Checking in on WineSpectator.com, I ran across an unfortunate event that happened recently that may profoundly change wine shipping laws and the wine industry in general. And I'm pissed.
Give it a browse: http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show?id=42526
Also as a primer, see my article on wine shipping practices
Apparently, the National Beer Wholesalers Association prodded congress to consider legislation that will help strengthen the three tier system that prevents direct wine shipment into many states. This direction is aimed not only to set a standard for wine shipping practices, but it is also designed to set a precedent in which to squash much of the progress being made to loosen wine shipping laws. Many of the changes and challenges to the system are based upon lawsuits and court cases which would have to abide by these new standards.
So knowing that it may be a bit colloquial for any argument against legislation, I am going to start by saying there are many better things to sink our time and money into. For all of the hazardous items that one can have access to, fine wine should be the least of our concerns. In a nation where getting a gun shipped to you is easier than a bottle of Cabernet*, we need to look to where our focus and money may be better spent. This is not a political thing, left or right, it is just a simple statement that there are ways to protect the consumers' rights and there are more important and basic things that our lawmakers should be spending their time on.
*7-10 days and about $500 will get me an AK-47 shipped to my local gun dealer (http://www.thegunsource.com/Content.aspx?cKey=Buy_Guns_Online). But for all of the money in the world, I can not get wine from Hightower Cellars, a lovely husband an wife winemaking team from Washington State because they are not brought in by my local wholesaler.
Then again, one could argue that the damage done by firearms does not match up with the destruction done by alcohol. While I'm not going to look up the stats on that one, I'm also not going to deny it by any means. That being said, I really believe that fine wine is not necessarily the largest danger in that equation. Winery direct shipments probably include responsible drinkers more than any other method of acquiring booze. Shipping alcohol does not mean indiscriminate selling. Done right, it should be as particular as walking to your local package store. We have the technology to verify legal recipients and the immense responsibility to ensure legal sales by the seller; the system should be developing strengths instead of being torn down.
But the main focus here is protecting the wholesalers of the world. If wineries and wine stores cannot ship between states, the wholesaler has near absolute price control. When some people realize that they could pay less, consumers would try to shop in other markets. But given this knowledge, an enormous component of the market still accepts their prices because the trouble to price shop across state lines is immensely inconvenient and costly in itself. And a smaller percentage of fine wine buyers either do not care because they have the money for the luxury or use alternate auction markets anyways. This bill puts the screws to the casual wine enthusiast who wants to spend their money on their favourite things. If the wholesaler is not capable of providing this to them, what right do they have to prevent it from happening? Well, apparently they are in the midst of creating that very right.
Whatever your interests, this is overall an anti-competitive move to solidify the bubble that state lines enforce to control liquor, wine, and beer pricing. It is a very pointed and backhanded move by the industry leaders and it will have its casualties. I understand that Massachusetts and its antiquated notions of liquor laws would restrict shipping. But to overhaul the entire nations' wine market would a punch to the gut for wine lovers everywhere.
If I try to go much further I will start to get political and mean. But instead, I'll leave you with the idea that wine need not be a scary and unfortunate commodity. Wine should be bought and enjoyed casually, with friends and food. The information age has created more knowledgeable consumers who want to buy delicious wine. The more transparency that there is in the industry will provide for a better product to be enjoyed by more people, more often.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
A Wine that Appreciates with Youth
You do not have to like old wines better than young wines. There, I said it. Drink up!
One of the most ingrained wine truths is that old wines are better. Age does incredible things to wine, refining and changing the flavors in an ethereal process that happens uncontrollably at a minute pace. For this, older bottles appreciate and become valuable investments or keepsakes. There is an auction market that gathers the wealthy and obsessed and wrings them of dollars that could otherwise be well spent. Alongside of this is a general understanding of wine that accumulates with the drinkers' age as many people do not have the income or interest in fine wine until they have the resources later on in life. Therefore, many old wines enjoyed are not relics of patience, but are instead purchases that attach a premium to allow for the experience.
But aside from the money and the investment involved in aged wine, there is the juice itself. Nothing evolves quite like a French Bordeaux. There is really no track record that supports any other wine to match the heritage or recognition that an old bottle of Cabernet or Merlot from France can achieve. Sure, there may be more singular and unique wines in the world (see: Romanee Conti) or wines that do not provide so much satisfaction for the first few decades (see: Vintage Port), but let us take Bordeaux as a standard and basic example.
Firstly, it is interesting to note, while searching through Wine Spectator's reviews of legendary vintages (1945, 1959, 1961, 1982, 1986) there is only one 100-point wine (1961 Latour). These wines are up around 1000% from their original release prices. That being said, there are many, many 100-pointers from the 2005 vintage (nine!). All things equal, does this mean that these wines right now are better than their older counterparts?
Sure, this stat is easy to throw out with the development of modern winemaking techniques, the change in reviewers over the years, the increasing access to information, and the fact that this is one source that many will say rewards more a certain type of wine while failing to appreciate another. Still, there is something to say about the dynamically different reaction to these young wines than those of the ages.
Wine can be considered in three aromatic stages: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The primary characteristics of a wine refer to the basic varietal aspects of a grape, i.e. Nebbiolo usually reveals flavors of red fruit and violets. Secondary aspects of a wine are revealed through fermentation, barrel aging, and bottling. These are seen as the winemaker's hand in the flavor and are what is represented when the bottles leave the warehouse. Tertiary flavours are those imparted by aging gracefully throughout the years. These tertiary aromas and tastes are what people are paying the top dollar for.
Mostly, it is worth it. Only if I were so lucky to be experiencing aged wines with an endless finish that transcends description. However, these tertiary flavours do not necessarily satisfy everyone, wine enthusiast or not, to the same degree. If an incredibly delicious and complex wine is astounding in its youth, it will not necessarily communicate the same nuances for all the years to come. Sure, it allows for good odds to evolve wonderfully, but it does not mean that it will taste better to you as it expresses itself.
Again, this conversation is not arguing that younger wines are better than older wines or vis-a-versa, but more so that you can determine by your experiences and taste buds which wines you adore and what stage they are at when you do so. With the generosity of some friends, I have tried some aged Hermitage. This is a small Northern Rhone appelation known for making the best and most expensive Syrah. Although these wines carried with them the aged complexity and nuiance that one would expect from this caliber of wine, I did not like them. There is a cured meat, manure smell that is an incredible expression of grape juice, but the off-putting notes left me wishing for more of the black and blue fruit of this wine's youth.
When somebody told me they went to a dinner and did not like the 1986 Haut Brion they tried among other great younger wines, I was initially (and snobbishly) jealous and disappointed that that glass was not used instead on someone who would have understood it. But before even thinking, I replied that it there is nothing saying you have to like old wine better than the young stuff. Looking back, I'm glad that he had that glass, because it is probably a revelatory experience for this gentleman. That, in itself, is worth every drop from that bottle.
My addage stands that there is something to appreciate about any wine, and then you have to decide whether or not you like it. Aged wine is a great thing, and can often be the best of things. But there is nothing saying that you have to think it is better than a young wine. Except, of course, of all of those auction markets, cellars, reviews, articles, and mystique...
One of the most ingrained wine truths is that old wines are better. Age does incredible things to wine, refining and changing the flavors in an ethereal process that happens uncontrollably at a minute pace. For this, older bottles appreciate and become valuable investments or keepsakes. There is an auction market that gathers the wealthy and obsessed and wrings them of dollars that could otherwise be well spent. Alongside of this is a general understanding of wine that accumulates with the drinkers' age as many people do not have the income or interest in fine wine until they have the resources later on in life. Therefore, many old wines enjoyed are not relics of patience, but are instead purchases that attach a premium to allow for the experience.
But aside from the money and the investment involved in aged wine, there is the juice itself. Nothing evolves quite like a French Bordeaux. There is really no track record that supports any other wine to match the heritage or recognition that an old bottle of Cabernet or Merlot from France can achieve. Sure, there may be more singular and unique wines in the world (see: Romanee Conti) or wines that do not provide so much satisfaction for the first few decades (see: Vintage Port), but let us take Bordeaux as a standard and basic example.
Firstly, it is interesting to note, while searching through Wine Spectator's reviews of legendary vintages (1945, 1959, 1961, 1982, 1986) there is only one 100-point wine (1961 Latour). These wines are up around 1000% from their original release prices. That being said, there are many, many 100-pointers from the 2005 vintage (nine!). All things equal, does this mean that these wines right now are better than their older counterparts?
Sure, this stat is easy to throw out with the development of modern winemaking techniques, the change in reviewers over the years, the increasing access to information, and the fact that this is one source that many will say rewards more a certain type of wine while failing to appreciate another. Still, there is something to say about the dynamically different reaction to these young wines than those of the ages.
Wine can be considered in three aromatic stages: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The primary characteristics of a wine refer to the basic varietal aspects of a grape, i.e. Nebbiolo usually reveals flavors of red fruit and violets. Secondary aspects of a wine are revealed through fermentation, barrel aging, and bottling. These are seen as the winemaker's hand in the flavor and are what is represented when the bottles leave the warehouse. Tertiary flavours are those imparted by aging gracefully throughout the years. These tertiary aromas and tastes are what people are paying the top dollar for.
Mostly, it is worth it. Only if I were so lucky to be experiencing aged wines with an endless finish that transcends description. However, these tertiary flavours do not necessarily satisfy everyone, wine enthusiast or not, to the same degree. If an incredibly delicious and complex wine is astounding in its youth, it will not necessarily communicate the same nuances for all the years to come. Sure, it allows for good odds to evolve wonderfully, but it does not mean that it will taste better to you as it expresses itself.
Again, this conversation is not arguing that younger wines are better than older wines or vis-a-versa, but more so that you can determine by your experiences and taste buds which wines you adore and what stage they are at when you do so. With the generosity of some friends, I have tried some aged Hermitage. This is a small Northern Rhone appelation known for making the best and most expensive Syrah. Although these wines carried with them the aged complexity and nuiance that one would expect from this caliber of wine, I did not like them. There is a cured meat, manure smell that is an incredible expression of grape juice, but the off-putting notes left me wishing for more of the black and blue fruit of this wine's youth.
When somebody told me they went to a dinner and did not like the 1986 Haut Brion they tried among other great younger wines, I was initially (and snobbishly) jealous and disappointed that that glass was not used instead on someone who would have understood it. But before even thinking, I replied that it there is nothing saying you have to like old wine better than the young stuff. Looking back, I'm glad that he had that glass, because it is probably a revelatory experience for this gentleman. That, in itself, is worth every drop from that bottle.
My addage stands that there is something to appreciate about any wine, and then you have to decide whether or not you like it. Aged wine is a great thing, and can often be the best of things. But there is nothing saying that you have to think it is better than a young wine. Except, of course, of all of those auction markets, cellars, reviews, articles, and mystique...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
