The Wine Buying Game of Chance - Pay Your Money and Take Your Chances

     Selecting a bottle of wine is similar to buying a stock listed on the stock exchange, or picking the number where the circulating little ball will land on the wheel in roulette or betting on the last draw in a game of stud poker—it is always a gamble. There are no magical formulas or sure-fire rules in any of these “games” of chance to guarantee the right choice. The best we can do in any of these situations is make an educated guess or trust our instincts and hope for the best or to paraphrase an old poker adage, you pay your money and take your chances.

     This was the precarious situation I found myself in the other night when I went to buy a bottle of wine to top off a fun-filled day of exploration at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. In my mind there was no margin for error.  Such a pleasant day deserved a bottle of wine that I knew would not disappoint. Much to my chagrin all of my usual favorites were sold out and now I faced the tenuous task of buying a bottle of wine we never had before.  At first I was attracted to a bottle of Spanish Rioja labeled Estate Grown. Past experiences though have taught me that I usually have more success with wines that have been aged more than those that are estate grown. This does not only apply to wines from Rioja but with most wines in general.  With today’s modern wine making techniques, barrel aging seems to be more important than terroir in determining quality; a concept that has taken me time to embrace.

     My next possible choice was a wine from Cahors; one of my favorite, lesser known wine producing regions in France.  Although I usually enjoy wine from Cahors the label warned me that this wine might not be what I would expect from this wine producing region.  Prominently displayed on the front label were the words Malbec and Merlot below the producer’s name.  With the exception of the wine from Alsace, French wine labels normally state only the producer and wine producing region of origin (terroir), not the grapes that the wine is made from.  Wine label’s emphasizing the grapes the wine is made from is a practice of new world producers, such as the United States. To prominently display the names of the grapes on the label, as this wine did, indicates that this wine was made for the export market, not for domestic consumption.  As such, this wine will not have the “style” that I expect from a French wine made for the French consumer. Using this rationale as my guide I rejected this bottle of wine too.

 Undaunted in my quest for just the right wine and now with the taste of a Spanish wine firmly affixed in my mind, I returned to the Spanish wine section.  I ruled out a bottle of wine from Catalunya made from Tempranillo and Garnacha as possibly not right because of the inclusion of Garnacha, a grape I usually associate with lighter bodied Spanish rosé wines. As luck would have it, on the shelf below the wine from Catalunya stood a bottle of wine from Rioja with the sought after word Crianza on the label; which according to Spanish law means that this wine must be aged for a minimum of two years, one of which is in oak.

     My patience and rational was immediately rewarded when I opened this 2009, bottle of wine from Rioja, produced by Montecillo. On the nose the aromatic effects of wood aging were pleasantly noticeable combined with tantalizing whiffs of black cherries. Our palates were equally entertained by a sumptuous, full bodied wine with notes of black cherry that “opened up” to luscious black cherries coated in dark chocolate. All this for $11.99! 

     It would nice to say that all of my mental machinations, rationalizations and the likes always lead to such a pleasurable conclusion, sadly this is not true. There are times, in spite of all my best efforts and careful considerations that I have been terribly disappointed by wines whose labels have all the rights words but the wine itself does not have the expected taste sensations deduced from the label.  In this one brief shining moment though, I paid my money and I was duly rewarded with a very enjoyable bottle of wine.    

  

From Evolution to Revolution

Red wines from the Rhone Valley in France have long been some of my favorites.  As with most red wines today they have evolved into more robust versions of what I first discovered in the early 1970’s.  Way back then, in what seems to be ancient times in the wine industry, Rhone wines were young and fruity; simple wines for everyday consumption. Today they are bigger and bolder to satisfy a new generation of wine lovers weaned on California Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Still, in spite of their evolutionary march up the ladder to bigger and bolder, Rhone wines did not pair well with hearty red meats—that is until now. 

Moving up to new heights on our evolutionary scale of boldness for Rhone wines is a 2011 Cote-du-Rhone from Moillard, a highly esteemed Burgundy producer. This brazen Rhone wine consisting of 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre coupled with oak maturation brashly stimulates the palate with spicy black fruit flavors and a long velvety finish. In the past, pairing a Cote du Rhone with mouthwatering sirloin steaks or hearty beef stews would be unthinkable, not so with this offering.  Unlike other Cote-du-Rhones, this full-bodied wine will not be overwhelmed by many such savory beef dishes. The bold tannins and acids coalesce with the beef’s juicy richness. The wine’s velvety texture joined with the richness of beef on the palate creates a singular taste sensation. Not only is this the biggest and boldest Rhone wine yet but its effect on our taste buds is an uncommon experience. Long-time Rhone wine enthusiasts and newcomers to the Valley’s wines alike will not want to miss experiencing this revolutionary Cote-du-Rhone from Moillard.

Bon degustation!

Shameful Wines

As someone who asks so little of wine, it is hard for me to conceive of one that is undrinkable.  Although I normally romanticize wine here, revere its place in history and extol it virtues, wine is fundamentally a beverage to have with food.  As a complement to our meal, white wine should invigorate the palate with some acidity and coalesce with salads, fish, seafood and other such light fare. On the other hand, red wine requires enough body and flavor to harmonize with rich, savory beef dishes but never to the extent of overwhelming our taste buds with harsh tannins.  Lastly and equally important, all wine should possess a discernible amount of fruit or non-fruit flavor.  As difficult as it is for me to imagine any wine not meeting this simple criterion—I found two.  One was a red wine from Italy and the other a white wine from Portugal. These wines were so offensive that even I would not drink them.  

All this begs the question… is it that wine producers and/or wine merchants think that no one will notice just how bad the wine is? Or do they think we do not know enough about wine to deem it undrinkable?  Either supposition is insulting. Since such unpalatable wines are offered for sale, I have decided to create a Wall of Shame, exposing them for what they are—shameful examples of wine!

 The first member of the Wall of Shame is a 2010 Chianti Classico produced by Isole e Olena. After enduring an hour long tasting process with this wine, which included decanting the contents of the bottle and examining each sip before swallowing, the harsh tannins eventually abated, leaving a long and unpleasant acid finish.  In so far as any taste sensations are concerned, I have yet to discover any fruit or non-fruit flavors for my efforts. More to the point, this wine is devoid of any such pleasantries.  As result of purchasing an undrinkable wine for dinner I now have a twenty-five dollar bottle of cooking wine.    

The next addition to the Wall of Shame is the 2011 Vinho Verde from Quinta Da Aveleda.  Vinho Verde is one of my favorite white wines from Portugal. They are crisp, light bodied wines with a delicate effervescence that are delightful accompaniments for a myriad of dishes such as omelets, salads, cheese, steamed mussels, clams and more. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for the 2011 Vinho Verde from Quinta Da Aveleda; this is nothing more than lemon fizzy water masquerading as wine.  Thankfully it only cost eight dollars. Still, that does not excuse any wine maker or wine merchant from selling such an unworthy wine. 

One last question; is flavor and balance too much to ask of any wine?  I certainly think not. Thankfully, most wines are endowed with pleasant taste sensations and are not over-burdened with excessive acids or tannins. Sadly, the same is not true of the Chianti by Isole e Olena and the Vinho Verde from Quinta Da Aveleda. These wines deserve their ignominious place on our Wall of Shame for falsely claiming themselves to be drinkable—which they are not!