Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Jewell in the Crown
Good to see that former Sainsbury's buyer Laura Jewell MW has been take on as head of SPAR's wine department - a sound, fun lady with a passion for wine. Miracles are probably not on the horizon, but let's hope she is able to inject the same passion for good, sensibly priced wines that ex-SPAR-er Philippa Carr (another Mistress of Wine) has in the last few years at Asda.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Rosé Wine & The Square Wheel Society
Just had news through of a petition of French origin aimed at blocking an EU move to allow production of rosé wine by mixing red and white wines. Part of it states, "By signing this petition, I agree to support rosé wine whose quality results from vinification, and I oppose the notion that rosé can be made by mixing wines."
I'll translate into normal language. Most major red grapes have pale flesh. Red wines get their colour from the time the grapeskins spend in contact with the juice that comes from that flesh. A long time, and you have a deeply coloured wine; a short time, and it's pink. That's the way these people want rosé to be made. But what on earth is the problem with blending red and white to make pink? Just because it's not the 'traditional' way doesn't make it wrong - and it's also how pink Champagne is made.
However, the uproar is the classic response from the French wine industry - anything that upsets the status quo is evil, if that square wheel was good enough for my Grandad Ackroyd, it's good enough for moi. Rather than seek to compete with anything vaguely new, let's slag it off, or go on strike about it, or overturn a tanker or two. Or come up with a petition.
Don't get me wrong, France makes some brilliant rosés, far, far better than most of the stuff from California that is driving the increase in sales in the UK. Think Sancerre, think Corbières, think Côtes de Provence - some lovely wines that are great with food, unlike some of the oversweet clodhopping New World offerings. But rather than get out there and show the rest of the world just how good they are, too many producers are just sitting back waiting for customers to come to them. And of course if sales aren't what they could be, it's someone else's fault - can we have a subsidy please?
I'll translate into normal language. Most major red grapes have pale flesh. Red wines get their colour from the time the grapeskins spend in contact with the juice that comes from that flesh. A long time, and you have a deeply coloured wine; a short time, and it's pink. That's the way these people want rosé to be made. But what on earth is the problem with blending red and white to make pink? Just because it's not the 'traditional' way doesn't make it wrong - and it's also how pink Champagne is made.
However, the uproar is the classic response from the French wine industry - anything that upsets the status quo is evil, if that square wheel was good enough for my Grandad Ackroyd, it's good enough for moi. Rather than seek to compete with anything vaguely new, let's slag it off, or go on strike about it, or overturn a tanker or two. Or come up with a petition.
Don't get me wrong, France makes some brilliant rosés, far, far better than most of the stuff from California that is driving the increase in sales in the UK. Think Sancerre, think Corbières, think Côtes de Provence - some lovely wines that are great with food, unlike some of the oversweet clodhopping New World offerings. But rather than get out there and show the rest of the world just how good they are, too many producers are just sitting back waiting for customers to come to them. And of course if sales aren't what they could be, it's someone else's fault - can we have a subsidy please?
Sunday, April 26, 2009
An appalling job
According to some bloke from a big beer company, the beer sector has done 'an appalling job' in targetting women (info garnered from Off-Licence News in the issue that also reported on the no-shit Sherlock research that drink can make you fat - well French for two, as my kids say...)
The man continues, 'Less than one in 10 women are drinking beer at home - what an amazing opportunity for our industry.' Too true, but let's not stop there. Yes, the beer sector HAS done a bad job in attracting female drinkers, so come on beer makers, get stuck in. But can I put out a similar call to the makers of White Zinfandel, Lambrini and Bacardi Breezers - your message seems to have got through to women, but when are you going to target us men? I'm sure less than a tenth of us are drinking such tipples regularly - what an amazing opportunity!
The man continues, 'Less than one in 10 women are drinking beer at home - what an amazing opportunity for our industry.' Too true, but let's not stop there. Yes, the beer sector HAS done a bad job in attracting female drinkers, so come on beer makers, get stuck in. But can I put out a similar call to the makers of White Zinfandel, Lambrini and Bacardi Breezers - your message seems to have got through to women, but when are you going to target us men? I'm sure less than a tenth of us are drinking such tipples regularly - what an amazing opportunity!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Gazza, Al Pacino and Cindy Crawford's mole
Anyone see Gazza on Match Of The Day on Sunday? He's had more than enough problems over the last few years, and he still came across as being too close to the edge to pronounce his troubles over, but he knows and loves his football. One of his comments particularly struck home, even if it's not the first time I've heard someone say something similar. He said that there were many young kids who knew more tricks and skills than he'd ever done at their age. However, they were then taken on by football academies who proceeded to toughen them up, both mentally and physically, and encourage them to become solid team players rather than display their fancy footwork. The result he said was that the teams were becoming harder to beat, but that the game was far less entertaining than it used to be.
What's this got to do with wine? Simply this. The proportion of bad wines in the world is lower than it has ever been, but they've been replaced by wines that are strong but dull. And not just at the cheaper end of the market, nor just in the New World. This struck home yesterday at the IWC when I tasted a row of Chilean Cabs and some Sicilian reds. With the Chileans, I missed the lively, just-ripe blackcurrant flavour of the past, while with the Sicilians, the problem was an absence of the slightly volatile, even rustic flavours that used to make them so appealing. In the first case, the change in style is due to lowering yields; in the second, to enhanced hygiene in the winery. Both on the face of it sensible steps, but the wines had suffered as a result. All winemakers now know how to make wines, but only the good ones know the right point at which to stop. Reminds me of the late Bailey Carrodus of Yarra Yering who said that you should taste the winemaker's thumbprint rather than his footprint...
So please, winemakers all over the world, can you not act like football academies and eradicate all idiosyncrasies from your wines. Or to use a different metaphor, don't make Al Pacino taller, don't fill the gap in Madonna's teeth, and don't remove the mole from Cindy Crawford's extremely beautiful face.
What's this got to do with wine? Simply this. The proportion of bad wines in the world is lower than it has ever been, but they've been replaced by wines that are strong but dull. And not just at the cheaper end of the market, nor just in the New World. This struck home yesterday at the IWC when I tasted a row of Chilean Cabs and some Sicilian reds. With the Chileans, I missed the lively, just-ripe blackcurrant flavour of the past, while with the Sicilians, the problem was an absence of the slightly volatile, even rustic flavours that used to make them so appealing. In the first case, the change in style is due to lowering yields; in the second, to enhanced hygiene in the winery. Both on the face of it sensible steps, but the wines had suffered as a result. All winemakers now know how to make wines, but only the good ones know the right point at which to stop. Reminds me of the late Bailey Carrodus of Yarra Yering who said that you should taste the winemaker's thumbprint rather than his footprint...
So please, winemakers all over the world, can you not act like football academies and eradicate all idiosyncrasies from your wines. Or to use a different metaphor, don't make Al Pacino taller, don't fill the gap in Madonna's teeth, and don't remove the mole from Cindy Crawford's extremely beautiful face.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
RIP Max Lake
Only met him a couple of times, but just as influential a figure on Australian wine as the late Len Evans. Good obit here.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Penfolds new releases
Having just blogged about luxury products, just read a press release from Penfolds about the 'Luxury and Icon' releases for 2009:
* Grange 2004 RRP £170
* Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 RRP £60
* RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz 2006 RRP £50
* Yattarna Chardonnay 2006 RRP £40
* Magill Estate Shiraz 2006 RRP £40
* St Henri Shiraz 2005 RRP £30
* Reserve Bin A Chardonnay 2007 RRP £28
Interesting to see how RWT, the most recent arrival in the range of Grange camp followers, is now more expensive than Magill and St Henri - I'm sure all three of these used to be similarly priced.
* Grange 2004 RRP £170
* Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 RRP £60
* RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz 2006 RRP £50
* Yattarna Chardonnay 2006 RRP £40
* Magill Estate Shiraz 2006 RRP £40
* St Henri Shiraz 2005 RRP £30
* Reserve Bin A Chardonnay 2007 RRP £28
Interesting to see how RWT, the most recent arrival in the range of Grange camp followers, is now more expensive than Magill and St Henri - I'm sure all three of these used to be similarly priced.
Affordable luxury....
Affordable luxury - what on earth does it mean? Just had an e-mail from a PR company proclaiming that their product (Prosecco since you ask) offers Affordable Luxury. I'm not complaining that they sent a 293-word press release as an attachment (although why do they bother?). And I'm not carping about the fact that, not being the world's best typist, I never seem to be able to type affrodable correctly (just as with Chinati). It's more that I'm questioning the concept of affrodable, sorry, affordable luxury. I like oxymorons (or oxymora? - discuss). Sweet sorrow, plastic cork, interesting Liebfraumilch, and so on. So is that the idea here? If so, then I'd beg to differ. The T K Maxx mentality is all the rage in Britain. We balk at buying a Tesco own-brand shirt for £10, but we'll happily buy a YSL/Pierre Cardin/Ben Sherman one that has been reduced to £10 (good job no one is fooled into doing similar things with wine...) But at least those brands do have a semblance of up-market-ability about them. But Prosecco - when did that become upmarket? I've said it before, and I'll say it agin, it's the Pinot Grigio of the sparkling wine world. For some reason, it has acquired a level of cachet that is out of all proportion to its quality. Yes, the good examples can be very nice - and I use the word 'nice' on purpose - but most of the wines are not exactly head-turners. For me, the word 'luxury' should only be applied to things that I want to cross the street for. And in the vast majority of instances and with notable exceptions (Nino Franco, top Bisols, for example) it shouldn't be used for Prosecco.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Quelle couleur?
'Yuck! I though it was going to be sweet!' Sorry my darling, but no. You see, she loves sweet wines - she loves other wines too, but they wouldn't get too many spaces in her desert island selection. So her reactions when she picked up a glass of something vaguely golden in colour, and found a bone dry wine were understandable, although not exactly positive. Because - for me at least - the dry wine was a bit of a star, and it's what I'm supping as I do this post. But look at this pic, and you can see her problem - which of these is the wine she picked up, and which is the sweet wine I opened to get the taste of the dry one out of her mouth?
(apologies for the red wine stains on the glasses - we'd had the very tasty Cuvée Crunch put together by Domaine Poujol and Duncan Murray, which at £5.99 is a snip)
But back to the dry v. sweet debate - which is which?
OK, a clue or two, one was an Australian wine, and one was from Bordeaux, and both were heavy on the Semillon. Any the wiser? And one is 7½ years older than the other. Still stumped?
Let me put you out of your misery. The left hand glass is Peter Lehmann Barossa Semillon, the right is Clos du Portail Graves Supérieures. And vintages, surely if they're more than 7 years apart, the Aussie is the younger one.... No, the Lehmann is a 1998, honeyed and rich, but with a taut tangy yet simultaneously rich and toasty character. Not the low alcohol style of the Hunter, this is 13% alcohol, but still reined in - think Kirstie Allsopp doing tango. Sadly, it's no longer a commercial reality, but the current vintage will age with similar class, and you should be able to find it for around £6 - TOTAL BARGAIN...
As for the 2005 Graves, that is still around here. And having poured a glass out for my beloved, I haven't heard a word of complaint, and I'm not surprised. This is basically Sauternes in short trousers - there's a bit more Sauvignon here than in the grander wines, and the vineyards fall outside the Sauternes boundaries, but it's young and lively, and delivers a dollop of waxy complexity.
To be honest, it's a toss-up as to which is the finer bargain. I reckon I'll be hoovering up the Lehmann while Jill sips the Portail. Which in a marriage is as it should be - Jack Spratt could eat no fat, etc.
(apologies for the red wine stains on the glasses - we'd had the very tasty Cuvée Crunch put together by Domaine Poujol and Duncan Murray, which at £5.99 is a snip)
But back to the dry v. sweet debate - which is which?
OK, a clue or two, one was an Australian wine, and one was from Bordeaux, and both were heavy on the Semillon. Any the wiser? And one is 7½ years older than the other. Still stumped?
Let me put you out of your misery. The left hand glass is Peter Lehmann Barossa Semillon, the right is Clos du Portail Graves Supérieures. And vintages, surely if they're more than 7 years apart, the Aussie is the younger one.... No, the Lehmann is a 1998, honeyed and rich, but with a taut tangy yet simultaneously rich and toasty character. Not the low alcohol style of the Hunter, this is 13% alcohol, but still reined in - think Kirstie Allsopp doing tango. Sadly, it's no longer a commercial reality, but the current vintage will age with similar class, and you should be able to find it for around £6 - TOTAL BARGAIN...
As for the 2005 Graves, that is still around here. And having poured a glass out for my beloved, I haven't heard a word of complaint, and I'm not surprised. This is basically Sauternes in short trousers - there's a bit more Sauvignon here than in the grander wines, and the vineyards fall outside the Sauternes boundaries, but it's young and lively, and delivers a dollop of waxy complexity.
To be honest, it's a toss-up as to which is the finer bargain. I reckon I'll be hoovering up the Lehmann while Jill sips the Portail. Which in a marriage is as it should be - Jack Spratt could eat no fat, etc.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Everything bad about wine-marketing-speak...
...probably appears somewhere in this article in Drinks Business. I hope it's a reprint of a press release, rather than something a sentient member of staff has written. If some of the sentences are incomprehensible to normal people, I provide translation below...
THEY SAY...
E&J Gallo is seeking to attract more drinkers to the premium Californian wine sector in 2009 with the UK rollout of its male-oriented Redwood Creek brand following its success in the US market.
THEY MEAN...
Gallo is trying to sell more wine to men - they were gullible enough in the US, why not here?
THEY SAY...
Redwood Creek is championed as a drink for those who enjoy the ‘great outdoors’ and aims to attract 35-65-year-old men to the sector.
THEY MEAN...
(really not sure what this means - does it taste different from wines that appeal to couch potatoes?)
THEY SAY...
To emphasise the outdoor-type theme, the brand has agreed tie-ups with outdoor clothing label Regatta and the Woodland Trust in order to drive the brand towards its target market.
THEY MEAN...
We're spending money on promoting it - if you're lucky, you might win a waterproof jacket and get some free days out in a forest.
THEY SAY...
Iain Newell, marketing director for Europe at Gallo, said: “This is more about hiking, fishing and camping than extreme sports and we are planning a programme of events and promotions around these areas to launch and develop the brand.”
THEY MEAN...
Will appeal to those who like watching Ray Mears and Bear Grylls
THEY SAY...
Initially the range will consist of two reds – a Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon – and a Chardonnay, all retailing at £6.99.
THEY MEAN...
...but probably available cheaper on promotion - hey, you might win some hiking boots!
THEY SAY...
Redwood Creek will be rolled out across all grocery and impulse channels after encouraging performances in the on-trade and with listings at Morrisons and Thresher.
THEY MEAN...
(again, not sure what this means - if anyone knows what an impulse channel is, please will they let me know)
THEY SAY...
Turning Leaf is to enjoy a makeover designed to establish it as a stand-alone brand with new packaging that gives greater focus to the ‘leaf’ logo in order to avoid the possibility of consumers confusing the brand with Gallo Family Vineyards and create better stand-out on the shelf.
THEY MEAN...
We've changed the label
THEY SAY...
Iain Newell said: “The leaf is a key icon and we will use it as a key marketing vehicle going forward.”
THEY MEAN...
...and might consider taking legal action against anyone else with a leaf on their label.
THEY SAY...
Gallo said that wine quality across the Turning Leaf portfolio has improved significantly for the latest vintage, thanks to significant investment in its winery infrastructure as well as increased focus on its vineyards.
THEY MEAN...
Previous vintages haven't been up to much.
THEY SAY...
The moves are part of Gallo’s overall 2009 strategy to drive “conversion” at point of sale in both the on- and off-trade.
THEY MEAN...
We want to sell more wine.
Why can't marketing people speak normal language? Here's a post about what it would be nice to see in a press release...
THEY SAY...
E&J Gallo is seeking to attract more drinkers to the premium Californian wine sector in 2009 with the UK rollout of its male-oriented Redwood Creek brand following its success in the US market.
THEY MEAN...
Gallo is trying to sell more wine to men - they were gullible enough in the US, why not here?
THEY SAY...
Redwood Creek is championed as a drink for those who enjoy the ‘great outdoors’ and aims to attract 35-65-year-old men to the sector.
THEY MEAN...
(really not sure what this means - does it taste different from wines that appeal to couch potatoes?)
THEY SAY...
To emphasise the outdoor-type theme, the brand has agreed tie-ups with outdoor clothing label Regatta and the Woodland Trust in order to drive the brand towards its target market.
THEY MEAN...
We're spending money on promoting it - if you're lucky, you might win a waterproof jacket and get some free days out in a forest.
THEY SAY...
Iain Newell, marketing director for Europe at Gallo, said: “This is more about hiking, fishing and camping than extreme sports and we are planning a programme of events and promotions around these areas to launch and develop the brand.”
THEY MEAN...
Will appeal to those who like watching Ray Mears and Bear Grylls
THEY SAY...
Initially the range will consist of two reds – a Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon – and a Chardonnay, all retailing at £6.99.
THEY MEAN...
...but probably available cheaper on promotion - hey, you might win some hiking boots!
THEY SAY...
Redwood Creek will be rolled out across all grocery and impulse channels after encouraging performances in the on-trade and with listings at Morrisons and Thresher.
THEY MEAN...
(again, not sure what this means - if anyone knows what an impulse channel is, please will they let me know)
THEY SAY...
Turning Leaf is to enjoy a makeover designed to establish it as a stand-alone brand with new packaging that gives greater focus to the ‘leaf’ logo in order to avoid the possibility of consumers confusing the brand with Gallo Family Vineyards and create better stand-out on the shelf.
THEY MEAN...
We've changed the label
THEY SAY...
Iain Newell said: “The leaf is a key icon and we will use it as a key marketing vehicle going forward.”
THEY MEAN...
...and might consider taking legal action against anyone else with a leaf on their label.
THEY SAY...
Gallo said that wine quality across the Turning Leaf portfolio has improved significantly for the latest vintage, thanks to significant investment in its winery infrastructure as well as increased focus on its vineyards.
THEY MEAN...
Previous vintages haven't been up to much.
THEY SAY...
The moves are part of Gallo’s overall 2009 strategy to drive “conversion” at point of sale in both the on- and off-trade.
THEY MEAN...
We want to sell more wine.
Why can't marketing people speak normal language? Here's a post about what it would be nice to see in a press release...
Sunday, April 05, 2009
To beer or not to beer
My first liquid love is wine, but in my youth, it was beer that ignited my passions. Not beer of the wife-beater variety, but beer that tasted of beer, as opposed to all that chill-filtered, ultra-smooth pap that people seem to inisist on pouring down their throats in unfeasibly large quantities. I used to even make the stuff, thanks to a book called 'Brewing Beers Like Those You Buy' by a chap called Dave Line. My version of Greene King's Strong Pale Ale prompted someone to say, 'If you could play guitar like you make beer, you'd be Jimi Hendrix' - left unsaid was the fact that if I made beer like I played guitar, it'd be Skol...
Anyway, tonight, we've supped a nice bottle of Rioja (1998 Lealtanza Reserva) but I was still feeling thirsty come Match of the Day. So I turned to beer, in the shape of a rather large bottle of Innis & Gunn Original, which has been 'carefully matured [in oak barrels] for 77 days prior to bottling'. At 6.6%, it's not a shy fawn - the vinous equivalent of maybe Shiraz from the warmer bits of South Australia, or Californian Zinfandel. Some versions of such wines have a cerebral side to their brawny physique; others don't. And sadly, this falls into the latter category. I like its richness and full flavour, but it lacks the hoppy bite to rein in the flesh - think of a slightly overweight person without the necessary corsetry. On second thoughts, don't - you may have bad dreams...
Anyway, tonight, we've supped a nice bottle of Rioja (1998 Lealtanza Reserva) but I was still feeling thirsty come Match of the Day. So I turned to beer, in the shape of a rather large bottle of Innis & Gunn Original, which has been 'carefully matured [in oak barrels] for 77 days prior to bottling'. At 6.6%, it's not a shy fawn - the vinous equivalent of maybe Shiraz from the warmer bits of South Australia, or Californian Zinfandel. Some versions of such wines have a cerebral side to their brawny physique; others don't. And sadly, this falls into the latter category. I like its richness and full flavour, but it lacks the hoppy bite to rein in the flesh - think of a slightly overweight person without the necessary corsetry. On second thoughts, don't - you may have bad dreams...
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