2006 Yalumba, Shiraz-Viognier, Barossa Valley, Australia

Terry post:

Yalumba is a very-well established Australian brand of which most of you have never heard.

While Australia has been foisting “critter wines” featuring cute animals on the label to the wine buying public - certain winemakers have continued to hone and perfect their craft. This is where Yalumba comes in.

Yalumba is a hand-crafted wine and has been such for over 160 years producing a wide variety of reserves, single vineyards, and interesting blends. I first became aware of the brand a few years ago when one of our wine reps brought in a bottle to sample. I’d never heard of Yalumba at the time and didn’t know quite what to expect - what I sampled was one of the Yalumba blends (not sure which one) which nocked my socks off. The brand has remained on the wine list since that first tasting.

My impressions: Dark purple in the glass with an expansive nose of raspberries. Busy, in a good way, with crushed red fruit giving way to a certain earthy wet-rockiness reminiscent of a Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The earthiness grows as the wine opens up. Strawberries arrive late. Medium-long finish with soft tannins reaching the stage just as the curtain falls - a pleasant ending. Highly recommended.

While there is a significant amount of fruit in this wine it also has sufficient tannic structure to stand up well with food - and you know that I think that is crucial. It is not fat, nor flabby: it is a food-friendly Shiraz which I’d recommend with the typical pairs for medium reds: would be PERFECT with rack of lamb.

95% Shiraz and 5% Viognier - co-fermented (!).

$19.99 at The Wine Seller, Herndon, VA.

~ Terry

2007 Graham's Vintage Porto

Terry post:

UPDATED WITH PHOTOS.

It was some weeks ago that the braver Johnson brother endured several low-priced port wine offerings to disastrous results. I recall that he had to open another bottle of wine to clear the long lingering effects of the overly-sweet drain cleaner which he'd sampled.

Truth be told: many low-priced port offerings are nothing but bulk wine which has been fortified with a little additional alcohol and sweetener. So, I offer my respects to Brad for his personal sacrifice, and taking one for the team.

So imagine my surprise when I stopped by Restaurant 213 last Friday. Chef Hughes says, "You gotta try this!" In his hands was a bottle of the Graham's 2007 Vintage Porto. He pulled a couple

red wine glasses from the bar and poured a short serving in each glass: one for him and one for me.

My impressions: Nearly black in color as it ever-so-slowly pours from the bottle. Raisins, cocoa, prunes and ripe fruit on the nose. Intense fruit perfectly balanced - not too sweet - with the tannins for an other-worldy sensation in the mouth. Extraordinarily mouth-filling. Long, long, long finish whose warmth stayed with me for HOURS afterwards. Epic.

This wine is being handled carefully by it's distributors with maximum allocations going to even the finest restaurants. It is available now and if you want to know what a perfect porto tastes like, be prepared to pay upwards of $80 for the privilege (available here). Buy it. You'll thank me later.

Perhaps the best wine I have ever tasted.

~ Terry

2008 Callaway Cellar Selection, Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Terry post:

It would have been sometime around 1987 or 1988 when I was still living in San Diego that my wife and I drove up to Temecula to spend a long weekend at a Bed & Breakfast. While In Temecula we visited several small wineries including Callaway.

At the time, Callaway was a boutique winery producing somewhere in the range of 15,000 to 20,000 per year. A nice size to be sure, but nowhere near the production of the giants in Napa and Sonoma.

I have very fond memories of the weekend there and my two enduring memories of our get away weekend there were the fabulous Callaway on-site restaurant and their spectacular wines.

Time and corporate acquisitions have diluted the Callaway brand. Between then and now the company was acquired by a multi-national beverage company and production increased ten-fold. Several years ago the winery was reacquired by local interests and they are working to decrease production and increase quality. I wish them every success.

My impressions. Lovely purple hue in the glass. Uncharacteristic (for a Cab) muddled fruit on the nose and across the tongue. The label is mute on the point, but this cannot be a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon - and I suspect there is a healthy dose of Merlot in there to round-out (overly so) the edges. Profoundly fruit forward with virtually no backbone. Brief finish.

Your appreciation for this wine will be determined by how you choose to use it. If you want an fruity, easy to drink Cab (blend) for a reasonable price - this is a very good selection. If you want a hearty Cab to serve with food - you'll be less pleased: the fruit will overwhelm almost any dish with which it was paired.

~ Terry

Fun Facts to Know and Tell

Terry post:

Retail sales by channel 2008:

49.9%: On premise consumption

21.9% Liquor store, wine shop, wine speciality

18.2% Supermarket

8.4% Club stores and other mass merchandisers

1.6% Drug stores

Retail sales by channel CHANGE for the period 2002-2008:

On premise consumption +19.5%

Liquor store, wine shop, wine specialty - 4.7%

Supermarket +18.9%

Clubs stores and other mass merchandisers +21.4%

Drug stores +6.5%

Overall, the market for wine increased by 13%

~ Terry

What Softsoap has to tell us about Iowa's competitive advantage in wine

Terry post:

A competitive advantage is something which all businesses strive to attain. A competitive advantage is that certain something which gives a product or a brand an advantage over its competitors. Examples of competitive advantage would include engineering expertise at General Electric, logistic chain with FedEx and brand recognition for Coke.

A competitive advantage can be brief or enduring. A competitive advantage can be realized or unrealized. Having a competitive advantage also requires that you recognize that advantage and are able to comprehend it’s scope and magnitude. It takes skill or luck to create the advantage and expertise to recognize its existence.

It could be argued that the soil and climate of France created a competitive advantage for their wine makers. That competitive advantage for premium wines existed unchallenged for dozens of years and is being challenged by similar regions which, each in their own way, have advantages.

That brings me to the story of Softsoap. Those of you 30 or younger have always known of liquid soap products which are dispensed from pump containers. It was not always that way. Until very recently there was no such product.

Enter the entrepreneurs at Minnetonka Corporation. In 1980 they envisioned a liquid soap product which would be squirted from pump dispensers - Softsoap. The only problem was that they were a small company and their idea, once on the market, could be easily duplicated by huge companies such as Proctor & Gamble.

Minnetonka desperately needed to find a way to maximize their competitive advantage - liquid soap - establish market share, and keep the big guys at bay.

How did they do it?

It turned out that the patents and manufacturing capacity for the pump mechanisms were held by one company. Minnetonka invested heavily and locked-up 100% of the pump manufacturing capacity for a period of three years thus ensuring that no competitor could bring their product to market during those three years. This provided Minnetonka's Softsoap with an unfair competitive advantage: the only liquid soap product in the market segment for over three years.

Now it is time to put this analogy in terms of Iowa wine.

I am certain that there are people reading this who think that Iowa operates at a competitive disadvantage as compared to other wine producing states such as California, Oregon or Washington. And that the competitive disadvantage is the inability of Iowa to consistently produce the workhorse grapes of the West Coast such as Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.

Let’s recast the scenario in terms of Minnetonka's Softsoap and P&G. Softsoap was a new and unique product which Minnetonka wanted to bring to market and were able to do so in isolation for a period of three years because they controlled a key element required for production - the pump mechanism.

How then, is Iowa like Softsoap?

I would offer that Iowa’s unfair competitive advantage is that it does not grow the same grapes found in California, Oregon and Washington. I contend that Iowa holds an unfair competitive advantage in the growth of LaCrosse, Frontenac and Marechal-Foch grapes. And, that the advantage is an enduring advantage given the period of time it takes to make vines productive.

Now hold that thought for a moment. I am certain that most of you have never considered this to be an advantage. Iowa has a unfair competitive advantage in growing grapes which are not widely enjoyed outside of Iowa. Iowa is in the identical position of Minnetonka the day before Softsoap went to market.

What then to do?

If I were the Iowa Wine Association (if there is such a thing) I would:

1. Increase the name recognition of varietals (NOT BRANDS) which are grown primarily in Iowa.
2. Create “buzz” over the new hot varietal - which just happens to grow in Iowa.
3. Get Iowa varietals used as blending grapes in wines from other states.
4. Develop and distribute the taste characteristics of Iowa varietals - create the language of the top Iowa varietals.

Bottom Line: Iowa's wine issue is not so much copying California wines, as establishing which varietals will carry the state's banner. Job #1 should be identifying which grape is the Chardonnay of Iowa, and then advertising the hell out of it.

~ Terry

What Home Depot has to teach us about marketing wine.

Terry post:

Next time you visit Home Depot take a walk through the section where they sell drill bits.

Drill bits are the instruments which are used to drill holes through materials. There are bits for drilling holes in concrete, ceramics, wood, brick, plastic, steel, iron and copper. In short, there is a wide world of drill bits.

And you know what is interesting about those bits? They are shelved based on their use. Bits for drilling holes in concrete are located next to other bits which can be used to drill holes in concrete. They vary in diameter, brand and length. But, the bits which are used to drill holes in concrete are all shelved next to one another.

So too for bits for ceramics, wood, brick, plastic, steel, iron and copper: bits are shelved based on their functionality.

Now. Let's take a trip down to our favorite local wine retailer. How are the wines shelved?

The worst offenders shelf their wines based on the winery with all of XYZ Brand being shelved shoulder-to-shoulder with one another. Cabernet Sauvignon next to Pinot Gris next to Merlot next to Chardonnay: no logic or sense to the placement.

Only slightly better are those retailers which shelve their wines based on regions. You've seen them: "FRANCE", "SPAIN", "ITALY" and my personal favorite "OTHER". Yes, come sample the wonderful wines of "OTHER"!

Getting closer to a reasonable approach are those retailers which shelve their wines based on varietal. But, even this approach has its limitations as the characteristic of a grape varietal can vary widely based upon where the grape is grown and how it is processed. You'd be hard pressed to believe that a steely French Chablis was borne of the same grapes as the oaky Chardonnay offerings from Napa - they are so very different.

So how to shelve our wines, then? Let's go back to Home Depot and arrange wines by their functionality.

About fifteen years ago I visited a wine shop in Traverse City, Michigan which had their wines arranged by the food with which they were best paired. Over the shelves were crude wooden cut outs of cattle, chicken, fish, cheese, etc.

Just like Home Depot this small retailer in Traverse City found sanity in shelving their wines in a way which made sense to their customers. An individual looking for a good wine to go with beef had only to meander under the wooden cut out of cattle to find their wine.

I know that it is a wild idea. But, maybe, just maybe the wine-drinking public would be more accepting of our products were we to make their use a little less daunting.

~ Terry

2007 Cantara Cellars Syrah, Lodi California

Terry post:

I am seldom surprised when I drink a wine. Going in, I usually know what to expect and have confided to friends that I could write a review without ever having tasted the wine - based on the varietal and my experience with the winemaker or winery.

Did I ever get that wrong today!

Cantara Cellars will not impress anyone with their building (industrial plaza) or location (Oxnard Plains) but something special is taking place inside their humble facility: that something special is making great wine.

Cantara Cellars is a small winery (I don't think I saw more than 50 French and American oak barrels total in back) which sources virtually all of their juice from the vineyards of family and personal acquaintances in Lodi, California.

With one white and four reds I settled in for a tasting with the very affable owner, Chris Brown.

You know the scene in the old movie where the boy falls in love with the girl? The scene will include fireworks exploding in the sky: well, my first taste of the 2007 Cantara Cellars Syrah was something like that. Wow.

I purchased a bottle of the Syrah and have spent a several hours of quality time sipping, chewing and genuinely enjoying this fine wine.

My impressions: Inky dark garnet intensely colored in the glass. Blackberries and chocolate powder initially on the nose with the chocolate fading way to pepper as the wine opened up in the glass. Profoundly earthy and mouth filling. Deftly balanced with fruit up front and the acidity at the end - just right. Concludes in a long finish with the tannins winning out over the fruit - but, just barely. Superb.

This is a big red and, as such, I would recommend it with the typical pairs including: beefsteak, prime rib, and bison steak.

I have no idea if Cantara Cellars can continue to produce this wonderful Syrah, or for that matter, their also-wonderful Zinfandel year-in and year-out. Time will tell.

Their Facebook page. Their website.

This is a winery to keep your eye on.

$29.99 at the tasting room.

~ Terry

Writing on Wine

Terry post:

I realize that I may be the only person with a test engineering background writing about wine. Over the past 25+ years I have worked as an engineer and program manager responsible for testing combat systems which are integrated onto Navy guided missile cruisers and destroyers. My experience in that field is important as it provides background to a question which I am often asked, "How do you taste wine?"


In testing combat systems and evaluating wine you have to begin with requirements.


In the case of weapon systems the requirements are quantitative with binary answers being either "yes" or "no". Weapon systems do, or do not meet requirements.


In tasting/testing wine the requirements are qualitative with the benchmark established by the individual taster with input and assistance from others. I, for instance, lean heavily on my experience as Wine Director at Restaurant 213 where I tasted some fantastic wines and from other food and wine authors such as M.F.K. Fisher* and Robert Parker. The evaluation of wine tends NOT to be binary: that is, the answer is somewhere along a value-oriented continuum.


I have my own capabilities and limitations which I am mindful of when tasting. In my case:

1. I see wine as an accompaniment to food and will almost always comment on a particular wine's ability to pair with food.
2. I am mindful of the taste-holes. I have never, ever experienced violets when drinking a red wine - yet many of my wine writing friends mention it regularly in the reds they sample. I have never sensed tangerine in a white wine. Never.
3. I am mindful of over-sensitive taste spots. In white wines I am quick to pick up vanilla, burnt toast, baked bread, flowers. In red wines I am quick to pick up cherries, raspberries and camphor.

I take notes as I drink but my notes are more like impressions than a listing of sensory experiences.

Quite simply, the first thing I ask myself is, "Do I like it?" That is an easy binary response and then based on that initial response I sip, chew and drink my way through the bottle. I jot down impressions as I drink the wine and I'll start my first draft on the computer the next day.


The second thing I ask myself is, "Would I buy it again?" A "yes" to both of these questions will always yield a favorable write up.


~ Terry



* If you don't know her - it is worth your time to research this writer - foodie (in that order).

2008 Fat Bastard Chardonnay, Languedoc Roussillion, France

Terry post:

For those of you who are not located in the mid-Atlantic region: we have been walloped with back-to-back-to-back snow storms which have put industry and individuals at a dead stop. For my brother in Iowa a 9" snow is not that unusual. It is VERY UNUSUAL in Maryland, where we don't usually get 9" of snow in an entire season. As of this morning we are somewhere around 40" of total accumulation over the past 2 and one half weeks. For God's sake: we are under a blizzard warning. Enough.

So what does one do when the government is closed and you are snowed in? Eat and drink!

Last evening I prepared a chicken-centric version of Beef Burgundy. The changes to the recipe are quite simple, really: replace the dry red wine with dry white wine and replace beef with a whole cut up chicken. What worked for Julia Child in 1950 with beef works for us today with chicken.

My white wine of choice was a 2008 Fat Bastard Chardonnay. The Fat Bastard brand is another example of a vin ordinare being repackaged as an entry-level wine for American consumers who choke on the pronunciation of French vowels. A few weeks ago I double-tasted a Red Bicyclette Chardonnay to disastrous results - undrinkable - so, my expectations were not all that high when I opened this similarly pedigreed wine.

My impressions: Vanilla and flowers immediately on the nose - nice. Full buttery mouth-feel with more acidity than I expect - even in a Chardonnay. Lively. The acidity is pronounced when new in the glass and becomes less impact-full as the wine warms. Vanilla (again) on the long finish. Wonderful.

The 2008 Fat Bastard Chardonnay was a perfect accompaniment to my "Chicken Burgundy" having the backbone to stand up to richly sauced bird. The steeliness of acidity softened somewhat as the wine warmed, and the Fat Bastard remained a desired dining companion throughout. Highly recommended.

100% Chardonnay.

$8.99 at the Dover AFB package store.

~ Terry

2007 Folie a Deux, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley

Terry post:

It is pure coincidence that both Brad and I are drinking and commenting upon lighter white wines this week. He just completed a survey of several Sauvignon Blanc's while I am going to talk about only one brand: Folie a Deux.

The name of the winery translates to “shared fantasies", and is appropriate if you are a fan of small batch, hand-crafted wines such as this offering.

My impression: The color of gold were it a liquid and you diluted it a thousand to one. Substantial citrus nose followed by grassy finish. The wine improved as it warmed in the glass reaching near-Sauvignon Blanc perfection after a few minutes - when it opened up completely - revealing sweet flowers. A very pleasant surprise. Contrary to my previous experiences with Sauvignon Blanc, this wine improved as it warmed in the glass. The finish was long and distinctly floral. Food friendly. Superb.

I enjoyed this bottle along side a re-taste of a Penfolds Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon blend, still superb by-the-way, a pint of raw oysters and homemade chicken soup.

Would recommend this wine with: Grilled chicken, grilled fish, smelt & morels, clams, oysters (!) and pork (grilled or baked and lightly sauced). Would not pair it with pasta or any cream or butter sauced entree - which would completely overwhelm the wine.

$16.99 at the Giant supermarket.

~ Terry

NV Barefoot Cellars Merlot - California

Terry post:

Barefoot Cellars is one, of a many, lifestyle products whose aim is align its consumer offerings with a particular way of life.

As noted on their web page, "Barefoot Republic is a community of people who share an enthusiasm for living life barefoot, exploring and relaxing, living and loving, making a difference and for making new friends, preferably over a glass of Barefoot wine."

Their web site also features links to Beach Volleyball (which they sponsor) and beach cleanups (a good thing to pick their empty wine bottles, I suppose).

Surveying the wine producers, this sort of lifestyle marketing is not widely adopted. Leading the adoption curve can be a good thing if you can lock consumers up for the long haul. It won't be long until some other winery matches their eco-sports niche. Barefoot Cellars will need to protect their eco-sport leadership with additional market share as their success is bound to draw imitators. It will be fun to watch.

My impressions: Medium plum in color. Cherries are very pronounced when the bottle is first opened and fade a over time. As the cherries fade the spice-box opens up dramatically. Soft - almost no tannins. Low acidity. Short finish. Tasty.

I paired this Merlot with homemade Beef Vegetable soup and the wine was complementary . The fruitiness and barely-there acidity balanced easily against the beefy soup.

This Merlot is, taste-wise, somewhere between the highly quaffable Australian Yellow Tail brand and the more traditional U.S. brands.

The wine is very tasty and is, perhaps, best when enjoyed by itself. I have doubts that it would hold up well with the heartier traditional Merlot-pairs such as beef roasts, steaks, bison, etc.

Bottom line: A very good value.

I don't have much experience with Barefoot Cellars, and based on this experience I think I'll start drinking my way through their product line.

$5.99 (on sale from regular $6.99) at CVS for the 750 mL bottle.

~ Terry

NV Poema Cava Brut - Spain

Terry post:

First of all, I apologize for the poor quality of the photo. I recently upgraded my phone and I have not yet mastered the built-in camera.

Poema is a part of the Korbrands portfolio and home to a wide array of low to medium-priced wines.

It is not unusual for me to disagree with the glowing write ups provided by the wine producer. I have never disagreed so fundamentally with a write-up as I do with this Cava from Spain. They describe their Cava, thus: "Vibrant aromas of ripe peaches, pears and toasted bread with a hint of spice fill the nose. The palate is dry with a rich, creamy texture. Layers of flavor include orange rind and spice that persists through an elegant finish."

My impression: Thin. Painfully thin. Nearly non-existent on the nose and across the palate. Only the slightest hint of baked bread. No peaches. No pears. No spice. Decent acidity and lingering bubbles through a brief finish. I paired the Poema with sliced apple and baked brie and the wine was completely outclassed and overwhelmed.

I have had really great experiences with Cava's in the past and still consider the genre as a low-cost alternative to sparking wine from California and Champagne's from France.

Bottom line: The Poema offering is a threadbare, hollow and flavorless Cava absent the light fruity characteristics which make the wine a less-heavy alternative to sparklers and Champagne. I'd have done better with sparkling water and saved a few bucks in the process.

$7.99 at the package store at Dover Air Force Base.

~ Terry

Tasting Notes: Marechal Foch

Brad Posts:

My affinity for Marechal Foch, a French-American hybrid red wine grape (a cold-hardy varietal), is well established.  As the Rodney Dangerfield of the Midwest wine grape community – it doesn’t get much respect!  That’s unfortunate because if you were to investigate Marechal Foch, commonly referred to as “Foch”, you would soon recognize its real potential.  Foch is made into world-class wines in Ontario’s VQA region and most notably in Oregon where it is grown next to its relative, Pinot Noir.

Even my wine club, the Eastern Iowa Wine Club, has a soft spot in its heart for Foch.  Each year, during our annual amateur wine competition (Eastern Iowa Amateur Wine Competition), we honor the Marechal Foch with a special category and award known as the “Fochy”.  A true honor to win this inspiring trophy!

Recently I have taken to learning more about wine appreciation by enrolling in a class at Des Moines Community College.  In my VIN 150 class, I am learning about the wine industry, wine appreciation, and sensory analysis of the traditional wine grapes – vitis vinifera.  It is too frigid for vinifera in Iowa so we grow cold-hardy grapes, such as Foch.  Intrigued by my new education, I sought to learn more about the varietal tasting characteristics of Marechal Foch.  In my firsthand experience as a vintner and occasional drinker of Foch I’ve developed my own way of understanding this grape – and use the term “Fochy” to describe it.  Not being terribly satisfied with my ability to describe Foch in a thoughtful, wine-guy sort of way I thought I’d spend some time reading and compiling a list of common tasting notes.

Here goes!

Color: Deep color, deep purple, dark ruby

Aromatics:

Fruity:

Berry: Blackberry, Raspberry, Strawberry

Tree Fruit: Cherry (spicy black cherry)

Fruit: Prune (black plums), figs – dark fruits*

Herbaceous/Vegetative*:

            Fresh: Bell Pepper

Spicy: Black pepper

Earthy: Forest floor, earthiness*,

Woody:

            Burned: smoky*, charred buckwheat, coffee, chocolate

Gamy aromatics*

Floral: Rose

Palate:

Fruity:

Berry: Dark berries, raspberry, loganberry

Tree Fruit: Cherry (spicy),

Fruit: Dark fruit, plum

Herbaceous/Vegetative:

            Fresh: celery-like, ripe beet

Earthy: Forest floor, earthiness

Saddle leather

Reminiscent of: Syrah, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Grenache Noir, Mourvedre

Common Marechal Foch Adjectives: unique, distinctive, rugged, hybrid, gamy, herbaceous.

FINAL THOUGHTS: With Foch it seems you either love it or hate it.  I cannot help but be inspired by the winemakers of Ontario and Oregon who continue to work with this challenging grape.  The wine industry in Iowa is young and the first plants we planted were Foch and frequently the first grapes to be pulled out were also Foch.  There is much to be learned by this wine grape, first of which is Patience – patience in learning its peculiarities, patience in learning how to craft delicious, albeit, unique and distinctive wine.  And secondly, patience from our vineyard, in understanding and enhancing its growth potential.  Finally, there needs to be an appreciation from wine consumers, a daring, a spirit of adventure to try something that is “earthy, gamy, spicy, and smoky” – that sounds like a real treat to me!

Learn more about Foch at: http://viticulture.hort.iastate.edu/cultivars/Marechal%20Foch.pdf.