Are you drinking pink???

What is Rose?  Most people think "white zinfandel", or the wine my grandma and her retirement home friends drink.  True, white zin is a form of rose, but I'm talking about dry roses.  I think this might be the biggest hiddent gem, or untapped variety in the wine industry.  A dry rose is made very much like a normal red wine.  The juice gets crushed from the grape, but the skins are intact with the juice for only a small amount of time.  The skins are removed, and the wine goes through a full fermentation (resulting in a dry wine, with higher alcohol levels).  White Zin goes through the same process, except fermentation is stopped early (resulting in a sweeter wine).  Sugars in the grape have not been fully fermented, and these yield lower alcohol.

What are the grapes involved?  All roses are made from red grapes (Cabernet, Malbec, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel).  These are the varietals that can offer the most extraction or pigmentation in the skin, which results in the beautiful color.

Which roses are the best?  The French make great roses!  Check out wines from the Loire Valley (Anjou), or the Rhone (beautiful Syrah rose).  Like any French wine, these result in higher acid (rather than fleshy fruit).  California makes a bunch of different styles.  They can be great, but express a lot of fruit.  I would tend to prefer French, because of the greater acid, and pair better with food (i.e. salmon).

Summer is the perfect time to pick these up, and most styles are under $20/bottle!  

For all the guys reading this:  it is perfectly acceptable to drink rose!  You won't be called a sissy, or look like less of a man because you are consuming a pink drink.  Chicks actually might even dig it?!

The perfect temperature for whites...

As summer continues to roll along, we're in the season of "whites".  Summer is a great time to explore crisp, refreshing whites that have been neglected during the cool winter months (at least in the Midwest).  The question gets asked, "which whites are you drinking this summer?"  External temperature (believe it or not) is a perfect gauge to answer that question.  The warmer the weather, the less inclined you are to drink heavier whites, right?  I read an article recently in Food & Wine magazine illustrating this concept, but decided to put my own spin on it:

65 degrees - Full-bodied Chardonnay (most likely from California), or Viognier

1. Clos du Bois Chardonnay (Cali)
2. Cline Viognier (Cali)

70 degrees - Unoaked, lighter Chardonnay

1. Louis Jadot Macon Village Chardonnay (France)
2. Chandon Unoaked Chardonnay (Cali)

75 degrees - Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre or California), US Riesling

1. Hannah Sauvignon Blanc (Cali)
2. Chateau St. Michelle Riesling (Washington State)

80 degrees - Sauvignon Blanc (Chile or New Zealand), or Prosecco

1. Santa Rita 120 Sauvignon Blanc (Chile)
2. Lunetta Prosecco (Italy)

85 degrees - Pinot Grigio (Northern Italy), low alcohol German Riesling

1. Cavit Pinot Grigio (Italy)
2. S.A. Prum Essence (Germany)

90 degrees - Vinho Verde

1. Twin Vines Vihno Verde (Portugal)
2. Aveleda Vinho Verde (Port)

95 degrees - BEER (too hot to be drinking wine!)

When the weather is extremely hot, wine becomes less enjoyable.  One of wine's worst enemies can be temperature.  Temperature increases the presence of alcohol (hence drinking lower alcohol Vinho Verde is refreshing).  Once the wine glass starts sweating profusely, it's time to start thinking about an alternative beverages.  Maybe a crisp Aperol Spritz on the rocks??

More from Argentina....Torrontes.

What is the hottest country in the world exporting wine to the U.S. right now??  Argentina!  When we think of Argentina, we think of the success of their red grape, Malbec.  The "other" grape that is gaining tremendous popularity from Argentina is Torrontes.  Torrontes is a white grape that is grown in the northwest corner of the country (Salta, specifically).  Flavor profile:  it smells like Riesling, but finishes like Pinot Grigio.  That is to say it's got tremendous floral and citrus notes, but not as aggressive as Sauvignon Blanc  In many metropolitan cities, this has turned into classic "go to" for a patio pounder.  The best part is that they're generally pretty affordable!  The top 3 that I've tried have been:

1. Bogeda Colome - www.bodegacolome.com
2. Crios de Susana Balbo
3. Callia 

You'd be foolish not to buy a bottle of Torrontes this summer!

A couple statistics...

I subscribe to a blog called "Wine & Spirits Daily".  Topics range from wine related knowledge to industry trends.  We hear a lot about people's purchasing habits, and how they relate to the economy.  Below is a segment taken from one of W&SD most recent blogs, which I found very interesting:

CONSUMERS MORE CONFIDENT BUT STILL TRADING DOWN 

The average US consumer is still beleagured by consumer debt, which stands now at an incredible 95% of GDP (compared to 66% in 1997), but they are becoming a little more confident, according to a research report by the folks at Boston Consulting Group.  "Despite this hard truth about the magnitude of the recovery challenge in the United States, recession-weary consumers have been quick to embrace even the smallest signs of an improvement.  And how consumers in this critical market feel matters a lot given the past correlation between U.S. consumer confidence and spending," writes BCG.
For example: (1) Anxiety about the future is down 9% from the peak seen a year ago.  (2) 23% now feel insecure in their jobs, compared to 33% a year ago.  (3) 37% are concerned about their financial security, down from 53% last year.  (4) 46% of consumers said they intended to cut their spending, compared to 73% last year.
But consumers are still wary.  Nearly 50% claim to have been personally affected by the crisis. And their confidence in the recovery has experienced a setback from six months ago, when fewer consumers said they thought the economy would get worse in the coming year. They also expect improvement to take several years.  Plus, they are "still committed to the budget-stretching mechanisms they have been employing during the past 18 months."  The new normal is being cheap.
HOW IT APPLIES TO WINE & SPIRITS.  Although the intention to cut back on "nonessentials" is down from peak levels - 65% of consumers still claim they will cut back, down from 81% a year ago - plans to spend more time hunting for the best deals or to buy on promotion continue unabated. A total of 53% say they will trade down in spirits, while 17% said they will trade up.  With wine, 50% plan on trading down and 18% will trade up.

Finding the best "value" in a wine shop....

I have been getting this reoccuring question lately, "what is the best VALUE wine to buy?".  Well, "value" is just a fluffy term for "cheap", right?  Not quite.  In this day and age, I would say value is paying $50 for a $100 bottle of wine (or 50% discount).  A lot of retailers put up massive displays of the "2 Buck Chucks", Tisdale, & Crane Lake.  Let me clarify this...these are CHEAPly made wines.  Do not be fooled by the quality of these wines. There's nothing of a value behind these.  These bottlers (not wineries) use the most inexpensive grapes on the market, and try to put something tangible in the bottle.

Okay, so maybe $50 a bottle isn't in your budget.  There are values to be had with wines in the 'teens.  A lot of wineries, whose wines retail between $30 - $50, are struggling to sell cases.  In order to move a little bit of volume, they offer tremendous deals to certain retail accounts.  Therefore, these accounts pass along that value to their customer.

My advice to the saavy wine shopper:

1) Go to the largest retail account in your area
2) Ask one of the floor guys, "what's the steal in your store.  What's the hottest deal you have on display?".  He may ask you your budget, but should direct you to a tremendous value.

In my personal experience, I'm finding a lot of $30 wines for about $19.99.  In my mind, these are the VALUES we should be looking for.  They may not be your everyday drinking wines, but you'll be able to cellar them awhile, and have something to crack open on a special occasion.

Skinnygirl Margarita!! Coming soon to a store near you...

So I've completely been neglecting this blog, and I feel horrible about it....things at work have kicked into another gear with my company getting into the spirits industry and expanding it's portfolio..yet again!  With that being said, get ready for the most talked about spirit that will be hitting shelves soon:  Skinnygirl Margarita!  In WI & IL, our launch date will be July 1st.  This brand will be a freight train, so you'll be able to find it at most of the places you shop.

Please go to this website to learn more about the brand:

www.skinnygirlcocktails.com  

Argentine Malbec..hot, hot, hot!

It's been awhile since my last entry, so I wanted to get out a quick post about the world's most exciting wine region: Argentina.  If you're a wine drinker, and have not tried an Argentine malbec in the last year...something is very wrong.  Argentina is exploding in the United States.  In the last 52 weeks, Argentine wine sales in the U.S. are up close to 40% (Nielsen data).  The next closest country is Chile at 15% growth.  Australia and France are seeing the worst of it with roughly 15% declines.

Malbec.  What is it, and why is it SO popular in the United States?  Malbec is one of the original Bordeaux varietals.  It is used as a 'blender'.  Red Bordeaux's consist of Cabernet Sauv. or Merlot primarily, with small amounts of Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cab. Franc.  Malbec is a very tough grape to have 'stand alone' in France, since the climate is cool and damp.  The grape doesn't grow well enough to produce enough character to be bottled as a single varietal.  When you look at the Argentine landscape, you have an area that gets lots of sun, and is relatively warm.  The best Malbec is grown in Mendoza, which is situated in the Andes foothills.  The higher the elevation (usually 3500 - 4000 ft), the more extracted and concentrated the wine.  This leaves winemakers with a more versatile and better grape.  The great thing about Malbec is that it's easy to drink (you don't get a lot of strong tannin), and it got a lot of character (spice notes and complexity).  It's not overly extracted like Australian Shiraz, which is something that turned people off to that grape.  Some of my favorite wines & producers come from:

1. Nicolas Catena - Catena Malbec - the original pioneer of Mendoza.  First starting producing wine in the early 1900s
2. Achaval Ferrer Malbec - one of my favorites.  Also, check out their blend called "Quimera"
3. Bodegas Salentein Reserva Malbec - opened their doors in 2000.  This family has a TON of money, and some of the best vineyard sites in Mendoza.  Wine drinks really well now, but has the potential for greatness!

These wines are all under $20, and you're going to get a KILLER bottle of wine!  If you haven't explored Malbec, it's about time you did.  Next time you're at the wine store, buy a Malbec, and buy a California Cab at the same price.  Let me know what you think!