Learn About Wine Blog

About German Wine Part I

Imagine making wine for 1000 years and developing an evolving number of rules to improve the wine and celebrate the best wines of the region.  It was a good idea, until the label was decorated with so many terms that it looked like a war hero where all their bags and medallions to a point you couldn’t determine the rank.

Today, German wine has an interesting problem, there is a lot of wine, but its owned by hundreds of brands, all small, and all hoping to purchase more land – but there isn’t any great land to purchase.   As the economy dictates, wineries do end up selling and small advances can be made – but most of the advances are in the areas of different wines, even none Riesling wines that do not need to come from the great vineyards that are carved in the southern facing slopes.  Modern advances with none Riesling grapes give financial growth but may undermine the true Nobel status of the Riesling and I think everyone realizes this is the wine that matters in the end.

The Soft Economy

Today, the German industry realizes now that a majority of their business is in the United States, what they probably knew years ago before the market developed – the US customer only speaks and understands English and has no appreciation for the tradition of German wine law.

The following wine label terms you will find on the label.

Weingut – means winery

Gutsablung – means Estate Bottled

Not all German wines are Riesling, but the noble wines are.  I will speak about the wine laws as they apply to the Riesling in the fine quality wine category, also known as Qualitatswein or Qualitatswein mit Praditkat – which describes the ripeness of the wine in terms of total must weight of sugar or Oechsle.

ONE:  The wines typically have the name of the Weingut on the top

Weingut Dr. Robert Weil (producer name)

or

Weingut S.A PRUM (producer name)

TWO:  Then the name of the place is celebrated – where? in Germany the grapes came from.  This gets pretty specific as the families that make the wine may own a very small plot of land inside of the vineyard.  So small that the flavors are very consistent year to year and vintage quality is the variable.

First, the name of the location with and –er added to the name of the place.

(in regards to Weingut Robert Weil)

Kiedricher Klosterberg (however the –er is now being dropped to make it simple)

Kiedrich Klosterberg (meaning from the area of Kiedrich, in the vineyard of Klosterberg)

Or

(in regards to Weingut S.A. PRUM)

Urziger Wurstgarden

From the town of Urzig, the vineyard called Wurstgarden (spice garden)

So the names of the fancy places are many – don’t let them hang you up.  Some are more famous than others, and the most famous are being celebrated now with a “1er” or Grand Cru status (new since 2007).

THREE:

Next is the ranking of Pradikat – the Quality and or quantity of the ripeness as measured, and ranked.

The names are

Kabinett – ripe but focus is on the slate character and minerality.

Spatlase – riper with more juice per grape than Auslese.

Auslese – can have some botrytis, but unnoticeable as possible.

Beeren Auslese – can have significant botrytis, more than the Auslese and very ripe grapes are used, some with juice and some with raisin character

Trockenbeeren Auslese – this is the highest quality or the Botrytis infected wines, and the berries are all infected with little to no juice.

Icewine – No Botrytis – must be frozen berry and is typically picked around Christmas or early January.

For more on German Wine Laws CLICK HERE

Get ready for STARS of Santa Barbara Orange County June 24th!

Taste over 100 top wines of Santa Barbara!

Enjoy great appetizers from the best restaurants in Orange County.

Participate in a one of a kind wine tasting!

Help raise money and awareness for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.

Participating Wineries Include:

Bonaccorsi
JONATA
Dierberg / Star Lane / Three Saints
Foxen
La Fenetre
Flying Goat / YNOT
Loring
Gioia
Dragonette
Sunstone
Riverbench
Costa de Oro
Longoria
Stolpman
Tantara
Demetria
Alma Rosa
Sanford
Buttonwood
Huber
Sweeney Canyon
J. Wilkes
Palmina
Sans Liege
Cordon

and many more!

Live music from KCRW’s very own Jason Bentley.

Two of my favorite wine values of Italy cause some confusion; I will attempt to clear this up. 

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

Montelpulciano in this example is the name of the grape from the region of Abruzzo.  The Abruzzo region is on the east-central coast of Italy. The wine has got a flavor profile that is similar to a Tuscan wine but a little less tannin and lean and electric acidity structure.  Can be very fruity, but not sweet, typically has no to low oak and should be drank very young.  I really like the examples I see of this wine around $10-12 a bottle.  Valle Reale was a nice find from Wine Exchange – making my best values of 2008 list!  Do not try to “brand shop” this wine, not many major brands.  I recommend trusting your local wine shops selection and seek the 2007 example of this wine.

Vino Nobile di Montelpulciano

The Noble Wine of Montelpulciano – this has nothing to do with the Abruzzo wine.  This wine is made in Montelpulciano, in Tuscany. Tuscany is on the West Coast of Italy.  The grape called Prugnolo Gentile (70% minimum) (a Sangiovese relative, local clone) and can have some Canaiolo Nero and Mammolo grapes in the wine.  This wine sees some time in wood (typically up to two years).This wine can be compared to a hillside version of Chianti.  I little more powerful, a little less finesse.  In 2007, the best of the extremes are showcased and really represents one of the best wines values today.  I paid about $20 for the Avignonesi, but would have no problem recommending the entire category for 2007.  (2005 and 2006 were great also, but 2007 is a homerun).

France: Week One-Part I

We flew over on Air Tahiti Nui – not your first thought for air travel to France, but I was offered a nice upgrade to business class! Flying 10+ hours in business class is a hell of a lot more fun than flying in the back of the plane. Service, drinks, movies, the time flies by literally. I drank some very nice wine and was able to get a little rest on the flight.

For those of you that know me, you know that I have a compulsion to try to do too much. Combine that with a perfectionist approach and a dose of micro management and it’s a recipe to repel most people. I like the pace I keep, I like to push myself and I enjoy the challenge of living a double life. Sure, I must give up TV, and this concept called “relaxation” but I’m most relaxed when all the details are covered and positive things are happening.

Anyways, getting me on a plane can be a little bit like sheep herding. I have all my life to squeeze into a bag, typically too heavy for check in (another perk of business class – heavy bags) and I have a need to bring my computer, my filing cabinet, the new camera (that I have not figured out how to use yet) and probably about six months of projects to finish on the plane.

I sit down in business class and a glass of Champagne (yes, real Champagne) and there is a pool of calm. The airlines know if they feed you and allow you to drink; it’s only a matter of time before you sleep. That is where I come in, I don’t need much sleep, but when I do I can sleep standing up in the hallway. Sure, I love my 550 thread count sheets, but just give me a minute in the back seat of your car and I’m out. Otherwise, I’m good to read, write, eat and drink on the plane and without interruption, look out world. I planned the next 5 years of my life and managed to read 6 magazines, a newspaper and drink several different wines. Of course I had the service team bringing me the wines blind so that I can work on my blind tasting – I’m sure they loved that (not).

Upon arrival into Paris, I picked up my 59 pound bag (about 5 Kilos overweight) and wheeled it towards my car (by appointment) and head straight to the hotel – I have 200 emails to send in my outbox.

The concierge at the hotel received my 5 pages of instructions and made all my plans for me: Train, restaurant, open/closed museums, I’m sure she was happy to see me (probably thought I was nuts) but I reward her with about 20 euro and she was more than willing to help me with the details.

It was early in the day, but my room was ready, and that was a surprise. Unfortunately the 2009 world economy is hitting Paris but they do not feel or look like a recession is hitting them – there are huge lines for all the major attractions and people are everywhere – the 4 and 5 star hotels are about ½ of normal and the staff is a little thin. The same person that answers the phones is also the concierge, and the bellman. I’m guessing that my 50 bed hotel had about 15 rooms booked, not good.

My companion had never been to Paris, so there is a “welcome to Paris” package that is to be expected. Eiffel tower, The Louvre, The Arc, and too my surprise, a double-decker bus that I use to think was a nightmare became my best friend. The bus service stops at all the major monuments (9 stops) and you pay one fee for 48 hours (about 24 Euro) and you can get on and off as many times as you like. This is better than finding a taxi and it was some of the best weather I have ever seen in Paris. The bus was a joy, it also told me of the history on each building which was pretty cool. So I include a picture of the bus service and recommend it to everyone if you have not been to Paris, and recommend it to those of you that have because it is so regular and so available – I think I saved about 50 euro in Taxi just using this service and I learned a lot about the city I love so much.

La Duree – My passion for food is obvious (big gut hanging over my belt) but it’s not because I just love food, it’s because I love ambiance, service, décor, design, china, glassware, silver, I love the details. Great casual food service with a well thought out experience can be as nice as a very formal dining room, if both are done well. When I find flaws that are obvious, that’s when I no longer enjoy myself the way I like. I can forgive on service more than most details because service is such a personal experience. It’s the other stuff that is more conscience that I am aware of. Texture of the paper on the menu, the thickness of the glass, the noise in the room, the linen on the table, the quality of the furniture…. It all matters!

I go to La Duree, not because it is perfect, but they have made more efforts on these points than most. The very French – slightly worn and cool Louis the XIV inspired furniture with very textured and heavily trimmed walls, painted ceilings, grand chandeliers, and use of silver service (all good but not glossy shined or burnished as we would say in the Food and Beverage departments), combined with lots of wonderful details that really make the La Duree experience authentic. The food is amazing but I don’t think it would be as good if everything else where not in place.

Shopping in Paris – for years, the dollar has been worth less than the Euro. It doesn’t mean you can not shop and find value in Paris. A $150 bottle of Perfume is 90 Euro – about the same. But did you know that most Perfumes are made differently in France – the famous brands make the US version in the US or China or somewhere else – and the French is made in France. I’m sure some brands are different but my personal experience is that this is a must to buy in France.

Clothing and the labels are the same. Hugo Boss makes their clothing in Germany, but the stuff we get in the US is made in Mexico or Asia. We are not as smart or as cool as we think we are in the US.

Cars in France – first, a liter of petrol (about 1/4th of a gallon) is an investment – I think I figured out that a gallon of gas would be about 12.00 dollars! Imagine what that would do to the types of cars we drive? How much we drive and traffic conditions! I am all about making gas more expensive in the US and making changes happen because they are supposed to. One of the false US ideals is that gas engines are a right… petrol is a privilege and it should be treated more that way. Most Europeans drive around in cars that are about the size of a golf cart, easy to park and light on gas. We Americans first comment – what if we were hit by a hummer on the freeway? They don’t have many hummers here (zero). I want to buy stock in SMART cars when I return home…. It’s the same guy that did SWATCH watches by the way.

Click HERE to check out more pictures from my trip!

Visited with Veuve Clicquot on Wednesday, April 15th in Reims.

Facts about Veuve Clicquot:

Veuve means Widow, and Madame Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin was widowed at age 27. Although she was married into the family, her strong business acumen convinced the family to allow her to run the property.

She ran the house of Clicquot until the age of 89 – becoming renown as the Grand Dame.

The house is now amongst the strongest brands in the world of wine.

80% of the wine is the Yellow Label NV blend (most famous – although the label is arguably Orange) and it is exported to every country in the world. The wine is 60-65% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, and the balance Pinot Meunier. 30% of the wine is made from Reserves (older vintages) which give the wine great richness and roundness.

Clicquot is the second largest vineyard owner and makes all their production in their Reims facility.

Madame Clicquot was a major force in the way we think about Champagne and the house of Clicquot maintains a very innovative edge.

• First to produce Rose
• First to produce Vintage
• First to label their Champagne
• First to package in baskets for export
• Hired German President who had the international touch to help establish the trade market.
• Stayed family owned until the late 1900’s and is now owned by LVMH
• LVMH owns Veuve, Moet, Krug, Ruinart, and just purchased Montaudon

My tasting was held with Pierre Casenave, a young winemaker from Bordeaux in his first year with Clicquot working under the experienced cellar master. We tasted the young wines as individual components which show you the singular benefits of each varietal – and when blended together how they compliment the wine. We tasted Yellow, Grand Dame and an older vintage.

In my opinion, the Champagne industry is in a great position. There is no issue with quality, supply is short, demand is long and price can increase without issue slowly over time. The great wine of Champagne, the “Tete du Cuvee” can increase in production to improve revenues, as long as the market is strong, and in weaker time periods or vintages, the supply of Non-Vintage can improve which is a great balance that I’m sure other wine appellations envy. The downside is that the cost of production is massive and the carry over cost of inventory is a killer. The wines require 3 years in bottle and the wine is made one bottle at a time. Consumers do not mind paying twice as much for a young red but have a hard time following Champagne all the way to the top of the price market. I think too many producers have fallen into the trap of marketing the Tete du Cuvee through high pricing, and that a natural selection of the best wines will establish the natural pricing structure.

Veuve Clicquot continues to innovate new ways to improve market share and sell at a premium. The American market for Veuve remains healthy; while the current 2009 marketplace may stress smaller brands back out and allow Veuve a healthy increase in market share.

Flavor profile: generous red fruit style, which drinks well as a cocktail as well as pairs well with food.

Competitors: Taittinger, Moet, Charles Heidseck, Piper Heidseck, Pommary, and a host of smaller grower wines.

Retail $39.99-49.99

Click HERE to check out more pictures from my trip!