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It was reported today that consumers spend more time on mobile apps than on the web. Really this is no surprise. It is the way the world works, big things become smaller and smaller as technology gets better and better. If we could go back in time and start the computer revolution today, no-one would [...]

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Happens Every Year

I’m not even 40.  Yet, every year (and since the recession more than once a year), I get a stroke of contemplative melancholy that lasts as little as a day and often longer than that.

It’s not depression, nor is it even a crisis in the, “Buy a two-door red car and a pair of hip jeans” kind of way, but, more importantly it’s about, “What the hell am I doing with my life?”

Sometimes it’s precipitated by the absolute inanity of work and office politics – people that would rather look good then be good or the office drone that views the world so narrowly and rigidly through her own rose-colored glasses that she can’t possibly empathize with another’s viewpoint.

I have a rough go of it sometimes with these white knucklers who cling so desperately to a false truth of right or wrong and perceived security.

Then, I go online for some mental respite and I hit the wine blogosphere and see the same goddamn conversation going on (and on…) about scores and points or Parker and suddenly what brings me joy turns into déjà vu all over again.

What this leads me to is a desire to channel my inner Buddhist and chuck the trappings of a material life, head out to a cabin in the woods with a laptop, a stash of wine and a vegetable garden in order to create something new, unique and powerful; something real: a piece of art as I know it, words on figurative paper.  I want to create something that’s not a critique of something or somebody that has already created their own value, nor a piece of work that is dependent on somebody else’s expectations. Something that just…is…

Through this, I think I understand the affinity people feel for natural wine.  In a world in which our inherent truth is a derivative of the expectations others have of us and, by proxy, the expectations we’ve subsumed for our own life, the rootedness, the anchor that we can find is in rejoicing in the simple beauty of something that is principally unadultered, a respite from the hair shirt that is life – wine that is barely shepherded from vine to glass and an idle idyll.

Or, this might be just me.

Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/happens_every_year1/

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Field Notes from a Wine Life ? Exhortations and Admonitions Edition

Odds and ends from a life lived through the prism of the wine glass…

H.R. 1161

Now that the din of the debt ceiling debate is quieting down to a dull roar, it’s timely for wine consumers to direct their attention back to other matters of great political import – like, say, wine shipping rights.

Last month, two excellent white papers were published that provide enlightened reading for the wine lover.  Related to the influence wholesale lobbyist dollars have on Washington and the reckless piece of potential legislation that is currently looking for sponsors (H.R. 1161), both papers are pragmatic, fact-based, bi-partisan looks at how special interests are served in the halls of Congress.

While the phraseology, “white paper” alone is enough to make most readers tuck tail and run in the opposite direction, you shouldn’t let that particular bit of verbiage dissuade you from making an investment in understanding the issue(s). Toward Liquor Domination (links open a PDF) by the Specialty Wine Retailers Association and A CARE-less Rush to Regulate Alcohol by the Competitive Enterprise Institute both, in different ways, illuminate the corners of politics that deserve the bright glare of sunlight.

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And, make no mistake, the issue here isn’t with wholesalers; it’s clearly at the feet of our elected politicians who allow lobbyist money to influence their actions under the guise of serving, “Their constituency.”

As consumers, being able to stay abreast of the issues and affect political outcomes is the underpinning through which our freedom is founded.  Being able to make our voice heard is a privilege.  Making that voice heard in matters that relate to our personal interests makes it all the more meaningful.  I urge all readers to read, understand and let your voice be heard with your Congressman. 

The first step is to know more than the Congressman’s intern that will answer your email.  Both of the linked white papers will help you do so.

Summer of Riesling

“Summer of Riesling” is a marketing and promotional umbrella started by New York restaurateur Paul Grieco.  Branching out from what was a heretofore a New York-based restaurant promotion, Summer of Riesling (June 21st to September 22nd) has gone nationwide this year and purports to quash the notion that all Riesling is sweet. 

By having restaurants from coast-to-coast promote Riesling by the glass, Grieco hopes to build mindshare that Riesling is the perfect summer wine with a lilt of acidity to refresh and cleanse the palate, not the duotone plonk that’s a remnant of the 70s.

I give Grieco an “A” for effort, but in reality this campaign sucks with a capital “S.”

First, it seems terribly self-motivated, what with trademarks, t-shirts and a figurehead who cribs from a certain former Santa Cruz Rhone Ranger’s book of self-aware, literate, philosophical name-checking with neurotic, pop culture, existential faux-intelligentsia brain droppings, while craning to find a microphone in a diffident way shtick.  Granted, this figurehead does so with a certain bespoke sartorial splendor not matched by his spiritual forebear, but just the same, this campaign speaks of a cloaked grab for national limelight in the wine conversation akin to holding a funeral for corks.  Licensing and events and such can’t be too far behind, nor the public mea culpa and repentance.  And, as a sidebar query, who said that prevailing wisdom holds that Riesling is all sweet, all the time anyways?  Susie the server at P.F. Chang’s?

Second, and more importantly, nothing good and pure has ever happened by creating widespread popularity for a wine varietal, by mindshare or sales volume. 

Mr. Merlot, your table is ready.  Mrs. Oaked Chardonnay we’ll be with you in a few moments.  Ms. Pinot Grigio your party is already seated.

To say the least, the tumble down is terrible.  To say even less, these sorts of things need to happen organically.

Mr. Pinot Noir under $20, I hate to hold you up as an example.

The absolute last thing that needs to happen is to create broad consumer interest in Riesling, one of the last bastions of unspoofulated wine you can find in the world.

Forgive me if I seem a little unforgiving.  But, to co-opt and adapt Michael Pollan and his food rule on eating:  “Marketing.  Not a lot.  Mostly for the good.”

Summer of Riesling isn’t for the good.

Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/field_notes_from_a_wine_life_exhortations_and_admonitions_edition/

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Take the Plunge Into The Fuzzy Buzz

We find ourselves smack in the middle of summer here in the northern hemisphere. That can only mean one thing. It is time for the annual Pastis Pitch. I still can't understand why the various folks who make that delicious,...

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The Most Enjoyable Wine on the Planet?

In the past couple years, few categories have captured my attention more than domestic Pinot Noir. And within that category, few wines have defined the essence of what I'm looking for more than the Belle Glos Las Alturas Pinot Noir. The 2008 was the first vintage that caught my attention. Tonight I had a chance to try the 2009 vintage of the same wine. A lot of friends and I have purchased this wine and are wondering... will it live up to its predecessor -or- prove to be a disappointment? Read on...

The Belle Glos label comes to us from the Wagner family - producers of Caymus - one of the most reliably outstanding Cabernet producers in Napa Valley. Their Pinot Noir label is Belle Glos. When I tasted their 2008s I was blown away. The Belle Glos Meiomi is a screw-capped $25 bottling produced from grapes grown in Santa Barbara, Sonoma, and Monterey. But they also offer a trio of single vineyard Pinot Noirs with a release price of $44:

  • Santa Maria Valley - Clark & Telephone Vineyard
  • Santa Lucia Highlands - Las Alturas Vineyard
  • Sonoma Coast - Taylor Lane Vineyard
The good news about these single vineyard wines is they've been available at retail for around $34.99 without much effort. Heck - even the notoriously unfavorably priced Wine.com has them available at this price point. Deep discounters have offered these wines for right around $25 (as a limited time offer) which has established a new benchmark for value hunters. Every Pinot Noir offer that comes along is compared to this wine at $25 dollars.

Perhaps what makes this wine so desirable to me is its versatility. It's perfect for so many occasions. It's full-bodied enough it provides a viable gateway for Cabernet lovers to transition to Pinot Noir. It's light enough it plays to a broad audience. And it comes in nice looking package so it works well for gifting. At under $30 it's a wine I can't imagine buying too much of.

Wine Spectator rated all of the 2009 single vineyard wines between 92 and 93 points. Here are my notes on the 2009...

2009 Belle Glos Las Alturas Pinot Noir
$44 Release Price
14.7% Alcohol

Hard to think of a more delicious wine than this. It brings the same rich, plush satisfaction of the 2008 but (at this point) balances it out a bit with a layer of brighter flavors on initial attack. Behind this are the same slightly-sweet spice notes, cherry pipe tobacco, and enjoyable fruit flavors found in the prior vintage. Dangerously difficult to stop drinking. Highly recommended - back up the truck.

95/100 WWP: Classic

Further Reading:

Question of the Day: Have you tried the 2009 Belle Glos single vineyard Pinot Noirs? What did you think? Either way - any tips for wines you'd consider utterly enjoyable?


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/LjN4qpanPTM/most-enjoyable-wine-on-planet.html

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