Wine Peeps

Thank you for joining us for the third “virtual meeting” of the Wine Book Club. Many thanks to Dr. Debs of Good Wine Under $20 who originally proposed the idea for the WBC where bloggers and wine lovers all over the world come together for book reviews and discussions every other month after reading a selected text. Our host for this edition is Lenn Thompson of LENNDEVOURS and the text he selected was To Cork or Not To Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle by George M. Taber.

George M. Taber is a dedicated wine enthusiast and author of the critically acclaimed book, Judgment of Paris. In his most recent work, To Cork or Not To Cork, Mr. Taber takes us through the history of wine closures going back to ancient times. He addresses issues with wine’s most used closure to date, the cork, as well as discusses some new alternative closures that have come into the market. For a “wine-head” like myself, I found the book quite interesting but was disappointed to find that after reading all 270 pages, Taber never definitively answers the question posed in the title of whether to cork or not to cork. A more appropriate title for this book would be The History of Wine Closures.

My own conclusion is that the wine industry must continue to work diligently to find the perfect alternative closure to cork. The wine industry cannot stay viable as an industry when five percent or more of all bottles opened are flawed by a tainted cork and when a person has no clue whether an expensive bottle they bought years ago for a special occasion and stored properly will be good when they open it. While the cork industry has been forced to improve, cork is still not the perfect closure.

After reading this book, it appears to me that some type of glass stopper ultimately has the best shot at becoming the perfect closure. In the interim, the screwcap is the best option available (especially for white wines and young red wines); however, winemakers have to prepare the wine differently for a screwcap than for a cork due to the reduction versus oxidation issue.

If someone can figure out how to make the glass stopper go “pop” when opened, they’ll probably have the market locked up all to themselves.

If you’ve already read the book, please leave a comment and let us know what you thought of it.

Today marks the second “virtual meeting” of the Wine Book Club, where bloggers and wine lovers all over the world come together for book reviews and discussions every other month after reading a selected text. Our host for this edition is Tim Elliott of Winecast and the text he selected was Noble Rot: A Bordeaux Wine Revolution by William Echikson.

Historically, Bordeaux, and the French in general, have been very stogy in their traditions and winemaking practices. However, over the past twenty years, innovators have made their mark, modernizing the production, evaluation, and marketing of French wine. The result has been richer, fruit-driven wines that can be drunk younger than in the past.

William Echikson spent six months in Bordeaux following the growing season and harvest of the 2001 vintage, studying the changes in Bordeaux.

Noble Rot reads like a novel but it is not, it’s true. It is fast-paced and tells some interesting stories about the major players in Bordeaux. Here are a few highlights from the book that I found particularly interesting. Some of these just might whet your appetite for more.

“We don’t want to become like Mondavi in the Napa Valley [and cater to tourists],” he [Count Alexandre de Lur-Saluces] said. “One must merit a visit to Yquem.”

“When I started out, the whole group of wine tasters were little more than parrots for the powers that be in Bordeaux, just repeating the accepted wisdom,” he [Robert Parker, world renowned wine critic] recalled.

In Bordeaux the wine trade’s more progressive elements view him as a savior of sorts. They have realized that the region has a lot of wine to sell and that Parker helps sell it. The American revolutionary could have championed California wines. Instead, his first love is France. He loves French wines, and Bordeaux wines in particular.

If Robert Parker is the leading fan of new wave winemakers, [Michel] Rolland [famous enologist known as the Flying Winemaker] is their guru.

As France became richer and its population moved from the land to the cities, wine became, as in Anglo-Saxon countries, a festive treat [rather than an integral part of everyday life]. Since 1960 consumption has fallen by more than half, from about forty gallons per person per year to about fifteen gallons. While that is still far more than the average two gallons a year drunk by Americans, consumption of more expensive, higher-quality wines has increased in both countries. “We’re drinking less but better” is a common phrase heard these days.

Although the economics of fine wine may no longer look so bright, the quality of elite Bordeaux has taken a giant leap forward. If innovators like [Yves] Vatelot and [Jeffrey] Davies retain their determination to keep improving despite the inevitable, often cyclical commercial setbacks, wine lovers around the world will benefit.

While I found this book to be a good read, it is not for everyone. If you are interested in learning more about Bordeaux, the people, places, and history, this could be a book for you, and you can head over to Amazon or your book retailer of choice to pick up a copy. However, if you are looking for a wine guide or basic wine information, I would suggest that you look elsewhere.

If you’ve already read the book, please leave a comment and let us know what you thought of it.

Today is the first “virtual meeting” of the Wine Book Club. The idea was originally proposed by Dr. Debs of Good Wine Under $20 and based on the model of Wine Blogging Wednesday. The concept brings together bloggers and wine lovers all over the world for book reviews and discussions every other month after reading a selected text. Our host for the first edition was David McDuff of McDuff’s Food & Wine Trail and the text he selected was Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy by Joseph Bastianich and David Lynch. As someone who has far too many unread books on my bookshelf and nightstand, this club was great motivation for me to actually get to reading.

At first the 531-page text seemed daunting but Vino Italiano is actually a very easy read. While I read the book from cover to cover (save for the reference material in Part III), the layout lends itself to use as a quick reference tool. And I am certain that I will be referring back to it frequently. The first section of the book, Part I: The Basics, covers just that—the basics of Italian wine history, laws, and labeling. The meat of the book, Part II: The Regions, covers each of Italy’s twenty-one regions, all of which produce wine. Each region’s chapter roughly follows the same format: introduction, map of the DOC zones of that region, and a discussion of the wines made in the region broken down into the following categories when applicable—Vini Spumante (sparkling wines), Vini Bianchi (white wines), Vini Rosati (rose wines), Vini Rossi (red wines), and Vini Dolci (sweet wines). Each chapter has a “Fast Facts” section that includes a few basic facts, key grape varieties, top vintages, wine touring information, and recommended tastings (all the recommended wines should be available in the American market). And, finally, each chapter concludes with an original recipe by either Mario Batali or Lidia Bastianich to showcase how regional foods and wines go together in Italy. Part III: The Data includes a glossary of Italian wine terms, a list of the grape varieties, a directory of DOC(G) and IGT zones, a list of producers, and additional miscellaneous resources.

As I learn more about Italy and their food and wine culture, I am continually amazed by how much a part of their everyday life it is. I am anxious to take a trip over there to experience it for myself.

Of all of Italy’s wine regions, chances are you have probably heard the most about Tuscany and very little, if any, about some of the others. As I mentioned in this month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday post, I have become particularly intrigued with learning more about Piedmont over the past year. Reading this book continued to fan that flame as it referred to Piedmont as the “wine-lover’s mecca.” Bastianich and Lynch made an interesting comparison between Tuscany and Piedmont:

“Tuscany is Italy’s Bordeaux, Piedmont its Burgundy: One is worldly and market-minded, the other more insular and scholarly. And both seem to like it that way.”

Besides Piedmont, another region that now interests me is Basilicata. It is home to Aglianico del Vulture, arguably the best red wine of southern Italy. As the book says:

“Looking at the current scene, it almost goes without saying that Aglianico del Vulture is one of the new generation of collectible wines from Italy. While your friends are battling it out for rare (and often incredibly expensive) Barolo and Brunello, you might consider checking out Paternoster’s rare but relatively inexpensive “Rotondo” aglianico, D’Angelo’s “Canneto” and “Vigna Caselle,” or Nataio’s “La Firma” Aglianico del Vulture. All of them are assertively aromatic, packed with black-berry fruit and wrapped in wooly blankets of tannin that will preserve them for years. If you care about the wine, not the show, Basilicata is a place to consider. Get there before everyone else.”

Vino Italiano did inspire me to try some new wines although I have not had an opportunity to do so yet. Some of the recommended tastings on my list to try are: Valtellina from Lombardia, Rosso Conero from Le Marche, Primitivo from Puglia, and Aglianico del Vulture from Basilicata.

I highly recommend this book to any wine lover interested in learning more about Italian wines, especially if you are considering a trip to Italy anytime soon. So head on over to Amazon or your book retailer of choice and pick yourself up a copy.

If you’ve already read the book, please leave a comment and let us know what you thought of it.

This month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday is more of a writing challenge than a tasting challenge. Andrew of Spittoon, our February host, asked us to drink any Italian red. That’s easy enough, we thought. But here’s where the tricky part comes in…after drinking that Italian red, he challenged us to review the wine in Just Seven Words.

First things first, the Wine Peeps selected the 2001 Vietti Barolo Castiglione as our subject. Last fall when we were in Orange County, we visited the Wine Exchange and they were touting this wine as great quality for a reasonable price (at that time, it cost $29.99). We really enjoyed it when we tried it there, so we bought another bottle when we got home and had been looking forward to trying it again, this time with a nice meal.

John and I became particularly intrigued with the Piedmont region of Italy, especially with learning more about the Nebbiolo grape, as we were studying for the Certified Specialist of Wine exam last year. Nebbiolo is one of the four most tannic wines in the world; the other three being Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Tannat. Barolo, produced with 100 percent Nebbiolo grapes, requires a minimum aging period of three years, two of them in barrels. Our interest in Piedmont and Nebbiolo has been piqued even further as we have been reading Vino Italiano for the Wine Book Club. Here’s an excerpt from this wonderful book:

“Nebbiolo is often described as one of Italy’s noble varieties. It is known first and foremost for being fiercely tannic, and yet those gripping tannins are extracted from very thin skins that don’t hold a lot of coloring pigments. …the mark of a good Barolo is not its weight on the palate but the penetrating, perfumy aromas of the nebbiolo grape. … They are wines with a balance of sweet, savory, and spicy elements that tingle on the palate, their aromas like vapors that waft up into your brain and lodge themselves in your memory forever.”

The Vietti winery is one of the most well-known wineries in Piedmont. It is located in the tiny village of Castiglione Falletto in the heart of the famous Piedmontese wine region known locally as “The Langhe.”

Over the weekend, the Wine Peeps got together and had this wine with a fabulous dinner prepared by LaGayle. We enjoyed this wine even more with a meal than we had enjoyed it the first time. Barolos are known for their aging potential so to find a 2001 Barolo that is so approachable now is quite remarkable.

Now for the wine writing challenge, here’s my seven word review:
Excellent! A bright, fruity, robust, balanced steal.

2001 Vietti Barolo Castiglione
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: WebWine.com (California), $37.25