Category: Wine Study

Musar-fest Spring 2011: USA Left Swimming in Serge Hochar’s Wake

Originally published on March 3, 2011.

Serge Hochar, the man for whom the word legendary is not simply marketing blah blah blah, recently made his annual drive across the US marketplace. During these visits, he hosts wine dinners and holds court at various tastings in various cities. These events usually involve mind-blowing verticals of Chateau Musar’s reds and whites. For a peek behind-the-scenes of one of the NY tastings (and for some background on the Chateau, which I just can’t bear to write. yet. again.) check out David Flaherty’s post at Grapes and Grains.

While the wines themselves are stunning (and the amount of history in the glass is incredible – this time around, Rouge ’00, ’98, ’93, ’83, ’74, ’64, Blanc ’03, ’93, ’80, ’75), the real star of the show is Serge himself. He rarely talks about specifics of the wine. Routine questions about blends, vintage conditions, or flavor profiles are springboards for discussions of philosophy, family, history. To sit in the company of someone so passionate about his work, listening to him tell his stories while drinking in wines that trace the history of your life and beyond – it’s a pretty heady experience. People walk in as fans, or merely curious and leave as disciples. It’s amazing to watch.

In addition to the trade tastings and the dinners, there are also informal lunches, late night bar-nights, and the occasional even later-night margarita. Fans half his age – even a third of his age – find it difficult to keep up. (I tried this time around, and failed miserably, sleeping through a late-night Musar-fest at Anfora in order to preserve myself for a lunch the following day.)

And this was just New York. Prior to arriving, Serge had been in San Francisco, Texas, Denver, Aspen, Boston, and possibly a few other cities. This year, unlike years before, you could follow the great wave of Musar through the Twitter wine community. There was someone spellbound by the reds in California. Then someone in Texas, stunned by their first experience with the whites. Serge quotes tweeted from Boston. One of my own customers stumbling on a tasting in Aspen.

By the time Serge made it to his late-night date with Anfora, the Twitter feeds were swimming in Musar. It was as if the US wine community was at one big, continent-wide week-long wine tasting. A little nuts, a little exhausting, and a testament to one man’s larger-than-life-(and-the-internet) passion.

Holiday Gift Idea #1: Chardonnay-Hater’s 3-Pack

Originally published on December 8, 2010.

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: This was a fabulous pack back then. And it would still be a fabulous pack today. Maybe it’s time to get another I Hate Chardonnay Pack happening.

Everybody loves to hate Chardonnay. But there’s a lot more variety to the grape than most people expect. Give the hater in your life this cheeky 3-Pack of Chardonnay-based wines that taste nothing like the typical “Chardonnay.”

3-Pack includes:

Philippe Chavy Bourgogne Blanc 2008 (Burgundy, France): Many people don’t realize that white Burgundy is made from Chardonnay. But it is – and it’s generally considered the mack daddy of Chardonnay expression. Other regions around the world strive for the balance of elegance, richness, nuttiness, minerality and subtle fruit that is good white Burgundy (a.k.a. Chardonnay)

Chateau de Beru Chablis 2007 (Burgundy, France): This is miles away from the big, buttery Chardonnay bombs that the haters love to hate. From the cool, northerly part of France, it’s all minerally and razor-edged – like green apples, shimmery oyster shells, and chalky stones

Michel Gahier Arbois “Les Crets” 2006 (Arbois, Jura, France): This doesn’t taste like any other Chardonnay you’ve ever had – unless you’re already a fan of this obscure region near France’s board with Switzerland. It’s made in the Jura’s traditional, purposely oxidized style, which gives it a nutty, twangy, slight sherry note. Sound scary? It’s stunning with cream and mushroom–based dishes.

Price: $69

More Diploma Fun: Test Essay Questions!

Originally published on May 11, 2009.

Continuing with the trend of writing more about studying than actually studying, here’s another entry related to my quest to pass Unit 3 of the Diploma.

Last time I posted a tasting note that adhered to the standardized tasting note method set out by the WSET. During the actual test, I will have to write a number of notes following this formula….And I’ll be tasting blind, meaning I won’t know what wines are in the glasses. The instructors tell us this shouldn’t be too terribly hard, because after all, the “answer is in the glass.” This is technically true, but doesn’t make it any easier to avoid jumping to conclusions on first sniff, or get hung up on whether the “answer” smells like ripe stone fruits, unripe stone fruits, or just plain wet stones.

In addition to the tasting portion (known as the “practical” section in WSET parlance), there’s the “theoretical” section which really just is another way of saying “essay questions”. To prepare for this, candidates (I love being called a “candidate”) are given practice questions which we’re meant to answer during a 30 minutes time period without reference to our notes or textbooks. We then zap our answer to a grader, generally someone in London, who picks apart our answer, makes fun of our American spelling, and emails their feedback to us in about three weeks. Spelling jokes aside, it really is a good way to get some understanding of whether we’re on the right track, or completely off in lala land.

But I don’t think it’s fair that only my grader gets to read my attempt at great prose. So I’ll post my latest here. Because what good is a blog if you can’t subject your readers to stuff like this! Enjoy (or better yet, just stop reading now and go get a drink.)

Question #4 (Due May 10th): What does blending other varieties with Chardonnay achieve? (An ESSAY format is compulsory.)

Answer:It’s not difficult to argue that blending other varieties with the Chardonnay grape does little to improve the final wine. The finest expressions of the grape, the wines from Chablis and Burgundy’s Cote d’Or are all 100% Chardonnay. It’s possible to argue that adding a high acid grape such as Chenin Blanc or Semillon can perk up an otherwise flabby Chardonnay grown in a too-warm climate (or allowed to yield too enthusiastically), it’s easier to argue that blending other grapes with Chardonnay is more about achieving a certain price point while still maintaining the perennially popular “Chardonnay” imprint on the label. In other words, it makes an otherwise average wine easier to market.

Taking the purist approach, Chablis and the various Premier and Grand Crus of the Cote d’Or, generally considered to be the finest, most classic expressions of the variety, do not allow any other grape to be included in the wine. Beyond that, the top Chardonnays from as far a field as California, Australia, and South Africa are also 100% Chardonnay. Along with Riesling, Chardonnay is generally considered to be a grape that most clearly expresses the vineyard site on which it’s grown, or the vision of the winemaker since the grape takes so well to barrel fermentation, barrel aging, battonage, and malolactic fermentation. Blending in other varietals can only mask the expression of terrior (or the intent of the winemaker). Unlike other regions such as Bordeaux or the Southern Rhone, where blending is used to make a more complete, balanced wine in the face of potential vintage-specific weather issues, Chardonnay generally ripens in most climates (although the flavor profile may vary) and generally doesn’t require other varieties to be added to balance it out.

One exception to this is the addition of a higher acid grape to add a bit of refreshing acidity and citrus notes. Because Chardonnay can lose its acidity quite quickly when overripe (or when allowed to yield too vigorously), this is a useful practice in hotter climates. For example, Chenin Blanc may be added to Chardonnay in South Africa, or Semillon in Australia, or either in the wines sold under the VdP d’Oc or VdP Jardin de la Loire.

The most important achievement of blending other grapes with Chardonnay is driven by marketing. Chardonnay is easily the most popular white grape variety in the world. Worldwide, about 175,000 ha are planted to Chardonnay – more than any other white grape with the exception of Spain’s Airen. In the United States, it is practically a synonymy for “white wine”. The word “Chardonnay” on a label increases a wine’s marketability…so much so that even Burgundy producers are managing to print it on their labels, despite regulations to the contrary. Less fashionable local varieties can be used to increase the amount of wine produced (and lower the final bottle price). As long as enough Chardonnay is included in the blend to warrant its inclusion on the label, unfamiliar local varieties can be make much suitable for the international export market. As noted above, Chenin and Semillon may add a little acidity to freshen up the Chardonnay. But certainly more important is the cache and marketability that “Chardonnay” adds to those grapes.

Things That Don’t Make You Go mmmmm: WSET Systematic Approach to Wine Tasting

Originally published on May 1, 2009.

Last summer I wrote about passing the WSET Diploma Unit 2 test. In the mean time I have not written any of the Unit 1 research papers, nor did I sit for Units 4, 5, or 6. I decided that adding another new baby to the 2 kids I already had, in addition to getting the Frankly Wines store through it’s first full holiday season would be challenge enough.

But now I’m back on track and studying for Unit 3, the Still Wines portion of the Diploma. Technically, I’m not studying, I’m writing about studying, but that’s close enough.

In order to pass the test, I need to become proficient in writing wine tasting notes that conform to the WSET Systematic Approach to Wine Tasting. Here’s an example:

Lopez de Heredia Vina Gravonia Rioja Blanco 1999

Appearance: clear, medium gold color fading to water-white rim
Nose: Generally clean, with some slightly oxidized sherry notes. However, medium intensity of citrus, lanolin, nuts and stones suggest this may be more a stylistic choice than a fault. Wine is showing development.

Palate: Dry, medium (+) acidity, medium alcohol, medium (+) body. Medium (+) flavor intensity with notes of citrus peel, lanolin, beeswax, exotic spices and stones. Slight sherry tang, although freshness of other flavors and presence of medium+ acidity also suggest this is not a fault. Long length with acidity and flavors persisting on the finish. Lovely silky, waxy texture.

This is a very good quality wine due to complexity of fruit, spice,nut and sherry notes, as well as remarkably fresh medium (+) acidity balanced by rich, mouth coating texture and body.

Drinkable now, especially for those who enjoy fresh, vibrant acidity. However, the wine will easily improve and evolve for 20 years or more with acidity preserving primary freshness even as wine develops exotic sweet spice notes, additional nutty character and notes of dried honey.

Cost: $25

12% abv

Does this make your mouth water? Probably not. But that’s not the point. These aren’t the sort of notes that make people actually want to drink wine….but they are the kind of notes that pass WSET tests, and that’s why I’m writing them

Days That Drive a Wino to Drink

Originally published on February 12, 2009.

What I’m about to describe isn’t exactly a typical day. Most days, at least in my little retail universe, are a mix of placing orders, writing checks, chasing down distributors who always seem to lose my checks, printing out shipping labels, picking out mixed cases, helping customers, fighting with the cash registers, dusting, putting stickers on bags, sorting out deliveries, stocking shelves, and maybe tasting through a few wines with a sales rep or two, occasionally with a winemaker in tow.

Wednesday was a little bit different.

I started out with my 10am blind tasting group. On deck, 5 different wines made from the ever popular Tannat grape. On the off-chance you haven’t heard, Tannat is the star grape of such star regions as Madiran, Irouleguy, and Uruguay. It’s inky dark, deeply tannic, and perfect with steak, stews, or cassoulet. Not exactly breakfast wine, but what can you do when duty calls. There are 2 Tannats at Frankly Wines and we’ll probably be getting a third soon….because every boutique wine store should have 1 Tannat for ever 100 square feet of floor space. It’s in the manual.

NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: It’s totally not in the manual. First, there is no manual. And second, if there was a manual, it would most certainly advise against having more than one Tannat at a time, period.

Blind tasting finished, I brushed my purple teeth and headed off to a winemaker lunch at Alto. I love winemaker lunches…especially when I don’t have to plan them. This one was with Elizabetta Foradori, possibly the chicest Italian grower/winemaker I’ve yet to meet. She does magic with the Teroldego grape which, on the (probable) chance you’ve never heard of it, is a very old grape that makes its home in the northern alpine reaches of Italy. Some day soon I’ll go on about my growing fascination with alpine wines, but for now, I’ll just lay out what we tasted: 2 vintages of Myrto (a white made from the very non-international grape Incrocio Manzoni), the current vintage of Elizabetta’s Teroldego Rotliano (a fresher, younger-drinking style of Teroldego) and 6 vintages of her more serious, age worthy Granato (also made from Teroldego) going back to 1986. That’s 9 wines. For lunch. Survival tactics include lots of bread, a gallon of water…and a conveniently-located red plastic spit cup by my place setting. Red plastic may not seem terrible chic, but neither is a table full of drunken wine buyers.

Lunch over, teeth brushed again, and off to a Burgundy tasting at the Design building. Less zoo-like than I had expected, but still plenty of of French spoken, plenty of men in suits, and plenty of elbows making their way to the Grand Cru wines. I settle in next to a spit bucket and concentrate on distinguishing the Volnays from the Pommards, while dodging elbows and spit streams, balancing my glass, scribbling highly evocative tasting notes like “powerful”, “more perfume than the last one”, “a little more earthy”, “berries”, and muttering in fake French. I generally ignore the price list, as one 6-packs of some of these wines would suck up most of my weekly open-to-buy. There are probably 20 tables at the tasting. I make it to about 5 before the tasting ends and I head outside.

Going for full-on contrast to my Foradori lunch at Alto, I have a hot dog and bad coffee for my 5.30PM snack. Then off to the International Wine Center for my weekly Diploma wine class. This week,we’re studying the Loire, a region best loved by fashionable Parisians and New York-based wine geeks. We’re learn that come test time, even if you smell stone fruits in your Pouilly-Fume, you should say you smell melon, because it will make the graders happy. There’s a discussion about whether a wine is medium+ alcohol or high alcohol. And another about the odd purple color of a Cabernet Franc, which looks suspiciously like a Malbec. We taste 7 different wines, and I realize I’ve already drunk 4 of them at some point in the recent past, outside of class. Of the other 3, I’ve had similar styles from different producers. Since I’m not a fashionable Parisian, that must make me a New York-based wine geek.

As if a day filled with 5 Tannats, a Teraldego vertical, and a bunch of Burgundies hadn’t already proved that point.

So I Passed…

Originally published on .July 17, 2008

A few weeks ago I was writing about studying for my WSET Diploma Unit 2 test. (It beat actually studying.) Well, I passed! With Distinction! I was sort of hoping I would fail, because then I could just end this whole madness of getting this fancy-dancy certification.

So what is this whole WSET Diploma thing? To start, WSET = Wine & Spirits Educational Trust. It’s a London-based organization that offers wine education and formal qualifications (certificates, diplomas, very British). Originally, the qualifications were intended for people in the wine trade, but increasingly, a lot of people not in the industry are taking the courses as well. It’s pretty intense and fairly wine-geeky.

The Diploma is the top level of the various qualifications the WSET offers. Going after it entails a 2 – 3 year commitment and the completion of 5 units. Courses in New York are taught at the International Wine Center.

You start off with the Unit 2 (I’ll get to Unit 1 later) which is culminates in multiple choice test on viticulture and vinification (grape-growing and winemaking in normal-speak). Sample questions: what’s the maximum sulphur content that can be added to red wine in the EU (which is different that what can be added to white wine, sweet wine, or very sweet wine.) If you remove a tree from plot 3 (referencing a cute little diagram) what happens to plot 5?

Once you take that test, you can move on to the remaining units in any order you chose. Unit 3 focuses on still wine tasting. The final test – 3 flights of 3 wines each. You taste each flight blind, write tasting notes, including a guess as to what each wine is. (You need to be more specific than ‘red’ or ‘white’.) Then you have lunch and come back and answer a bunch of essays. Units 4, 5, and 6 are similar to Unit 3, but focus on sparkling wines, fortified wines, and spirits. And Unit 1 involves writing a series of research papers on various business issues related to wine or spirits.

And when you’re done, you get a Diploma! And wine-world bragging rights! And probably a pin!

So why go though this gauntlet? For me, it’s a challenge, and I like challenges. And a lot of interesting people in the industry are ‘going for their Diploma’ so it’s a good networking environment, even if some of the people in the program are a little, um, intense (aka annoying, smarty-pants types.)

And once I’m done with this, I can move on to the Masters of Wine, another extremely fabulous qualification. But more on that next time…I have a research paper to start…

I should be studying….

Originally published on June 24, 2008.

…but here I am, roaming the wine blogs, checking emails, typing this….

Tomorrow is the Unit 2 test for the WSET diploma course. I took the course and was supposed to sit the test last fall, but wound up preparing for my license hearing pretty much the same day of the test. The choice was:

A. Get a license and open a store in time for a little bit of holiday business to get some money coming in rather than going out as it had been for the prior six months.

B. Take a test of a fancy wine qualification has been one of the (minor) sources of the outward flow of money.

C. Both of the above.

Since C wasn’t exactly an option (that would have required actually starting to study in advance, as opposed to the week, then two days, then 4 hours I had allowed myself. So A it was.

Six months later, I’ve managed to get a little over a week of studying in, sort of. That’s if you count falling asleep while covered in piles of index cards as studying. But hey, I just had a baby. But if I don’t take this test now, it’s another six months before they offer it again.

So what is the WSET Diploma? It’s a fancy qualification that’s somewhat of a pre-requisite for the Masters of Wine, which is an even fancier qualification. But more on all of that later…I have to study…