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We've decided to give you a bird's eye view of what's happening in the vineyards week by week. And we picked a vine in a vineyard near our Napa office. Once a week I'll take a picture and post it so you can see the growth process first-hand. Click on the picture to get a closer view. Please post a comment if you have any questions.
Is there a correlation between wine price and quality? Or is it just a perceived correlation? Two recent studies in the wine world, one of which I've already blogged about (Friday, January 18, 2008, Price versus Enjoyment), seem to portray the wine consumer as either easily led or mostly influenced by price. Eric Asimov, nytimes.com, comes up with some additional ideas.
The first study he mentioned, by Robin Goldstein, had 500 volunteers taste and rate 540 unidentified wines priced from $1.50-$150 a bottle. The rough conclusion was that if a wine consumer couldn't see the label or know the cost, ultimately, they'd choose wines based on taste which were ultimately more cost efficient. In the study, a $10 bottle of sparkling wine from Washington outscored Dom Perignon ($150) and Two-Buck Chuck Cab scored higher than a $55 Napa Cab. Asimov shows in the study that there was a difference between novice wine drinkers and wine experts with the more knowledgeable wind drinkers preferring Dom Perignon.
He points out that there are many factors which influence wine buyers, as with other consumer products. Yes, wine consumers can be influenced by price and may generally perceive price and quality to be interrelated, but this holds true with many consumer products, like clothes, shoes, handbags, etc. It's up to you, as the wine consumer, to try to evaluate a wine based on its merits, not on its price, and not on the hype. Ultimately it comes down to you, what do YOU like?
Finally, we are led to understand that context of consumption can and should have as much or more influence on wine than almost anything. We should choose wines that fit the context that we'll be consuming them in. Whether it's dining out at Slanted Door in SF, or preparing a pot roast for your family at home, the overall surroundings and context matter more than you may think.
My Wines Direct recently added Michigan and Virginia to the long list
of states we ship to. Additionally, we can now ship wine baskets to the states of Vermont and Washington (though
unfortunately not wine on its own) . Wine Shipping is
a tricky proposition - the laws are different in every state and aren’t
always designed with the consumer in mind. To learn more about wine shipping
laws and how consumers are working to gain access to wine in states where it
can’t be shipped, visit FreeTheGrapes.org.
And Cheers those of you in Virginia, Michigan, Vermont and Washington!
This coming Monday is Cinco de Mayo, a holiday which most Americans seem to confuse with Mexico's Independence Day. More correctly, Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of the Battle of Puebla in 1862. A huge battle in which 6,000 French soldiers were defeated by 4,500 Mexicans with few weapons. Mexico's Independence Day is actually celebrated in September.
Even though Cinco de Mayo may have become known as a reason to party, it's really all that and more. If you love Latin food (and I do), this holiday provides the best reason to host a luncheon or dinner for all your friends and family. Plus, May's weather sometimes obliges and the festivities can be moved outside, for al fresco dining (and maybe a little dancing.)
Now, a fiesta just wouldn't be a party without some good Latin wines and maybe a Sangria or two. Wines, I can help with. My Wines Direct carries wines from across the Latin world, but I'll just touch on a few. Senorio del Aquila Reserva 2000 ($15.99), from Cariñena, Spain, is a wonderful buy for the price. A blend of Cab, Tempranillo and Carignane, this medium-bodied hit pairs well with spicy meats and mouth-burning sauces.
And speaking of reds, the Finca Retiro Malbec 2004 ($14.99) from Mendoza, Argentina, is a great value as well, and one of our all-time office favorites! This would go great with lamb or carnitas or carne asada, full of beautiful fruit that balances the rich meats perfectly.
Finally, no party would be complete without some bubbles. If you've read some of my past entries, you know I LOVE BUBBLES. As in ADORE, DESIRE, COVET, well, you get my drift. We've got a cava from Spain, Castellblanch Cava Brut Zero Reserva ($15.99) which could easily be served with the starting tapas or at the end of the gathering with dessert. The nice, tight bubbles and the yeasty flavor will balance out the rich mouth-feel of your Aunt Maria's best Flan.
Guacamole is one thing essential for the success of any Fiesta, at least my hubby Randy would attest to that. He loves guacamole. The best guacamole we ever had was a few years ago in a restaurant in Mexico, on the Pacific side. The waiter brought the ingredients to our table and prepared the guacamole table side. It was amazing, yet simply prepared. I've since perfected a close version of that guacamole and have served it many times, to my husband's great joy. I'll give you the rough recipe here, and warn you that most ingredients should be measured by palm or eye, no measuring spoons needed, and really, there's no need for precise tools. The most important gauge of flavor is your palate. Taste it and see, maybe it needs a little more salt or heat or lime juice.
Jennifer's Guacamole
Mash the avocados first, lightly, then add the other ingredients, stirring together. Loosely cover bowl with plastic wrap, pushing the wrap down onto the guacamole to seal out the air. Refrigerate for at least thirty minutes to give the flavors time to meld. And if you'd like to jazz it up, the following additional ingredients can be added, any or all, in any quantity you'd prefer:
It's time to enjoy your Cinco de Mayo. Invite your friends, raise a glass, celebrate Spring, history and the cuisine of Mexico.
Salud!
Assuming Mom enjoys a glass of wine (and don’t they all…?),
there really isn’t a better Mother’s Day Gift than wine. Flowers are pretty and
all, but how original is that? And they’ll be gone in a week – forgotten forever.
On the other hand, a six bottle wine pack can be enjoyed by Mom on many occasions,
and in the company of friends and family. She’ll remember the gift each time
she opens a new bottle. If she enjoys a
treat or two along with her wine, consider a wine basket filled with
chocolates, cheeses and sweets. 6 Bottle wine packs start at $79, and wine baskets at just $49
(all baskets are currently $10 off).
And it's not just California. Ohio and much of the Midwest as well as growers on the eastern seaboard are all concerned about what this spring is doing to their 2008 harvest. All over California, grape growing regions have been hit; Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, North coast, Mendocino and Lake counties, to name a few. Experts are saying this is the worst spring cold snap in more than thirty years.
(Photo taken a month ago of a vineyard on the north west end of Napa in bud break which may have been affected by frost since then.)
California's damage alone could cost growers more than $80 million, estimates aren't complete yet. Grape vines are currently in bud break, which makes the future harvest vulnerable. The vines themselves are extremely hearty, but frost snaps which happen in late spring can be most detrimental. Some vineyards look like all the buds have been burned, with the young leaves curled up and brown. When this happens late in the season, growers fervently hope that the vines push out new shoots for a second growth. Harvest yields can be reduced by as much as 50% sometimes, so there is no question that the grape growing industry will be taking a hit this year.
Too soon to tell if it will affect future retail prices for the consumer.
