Dave McIntyre's WineLine

Carbon-Neutral Wine

Wineries today tout their green credentials almost as much as their scores from influential wine magazines. Solar power, sustainable or organic or biodynamic (s/o/b) viticulture, and "carbon-neutral" winemaking are all marketing buzzwords for wineries. In today's column in The Washington Post, I focus on "carbon neutral" - what does it mean, and why should we consumers care? And in this video, I interview Dave Pearce, chief winemaker for New Zealand's Grove Mill winery, which was the world's first to attain "carbon-neutral" certification. The video was shot on my new Flip camera in a restaurant, and the light was focused on the center of the table, which means the wine glasses look great while Dave and I resemble shadowy creatures in a county fair house of mirrors, but oh well. I'll get the hang of it someday.

psst - Grove Mill's wines are good, too! Especially the Sauvignon Blanc and the Riesling. The Pinot Noir ain't shabby, either.

Cheers!

It's Harvest Time!

The grape harvest is in full swing throughout the Northern Hemisphere. In my column today in The Washington Post, I give insights into how harvest is progressing in Bordeaux, Virginia and California – plus my monthly “Recession Busters” recommendations of eight terrific wines that cost $10 or less.

And don’t forget that next week is the second annual Regional Wine Week, during which bloggers around the country will write about “wine from around here, wherever ‘here’ might be.” These will be linked at DrinkLocalWine.com. Look for my Washington Post Food section feature next week on the quality explosion in Loudoun County, Virginia.

California DOES make good bargain wine!

It is easy to knock California for not making affordable wine worth drinking. And that’s mostly the wine industry’s fault, because they would like us to focus on the high-end cult cabernets and chardonnays that sell for triple figures to exclusive mailing lists. I’ve always thought there must be some good, cheap California wines, and figured they are mostly sold in-state, never reaching the East Coast.

Well, I’m wrong, as usual.

Parducci 2005 Sustainable Red ($10) is not only delicious, but politically correct in the green sort of way. Parducci is part of the Mendocino Wine Company, a leading proponent of sustainable, organic and biodynamic viticulture. This blend, unspecified on the label, includes merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, primitivo, zinfandel (the winery cheat sheet doesn’t distinguish between those two), petite sirah, and viognier. It shows great fruit and balance and is deliciously fun.

Another pleasant surprise is Fess Parker Winery's Frontier Red Lot No. 91 (about $11), a multi-vintage blend that features the man himself in Davy Crockett/Daniel Boone finery (or at least millinery) on the label and a juicy, delicious red wine inside. Great for burgers, pizza, or just about any other casual fare that calls for red.

Randall Grahm, Author at Large

Who was that lurking around side streets in Washington DC the other night? Why, it was Randall Grahm, "president for life" of Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz, California. He was carrying a copy of his new book, Been Doon So Long, so I asked him what the book was about, as well as how his conversion to biodynamics was going and his advocacy of "truth in labeling" for wine.

(Well, OK, we found this relatively quiet sidestreet and a fairly bright streetlamp under which I could do this interview, using my nifty new Flip camcorder.)

Whitcraft: Wickedly Good Pinot

Note to retailers and distributors in the DC area: If Alyssa Whitcraft phones, take the call. 

Whitcraft is a graduate researcher and lecturer at the University of Maryland in College Park, specializing in satellite imagery and geography. In what little spare time she has, she is trying to find representation in the area’s wine stores for her family’s wines.

If you’ve never heard of Whitcraft Winery, that may be because they only produce about 2,000 cases a year, mostly pinot noir, but also some chardonnay, grenache and syrah. They sell most of it to a mailing list. Right now, it’s not available in the D.C. area. But it can be, and it should be.

Alyssa’s father, Chris, started the winery in Santa Barbara County 1985, a year before she was born. He’s now in semi-retirement, leaving the winery operations to his son, Drake. Although Alyssa isn’t joining the family business, she wears it on her sleeve. Well, under her sleeve, actually – in the form of a tattoo of the winery crest and the words, “In Vino Veritas” on her arm.

She describes her father as an unrepentant hippie in the mold of Jim Clendenon of Au Bon Climat winery fame and says the Whitcraft wines are “romantically rustic.” That’s because the reds are trod by foot to avoid squeezing harsh tannins from the seeds and stems. Indeed, the pinots I tried are seductive in texture and alluring in fruit, with an appealing citrus note. They are not shy in alcohol, yet aside from an initial sensation of heat, the fruit quickly gains balance. Tasting these, it’s easy to see why people get so excited about pinot noir.

The Whitcrafts own no vineyards and source fruit from throughout California, often with long-time contracts with growers. (Though Alyssa mentioned they will be losing access to fruit from Bien Nacido Vineyard.) Here are my notes on five of their pinots. Prices are approximate.

2006 Melville Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills, $44. Beguiling aromas, tight and focused fruit. Still young, it needs more age or some fatty food to open it up. 2-1/2 stars (out of three).

2006 Bien Nacido Vineyard Q Block, Santa Maria Valley, $40. Intense black-fruit aromas, firm tannins, a flash of heat from the 14.9% alcohol. There’s also spice and intriguing citrus – something new with every sniff or sip. 3 stars.

2006 Bien Nacido Vineyard N Block, Santa Maria Valley, $40.  Chunky and slightly awkward, not yet integrated, though there is really good fruit here. 1-1/2 stars.

2006 Morning Dew Ranch, Anderson Valley, $40. Mendocino County fruit lends a spicy character this wine, which really explodes in the glass with some vigorous swirling. 2-1/2 stars.

2007 California, $21. A blend of juice from the various single vineyard wines. This is a stunning value, seductive and silky with amazing balance. If you see this on area stores, and I hope you will soon, don’t pass up a chance to buy it. 2-1/2 stars, GREAT VALUE.

What the stars mean:

1 = Very Good

2 = Excellent

3 = Extraordinary

Oregon Pinot at a Good Price

Oregon wineries are beginnng to feel the pinch of the recession. "Oregon has placed its sweet price point at about $35 to $45 a bottle," according to Sam Tannahill, co-owner of Rex Hill Vineyard and co-creator of the popular A to Z line of affordable, high-quality Oregon wines. "When consumers see a $100 California cabernet selling for $50, they're less likely to pay $45 for an Oregon pinot - so there will be some downward price pressure," he said.

Oregon is not known for "bargain" wines. Yet there are a few pinot noir wines that count as good values for $25 or less, even in the tricky 2007 vintage, when harvest rains forced growers to be patient and choose carefully when to pick their grapes. 2007 is a marked contrast to 2006, when a warm, dry growing season allowed growers to pick grapes whenever they wanted and to push the envelope of ripeness and alcohol content.

As a result, the 2007 vintage is somewhat inconsistent, with stronger wines coming from growers who waited out the rains, and the smaller subappellations of the Willamette Valley. And they tend to be pricey. There are some affordable exceptions that provide excellent value though:

A to Z 2007 Oregon Pinot Noir at about $20 a bottle shows nice balance and an appealing earthy note under black cherry fruit.

Anne Amie Cuvée A 2007 ($25) is terrific, with bright cherry fruit, tempered by enough ripeness to prevent the wine from being cloying, and without so much sweetness as to make it heavy.

Benton Lane Willamette Valley 2007 $26 - There's an earthy, mushroomy note here that makes this sustainably-farmed wine worth seeking out.

So bottoms up! Here's to affordable Oregon pinot noir. Look for my discussion of Oregon terroir and recommendations of seven pinots noir that illustrate such terroir next Wednesday in The Washington Post. 

Pinot Reigns Supreme at IPNC

Everything you may have ever heard about the International Pinot Noir Celebration is true. Over the past 23 Julys, pinotpheliacs have congregated in McMinnville, Oregon, to spend a weekend pickling themselves in their favorite wine. This year's IPNC, held July 24-26, was a little less crowded than recent years, according to some regular attendees I spoke with. But the economy did not dampen the enthusiasm of about 800 wine lovers who ponied up $1000 each for the chance to mingle with winemakers and sample the cuisine of some of the best chefs in the Pacific Northwest.

This year's featured wineries included 46 from North America (including one Canadian) and 14 from Europe (two Austrian wineries, one from Alsace and one from Champagne, the rest from Burgundy – the lack of German participation was surprising). Australia and New Zealand sent four. British wine writer Jancis Robinson served as master of ceremonies. On Friday and Saturday, about half the attendees enjoyed seminar tastings designed to show the terroirs of Oregon and Chambolle-Musigny, while the rest boarded buses to vineyards throughout the Willamette Valley for tours and luncheons. And then of course there were more tastings, a petanque tournament, tastings, and dinners, including the annual salmon bake.

A threatened heat wave held off, though late-afternoon temperatures did climb into the 90s. Locals wilted in the heat, but District denizens reveled in the low humidity.

Bill Sanders of Washington, D.C., was attending his third consecutive IPNC. Sanders, a “workforce development consultant” who also blogs about wine and olive oil, said he values the connections and friendships he has forged with winemakers.

“I love to travel to the wine regions of the world, especially France,” he said, “and when I come here I meet the vignerons, then I go to Burgundy and there's an open door. I've made great friendships with the French winemakers here, and that makes travel to their region much more rewarding. It can be hard to get into Burgundy.”

As for the wines at the event, Sanders likened the exploration of pinot noir year after year to peeling the layers of an onion. (That reference may not endear him to many winemakers, actually.) Every year, you learn something new. “The pinot here is across the board, from syrupy monsters to laser-like fruit,” he said. Sanders has already registered for next year's conference.

Bob and Susan Crenshaw own two natural food stores in Goldsboro, N.C., and were here in McMinnville attending their 18^th consecutive IPNC. “Every meal you make new friends and meet up with old friends,” Bob Crenshaw said, pointing out three winemakers by name among the crowd milling around after the Saturday night salmon bake.

The tables on the lawn at Linfield College in McMinnville were littered with the detritus of a bacchanal – empty bottles from the featured wineries and from the personal collections of the attendees. Part of the fun at an event like this is walking around, glass in hand, looking for someone you recognize and seeing what they're drinking.

Photos: Bertrand Ambroise, of Domaine Ambroise in Burgundy, demonstrates petanque technique, left; a traditional Native American salmon bake capped off the festivities, above.

Life Through Rosé-Colored Glasses

In Bordeaux, Vinexpo week has been blessed with stunningly beautiful weather – bright, sunny skies, warm-to-hot-but-not-stifling temperatures, and steady breezes leading into cool nights. It’s been such a treat after all the rain back home.

That rain had me in a bit of funk as I was writing two columns on rosé for The Washington Post, with summer temperatures in mind. You can still check them – one from June 17 on Old World rosé, the other from June 24 on some worthy ones from the New World. (Don’t forget to click on the links for “Rosé Recommendations” to find some extraordinary wines for your summer sipping pleasure!)

Cheers!

Dave

Photo: Julia Ewan, Washington Post

The Recession Claims Billington

The recession has taken a bite out of the Washington, D.C., wine community with the recent demise of Billington Wines, the Springfield, Va.-based company that helped put South American wines on U.S. dinner tables.

Billington closed its doors May 15, citing the loss of some of its primary clients to other importers, depressed demand for wines because of the economy, and declining sales at Havens winery in Napa, which the company purchased in 2006.

The company’s Web site still had no news of this development as of May 26, but it was confirmed to me by Alfredo Bartholomaus, the company’s founder.

Details are still to be worked out, but most of the wineries in Billington's portfolio will now be represented by Winebow, the New Jersey-based company that grew from an Italian specialty importer into a major import and distribution powerhouse. Many of Billington's sales force, including Bartholomaus and his son, Alex, who has run Billington the past several years, will also work for Winebow.

Alfredo Bartholomaus, who emigrated to the United States from Chile in the early 1960s, started Billington in 1985. His main client then was Cousiño-Macul, Chile's oldest family-owned winery. Working primarily “out of the trunk of my car,” Bartholomaus introduced American retailers and restaurants to the value that Chile produces with inexpensive wines that outperform their competition. His company was one of the first quality importers to spring up in the Washington area – a market that thrives today.

In recent years, the company developed the Big Tattoo line of wines from Chile and Germany, which not only provided tremendous value at $8, but also donated proceeds from each sale to local charities.

“I came to this country with one hand tied behind my back, and I have been fighting ever since,” a defiant Bartholomaus said Tuesday. “I will keep fighting. I will still be around.”

(Some disclosure is in order. Like most wine writers in the Washington, D.C., area, I count Alfredo Bartholomaus as a friend and mentor. He has been a gregarious and effective missionary on behalf of the wines from Chile and Argentina, always with a keen eye, rapier wit and precise palate for the value these wines represent for consumers.)

I will have more on the demise of Billington Wines, both here and on The Washington Post’s Food section blog, “All We Can Eat,” at washingtonpost.com.

Bad Mood, Published!

Last Wednesday, my Washington Post column detailed my issues with those big, bruising US syrahs that I'd been complaining about here over the past few weeks. But I did find some worth recommending.

(Eric Asimov wrote along the same lines in the New York Times, extolling California pinot noir makers who have gone against the syrupy blockbuster style favored nowadays. His article was much more influential than mine, but I'm okay with that!)

What makes for a good syrah? The same qualities that make for good wines from any grape, any place. Balance among fruit, acidity and alcohol. There are successful wines at high alcohol, such as the Sequel Syrah 2005 from Columbia Valley in Washington, at 14.7%. Part of the Long Shadows project, Sequel is made by John Duval, formerly winemaker for Penfold's Grange in Australia. The man knows syrah.

But his was an exception at that alcohol level. And I tasted some at 15.5% that were disjointed, clumsy oafs. Not only would I not want these wines dating my daughter, I wouldn't want them to wash down my dinner! :)

Please, winemakers, stop obliterating our palates. Please make wines of balance and finesse, ones that do not obscure the fruit for the supposed power of high extract, late-harvested wines. Too many winemakers are producing wines this way "because we can" - because the climate, improved vineyard techniques, yeasts, whatever, allow them to. And there is evidently a market for them, so more power to the winemakers who can sell their wines. But I think a lot of writers and consumers are beginning to balk at this trend. We want wines that we can finish, not wines that finish us.