It?s Time For Radical Simplification of Old World Wine Labeling

I’m a traditionalist but also a realist. And I think now is the time to shake up the centuries old wine labeling and classification systems that have stood as a barrier to selling many Old World wines to American consumers. Case in point is Germany where a tradition of bad Middle Ages typography continues on [...]

It’s Time For Radical Simplification of Old World Wine Labeling originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.

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Tasting Report and Free Shipping: Current Releases at The Wine Cellar of Stoneham

Reminder: Our Scoop the Spectator and Win a Kindle Fire Contest Ends this Friday
The other day, I mentioned The Wine Cellar of Stoneham to a colleague visiting from New Jersey as a good store to check out for wine deals. I've tried quite a few of the wines they carry so I thought it would be a good time to share my thoughts and point out what I thought were some of the better value plays currently available.

Right now, they're offering free shipping to Massachusetts on orders over $100 with Promotional Code "wwp". Have a look at the list below and take a look at their other selections on their website. And remember - there's no tax on wine in Massaschusetts. Free shipping, no tax, online shopping, and great prices. I like it.

2006 Cade Cabernet $39.99 ($68 release)
94/100 WWP: Oustanding

A beautiful Napa Cab that takes my definition of what I'm looking for in this category and pushes forward with a little extra. Drinking beautifully at this stage if you like your wine as it's just exiting its youthful stage - but hasn't yet settled into mid-life. I've had this wine at tastings before and have been impressed - but this was my first chance to sit down and get to know it.
Visually it's opaque dark red/purple. As I swirl it in the glass some mild sediment is revealed on the edge of the glass.
The aromatics were evident immediately upon opening, but reveals more with time. So much going on. Blackberry, black currant - deep dark fruit. Eucalyptus too, but in a mild supporting role. Savory notes. This wine is classic Napa/Howell Mountain fruit.
Very satisfying on the palate with ample acidity, chalky cocoa powder tannins, and a million-mile finish.
Don't see how I can rate this any lower. It's so well done. Wow - a beautiful wine.

2009 Patz & Hall Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir $29.99 ($42 release)
93/100 WWP: Oustanding

Medium-full bodied magenta. Aromatically beautiful with rich strawberry, red raspberry, and fresh clean earth which translates brilliantly to the palate. Silky texture balanced nearly perfectly with acidity and just a touch of tannic grip.
A benchmark California Pinot Noir from and iconic pruducer. Highly recommended.

2007 Robert Foley Petite Sirah $39.99 (95+ RP/$60 release)
93/100 WWP: Outstanding

A tremendous wine at a fantastic price here. I prefer the Petite Sirah and Merlot for near term consumption over the  much more expensive Claret. They also have magnums of the 2007 Merlot for $79.99 - also outstanding. Super-high alcohol (16.2%! - but well concealed) powerful fruit-forward California wines.

2009 Miner Rosella's Vineyard Pinot Noir $39.99 (90WS/$60 release)
90/100 WWP: Outstanding

Light, elegant and layers of complexity. But somehow I was hoping for a little more at this price point. A plummy note feels out of place in a CA Pinot. Would love it at $25 but since it's more I doubt I'll be buying more. The wine is outstanding in my view but in this price range you can have some of the best CA Pinot Noir.

2006 Nicholas Potel Volnay Vieilles Vignes $24.99 (88WS/$46 release)
90/100 WWP: Oustanding

What a pretty wine. Light ruby in color and mostly transparent. Austere by new world standards but with food it shines. Sufficient round fruit on the nose that turns more tart on the palate. Wonderful mineral flavors with considerable acidity and a touch of tannic bite. Would like to check in on this wine in a couple years but even now - very elegant.


2010 Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir $16.99
90/100 WWP: Outstanding

Very dark for a Pinot Noir. Darker than prior vintages of this wine I believe.
Almost brooding. Still tastes very primary but I have a feeling this will evolve quite well.
90+ for now. We'll see where this one goes. I'll be buying more. It's a great value, especially when you see it in the $16 range.

2008 Saint-Cosme Cote-Rotie $29.99 (90WS/$95 release)
89/100 WWP: Very Good

60% opaque but light on its feet. The aromas on this are so distinctive - white pepper, earth, red fruit, and minerality. Quite elegant. The mouthfeel is light and it could give a little bit more of a punch without betraying its origin. That said, I do believe this provides a viable window into the pricey category Cote Rotie is.
An off vintage for Syrah-driven Northern Rhone so you can catch this one on a deal

2009 The Dreaming Tree Cabernet $11.99 (Dave Matthews collaboration wine)
87/100 WWP: Very Good

Medium to full bodied dark ruby red. Opens with substantial fresh plum and black currant aromas with supporting toasty oak notes. Enjoyable mouthfeel with a touch of acidity and blackberry flavors. A touch of sweet spice. A nice enjoyable wine.

2009 Conundrum Red $16.99 (First release of a red Conundrum - produced by Wagner Family/Caymus)
86/100 WWP: Very Good

Aromas aren't pronounced but are vaguely pleasant generic "red wine" markers. Significant black currant. Some Rhone-like/Syrah aromas in the background. On the palate it feels brambly. A reasonably enjoyable slightly sweet/early aspect. But it taste a lot like grape juice. I don't think there's any Pinot Noir nor Cabernet in this wine. If I had to guess the composition I'd say Syrah, Grenache, Petite Sirah, and possible Zinfandel.
Interesting. Not sure I'm ready to back up the truck on this one just yet.

If you poke around in person or on their website I think you'll see good values at every price point. Drop me an email or ping them on Twitter (@WineCellarsMA) for more buying suggestions.

Unfortunately, like all Massachusetts retailers they can't ship out of state. We'll need MA House Bill 1030 to repair that. Until then this deal is Massachusetts only.

Click here to visit their site and use the code "wwp" for free shipping to MA on $100 orders

Disclosure: The Wine Cellar is a WWP advertiser.

Question of the Day: What are some of the best deals you see at The Wine Cellar of Stoneham right now?


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Good Grape Goes on Hiatus

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” said a very wise John Lennon and that’s exactly what has happened with me.  My life has kept apace, even as I’ve made plans to be a respected wine writer.

By most standards, 2011 has been a very good year.  I was a three-time finalist in the Wine Blog Awards, earning notice in the Best Overall Wine Blog, Best Industry Blog and Best Writing categories.  I started contributing a wine column to Forbes.com.  This site was named the 2nd most influential blog (and most influential wine blog) out of 4,000 blogs in a 2011 Wine, Beer and Spirits study by eCairn, a software company specializing in community and influencer marketing.  I was a panelist at Vino2011 in New York City, I won a scholarship to the Wine Writer’s Symposium in Napa Valley, and I turned down enough worldwide wine trip offers to fill a two-month calendar.

Yet, wine writing has exacted a toll.  I approach anything I do with a zeal and fervor that ensures me the success that I want and I’ve treated my wine writing as a full-time second job, to go alongside the job that I already have that requires 50 + hours a week.

Balance isn’t something that I’ve ever been very good at—possessed of an unassuming mien, a Midwestern work ethic, and a mental make-up whereby I cast myself as the underdog means that I am continually trying to prove something to myself, often times at the expense of real, true priorities.

Even more challenging is the fact that my standards for myself have been raised even as I’ve honed my writing chops.  Instead of figuring out a system to find time shortcuts, the amount of time it takes for me to write has become more deliberate and expansive while my interest in writing has become more professional in nature – less blogging and more credible journalism requiring more work to exceed the bar that I’ve set for myself.

The net result of this, after full-time job plus wine writing, is the rest of my life has received scant attention for nearly seven years and I’ve created a nearly untenable situation for myself, a set of internal expectations that I can’t live up to, requiring a time commitment that I can’t manage.

However, most importantly, the expectations and time commitments that I have assigned to my wine writing isn’t fair to the other people in my life – notably, my incredibly supportive wife, Lindsay.  She has been a saint the past six years, my blogging encompassing nearly the entire duration of our 6.5 year marriage.  But, she is long overdue a vested husband and partner, something that I haven’t been good at for a long, long time.

I’ll be around the Internets – commenting on wine blogs, doing the Twitter thing, staying connected on Facebook and I’ll probably start engaging more actively on CellarTracker and on the WineBerserkers message board, but I’m taking a hiatus from wine writing to recalibrate and re-prioritize how I spend my time, shifting my time to the things that are the most important to me:  The only woman I’ve ever loved and the family I want to have with her.

Jeff

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

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ZAP Changes Venue for Grand Tasting ? We Have Two Tickets to Give Away

We have a pair of tickets to give away for the main event, the Grand Tasting, and a pair of tickets to give away for the Epicuria Food & Zin Pairings event on Thursday, January 26 from 6 to 9 pm. We will take submissions on the comment section below. This contest will run through December 31. Continue reading

Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/zap-changes-venue-for-grand-tasting-%e2%80%93-we-have-to-tickets-to-give-away/

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Rise of ?le binge drinking? ? and tighter policy

What causes binge drinking? It’s hard to say but in Europe, it does seem to predominate in northern countries where public policies coincidentally can limit hours and sales channels, sometimes with a dose of high taxes to boot. Southern European countries have generally consumed more alcohol, had more lax policy but have lower rates of [...]

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Tasting notes - Berlin Tasting

Here follows my tasting notes from The Berlin Tasting in Copenhagen. No. 1 - 2005 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (Bordeaux) Dark colour with intense smell of pencil, cigar, currant and spicy wood. It’s full-bodied, rich and concentrated but also with an upfront softness. 96/100. No. 2 - 2004 Sassicaia (Tuscany) Not so intense in the nose - a little cherry. The [...]

Source: http://www.wine4freaks.com/40/tasting-notes-berlin-tasting/

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100 year old Shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck fished out from the sea bed of the Gulf of Finland

$275,000 for a bottle of shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck - this is the astounding amount that was paid for the last bottle sold of this exclusive champagne from the Heidsieck vineyard. Many wine lovers will highlight the word ?shipwrecked? in its name. There is a elegant history behind its name. In 1916, a set of 2000 [...]

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