Vinus Interruptus at Kermit Lynch Tasting

Kermit and Me

Some Saturdays just start off wonderfully.  The weather in Portland was gorgeous this weekend, and by 9:30am, I was on my way downtown to the lovely Heathman Hotel for a wine tasting of the Kermit Lynch portfolio.  Actually, just a tiny part of his portfolio, as he imports from 120 Domaines!

Surrounded by wine retailers, restauranteurs, and fellow wine educators, we went through 13 wines in 2 hours.  At 10 in the morning, if you don’t spit, you’ll be as toasty as your breakfast!  And if you skip the Breakfast of Champions, they’ll be picking you up off the floor!

Kermit regaled us with stories of his adventures, and we soaked it up.  Although I have had both delightful and disappointing experiences in his shop (see my previous blog on questions wineshop guys should be asking – they didn’t!), I had never met the man in person before.  I found him offbeat and charming, very passionate and opinionated.  His funniest phrase was “vinus interruptus” – he finds that many French winemakers block malolactic fermentation, but the wine “isn’t finished yet.”  He has many wines specially made for him, with full (or partial) ML.

I can’t say I loved all his wines, but that wasn’t the point.  I learned a lot, and found a couple wines that were very impressive.  Specifically, the 2007 Arnaud Ente Bourgogne Blanc was deep and complex on the nose, soft in the mouth finishing with surprising acidity, and with a lingering presence.  Also, the 2006 Patrick Jasmin Cote Rotie was splendidly delicate yet round, and kept changing in my mouth.

The Kermit Lynch Lineup - Well, 9 out of 13

In my wine seminars, I encourage everyone to analyze the wine and make notes, and no one is allowed to say anything for a couple minutes.  This gives everyone the chance to fully experience the wine for themselves.  Then we can exchange insights and opinions.  Sometimes someone who is less confident in their palate will ask me for the “real answers,” thinking that what I say (or Robert Parker or someone else) must be right, and they must be wrong.   That’s BS!  Occasionally, I won’t even tell them what I think I smell or taste, because I always say that the only palate that matters is your own, and there are no right or wrong answers in wine.

If you don’t love what you’re drinking, stop!  But do give it a decent amount of time to show its best qualities in your mouth.  Don’t judge a wine by the first sip.

That’s one problem with these tastings.  I’d really prefer another hour to go through that many wines, so I can take my time, revisit them, and give each of them a real chance. 13 wines in 2 hours may not seem like a lot, but Kermit had so much to share that we only covered 4 wines during the first hour.

One question that came up was about wine reviews, and why there are so few negative ones.  Kermit thinks wine writers are afraid of offending the producers (and maybe getting their samples cut off), so they follow my Mom’s advice, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

In that spirit, I will say honestly that there were a couple of wines that just didn’t do it for me.  It doesn’t mean they won’t do it for you, so don’t stay away just because I didn’t like them.

I found the 2008 Eric Chevalier Muscadet Cotes de Grand Lieu to be simple and sour.  It tasted like watered down Granny Smith apple squeezings.  The 2007 Etxegaraya Irouleguy Rouge gave me the feeling of sawdust in the corners of my jaw.

On the other hand, the 2008 Fontsainte Corbieres Gris de Gris was like an ice pick wrapped in suede.  I got a jolt of sharp acidity which immediately softened and mellowed.  Quite the circus act!

If you have the chance to taste some of Kermit’s wines, I encourage you to give them a try, with an open mind and lots of time to let them show themselves to you.  Challenging your palate is a great way to expand your horizons and understanding of wine.

Thanks, Kermit!  Come back to Portland soon!

 

Shinjiraranai! Japanese Actually Drink American Wine!

When you think of Japan, do images of wine spring to mind?  Probably not.

When I started my glorious career as a wine educator in the mid-90′s, I was living and working in Tokyo at a time when more California wines were being imported into Japan than ever before. Although the typical Japanese wine drinker was heavily biased toward everything French, wines from Napa were increasingly to be found in stores and on wine lists. Of wines from areas outside of Napa, though, the average Japanese drinker remained skeptical. That has changed somewhat over the years, as information has spread and wines from other parts of the US begin to get a toehold in the Japanese market. However, the Japanese usually “go with what they know,” and Bordeaux, Bourgogne, and Napa are brand names to them just like Chanel, Gucci, and Tiffany (and have you seen pictures of Ginza?!?).

Shinya Tasaki, Sommelier

Probably the biggest impact on Japanese imports of wine was when Shinya Tasaki became the first Japanese to win the International Sommelier Association’s World’s Best Sommelier Competition in 1995. The Japanese are extremely proud of their homegrown heroes, and when Tasaki won this top international award, it became fashionable for Japanese to drink wine. Have I mentioned that they are very trend-conscious?

How to drive wine sales in Japan?  Celebrities are key, both international and Japanese. Whenever there are photos of a popular Japanese actor or actress drinking wine, it can spark a “mini-boom” in wine consumption.  Daytime and evening TV dramas that show people drinking wine also have a tremendous effect on making it more popular. Not long after Tasaki won the award in 1995, a TV drama was launched showing the “glamorous” world of the sommelier. Lots of romance over wine at the tables!

Although the Japanese economy is not doing very well at the moment, I believe the Japanese are willing to pay more for a good bottle of wine and have it less often, whereas many Americans would rather spend less and drink wine every night.

The Japanese are fanatical about fresh, organic produce and seafood (we still haven’t found any fishmonger in Portland who can satisfy my husband’s strict requirements for freshness), but they do not seem to be as interested in “green” wines as we are in the Northwest. They expect everything to be grown to exacting standards, with no or minimal use of pesticides, etc, as a matter of course. They rely on the Japanese government to carefully screen everything that is imported to ensure that it is “clean,” and with very rare exceptions, that’s what happens.  It comes at a cost, though, as those inspections aren’t cheap!

As is true in the US, although many wine collectors are men, the majority of wine buyers in Japan are women. Partly this is because women do most of the shopping (and cooking; it is still a very patriarchal society), but also because even in bars or restaurants, the average Japanese businessman would prefer to drink “manly” drinks like beer, sake, whisky or shochu (a clear Japanese spirit).

Now that I am living in the Great Pacific Northwest, I’m developing a deeper knowledge of the wide range of excellent wines available in Oregon and Washington.  Do non-California wines stand a chance in the Japanese market? It helps to have marketing dollars spent to promote other regions, but it is still an uphill battle. Regardless, nothing will change without time and money spent.  An individual wine educator can introduce these wines on a person-by-person basis, but I think it will take the “red carpet crowd” to help NW wines really take off in Japan.  My suggestion?  Hire a pop star to do video billboard ads in Shinjuku, or follow the lead of a Japanese cellphone company and go all out – hire Brad Pitt to drink your wine!

 

Have a Thirst for Knowledge? Try a Wine Class!

One of the joys of the world of wine is that there is always more to learn and explore. No matter how encyclopedic your knowledge, each vintage brings new experiences, and there are always changes in the industry.

I love to attend wine classes, as it is inevitable that the Wine Educator will know something I don’t know. Plus, I like to watch their style, see how they structure their classes, and how they answer questions thrown at them from the peanut gallery.

Don’t be afraid to move outside your comfort zone. Think all rosés are sweet? Rosés are traditionally dry, and there are some wonderful ones out there, in a range of flavors and intensities. I’ll be writing a blog post in the future on rosés, which are perfect for summer evenings and go great with BBQ! In fact, I held a wine tasting a couple nights ago, with people who had never heard of a dry rosé. That was the first bottle to be emptied!

I encourage my friends and clients to taste way as often as possible. It can be tough to open several bottles at once unless you have a large group or use a Vacu-vin (see my earlier blog post). Try a wine class; your investment is minimal, and you can try several different wines.

If you’re looking for classes, I recommend www.LocalWineEvents.com. This website lists many public events going on in your city, no matter where in the US you live. You can even sign up for “The Juice” and get weekly listings for your area sent to you.

Or you could try one of my classes! Although my business is primarily corporate and private events, I will be holding a few classes at Tualatin WineStyles on Monday nights, starting June 29^th. For more info, go to http://www.tualatin.winestyles.net/custom.asp?id=457575&page=3.

Who knows, you could become the next Aristotle of wine!

 

Questions Wine Store Guys Should be Asking

It drives me nuts when I go into a wineshop, hoping to find something interesting and different, that may take me a bit out of my comfort zone but will totally suit my palate, only to have the shop guy crush my hopes right after “Hello.”  I usually go incognito, as an average wine consumer, to see how they handle me, what questions they ask, and what wines they steer me toward.  Too often, their only question is, “Red or white?” before they point me to whatever they are trying to get off their shelves.

They turn me off when they tell me what’s most popular, because frankly, I don’t want to think that I have an “average” palate. Do you?  The lemming mentality is at least partially responsible for the sameness in many oaky California chardonnays. “If the neighbor kids jumped off a bridge, would you jump, too?!” (Depends on the height of the bridge, the heat of the day, and the depth of the water below.)  There are some popular wines that I also enjoy, but there is a special pleasure in finding something new to introduce to my wine-loving, bridge-jumping friends.

It doesn’t help to tell me what they personally like unless they talk about why they like it, and start by making an effort to try to establish if our palates are similar. Without some frame of reference, I could be taking home a bottle recommended by someone who would rhapsodize over something I would pour down the drain.

For the same reason, I have no interest in wine ratings, because I know that I don’t care for many highly numbered wines.  I found this out the hard way, when I was young and foolish and easily impressed.  I won’t discount a wine just because it has a high ranking, but I’ll do my best to determine if I will like it before I plunk down my hard earned cash.  That requires a recommendation from someone I know and trust, and who knows my palate.

Don’t get me wrong – I am all in favor of building a good relationship with a couple wineshops, so they can get to know me well (and hopefully I’ll get to know them, too).  However, it only takes a minute to ask the average wine drinker some important questions, that might make all the difference in their enjoyment of the wine they take home.  After all, the wineshops love repeat business.

This is what I would ask if I were in their shoes:

1) Will you be sipping it on its own or having it with food?

2) What kind of food?

3) What wines have you enjoyed in the past, and what did you like about them?

4) When you’ve had wines you didn’t like, what was it about them that put you off?

5) Are you looking for something to enjoy right away, or put away for a few years?

6) Do you prefer challenging yet rewarding wine experiences, or just something easy to drink?

7) What price range are you looking for?

Once we’ve established a relationship, maybe by my second or third visit, then it’s time to ask the fun questions:

8) What was the best wine experience you ever had?

9) What was the worst?

So please tell me your #8 and #9.  I’d love to hear them!

 

A Good Wine Wardrobe Needs a Few Great Accessories – Part II

The wine divas among us know that there are few things more frustrating than setting a beautiful table for your guests, complete with flowers and a lovely, light-colored cloth, and then having the effect marred by drops of red wine. They seem to increase as the evening wears on (now what is that all about?!). For those of us with light tablecloths and a predeliction for red wine, your wine cellar should include a (very small) space for NoDrip™ disks by Vino Flex.

These handy-dandy circles of mylar really do prevent drops of wine from staining your tablecloth or (heaven forfend!) your guests’ clothes.  I won’t bore you with the physics of it, suffice to say that the very fine edge prevents bloops from escaping the bottle after even a careful pour.  Roll one up, insert it halfway into the neck of the bottle, and voila!  After dinner, rinse in hot water and dry, and you’re ready for the next nights libations.  They last practically forever, and even come with a lifetime warranty.  Although they show the disks with the notch out, I have found them equally effective with the round edge out, and have used them for years.

For those who travel, they make wonderful gifts for wine-loving friends in far away places.  Nothing could be easier to pack, and at a couple dollars for a set, you can bring some for each of your hosts.  You’ll make a great impression, as they quickly find they can’t pour without them.  You can find them at most wine shops, or order them online.

Now you know how to make a splash without spilling a drop!

 

A Good Wine Wardrobe Needs Some Key Accessories – Part I

Wine and food pairing instructions surround us, with some contradictory viewpoints and way too many “rules” to suit me.  To my mind, the best way to confirm which pairings work for your palate is to try multiple wines with dinner.  Try this 3 or 4 nights in a row, say once a month.  Sorry, this doesn’t mean you get to drink 3 bottles of wine each night!  My favorite method is to use a Vacu Vin to keep the wines fresh for 3-4 nights.  If well vacuumed, the wines will retain much of their character over a few nights.

Don’t take anyone else’s word for it; decide what pairings you like best!  Experiment with different reds, whites, dry rose’s, even sparkling wines.  Try them with spicy foods, delicate fishes, souffles, steaks, and desserts.  All that matters is whether you like the combination.

But keep in mind that what my Mother always said is actually true, “Tastes change.” (I never believed her when I was little, now I grudgingly confess that she knew what she was talking about.)  What you like today may not be what you’ll like in a year or two, so be open to new wines and new experiences, and your joy in wine will increase manifold.

Remember, nature abhors a vacuum, but wine drinkers love it!

*********************************************************************

visit my website at www.InGreatSpirits.com