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Important changes to CellarTracker RSS feeds
Cellar Tracker - 6 hours 12 min ago
In an ongoing effort to defeat the unscrupulous scrapers of the world, we have introduced some changes to the CellarTracker RSS feeds.
Inside the Fredrick Wildman and Sons new Greek wine portfolio
Metro Orlando Wine Scene - 8 hours 45 min ago
Fredrick Wildman and Sons, an old-line New York fine wine importer, has worked with @elloinos, an Athens-based Greek wine promoter, to develop a portfolio of Greek wines for the US market. Fredrick Wildman introduced these wines to the market in a tasting held at the Landmarc restaurant in New York City on February 1, 2012. According to Wildman, the producers around whose wines the portfolio is built "... provide eight distinct new voices in the world of Greek wine: from organic boutique upstarts, venerated houses, and vin natural producers, these vintners share common goal(s) in the quality and care they put forth." I have summarized the offerings in the table below.
(i) CS = Cabernet Sauvignon; (ii) Floara di Munti Brut is the sparkling offering
As the list shows, the portfolio consists of 26 wines from nine producers (the Rossiu di Munte Collection is a label from Katogi Averoff). There are no distinct patterns in the list in terms of the age of the wineries. The oldest is Koutsoyiannopoulos which was founded in the late 19th century while two of the wineries (Zafeirakis and Nerantzi) were founded within the past decade. Of the remaining, three were founded in the 1990s, one in the 1980s, and one in the 1950s. The average size of the vineyards for which data are available is 10.6 hectares. As can be seen in the figure below, the estates are fairly widely distributed across the Greek wine regions.
Katogi Averoff contributes the highest percentage (30.7%) of the wines to the portfolio while Koutsoyiannopoulos and Troupis both contribute a single wine (3.8%) each. Seventy-three percent of the portfolio is red wine, 23% is white, and there is a single sparkling wine. Of the 19 reds, five are blends and the most important varietal, blend or standalone, is Agiorgitiko. The international varietals Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are represented in the portfolio both as monovarietals and as components in a blend. With the exception of one case, the white wines are monovarietal and disparate.
Overall, the quality of the portfolio is very high. I was particularly impressed with the saline citrus minerality of the Assyrtiko, the story and storied wines of Domaine Economou, the surpringly balanced Syrah of Domaine Nerantzi, the complexity of the Katogi Averoff Red blend, and the expressiveness of the Christos Kokkalis wines. I found the sparkling wine from the Rossiu di Munte Collection wanting (whack-a-mole bubbles, limited persistence) and cannot see a clear path to success in the US market for this offering.
With the exception of three of the offerings, the wines were all poured by the estate owners/winemakers and they were all pleased and excited to be representing their estates and Greek wine on this stage. I had extended conversations with Yiannis Economou (Domaine Economou), the brother of Christos Zafeirakis (Domaine Zafeirakis), and Eva Nerantzi (Domaine Nerantzi) and they were all highly enthusiastic about their products as well as the opportunity. Yiannis particularly impressed me with his dedication to his principles of production and the aging of his wines and his wines reflect those principles. Eva has an Oenology degree from the University of Dijon in France but utilizes her learnings within the guiding principles of the estate that her father built.
Kudos to @elloinos for putting together a great portfolio and to Fredrick Wildman for choosing the right man for the job.
Wine's Three Biggest Lies (Wine Spectator)
News from Wine Spectator - 12 hours 57 min ago
Why good wine lovers tell bad lies
Don Cornwell - the fine wine bidder's hero (Alder on America)
Jancis Robinson News - 23 hours 57 min ago
We are publishing Alder’s February contribution a little early this month, in time for the controversial wine auction scheduled for tomorrow* night (Wed 8 Feb) in London by Spectrum Wine Auctions of California and Vanquish Wine of London. See details of these two companies here , and some.
Postcard from Sydney (Free for all)
Jancis Robinson News - 23 hours 57 min ago
I took this hazy early-morning picture from our hotel room yesterday morning just before the FEIRT two-day Rieslingfest . But what a great welcome Sydneysiders gave us on Saturday night. The fourth annual wine gala dinner organised by the indefatigable Australian chapter of Room to Read raised the.
Our top wines in January (Tasting articles)
Jancis Robinson News - 23 hours 57 min ago
As well as the flood of Burgundy 2010 notes that dominated January on Purple Pages, there were plenty of other tasting notes on all sorts of wines to tickle your fancy. These include nine standout standalone tasting notes (in other words, notes that do not appear in a published article but are.
Erbaluce – tasting notes (Tasting articles)
Jancis Robinson News - 23 hours 57 min ago
See Erbaluce - grape discovery of the year for Walter's introduction to this variety and its home territory in north-west Italy, as well as a description of the key styles of wine produced there. These tasgting notes are divided by style - first sparkling, then still and dry, and finally sweet -.
Uncorkings 2.6.12
Wine Enthusiast News - Mon, 02/06/2012 - 11:51
News and notes from the world of wine. By Andrew Hoover
Genesis of the Fredrick Wildman and Sons Greek wine portfolio
Metro Orlando Wine Scene - Mon, 02/06/2012 - 09:10
Having arrived at the conclusion that @elloinos is one of the most passionate and informed of the Greek-wine-focused bloggers -- as well as being similarly interested in, and concerned about, the impacts of the current financial crisis on the broader Greece, and, more narrowly, its wine industry -- it was a no-brainer for me to respond affirmatively when he announced that he was going to be in the US in the January-February timeframe and would be interested in meeting some of his twitter friends at that time. After some DMing and emailing, I came to understand that @elloinos had put together a portfolio of Greek wines for Fredrick Wildman and was coming to the US for the public introduction of same. I was subsequently invited by @elloinos to attend the New York event.
@elloinos is the Twitter handle of Markus Stolz, a German native currently residing in Athens and working on connecting Greek wine producers with importers from other markets. A key tool in his arsenal is elloinos.com "... a hub for producers, merchants, and consumers ..." which provides insight into Greek wines and Greek wine production.
@elloinos expounding on his favorite topic at the Landmarc
In a January 2012 post on his blog, Markus expressed his excitement at being chosen by Wildman to assist them in their Greek-wine-importing initiative (This project hits the sweet spot of the elloinos mission which is to get Greek wines into the hands of international consumers through linkups with importers.).
Fredrick Wildman and Sons had its beginning shortly after the end of Prohibition when the namesake owner bought a wine and fine food importer called Bellows and Company. Shortly after the purchase, Mr. Wildman travelled to Europe and signed up a number of leading wine estates to have their products distributed in the US through his company. The name Fredrick Wildman and Sons came into being in 1952 when Mr. Wildman formed a company of that name to fill the void created when National Distillers left the fine wine business. Wildman became a subsidiary of Hiram Walker in 1989 but was sold in 1993 to an investment group comprised of the Wildman CEO (Richard Cacciato) and six of its leading suppliers.
In my conversation with him, Markus indicated that he had been approached by Wildman to assist them in assembling a new Greek wine portfolio. He put together samples and shipped them off to New York and within two weeks of the samples' arrival in NY, Wildman staffers were in Greece to meet the winemakers, taste the wines in-country, and explore the opportunities for business relationships. The tasting at the Landmarc signaled the end of the selection/portfolio-building stage and the launch of the marketing/selling phase of the initiative.
I will explore the portfolio in a subsequent post.
Erbaluce – grape discovery of the year (Inside information)
Jancis Robinson News - Sun, 02/05/2012 - 19:00
Look out for Walter's tasting notes as well. Update 7 Feb 0 0 1 66 381 JancisRobinson.com 3 1 446 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;.
Meeting with a legend (Don't quote me)
Jancis Robinson News - Sun, 02/05/2012 - 19:00
The day before He is the kind of man, indeed, to whom I should never refuse anything. Except it wasn’t a wedding proposal but a tasting invitation; and it wasn’t from Darcy but from DRC. Both are offers one simply cannot refuse. Specifically, this was a tasting of the Domaine de la.
Spectrum and Vanquish - the background (Free for all)
Jancis Robinson News - Sat, 02/04/2012 - 19:00
7 Feb - See also Don Cornwell - ifne wine bidders' hero. This Wednesday evening a sale of very fancy wine is scheduled to take place at London's Mandarin Oriental hotel. Organised jointly by Spectrum and Vanquish, it has excited considerable online comment. See, for example, this thread on our.
Chile's new wine from the earth (Free for all)
Jancis Robinson News - Fri, 02/03/2012 - 19:00
See also my tasting notes on the current Vigno wines. As someone who writes wine reference books, I am truly scared by Chile and its unparalleled pace of change. I asked two people to bring me up to speed on the newest wine regions there - writer and broadcaster Peter Richards, the Master of Wine.
Soho by the Mediterranean (Nick on restaurants)
Jancis Robinson News - Fri, 02/03/2012 - 19:00
The restaurant business harbours very few secrets. Its sales prices are widely published via its menus and wine lists. The wholesale prices of any restaurant's main suppliers are invariably widely known to the competition, as are the general pay rates required to hire all the necessary staff. The.
Celebrate Pisco Sour Day
Wine Enthusiast News - Fri, 02/03/2012 - 16:53
Celebrate the cocktail with these recommendations and recipes. By Kara Newman
Elements of the blend: A key Rioja critical success factor
Metro Orlando Wine Scene - Fri, 02/03/2012 - 10:09
The wines from Rioja, known and respected by wine drinkers around the world, owe their prominence to three factors: the terroir (covered in a previous post on this blog); its affinity for, and interaction with, oak (covered by Andrew Jefford in the January 2012 issue of Decanter); and the grape varieties that are included in the -- mostly -- blended wines. I will close the loop by reporting on the Rioja varietals in this post.
Source: vibrantrioja.com
Tempranillo
The varieties approved for inclusion in Rioja wines are Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano; of these, Tempranillo is by far the most important component of the blend. Tempranillo is the primary red grape in Spain with significant plantings in Rioja and Ribera del Duero (where it is known as Tinto Fino and Tinto del Pais). In other regions of Spain, Tempranillo is known as Aragon, Cencibel, Extramadura, Valdepenàs, Tinta del Toro, Jancivera, Ull de Llebre, or Ojo de Liebre. In the Douro region of Portugal, Tempranillo, under the name Tinta Roriz, is used as a key varietal in Port blends. Staying in Portugal, the varietal is called Aragonez in Alentejo.
Source: korbrandwineandspirits.com
Tempranillo -- the name translates to "little early one" -- is an early-ripening, cool-climate-craving varietal that exhibits high vigor and low resistance to vine diseases (Its high vigor necessitates pruning in order to ensure that adequate resources are devoted to high-quality fruit production.). The grape is low in sugar and acidity, high in pH and tannins, and tends towards undesirable characteristics in warmer climes. This varietal has traditionally been bush-vine trained but some of the more modernist winemakers have been placing the vines "on the rack."
Tempranillo is authorized in 28 Spanish apellations and is the principal varietal in 12. In Rioja, 31,000 hectares (57% of the appellations' plantings) are devoted to Tempranillo. The varietal contributes spicy red fruit flavors and aromas, along with an herbaceousness and good minerality, to the blend.
Garnacha
Garnacha (Grenache, Garnacha Tinta) is planted on 10,148 hectares in Rioja (21% of the grapes grown in the appellation) and is the most extensively grown red variety in the world: 330,000 hectares, 240,000 of which is in Spain. This varietal's repute stems from its inclusion in stellar wines form Rioja, Priorat, Languedoc, and Southern Rhone.
Source: clinecellars.com
Grenache is a hardy, pest- and disease-resisitant varietal which generally is the backbone of red blends but, in some cases, old vines in Priorat, for example, is bottled asa varietal. The grape yields full-bodied, high-alcohol, low-acid, low-tannin wines in warm climes but is well-balanced in colder regions. The varietal needs a long season to ripen and the resultant wines are light in color with rich peppery red fruit and cinnamon notes.
Mazuelo
Mazuelo (also known as Carignan, Cariñena, Tinto Mazuelo, Crujillon, and Samsó, among others) is the third most planted varietal in Spain and, at 1543 hectares, represents 3% of the plantings in the Rioja DOC. Worldwide, the grape is planted on 22,000 hectares, 207,000 of which is in France, its country of origin. The varietal is both tannic and acid and, thanks to late budding and ripening, requires a long growing season in order to ripen. Mazuelo adds structure and longevity to Rioja reds as well as, according to lopezheredia.com, "... a fine, sparkling, ruby-red color, and a freshness, vigor, and personality which characterize the best table wines."
Graciano
Graciano is planted to 198 hectares in Rioja, a paltry 0.4% of the DOCs plantings and a reflection of the varietal's contribution to the blend. The varietal is called Morrastel in France, its country of origin. It is the most aromatic of the Rioja varieties and contributes tobacco and licorice notes, along with acidity, to the blend. Graciano is very resistant to pests and vineyard diseases.
Top Super Bowl Beer Cocktails
Wine Enthusiast News - Fri, 02/03/2012 - 09:55
Step up your game by mixing up one of these beer-based libations for your football fête. By Kelly A. Magyarics
New Hillside Vineyards on Hold in Sonoma (Wine Spectator)
News from Wine Spectator - Fri, 02/03/2012 - 08:00
County orders four-month freeze over concerns of tree removal and erosion
Oysters, Caviar and Sauvignon Blanc for Valentine's Day (Wine Spectator)
News from Wine Spectator - Fri, 02/03/2012 - 05:00
Enjoy this elegant, flavorful dish from Yountville's Brix restaurant, plus pick a pairing from our list of 14 recently rated whites
Ch Lamothe Vincent 2010 Bordeaux Rouge (Wines of the week)
Jancis Robinson News - Thu, 02/02/2012 - 19:00
From €4.99 , £8.49, NZ$22.41, Au$24.95, 1,524 Swedish krone a dozen Find this wine This is where the real value in Bordeaux lies, in the little, best-tended corners of the least glamorous areas run with dedication and enough cash to make the right decisions. The Vincent family first bought.
