What's with the ratings?

Ratings..today everything is based on a rating system of either stars, thumb or points.  Siskel & Ebert were notorious for destroying movies with their thumbs down "send them to the lions" movie ratings.  As a child I would get so upset to see them kill movie after movie that I wanted my mom to take me to go see, but I tuned into their show every Saturday afternoon to see the coming attractions and to hear what they would say.  Although, I have would agree on their ratings for Ishstar.

Yelp and other similar websites are changing businesses everyday especially with mobile technology.  Next time you're out dining and see people taking pictures of their food, chances are that they are on some website praising or destroying the place.

Wine ratings go the same root.  There are many critics out there that have a huge following of loyal readers that hang on every word they publish about a wine.  These wine afficiondos can make or break your vineyard with one swipe of the pen.  Some winemakers consider it an honor to have their wines reviewed by any critic, other vineyards choose not to play the games and simply refuse to ever submit their wines for criticism.

The most popular rating system for wines seems to be what is called the Parker Point Scale, made famous by "The Wine Advocate by Robert Parker" publication.  In this scale, the overall rating from 0 to 100 is evaluated by specific critics who specialize in certain areas of wine all over the world.  Parker's not alone!  Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Decanter, Stephen Tanzer, etc. all have a subscription based neewsletter/ratings guide to wine.  Heck even your local wine shop jumps on this system like they were hired by the New York Times.  "T-Dog gives this Yellow Tail Merlot 95 points because he wants you to buy it so he can justify his over purchasing for the week!"

As the scale goes...If you're in the 80+ point range you're safe.  Over 90 points you're pretty darn good.  Under 80 points, pack up the vineyard and rethink your career choice.  Again it's not the golden standard.  It is merely one person's opinion on a specific wine in their respective region of preference.  Some critics only rate/review Italian wines, some only California wines.  And with that you have to submit your wines for the tastings for the inevitable smackdown.  It's like sadomasochism!  "Here are the fruits of my hard labor of the season for you to only destroy my hopes and dreams!"

Remember, it's a person's opinion about a wine.  You don't have to agree with it.  I don't agree with most of them.  I've drank some great wines that have never been reviewed, that refuse to play along.  In my honest opinion, it's a game and the game is called making sales.  Look through any wine publication and you can see by the ad space and size of the ads who gets the best ratings.  I can remember a few years back when Wine Spectator magazine published their "Best Wine of the Year" list.  They overlooked so many great wines that they themselves scored high on the scale only to give Yellow Tail Reserve Shiraz a spot on the chart.  How can you score a wine 93 points and overlook it only to put a 90 point mass produced wine in the spotlight?  Then you turn to pages 2, 26, 97 and see the huge color ads then everything comes full circle.

There are a lot of great writers out there.  Find one you jive with.  Eric Asimov writes a wine column for the NY Times that is great.  I find Food & Wine magazine to have great articles about wines.  Their reviews are from more obscure vineyards and wines.  Also, I like to see what they are pairing each wine with in regards to food which helps with the whole visualization process of what the wines is going to be like.  At the local level, get to know your wine guy or the people that work under the owner.  Ask what they drank this past weekend and chances are that it's some lonely bottle out of the spotlight tucked away on a lower shelf.  Those are the gems!

Wine ratings are a good guide to help you navigate through the maze towards making a decision.  By no means are they or should they be the BIBLE of the wine world.  Most wines/vineyards that I like either get horrible ratings or not rated at all.  It's not because I have bad taste, but maybe it's just because that particular vineyard took a stand and said "I don't care what you say about my wine.  I'm going to continue to make wines that people enjoy drinking!"  At some point in my career, I just began to call BS when I read the reviews and took bottle after bottle home to try only to discover that the review was totally off.  When you give a $10 bottle of wine 90 points and proclaim to the world that it's loaded with ripe berry fruit then that's what I should expect.  When I go home to open the bottle and taste oak, licorice, earthiness, minerality then it's something different which leads to believe that the critic is gearing his review for a market to drive up sales.  Whatever!  It's my opinion, it's there opinion!  My check is smaller than theirs so their opinion carries greater weight.  We both still put our pants on the same way.  Remember that!

It all comes back to try, try, try!  Make your own notes and compare them with your friends, family.  In my house, I've always allowed my son from an early age to smell the wine and tell me what he thinks.  It's amazing to hear the unadulterated and young opinion of a child.  "This smells like blueberries and rootbeer" was my son's first review of the Las Rocas Old Vine Garnache 5 years ago.  Now he's getting a little more descriptive as his palate evolves each year as he tastes new foods.  Maybe he has a future in this field??

Does Price Matter??

Because wine is so subjective to your own palate and opinion there is no straight answer to this, sorry. The long and the short is, it only matters to the person paying for it and the people drinking it.  Again, you don't have to spend a lot to get a lot.  Stay in the price zone that you are comfortable in. If you are use to drinking $10 bottles then once in a while pop open a $15 bottle to see the difference.  Dropping $100 for a bottle is a big leap and yes it will make a difference not only in your wallet, but you will taste the different nuances that come with something of that caliber. Will you appreciate it more? Again, that's up to you.  If you are on spending spree and want to treat yourself to spend $100, in my honest opinion, buy four bottles at $25 each and compare them. Work your way up the ladder gradually. There are many bottles out there for under $25 that drink far beyond that price range.

Try anything from Spain and South America right now, tremendous values! France and Italy are coming back into the scene with great value driven wines again. The Rhone Valley of France has oustanding red and white blends for under $20 that are mind blowing and wallet friendly.


“People give me crap for trying to charge $125 for a bottle of Nagual del Judith (Caduceus’ high-end Cabernet Sauvignon), but they don’t understand it’s on the side of a hill, it’s under one acre, it’s all hand-farmed and there are only 50 cases of it. If I charge you any less than a hundred bucks, then I’m paying you to take it! A metaphor I use is, I think there are some fantastic musicians out there that could walk into Walmart, pick up an acoustic guitar and one out of 10 times give you something you’ve never heard before. But if you really want to make sure it’s all consistent, just go buy a Gibson Les Paul. There is a difference! There’s an absolute difference between an old vintage Fender and something that you order from Kmart, the craftsmanship that goes into it. In wine it’s no different; there are absolute different focuses and farming practices that go into the finer wines. The price goes up as the demand goes up, but the demand goes up, generally speaking, because of the art that’s going into it.”- Maynard James Keenan winemaker @ Caduceus Cellars, Playboy 8/23/12

A lot of factors influence price when it comes to wine. Think of it like this...if you buy a plain cheese pizza then it safe to say you're spending under $10 for the pie. Start adding bacon, peppers, anchovies, etc and not only do you change the price but you're also changing the flavor. Also, the more exotic the add-ons are then the flavors change drastically and the price really starts to climb. White clam pizza with white truffle oil is not the cheapest pie on the menu, but it's ohhh so delicious.

With wine it's the same thing. Start adding all the extras; oak aging, premium grapes, location, limited supply, etc and viola you're now up over $50 a bottle. A Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the Howell Mountain section of Napa is going to cost more than one that comes from Central Coast. Better grapes, location, etc. Likewise, pizza on Ferry St. in New Haven costs less than pizza made at Pepe's on Wooster St. Coincidentally they taste totally different too...the pizza that is.

Again, it's all about you.  Be comfortable and confident when making your purchases, but once in a while treat yourself to something special without having to take out a second mortgage.

Aussie Wines

Where do you start with this? Ok, I'm not a big Aussie or New Zealand wine guy. Or let me rephrase that. I haven't seen/tasted anything new from down under that blew me away. Nothing personal at all trust me, but in the same respect I just started drinking Italian wines all over again. Maybe it's because I'm getting older, maybe because I appreciate the style more now than before. I dunno. Same with wines from down under. Maybe its because the little Kangaroos, koalas and penguins just destroyed the market not that I consumed those, but even still...10 years ago, if your vineyard did not make a Shiraz you were losing out. Much like the Pinot Noir phenom when Sideways came out and the negative demise of Merlot as a result. "I am not drinking any $@"& Merlot!"
Ok, back to the beginning. My first entry into Aussie Shiraz was a bottle of Yangarra Park Estate Shiraz, under $20 if I remember correctly. It was great! Literally flavors of dark cherries covered in mocha, velvety, silky smooth (Zohan reference) balanced tannins where they weren't killing my front teeth. Is that reaction to tannin just me? This was like textbook Shiraz. Like taking shop class and looking under the hood of a '79 Monte Carlo compared to today's cars. There's the carb, there's the timing belt, etc. From New Zealand I went for the Selaks Sauvignon Blanc. Again, text book NZ Sauv Blanc with tons of grapefruit, crisp acidity and balance between those two. Now over the years it's been a crap shoot of what's been brought to market but again ratings and reviews seem to drive that area of influence.
I once saw a great interview with the very lovely Laura Catena, famous winemaker from Argentina and doctor in her spare time. In relation to the grape Malbec, she stated that "now is the best time to drink Malbec before every winemaker gets one to market. In a few years the market will be so over saturated with garbage just so a vineyard can say that they have a bottle of Malbec on the shelves.". This was just three years ago and she wasn't kidding. I felt the same about New Zealand and Australia. Every NZ Sauvignon Blanc was like drinking battery acid mixed with a splash of Tropicana grapefruit juice. Every Aussie Shiraz was a huge fruit bomb and fell apart after that. Kim Crawford always gets huge ratings for their Sauvignon Blanc, but to be honest over the years it's changed so much. I will say this though, forget their Sauv Blanc and DO try their Chardonnay. That's some tasty wine. Crisp and clean without all of the humongous grapefruit overtones. Taste close to French Chard which is good for me. Now Australia seems to be making strides again. Here's my opinion as to what their problem was. They started off as a good valued wine producing region then as popularity grew so did the pricing. They were rushing products to market and losing quality. Then South America and Spain got into the game and are still pumping out tremendous wine under $10. Over the years I have tried some phenomenal red blends from Australia that have my attention. I'd like to try more once summer changes over to fall. Likewise I've had some great Pinot Noirs from NZ that were very Burgundian in style. Last week I sampled a trio from an Aussie producer called Vinaceous. A Chard, a Cabernet and a red blend with of all things Tempranillo which is primarily found in Spain. The Chard was very good but Aussie Chards just don't get the credit they deserve and likewise with the Cabernet. People don't "get" them. The blend was very interesting with little fruit and more earthy, smokey flint. That may appeal to some people but ehh, not right now or on it's own for me. So, hopefully we will see an influx of new wines from down under this upcoming season. Your homework, pick out something from down under and tell me about it! Make it something different. Tell me what you are tasting, smelling, etc. It's your palate and it has it's own opinion! Trust it.

What's with the pink stuff??

I don't know why the color of a wine would make anyone feel like less of a wine drinker. I mean, it's just a color. Maybe it's the mysticism associated with being a fruity sweet wine like White Zin as opposed to something more serious. Whatever! You press a lemon and the juice is tart. You press a Zinfandel grape and it's fruity. To each their own. So, with summer comes the consumption of the pink stuff otherwise know as Rose. I drink this style of wine all year round when the mood or food is right. For whatever reason why Rose wine is associated with summer is beyond me. I mean it's not like wearing white after Labor Day. Next holiday you make a glazed ham, try a Rose specifically one from Spain made from the Monastrel grape. Ahhh, match made in heaven. 

 Simply put Rose wine is made by letting the grape "juice" (for lack of scientific terms) come into contact with the dark grape skins for a short time just to allow some color. Think of it as dropping a white egg into a cup of water dyed with PAZ Easter Egg dye. Sometimes you put just enough coloring you get baby blue pastel and other times you go a little heavy handed and you get navy blue.

Some of the best Rose comes from the southern region of France called Provence. There, the wines are typically a blend of several different grapes such as Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignane, Cinsult and others. The end result is a wine that, in most cases, is clean crisp with good acidity, light to medium body and tropical fruit to citrus on the nose. I'm starting to see more Rose from Provence blending in Cabernet Sauvignon for body, this year imparticularly.

Bringing the party back home...the big three wine producing states do their versions of Rose wine. Although, as of late I've been drinking rose from lesser known wine producing states such as Arizona and Long Island, NY.

Of all the places, who would've thunk that they can make wine outta AZ? One vineyard in particular, Arizona Stronghold, makes a wonderful Rose called Dayden. It's a huge blend of many grapes with a touch of red Zinfandel. A little darker in color than your typical Rose but tons of flavor and nose on this bad boy. It tastes more like biting into the last piece of rose colored flesh on a watermelon right before you hit the white meat on the rind. Good stuff, but I'll spare you the details for another post.

Coming back to the east coast take a gander at what Long Island wine producers from Wolffer Vineyards and Bedell are doing with Rose. Both are more Provence France in style and flavor. Beautiful, elegant, clean, crisp and dry. They both smell more like Sauvignon Blanc than anything else. Again, more on wine from wacky places for another post. But, seek these wines out and try them while they're in area stores.

You gotta chuckle when someone turns their nose up to a White Zinfandel. I mean, Beringer Vineyards makes world renowned wines. Their white Zin funds every project and keeps the place in business. When Christmas rolls into town this year, see what White Zin is stacked to the ceiling. No laughing, but for many people White Zin was their gateway drug into wine drinking. Hopefully you've graduated into other wines by now, but again you had to start somewhere.

Again with any wine, taste around and find out what tickles your taste buds the best. Try the wines on their own and with food. You'll be surprised at how much a better a wine tastes when it has something else to play off of.

This past week, we happened to partake in a private home wine tasting with around 20 of our closest friends and family. By the end of the evening we had changed everyone's mind as to how they felt about Rose wine. Get the people out of their comfort zone and show them what it's all about. Words can't explain what your palate is tasting sometimes so it's always better to pour the glass and sip, savor the night away....but I'm more of a hands on learner anyways! Cheers!

What's this all about?

Everyone starts somewhere...sometimes we forget where we began.
I'm by no means or would even consider myself an "expert" per say in the field if wine. I simply do this for a living about 60 hours a week, 6 days a week. I taste anywhere between 50 to 75 new wines a week depending on the season and the promotional push from the sales people. I just like what I do and probably taste more wine than the average person who does not work in this field.
My palate is no better than yours know that first and foremost! Your senses are like muscles, you have to work them out constantly in order for them to work in sync like a machine...or they get all flabby to the point where you get what I call "nonni arms". If you have an old Italian grandma, well you get the picture.
I was going to start this blog off by pointing out all the wrong that other guys in this field do and how snobby they can be which turns off and scares people. BUT, to be honest with you, I want you all to read what they say, hear what fire they're spitting at you and build some self-confidence about making wine selections on your own You know more than you think. You just need to fine tune it all in unison.
Let's face it, wine buying is intimidating! Nothing like a Poindexter ridiculing you over your choice of wine just because you like the pretty kangaroo on the bottle. You like it right and who is he to say otherwise. Wine should not be scary or intimidating rather it should be inviting and welcoming.
When did we all become wine snobs? Did we all just pop out and start drinking Screaming Eagle? I bet somewhere down the line all of these so called wine experts started drinking White Zin or Blue Nunn. Something brought you to the point where you wanted to drink wine, now it's just a matter of expanding your pallet and getting out from the rut you've been in.
My "colleagues" in this field all have their own swagger about explaining wine to you. Some throw out big terms while others like to name drop big vineyards which makes me believe that there is something more of a self confidence issue there that Dr. Phil hasn't fixed yet.
It is what it is and you should feel #1 comfortable while shopping/selecting your wine and #2 confident in making your own purchases. If your wine guy looks like my profile pic run! No just kidding. But if you hear someone spitting out that "They bottled left over Cherry Block juice ($100 a bottle) and are now putting it into XYZ wine for $10", run. It's a good sales pitch, but it's one of those too good to be true stories.
Ratings are all good to use as a guide line and I respect all of the wine critics, writer, bloggers, etc out there but sometimes you gotta pick you head up out of the Thesaurus and talk to people. I mean, fruit sounds appetizing but "gnawing on fresh upholstered saddle leather seats dipped in #2 lead pencil" does not sound like the optimal purchase for me at least. Again, to each their own just understand what you like. That is key! It helps me, the waiter, friends,etc. pick out better wines for you.
It's all about YOU! Don't let anyone tell you differently! If you've never had the pleasure or interest in drinking a first growth Bordeaux then all that jibba jabba isn't going to have any lasting impression on you to make a choice. There's a great scene in Jerry McGuire where he's yelling at one of his clients..."Rod! Help me help you Rod!" That's what we need from you. Know what you like...fruit, dry, earth, tannins, red or whites. There's nothing wrong with what you like after all it is your palate, but once in a while get out of your comfort zone and put something new in your glass.
So with that, I open up this chapter of my day to day life in the wine world to you with the hopes that one day we can sit around a table together and share a glass of vino! CHEERS!