Dave McIntyre's WineLine

DLW2011: Meet Me in St. Louis

Want to join the fun on April 2-3 in St. Louis? The conference will be held at the Doubletree Westport in suburban St. Louis. Ticket packages start at $35, which includes the Missouri Twitter Taste-off -- two wines each from some two dozen Missouri wineries. You can buy tickets on-line at the link. The complete schedule is here.

via www.drinklocalwine.com

 

There's less than a month to the 2011 DrinkLocalWine.com Conference in St. Louis! Yes - Missouri wine: Bring us your Nortons, your seyval, your vidal, yearning to breathe free ... Sponsored by the Missouri Wine & Grape Board.

Why Aren't More Local Wines on Local Wine Lists?

This is a question that can probably be asked wherever fine wines are made. In fact, it WAS raised last year in the San Francisco Chronicle, which reported complaints by North Coast vintners about restaurants that touted their local meats and produce but filled their lists with imported wines. Todd Kliman took the debate national this summer with his essay, "The Locavore Wine Hypocrisy," on thedailybeast.com. In today's Washington Post Food section, I look deeper into the question, and find some intriguing arguments on both sides to explain the problem. I also discover some area restaurants that are making the commitment to feature the local vino.

Regional Wine Week Creates Some Buzz

Regional Week 2010 is this week, which you know since I've been telling you. But the world is noticing, too. We've managed to create some buzz, including this nice interview of Jeff Siegel on ColoradoWino.com.

And vintners near Traverse City in Michigan were all abuzz about the attention they are beginning to get on the national stage for their Rieslings, Pinot Blanc and other wines. Local TV news was quick to pick up on the story.

What got them so excited? A travel feature in last Friday's USA Today on 10 great places for local wines - featuring Jeff Siegel and myself, with a great plug for Regional Wine Week.

You can follow Regional Wine Week at DrinkLocalWine.com. And if you feel inspired, check out the local wine haiku at the DLW Facebook page.

A New Virginia Winery Takes Top Prize

Last month, the Virginia Governor's Cup for white wines was awarded to Paradise Springs winery of Clifton, in Fairfax County, for its 2009 Chardonnay. This was noteworthy because Paradise Springs is one of Virginia's newest wineries. But it is also worth celebrating because the winery's owners fought stiff opposition from the county government and from neighbors who feared that a winery would just be an events venue for jazz festivals, weddings and drunk fests and such. This award, plus a gold medal in January for their Norton in the Governor's Cup judging for red wines, shows that Paradise Springs is more interested in quality than buzz.

I wrote about the award last Thursday on The Washington Post's All We Can Eat food blog. But while I commend my scintillating writing for your enjoyment, I hope you will notice the comments added by Post readers. The first asks, "Why would I drink local wine when I can drink cheap, delicious, imported wine for half the cost?" Someone then replies, "Because you don't know the difference." (The third comment is simply spam for someone selling bootleg clothing.)

This exchange is illuminating. Local wines - be they from Virginia, Maryland, Texas, Michigan or elsewhere - face the challenge of demonstrating their value. Sure, if I just want to spend $8 or less on a bottle of wine, I will find many from France, Spain, Argentina and Chile that will suit me just fine, thank you very much. A wine that speaks of terroir, especially local terroir, that demonstrates through some subliminal message that it is somehow connected to the place where it was grown, is another story. And yes, such a wine can come from Virginia, or Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, New York, Texas ...

USA Today on Regional Wine

USA Today, the nation's newspaper, dropped at hotel room doors across the land every morning, last week endorsed the regional wine movement with a travel feature on 10 "local" wine regions to visit. This is a great idea - if your business or pleasure takes you to St. Louis, consider a detour to Hermann. Heading to New York? Linger awhile in the Finger Lakes. Taking your family to Washington, DC, for some American history, or Charlottesville, to see Jefferson's Monticello? Guess what? Wine country is just around the corner.

The article is also a tribute to Regional Wine Week and DrinkLocalWine.com, as Jeff Siegel and I were interviewed about emerging wine regions across the country.

Oz Clarke Gives Two Thumbs Way Up for Virginia Wine!

Here's a great way to start Regional Wine Week: I received my copy of Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guide 2011 yesterday - it's a fun, handy reference volume with short entries on wine grapes, regions and producers around the world, with vintage charts, liberally peppered with bons mots from the effervescently witty Oz. I always enjoy reading his introduction, which this year warns against complacency by wine drinkers in the face of anti-alcohol activists who don't distinguish among drinks.

Then he describes what wines excite him lately. There are some unpronounceable Turkish varieties, and he's hot for Slovenian Furmint and even Cabernet Sauvignon from Jordan. (The country, not the Sonoma County winery.) He's rediscovered Chardonnay from California, New Zealand and Australia, and while he doesn't seem to share my love for Argentina, he gives a begrudging nod to Torrontes.

And then there's this:

"My most thrilling discovery in the USA this year has been the wine from vineyards spread around Washington, DC, in particular those of Virginia, whose sumptuous, scented Viogniers are world-class. A perfect partner for the leaner, racier delights of New York State."

Some disclosure is in order here. I contribute entries on the Eastern United States to this book, and I hosted (and wrote about) Clarke when he visited the Washington area earlier this year and shared his opinions on some local wines. When I met him, though, it was clear he was already quite familiar with many wines from the Mid-Atlantic region and particularly jazzed about Virginia Viognier.

Don't forget to check out DrinkLocalWine.com this week for more postings on regional wines!

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."

On Aging New York Rieslings

Can Riesling age? Of course! you say. Anyone who has tasted an old spatlese from the Mosel or trockenbeerenauslese from the Rheingau knows that Riesling can age spectacularly. But what if I directed your attention away from Germany to a younger wine region that is building a modest name for itself with the grape -- say, perhaps, the Finger Lakes in upstate New York? Would you be so quick to answer?

We tend to think of white wines as designed for early consumption, when they are fresh and vibrant. And New York's finest Rieslings are delightful upon release, so most probably don't linger in collectors' cellars. But winemakers tend to be nerdy about such things, so when I visited the Finger Lakes earlier this year, I had the pleasure of experiencing two vertical tastings of several vintages with the winemakers.

The first was Peter Bell, the talented winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards in Penn Yan, on the northwestern side of Seneca Lake. Bell poured nine wines. Five were dry -- starting with the 2008 Reserve and going back through dry Rieslings from 2007, 2006, 2003 and 2001. The 2008 Reserve was rich and focused, showing the lime flavor and bracing acidity that is increasingly defining the Finger Lakes signature for Riesling. The 2007, from a hot year, seemed more advanced and petrolly, a characteristic Deutchophiles would appreciate. The 2001 had turned tropical, exhibiting mango, orange and pineapple flavors.

Bell's second flight featured four sweeter wines, including the delicious Fox Run Riesling 2008, which I recommended in yesterday's column. This was followed by the 2006 Reserve and the 2004 and 2001 Rieslings. (Like most Finger Lakes wineries, Fox Run makes several Rieslings with varying levels of sweetness. Fortunately, Fox Run and many others have begun indicating the sweetness levels on the label.) The sugar helped these wines age; my favorite was the exotic 2004, while the '01 had taken on an appealing nutty character.

The second tasting occurred a few days later over dinner at Red Newt Cellars, a winery and bistro combination located in Hector, on Seneca Lake's east side. Red Newt is the creation of the talented husband-and-wife team of David and Debra Whiting -- he makes the wine, while she helms the bistro with fresh, locally sourced food. (Debra made her reputation with cheesecake, so save room for dessert.)

Over dinner for about two dozen paying guests, David Whiting served three vintages of his Reserve Riesling, 2008, 2006 and 2003. "These were the best three vintages of the last 10 years, and also the coolest," he said. Of those vintages, 2008 was slightly warmer and produced a softer, more supple wine, while 2003, the coolest, yielded a more austere wine. In true Goldilocks fashion, I preferred the '06, which was spicy, citrusy, fat and luscious.

So if you find some older New York Rieslings in your cellar, don't despair. They might be settling in for the long haul.

(Originally posted on The Washington Post's All We Can Eat blog on Sept. 30.)

New York on My Mind

I'm a big fan of New York wines. Riesling from the Finger Lakes seems to get better every year, especially as winemakers continue to carve out a distinctive style that speaks of the region's terroir. Are they particularly German? Well, maybe not, though some definitely have that mineral oil quality (many wine lovers call it petrol or diesel, but I think mineral oil seems more positive a reference). The ones that send me over the top when I taste them have bracing acidity and an almost unbearable lightness of being, an ephemeral characteristic that leaves flavors flitting across your palate with surprising complexity, even if the initial impression may not carry depth. If I had to point to a German region and insist on making the comparison, I'd say Finger Lakes Rieslings (at least the ones that excite me the most) remind me of the delicate wines from the Mittelrhein, which admittedly is not Germany's most revered wine region. (Though I love that delicacy!) So perhaps it's best just to say that New York is carving out its own identity with the grape.

Of course, I have a soft spot for Seneca Lake, which is the middle finger. (Ba-da-boom!)

Some of my favorites? Hermann J. Wiemer and Dr. Konstantin Frank are the most classic. The ones that I find especially enticing come from Fox Run, Anthony Road and Red Newt. Chateau Lafayette Reneau had a wonderful Riesling that won Best in Show at the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition once, and at this year's judging I flipped for what turned out to be the 2009 Dry Riesling from Glenora.

New York is not limited to the Finger Lakes, of course. Long Island is making some delicious reds, and this region is also establishing its own style and character - the better wineries are no longer trying to make Pomerol, they're just happy making the best damn Long Island merlot they can.

And more and more New York wines are now reaching the D.C. area market, which means they are making enough to distribute wines outside the state. This was the topic of my Washington Post column last week. This column was particularly gratifying because it engendered considerably more response than I usually get, through e-mails and phone calls. Most of them said something like, "Nice column, but you didn't mention my favorite ... " That means readers are aware of New York wines and looking out for them, whether on their travels up north or now on their local retail shelves.

For more information about New York's wineries, go to uncorknewyork.com, the website of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, or to Lenn Thompson's New York Cork Report. Don't forget Regional Wine Week coming up Oct. 10-16 on DrinkLocalWine.com!

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.