Corked wine is on the decline

I enjoy reading different wine magazines as it helps me to stay up to date with the wine world as well as finding topics to blog about.  Part of that collection of regular reading materials is certainly the Wine Spectator.

While I might disagree at times with their ratings, they have great articles and people like Matt Kramer really can stir the pot and.  Anyways, last week I read the article about less cork taint from James Laube and the content of that article made me very happy.

Based on his report in 2011, out of roughly 3,100 bottles of California wine topped with cork (another 269 were topped with twist-offs), the percentage of "corked" wines dropped to 3.8 from 4.8 in 2010—making it the best year since we started tracking this.

In 2009, nearly 7 percent of the wines were corked, and in 2007, it was 9.5 percent.

Based on that, it seems true that with the right focus on a quality cork, this old proven wine bottle closure remains in the race!  And rightfully so!

For the complete Wine Spectator article from James Laube, please visit:
http://www.winespectator.com/blogs/show/id/44311

Wines' New Year resolution

As most of us have some sort of New Year's resolutions such as weight loss, going back to school, eating more healthy....my goodness, I don't think I could list all of the things some people are planning to accomplish in the "new year"!

Anyways, that got me thinking, what might be the New Year's resolution goal for wine?  Will Chardonnay continue to reduce the amount of over-oaked chardonnays coming to the market out of California?  Will Zinfandel amongst other grape varietals continue to fight to get on top? Will cork be able to have a strong comeback against all these screw cap lovers that are out there?  The questionnaire could go on and on.

Most people properly will try to lose some weight this year and to accomplish that, cut back the drinking of alcohol since that has the most empty calories period! 

But why?  So that you can “fall off the wagon” come St. Patrick’s Day or the first summer grill out with friends?  Come on... let me help you here.

Champagne for New Year's Eve | Which one is right for me?

Just one more day left in 2011 and this is certainly the time to buy and drink good bubbles. 

I mean, NYE and Champagne go together like salt and pepper, right?  I personally don't leave a chance behind to drink a sparkling wine, prosecco, cava, sekt or champagne period.  But if that is not you and you only drink it for the special occasion such as your wedding anniversary or new year’s eve, that is ok as well.

But which bubbles are right for you?  Does it have to be Champagne?  If so, which price range should you shop in?  There are sooooo many offers out there these days, from the "giftwrapped" champagne with "free" champagne flutes, which you pay for anyways, to who knows what. 

If you have people coming over for New Year’s Eve or you are going to somebodies house and want to impress them, buy real champagne!  However, if they are wine lovers and ”in the know”, you may want to explore your options and try to find a unique alternative just to have something to talk about.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Champagne, but one of my personal favorite is actually a Sekt called Schlumberger and is from Austria.  The produce different styles, but the Brut is absolutely great stuff and can easily win a standoff against a Veuve Clicquot yellow label or a Moet Chandon Imperial (used be called white star)! 

If on the other hand, it is just you and your significant other, I would properly go for a nice cava or prosecco.  With the extra savings you may want to buy an extra bottles instead or simply match a view small Spanish or Italian "nipples aka tapas" with that and have a great romantic evening for two. 

Rather want to stick to the traditional or you are afraid that you get in trouble if it isn’t real champagne, you might as well go big and set yourself apart from the rest.  Not trying to badmouth Veuve Clicqout nor Moet Chandon Imperial (I actually like the Veuve Clicqout yellow label), but if you want to impress, go for Bollinger (used in James Bond movie) or Pol Roger. Really impressing for a deeper reach into your wallet, you can get Dom Perignon or Louis Roederer Cristal.  For the ultimate Champagne experience, go to a specialty wine shop and buy a bottle of Clos du Mesnil from the Champagne house Krug! 

In my humble opinion, it doesn't get any better than that!

Cheers and Happy New Year!

The revolution of wine | David vs Goliath

Earlier this week, I had the great opportunity to taste some grape varietals that I either had a long time ago while I visited Italy or never had at all.  I have to admit, some of them, I never even heard off before.  As we tasted thru the first flight of eight wines, I couldn't help myself but to notice that what is happening in the wine world, especially in "old world" wine countries, is the same what is happening here in the United States with beer.  All these Micro-brews from all over the country and more and more people finally turning their back to the Budweiser and Miller lite’s of this world! By the way - Bravo!!!

But back to the wine - isn't it interesting how things always come back at you?  I mean, first we rip all the old indigenous grape varietals out of the ground, so that we can replace it with

Wine for the holidays | What wine pairs best with your traditional dishes?

Before we get into the holiday wine pairing, I would like to apologize for not posting another blog earlier.  Believe or not, I actually was on vacation and got to eat plenty of good food and drank my share of great wine.  Now - back to the holidays, which are, by the way, just around the corner!

Thanksgiving pairing was easy, as the good, old "gooble, gooble" rules that festivity!  This one, not so much.  Every family, every different culture has their own approach; their own family dishes and with that a need for different wines to go with such dishes and traditions. Some people would say, don't worry about it, put a red and a white wine on the table, have some beer in the fridge and call it the day.

Grape Vines | Part 1

Did you ever wonder why people "in the know" get excited when they talk about old vines?  No, this isn't a spelling error.  Talking about old vines, not old wines! Old wines are certainly a very exciting topic to talk about, but I leave that for a different day, different blog.  Today I want to tell you a bit more about vines, why age matters, the different clones, water, soil et cetera.  The subject can certainly be a very lengthy one, but as you know me, I am not planning on that. 

So, first things first.  Age!  Vine and age is actually pretty interesting, almost funny.  And here is why.  Vines were planted in California with the arrivals of European immigrants and wine was started to be enjoyed until the prohibition period.  With restrictions and the difficulty to export, most vintners at that time switched to tougher grape varietals for better shipping. 

Thanksgiving Wine | Which wine goes best with turkey?

Which wine should I pair with my turkey for Thanksgiving?  That is always an interesting question and in my eyes, people make it way to complicated.  Isn't cooking all this food enough work as it is?  Couldn't you use the extra 30+ minutes you spend at the wine store for something better?  I could!

While a few wines are a good fit for the thanksgiving feast, Beaujolais nouveau is by far the best.  It is light, fruity and easily liked by many people.  AND - You can pick that up at your local grocery store when you get all the other things for thanksgiving.  Bingo! 

Shall that doesn't work for you because you don't like red wine or simply need something more extravagant; try a nice Pinot Noir or Riesling.  I would go to Oregon for the Pinot Noir, as it offers a great balance between fruit aromas and earthiness.  For the Riesling, I would go with a German (I am German, so that might have an influence :) ) Kabinet or Spaetlese.  Shall your selection be more limited, go with a nice Riesling from Washington State, such as Chateau St. Michelle.

Other white wines that work well with your turkey dinner are Gewuerztraminer, California Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Viognier.  Alternate red wines are Australian Shiraz and ripe California Zinfandel such as Klinker Brick Zinfandel.

Let me know what you are doing with those extra 30+ minutes!