WBW Roundup

February’s Wine Blogging Wednesday host, David McDuff, just posted the recap of this month’s event – ‘A Passion for Piedmont’ at:  http://mcduffwine.blogspot.com/2009/02/passion-for-piedmont-wbw-54-recap.html

This month’s turn out was robust, with 52 participants who tasted (and reviewed) just over 86 Piedmont wines. 

Also…   the Wine Blogging Wednesday for March will be hosted by Remy of The Wine Case blog.  The theme for March’s WBW is North vs. South.  Excellent theme – taste offs (comparative tastings) are often the subject of many of my tastings.  Perhaps a California Cabernet Sauvignon vs. a Chilean Cab… or maybe an Oregon Sauvignon Blanc vs. a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (yes, them folks up there in Willamette Valley are making the Sauv Blanc… Patty Green in particular).  Definitely a lot of choices with this WBW theme.

WBW posts due by March 18th…

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Domaine Serene Yamhill Cuvee Pinot Noir

A couple of weeks ago, we met another couple for dinner at The Melting Pot  in Virginia Beach and had the chance to try Domaine Serene’s Yamhill Cuvee Pinot Noir.  True to form, I pair Oregon Pinot with just about anything – Slim Jims, cheese whiz, turkey, beef, sushi – and now fondue. 

Domaine Serene at The Melting Pot. Yet another example of my photography prowess.

Domaine Serene 2006 Yamhill Cuvee Pinot Noir

A blend of 54% Pommard, 33% Dijon, and 13% Wadenswil Pinot Noir clones of Pinot Noir sourced primarily from the Eola Hills and estate vineyards in the Dundee Hills.  About $37 in a retail store, but we were able to pay $57 at the restaurant.  Nice reddish purple color.  I picked up a sulfur component at first… after some time in the glass that burned off to reveal a nose of rose, strong raspberry and earth.  Smooth, velvety mouth feel with cherries, plum and raspberry taste along with baking spice on the finish.

I’m happy to report that the Domaine Serene was better than the fondue…

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China, Wine and other random ramblings

During my last trip, I jotted down various observations and ramblings on the state of wine in Hong Kong as I observed it.

Prior to my trip, I did some research to learn a few of the basics about Chinese made wine, the wine industry and the wine environment/culture there.  Given the few articles I read, I had fairly high expectations about the Chinese wine I would try during my trip.

In particular, I found the following excerpt from a recent Decanter Magazine article interesting:

According to the Future of Wine report, drawn up by London-based wine merchants Berry Bros & Rudd (BBR), China, which is already the world’s sixth largest producer, will lead the world by the year 2058.  The report, which predicts the state of world of wine in 50 years, also says China will ‘rival the best of Bordeaux’.   ‘I absolutely think China will be a fine wine player rivalling the best wines from France,’ said Jasper Morris MW. ‘It is entirely conceivable that, in such a vast country, there will be pockets of land with a terroir and micro-climate well suited to the production of top quality wines.’

My crystal ball is broken so I can’t predict what will happen 50 years from now in the global wine industry, but the study referenced above seems to be very optimistic.  Given the Chinese wines I tasted on my trip, I’ve concluded that the Chinese have a looooooooong way to go before they can even fathom rivaling the ‘best of Bordeaux.’  I’m not so sure they have the climate to produce great wine, especially as their environment suffers as a result of urban sprawl/industrial growth and the resulting pollution.

I defer to British wine critic, Jancis Robinson who noted in an article she posted to her site last May:

On my first forays in 2002 and 2003 I had been struck by the relatively low quality of Chinese wine, and by what an extraordinarily high proportion of it tasted like very, very thin, not quite clean, red bordeaux.

Which can perhaps be explained partially by grape growers there…

The great majority of China’s wine grapes are grown by farmers who have never tasted a drop of wine in their lives and are never likely to. Their chief concern is to deliver as large a crop to the wine producer as possible.

 A few of other random thoughts… 

• Whether or not the Chinese ever produce notable wines is questionable, but one thing is for sure, the mainland Chinese and Hong Kong natives I met and talked to really like drinking wine and there is no doubt that given the enormity of the Chinese marketplace, they will become a huge force in the future of wine as consumption goes mainstream.
• A question for the future…  some in the trade claim that over the last couple of decades, many wines have been crafted based on the tastes of (big, high alcohol, fruit bombs) some dude from Monkton, MD.  Will the Chinese palate have a similar impact on how wine is made in the next few decades?
• French wine is viewed as a status symbol.  I watched a lady drop $38,000HK (~ $775US) on a bottle of Lafite at Watson’s Wine in the IFC. After she left, the store clerk told me the lady had no clue what she was buying but wanted a nice “Bordeaux for a dinner party with the neighbors.”  He told me that the lady didn’t even know what Bordeaux was.
• The locals that I met and talked to favored Australian wines over all other wines.  In fact, California wines seemed to rank low on their likability scale. (which I can’t figure out)
• Yellow Tail wine is everywhere!  The Yellow Tail brand knows no bounds.  I found Yellow Tail nearly everywhere I went, including 7-11 convenience stores, Mannings and a couple other markets.
• There is an unlimited amount of opportunity in the Chinese marketplace for wine makers, consultants, sommeliers, wine writers and virtually anyone else associated with the wine industry!

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Wine In A Can

Getting back to my backlog of posts from Hong Kong trip last week…   During the trip I had the opportunity to try several other wines made in China that I just can’t muster the strength to write about.  I rarely ditch an entire bottle of wine after just a few sips, but had to do so a couple of times during this trip. 

On the second night, I was suffering from the +13 hour time difference and fatigue from traveling every week this year so I opted to stay in and order a simple dinner with a simple wine.  I ordered a cheese and herb pizza and a cup of crème of mushroom soup from the hotel restaurant along with an Australian Sparkling Rose (the only rose on the menu).  And here’s what I got…

Surprise… it’s a sparkling rose… in a can!  

The menu didn’t mention the fact that the wine was in a can so I called downstairs to see if there were any other regular Roses… like the ones that come in a bottle.  Although they told me no, the pleasant restaurant lady was nice enough to let me know that my minibar fridge was full of wine if I needed more.  I quickly open up the minibar and sure enough just as she said, more wine for me – about 10 mini cans of Australian wine.

I will drink anything once with an optimistic, open mind… but I was really having my doubts about this one.  Perhaps this is yet another example of how behind the times I am – Sunday night marked my first experience with wine in a can – I’ve had wine from a bottle, wine from several kinds of boxes, wine from a tetra pack, wine from a fountain, wine from a mason jar, but never wine from a can. 

Barokes Bubbly Wine – Bin 382 Rose

This is labeled as a premium Australian Wine.  $55HK per can ~ $7US.  13% alcohol.  Sealed in a bright aluminum can with orange highlights.  I found it interesting that the color of the can seemed to match the orange hue of the wine (hard to see the similarity from this photo).  I expected some type of aluminum or metallic aroma or taste, but there were none that I could pick up.  On the nose I found watermelon and a sweet dark berry aroma.  Carbonated mouth feel along with tastes of watermelon.  Just what I wanted for the night – a simple wine and another new experience.

There were four different types of canned wines in the minibar made by Barokes -  Bubbly Cabernet Shiraz Merlot blend, Bubbly Rose, a Chardonnay Semillon blend and a bubbly Chardonnay Semillon blend.  Imagine my delight.  I tried the Bubbly Cabernet Shiraz Merlot blend – and it tasted like I would expect a bubbly Cabernet Shiraz Merlot to taste.    

The maker of this wine, Barokes, has a ‘clever’ website that I would encourage the curious to visit – it’s called www.WineInACan.com.  If you have not yet tried wine in a can, I would certainly recommend it for the sake of trying it.

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