Morro Bay – Split Oak Estates Sauvignon Blanc

The sauvignon blanc we’re reviewing tonight is from California and is “certified green,” which at first struck me as just marketing spin but is actually a classification certified by a third party, called Protected Harvest.  There is a lot of buzz around the wine industry about using sustainable practices, but for most producers that can be whatever they determine to be sustainable.  But with this certification, Morro Bay has produced their wine according to guidelines set by Lodi growers and certified by Protected Harvest.

The winemaking used in this wine is also somewhat unique as a “sur lie” production method was used.  That translates from French into “on lees”, which means that the lees was regularly stirred into this wine during the fermentation process.  The lees is the yeast that settles to the bottom of the wine as it ferments.  It is fairly common for wine to be siphoned off from the lees to help clarify the wine.  But stirring the lees into the wine can give it a different flavor characteristic.

This is certainly subtle on the nose for a sauvignon blanc, and the bouquet is markedly different a lot of other sauvignon blanc.  There’s a slight bread-like, yeast characteristic on the nose — no doubt a result of the “sur lie” production method.  There are also notes of pear and mineral on the nose.  The palate is also somewhat subtle with flavors of melon, pear and green apple.  The acidity is sufficient, but not as intense as more tropical sauvignon blancs.  It has a slightly creamy mouth feel, which is also a result of stirring the lees.  The finish brings melon and mineral flavors.  This is a softer style of sauvignon blanc, for those who like less intensity to the fruit characteristics in their sauvignon blanc.

Wine: Morro Bay, Split Oak Estates
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 12.8%
Rating: 85
Price: $10.00

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

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Too Much (Bad?) Muscadet or Evil Taxes?

10.26.2010

I read with some dismay this morning, a news article in Decanter Magazine about sixty growers in the Loire Valley's Muscadet appellation going bankrupt in the past few months, and the imminent danger of perhaps hundreds more following suit.

It's never nice to hear about folks in the wine industry suffering calamities such as this, but I have to wonder if there isn't a certain amount of inevitability about it.

Like every major economic incident these days, this one has its roots in globalization, and the complexities it adds to market operations.

Some folks might say that the Muscadet region has just made too much wine for a long time, and that government subsidies have encouraged growers to overproduce, leading to too much mediocre wine on the market and not enough demand.

On the other hand, producers will point to the fact that the main export market for these wines is the UK, and in the past five years, the British Pound has weakened against the Euro while at the same time import duties and VAT taxes have gone up, resulting in a net combined increase of nearly 60% in taxes on every bottle, according to Charles and Philippa Sydney, who recently wrote a report on this year's Loire harvest for The UK's Wine Detective Blog.

Add to all that the global economic crisis, and you've got what amounts to a slump in demand translating to a 50% drop in the price of Muscadet according to the web site Just-Drinks.Com. Such a collapse in prices so quickly means that the market has had no time to adjust the other prices like labor, equipment, etc, and so growers have been left holding the bag, with grapes that have cost them the same as last year to produce, but which are fetching half as much in price this year. It doesn't take a degree in accounting to understand why these farmers might find themselves somewhere up shit creek without a paddle, as the saying goes.

I've never understood why, in such situations, the French vignerons turn to vandalism and rioting, but much like past events in France where winegrowers have lost subsidies due to such new economic realities, they are busy destroying tanks of wine here and there. Such behavior is infantile.

I have a certain amount of ambivalence to news like this. As I said, it's tough to hear about so many families in dire straits because of changes in the market like this, but that's just what happens when things go haywire in the global economy, and I don't agree with those who say that the Government has some responsibility to intervene, or those who would shut their eyes tight, put their hands over their ears, and believe we can somehow wish our way back to an economy like we had 40 years ago.

But if you did want to do something, for yourself as well as the growers in the Loire, I'd suggest a dozen oysters and a couple bottles of Muscadet on your next sunny Fall afternoon.

Posted by: Alder on October 26, 2010 10:32 PM Filed under: Wine News Like this post? Share it! Digg it! - Add to del.icio.us - Add to Stumbleupon - Add to Reddit

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Wine Gift Baskets: What You Have To Include In the Basket

We all know for a fact that wine is the precise gift for any special occasion. You really can’t go wrong with it as almost everybody loves a good wine. If you intend on giving a bottle of wine as a gift, you should consider giving a wine gift basket.
However, you shouldn’t just give a wine gift basket that contains only a bottle of wine. You have to include several things in the basket to make it even more special. Aside from the ribbons and linen to beautify the basket, you also have to include other stuff.

So what should you place in the wine gift basket to make it even extra special?

For starters, you need to keep in mind that wine goes excellent with cheese. So, try to include elegantly packaged assorted cheese in the basket. This will surely be a hit and one that will make the gift basket even more special and more elegant to look at. This will also give the impression that you have given the gift a great deal of thought.

Chocolates also work great with wine. A box of assorted chocolates will do but if you have additional money to spend, try going for premium chocolates, such as a couple of boxes of Belgian chocolate truffles. There are quite a lot of specialty chocolate shops in business these days and they will surely be a sensation if you include it in the wine gift basket. You can also consider decorating the wine gift basket with a handful of individually packaged fine chocolates.

A wine gift basket with chocolates will surely be a huge hit for women. If you are a gentleman who wants to give something special to your significant other, then this is the ideal gift that you can give. Both of you can take pleasure in the wine gift basket and both of you will surely spend a romantic night together with the wine gift basket.

Another accessory that you must include is a wine bottle opener. Go for the hand crafted ones as this will render it even more special and it will also be something that the person will be able to use repeatedly.

You should also include two wine glasses in the wine gift basket. Aside from the fact that this is a requirement to drink wine, it will make the wine gift basket look a lot better and more special.

Of course, you also need to think about the wine you have to include in the basket. For special occasions, never go for low-priced bottles of wine. Just to be safe, go for mid-range bottles. If you don’t know anything about wines, you can ask your area winery clerk about it. They will be more than happy to help you out with the selection and you will also be able to discover a thing or two about wines.

Remember these tips and you can be certain that you will be able to create the picture perfect wine gift basket. Whether you are going to give it to your significant other, your boss, or someone close to you, you will see that you can never go amiss with a wine gift basket.

Wines of Chile – Red Blends

From: cheapwineratings.com
This past week I took part in an online wine tasting organized by Wines of Chile, an organization that works to promote Chilean wine around the world.  This particular tasting was put together specifically for wine bloggers, like me.  It’s an  opportunity for bloggers to taste some wines they might not have otherwise tasted, and the obvious goal for the participating Chilean wineries is to get some publicity from the wine blogging community — and it works.
The wines were provided as samples, there were a total of eight wines.  Given the quantity of wine, and my propensity not to be wasteful, I invited about a dozen friends over to join me for the tasting.  All of those I invited over enjoy wine, but they’re not as geeky about it as me.
The way these events work is the participating bloggers receive the wines ahead of time, then on the night of the event we all log onto a web conference.  There’s a split screen video displayed with a moderator from New York City in one view and the winemakers in Chile in another view.  We taste the wines in a predetermined order while the winemakers talk about each one.  There’s a window for chat, we’re bloggers share their comments and post questions to the winemakers.  The participating bloggers often Tweet their comments too.  If you do a Twitter search for #ChileBlends you’ll see some of the Tweets from that night.
One of the things that always strikes me as interesting about these events is how long it takes others participating to loosen up.  I’ve noticed that some other bloggers are concerned with being taken seriously and try to follow establish a professional decorum.  While I agree that if you’re doing product reviews you should have a consistent methodology and take the review itself seriously, I also like the irreverence and individuality that should be inherent in blogging.
At the beginning of the evening I made some humorous comments in the chat stream and nobody got the jokes — except for those who were at the house with me.  Some of those who joined me commented that none of the bloggers seemed to have a sense of humor.  It took until about four glasses in for other participants to loosen up.  This leaves me with one comment to wine bloggers out there: lighten up and have some fun!!
Many of the wines in this tasting were priced above our typical $20 limit here at Cheap Wine Ratings.  But hey, I’m not going to let that stop me from tasting them.  After all, how can I tell you that a $15 bottle of wine tastes like a $40 bottle if I never drink the higher-priced stuff.  But since many of these wines are over the price that readers of this blog are seeking, I’m going to do my reviews in one long post rather than my typical one-post-per-bottle approach.
Here are my impressions of the wines, in the order we tasted them:
Valdivieso, Eclat
This wine comes from the Maule Valley region and is composed of 56% carignan, 24% mourvedre and 20% syrah.  It’s an interesting blend.  The grapes in it at first glance appear to be a blend that might come from Southern France, although I don’t think I’ve ever had a blend dominated by that much carignan.
This wine has very pleasant aromas with vanilla, red currant, blackberry and a little bit of smoked meat.  The palate is filled with red berry and plum flavors and the mouthfeel is mouth-coatingly wonderful.  The acidity really pops on this wine too, giving it a lively characteristic.  It’s very nice.
Wine: Valdivieso, Eclat
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 88
Price: $27.00
Find Valdivieso, Eclat with Snooth
De Martino, Las Cruces Single Vineyard, Old Bush Vines
Coming from Cachapoal Valley, this was one of the higher-priced wines of the evening at $45.  It’s a blend of 66% malbec and 34% carmenere.  While I’ve tasted plenty of Malbec from Argentina and some from France, this may be the first I’ve tasted from Chile.
The nose is really interesting on this wine, in mostly a good way.  It’s very herbal in nature and almost syrupy smelling.  It has dark fruit aromas as well as something unique.  As I smell this wine, my olfactory memories are buzzing.  ”Is it vinyl? No. Is it a Chiclet? No. I got it!!! It’s grape Kool-Aid powder!”  I commented to the group tasting along with me and they all excitedly exclaimed, “Yes! That’s it!”  Then I posted the comment into the web conference chat, and my all-too-serious wine blogging brethren ignored it and went on about mint or some similar bullshit.  I think they may have considered a Kool-Aid reference to be insulting.  But hey, it was clear as daylight to me.  And I still enjoyed this wine a lot in spite of it.
In the mouth it has dense, dark fruit flavors, and loads of chocolate.  The concentration of flavors is outstanding.  The finish is nice and long.  This is a rich and delicious wine.
Wine: De Martino, Las Cruces Single Vineyard, Old Bush Vines
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 91
Price: $45.00
Find De Martino, Las Cruces Single Vineyard, Old Bush Vinest with Snooth
Estampa Gold Assemblage
This blend of 57% carmenere, 23% cabernet sauvignon, 12% cabernet franc and 8% petit verdot comes from Colchagua Valley.  With both carmenere and cabernet franc in the blend I would expect some herbal characteristics to the wine, but it really didn’t strike me that way.
The nose is tighter on this wine, compared ot the first two, but it does show a little bit of red raspberry and leather.  It does have an outstanding mouth feel, with rich, mouth-coating tannins.  The flavors are raspberry, plum and black pepper.
Wine: Estampa Gold Assemblage
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 86
Price: $22.00
Montes, Limited Selection, Cabernet Sauvignon Carmenere
The blend of this wine is 70% cabernet sauvignon and 30% carmenere.  It comes from Colchagua Valley.  This is the first wine of the night that was within our typical price range, and it held its own next to the more expensive wines in the lineup.
Despite being only 30% of the blend, the carmenere stands out on the nose of this wine with a soft green pepper aroma.  It also has a slightly dusty aroma, some chocolate and blackberry.  The palate is brimming with ripe blackberry flavors, chocolate on the mid palate and a nice, relatively long finish.  I also like the mouthfeel of this wine.
Wine: Montes, Limited Selection, Cabernet Sauvignon Carmenere
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 86
Price: $15.00
Find Montes, Limited Selection, Cabernet Sauvignon Carmenere with Snooth
Maquis Lien
This is another wine that meets our target pricing limits.  It also appeared to be the favorite label of the night for many participants.  While I often veer away from wines with “critters” on the label, this one is done in a classy way and isn’t too cute.  The blend is made up of 42% syrah, 30% carmenere, 12% cabernet franc, 9% petit verdot and 7% malbec.
The intensity on the nose is moderate, with aromas of licorice, raspberry and vanilla.  Licorice is one of those aromas that I geek out about when I find it in wines, as I think it adds a nice touch.  The flavors are raspberry, cherry and plum.  This wine is loaded with tasty, ripe fruit.  The finish is super long, with berry and vanilla flavors hanging out for ages.
Wine: Maquis Lien
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 87
Price: $19.00
Find Maquis Lien with Snooth
Hacienda Araucano Clos de Lolol
The blend in this wine is 31% syrah, 29% cabernet franc, 23% cabernet sauvignon, and 17% carmenere.  It’s yet another wine from Colchagua Valley.
The aromas from this wine are beautiful and complex.  Red fruit is the most obvious aroma, like raspberry, cherry and strawberry.  But it doesn’t end there.  It has some nice herbal and spice qualities adding complexity, like clove and a hint of tomato leaf. And finally, there’s a slight smokiness on the nose too.  I get a nice strawberry-cherry flavor from this wine, with a velvety mouthfeel.  This wine is dense—almost chewy, but smooth.
Wine: Hacienda Araucano Clos de Lolol
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 88
Price: $23.00
Emiliana Coyam
The final wine of the night from Colchagua Valley, this one is a blend of 38% syrah, 21% cabernet sauvignon, 21% carmenere, 17% merlot, 2% petit verdot and 1% mourvedre.
The aromas from this wine are a nice blend of fruit and earth, with blackberry, beets, leather and chocolate. The palate is very juicy, with ripe blackberry and plum flavors.  There is some chocolate in there too.  I noticed the oak a little too much in the back of the palate, but only for a second.  It’s still a very nice wine.
Wine: Emiliana Coyam
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 88
Price: $29.00
Find Emiliana Coyam with Snooth
Casas del Bosque, Gran Estate Selection, Private Reserve

This is the final and most expensive bottle we tasted that evening, priced at $50.  It’s also the heaviest bottle of the evening, and when empty feels as heavy as most bottles feel when they’re full.  It’s a blend of 61% syrah, 26% merlot and 13% pinot noir.
There is a ton of complexity in this wine.  The aromas are dark, like cassis, mushrooms, tar, soy sauce, and black pepper.  The concentration on the palate is outstanding, with flavors like black currant, blackberry, chocolate and a hint of salami.  It’s a nice wine and has a super-smooth mouth feel.  While it’s a big wine, it’s still elegant.
Wine: Casas del Bosque, Gran Estate Selection, Private Reserve
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 90
Price: $50.00
Find Casas del Bosque, Gran Estate Selection, Private Reserve with Snooth

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Vinography Images: Pruning Leaves

10.22.2010

Pruning Leaves
Harvest involves a flurry of activity in the vineyard in preparation for the crews that move through in darkness to begin removing fruit. This image shows workers in Chile's Maule Valley removing leaves from the vines just before harvest, to get one last little bit of sun on the grapes, as well as to make it easier for the crews (or the machines) to do their early morning work. -- Alder Yarrow

INSTRUCTIONS:
Download this image by right-clicking on the image and selecting "save link as" or "save target as" and then select the desired location on your computer to save the image. Mac users can also just click the image to open the full size view and drag that to their desktops.

To set the image as your desktop wallpaper, Mac users should follow these instructions, while PC users should follow these.

PRINTS:
If you are interested in owning a print of this image please contact photographer Matt Wilson through his web site.

ABOUT VINOGRAPHY IMAGES:
Vinography regularly features images by photographer Matt Wilson for readers' personal use as desktop backgrounds or screen savers. We hope you enjoy them. Please respect the copyright on these images.

Posted by: Alder on October 22, 2010 11:41 PM Filed under: Vinography Images Like this post? Share it! Digg it! - Add to del.icio.us - Add to Stumbleupon - Add to Reddit

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Wine Gift Baskets: A Tasteful Gift Idea

When you think about giving a gift to someone, you will find that it’s quite challenging to find something appropriate. In fact, thinking about what to give as a gift for certain people may leave you clueless. Whether you are looking for a right and proper gift for your most enduring clients or a gift to your boss on his or her birthday, you will see that it will be quite tricky for you to choose the appropriate gift to give them.

If you aren’t sure what to present them, then you ought to try giving them wine baskets. Today, you will find wine baskets to be had in different and exciting combinations that will suit anyone’s tastes in any occasion. If you really don’t have any notion about the gift you plan on giving to someone special, then you should unquestionably give them a wine gift basket. They never fail to please and they are also one of the safest gift choices that you can ever give.

There are so many advantages for giving wine gift baskets. For starters, it’s not that expensive and that it expresses that you are a sophisticated person with discriminating taste who intends to please the gift recipient. It also says that you hold the person receiving the wine gift basket in high regard. Also, it says that you respect the recipient and you think that they are also sophisticated and have wonderful taste.

Wine gift baskets will provide both the giver and the receiver a positive light.

Today, there are so many suppliers offering customizable gift baskets. There are also off the shelf products that you can select from. Depending on the personality of the person you are giving the wine gift basket to, you can be guaranteed that you will find something that will correctly fit the personality of the person you are giving the wine gift basket to.

Ready to go wine gift baskets are terrific for last minute purchases and the remarkable thing about it is that the person receiving it will never think that you forgot about their special day. In reality, they may even think that you have given a lot of thought on the gift.

For a more individual touch, you should try going for customizable wine gift baskets. This will help you create something more personalized and also more appropriate for the recipient of the wine gift basket. This is truly a great way to express your gratitude towards someone and it will also get them to think that you put a lot of thought on the subject of the gift. It’s always helpful if you are aware of what the recipient likes. For example, it will help a lot if you know what kind of wine they have a preference for.

There are a lot of choices when it comes to wine gift baskets. The only limitation is the size of your budget. If sky is the limit, then you can go for a rarer type of wine or vintage wines that will sincerely be appreciated by the receiver.

These are the things that you have to remember when you are going to furnish wine gift baskets to someone special. It may be your spouse, your boss, or your best friend. The purpose of it all is that wine gift baskets are terrific as a gift idea that is in good taste and also screams sophistication