Author: Christy

Put-In-Bay: Scenes from My Youth

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: I’m about to place an order for some catawba-based petnat. And it is indeed pink. And I have even made a plea to a friend (who in the words of Pat Dailey does indeed have a house on the island where I can probably stay if I ask) to track me down some organically grown catawba so I can attempt to make my own pink petnat. Oh hybrids, how far you’ve come!

Originally published on November 7, 2008 .

For reasons unknown, today’s The New York Times real estate section featured Put-in-Bay, Ohio in its “Havens” column. The title: “Key West of the Great Lakes”. My husband said that “Key West of the Midwest” would have been catchier, but apparently the Times knows that Ohio isn’t really the Midwest (especially after its blue showing in the most recent election.)

As the article notes, Put-in-Bay is a little village on South Bass Island in Lake Erie. People ride golf carts around the island and drink. A lot. Including wine from Lonz Winery, which is located a short boat ride away on Middle Bass Island. For those not willing to take the boat ride, there was the Heineman’s Winery Wine Garden were you could lounge at picnic tables and drink Pink Catawba, Concord Red, or Crystal Cave Champagne from little plastic cups. Sheer deliciousness!!

There is also the fabulous Chicken Patio Peanut Wagon where my friend Denise spent summers serving peanuts to drunkards on their way to the fabulous Round House. That dome is NOT part of the Peanut Wagon – it is the Round House.

For a taste of the Put-in-Bay music scene, have a listen to Pat Dailey’s “Put-in-Bay Gonna Have a Good Time“, not to be confused with his ever-popular “How Drunk Are We Gonna Get.” Both may revolve around drinking but they are completely different songs.

I Am Not A Meter Maid!!

Originally published on October 13, 2008 .

I ‘m thinking of changing the store’s name to “Frankly Wines & I Don’t Know If You Can Park There”. Why? Because “do you know if I can park here?” is probably the most frequently asked question at the store.

OK, I exaggerate… it’s probably 4th after the following:

  1. Is this the way to the World Trade Center?
  2. Is this wine any good?
  3. Are those corks?

It’s not the question that bothers me so much as the response I get when I respond that I don’t know. People get all huffy! I suppose I could figure out the rules, but I know what would happen – if I gave an explanation, people would hear what they want to hear, which is “yes, you can park there.” (And it’s never as simple as that.) And then they would wind up with a ticket and come in and get all huffy anyway and try to say that I told them they could park there. When it comes to NYC parking, it just doesn’t pay to be helpful.

Yes, We Have No Pinot Grigio (but we do have the Valdesil Montenovo Godello)

Originally published on October 12, 2008.

Too many holidays over the last week. Distributors were closed on Thursday for Yom Kippur which meant they weren’t taking orders for Friday which meant I wasn’t able to get my order in for delivery before the weekend which means I am out of my usual Pinot Grigio! And what’s the primary grape variety people ask for by name (at least on holiday weekends when I see a lot of tourist traffic)….PINOT GRIGIO!!!

Sure, I have Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio, which is fantastic, but it has a lot more body and complexity than most people really want when they ask for Pinot Grigio by name. It doesn’t really count.

But never fear – I have a couple other substitutes I always point out – mainly the Valdesil Montenovo from Spain. It’s made from the Godello grape and has the same light citrus taste you’ll find in a Pinot Grigio, but with just a touch more body. Although it’s still a fairly neutral wine, it has more minerality and more personality than the run of the mill Pinot Grigio.

Georges Descombes – 5th member of the Gang of Four (and why that math makes sense)

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: Descombes on the shelf for $20??? I could cry. Nah, no crying in Beaujolais. Just moving on to the next crop of growers – there still value to be found, you just need to keep your eyes peeled. (And honestly, Descombes at what it sells for today is still very much a decent value. Just maybe a bit less so than it was ten years ago.)

Originally published on October 11, 2008.

Last night, we poured the Georges Descombes Régnié 2007. Georges Descombes is the 5th member of the Morgan Gang of Four. Yes, my math is correct, there are 5 members in the Gang of Four. I will explain, but first you’ll have to endure a little Beaujolais education. Beaujolias = a region in France. Technically, it’s the southern-most part of the Burgundy region, but it really can stand as a region of its own. In most of Burgundy, the red wines are made from the Pinot Noir grape. In the Beaujolais, the red wines (and they are mainly red) are made from the Gamay grape.

Unfortunately, Beaujolais has a bit of an image problem – mainly among people who haven’t actually tried a good Beaujolais. When most people think of Beaujolias, they think of a wine that’s rooty-tooty-fresh-and-fruity and almost bubble-gummy. While these are actually good starter wines for people just moving beyond White Zinfandel (I drank it myself when I was just starting out), they don’t really give an indication as to what really good Beaujolais can do.

Starter wines aside, good Beaujolais is an ideal match for fall. It offers the perfect balance of fresh red fruits, dark, slate-y earthiness, and the zip of acidity that makes it perfect with food. The best Beaujolais come from ten specific villages within the broader region. These villages are referred to as “crus” and they have lovely French names like Brouilly, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Saint-Amore, Molin-a-Vent, and Morgon.

The village of Morgon is home to four vignerons (a French word that incorporates grape-growing and winemaking in a more holistic way than just saying viticulturalist/winemaker) who make fabulous, “serious” Beaujolais and practice natural* winemaking. (I’d say “benchmark” Beaujolais, but that goes against the spirit of what these wines are about.)

This Morgon Gang of Four includes Marcel Lapierre, Jean Foillard, Guy Breton, and Jean-Paul Thevenet (all imported by Kermit Lynch). But they aren’t the only vignerons in Morgon using natural winemaking techniques to make Beaujolias that stand heads and tails above anything else in the region….Georges Descombes is another. Since his wines are imported by Louis/Dressner, another importer, officially amending the Morgan Gang of Four to the Morgan Gang of Five probably isn’t going to happen.

But the wine we opened last night wasn’t even from Morgon – it was from the village of Régnié. But it was made by Descombes. And it was good.

Added bonus: it doesn’t actually say “Beaujolais” on the label, it just says “Régnié” and very few people know what that means. So people couldn’t turn up their noses before they tried it. And guess what, they liked it!

I’m not going to get into an actual tasting note (too much tying already), but if you’re interested, just out BrooklynGuys note on the 2006 here. Keep in mind he was drinking the 2006 about a year ago (@ $20/bottle). We have the 2007 at a few dollars more (damn euro!)

*”Natural” wine. “Real” wine. Whatever you call it, the Louis/Dressner gives an elegant description right here.

My Favorite Time of the Year to Sell Wine..

Originally published on October 9, 2008.

My favorite time of the year to sell wine…it’s not during the holidays (O/N/D in wine industry speak) when most wine stores actually make their money.

It’s days like these – when I prop the store door open and let the outside in. Days like these are actually pretty rare. When it’s cold, well, it’s cold and no one wants to shiver behind a counter all day. And when it’s hot, or even just mildly warm, the aircon goes on and the door goes closed. (And the aircon was pretty much on from mid-May through mid-September.) But for the last week, it’s been perfect weather for door propping. And aside from the jackhammers that start up around 6.30pm at the hotel construction site down the corner, it’s nice to hear the street noises. This is a neighborhood store, so it’s great to hear the neighborhood right outside my door.

Liquidity Crisis Continues…

Originally published on October 8, 2008.

OK, so it’s more of a credit crisis than a liquidity crisis, but when you own a wine store, credit puns don’t work as well as plays on the word ‘liquidity‘…

So today’s sidewalk sign reads:

Liquidity Crisis? Drink Wine!

Simple, but effective….I just crack myself up sometimes.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #50: The Great Outdoors

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: Now that I have a shop up in Copake, in the middle of hiking territory, I’m much more well-versed in what to bring on a hike. These days, Tetrapaks don’t seem to be as widely available. But there are cans galore to choose from. Still wine in cans. Sparkling wine in cans. Spritzes. Pre-mixed drinks. Ciders. Ciders with spritz-type flavors. The list goes on and one. And here’s a pro tip (from a hiking pro, which would not be me… I’m still not much of a hiker) – chose your favorite wine in a box – and remove the box. The bag with it’s handy spigot will travel just fine.

Originally published on October 7, 2008.

This week’s host is Russ Beebe, whose blog is Winehiker Witiculture. Fittingly for a Winehiker, the theme revolves around what wine you would pour in the great outdoors.

Now first, I don’t hike. I don’t even own sneakers, or hikers, or whatever you’re supposed to hike in. My husband and some friends used to go on a big hiking every year and I would always come up with a reason I couldn’t go. Finally. they just stopped inviting me…even my husband stopped inviting me.

Lack of hiking gear aside, I do know just what I would pour. It would be the Yellow + Blue Malbec from Argentina. Why? Well, it’s yummy. But aside from that, it comes in a tetrapak, so it’s light – much lighter than a bottle. And while I may not hike, I know hikers like to keep their packs as light as possible.

Full disclosure: I probably won’t have thought of this on my own (hiking is really that foreign of a concept to me), but a customer was just in the store last weekend, going on a hike, and she picked up 3 of these little liters for her trip.

Wine You Never Knew You Needed: Mondeuse

Originally published on October 7, 2008.

Domaine Labbe Mondeuse 2006 (Vin de Savoie, France): Mondeuse is the French name for the Italian Rofosco grape (like that helps). Vin de Savoie is a wine region located at the base of the French side of the Alps – which could explain why the wine is like a breath of clean, crisp Alpine air.

The soft fruit of a Pinot Noir, a little bit of slate-like minerality that reminds us of the Gamay grape and a nice kick of spice on the finish. It’s a perfect summer-fall transition wine.

Big thanks to our Sales Rep Liz for bringing this across the pond. We didn’t know we needed it either until she made us try it!

Wine World Family Values

Originally published on October 7, 2008.

Owning a store, there are usually half-empty bottles of wine sitting around on the dining table (which is less a dining table and more a storage facility on which we occasionally eat a meal.) My 2 year-old has learned his colors from the labels on those wine bottles (although there is some justifiable confusion between yellow and orange thanks to Clicquot). He knows I go to the wine store every day. He likes to change the temperature on the wine coolers under the counter. He likes to clink his plastic cup against my glass and say “cheers.” Still, I was a little surprised when we jokingly asked him if he likes wine and he replies, “No, I like Champagne.” Do I hear child services knocking???

RIP Didier Dagueneau

Originally published on September 20, 2008.

Didier Dagueneau died a few days ago, September 17th, when his ultralight plane crashed in the Cognac region. Nice write up from Joe Dressner, his US importer, Joe Dressner, here. I never met the man, but I knew his wines. They tasted like nothing so much as themselves. I wish I would have drunk them more often.