by Andrew John Chalk
by Andrew ChalkI first encountered Zinfandel as a student when I tasted Ridge Vineyards ‘California Coast Range’ Zinfandel for what was, for an impoverished graduate student, a king’s ransom of $6.99. It is no longer made, but that wine engaged me to hunt out Zinfandel: a fruity, forward, red wines that offered a (usually) lower-priced alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. I did not know at the time that Zinfandel was an almost universally scorned blending grape that was the backbone of such headache-inducing abominations as Gallo Hearty Burgundy. Because my first Zinfandel was made by one of California’s best wineries I had (through good advice as it happens) walked into Zinfandel wine making at its best. I immediately gave the grape ‘first class’ varietal status in my...
by Ron Kapon
In mid-September, I and 4 other New York-based journalists were invited to spend 6 days in the Catalan region of Spain on a Wine, Culture & Festival trip. While I was there I saw no Spanish flags but lots of Catalunya (Catalonia in Spanish) pride. Catalan is a separate language and not a dialect of Spanish, and the people consider themselves Catalan, not Spanish. There has even been much talk of becoming a separate country. But this is not a political story but one about wine. Catalonia lies at the northeast of Spain, bordering the Pyrenees Mountains and France in the north. The Mediterranean Sea is to the east, Valencia to the south, and Aragon to the west. The winters are not too severe and summer is uniformly sunny and hot, with cooling breezes from the Mediterranean. It is an ideal ...
by Andrew John Chalk
I remember when Chilean wine first hit the U.S. market in the 1980s. This South American spindle of a country came to the game with a winemaking climate as perfect as any in the world, low land and labor costs, and a small domestic market that meant there was an export-driven culture.They took what sold: Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Chardonnay and Napa Sauvignon and just re-did it down in Chile. Even with the costs of shipping through the Panama Canal, Chilean wines were cheap and cheerful when they arrived in stores and on restaurant wine lists in the eastern and central U.S. It was a case of “anything you can do, I can do cheaper”. This strategy was effective at attaining a foothold in the U.S. market, the country’s primary export destination, but over time the Chilean wine indu...
by Mike Meisner
One of my biggest gripes about wine clubs is the lack of benefits they offer. Sure, you can expect a modest discount, invitations to wine dinners, and your regular shipments, but that's about all. With so many wineries out there, it's really hard to pick one or two clubs to join. However, after a recent trip to Chappellet, I learned about the GEMS of Napa Valley. This is a sort of partnership between Chappellet and eight other wineries in the area.The partnership is exactly the sort of thing I'd like to see more of in the Valley. Most wineries operate in a secular state, without much care for the world outside theirs, including neighboring wineries. Sure, they often refer guests to a nearby favorite; a sort of scratch my back, I'll scratch yours mentality, but that's about it. I've always ...
by Jamie Smith
7 most important wants of a distributor in a product they pick - and why it is important for you as a supplier? The article is written to help you better understand the wants of wine distributors, beer distributors, liquor distributors and beverage distributors.1)Margins: For small and medium sized distributors, margins of 40% and above are a must. And we agree. They need to be in business for you to grow your business and get paid.So structure your pricing to ensure that they can make around 40% margins. You will have the owner's motivation to sell your brand from the hundreds of brands they sell.2)Support:This includes support for sampling, point of sale, marketing, advertising support, market work support 3)Payment Terms:Distributors would like better payment terms than they provide to ...
by Andrew John Chalk
In my college days I once had to read a book called “Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism” by this man named Lenin who had the seriously trimmed beard and bald head of a sommelier in a high-priced steak house. To co-opt his phrase for a more plausible contention, Brunello di Montalcino is the highest stage of the marvelous but capricious Sangiovese grape. Italy is usually regarded as a red wine country. Of the dozens of red grape varieties in this, the most varietally entropic country on the planet, the two that usually get the most votes as “the best” are Nebbiolo and Sangiovese. The latter of these is the backbone of wines like Chianti and the proprietary “Super Tuscans” from various parts of Tuscany, but it is generally regarded as reaching its highest form of expr...
by Vin Marottoli
Having just returned from Croatia, it seems amazing how this country- and Slovenia- have remained under the wine lovers radar screen. All the wines we tried- and we visited 14 wineries- were good to outstanding. Most of the wineries would be classified as boutique to moderate size; none produced over 500,000 bottles and most are in the under 50,000 bottle category. By and large, the facilities are state of the art, with some more rustic than others. But the final result is what counts and I am happy to list what I consider the top 5 of the wineries we visited. One caveat: don’t expect to find these wines soon on your local retailers’ shelves; many of the wineries don’t export and the ones that do have limited distribution. Nonetheless if you’re fortunate to have the opportunity to ...
by Andrew John Chalk
The backbone of California winemaking is the tapestry of tiny wineries, family owned, each representing a vision and an idiosyncratic approach to the making of wine. They number in the hundreds and range in size from overstuffed garages to mansion-sized facilities backed by hundreds of acres of meticulously-trained vines.At the low end of the size spectrum is a 2000 case-per-year specialist that is quickly gaining a reputation among the cognoscenti. Jericho Canyon Vineyard has only been making and selling their own wine for eight years. Before that they sold fruit to other wine makers, notably David Ramey and Rudd. Their 30 acres of estate vineyards comprise four of the five Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot), Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardon...
by Jörn
In the last few years, many meeting planners have seen an increase in demand from their corporate clients for wine-tasting experiences guided by certified sommeliers. The following five factors may explain this trend and its likely continuation into the future.1. Wine tastings are entertaining, educational and highly interactive.Corporate leaders looking for engaging events for their teams find that a well-designed wine tasting can meet all of their objectives. The most popular wine-tasting experiences are wine flights paired with multi-course dinners; receptions with tasting stations; team-building exercises, such as a competitive blind tasting in which teams work to identify 10 key grapes or regions with the guidance of a sommelier; and seminars on the essentials of wine and wine etiquet...
by Andrew John Chalk
The late Robert Mondavi would be 100 this year were he still with us. The winery (part of Constellation Brands since 2004) is making a national tour to acquaint their wholesalers and retailers with their latest offerings. I was an invited guest at a tasting in the metroplex this week and it seemed an appropriate point to see what had changed and what had remained the same since Robert Mondavi himself ran the show.Gary Midyette, Director of Operations for Robert Mondavi Winery, led the tasting. He has been with the winery since before the Constellation purchase. Likewise, the wine maker of the offerings that we tasted, Genevieve Janssens. In fact, a lot of the same faces still work there and the same core line of wines is still made. I examined the style of the wines as well as we progresse...
