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rld
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I just read three back issues of the Wine Spectator (the Spec). It’s bad enough that I’ve had a major project occupy all of my daytime, but the commute has occupied so much time that I’ve been unable to keep up with the wine news AND the wine consumption. Wino Bob, I salute you and your liver! Anyhow,
the September 15, 2002 issue of the Spec profiles the great wines of
Tuscany. WB’s buddy, Marvin
Shanken, leads us to believe that his Senior Editor’s move to Tuscany
three years ago precipitated the popularity of Tuscany.
I doubt it. James
Suckling moved to Tuscany because the climate is a hell of a lot better
than the UK where he had been living.
Not only that, but the area is a wine growing area and there
aren’t many notable vineyards in the UK.
Come on, Marvin, step that ego of yours down a notch!
I like some of the more notable Tuscan wines, but am concerned that
their pricing has outstripped California’s.
There are other areas of Italy producing decent wines! MRS
(Marvin R. Shanken, maybe I should call him “Marvelous Marv”) has a
great line that I should quote. “As
this issue is reaching you, summer is winding down.
At this time of year, our attention turns to red wines again, and
this issue offers plenty of wines to think about.”
Winos Bob and John, take heart.
It’s okay to like red wines again because the summer is winding
down. Winos everywhere,
it’s okay to like any color or flavor of wine regardless of the time of
the year or the food that you’re eating while you’re drinking wine. Wino John
made reference to some trips that I made over the summer.
One of those trips was a golfing adventure to Ireland with some of
my golfing buddies. While I
wrote about that adventure and published it on WinoStuff (parts to be
added later), I did not mention the wine trend I noticed.
Very few Irish restaurants served American wines.
I’ve been a big fan of California wines for years.
However, it’s a good thing that I’ve been increasing my
consumption of Spanish and Australian wines. Two
thirds of the wines served in Irish restaurants were either Spanish or
Australian. I believe the
choice was driven by price. California
wine prices have been driven up by capitalism and the laws of supply and
demand. While I believe that
many of the highly rated California wines are excellent wines, the prices
charged to Joe Consumer have escalated out of the reach of many of us.
Not a good way to increase U.S. wine consumption.
Meanwhile, back in Ireland, the Spanish and Australian wines that I
sampled were above average and great values.
I’ve decided that I’ll continue to focus on those two countries
for price/value during the Fall. I was
fortunate to return to continental Europe later in the summer for a family
excursion through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France.
While it is difficult to sample wines on a scale commensurate with
Wino Bob’s consumption, I made a concerted effort to drink wine wherever
I traveled (except I did have a beer or two in Munich’s Hofbrauhaus).
I found most of the selections in many of the restaurants biased
toward the local fare which shouldn’t have been surprising.
After all, wineries in Europe have been around for hundreds of
years, long enough to create a local demand for their products.
In Germany, many Rhine wines were available on the menus.
Austria featured their products and while I can say that I
haven’t sampled any Austrian wines in the U.S., I found them to be
enjoyable when I asked the sommelier for a description of the wines on the
list and a recommendation. Switzerland,
as you might expect, had the most international-oriented wine list.
In fact, a restaurant that my wife and I dined at in Lucerne had a
wine selection with 80 percent of its selections from California.
To my surprise, the wines I was most impressed with during the trip
were the Alsatian wines that I sampled while traveling in France.
Usually, the only Alsatian wine that I am familiar with is the
Gewurztraminer, a dry white wine recommended for serving with lamb.
However, a two day stay in Strasbourg provided me with an
opportunity to tour the vineyards in that area of Alsace as well as the
opportunity to sample many of the area red wines.
While many of the reds were a little fruitier than I normally
consume, I found them to be fairly priced and substantial in flavor.
I’m going to have to work with several of my retailers to see if
I can obtain a few of these over the winter.
Strasbourg, by the way, is the home of the European Union’s
Parliament, so its growth has been substantial over the past few years.
The new EU Parliament building under construction is one of the
most impressive architectural designs that I have seen.
Meanwhile, Strasbourg’s cathedral is also one of the finest
architectural examples that I have seen in any of my travels.
For those of you who are history buffs, the Alsace region is an
area in Europe whose nationality has changed approximately eight times
over the past 600 years. As a
result, it combines the best of the German with the best of the French
(actually, I believe that much of Alsace is more of a German flavor, but
that’s just my impression). More to
come….later. Wino
Wally
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