It truly is amazing how many different types of glasses there are out there to help ensure you enjoy your beverage of choice to the max.  I was reminded of this in a very abrupt fashion this past week as my wife and I began the arduous task of cleaning out unnecessary and unused crap throughout the house as we prepare for (hopefully) an impending sale on our house soon.  As we moved into the kitchen we approached the 4-door cabinet with glass panes that allow you to see through to the museum of glassware and stemware we had collected over the years.

Drinking vessels ranged from the large and expensive Riedel Vinum XL series down to the free tasting room stemware collected over the years from many trips to U.S. wine country destinations.  Why did we choose to keep these and lug them around in our travel baggage in the first place?  I cannot recall and I can’t recall the last time we actually pulled one out and drink any wine from them.  Then in the bottom right of the cabinet, there is still space for my scotch glassware, which has collected cobwebs of late as I have been more devoted to the fermented grape juice in recent years.

Recently, I obtained some samples of The One (the Red) stemware collection by Andrea Robinson as well as Eisch Glaskultur (Alert! Obligatory disclosure statement inserted here that I, indeed, received these glasses free of charge and, yes, I am about to give them a review herein).  So, with these new arrivals to our collection and our desire to determine which stems will stay with us and the rest packaged and delivered to charity so that others may enjoy fine wine in something other than mason jars and plastic cups, we decided to perform a little test.

To help with this test, I have decided to open a bottle of 2008 Blackstone Merlot and 2008 Blackstone Zinfandel (yessiree, another set of free samples I received… consider this bit of information disclosed as well).  The stemware lineup:  Eisch, Eisch Sensis plus, Riedel Vinum, The One, and Vinum XL.  While some can make the argument that many of these stems like the Vinum are considered best for Bordeaux or Cabernet Sauvignon, it is my opinion that they are generally used as generic “red” wine glasses in most households and are even described generically that way by Eisch and The One.

The Stemware

When tasting the Merlot, the Sensis plus and Riedel Vinum were best at facilitating more intense aromas and made it particularly easy to pick out the rosemary or eucalyptus herbaceousness of this wine, which was almost undetectable in the stems.  Additionally, these two glasses allowed more fruit to permeate the olfactories bringing forth blueberries and other red fruits.  The Vinum XL was the most subdued while the Eisch let much more spice and oak through battling with the fruits.  On the palate, the Vinum and The One resulted in more fruitiness and velvety texture, with the Sensis plus right in the mix.

I score the Zinfandel tasting almost identically with the Merlot as the Sensis plus was much more expressive with the Vinum and The One right behind.  The Vinum allowed the black fruits and raspberries to shine through, but the Sensis mixed in the anise, vanilla and some tar for a more expressive set of aromas.  The One allowed me to detect the fruit, vanilla and spice as well.  Eisch performed much better in this tasting, but again the Vinum XL was bringing up the rear.  This bummed me the most because I notoriously use the XL stems when I am lounging around the house.  Little did I know how much I was missing evidently.

One thing I’d also like to mention here is that according to Andrea Robinson, The One Red performed best with Pinot Noir during their lab tests and we recently used these stems at the global Pinot Noir Twitter tasting last month and I felt all the wines in our lineup were presented well in these glasses.  You’ll just have to give it a try yourself.

So, to summarize, my stemware rankings in this particular test:

1. Eisch Sensis plus
2. Vinum Bordeaux
3. The One (for Red)
4. Eisch
5. Vinum XL Cabernet Sauvignon

The Wine

2008 Blackstone Merlot – $11 – Clear, bright, purple color with blueberries, eucalyptus and spice on the nose.  The palate presented red and black fruits, velvety smooth mid-palate and creaminess with medium spice finish.

2008 Blackstone Zinfandel – $12 – Clear, bright, ruby core color to a clear watery halo at the edges with blackberries, raspberries, vanilla, anise and tar on the nose.  The palate presented black fruits, raisins, medium level of oak tannins with a medium black pepper finish.

These are two well-made and balanced value wines with price points you just can’t pass up these days.

So, what are you drinking and in what kind of vessel?

Just returning from a 4-day wine country vacation where we have been talking a lot about wine with our friends, the trip home wasn’t any different.  The other night, we shared with them one of my wife’s organizational practices of writing the price and retailer on the bottles of wine we purchase locally.  In a lot of situations, I may not track these wines in CellarTacker because they will be enjoyed soon and can often be weeknight quaffers.  Other times, I am just lazy and can get behind on updating the system.

Arlo & Janis (5/28/96) by Jimmy Johnson

At first we all agreed that seemed like a good system, because often we forget what we bought, when we bought it and for how much and sometimes that is good information to have when determining what to drink at any particular time.  But, then the question was raised: “Well, do you care if your guests see the price you have written on the bottle?”  Hmmm, we all thought to ourselves.  Our initial thoughts were that it didn’t bother any of us.  Wine should be evaluated on it’s own merits, not where it came from or what it cost.  And we firmly believe that, as human beings, we will be “anchored” with what we should expect from a wine at a certain price level if we know it ahead of time, which will only mess with the experience.  Check out this recently published studyby Hilke Plassmann of the California Institute of Technology where it was explained that the medial orbitofrontal cortex, which is the part of your brain responsible for pleasurable experiences, displayed much more activity when the subject was tasting a more expensive wine than a less expensive one after being told the price of each ahead of time.  Another research project called The Wine Trials approached this from a different angle by showing many wines that were less than $15 outscoring wines of $50-150 range in blind tastings.

Additionally, beyond the anchoring aspect and the experience expected from the wine based on price, do you feel your guest would consider you cheap if you put a $7 bottle on the table for them while attending your gathering?  Please feel free to comment and share your opinion and, of course, any related stories you may have.

Cheers!

Everyone else has a Top X list for the year, so I didn’t want to feel left out.  2009 was a year of great growth for me as it relates to wine and I have really enjoyed sharing those experiences with friends and family including those who stop by now and again to read my musings here at Wine Tonite!  I committed to immersing myself in the world of wine including drinking from a fire hose (filled with wine, of course!) to begin learning the history, the culture, the process, the geography and the fruit by starting off the year obtaining my CSW credentials.  It’s been a wild ride from the very beginning and I can definitely say I consumed the most wine in 2009 than I ever have before. 

I was also lucky to be a part of a wonderful experiment by Murphy Goode winery to initiate a job search for a wine country lifestyle correspondent requiring applicants to submit videos and display their social media marketing skills and was selected to the Top 50.  The best part of that opportunity for me was meeting and engaging with so many wonderful people in and around the wine business and those who just love to drink it too!  Several of those new close friends now have jobs in the Napa/Sonoma wine country and serve as inspiration to many of us who teeter just on the outside of the envelope looking in.  Three other wine-related events I really enjoyed and have been instrumental in my continued growth as a wine connoiseur and as a person were the 2nd Annual Wine Blogger’s conference, the St. Supery Tweetup in Atlanta where I co-hosted with Rick Bakas and the wine tasting I hosted for the ERLSA fundraiser to help families in Nicaragua without clean drinking water.

There were so many good wines I enjoyed in 2009, it is very hard to narrow them down to such a short list of favorites.  And please note this is a not a “Best of” list, just some wines of note that stood out to me, so feel free to comment if you like/dislike my picks.  Not to mention, one of my new year’s resolutions for 2010 will be to be more organized with my tastings notes.  Cellartracker.com and their iPhone app, Cor.kz, have helped me tremendously in this regard lately andI will continue to use them going forward.  Note: these are in no particular order.

2007 Lioco Indica – Aside from the little trivia tidbit I got about Indica being a type of mary-jane (yes, that’s code for marijuana) plant, which shouldn’t be a surprise from this Mendocino county wine, this was just “Booya!” in your mouth.  Thanks to Chris Gaither, local wine guru and mixologist, for showing me this one.  This radical red is 78% Carignan, 10% Petite Sirah, 9% Mourvedre and 3% Grenache.  Blackberries, violets and caramel on the nose with more black fruit and spice on the palate.  Duuuude… I got the munchies…

2006 Alto Moncayo Campo de Borja- Just the facts here: Vanilla/caramel nose and a bit smokey, smooth velvety on the palate, licorice and big mouthfeel.  Nose: Awesome! Caramel, vanilla, oak… not a hint of hotness from the 16% alc.  Taste: fruit-forward, spice, vanilla and smooth.   WS 92, WA 94

2006 Caravan Cabernet Sauvignon from Darioush in Napa Valley.  Big black fruit up front, with some vanilla and chocolate but, again, not the huge oak bomb one comes to expect from the region.  It was well-balanced, velvety smooth with good tannins and spice at the end and really set the mood for the evening and meal.  A very nice second label offering that I felt was a steal at $39 listed restaurant menu price (Abattoir).

2006 Miolo Sparkling (Brazil) - One of the wines I brought to the ERLSA fundraiser, with assistance from Ryan Mullins of Quality Wines, this sparkler is produced using the traditional method (methode champenoise)  and contains a 50/50 split of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  Did you know 25% of fine wine made in Brazil is sparkling?  No, me either.  Vines were first introduced in the early 1500’s by the Portuguese but didn’t really become established until the late 1800’s thanks to Italian immigrants.  The dry sparkler was fresh with citrus and good acid and would be a nice change of pace to the Rustico Prosecco I often serve to start a party.

Renardat-Fache Bugey du Cerdon- Sparkling Gamay - This is on the list mostly because it was probably the most unique wine I had during the year and can barely pronounce.  Yet, it was memorable in that I hadn’t tasted anything like it either, certainly never a “sparkling” Gamay.  Stewed veggies on the nose with a fizz strawberry explosion on the palate that countered the spicy Popeye’s chicken we were pairing with it for the infamous Popeye’s Wine Pairing Challenge by Hardy Wallace.

1999 Clos Ste Hune Riesling – Thanks to @rowdyfood for this wonderful house gift that I most certainly did not deserve.  After having started my wine journey with Riesling back in 1994, I have neglected to return to the distinct grape until this year thanks to some local wine friends like Matt and Hardy.  This summer I attended a tasting of 20 Rieslings from NY which was quite an eye opener.  This has a bright, yellow hue with citrus and petrol on the nose and maybe a little honey.  The palate displayed lemon, orange peel, acidic and mineral.  A great wine.

2007 Donatiello Floodgate Block 15 (667 clone)- As self-proclaimed pinotphiles, we have to have a couple of Pinot Noirs on the list and this one was the most memorable during my visit to the 2nd annual Wineblogger’s Conference in Sonoma.  Chris Donatiello is doing some great things at his winery include the Floodgate with bold, fresh cherry fruit and some old world funk on the nose.  Another great representation of RRV fruit.

2006 Halleck Pinot Noir Three Sons Cuvée - I had an opportunity to hang out with and break bread with another Pinot Noir winemaker from the Russian River Valley, Ross Halleck.  Ross was in Atlanta for a week back in September and he was gracious to hang out with us at my wine pal Jack’s house since he is a club member, then we attended one of his tasting’s at Murphy’s and then wrap the week up at my house for a BBQ.  These are the experiences that really do it for me as a wine lover.  Other wineries can learn from Ross in how to share the wine experience instead of simply peddling their wares.  This favorite showed a little heat early on that burns off eventually and reveals beautiful black cherry, allspice, cinnamon, all delivered in a smooth, velvety conveyor belt to the nice finish.

1977 Ridge Zinfandel Shenandoah Esola Ranch vineyard- Purchased this bottle at Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa. Nose: medium-high toastiness and rich caramel and toffee releasing after half hour of being opened. Chewy Zin mouthfeel became more pronounced and satisfying after an hour with pralines becoming present later on. Somewhat subtle blackberry fruit and spice rounded out throughout the meal and was just delicious!

2005 Ch. Du Glana- This was probably the value wine of the year.  This little Bordeaux beauty was hanging real tough against some serious competition at Jack’s Bordeaux Madness party back in March.  I mean, it was up against the likes of ’85 Ch. Troplong Mondot, ’85 Ch. Palmer and ’79 Margaux to name just a few.  Here are my notes, which can be seen with all these wines (click here)…”certainly this year’s Arizona, the youngest of the bracket, but held it’s own to make the final four.  Nice ruby color with cherry, cedar/oak and pencil nose.  Black cherry, violet and light spice on the palate with a medium to long finish — the crowd favorite!  WS gave this a 90 and it’s terroir is same/similar as Ducru-Beaucaillou, so it’s gotta be good.”  This is the one 2005 Bordeaux I had this year that really came through on the promise of how phenomenal 2005 was going to be for the famous wine region.

So, there it is … read it and weep… another year gone by… may you have calm seas and following winds in 2010… Cheers!

We happened upon some awesome values this week from some free samples provided by Vintage Point as well as a Halloween wine tasting hosted by our closest friends:

2007 Stonecap Riesling Columbia Valley(free sample from Vintage Point) – real surprise at $12, very aromatic with honey, peach and apricots.  Not too sweet at 1.7% RS quite refreshing with slight distinct petrol (due to TDN common in Riesling) at the back of the palate – nice!  Riesling is known to do well in this region, as is Gewurztraminer, due to the latitude and earth axis = longer days, warmer days – just awesome!  The fruit comes from the estate vineyards at Goose Ridge.

2007 Six Prong Chardonnay Horse Heaven Hills (free sample from Vintage Point) – some toast and butter, not overwhelming and decent acid, but there was just something missing here.  For $10 a bottle it’s worth a try from the young AVA.

2003 Dromos Maremma Toscano IGT- A super Tuscan, had some heat on the nose, highly extracted, blackberries and herbaceous, decide to go big or go home on this one ($16)

2007 Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend- toffee, herbs and highly extracted with iron, minerality on the palate, lots of tannin and plush! – A fine Shiraz from the McLaren Vale area ($16)

2008 Maipe Malbec Mendoza- hot nose, very inky hue, black cherries/raspberries, plenty of spice and tannin – gotta let this puppy breath a bit – got 90 pts from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (go figure) – a value at $12

2003 Ch. St. Michelle Syrah- stew and pepper and jerky(?) on the nose, big mouthfeel, typical jammy Syrah ($12)

2006 Sebastiani Zinfandel- very fruit forward – especially when compared to the big spice in the previous 4 wines.  Must be a Zin! Another deal at $16

Happy Halloween!  Which also means Go Gators! this time of year as it’s time yet again for the ass-whooping aka the world’s largest cocktail party held in Jacksonsville against the not-so-mighty Georgia Bulldogs.  Here’s to Tebow getting that offense hittin’ on all cylinders again!  Cheers!

Coming home from a Burgundy tasting, the wife and I got into an interesting conversation (read: argument) in the car about perceived value when it comes to wines that are not really “ready to drink” upon release and are expected to improve with many years in the bottle.  Certainly, in America we are  often all about instant gratification which has caused some of the techniques that wineries now employ to produce the type of homogeneous wines that are readily drinkable at release, but are maybe lacking in longevity and true representation of style, variety or terroir.  Don’t get me wrong, there are many good/great wines being made out there that are drinkable now, soon after release, and it’s the consumer’s prerogative to spend their money on something they will enjoy sooner than later.

Add to this that often some of these old world wines that age gracefully for years often come at a higher price.  The point being made is that for the money and in this crappy economy, why would one not want to spend it on something they can enjoy now or at least in the near future instead of waiting 10 years, assuming they’re not in it for investment purposes?  Helping the value equation a little bit is the fact that there are a lot of good deals out there now due to the economy and depending on vintage that you may be able to take advantage of.  This means you may be able to buy an older vintage that’s closer to the peak drinkability timeframe now and reduce that wait time for less money than in the past.  In the case of Burgundy, I understand you can find some fabulous wines with a high QPR (Quality:Price Ratio).  But, that still doesn’t fix the fact you may still have to wait a little while for some of those wines to age to truly enjoy and experience what was intended in that wine.

If you recall from Finance class, the time value of money concept showed us that money available today is worth more than that money in the future.  However, concepts of perceived value and utility come into play which include intangible benefits such as pleasure, satisfaction, or quality and everyone’s perception of these is different.  To be clear, I am talking about how a consumer who is interested in drinking this wine will value it.  Many if not most of these ageable wines do, in fact, increase in market value over time, but that’s not what I am attempting to describe here.  Essentially, Value = Benefit – Cost and there is some level of benefit for some level of cost at which the perceived value the consumer will receive is high enough to warrant the purchase today.  Time affects the benefit side of the equation both positively and negatively… in some of these wines as time increases, the resulting quality of the wine and satisfaction you receive when you drink that wine increases.  However, the fact that you have to wait for some period of time in the first place, in my opinion, negatively affects the benefit for some consumers.  Or, rather, you can categorize your time as a cost, possibly.

How does one rationalize the Value concept in their minds when deciding to purchase a bottle of wine of this type?  Does the consumer have to be educated to some extent on what they may be missing, the romance of old world tradition, style and terroir and that good things come to those who wait?