Look out 2012, America’s Drunkenly Stumbling Your Way

A report commissioned by Vinexpo’s ruling body has suggested that by the year 2012, the United States will have surpassed Italy in wine consumption by volume, making it the world’s leader.1 Additionally, China and Russia, a couple of wine noobs, will soon overtake the venerable wine-drinking nation of Spain.  This development is not unexpected.  All three of these nations have been steadily climbing the ladder of wine consumption for some time.  Assuming these numbers hold true, Russia alone will have doubled its level of consumption from as little as four years ago.2 The overall effect of this news reminds me of the improbable rise of the Tampa Bay Rays to baseball’s biggest stage this last summer: it’s as though the residents of the kid’s table have finally decided to join their elders for dinner.

The study, which is done annually by the French convention giant, also predicted that wine consumption and sales will be protected, in large part, from the effects of the global economic downturn of the last twelve months.  Apparently, not having enough money in one’s pocket is not a compelling enough reason to quit drinking.  The resultant three year forecast then, is this; wine consumption will continue to flourish as it always has, but the people consuming said wine are going to look more radically different than ever.  This is bound to have a profound effect on wine production, but that is a topic I’ll take up at a later date.

And so I invite you to raise your glasses, America, (or your Carlo Rossi filled Solo cups, Allston).  You’re well on your way to world wine domination.  Take care that you keep your eyes on the prize; the italians are not going to go quietly.  I did my part by drinking a bottle while writing this, but did you do yours?

J.

Tags: America, American wine, Italian wine, Italy
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Samantha Starr Chardonnay 2007

It disturbs me that my first wine review on the new site is of a California chardonnay, but it’s what I’ve got in my mouth, so I am compelled to make note of it.

I’m drinking the 2007 Samantha Starr chardonnay, from the Monterey AOC.  Samantha Starr is associated with the Monterey super-house, Talbott.  Much like Talbott, the Sam Starr label deals largely in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  At $16.99 it’s not necessarily budget chardonnay, but the comparative value is great.  Moreover, the chard is the house pour at the Taj, and so for a relatively modest investment, one can take a little bit of hotel luxury home with them.

In the glass the wine is a beautifully clear, pale gold.  The nose suggests ripe, creamy pear and, with a bit of time in the glass, a pleasant, vanilla-scented toastiness.

Though it offers a largely citric first pitch, the coolness of Monterey definitely exerts itself later in the count with notes of soft pear and a hint of green bananas.  The finish is clean, if a bit sharp, which suggests that some of this fruit is sourced in, or around Talbott’s super-dry, Sleepy Hollow vineyard.

I like this wine.  It tastes like chardonnay.  For the money it offers an alternative to the ubiquitously oppressive weight of pineapple and vanilla ridden swill chardonnay, (I’m talking to you Kendall-Jackson, and you La Crema and. . . oh forget it, you all suck).  The dry, bay-cooled climate of Monterey offers an interesting venue for chard, and this bottle has suggested as much while resisting the urge to manhandle the natural disposition of the grape.

J.

Tags: America, American White, American wine, California, California White, chardonnay, Samantha Starr, white wine
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Lunch with Ted Seghesio

I was exceedingly excited about my opportunity to have lunch this week with the current wine-making scion of one of California’s oldest wine families: Ted Seghesio.  Descended from a line of piemonte vintners, the Seghesio’s California holdings were established in 1902, after years of hard work by the original wine-maker, Edoardo Seghesio.  Today, Seghesio occupies a position at the forefront of Sonoma Valley’s wine world.  Seghesio wines can now be found in 43 countries, with a case or two rumoured to have even made it into the oft-neglected hands of the Belarussians.  As if that were not enough, their 2007 Sonoma County Zinfandel was listed at number 10 on Wine Spectator’s 2008 edition of the Top 100 Wines of the World.  It is this most recent success that drove Ted Seghesio away from his wine-making for a trip to the east coast with an eye towards keeping the good press rolling.

Zinfandel is not a grape that receives much attention from wine geeks, excepting those who wish to slam it.  It has become largely synonymous with the American style of wine production and consumption.  For all that they can be fun to drink, (especially given their proclivity towards a high alcohol content) zinfandel-derived wines tend to suggest a John Wayne-like quality in their gait: ponderous and bow-leggedly unbalanced.

The Seghesio zinfandels are all excellent.  The quality of fruit, (some of the family’s vines are well over 100 years old), is exceptional and Ted’s attention to the details of vinifying this most American of grapes is meticulous.  I was particularly fond of the Home Ranch Zinfandel out of Alexander Valley.  The early morning fog off of the Russian River affords a completeness in the fruit’s ripening that many of California’s producers never achieve in their zin.  All of Seghesio’s zins revel in their blackberry-hued richness, and though several of them are perhaps a bit youthful in nature, that is only because their overwhelming popularity demands something of a rushed release.  For the lunch, Mr. Seghesio also brought with him some of his italian varietal bottlings.  Keep yours eyes peeled for his barbera and sangiovese offerings, they should be in the store soon.

The winemaker himself was approachable and forthcoming, though I myself had to overcome his uncannily literal resemblance to my great-uncle Calvin. He also succeeded in affirming my long-running theory that all winemakers love to discuss beer.  I recommend bringing some tongue-searingly hoppy beer with you should you ever visit the Seghesio’s compound in Healdsburg, CA.

None of the Seghesio bottlings are wines to be ignored, but some of them come in at relatively cost-prohibitive pricings.  At $25 the Sonoma County Zin is not the most inexpensive wine out there, but it’s also a pretty great value for a Top 100 wine.  Buy it soon though, it won’t be in stock forever.

J.

Tags: America, American Red, Caliornia Red, Red Wine, Seghesio, Zinfandel
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