Dave McIntyre's WineLine

Not Your Father's Virginia Wine

Does your impression of Virginia wine date back to an unfortunate taste 10 or 20 years ago, in a store or at a sweltering festival somewhere in hunt country? Mine did, but I kept tasting, as Virginia wines kept getting better. Unfortunately, I'm not at all convinced that most people have continued to taste and keep an open mind about Virginia wine.

That's why I hope you'll enjoy my column in today's Washington Post, in which I highlight some interesting trends in the Virginia wine industry - it's growth over the past decade, with an increasing emphasis on quality; it's success in new markets, both among younger, tech-savvy drinkers and overseas; and the increasing focus on vineyard-designated wines that express and develop Virginia's terroir, unique from that of France or California.

This is Virginia Wine Month, as declared by the Virginia Wine Folks. And next week is Regional Wine Week, as declared by Jeff Siegel (The Wine Curmudgeon) and myself at DrinkLocalWine.com. Be sure to check in regularly for the best blogoscribbling about wines "from around here, wherever here happens to be."

Regional Wine Week Oct. 10-16

Calling all wine bloggers: Don't forget the third annual Regional Wine Week, next week, Oct. 10-16. Not that you haven't been writing about your local wines all year, but this is the time to draw extra attention to the exciting wines "from around here, wherever 'here' happens to be."

Here's info on the week at DrinkLocalWine.com, which will post links to as many articles as we can find about local wine. The website is also a one-stop portal for readers interested in learning about wines from anywhere in the U.S. - or at least those areas that you don't normally read about (as in, the West Coast). 

But DrinkLocalWIne.com is more than just an interesting collection of articles about wines you may never find on your local retail shelves. If you are planning a trip somewhere, say to Philadelphia or the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania, check out DrinkLocalWine for articles by Paul Vigna or David Falchek for suggestions on what local wines to seek out while you're there. Headed for New York City? Even if you aren't able to get to wine country in the Finger Lakes or Long Island, on DrinkLocalWine.com you can find links to Lenn Thompson's fine New York Cork Report and other scribblings about the Empire State's vino.

It's not just a wine website, but also a travel resource.

Storm Diary, The Second Chapter

Thursday, August 12, 2010

This latest storm hit at 7 am, with a fury that I had only seen once before: seven years ago when my house nearly burned down after a lightning strike. I watched out the kitchen window as wind and rain circled our patio and thunder and lightning rolled and crashed around us. After about 20 minutes, the storm seemed to lessen, and I tried to calm my daughter by saying the worst was over. But it wasn't. The second phase was stronger, more virulent than the first. The wind created waves in our swimming pool, sloshing water over the edge. I can't really remember when the power went out, only thinking that I wasn't surprised. In all, the storm lasted 50 minutes, unusually long. There were no loud crashes on our house, no leaks in the roof. But when it subsided and I looked out the kitchen window, I saw a tree a few houses down the hill cleaved in two. To the left, the large oak in our neighbor's yard that my wife always feared would someday fall on us was also a casualty - but it fallen away from us, onto another neighbor's deck.

This was the third time in as many weeks that destructive storms struck the Washington area. Last week, while we were in Charlottesville, a freak storm hit Old Town Alexandria. This time, there were reports of motorists being rescued from flood waters along Rock Creek in the District and Sligo Creek in Silver Spring. Local radio and newspaper reports featured an apartment building in Gaithersburg that was sliced in two by a large oak, miraculously with no one hurt.

There was little or no coverage of our neighborhood. But as I grabbed my camera and walked around our little enclave of Burnt Mills, I felt as though I was in a war zone. Hundreds of trees had been split or felled by the strong winds. A house around the corner on Oakwood Drive was crushed by an uprooted oak, another damaged by a fallen fir. Utility poles were snapped in two, chunks of asphalt were torn from the streets, and up at the elementary school, so many trees were decapitated that it looked as though a giant had ripped a hole in the woods. These trees were splayed across Colesville Road, the only way to get out of our neighborhood, closing it in both directions for hours. There was no way I would get to work this day.

As I walked around, I took photos of every broken tree I saw, even though they all began to look alike after awhile. I was amazed that more houses weren't damaged, and that, when all was told, apparently no one in our neighborhood was hurt. It was as if God was angry, but not vengeful.

Friday, August 13

Shaving and dressing without light is almost routine now after the first storm kept us out of power for four days. The damage this time seems more intense, so we think it may take longer to restore electricity, but the damage is more localized than two weeks ago when the entire county was devastated, so maybe there is hope. Colesville Road was open, so I could get to work, and when I came home there were crews from Toledo Edison in our neighborhood untangling downed wires and replacing fallen poles and transformers. A PEPCO damage survey crew drove by. Yet when we returned from dinner at a friend's house, the neighborhood was still dark, and the thrum of generators drowned out the crickets and cicadas. My wife swears never to stock the freezer again. Our daughter wonders why we can't just buy a generator like all the noisy neighbors.

Saturday, August 14 

Walking around the neighborhood this morning, the progress in cleaning up is evident. Trees have been chainsawed into sections, damaged homes covered with blue tarp like bandages over boo boos. I traded anecdotes with a neighbor I had never met, who told me one of the storm's victims was a 400-year old oak tree that was one of the oldest in Maryland. I had walked by that tree hundreds of times since moving to this neighborhood without realizing its history or significance.

The Toledo Edison crews arrived at 8:30. The crew captain told me our lights should go on "Before we leave here tonight."

Indeed, the power tripped on just before 3 pm. Only 56 hours this time. Given the destruction around us, we feel lucky. The neighbor's oak will have to go; the half that leans toward our house is now precariously supported by less than half a trunk.

Although our power was back on, we still went to my mother-in-law's for dinner. I'm tasting Chablis this week, so I pulled four bottles from the warm fridge. They tasted wonderful. Note to self: Chill Chablis really well, then leave in a turned-off refrigerator for 56 hours to attain the perfect temperature.

 

The Wine Industry Loses a Champion in Washington

 The wine industry has lost an important voice in Washington. After 16 years in the nation's capital, Bill Nelson is leaving WineAmerica, the only trade group that represents the entire U.S. wine industry. Nelson, who has been the group's president since 2005, has fought the good fight for direct shipping, federal support for viticulture research, and other important issues that have helped the industry grow so dramatically over the past two decades.

Now, Nelson is a victim of the economic recession, as membership in WineAmerica has slipped and wineries feeling the pinch have cut back on paying their membership dues. With HR 5034 now before Congress and the well-financed wholesalers always looking for opportunities to turn back gains on direct shipping, this is an unfortunate time for the industry to downsize its champion.

Nelson looks back on his tenure in Washington in my column in today's Washington Post 

McDonnell pushes to privatize Virginia's liquor stores

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) argued again today for his proposal to privatize the commonwealth's liquor stores by auctioning off licenses and using the windfall for transportation construction.

McDonnell raised this idea during last year's campaign, but so far has met with skepticism. Critics fear the state will lose revenue and that privatization would mean less efficient regulation of alcoholic beverages.

Speaking on WTOP radio today, McDonnell argued that not only would the state receive a windfall from the sale of the licenses, but it would continue to benefit financially through annual taxes and fees, The Washington Post reported on its website.

The governor made an argument that should resonate in Montgomery County, Maryland, the nation's only county controlled liquor distribution system, and in other control states such as Pennsylvania:

"I don't think selling alcohol is a core function of government -- neither do most people,'' he said. "I don't think it's a core function of government to do it and I think the private sector can run the stores more efficiently. There are free market incentives to do it." 

More efficiently? Let's see, in Montgomery County, all alcoholic beverages are distributed out of an un-air conditioned warehouse (and of course we're baking in record heat this summer), with only one delivery per licensee per week. And the county tacks on a 25% surcharge for privilege of cooking your wine for you. Not to mention that most MoCo liquor stores have all the charm and warmth of a methadone clinic. The situation has gotten a little better - we have a few privately owned stores with dedicated owners that are willing to make the extra effort to work with the county and distributors. But the system is archaic and, like Virginia's, should be privatized.

Yay, Spain!

Okay, I'll admit it - I was rooting for Spain in Sunday's World Cup final. Not that I had a dog in this fight, but when it comes down to a wine country versus a beer country, well, I know where my allegiance lies. So yes, I was happy with the result.

I was even happier with the wines I chose to enjoy while watching the match and celebrating the result.

Tierra de Fernandez Gomez, 2009 Rioja Rosado, (Elite Wines of Lorton, Va., sample, $NA but probably not expensive) - crisp and refreshing strawberry and watermelon flavors. This wine is produced by Agricola la Bastida, which makes some tremendous wines that are setting the stage for Rioja's next wave.

Las Colinas del Ebro, Garnacha Blanca 2009, (Grapes of Spain, also Lorton, Va., sample, $12). A terrific little white, crisp and citrusy, ideal for an aperitif or with light, herby seafood appetizers - think Mediterranean ...

Almira, Los Dos, Grenache + Syrah, "Old Vines" 2008, (Winebow, sample, $NA but probably not expensive). This wine from Campo de Borja, Spain's trendy new cheap wine factory, is juicy and spicy and oh so nice for an inexpensive red. Though I rather wish the marketers had let the winery call the wine Garnacha + Syrah, because consumers are smart enough to realize Spain might have a different name for the grape than France does. Not to mention a different expression of the grape, something rather ..... Spanish?

Luna Beberide, "Finca la Cuesta," 2008, Bierzo, (Grapes of Spain, sample, $22). I LOVE this Bierzo producer, which offers a range of wines that shine for quality to price ratio in a region of northwestern Spain that is only now getting some cachet. This wine is a little awkward at first, but it opens nicely - and quite quickly - to sumptuous black fruit (cherries and plums), under a pronounced though not overwhelming oak treatment.

Yay, Spain!

An Abrupt Farewell from MD's Direct Shipping Advocate

Adam Borden, executive director of Marylanders for Better Beer & Wine Laws, sent this email today announcing his surprise resignation as leader of the direct shipping cause. He explained to me in a telephone interview that his aggressive grass roots tactics had made him "a lightning rod" for opposition to direct shipping among some key members of the Maryland Legislature. He decided to step down, he said, so that they would not oppose the bill just because of resentment toward him.

 

Unfortunately, this does not bode well for supporters of direct shipping in Maryland. The bill isn't dead yet, but already we're hearing, "Maybe next year... "

My name is Adam Borden, and I’m a wine drinker. 

I am also the Executive Director of Marylanders for Better Beer & Wine Laws, a non-profit advocacy group trying to legalize wine shipping in our state. Friday, I spoke for the last time in that capacity. I am hereby announcing my resignation as Executive Director effective immediately.

When I first took over Marylanders for Better Beer & Wine Laws 15 months ago, I always knew consumers wanted wine shipping. What I neither knew then nor could have imagined was just how substantial our group would become. During my tenure, MBBWL has increased its membership from 1,500 members to over 20,000. Our elected officials have been inundated with calls, emails and faxes pleading with them to finally make this a reality. Not just fine wine drinkers are upset that wine cannot be delivered. I received an email last week from someone who is angry that he can’t send a bottle of wine as a gift to someone … and he doesn’t even drink. Period.
   
Wine shipping is not just a consumer issue. Our supporters are also county governments, chambers of commerce, economic development agencies, wineries, retailers, gift basket makers, entrepreneurs, farmers, grape growers … the list goes on and on. The only people not on this list are the liquor wholesalers, who refuse to this day to meet with us. They do not want wine shipping because it would amount to 1% of the wine sold in the state … and these are wines they don’t even carry.

Sure, they espouse arguments that seem legitimate like worrying about the kids, the difficulty the state might have in collecting taxes or the detrimental impact on local liquor stores. These arguments like all their others are smokescreens. They are cover for the plain business interest driving their motivation. They will stop at nothing to maintain their stranglehold on Maryland’s liquor supply and fear that wine shipping is the proverbial “camel’s nose under the tent” that would loosen their profitable franchise.

Who are these “barons of booze” to quote the Washington Post? The two main distributors in this state are estimated to supply 70-80% of the total liquor and wine in Maryland. It is a duopoly. These companies are enormous, operating in multi-state jurisdictions and grossing hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. It is estimated that they and their friends have contributed to the campaigns of over 80% of the Maryland General Assembly. 

Many in leadership have said that 2010 is NOT the year to debate wine shipping. Why not, I ask you? Because our leaders fear angering what is arguably the most generous political patron in the state at a time that every incumbent Delegate and Senator desperately needs campaign funds.

But all of this is not news to any of you. If the wine shipping debate truly rested on its merits alone, our elected leaders would have passed it long ago. Instead, the bill has been hijacked by the liquor lobby. Friday, we announced that we came to a critical common understanding with our opponents on this issue. We can finally agree on one thing: they want this bill killed more than anything else. They will stop at nothing to see it defeated rather than work on a meaningful compromise. No matter the thousands of constituent letters and telephone calls, no matter the prominent levels of support throughout the state, no matter the logic of our arguments, our elected leaders are hard-pressed to challenge the liquor lobby.

I am still an optimist. I have not given up hope. There are so many good people in the General Assembly who want this to pass that I still continue to believe that 2010 can be our year. Direct shipping will not create world peace. It will not solve our budget crisis (though it will indeed help). Nonetheless, direct shipping will do so much good for so many people all over Maryland that I know its day is just around the corner.

In the course of growing and building Marylanders for Better Beer & Wine Laws, I have pursued a grass-roots approach. Rather than play an inside game, we have gone directly to voters around Maryland to inspire them to take action. We’ve always played by the law but not always by the rules of Annapolis. As a result, my advocacy for this issue has sometimes rubbed politicians the wrong way. My own state senator from the 43rd District, Joan Carter Conway, is probably the most notable example; however there are others.

Because I care so much about this effort and about seeing Maryland enter the 20th century, let alone the 21st, I announce my resignation today. I hope my stepping down will in some small way advance the cause, allowing others to pick up from where I leave off. I would hate for my involvement in this legislation to be the reason for its demise one more year. Paul Hoffstein, a dear friend and fellow wine lover, will be taking over as interim director until someone more permanent can fill the position. 

I want to be clear, though, that my resignation is in no way a concession of defeat. Nor does it mean that I will stop advocating for direct wine shipping, which I believe in wholeheartedly and have dedicated more time to than I can possible quantify over the last year and a half. I have taken no money from the organization and stand to gain nothing from the passage of this legislation. 

I stand before you to deliver this message, “With my resignation today, there is NO reason that I know of, with the exception of the all powerful influence of Maryland’s liquor lobby, that this year’s direct wine shipping bill should not become law.”
 
If I have any regret about what has happened, it is only that I have not been able to share this news with any of our thousands of supporters before now. I want to thank each and every one of them for their continued dedication, especially those here today to testify on behalf of the house bill in Economic Matters this afternoon.

I am not yet a cynic and pray that our elected leaders will prove me wrong. With so much support and so many legislators behind this year’s bill, I continue to believe that 2010 will be our vintage. Thank you.

Tastefully yours,

Adam Borden
Former Executive Director
Marylanders for Better Beer & Wine Laws
4315 Underwood Road
Baltimore, MD 21218
Tel: (443) 570-8102

http://www.mbbwl.org

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Ooh La La! French Wine Scandal Expands to U.S.

The French wine fraud scandal crossed the Atlantic last week, as federal regulators said they are investigating U.S. importers who sold French “pinot noir” that was actually made from different grapes.

As reported here last week, a French court on Feb. 17 convicted 12 people in the Languedoc region of southern France of passing off merlot and syrah wine as the more expensive pinot noir to the U.S. firm E&J Gallo. Gallo sold the wine as pinot noir under its popular Red Bicyclette label.

 

Gallo bought the wine from the French wine brokerage Sieur d'Arques. Although Gallo was not implicated of any wrongdoing in the French court case, U.S. officials are investigating whether the California wine giant violated any U.S. laws in selling the wine as pinot noir.

 

The Treasury Department's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) “has begun investigations to determine the appropriate actions to take regarding the American importers of these mislabeled wines,” the agency said on its Web site.

 

When the convictions were announced, Gallo said it would “continue to work with the appropriate U.S. authorities to determine any next steps required for potentially mislabeled Pinot Noir in the marketplace.”

 

Importers must apply to the TTB for approval of wine labels, including the images and information conveyed on them. TTB spokesman Arthur Resnick would not comment directly on the investigation or confirm its targets, citing bureau policy. But he said that even if the U.S. importers were duped by their French suppliers, they may have violated some U.S. laws. “Under our laws, importers are responsible for label approvals [from TTB], so they are responsible for what goes in the bottles,” Resnick said. He then used a classic Washington phrase: “We will be going to these companies and asking what they knew, and when they knew it.”

 

These companies? The French court case centered on wine sold to Gallo, but the other U.S. wine giant, Constellation Brands, acknowledged last week that it had also purchased pinot noir from Sieur d'Arques and another supplier implicated in the French case. Constellation said it had independent experts test the wine before it was shipped from France and they confirmed the wine was indeed pinot noir.

 

However, that does not convince the TTB, as it waits for official translations of documents in the French fraud investigation. Constellation is clearly part of its initial inquiries, and more companies could be involved. “I think there are others, but we won't know for certain until we see the French documentation,” Resnick said.

This report appeared in slightly different form Feb. 26 on The Washington Post's All We Can Eat blog.

End Maryland's Ban on Direct Shipping!

Could this be the year Maryland residents get the right to order wine online? Hopes are high that the Legislature might finally pass legislation legalizing direct shipping of wine to consumers. I explore this issue in today's column in The Washington Post.

After I wrote this, someone told me only 15% of wines on the market are actually distributed in Maryland through the normal three-tier distribution channels. That is market forces. But why should state law restrict us from reaching out of channels for the others? That's not fair.

What can we do about it? Write to your state delegate or senator in support of direct wine shipping legislation. Support Marylanders for Better Beer and Wine Laws. Post a comment here or on my column on washingtonpost.com. But don't stay silent.

Sales of "Green" Wine are Up, and Monsanto Smiles ...

Sales of so-called “green” wines increased 12.1 percent over the past year, nearly four times the growth rate of wine sales in general, according to a new Nielsen Company report released last week at the “Green Wine Summit” in Santa Rosa, Calif.

 

The survey, reported by WineBusiness.com, also found that consumers are confused about what makes a wine “sustainable,” “organic,” or “biodynamic.” This confusion will only grow as these terms are used indiscriminately as marketing tools without set standards or definitions.

 

The industry has made several praiseworthy efforts to set standards for these terms. The Wine Institute, the California industry association, has published a textbook of sustainability practices to guide its members. Oregon has LIVE – Low Input Viticulture and Enology – which certifies wineries that use sustainable practices. But there is no easy or uniform definition of “sustainable viticulture.” And with Monsanto advertising itself as the epitome of sustainable agriculture, consumers are bound to become leery of winery claims about their own farming practices or reduced carbon-footprint.

 

As for “organic” wines, the U.S. government made that nomenclature impossibly confusing with its organic agriculture regulations a few years ago, and the best the industry can do now is label its product “made with organically grown grapes.” That seems a half-way measure at best, and there is not a single certifying organization to give that claim any stature or authenticity.

 

There is a single organization for certifying biodynamic wines – Demeter USA. Demeter is not a wine industry creation, which gives it an extra measure of credibility. There is still some gray area, though, as wineries can claim to follow biodynamic practices without applying for certification, and there is no third-party verification of those claims.

 

Another survey reported at the summit, from Full Glass Research, found that 59 percent of those who purchased organic or sustainable wines said they did so because the viticultural practices were better for the planet, while 38 percent of those who do not purchase them said they rarely see them on store shelves, and 33 percent of those who did not seek these wines out simply did not care.

 

I like the "green wine" movement, but I worry that it has become a marketing gimmick as much as a form of viticulture. A wine made by practices that respect the Earth SHOULD taste better, but when every wine becomes "green," how will we be able to tell?