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As I’ve blogged here many times, I think wineries who are not involved in social media are missing something important. Not only is it less expensive than more traditional outreach, the results are often better from a brand and customer loyalty point of view. What social media gives you is that personal connection with the customer online, like you get in the tasting room.
So I’m going to talk about how wineries can take advantage of blogs, podcasts, wiki’s and social networks on my next trip to California later this month. Although there will be some slides involved, this will not be “death-by-Powerpoint” but an interactive talk in the vein of BarCamp. It’s open to anyone who whats to learn more about social media or who wants to share their learnings. I will prepare about 40 minutes of material and see what develops as we talk about this topic.
If you are interested in attending, just head over to my company wiki and add your name and winery or company. If you no hable wiki then just send me an email at acanmedia (at) gmail (dot) com and I’ll add you to the list.
The seminar will be held from 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29th at the Sonoma Wine Library in Healdsburg, CA. Here’s a map to the location. Special thanks to Patrick from Iridesse who arranged to get the room reserved and Josh from Pinotblogger for his advice.
Take your time, think a lot, pour yourself a glass and enjoy a dose of slow food cooking by our very own superchef Toby Puttock.
"Slow food to me is the whole deal; a morning's work just to eat lunch, shopping for the vital ingredient, long preparation times, perhaps a glass of wine and a chat whilst preparing the mise en place. Most importantly a whole lot of love goes into the making of the meal. With this, I consulted one of my best mates' Cordell Khoury, who also happens to be my partner in the kitchen at Termini. He suggested we make a day of it at his family's beach house. We packed up the car and hit the coast for an extensive cook'n'chat session. And this was the result. Three dishes, six hours of preparation, eating, drinking, going off, all peppered with a heap of fun. Enjoy."
This risotto is the signature risotto of Milan (hence the name). The main ingredient is saffron which belongs to the lily family and grows only to about 15cm high. True saffron, has purple flowers. The first reference to saffron cultivation dates back to 2300 BC. Its origins are most probably Greece or Asia Minor where forms of the spice are known in the wild state.
What you need (serves four)
350g of vialone nano rice 15g of onion 900g of stock 50g of white wine 1g of saffron 80g of butter 50g of parmesan cheese Salt and pepper
What to do In a large and low casserole pot, saute the onion in a little butter. When the onion starts to become transparent, add the rice, stirring constantly, until it too starts to become transparent. At this stage moisten with the sauvignon and boiling stock until the rice is covered. When necessary add some stock. After around 10 minutes (when the rice is al dente) remove the pot from the heat and stir in the parmesan, butter and season to taste. At this stage I always put a lid on the pot, which causes the rice to swell up with the steam trapped inside the pot. Serve immediately.
If you really want to get authentic, ask your butcher for some bone marrow. About 10 minutes before the rice is ready place the marrow on a metal tray and into the oven, where it'll turn brown. At this stage the marrow should pop out from the bone. Now just place the marrow on top of the finished risotto and serve.
This is a mish-mash of different dishes I've learnt in my different cooking experiences. The pork is a variation of a dish I once made in London at the River Cafe, the potatoes I learnt at school during my training and the sauce is the result of the whole dish. It's a classic roast -- Sunday lunch style.
What you need (serves four)
1kg of pork shoulder 20 slices of copa (or prosciutto) 250g of dried porcini (fresh if available, but then you will need closer to 400g) 1 lemon 1 bunch of thyme 100g of prosciutto fat 2 cloves of garlic 2 medium potatoes
What to do Place the dried porcini in a bowl covered with warm water. With a sharp knife, butterfly the shoulder of pork. Dice the whole lemon and prosciutto fat into small pieces and blitz along with 150g of the porcini. This should give you a creamy consistency. Using a palette knife smear this farce or stuffing over one side of the pork. Season well.
Lay out your copa (or prosciutto) in a large adjoining square and place the filled pork in the centre. Roll the pork in the copa so that it's totally encased. With some butcher's string truss the wrapped pork so that the copa doesn't fall off during cooking. Seal the encased pork in a frying pan with a little oil and then place on a baking tray covered with foil and cook in a pre-heated oven on 200 degrees celsius for around 40 minutes.
Meanwhile peel and slice each potato lengthways into four pieces. With a small knife turn each potato so it has seven sides and looks like a barrel. Place in a small pot with cold water and bring to the boil. Test if they're cooked by sticking a small knife in them and once they are, brown the potatoes in frying pan with a little butter. When the pork is ready, remove the string and slice about one centimetre thick. Serve immediately with the potatoes, the excess porcini and a little of the porcini juice.
Never underestimate the old bread and butter pudding. This dish is a regular at Termini, although Cordell always replaces the bread with croissant. It's addictive, simple and the perfect way to really bloat yourself after a huge meal.
What you need (serves four)
2 croissants 2 T of sultanas Strawberry jam Creme anglaise 50g of butter and extra for greasing the moulds
What to do Gently break the croissant in half and spread it with butter and strawberry jam. Butter a couple of souffle moulds and break the croissant into pieces that will fit into the moulds. Layer a piece of croissant with a sprinkling of sultanas. Repeat this process until the moulds are full. Finally, pour the creme anglaise over the top. Place the filled moulds on to a baking tray and into the oven at 200 degrees celsius until the tops are browned. Run a small knife around the outside of the moulds to remove the puddings. Serve in a bowl with more warm creme anglaise, or my favourite, vanilla ice-cream.
For a dose of Toby in the kitchen, book yourself a seat at Termini in Fitzroy Street in St Kilda, 03-9537-3465.
Feb 25th-Mar 18th 2005, Cupertino Outside of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and the Rhône Valley lie lesser-known regions that provide exciting wines, which often can be obtained at prices that rival or even beat California wines.
While other wineries dither about whether to use twist-off caps instead of corks for their current wines, 1 has taken it a step further. Australia's greatest producer of Chardonnay went back and rebottled its entire library under spiral. The Chardonnay collection dates back to 1980, the first vintage of the renowned Art Series bottling.
I would like to thank Earl, who posted comments and the following question on my recent Tempranillo in the Americas post: ?Why was there such a long interval between introduction of the vine into Argentina and exportation of varietal labeled wine??
Here are some important factors to consider:
It?s important to recognize the fact that culturally, there is a stark contrast between the way in which wine has been regarded in Argentina versus our very international, varietal-minded, label-aware atmosphere where getting to know the world?s wines is something many people have expressed interest in doing.Fine wine production for the gentry, in terms of seeing wine as a prestige cultural/material good simply wasn?t priority for Argentines until fairly recently.While it is true that many progressive vintners have been dabbling in exciting varieties in the past few decades (after the familiar 19th century French varieties arrived), the very first vines in the 16th century were planted by monks and priests near their newly built monasteries and church compounds in order to provide wine for masses and other celebrations.In some of the official correspondence that Spanish monks had to regularly exchange with royal authorities in the 1550?s to justify expenditures and building projects, the planting of vines was mentioned briefly and only in passing?the degree of pomp we would show in describing how we installed a light bulb today.Certainly, my modern concerns would be: Which varieties were planted?Surely this mattered to the priests, right?Not really, since in the letters they mention the generic Latin term for all wine-producing grape varieties, ?vitis vinifera.?
Records of colonial correspondence available at the Archivo General de Indias (Seville) indicate that a certain priest named Juan Cedrón (late 1550?s) first wrote of planting various types of Spanish vitis vitifera needed to carry on with life in the Argentine Northwest.The correspondence indicates that Cedrón was in charge of settling to the south of Santiago del Estero, Spanish settlers? first outpost after leaving their stronghold at Cuzco.As settlers made their way in a southwesterly direction, they encountered the dry, elevated Andean foothills of today?s provinces, the first of which is interestingly named La Rioja, then San Juan, and then Mendoza.
In terms of answering the above question about which varieties were planted, there are some interesting parallels we can draw between Northern and Southern hemisphere Spanish colonization patterns and viticultural practices.Since Valdepeñas from La Mancha was considered to be one of the finest expressions of Tempranillo by 16th century Spaniards, this is precisely the name used in correspondence to introduce the variety into Nuevo León (México) and the area that encompasses California and parts of the American southwest.In the 16th century, Spaniards didn?t refer to prestige wines by variety but as Italians did at the time, according to their region or commune of origin.On a whole and as is evidenced in classics such as Don Quixote (1605), Spaniards enjoyed drinking ?Valdepeñas? and not ?a really nice Tempranillo,? as we would say in the U.S. today.
If we take these considerations into account, it is a very well-sustained assumption that Tempranillo made its way across the Americas alongside Spanish settlers given that it was the red variety of choice.Other varieties planted for other styles of wines (acidic and sweet whites, etc.) in colonial times were Criolla Chica (also known as Criolla Sanjuanina) , Pedro Ximénez, Cereza, Muscat, Ugni Blanc (Trebbiano) and ?mónica? as it was known in Sardinia, Sicily and Spain (the famous ?Mission? grape introduced by Spanish Jesuits in 16th century California).
Tempranillo (then referred to as ?Valdepeñas?), alongside the abovementioned varieties was cultivated at the Andean foothills for home consumption since the 16th century.Much trial and error ensued, and areas with relatively higher elevation and dry weather (La Rioja, San Juan, Mendoza) and select areas in Mexico (including present-day California) became prime for producing these wines for settlers? purposes.
Here are a couple of additional ideas to support the hypothesis that Tempranillo was one of the original vines planted in the Americas.Ethnographically speaking, a great deal of Spanish settlers in the early conquest of the Americas included an overwhelmingly large number of natives of the following Spanish regions where Tempranillo was the most important red variety?the provinces encompassing Castille and La Mancha such as Avila, Ciudad Real, Albacete, Badajoz, Guadalajara, Cuenca, Toledo, Salamanca and Madrid.It?s also important to keep in mind that in terms of actual planting area, Tempranillo vines are of relatively low incidence on a worldwide scale, with Argentina being second only after Spain, of course.
Earl, I?m afraid that your question still hasn?t been fully answered:Why is it that Tempranillo has been around in Argentina since the 16th century yet the world hasn?t seen any exports of ?fine wine? versions until the early 1990?s?
Wine globalization and the consumer trends that underlie it have shown the potential to create some sink-or-swim imperatives for wine producers to expand production of different varieties and innovate in the vineyard.In fact, given many recent trends, it is likely that this projected consumer has developed tastes and accumulated enough disposable income to not want to consume the kinds of table wines that Argentines don?t mind.How does the Argentine producer see this consumer, who needs an ?international? style of their table wines?Well, the customer is someone who most likely lives abroad, and because he does not likely come from a culture were wine is a major part of his cultural identity, he is perhaps well educated and would like to learn more about wines and adopt other interests that can be considered, pardon the term, a bit bourgeois.While I don?t entirely see it the way Argentines see it because I grew up between both cultures and thus, can see each point of view, this is more or less the situation.
To answer your question, let?s think of timing and marketing.Who do many Argentine and Chilean producers wish to please?Why do the ?Wines of Argentina Awards? even exist?Spanish wines in the U.S. market at least, have really become fashionable in the past four or five years.Americans have been very receptive to various styles of Tempranillo-based Spanish reds and South American producers have realized that for the first time, the North American market is genuinely thirsty for different expressions of Tempranillo (this relic left by Spanish settlers, as far as Argentines are concerned).
What do I make of this all?The ambiguity created by the correspondence of priests such as Juan Cedrón in the 1550?s regarding vitis vinifera has unfortunately opened the gates to opportunists.One such example of opportunism can easily be seen by an article I came across in a major Spanish daily?s wine section (El Mundo Vino).In the article titled ?Argentine Wine is Not Only Malbec,? by Harold Heckle, Juan Carlos Rodriguez Villa of the venerable Finca Flichman in Barrancas (Mendoza), claims that Tempranillo vines are a relatively new phenomenon in Argentina and that it was precisely his grandfather who visited Spain and subsequently introduced the variety to the Argentine wine industry in 1940.Although the Familia Zuccardi website does not make claims this sensational, they still care very much that today?s North American grape-variety-hopping, cosmopolitan Gen. Y-wine consumer regard them as pioneers in the Argentine industry when it comes to traditionally European varieties that exclude the Bordeaux and northern Italian varieties that pan-European immigration brought to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
And so, I walk down the aisles of many American retailers and see bottles of Argentine Tempranillo from producers I?ve never heard of, from the conventional Mendoza winery all the way through La Rioja, San Juan and down into Neuquén and even a general Patagonia appellation.The same question comes the mind for a native Argentine like myself?under which rock have all of these wines/producers been and why are they suddenly available now on shelves dominated by oaked Catena Chardonnays and endless rows of Malbec?Makes one think?
Pennsylvania is hardly the first state where you would expect innovation in wine retail. The state’s Liquor Control Board owns all the retail outlets and the distribution in the state. Generally monopolies are known for limited selection and high prices, not innovation.
Yet that is exactly what might be in store for Pennsylvania wine enthusiasts as the state has proposed to allow 100 “wine kiosks” around the state. To the tape:
The kiosks, a type of temperature-controlled vending machine capable of holding 500 bottles of wine, would be placed in grocery stores and other places [malls], according to request on the LCB’s Web site. They would offer about a dozen different types of wine.
Before you think this is where all the minors are going to go before the prom, each kiosk will have “fingerprints and biometric readings” for age verification. Yikes! Retinal scan for retsina.
Making wine more accessible is a good thing. I hope for all wine loving Pennsylvanians that the selection is great! Get a little Bollinger before heading to Borders? Malbec and a movie? I wonder if they will have stemware. Or perhaps TetraPak wine so the bottle doesn’t break while being dispensed.
Having smuggled, er, legally transported wine in my checked luggage across country borders many times, BottleWise is a ?D?OH, why didn?t I think of this first!? kinda thing.
My usual modus operandi for carrying wine in my suitcase is to double-bag the wine bottles in the finest grocery store plastic, twist-tie them twice for maximum liquid retention, then roll ?em up in a pair of jeans or sweatpants or heavy sweatshirt for optimum shock absorption. Except for one unfortunate casualty (I saw my suitcase drop off the belt from the plane?s baggage door onto the tarmac, after which the gorilla, er, baggage handler heaved it 10 feet into the cart transport), this method has worked flawlessly over the years.
With BottleWise, they?ve taken my proven method and spruced it up a bit. When opened, the bag houses two separate compartments, each compartment holds one 750ml bottle in an airtight plastic sleeve. When folded and secured, the bag measures approx 16? x 11? x 5?, which is about the equivalent of two bottles rolled up in a pair of XL sweatpants. (BTW ? I?m not an XL. I like my clothes baggy, okay!) According to the manufacturer, ?In case of breakage, the airtight sleeve(s) keeps wine from spilling into your suitcase and ruining your underthings.? (Hmm, pinot-scented panties? never mind.)
We wanted to test BottleWise appropriately, but with our limited travel budget (did I mention that we accept free press trips), we had to improvise. We filled each plastic sleeve with 750ml of water, then threw the bag abound a bit. Then, ?cause we were bored, we ?Myth Busted? its ass and threw it out of a second story window just to see what would happen. Nothing! It held perfectly.*
BottleWise also comes with a shoulder strap should you desire to wear it as a fashion accessory. There are two models: The Duo and the Duo Plus. Colors for the Duo range from black to, er, black. (Hey, it worked for Henry Ford.) If you order the Duo Plus, you get more color choices ? Burgundy and Cork. Cork?s a color? Who knew. Personally, I?m waiting for the screwcap color.
Costs: BottleWise Duo - $49 BottleWise Duo Plus - $59
Yes, that was basically the point of this quick weekend post.Over the past week I made the best attempt I could at finding all six single-variety wines that the South African producers released, and have only achieved partial success (3/6).Though not so entirely happy with one of the whites (sadly the only one I could track down), I return to the reds to find a very interesting Shiraz.
A small clarification about how I view value wines though.Obviously, the MAN Shiraz is no Crozes-Hermitages, but that simply isn?t the objective with a value selection recommendation.It doesn?t make it better than say, a Northern Rhône Syrah that usually sells for more.Value selections like this one are unusually interesting for the price point.That shortsighted all-or-nothing approach people have the tendency to apply to so many things in life seems absurdly inappropriate even with wine.I thought about that today when I read the latest post over at The Pour, which somewhat deals with a new book on wine reminiscent of that 20/20 segment from 2005 which relegates the value of art and art criticism (good parallel with wine) to that of upper-brow contempt for the masses.How many certifiable idiots have you overheard in a hotel lobby asking trite questions that more or less resemble ?which one?s the best, Flemish art or Florentine art?The inanity of an exchange like this swiftly reveals the poverty of knowledge, or perhaps more crucial to the matter, lack of genuine appreciation which the participants must have for art.
As someone who seriously studies literature and has a couple of degrees to back that up, I have always cringed at those book club type questions where two writers from completely different perspectives and time periods are given the old CNN Crossfire treatment, ?George Sand or Danielle Steele??On a whole, more people would likely prefer Steele, who no doubt is an accomplished writer; her work could thus be considered better, right?No, no and no.As with artists or writers, let?s please leave wine out of that sort of thing.
At any rate, this Coastal Region Shiraz is all about straightforward flavors and food-accompanying functionality.I thought it a bit complex for the price point, with nice plum, berry, spice and smoke.Balance wasn?t too far off, with medium acidity, high body, medium-high tannin and solid fruit which stood up to the vegetal and spice flavors for three days after opening.An added bonus, considering most sub-$10 reds, was that the oak presence was never overwhelming.I?ll certainly consider the MAN Syrah and Pinotage again when looking for value-priced accompaniments to grilled meats and those ostrich burgers I have come to enjoy recently.
For $11 you should be trying any and all 05 Bordeaux you find; many of them will be bargains.
This one is a pretty plum purple with a wowing bouquet of sweet fruit that if I was blind folded I would say it was a rose with sweet fruity strawberry and cherry aromas.
Palate has some structure with forthright tannins and skimpy fruit that is a bit hollow with charcoals notes. This is just light bodied, easy to drink but is weird since it is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet yet tastes like a Beaujolais Cru. It is an easy drinking wine but very weird for Bordeaux. Let this one pass.
A reservation at Momofuku Ko doesn?t come easily, and that?s a big part of why it is, and will no doubt remain, the most talked-about new restaurant this year.
Those couple of days immediately preceding a weekend can be utterly tedious.Given my work situation, I get to appreciate the more exciting wines in my cellar during weekends.In the spirit of warding off the midweek gloom, I reached for a bottle of a value-priced southern Rhône red that I had picked up a year or two ago?the 2004 Domaine Le Colombier Vacqueyras Vieilles Vignes.Although I wanted to try it back then, I knew the wait would be well worth it in terms of tempering a wine that would have seemed rough at first encounter.The result?An exciting, intelligent-value Vacqueyras that was complex and nuanced enough to enjoy by itself.
Nestled to the south of Gigondas and Beaumes de Venise, Domaine Le Colombier?s Vacqueyras (2200 cases) is crafted by Jean-louis Mourre.The chalky, clay soils in the area host Mourre?s 50-year old (on average) vines, the oldest of which has its origins from a 1902 planting.The blend of Grenache Noir (80%) and Mourvèdre (20%) retains a concentrated fruit and sweet spice-driven character given a five-week maceration period and no oak exposure.Though I enjoyed the soft tannins and nuanced, rustic character now, it should continue to evolve well for a few more years.
Visual/Aromatic Profile:The nose features pronounced dark fruit, herbes de Provence, sweet spice and earth.
Texture and Finish:Outstanding balance considering the price point.The sweet dark fruit flavors are nicely countered by refreshing medium-high berry acidity.Soft tannins provide a velvety mouthfeel for this medium-generous bodied southern Rhône red.The lovely dark fruit unfolds and gives way to warm earth and inviting sweet spice (black licorice) on the lengthy finish.
Tue Feb 22nd, 2005, New York City Super Tuscan & Other Great Wines of Italy Tuesday, February 22, 2005 New York City The top producers of Super Tuscan will personally present their best Super Tuscan wines and a large selection of other great Tuscan Wines at the fifth edition of this special wine tasting .
Dulka is one of the most famous wine producing families in the town of Sremski Karlovci, near Novi Sad in Vojvodina. They produce wine since 1920 and have won a handful of awards at the Novi Sad agricultural fair throughout the years. Apart from producing wine, this familiy also produces bermet and brandies of highest qualities.
They have just recently started growing Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2005 is their second vintage. However, this wine is quite rich in both aroma and taste, much richer and deeper than other pure Cabernets around. The color is dark ruby red, the nose rich, so reminiscent of forests and the flavours are those of forest fruit and chocolate. It’s a good wine, can be enjoyed on it’s own.
A bright? ruby red with an intense? nose? of red berries and spices. Full-bodied and well rounded, with soft? tannins this is a fine accompaniment to rich pasta dishes, red meats, game and mature cheeses.
Every once in awhile I like to remind Wine Camp readers that I can be significantly longer winded than I am in my normal posts on Wine Camp. So here I provide an annual reminder that I don't employ an editor by providing links to some of my favorite longer articles:
I'm still having domain issues. It was briefly sorted out on Thursday night but by Friday morning it was back to the squatting page. You can't leave comments but you can email me on pinotgrisATgmailDOTcom
Tecnorati
Pennsylvania is hardly the first state where you would expect innovation in wine retail. The state’s Liquor Control Board owns all the retail outlets and the distribution in the state. Generally monopolies are known for limited selection and high prices, not innovation. 
Here's a sure sign that Spring has actually arrived, and that Summer is on the way: The local farmers markets are beginning to stir. 
Dulka is one of the most famous wine producing families in the town of Sremski Karlovci, near Novi Sad in Vojvodina. They produce wine since 1920 and have won a handful of awards at the Novi Sad agricultural fair throughout the years. Apart from producing wine, this familiy also produces 