iSante Magazine Wine Section

Hawke's Bay: New Zealand's Little-Known Gem By Paul White, D. Phil

When Americans think of New Zealand wine, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc or Central Otago Pinot Noir immediately comes to mind. This quick association with high-profile Kiwi wines is fitting, but Americans miss out on the country's second largest and most diverse region: Hawke's Bay.

Brian Duncan Launches National Wine Brand

Brian Duncan, wine director of Chicago's award-winning BIN 36 Restaurant, Wine Bar & Market, and a leader in the wine world debuted the 2005 vintage of BIN 36 Wines, a new national wine brand produced in partnership with Hahn Estates vineyard in Monterey, California. BIN 36 Wines bear the BIN 36 name on their labels and carry its mission statement: Drink Wine. Live Well. Have Fun. The line includes 2005 Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot as well as a proprietary red called D&S. They are already being poured in some of America's most celebrated restaurants, including Blackbird, Custom House, and Naha in Chicago; The Modern, Tabla, and Tribeca Grill in New York City; and Celadon in Napa, California.

Dream Flight Departing Daily at Twisted Cork Wine Bar

The Dream flight at Twisted Cork Wine Bar at the 0/8 Seafood Grill in Bellevue, Washington, is taking off daily. The flight ($80) is assembled with three of the best Champagnes from the top producers: 1998 Dom Perignon Brut (Epernay, Champagne, France) 1996 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame (Champagne, France) 1995 Krug Vintage Brut (Champagne, France) We weren’t sure what the reception would be like in the beginning, but we’ve been selling about ten a week. It’s all about the experience – when can you ever sample these champagnes, much less all together in one flight? Chef Dan Thiessen

California to Recognize "Green" Wine Award Winners

Seventh Assembly District Representative Noreen Evans, chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Wine, and second District Senator Patricia Wiggins, chair of the Senate Select Committee on Wine have announced that they will issue a California State Legislature Certificate of Recognition to all winners of the upcoming International Green Wine Competition. The competition, to be held May 5 in Santa Rosa, California, is the first and only competition devoted to recognizing and awarding outstanding wines made from "green" grapes.

BIN 36 Partner to be Named Chicago Wine Director of the Year

Wine Director/Partner Brian Duncan of BIN 36, a forerunner on the Chicago wine bar scene, will be honored with the First Annual Chicago Wine Director of the Year Award from the Gourmet Wine Cellar, presented by Gourmet magazine. Duncan will accept the award at the Gourmet Wine Cellar, to be held May 15 at the Field Museum. "I am so honored to be selected as the first recipient of this award, especially considering the wealth of talent we have in the Chicago wine world," said Duncan. "It has always been my philosophy that wine shouldn't be about memorizing vintage charts and technical terminology, but about enjoyment, and that to enjoy wine people need only trust their instincts about what they like to drink. I've made it my mission, since opening BIN 36 more than eight years ago, to expose people to new and exciting wines and to arm them with a personal curiosity about all the great wines that are out there, waiting to be discovered!"

Brunello Imports Threatened

The US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has issued a letter of warning to the US Embassy in Rome, stating that it may move to block all imports of Brunello di Montalcino. The block will be put into place if tests, beginning June 9, show that any shipment of Brunello to the United States is not comprised of 100% Sangiovese grapes, which would be a violation of a strict labeling agreement between the United States and the EU. A block on Brunello exports to the States would be devastating to the Brunello market, as the United States is the largest importer of Brunello wines, taking in about 25 percent of the region's annual production. Source: Wine & Spirits Daily

Washington's Whatcom County Booms

Washington's Whatcom County is beginning to see the effects of the state's booming wine industry. Nearly 200 new wineries have opened in the state since 2005, according to Washington Wine Commission communications manager, Ryan Pennington. And while most of the growth has been seen in Walla Walla and Woodinville, pocket of wineries are also opening around the Puget Sound region, Pennington said. Pennington said that local wineries will form an association within the next two months, allowing them to increase their marketing ability and develop wine-tasting tours. Whatcom County has seen seven new wineries open in the past three years, with two more expected to open soon. "It hasn't been an explosion on the level of Walla Walla or Woodinville," agreed Jeff Wicklund, owner of Purple in Smile Wines, located in Fairhaven. But, Wicklund concluded, that's because "Whatcom County winemakers aren't refinery wineries. They're smaller production and mostly boutiques." Source: Bellingham Herald

Cold April Could Mean Low Yield for California Wineries

April brought below-average temperatures and unusually late frosts to California, damaging the early-spring wine-grape shoots. While the damage is still being assessed (it could take growers until June to determine the full extent of the damage), many in the industry are expecting below-average harvests thanks to the cool spring weather. Nick Frey, president of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission, said that while it will be "impossible to predict" the exact decrease in yield, industry players are sure that the chances of a normal size harvest this fall "are probably pretty low." Immediate effects of the cold spring weather are evidenced in some vineyards by way of brittle, curled up leaves where pale green leaves should be. Long-term consequences aren't known, however, and growers are hoping that surviving vines will produce fruit of normal size, taste, and quality. Source: foxreno.com

Screw Caps Make Their Way to France

In an attempt to hold-off New World winemakers, some French wineries are taking steps to modernize their image and tempt pop culture as screw caps, boxed wine, and easy-to-understand labels make their way into tradition-bound France. "We didn't see the danger coming from the New World, where competition came with a completely new approach to winemaking," said Renaud Gaillard, deputy head of the French Federation of Wine and Spirits Exports. Gaillard concluded that the French wine industry is finally beginning to understand that it has "to change not only production but also the way the product is presented." The decision to change came after a 2001 report by the country's Agriculture Ministry, which was all but a death sentence for the French wine industry. French winemakers began taking small steps to make their wine more accessible, and their work is now becoming evident. Gone are the old fashioned labels with grainy pictures of chateaux; in their place, consumers are finding bright colors and easily-recognizable (and pronounced) brand names. Michel Laroche, the first French producer to offer screw tops on grand cru wines, said the new technology is a better solution than synthetic corks, and noted that the switch has been good for business: A 2004 launch of screw-capped wine in Quebec, Canada resulted in a 15 percent boost in sales in one year. "If you want people to believe you then you have to start with the prestige products," he demanded. And other French winemakers are following in Laroche's footsteps. Source: manufacturing.net

UP & COMING: Desmond "Desi" Echavarrie Extended Coverage and Interview

Conduct a Google search on Desmond "Desi" Echavarrie, and you'll be bombarded with articles about the young sommelier's achievements, awards, and praises from diners. At just 26 years old, Echavarrie has already tapped into resources and accolades coveted by many seasoned professionals. In 2004 he was named Best Young Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers. That same year he took the gold at the Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs, a Chaine des Rotisseurs competition open to just ten sommeliers from across the country.

The Wines of France: The Essential Guide for Savvy Shoppers

While all pocket-sized wine guides are marketed to consumers, they do serve as on-the-ready reference resources for over-extended beverage managers and sommeliers. When it comes to French wines, there is no better guide than The Wines of France, The Essential Guide for Savvy Shoppers. The subtitle may suggest a consumer-centric treatment, but Friedrich’s book contains a wealth of knowledge garnered over the years by a consummate wine authority and writer. This smart volume, organized by wine region in ten chapters, is filled with razor-sharp insights and with Friedrich as mentor, restaurant buyers can’t miss choosing stellar French wines for their lists.

At Home in the Vineyards

Blosser's personal memoir paints a brilliant history of the birth, growth, and current state of the Willamette Valley wine industry simply by chronicling her life, which was inextricably linked to the forming of a friendly wine community among wine pioneers and like-minded farmers; the shaping of land-use and wine laws; the creation of the Oregon Wine Advisory Board; the International Pinot Noir Celebration, and Oregon Pinot Camp; and the establishment of sub-appellations. Her keen insights, razor-sharp memory, and honest reporting bring her---and the Willamette Valley's---story into living color. Anyone who has experienced the wit, charm, and intelligence of Susan Sokol Blosser first-hand will recognize her clear voice that rings through the book's pages. For those who have not met the author in person, her book serves as a wonderful introduction.

Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book 2007: 30th Edition

The world's largest selling wine book has been updated for 2007. Summing up 30 years of wine illumination and criticism can't be all that easy, but Johnson doffs his cap to California for launching the varietal revolution and acknowledges that the wines of Greece, Sicily, and Georgia have yet to be fully discovered. This cordial and open-minded man whose books have inspired many a wine pro hasn't lost his critical edge; he takes to task the problem of increasing alcohol levels in his Agenda 2007 introduction. A Selection For 2007 includes recommendations for Exploring Riesling, Quirky Southern Hemisphere, Discovering Sherry, and Organic and Biodynamic. Coverage of Australia and Germany is both detailed and filled with real personality. On the other hand, the book provides more space for France than other countries to the point of giving Bordeaux its own section while allowing others in France, such as Champagne, to suffer. And East of the Rockies takes up more space than the total of Canada. But these are very minor quibbles. If there's only one book you give to your novice wine-drinking friends to introduce them to the subject, make this the one. The perfect stocking stuffer.

Perfect Pairings

This magnificent, well-organized presentation of Goldstein's ideas about wine-food matching is an indispensable reference. The book's subtitle, A Master Sommelier's Practical Advice for Partnering Wine with Food, is wholly appropriate, as Goldstein presents basic keys to understanding wine and food, as well as lucid charts that perfectly complement his insightful prose.

Mondovino

A documentary about the business of wine making.