Wine Peeps

First of all, beware of a restaurant where there are no wine glasses on the table. They probably have a weak wine list and lack wait staff that really knows wine.

When you do order wine at a restaurant, you can save by ordering a less popular varietal, for example, Sauvignon Blanc instead of Chardonnay, or Zinfandel instead of Cabernet Sauvignon. Pinot Grigio and Shiraz are also usually safe, lesser expensive choices.

Stay at the more moderately priced end of the wine list but not at the bottom. Pay no more than two to three times retail for a bottle of wine. You don’t need to have your ultimate wine experience in a restaurant. In fact, it wouldn’t make sense to try because of the high markups on restaurant wine. Keep in mind that there are five glasses of wine in a bottle when deciding whether or not to buy by the glass or the bottle. (Photo by bryce_edwards)

Once you have ordered a bottle of wine, make sure it comes to the table unopened and that it is the name and vintage that you ordered. After it is opened and you have an initial smell (of the wine, not the cork) and taste, if you believe that it is a bad bottle (either corked or oxidized), ask the server if he would have a taste and tell you what he thinks.

By the way, some sommeliers will sniff the cork after they’ve opened your bottle, as if that’s telling them something about the wine. It isn’t, so show your intelligence by not following suit. And if he or she makes some laudatory comment about the aroma of the wine after sniffing the cork, you’ll know it is just part of the show.

One final note: Find out whether yours is a state where it is legal for a restaurant patron to take home any leftover wine that was not consumed in the restaurant.

Right now, you may be one of those persons who is somewhat uncomfortable when opening a wine menu at a restaurant (especially in front of others whom you wish to impress), accepting an invitation to attend a wine tasting dinner (because you don’t believe that you are a sophisticated enough taster), or even walking the aisles in a wine shop.

Reading this blog on a regular basis should be much like studying a good road map. It is necessary to get you where you are going if you are not familiar with the territory; it will help you avoid some pitfalls and give you some shortcuts, but you will not get there just reading the map. You have to get in the car and go. It is the same with wine. You cannot just read about it and think about it and visualize it. You have to experience it.

The only way to become a really good wine taster is to taste, taste, and taste some more. I read that the novelist Kurt Vonnegut once asked the painter Jasper Johns how you could tell a good painting. Johns said, “First, look at a million pictures.” And so we believe it is with wine. As the late Emile Peynaud, France’s legendary wine authority, said:

“Practically anyone can learn to taste well if he or she is prepared to make the effort: a few years of regular practice are all that is required.”

That’s encouraging, isn’t it?

Wine comes in many flavors, among many brands, representing many different varietals. They can taste dramatically different. We’ll give you some shortcuts to finding good wines and some pitfalls to avoid in this blog…we’ve already given you some. But to discover what you like best, you need to taste a wide variety of wines yourself. You’ll learn something new every time you taste, and we bet the vast majority of your tastings will give you great pleasure.

Also, remember that no one knows all there is to know about wine; a taster’s learning curve lasts a lifetime. There are always new wines to learn about and experience. We hope that you enjoy the journey as much as we do.

“Anyone who tries to make you believe that he knows all about wines is obviously a fake.” –Leon Adams

Some tips for improving your tasting skills:
1. Taste at least one new wine a month.
2. Join a regular wine tasting group.
3. Attend wine tasting events at wine shops, wine bars, restaurants, etc.
4. Host a wine tasting dinner.
5. Visit wine country.
6. And most importantly, have fun!

“A clue that you’re buying wine at the wrong store: The proprietor gives samples in a Big Gulp cup.” –Malcolm Kushner

First, look for a wine shop, not a supermarket or liquor store that sells primarily beer and hard liquor. Notice the temperature when you walk in the door. Make sure it almost feels a little cool to you. Also, notice whether the wine stock looks fresh, not dank and dusty.

Ideally the shop will organize its wines by country or region or varietal. Ask the wine steward what their system is for displaying wines. That will also give you a clue as to whether the staff really knows wine and can answer questions intelligently. Fortunately, many independent wine shops are owned and managed by bright wine enthusiasts who could be making a lot more money elsewhere but simply love working in the wine industry. (Photo by booleansplit)

Suggestion: Start with one section of the shop (Australian Shiraz, Washington Cabernet Sauvignon, California Zinfandel, or whatever interests you) and get comfortable with that one type of wine before moving on to a new section. Also, tell the wine steward the price-range that fits your budget and ask when they usually run specials.

Keep in mind that once a wine merchant has “put his money where his mouth is,” he will be tempted to “put his mouth where his money is,” as Andrew Sharp says in his excellent book, Winetaster’s Secrets. In other words, once a wine merchant has invested a lot of money in a particular wine for his inventory, he needs to sell it. Your best protection against being ripped off is experience. Start with some of our recommendations in this blog and then venture out by trying new wines your wine steward recommends as a comparison. Then keep good notes, keep tasting, and see how fast your wine confidence grows.

Also, give your wine steward feedback based on your notes. Don’t just say, “I didn’t like that last bottle you sold me.” Be more specific. Say something like, “That ABC Chardonnay was too oaky and had a buttery taste I really didn’t enjoy.” That way he can steer you in the direction of another wine that you may enjoy more.

“Though the Wine Advocate has been bellowing it for years, it is worth repeating: Columbia Crest is the source of some of the finest values in the world. I am awestruck that winemaker Ray Einberger and his team can produce such quality in industrial-size quantities.” –Pierre Rovani, Wine Advocate, April 2006

If you want to just make life simple and not have to take the time to learn about all the different wine producers around the world, it’s nice to find a winery in your own backyard that makes almost everything you might want consistently well and at a price you can afford. For those of us in Washington State, that winery is Columbia Crest. And, the good news for those of you who don’t live in Washington, Columbia Crest wines are readily available nationwide as well. In our own blind tastings throughout the years, Columbia Crest wines have almost always finished at or near the top, no matter what the varietal nor whether we’re tasting reds or whites. And the best part is that they are usually one of the easiest wines on the pocketbook in the tasting.

“The challenge for me is to deliver wines that beat all expectations year after year at all levels.” –Ray Einberger, Head Winemaker, Columbia Crest

The most remarkable thing about the quality that Columbia Crest is able to consistently produce is the volume at which they are producing it. Under Einberger’s leadership, the Columbia Crest winemaking team has produced more 90+ scoring bottles of wine than any other winery in the world. Columbia Crest has several different lines, all of which offer outstanding quality and value: the economical Two Vines (1 million cases per year, retails for approximately $6/bottle), the Grand Estates (750,000 cases per year, retails for approximately $10/bottle), and the Reserve (20,000 cases per year, retails for approximately $25-30/bottle).

I couldn’t agree more with wine writer/judge Bob Woehler who said,

“Few things turn me on like finding a great cabernet sauvignon for under $10. That’s exactly what happened at January’s [2006] Wine Press Northwest tasting of 128 cabs when Columbia Crest’s everyday 2002 Grand Estates placed in the top six of the judging with an outstanding rating. Wine Press Northwest’s ‘outstanding’ rating is equivalent to a gold medal.”

While variety is the spice of life, and we like many different wines from many different regions of the world, you can’t go wrong with Columbia Crest if you need to pick up a bottle for dinner tonight.

“We can compete very favorably in producing top table and varietal wines with any other region in the United States.” –Walter Clore, Father of the Washington Wine Industry, 1969

After traveling over much of the world of wine, I truly believe that Washington State produces great wine and is one of the most exciting wine regions out there. For those of you who are not familiar with Washington State, it is important to note that Washington DC (the nation’s capital) and Washington State are on opposite sides of the country. Washington State is on the west coast of the United States in what is known affectionately as the great Pacific Northwest. From north to south on the west coast are the states of Washington, Oregon, and California.

Pierre Rovani was solely responsible for reviewing the wines of Washington State for Robert Parker’s influential Wine Advocate newsletter for a number of years. He was a keynote speaker at Taste Washington, an annual event put on by the Washington Wine Commission, in 2006. Unfortunately, I was not able to hear him speak, but Paul Gregutt, Wine Adviser for the Seattle Times, recounted some of his speech in one of his articles shortly after the event. According to Gregutt, Rovani told the audience:

“I can tell you that two of the highest scores in the [upcoming] issue go to Washington wines [2002 and 2003 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignons received perfect scores of 100 points]. Across the board, expensive to value, Washington leads the pack. I think Washington’s growers are at the peak of their profession. The vineyards are making incredible fruit. The future is unbelievably bright. We’re not talking potential. You’ve achieved it.”

Rovani went on to speak about the quality of Washington Cabernet Sauvignon, calling it “the best in the world.” He finished by enumerating numerous advantages that Washington enjoys—a perfect climate, great land, and control of water via irrigation.

It was a combination of Washington wine pioneer Wally Updycke’s vision, big money, and a commitment to high quality that allowed Walter Clore’s predictions in 1969 to come true. There are now over 500 wineries in the state of Washington, and Washington is now second only to California in USA wine production. As we’ve stated previously, we started out on our wine journey tasting Washington wines. We liked them then and we still like them now. While many wine critics contend that the best Merlots in the USA come from Washington, and we’d have to agree, our favorite Washington wines today are Cabs and Syrahs.

“The state turns out Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah—and increasingly Cabernet Franc, in a style that has given Washington a distinct identity in the world of wine.” –Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator

We’ll be devoting some future posts to giving you specific recommendations on Washington wines in coming weeks and months.

Also, this year’s Taste Washington is coming up on April 5 and 6 in Seattle. April 5 is education day with a number of seminars led by wine industry professionals at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center, and April 6 is the Grand Tasting at Qwest Field Event Center featuring a host of Washington wineries and restaurants. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the Taste Washington website.

If you know what you want and know a great deal on price when you see it, buying online or at a big volume local merchant makes terrific sense. In fact, most wine merchants try to move their excess stock twice a year, many in January and August, so those are usually very good times to buy.

Almost all significant wine merchants now have a website. Our experience with online buying has been generally very positive. We’ve ordered many, many cases from numerous online vendors without incident. We’ve also found great stores with terrible websites and vice versa. Over time, we’ve found a number of online vendors that we believe stand above the others in terms of ease of use, selection, price, and reliability:

Wine Exchange
MadWine
K&L Wine Merchants
Beverages & More!
Wine Library
Sam’s Wines & Spirits

We have ordered wine from each of these vendors—in most cases, multiple times. Of course, we cannot promise that your experience with these vendors will be as favorable as ours. We’re sure that we have also omitted some other great online vendors.

This week, an article in the Financial Times stated that Amazon.com is planning to start selling wine online. Certainly, Amazon entering the fray is indicative of wine buying online going mainstream.

If you are considering buying wine online, be sure to keep the following tips in mind:

• Be sure that the online vendor delivers to your state.

• Be sure that you are ordering wine bottles in the size that you want (ex. A standard bottle=750ml).

• Be sure that you get the vintage (year) that you ordered.

• Be sure that you read and understand the returns policy.

• Be sure that you check for case discounts.

• Be sure that you check out the minimum purchase for delivery.

• Be sure you find out the shipping costs before you order.

• Be sure that your wine is not delivered during extremely hot or extremely cold weather periods.

• Be sure that you have your delivery made to a business rather than a residential address as that will greatly simplify the process by facilitating an adult signature and eliminating wait time on your part.

• Be sure that you understand whether you will be charged for insurance on your order.

If you follow the above advice, the probabilities are high that your online wine buying experience will be as favorable as ours has been. We’d love to hear what your online wine buying experiences have been.

It should be obvious that if you drink too much you are likely to get a headache. So besides cutting back on the quantity of wine you drink at one sitting, or spitting instead of swallowing like the professional tasters do, what can you do to lessen the headache issue?

While sulfites often get the blame for headaches after drinking red wine, doctors say that a more likely culprit is histamines. Taking an over-the-counter antihistamine before drinking may be the solution to your problem. [We are not doctors so please consult with your regular doctor before taking any medication.]

And while we’re giving advice on headache prevention, also remember to drink plenty of water when you drink wine, because all alcoholic beverages have a dehydrating effect. And medical experts say that can also contribute to headaches.

It’s a myth that sulfites in wine cause headaches. In fact, all wine grapes have natural sulfites. Don’t be confused by the label that says, “No sulfites added.” That doesn’t mean “no” sulfites. Red wines actually have the least amount of sulfites added because they already have plenty of natural preservatives from the grape skins used to make them. If you truly believe that it is sulfites causing your headaches, beware of salsa, dried fruits, packaged cookies, and even orange juice. They all have much higher levels of sulfites than red wine. In fact, a typical salad bar uses ten times the sulfites in wine to keep its produce fresh.

In sum, for the best chance of headache-free wine tasting, take an antihistamine before you begin, drink plenty of water along with the wine, drink in moderation, and spit instead of swallowing, especially if you are the designated driver.

Through the years, we have taken a number of trips to different wine regions throughout the world. As you might expect, we have had a wide range of experiences, some great and others not so great.

We found visiting Australian cellar doors (wine tasting rooms) to be one of the great wine experiences in the world. First, there are virtually no tasting fees (at least as of 2005 when we were last there). The hosts are knowledgeable and extremely friendly. Rather than limiting you to three small tastes for a $5 or $10 fee, the Australians want you to taste all ten or 15 wines they have on display and are almost offended if you don’t. And they don’t hide the “good” stuff. We had free tastings of $70-$80 bottles of excellent wine. [I realize that Liquor Control Board laws in many states in the U.S. do not permit this same level of hospitality.]

“…I found in Australia a soulmate. And I sometimes feel as though purely by chance we’ve both been beating the same path to the same destination at the same time. Good wine; enjoyable approachable wine available to all, affordable by all. Sometimes seeking to provide the greatest pleasure for the greatest number and achieving it. Sometimes saying ‘We’re not frightened, we can equal those old-timers from Europe.’ But more often saying ‘We’re Australian, we don’t try to copy anyone. Take us for what we are and enjoy it.’” –Oz Clarke, Oz Clarke’s Australian Wine Companion

In North America, we have found the wineries and tasting rooms in Washington State and the Okanagan Valley of Canada to be the closest to Australia in their friendly attitude toward consumers.

In contrast, we have visited a number of regions that are very well-known for their wines but, for the most part, the people seem to fall short in their customer service skills. While I would recommend that any wine lover take a trip to France if the opportunity arises because of its rich wine history, many chateaus in France are not open to the public and some of those that are act like they are doing you a favor to let you taste their wines.

Napa tends to be over-crowded and charge high tasting fees. We even found some people at the tasting rooms in Napa who looked down their noses at us and their other guests while charging us all to taste their third label. [If you go wine tasting in California, we recommend that you visit Sonoma instead where we have found the wines to be just as good yet the people are much friendlier.] And finally, the most disappointing in all of our wine trips was the reception we got (or should I say didn’t get) in Oregon. Really, what do they have to be snooty about?

Now, in which of those environments do you feel an obligation to buy? For me, the easy answer is Australia. Even though I am not able to visit Australia frequently, the positive experience that we had there, not to mention the fact that they produce outstanding wines at reasonable prices, makes me want to buy their wines and encourage you to do so also.

What have been your experiences, great and not so great, as you have visited wine regions throughout the world? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts with us.

Adopting your favorite winery by joining its wine club and following its vintages year after year is a great way to learn and feel like part of their family. When you join your favorite winery’s wine club, you not only get a first taste of their latest vintages that they send you automatically three or four times a year, but you typically also receive discounts on purchases, free winery facility tours, and invitations to special events. In many clubs, you can also specify whether you want all red wines, all white wines, or some of each.

Taking advantage of these opportunities enables you to get to know the winemaker and feel like a part of the winery’s family. And best of all, you can drop your wine club membership anytime you wish if you find a new favorite winery.

There are also a number of commercial wine clubs not affiliated with a particular winery. They typically advertise that they have special access to uniquely good wines of a particular type, either new wines not in general distribution, a variety of wines from around the world, famous waiting-list wines, and/or premium wines from a particular region. The wines are selected by the club operators and sent to you automatically every month or every other month.

While we’re sure that some wine enthusiasts have found great new wines this way, we don’t believe it’s a very efficient way to find new favorites. You’re at the mercy of a club operator, who may have a financial rather than a fiduciary interest in the wines you receive.

We personally prefer the wine club of a winery whose wines we already know, have performed well in our own blind tastings, and whose new releases we want to access as soon as possible. What are your thoughts/experiences with wine clubs?

Visiting wine country is one of my favorite outings. The people are very friendly, the scenery is great, the atmosphere is refreshing, and most of the wine is good, too. However, there are some basic tips that can help you avoid problems and have great memories when you get back home.

Tip #1: Stay sober.
If you plan to visit a number of wineries in one day, learn to spit rather than swallow. Almost all tasting rooms have spittoons (aka dump buckets) for this purpose.

Tip #2: Make notes.
Take good notes of what you like and what you don’t like. Don’t depend on your memory after you’ve visited multiple wineries and tasted several wines at each stop.

Tip #3: No cheese or chocolate while you are tasting wine. Save it for later.
In one of our first wine country trips years ago, we came across a winery where the winemaker insisted that we eat different cheeses with each of the wines we tasted. We were not only impressed with the cheeses, but the wines tasted good, too, so we bought more wine than we should have to bring home. Boy were we surprised when the same wines that tasted so good at the winery with cheese tasted terrible by themselves and finished at or close to the bottom in our blind tastings.

Now, research at UC Davis has validated what we realized after our experience mixing wine and cheese. Reporting on the study, Shan Ross wrote:

“Eating cheese ruins the flavors of wine and makes fine vintages indistinguishable from cheap plonk, research has revealed. While the two are often served together in the belief they make a sophisticated combination, scientists have discovered even expert tasters could not distinguish between wines after eating cheese.”

And I believe that you can virtually ditto the above comments for chocolate.

Tip #4: Be friendly and polite and respect the time of those who work at the winery.
Remember, you are probably not their only visitor today.

Tip #5: Buy only one or two bottles.
When you find a wine you like, just buy a bottle or two to start with, not a case. Then take your favorites home and compare them side-by-side in a blind tasting. Then buy a case or two of your proven favorites.

Tip #6: Don’t put the wines you buy in the trunk of your car.
When do most of us visit wine tasting rooms and go on winery tours? Why, in the heat of the summer, of course. Do you realize how quickly a bottle of wine is ruined by summer heat? I tasted a wine that had spent only six (6) hours in the trunk of a car on a 90 degree day, and it was baked, totally ruined as a drinkable wine. I believe that wineries should sell insulated boxes or coolers that you can use with ice packs, you know the kind that you can squeeze to activate and place on a sprained ankle.

If the wineries you visit and buy from don’t offer this kind of protection for sale, be sure that you make arrangements for it on your own. This is also another good reason that we recommend that you only buy a bottle or two while at the winery instead of cases. At least then if you ruin your wine in the car, it’ll only be a few bottles. But remember, you want to get even the few bottles home safely so that you can compare wines and give the wines a fair chance in a blind tasting.

Follow these tips and I’ll bet that touring wine country will be some of the favorite times of your life. Please share any tips you have for visiting wine country in the comments.