the wave of her hand.

The power of recently heard words is significant and their carefully crafted use in the tasting room was impressive to behold. I have never been so smitten during a wine tasting.

Bottom line: I am not certain that I made the purchases because I liked the wine or because I liked the words that she used to describe the wine. Time will tell.

~ Terry