Episodes
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Wine is your friend, especially when sipped with friends during a convivial meal. You are obliged to protect it from its enemies.
Classic factors that negatively impact wine quality:
⢠Oxygen. Exposure to oxygen can be wineâs valued friend or its mortal enemy. The key is moderation. Readers know of my advocacy of decantingâexposing wine from a freshly opened bottle to air to soften tannins, blow off odors, integrate elements. That exposure is relatively brief, measured in minutes or small number of hours. It is a common technique for red wines that also can improve some whites.
But too much oxygen is the most significant threat to wine. Too much during the winemaking process can darken white wines to a brownish hue and rob red wines of vibrant color, shifting them into orange or russet shades. Too much oxygen in opened wine will flatten its flavors and aromas. Eventually it will turn the wine into vinegar.
⢠Light. Ultraviolet light, both from the sun and artificial lighting, degrades wineâs flavors and aromas. That is why many wines come in dark bottles and should be stored in a dark environment.
⢠Heat. Higher temperatures accelerate aging and eventually spoil the wine. One telltale sign of excessive heat exposure is a cork that has lifted, also leakage of wine out of the bottle. It is best to store wine between 45 and 65 degrees F, with 55 degrees the ideal.
⢠Vibrations. Constant movement disturbs sediment and messes with the aging process. This especially is important for wine put down for aging.
⢠Humidity. Some humidityâ70% is idealâhelps keep corks from drying out. Too much humidity will not affect the wine, but can lead to mold growth that damages labels.
These are things to think about, but not to obsess over. Wine is a tough hombre. Even when abused by oxygen, light, heat, vibrations, and humidity, it usually remains drinkable. It just will not deliver the same tasty pleasure you get when you treat it right.
Tasting notes
⢠Chateau Ste. Michelle Dry Riesling, Columbia Valley 2021: Incredibly delicious. Ste. Michelle has delivered this amazing value, wonderful riesling for years. $10-14 Link to my review
⢠Vallformosa Mistinguett Brut RosÊ NV: Simple, safe, tasty sparkling that will offend almost no drinker or any pocketbook. $14 Link to my review
⢠Trefethen Family Vineyards Estate Grown Chardonnay, Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley 2021: Mellow, well balanced, classic Napa chard, well-done oak and malo. $28-33 Link to my review
⢠Compris Vineyard Midnight Journey Syrah, Chehalem Mountains AVA 2021: Savory, smooth delight scores all points you look for in a syrah. $50 Link to my review
Last round
What kind of exercise do lazy people do? Diddly-squats. Wine time.
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Links worth exploring
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As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.
Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.
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This is the weekly column
Wine snobbery is a detestable trait. But you can be a âgoodâ wine snob. Hereâs how.
⢠Respect the preferences of others. Never be condescending or judgmental. Basically, donât be a jerk. Good advice for many situations.
⢠Be a life-long wine learner. Wine knowledge is vast and ever-evolving. Anyone who claims to know everything about wine just proved they do not. That applies to you and your fellow wine drinkers.
⢠Enjoy wine. Wine is a palate pleasure, not a vehicle to flaunt status or a way to show off. Geez, please.
⢠Accept and appreciate the preferences of others. If you want to be a âgoodâ wine snob, work on âtasting through someone elseâs mouth.â Who knows, you may have an epiphanic moment and discover a whole new lane of delectationâmaybe you will find something you like that you did not expect to like.
⢠If someone asks for wine advice, gently guide rather than dictate. Sublimate the tyranny of your proclivities. Instead, facilitate helping others find their own wine way.
⢠Celebrate diversity. There are thousands of wines made thousands of ways. That is wineâs wonder and glory. It is not your way or the highway. If it is your way or the highway, then donât let the door hit your butt on the way out to travel that lonely road.
⢠Explore new horizons. When you celebrate diversity, you may stumble upon pleasures you never expected. That is the wonder of wine.
⢠Patience is a virtue in almost all things, including wine. Allow others to learn about wine at their own pace, and allow yourself to do the same.
This column strives to entertain and inform you about wine. Sixteen years ago, I wrote in my first column: âIf a wine tastes good to you, then itâs good no matter how a wine expert responds.â I have stayed true to that proposition, and suggest you do the same. Thank each of you for being part of the journey.
Tasting notes
⢠J. Lohr Los Osos Merlot, Paso Robles 2021: Soft, creamy, plush mouthfeel, gains subtlety with exposure to air. Not complex, just a delicious, easy drinker. $12-17 Link to my review
⢠San Simeon Sauvignon Blanc Paso Robles 2023: Bright, refreshing, good acidity, vivid fruitâall you want from a sauv blanc from long-time quality maker. $18-20 Link to my review
⢠Invivo X SJP Sarah Jessica Parker Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand 2022: Exciting, edgy NZ pinot. Real collaboration between quality maker and celebrity. Good texture and complexity. $19-27 Link to my review
Last round
What do you call Dracula when he has hay fever? The Pollen Count. Wine time.
Email: [email protected]
Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com
Website: Gus Clemens on Wine website
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Long form wine stories on Vocal: Gus Clemens on Vocal
Links worth exploring
Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.
As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.
Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.
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Even if you only dip your big toe into wine wonkiness, you likely encounter the term âmalolactic fermentationâ or MLF. What is that?
Well, this being wine, it actually is not fermentation, which involves yeast. It is a conversion, which involves bacteria. The primary bacteria is Oenococcus oeniâtry saying that three times in a row after a couple of glasses of wine (or even before). The process is a decarboxylation conversionâmalic acid turns into lactic acid. What does that mean in words of less than five syllables?
Malolactic conversion reduces acidity and softens the taste of wine. It almost always is done with red wine. It usually is done with white wines where a rounder, creamier profile is wanted. Chardonnay is classic example, as are viognier, marsanne, roussane, and white Burgundy. On the other hand, MLF usually is prevented in sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio/pinot gris, riesling, vermentino, and other whites where acidity and floral aromas are prized.
Wineries encourage MLF by inoculation of bacteria and control of temperature (warmer is better), acidity (lower is betterâabove 3.3 pH), and avoiding sulfur dioxide. Wineries discourage MLF by keeping temperatures lower, keeping pH less than 3.3, adding sulfur dioxide, sterile filtration, and other methods.
If you enjoy a full-bodied, creamy, buttery, smooth chardonnay, you have MLF in an oak barrel to thank. If you prefer tangy fruit, great acidity, the powerful aromatics of sauvignon blanc or riesling, you have the prevention of MLF to thank.
Almost all red wines undergo MLF. Some beaujolais nouveau wines skip MLF. Italian amarone typically does not undergo MLF. Just about every other red has MLF as part of its making regimen.
Like their color, rosĂŠ wines fall in the middle. Classic Provence rosĂŠs usually avoid MLF. Darker rosĂŠs and rosĂŠs finished in oak are much more likely to have partial of full MLF.
Sparkling wine MLF depends on the maker. Krug and Bollinger use full MLF. Louis Roederer often blocks MLF. CristalâLouis Roedererâs prestige pourâexperiences partial MLF.
Malolactic fermentationâtechnically malolactic conversionâis an important winemaking tool. If you have read this far, you have more than dipped your toe into wine wonkiness.
Tasting notes
⢠Trefethen Family Vineyards Estate Grown Dry Riesling, Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley 2022: Sleek, crisp, delicate aromatics. $22-28 Link to my review
⢠Sealionne Wines Halcyon Chardonnay, Chehalem Mountains AVA, Willamette Valley 2022: Unique flavors through fermentation mix of stainless steel, oak, amphora. $45 Link to my review
⢠Three Sticks One Sky Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021: Superb, classic Sonoma pinot from highest vineyard in the AVA. Delicious fruit, depth, length, structure. $85 Link to my review
Last round
Double negatives are a big no-no. Wine time.
Email: [email protected]
Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com
Website: Gus Clemens on Wine website
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Long form wine stories on Vocal: Gus Clemens on Vocal
Links worth exploring
Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.
As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.
Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.
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This is the weekly column
Commercialization defines wine 8-21-2024
Wine is fermented grape juice, an agricultural product like green beans and corn. But that is not how we think about wine. Why?
We think of wine as a consequence of culture rather than agri-culture. Wine is treated like an aesthetic product, similar to the arts, with special terminology, in-depth discussion and analysis, reviews by experts.
But wine also is a commercial product. It has been for thousands of years, and the special dynamics of it being a commercial product shaped wine and how you think about wine. In 2021, the most recent complete statistics, the world made 34 billion bottles of wine with a market value of $53 billion. Wine is a commercial product.
Placeââterroirââis a central belief in wineâs mythos. As far back as ancient Greece, elites believed wines from distant places were special. The simple folk drank locally produced fermented grape juice or beer. The rich and powerful drank wine. Commercial value was enhanced by the wine coming from a distant place.
Gironde Estuary. Photo: Chell Hill
That had a major impact on where âfine wineâ came from. When you mention Bordeaux your first thought is about wine, not about an estuary. But the Gironde estuary is why great wine chateaus are located on Bordeauxâs left and right banks. The sea gave chateaus trade access to England and Northern Europe, where climate prevented wine production. When you canât produce something in your back yard and must have it shipped to you, it takes on special value you are willing to pay for.
All the great wine regions of France, Italy, and Spainâthe worldâs largest wine producersâare located on rivers that facilitate transport and trade. The situation creates a self-reinforcing loop. The chateaus of Bordeaux make money exporting a luxury product, then use the generated wealth to improve their product and reinforce the sophisticated image of their product and create more demand for it.
Terroir is a real thing, but it is the product of winemakers using profits to experiment and learn about what works best on their piece of land. Commercial trade is the reason wineries were located where they are. Knowledge paid for by profits from commercial trade is the reason those places became the best places to make wine.
I believe wine can be a mystical artistic expression of soaring human endeavors and the good graces of God and nature. But we got there because someone made fermented grape juice worth buying and someone else was willing to pay for it.
Last round
The pastâhistory. The futureâmystery. Todayâa gift. That is why we call it the present. Wine time.
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Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com
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Links worth exploring
Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.
As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.
Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.
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This is the weekly column
Did the extinction of dinosaurs play a part in the creation of wine? While it may sound far-fetched, according to an article in the prestigious, peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Plants, there is scientific evidence to support the theory.
Researchers discovered fossil grape seeds in South America dating back 60 million years. Fossil grape seed evidence in India dates back 66 million years. The dinosaur extinction occurred 66 million years ago. Coincidence? Science indicates no.
The extinction marks the end of the Cretaceous Period. Approximately 75 percent of all plant and animal species were lost, including all non-avian dinosaurs. That transformed the entire world. With large animals not around to eat or knock down trees, forests reset themselves, becoming much more dense and layered. Trees grew taller, and there were many more of them.
Grape vines are tree climbers. Trees are their natural habitat. As trees grew up, grape vines were right there with them, climbing toward sunlight. Vineyard structures are simulated trees. The increase in birds and mammals also helped. Grape globes are designed to be eaten. Grape seeds are designed to survive digestion, then spread by animals that eat them.
Soft, grape globes, of course, did not fossilize. Seeds did. Although grape seeds are tiny, scientists identified particular shapes and other morphological features. CT scans identified internal structures that confirmed the grape seed identity.
While grape vines existed before the great extinction, the extinction created vast new, favorable conditions and ecological niches. The extinction did not cause the appearance of grape vines, it did favor their spread and diversification, as it did for all flowering plants.
The next time you sip wine or munch on a raisin or a table grape, pause to thank the asteroid that slammed into Earth 66 million years ago. That event may have killed dinosaurs, but it helped give us grape vines. And wine.
Tasting notes
⢠FIOL Prosecco RosÊ Millesimato 2021: Fresh, fruity, elegant, fun. Blend of 85% glera and 15% pinot noir. Ideal for a Sunday brunch. $18 Link to my review
⢠Baron Philippe de Rothschild Mouton Cadet Blanc X Nathan 2023: Low acidityâfor a sauv blancâallows tasty fruit to shine. People not into sauv blanc will enjoy this effort. $16-19 Link to my review
⢠Etude Pinot Gris, Grace Benoist Ranch Vineyard, Carneros 2022: Bright, fresh, easy drinker; delivers depth, aromatic intensity. $23-28 Link to my review
⢠Rodney Strong Vineyards Russian River Valley Reserve Chardonnay 2021: Rich, premium pour. Skillfully touches all the bases of the oak and malo Russian River style; avoids cartoony excess. $46-50 Link to my review
Last round
Drinking wine usually is not the answer, but it does help you forget the question.
Email: [email protected]
Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com
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Long form wine stories on Vocal: Gus Clemens on Vocal
Links worth exploring
Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.
As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.
Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.
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This is the weekly column
August. For many, triple digit degree days. Time to beat the heat with chilled rosĂŠ.
Except, what exactly is rosĂŠ? Surprisingly, in the often rigid, rule-ridden world of wine, there is no consensus definition of what is a rosĂŠ.
Are not wines divided into red, white, rosĂŠ, and amber/orange? It might be nice, but they are not. Turns out, only white wine has a strict definition. At an event in London, renowned rosĂŠ specialist and Master of Wine Elizabeth Gabay stated: âI think we should get rid of the terms red, white, rosĂŠ and orange wine, because the gradations are not really there.â
When asked if the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) should come up with hard and fast definitions, she replied: âAbsolutely not. I love the blurry line.â
Samantha
There is a generally accepted, but rough, division. White wines are fermented with no or only briefest contact with grape skins. Juice is separated from grape skins before fermentation begins.
OIV also has a definition for white grapes when fermentation occurs during prolonged contact with skins, pulp, seeds, and stems. This is âamberâ or âorangeâ wine, a reference to the wineâs color. There is some term turmoil about âorangeâ because the wine is not quite orange and it is not made with oranges, but there is agreement that so-named wines are made with a defined method.
When it comes to red wine and rosĂŠ, however, the OIV does not have a precise definition. The organization does provide methods for assessing wine colors using spectrophotometry. The OIV states it âhas a general definition for wine, but no specific definition for wine colours, which can be described according to the grape varieties and production methods, or by colour determination via analytical methods.â
Specifically on rosĂŠ wines, the OIV comments: âFor what concerns rosĂŠ wine, the main problem is a lack of a clear definition and therefore for many counties this category is included in red wine.â
While the definition may not be precise, there is no question rosĂŠ is on the rise. Globally, white wine represents half of all wine produced. Red wine represents 42% and rosĂŠ 8%. But, in 2021 (last year for complete numbers), red wine production decreased 25% from its peak in 2004, white wine increased 13% from its low in 2002, and rosĂŠ increased 25% from its low in 2001.
RosĂŠâyou know it when you see it.
Last round
Why do scuba divers fall backwards off of the boat? Because if they fell forward, theyâd still be in the boat. Wine time.
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Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com
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Links worth exploring
Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.
As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.
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Tasting science used to be so simple. Alas, no more.
Back in 1901, a German scientist opined various taste receptors were orderly segregated on your tongue in specific places. Sweet on your tip, salty on the sides, sour behind them, bitter in the back. Nice, neat, wrong.
Modern scienceâthe flawed German study is from 1901âconfirms the perception of taste is remarkably complex and not limited to your tongue. Judging flavors is deeply integrated into what is good for you to eat and what is not, so it should be no surprise that hundreds of thousands of years of tasting experience created a complex and extremely sophisticated human palate. If it had not, you and I would not be around to read about this.
Yes, it does start with the tongue. Sensors alert the brain when they encounter nutrients or toxins. Pleasure or poison is the first threshold. Horrible, you instinctively spit it out. But your response does not stop after that initial pass-fail taste test. When alerted, your gastrointestinal tract, liver, pancreas, fat cells, brain, muscle cells, and lungs also spring into action. Your tongue taste buds alert your body in the same way an airport system responds to an airplane coming in for a landing. Your tongue may be the control tower, but it only sets everything else into motion.
Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist who won a Nobel Prize for his studies on digestion in 1904, showed lumps of meat placed directly into a hole in the dogâs stomach would not be digested unless he dusted the dogâs tongue with some dried meat powder to start things off. Dog food, wine. Who knew they would be connected?
I do not know of scientific studies to back me up, but I assert there is a connection between wineâessentially liquid fruitâand your bodyâs collective response to nourishment. Wine has complemented our food for at least 8,000 years, likely longer. When human beings find something that works, they tend to expand upon it.
Cheers.
Tasting notes
⢠Rainstorm Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2022: Bright, fresh with good tartness, citrus. Delightful wine with the tartness and acidity to pair well with lighter fare. $16-18 Link to my review
⢠RamĹn Bilbao Verdejo, Rueda 2022: Crisp, fruity, refreshing. Bright, inviting, vibrant pleasure in the mouth. $18-23 Link to my review
⢠Becker Vineyards Prairie CuvĂŠe, Texas High Plains 2019: Light, refreshing, full fruity flavor. Classic RhĂ´ne blend using Texas-grown grapes by substantial player in stateâs ascendency in the wine world. $25 Link to my review
Last round
Commas are so very important. âYour dinnerâ (no comma) leaves you nourished. âYouâre dinnerâ (comma) leaves you eaten. Wine time.
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This is the weekly column
Direct-to-consumer (DtC) wine shipping enjoys exponential growth. This is a great and welcome boon to wine makers, especially smaller ones who effectively are ignored by mega wholesalers.
But the trend rattles those same near-monopoly wholesalersâSouthern Glazerâs and Republic National. And they are fighting back by lobbying to restrict DtC in state legislatures and making delivery more complicated.
Fear mongering about DtC leading to minors securing alcohol is a major meme. Claim: when DtC rules are relaxed, there is more underage drinking. They offer no proof of their claim because none exists. In fact, underage drinking is historically down in the past decade.
Common sense and experience tells you teenagers are not going to order wine online to be delivered days later. Why would anyone under 21 go to that trouble when all they need do is raid their parentâs stash, recruit a friend who is over 21 to buy, buy themselves at a compliant store or with a fake ID, or simply steal from the store? That is how it has worked from time out of memory.
That is not to say DtC providers should ignore underage drinking. Many times a week I receive DtC wines from wineries who want me to review their wine. I am in my mid-70s. Delivery people still ask to see an ID the first time they come, and have me sign for the delivery every time. That is reality. Ignore the bogus scare tactics of those who oppose DtC.
The core of the problem is the entrenched hangover from Prohibition: the three-tier system. The system divides the alcohol supply chain into producer, wholesaler, and retailer. The two middle-men, the wholesaler and the retailer, each get their cut of the action and raise the product price.
Smaller wineries are not noticed by the big dog wholesalers and must make do with wine club and on-premise winery sales. That hurts the boutique wineries and deprives you of quality, small production wine experiences. As DtC opportunities increase, it benefits wineries and consumers. It hurts big wholesalers and retailers, and they are using all their lobbying clout to thwart this trend.
You can easily surmise where my sympathies lie.
Tasting notes
⢠Grape Creek Vineyards CuvÊe Blanc White Wine, Texas 2022: Excellent mouthfeel and rich, tasty fruit backed by jaunty acidity. Sterling example of why Texas wines must be taken seriously. $24-30 Link to my review
⢠Three Sticks One Sky Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021: Delicious fruit, depth, length, structure. $85 Link to my review
Last round
Question: âWhich hand do you use when cutting your steak?â
Answer: âI donât use my hand, I use a knife.â Wine time.
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Links worth exploring
Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.
As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.
Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.
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A miracle is happening right now in vineyards throughout the northern hemisphere.
âVĂŠraisonâ is the French term for the time when a wine vineâs tiny, tight green nubs morph into plump, tasty, colorful globes. Red grapes transition from green to red, purple, blue, or black. White grapes transition from green to translucent yellow, orange, or gold.
Olivier Lemoine
In addition to color changes grapes undergo other vital changes.
⢠Grapes soften, become juicier and more pliable.
⢠Grapes can double in size as they accumulate sugars and other nutrients.
⢠Glucose and fructose levelsâsugarsâincrease, critical to the later production of alcohol.
⢠Malic acid decreases, making tartaric acid predominant, critical for flavor balance.
⢠Herbaceousâgreenâaromas and taste degrade, replaced by fruity aromas.
⢠The concentration and composition of phenolic compounds, especially tannins, change. Riper grapes with well-developed phenolics are smoother, more complex, and have a more pleasant mouthfeel.
⢠Vines shift from energy production through photosynthesisâleaf productionâto energy consumption, concentrating energy to make ripe, sweet grapes.
⢠VÊraison occurs in the northern hemisphere beginning in mid-to-late July, but grape variety, temperature, climate, and region influence the process. It may not begin until mid-August some places.
⢠VÊraison may not occur simultaneously in a vineyard or even on a single vine. Vines that undergo vÊraison more evenly generally produce wines with greater complexity and depth.
⢠VÊraison means harvest is 45 to 60 days away. Precise timing of the harvest is critical in the production of quality wine. That largely is under the control of humans. VÊraison is the magical time that sets up the harvest. That is almost exclusively under the control of God and Mother Nature. The wine you enjoy is the product of this symbiotic relationship.
Tasting notes
⢠MGM Mondo del Vino Riva Leone Gavi DOCG 2021: Delicious dry, light wine with admirable crispness and delicious cortese fruit. $15-17 Link to my review
⢠Gigondas La Cave Le Dit De Saint Tronquet, CĂ´tes du RhĂ´ne Villages Plan de Dieu 2022: Solid GSM from RhĂ´ne Villages cooperative in a special placeââGodâs Planâ [Plan de Dieu]. $18 Link to my review
⢠Hahn Family Wines Appellation Series Chardonnay, Arroyo Seco 2021: Rich, full, round, clean; impressive example of oaked chardonnay, touches all the delicious, well-made chard bases. $22-25 Link to my review
⢠Texas Heritage Vineyard Viognier, Wildseed Farms Vineyard, Texas Hill Country 2022: Deep, delicious, robust, aromatic expression of Texas viognier. $21-28 Link to my review
⢠M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Petite Ruche Blanc 2021: Plump pleaser, rich, fruity, medium-plus body marsanne play. $27 Link to my review
Last round
Did you hear about the mathematician who was afraid of negative numbers? He would stop at nothing to avoid them. Wine time.
Email: [email protected]
Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com
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Long form wine stories on Vocal: Gus Clemens on Vocal
Links worth exploring
Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.
As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.
Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.
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This is the weekly column
As the Nat King Cole song goes, âRoll out those lazy, hazy days of summer.â But instead of soda and pretzels and beer, it is so much nicer to sip well-chilled rosĂŠ.
The rosĂŠ clichĂŠ is that it is only a summertime wine. Not remotely true, but rosĂŠ certainly is a lovely libationâboth in taste and colorâas we endure the trials Sol slings at us.
RosĂŠ is light-bodied, fresh and fruity, moderate alcohol. Those are all good things for a scorching day thirst quencher. RosĂŠ also pairs well with the lighter food we eat in summer.
RosĂŠs come in many colors. Some sippers immediately think of the very pale rosĂŠs from CĂ´tes de Provence, but color is an indication of style, not quality. RosĂŠs from the Tavel region of the Rhone Valley or the Cerasuolo dâAbruzzo region of Italy are dark rosĂŠs and excellent rosĂŠs.
There are four techniques used to make rosĂŠ:
⢠Direct pressing involves pressing red grapes immediately after harvest allowing minimal skin contact and occurs before fermentation begins. This produces the palest pink wine. Pale rosÊs usually deliver flavors of strawberries, raspberries, watermelon, cantaloupe. Pale Provence rosÊs are made using this technique.
⢠SaignĂŠe (French for âbleedingâ) involves allowing a portion of red wine to âbleedâ off early in fermentation. This produces wines darker than direct press. SaignĂŠe tends to promote raspberry and blackberry flavors and aromas. SaignĂŠe rosĂŠ wines also can be more tannic and suitable for aging.
⢠Maceration involves leaving the juice in contact with the skins for an extended period. The longer the maceration, the darker the color. When the desired color is achieved, the mustâthe mix of juice, skins, stems, and seedsâis pressed and fermentation begins. This is another popular method in Provence and is used to make their most serious rosĂŠs.
⢠A final method, particularly used in Champagne to produce rosÊ sparkling wine, involves blending a small amount of red wine into white wine. Champagne makers focus on a consistent product year upon year. Blending allows for the most control of the product.
Tasting notes
⢠Ultimate Provence UP Côtes de Provence RosÊ 2022: Tangy edge plays well with juicy red fruits. Richer, more body than the diaphanous efforts of some Provence purveyors. $20-23 Link to my review
⢠William Chris Vineyards La Pradera RosÊ, Texas High Plains 2022: Tasty red fruit with an emphasis on mourvèdre in this vintage. $24 Link to my review
⢠Wedding Oak Winery Sweetheart RosÊ, Texas 2021: Delight, delicious fruit. Elegant, substantial. Complexity from a well-coordinated mÊlange of Texas red grapes. $29 Link to my review
Last round
Hyphenated and non-hyphenated. Ah, the ironies of the English language. Wine time.
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We celebrate the 248th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence tomorrow. There may be fireworks and parades, but most of us will simply honor the Fourth with family and friends. And barbecue, or at least outdoor time.
What wine do you pair with backyard festivities. Some ideas:
⢠The day is very likely to be hot. While heavy, bold, high alcohol red wines work well with barbecue and grilled steaks, such libations do not work well with July heat. Big red wines taste heavy. High alcohol and high heat do not play well together.
⢠There are light-bodied, chillable reds with enough body to pair with the fare, and their lower alcohol, fruit-forward presentation works with both heat and meat. Think gamay, lighter pinot noir, and offerings actually labeled as âchillable red.â All of these can be chilled, a good way to go in high summer.
⢠Amber wines, also inappropriately called âorangeâ wines. These are white wines made with skin contact like they were a red wine. Refreshing and hip. Great food wine with spicy food, sausage, grilled vegetables.
⢠Pet nat (pĂŠtillant naturel) is sparkling made the very old fashioned wayâthe way sparkling was made before mĂŠthode champenoise was invented. Like amber wines, the next big thing in wine. Ideal for casual, fun happenings. Bubbles buoy the Fourth vibe. Yeasty flavors and hint of residual sugar are ideal for barbecue seasonings.
⢠RosÊ wines. Get over it, guys. RosÊ wines are versatile and delicious and are not girly, girly sissified swill. Only insecure males think such thoughts.
⢠Versatile, food-friendly whites. Dry riesling, grßner veltliner, vinho verde (which can be white, rosÊ, or red). Excellent, refreshing wines that can be served quite chilled. Lower alcohol and good acidity makes them excellent food wines that fare well with fare in a summer scorcher.
Tasting notes
⢠Herzog Wine Cellars Lineage RosÊ, Clarksburg 2022: Easy-going, pleasant delight. Perfect warm weather sipper with lighter food or just enjoyed by itself. Mevushal. $17-22 Link to my review
⢠Hager Matthias PÊt Nat Grßner Veltliner 2021: Refreshing, lower alcohol effort that is and trendy and versatile and presents excellent fruit. $29 Link to my review
⢠Kivelstadt Cellars Wayward Son Skin Fermented Pinot Grigio, Pintail Ranch Vineyard, Clarksburg, Sonoma 2022: Tasty, serious skin-fermented amber wine made with pinot grigio. $25-32 Link to my review
⢠William Chris Vineyards La Pradera Vineyard Blend, Texas High Plains 2020: Rich, delicious celebration of a five-grape medley of Texas High Plains red fruit. Solid, smooth, easy drinker from significant Texas maker. $45-50
Last round
What did Luke Skywalker say on the 4th of July? âMay the fourth be with you.â Wine time.
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PĂŠt-Nat or PĂŠtillant-Naturel. What the heck is that ânext big thingâ in wine?
The ânext big thingâ designation is ironic because, in truth, it is the oldest thing in sparkling wines. It was how sparkling wine was made before the development of the methods you know today. In English, PĂŠtillant-Naturel simply means ânaturally bubbling.â
PĂŠt-Nat is made using a techniqueââmĂŠthode ancestraleââthat originated in Limoux in southern France in the 1500s. It involves a single fermentation. MĂŠthode champenoise or âtraditional methodâ uses two fermentations to make Champagne and other sparkling wines.
Bottling takes place before the primary fermentation is complete. Yeasts remain actively converting sugars into alcohol. And into CO2âthe bubbles. The wines tend to be lower in alcohol with softer, more delicate bubbles than sparkling made using traditional methods. Because there is less pressureâhalf that of ChampagnneâPĂŠt-Nat typically is sealed with a crown cap, the closure you find on beer or soda pop bottles.
PĂŠt-Nat usually is unfiltered, so it often is cloudy. Those are the spent yeast cells that created the alcohol and bubbles. It is made with a variety of grapes, resulting in a spectrum of colors and styles. There are a wide range of aromas and flavors. Often there is a slight sweetness, although there are dry examples. Adjectives like wild, funky, rustic often are associated with PĂŠt-Nat.
Christian Chaussard in Vouvray revived the ancient technique in the early 1990s when he accidentally produced a fizzy wine by bottling before fermentation was complete. He found the wine tasty. Buyers found something new and trendy. PĂŠt-Nat started being the ânext big thing.â At first, there was more buzz about it than sales or availability warranted, but that changed. You likely can find PĂŠt-Nat at a well-stocked supermarket today. It typically is affordable, casual, refreshing. Lower alcohol makes it attractive for everyday drinking and to those seeking to reduce alcohol intake.
A caution. PĂŠt-Nat production is hard to control and requires winemaker skill. Results can be variable, depending on the grapes used and where they were grown. Quality is not guaranteed. PĂŠt-Nat is a process description, not a narrow wine description.
Worth a sip, especially if you are a new and trendy sort of sipper.
Tasting note
⢠Hager Matthias PÊt-Nat Grßner Veltliner 2021: Refreshing, lower alcohol effort that is and trendy and versatile. Presents excellent fruit. Works well as aperitif. $20-29 Link to my review
Last round
I told my daughter to go to bed because cows were sleeping in the fields.
âWhat does that have to do with anything?â she asked.
âIt means it is pasture bedtime,â I responded. Wine time.
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There is panic and turmoil in high dollar wines you and I do not buy.
This is not about big dollar wines we could buyâCaymus, Jordan, Daou. You can purchase them at higher-end grocery stores. The turmoil is with wines you only can buy from an allocation list or very high-end wine stores. Covid and an influx of wines competing at pompous price points upended everything.
A lot goes into wines in that rarified price category. Millions investedâin Napa vineyards, in famous winemakers, in famous architects for the winery and tasting rooms. All goes into the bottle price.
And then there is trophy wine branding. People buy such wines not just for silky tannins and layers of bing cherry, ripe raspberry, and blackcurrant backbone. People buy so they can say to themselves, and especially to others, they can buy the wine.
When a winery decides to play in that bedazzling arena, it must protect its brand. And that is when flop sweat starts dripping. Recent years have not been kind. Demand down. People pinching purses purchase product from lower shelves. Purveyors panicked when pricey vintages went unsold. Thenâhorror of horrorsâthey did the unthinkable. They discounted.
When you sell your wine for $750 a bottle, the play is âif you wonât pay this much, there is someone else who will, and when this sells, there arenât any more.â But rarity and exclusiveness are evanescent qualities. When the first merchant decides to clear his shelf and sells the wine discounted to $500, the shift hits the fans. Why pay high when you can wait and buy low. People who can afford such luxuries figured this out long ago.
When a Calistoga high end winery discovered a shop was going out of business and offered their wine at clearance prices, the winery immediately sent a distributor to buy the entire inventory to protect the price point.
âThe moment people feel the product is easy to get at a discounted price, all of a sudden the rarity has evaporated,â Dave Parker, CEO of rare-wine retailer Benchmark Wine Group in Napa, told Wine Spectator.
If you are like me, you are not going to buy a $750 bottle of wine even at $500. But it is nice to note that as wine over-supply and clearance pricing trickles down, we may be in line for some sweet deals.
Last round
An orangutan in the zoo has two books: The Bible and Darwinâs Origin Of Species. The orangutan is trying to figure out if he is his brotherâs keeperâor his keeperâs brother. Wine time.
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Most of us drink a bottle of wine soon after purchase. From an hour after we get home to a couple of days or weeks. Wine storage in such cases basically is unimportant.
But what about those who actually age wine. Maybe you bought a case at a winery and want to savor it over the next year or two. Or you open one bottle a year on a special day for the next dozen years. Or, maybe you really have gotten into wine and have a sizable collection you want to preserve and keep in optimal condition. What to do?
Guidelines:
⢠Temperature is wineâs greatest enemy. When it gets too hot, say spending a day or two in high summer in your car, heat will dull aromas and flavors. It also may cause the cork to lift and some wine to ooze out. Cold can be bad, too. Your refrigerator likely is around 35-38Âş F and has very low humidity that eventually can shrink the cork, but even if that does not happen, wine at near freezing temperature dulls flavor.
⢠The ideal temperature for wine storage is around 55Âş F, but between 50Âş F and 70Âş F will work. You mostly want to avoid temperature shifts, especially significant ones. But donât fret about this too much. If you are storing in your house and consuming over the next year or so, it is unlikely in todayâs HVAC homes you will flirt with danger.
⢠UV light is the other potential vino villain. The reason most wines come in colored glass bottles is to thwart the rapacious ravages of sunlight. A closet or well-shaded part of your house will work fine.
⢠Humidity is somewhat controversial. Conventional wisdom is to lay wine on its side so the cork is wetted by the wine, but cork producers contend the humidity inside the bottle is constant lying down or standing up, so donât stress about this. Whatever. Horizontal is more efficient use of space, which is reason enough.
⢠Wine enchants you, wise investments enable you, and you are big into wine. Maybe 100 or more bottles, some trophies you want to age. Time to invest in a wine fridge. From my personal experience, go with a single temperature zone and go with generous space in the shelving to accommodate fatter burgundy/chardonnay bottle sizes. And you will be surprised at how quickly you run out of space.
Last round
I met my future wife while she was working at the zoo. She was in her uniform. Straightaway I knew she was a keeper. Wine time.
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âIf you could only drink one wine for the rest of your life, what wine would that be?â I get that question often.
As a Catholic, my tongue-in-cheek answer: âConsecrated communion wine because I am in Hell.â
Related question: âWhat is your favorite wine?â
As a humorist, my quip: âWhatever you are pouring.â
The answer to the base question: I enjoy all competently-made wines. When I taste sweeter wines, although not my first choice, I strive to evaluate the wine from the perspective of someone who prefers sweeter wines. And share fair comments with readers.
That said, there are wines I am more likely to pour:
⢠Pinot noir. Lighter body, delicate, nuanced flavors, good acidity, restrained tannins, elegant and silky mouthfeel. Versatile pairing from fish to poultry to white meats and lighter beef. Delicious as a red wine, a key component of many Champagnes.
⢠Sauvignon blanc. Good to great acidity; pairs with with huge range of foods.
⢠Red blends. I prefer blends over pure varietals because blends can deliver more complexity and depth, although I can enjoy a pure varietal play. Blend examples include:
⢠GSM. Grenache-syrah-mouvÊdre. Wonderful blend of three varieties I enjoy.
⢠Bordeaux blend. Cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, sometimes petite verdot, malbec, carmÊnère. Classic big reds.
⢠Spanish blends. Tempranillo-garnacha (Rioja). Garnacha-cariùena (Priorat). Tempranilo-cab, merlot, malbec (Ribera del Duero). There are excellent Spanish white blends, too.
⢠Italian blends. Sangiovese with a variety of blenders.
⢠Sparkling wine. From Champagne, to Spanish cava, to Italian spumantes and proseccos.
⢠Chardonnay. So versatile. Can be made in almost every style; a key component of Champagne and other sparklings.
⢠Australia. Shiraz, perfect for beef pairing.
⢠New Zealand. Sauvignon blanc and, increasingly, pinot noir.
⢠Chile and Argentina. Huge values. Is there a better value-for-price play than malbec?
⢠Portugal. Wide selection at fantastic price points.
⢠Zinfandel. Bold ripe fruit, soft tannins, potentially high alcohol. Whatâs not to love?
⢠Others: riesling, vinho verde, grßner veltliner, maderia, gewßrztraminer, viognier, pinot gris/grigio.
Happy to narrow it down for you.
Tasting notes:
⢠Hope Family Wines Treana Sauvignon Blanc, California 2022: Smooth, very approachable; retains food-friendly acidity. $18-20 Link to my review
⢠Lake Sonoma Winery Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2020: Fulsome, substantial expression of Russian River Valley chard. Rich, engaging in the mouth. $20-25 Link to my review
⢠PrivÊ Vineyard Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountain AVA 2022: Refined, reserved joy in the mouth. Solid reason Willamette Valley is world-class provider of pinot. $60 Link to my review
⢠Dobbes Family Estate Patriciaâs CuvĂŠe Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2021: Rich, opulent, hedonistic delight; excellent fruit, impressive complexity, wonderful texture, mouthfeel. $60 Link to my review
Last round
Somebody stole Satanâs hairpiece! There will be Hell toupee. Wine time.
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In an opinion survey by YouGov, Americans claimed âbottle or label designâ was the least important factor in their selection of a wine. That might be an expected response to an online questionnaire. Few people confess to being lured by clever critter names and images, or campy convict references, or hernia-inducing bottle weights.
But, come on, you are influenced. If you were not, wineries and marketing mavens and money managers would not pay so much attention and dollars to bottles/containers and labels. Anecdotal evidence is especially strong that people, especially those not heavily into wine, are influenced by these factors.
Today, the container is the new delta in the wine consumer equation. Screw caps were the tip of the change spear in past decades. It now is generally accepted that screw caps, also called Stelvin closures, are just another way of sealing a container and is not an indicator of inferior quality. Whole nationsâNew Zealand is the poster countryâpredominantly use screw caps. No one questions their quality, especially for wines consumed in the decade after release.
Newer battlegrounds involve containers. Massive glass bottles traditionally implied quality. That is an emotional rather than a rational response. Glass is glass. It works very well containing wine regardless of its weight. Environmentally and economically, weighty bottles make no sense in production, transportation, and disposal. Let us hope the growing trend of sensible bottle weights continues.
Non-glass is the new front line in wine packaging. Boxed wineâactually a plastic bag inside a cardboard boxâhas a solid base. Once the realm of cheap, inferior wine, now many makers produce quality. The fact the wine stays fresh after initial opening for a month is a huge selling point. You canât age box wine, but almost all wine you buy is not purchased to be aged.
Tetra paks are small boxes made of cardboard, plastic, and aluminum. They are especially ideal for wines drunk young at a beach, poolside, picnic, or any situation where portability and safety from broken glass is an asset. Versions of this have worked for milk, fruit juice, and other liquids for years. Why not wines?
Cans. Similar advantages as tetra paks. Has worked for beerâfor many foods and liquidsâfor more than a century. Why not wines?
Focus on what is in the container and how you will use it, not the closure or its weight or the material used to make it. Onward into the future of wine.
Last round
I met a microbiologist today. He was much bigger than I expected. Wine time.
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What do Americans think about wine? 5-22-2024
What wines do Americans prefer, how much are they willing to pay for it, and what are their general views about wine?
YouGov, a British market research and data analytics firm, recently surveyed 1,117 U.S. adults to gain insights. Their results are very detailed; we will give a simpler-to-digest overview. There is a plus/minus four precent margin of error. YouGovâs research gives you a ballpark idea.
Some 73% said they loved or liked white wine; 72% said the same about red wine. RosĂŠ scored 66% in the love-like category; 63% said the same about sparkling.
Gender preferences is a slightly different question. When asked what type of wine they prefer, 56% of males and 44% of females said they preferred red, while 42% of females preferred white in contrast to only 30% of males. Roughly 14% of both sexes either did not have a preference or were not sure.
Health warnings about wine have been in the news recently. Americans apparently are not all that concerned. Some 40% asserted wine is beneficial to your health, 23% said it has no effect, and 27% were not sure. Only 11% believed wine is detrimental to health.
When asked how much you typically pay for a bottle of wine, a whopping 45% said between $11 and $20. The number goes to 65% for the $11-$40 range. Price matters. A landslide 89% said price was very important or somewhat important.
When asked if they thought they could tell the difference between a $10 bottle and a $100 bottle in a blind tasting of the same varietal, 35% said they definitely could or probably could, while 65% thought they probably could not, definitely could not, or were unsure.
When asked how often they drank wineâa question where people often low-ball their answerâonly 2% said they drank wine daily. Some 11% said a few times a week or once a week; 24% said only on special occasions, and the largest cohortâ38%âsaid they never drink wine, although they may drink other alcoholic beverages.
Tasting notes
⢠Familia Traversa Sauvignon Blanc, Uruguay 2022: Intriguing tension between hints of sweetness and salinity. Very refreshing. Versatile. $9-14 Link to my review
⢠Famiglia Pasqua 11 Minutes Odi Et Amo RosÊ Trevenezie 2022: Crisp light delight. Strawberries, citrus in an engaging bottle. $16-18 Link to my review
⢠Hahn Family Wines Appellation Series GSM, Arroyo Seco 2021: Classic GSM built to be an amiable palate pleaser. $18-23 Link to my review
Last round
Why do I waste energy saying âit is what it isâ to someone who has no idea what it is? Wine time.
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The world has a glut of wine. In some ways, a good thing for wine buyers. With supply up and demand down, wine makers have to make sacrifices to move their product. The old sellerâs adage applies: âI would rather have 50% of something than 100% of nothing.â
Maybe that higher-end, higher-quality wine of your fantasies will move into your pocketbook possibility zone. But danger also lurks. The brand that now looks like a bargain may not be exactly what initially enchanted your imagination.
Fortunately, the label must give you clues. But you have to know what to look for.
There is so much excess wine today makers are conjuring ways to use some of the glut to tempt you with a bogus bargain. A key ploy is to produce bottles with labels that look almost identical to their existing, higher-priced offerings. All seems the same, but there is one tellâthe place where the fruit came from may be different from the one you think you are buying.
Example: a wine labeled âSonoma Countyâ typically is a reassurance of quality, and indicates allâor at least 75% of the grapesâcome from that premier grape growing region. When the wine label reads âCalifornia,â that is something else. The wine could have come from anywhere in California.
If the label says âAmerican,â 25% of it could be imported from overseas. Federal records indicate 68 million gallons of imported wineâmost of it bulk wineâcame into the U.S. in 2022, compared to 51 million gallons in 2020.
You will most-often encounter vague designations in supermarket wines and discount wine stores. Many supermarkets sell wines under their âexclusiveâ labels. What that really means is the supermarket buys âshinersââwine bottles without labelsâand puts their âexclusiveâ label on the bottle. Two supermarkets can sell exclusive wines that came from exactly the same maker off the same bottling line. The only difference is the label.
This is not a scam. If you like the wine, great. Enjoy away. Makers of shiners can make very acceptable wine. The wine may be a commodity wine made in huge amounts to a certain flavor profile concocted from bulk wine, but millions of people enjoy those wines. You can, too, with no shame.
But if you always wanted to try the genuine article of your vino dreams, carefully examine the label. If a deal is too good to be true, it usually is not.
Last round
The CEO of IKEA has just been elected prime minister of Sweden. Currently, he is assembling his cabinet. Wine time.
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This is the final episode of our adventure into the world of wine descriptors.
⢠Spicy: Various grapes contribute spiceâsyrah, zinfandel, petite sirah, malbec, grenache, gewĂźrztraminer, riesling, and viognier typically are cited as being spicy. Oak barrels also impart spice. Common spice flavors are cinnamon, pepper, anise, clove, nutmeg, ginger, and mint. For most sippers, a slice of spice is a nice thing to encounter in the wine.
⢠Dry, Semi-dry, Sweet: Refers to the amount of residual sugar. In broad terms, in dry wine, all the sugar was converted to alcohol. In sweet wine there is residual sugar. Semi-dry falls in between. These are the general terms. Still wines and sparkling wines have different nomenclatures and more nuanced divisions. In still wines, going from driest to sweetest, the wine can be bone-dry, dry, off-dry, medium sweet, and sweet. In sparkling wines, going from driest to sweetest, the wine can be brut nature, extra brut, brut, extra-dry, dry, demi-sec, and doux. Sweetness often is the first characteristic you notice when tasting wine.
⢠Final thoughts: Wine descriptorsâand their fellow partners in crime, wine scoresâare inherently, patently imperfect, sometimes ridiculous. But we live in a chaotic world assaulted by a hurricane of choices. We rely on others to help separate the wheat from the chaff all the time. Recommendations from family and friends for all manner of things. Book reviews. Movie reviews. Restaurant reviews. Customer reviews.
And so it goes with wine. Can written words perfectly describe the experience you will have with a specific wine? Of course not, and every reputable wine writer knows that and will be quick to tell you. In the best case, the words entertain you and give you some assistance as you face a wall of wine choices at your wine store, supermarket, or online seller. Imperfectly passing on knowledge and experience is the skill set that makes us humans.
Tasting notes
⢠Gillmore Collezione del Maule, Valle del Loncomilla, Chile 2020: Blend of four Italian grape varieties grown in Chile. Exceptionally smooth, sophisticated, delicious. $18-20 Link to my review
⢠Van Duzer Dijon Blocks Estate Grown Pinot Noir, Van Duzer Corridor, Oregon 2021: A bit more assertive darker fruits than other efforts, it also has impressive complexity and layers. $57-65 Link to my review
⢠Stagsâ Leap Winery The Leap Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Grown Stags Leap District 2018: Consistent winner from one of Napaâs most hallowed districts by one of Napaâs premier makers. $90-115 Link to my review
Last round
A little known rule is that all employees of IKEA have to stand in a line in the meeting room before every shift. Some assembly is always required. Wine time.
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This is the weekly column
Continuing our adventure in the world of wine descriptors.
⢠Tannin: Tannins come from grape skins, seeds, and oak barrels. Tannin creates puckery, black tea-like sensations in your mouth that some people hate and others love. Tannic wines do well with fat-rich red meat because tannins cut through the fat coating your tongue, enhancing the beef experience. Tannins also are key components of wine built for aging, as they preserve the wine. Many tannic winesâItalian nebbiolo, for instanceâare held in bottle for years before release to allow the tannins to mellow.
J. Nathan Matias
All tannins are not the same. Tannins are mostly characteristic of red wines rather than whites because most tannins come from the skins, stems, and seeds. White wines spend very little time on the skins, stems, and seeds, while red wines can spend many weeks in contact. When tannins are harsh or aggressively drying, they are bad. When they are chewy or rustic, they can be good depending on your palate. When they are silky, integrated, smooth, round, lush, velvety, or supple, they are good, even if the wine writer cannot really tell you difference between round and lush or smooth and silky.
Dusty tannins are a special, Janus-faced category. Generally, dusty refers to tannic density. Dusty tannins may provide a pleasing, refined background to fruit. Or they can be a drying, powdery note that steals flavor at the finish. Like many wine descriptors, âdustyâ can just be a wine writer throwing adjectives against the wall.
⢠Structure: The balance of tannin, acidity, and alcohol, plus fruit and sugar level constitute a wineâs structure. The combination of those elements determine the overall feel in the mouth and perception of the wine. Wines that lack structure are thin, flabby, disjointed, too tannic or too acidic. It is possible for a wine to have too much structure, usually because it is too tannic and out of balance with acidity and alcohol. Good structure, on the other hand, is a characteristic of high quality wines. Balanced structure allows wine to evolve over time in the bottle and develop more depth and complexity.
Tasting notes
⢠Corvo Irmà na Frappato Red Wine 2019: Bright, light, fresh, fruity, delicate. Fun, easy drinker will please those put off by heavier, more tannic/serious red wines. $15-17 Link to my review
⢠Hope Family Wines Treana Sauvignon Blanc, California 2022: Smooth, very approachable; retains food-friendly acidity. $18-20 Link to my review
⢠Project M Anicca Oregon Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills AVA 2022: Nicely structured, elegant with savory core from prime region for quality chardonnay. $40 Link to my review
Last round
Why are frogs so happy? They eat whatever bugs them. Wine time.
Gus Clemens on Wine is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Email: [email protected]
Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com
Website: gusclemensonwine.com
Facebook: facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/
Twitter (X): @gusclemens
Long form wine stories on Vocal: Gus Clemens on Vocal
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gusclemens.substack.com/subscribe - Montre plus
