The Borrowed Penguin Wine Review

Grub Time

When I first started this blog off I pledged to include more than just wine, so I’m finally going to get around to saying some things about restaurants. Other than going to baseball games, I’d say eating out is my favorite form of entertainment. Admittedly I’m quite a geek about it and can really dork out, but that’s part of the fun for me. So, without further ado…

I got my copy of the New Zagat guide this past week or so, and along with eagerly reading about my favorite local restaurants and a few places I’ve eaten at in other cities I’ve been trying to glance through different parts. This particular guide is based on actual guest reviews, so it’s interesting to see what trends are popping up. I’d say that there are two “qualities” that appear throughout the book, regardless of restaurant or region: product and presentation.

Product is hardly a surprise. With the continued popularity of Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and other natural product stores is would only make sense for people to carry their interest in fresh, healthy, quality produce, meat, dairy, and seafood products into restaurants. Additionally, there is a certain ceiling a restaurant hits when it doesn’t make a major effort to secure the best quality product. I’m not saying you can’t do a good job using basic supplies and products, but the only way to really achieve the highest standards is to start with the highest standard goods.

Today’s restaurants are certainly more vocal about using local produce, sustainable practice seafood, free-range beef, and hormone free dairy. I have no doubt that the appearance of these phrases on menus and restaurant websites creates a self-fulfilling prophecy for many. But it is also true that restaurants using the best stuff start with a huge head start and will always have more potential that restaurants that don’t.

Next, I was intrigued by how often the presentation of dishes matters to diners. For myself, this is always a factor to consider. Admittedly, it is possible to make a dish that tastes absolutely delicious and looks either completely generic or even unappealing. But who wants that? There’s no need to go overboard, but I do prefer my food to be presented in a colorful, lively, attractive manner.

Although it may not in any manner effect the actual taste of the dish, I am a huge believer that presentation has a tremendous impact on the enjoyment of the dish. First, it sets the tone. If you’re food looks stylish, clean, and refined then you expect it to taste that way. Next, I think that more than just looking attractive a well-presented dish conveys the message that the kitchen staff is focused and attentive. Anyone can toss a meat, a vegetable, and a starch on the plate and then ladle on some sauce. But when you have a plate that looks as though an individual took the time to arrange everything is a specific manner then I feel reassured that attention has been paid throughout the whole process, from conceiving the dish to securing the proper product to the preparation of the food.

So I guess that means I’m pretty boring and reassured in the general public’s attitude towards food in this country. I believe we are still in the young days of a major culinary awakening in America, and a return to fewer processed foods along with a move away from mass-produced, generic dishes is gaining traction (not that McDonald’s is going away). I’m all for continuing value quality product and good presentation.

There is one thing I would like the American public to adjust to though. Recently my wife and were at a restaurant and she ordered the scallops. Since our meal was tremendous I thought it was odd she was disinterested in her entrée, but I quickly realized why. The scallops were overcooked. Not horribly charred, just a chewy. I know it is the Midwest, where seafood tends to be overcooked, but it was still frustrating.

A given rule in culinary training is that when in doubt, overcook it (and this is doubly true with seafood). The specter of food poising and the risks associated with undercooked food is massive. Also, if you’ve ever witnessed a guest who felt they were served a potentially dangerous dish respond you know they can make quite a scene. Rumors or accusations of “raw seafood” can be massively damaging to a restaurant because of how sensitive the topic is. So most people are trained to avoid the worst-case scenario. Unfortunately that means people who actually enjoy properly prepared food often have to miss out because of the ignorance of others.

I realize there will always be a segment that believes a steak is only cooked if there is absolutely no hint of pink anywhere at all, or that seafood isn’t finished until it has the texture of a pork chop. I also have personally witnessed how these kind of people can react when they are presented with food that isn’t prepared that way. It’s always going to be a problem. I just wish we could figure out a better way to communicate so that people that actually want to enjoy what they are paying for can do so.

Syrah Around The World

A few nights ago I did a tasting of Syrahs from around the world, and now I’m going to offer up a full-scale review of the wines we tasted. This was a tasting it was easy for me to get excited about, since I love Syrah and I actually was able to put together a cast of six significantly distinct wines and actually showcase their diverse qualities. Simply put, this is an event I would have wanted to attend as a member of the audience.

I opened up with Jean Louis Chave Selections “Offerus” St. Joseph, which is a negociant wine. Chave does have an estate St. Joseph, but my goal was to keep most wines in the easy-to-afford category and there is nothing wrong with the quality of this bottle. Unfortunately I did mess up the presentation of this wine. I wanted it to go first because my talk started with the Northern Rhone and the true home of Syrah, but I only poured this wine about 20 minutes before we sat down. As a 2005, it was to say the least a bit tight. Decanting this for about 90 minutes or maybe even two hours would have been a wise move.

The wine showed plenty of black pepper and leather, and someone doing technical tasting would be quite happy. But there was little fruit and while the tannin wasn’t overwhelming by any means I know some people felt it to be a bit astringent. That is too bad because the wine had great structure and hinted at some very nice intensity, and for powerful Syrah it was great.

Next up was Qupe Stolpman Single Vineyard Syrah, of which only 96 cases were made. This wine comes from Santa Ynez and is a good representation of Central Coast Syrah that isn’t completely over-extracted and fruit soaked. The wine certainly felt lighter than the St. Joseph and showed a bit more fruit, but at the same time it retained a bit of the black pepper and leathery elements. The Santa Ynez Valley has some areas that are cooler climate, but it isn’t the Northern Rhone. But, this wine is a happy medium between traditional, Old World Syrah and those who enjoy a younger, more fruit forward style. A top-notch producer showing why they have earned so much respect.

Our next wine was the Dain Wines “Abner” from Las Madres Vineyard in Carneros. Carneros is mostly known for Chard and Pinot, along with the Sparkling Wines made from these two grapes, but there is some very yummy Syrah grown there. The proximity to the San Pablo Bay makes this region cooler than most of Napa and Sonoma, and it has turned out the occasional knockout Syrah (the problem is who is going to plant Syrah when you have a large demand for Pinot and Chard???). The wine was certainly round, and there were plenty of dark fruits on the nose. The problem was a lack of spice on the palate, but redemption came in the form of bright and refreshing minerality and acidity. A wonderful burst towards the back of the wine made it wonderful. In the end, the cooler climate of Carneros did burst through.

Maybe two months ago I tasted a wine that actually had me reschedule this event to make sure I could include the next wine: Syrah by Rudi Schultz from Stellenbosch in South Africa. I know this wine is now receiving some serious critical attention (consecutive low-to-mid nineties scores from The Wine Spectator) but I was unaware of that when I tasted it. All I could think of was how awesome the wine was.

Admittedly I was a bit nervous the night of the tasting because I was convinced when I tasted the wine that it was outstanding, and I hoped I would feel the same now that I was standing in front of an audience. Fortunately, it was that wonderful and the rest of the room agreed. I won’t say the perfect balance between Old and New World, but certainly a great place to be. Good fruit, dark aromas, and hints of spice in the deep nose, and then great fulfillment on the palate and just enough leather and pepper to pay tribute to the great wines of the Northern Rhone valley.

For the last two wines I wanted to demonstrate the rich and high-octane New World style of Syrah (or Shiraz) that has made the grape so popular to many. I have to admit that candied Syrah with a syrup-like texture is not my thing. But that doesn’t mean you can’t create super-fruity wines with tons of alcohol that aren’t well made (and sometimes super yummy).

I had to include an Australian wine, so I went with Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend. In fact this is only about two-thirds Syrah and the balance Cab, Merlot, and some others, but it also made sense to include a Syrah blend for discussion’s sake. This is a delicious wine with dark fruit and some spice, along with low acids and a sweet finish. It is not as big or full or well balanced as the other Syrahs, but if you like the more candied, slightly elevated levels of residual sugar version of Shiraz the Aussies have made so famous, this should make you quite happy.

To wrap things up, I went with the Rosenblum England-Shaw Vineyard Syrah. Kent Rosenblum certainly has a signature style, and it works perfectly with Zinfandel. But lately he has been focusing more and more on Rhone varietals, and while it may not be for everyone it certainly has its appeal. Full-throttle fruit, high-octane power intensity, and lots, and lots of flavor; this is the epitome of big extraction. I love the ripe fruits and sweet elements of this wine, and somehow it doesn’t feel hot or out of balance. Not the universal style of Syrah, and light years from the St. Joseph that started the evening off, but a wonderful Syrah none the less.

On the whole the Rudi Schultz was the room’s favorite, although the St. Joseph and Qupe also were popular. But the thing that made me the happiest was all six wines were unique and distinct. That is a big part of what I love about Syrah.

Borrowed Penguin Goes C-SPAN

It’s time for a knee-jerk response to a news article. As a rule I try to come up with my own topics, but the topic of the dollar’s continued fall and the impact on wine prices has been generating more and more buzz lately. As someone who tries to be aware of the macro-economic factors that influence my business and is a major proponent of European wine I have been forming an opinion on this topic lately, and here is my two cents.

First off, the recent increases in wine prices are by no means attributable just to the dollar’s drop in value. The most basic force in all areas of economy is supply and demand, and the demand for wine has been skyrocketing as of late. First, the United States continues to storm forward as a wine consumer. It’s not just that the dollar doesn’t by as much as it used to—it’s also that while it used to be only a select group that purchased imported wines today that group is substantially larger and is getting bigger by the moment.

Perhaps even more significantly, there are new markets for these goods. When it comes to French wine the first market to discuss is the Far East. Most noticeably it is Japan but China and other Eastern nations, along with Russia, are quickly swallowing up more and more wine. As worldwide demand increases, the US will have to compete more and more for these goods.

So brace yourself for a harsh reality: wine prices are going to go up. For the big name wines, they are going to go up a whole lot. There is more demand than ever, and money we are bringing to the table isn’t worth as much as it has been in the past. However, I should also point out that much of this fuss (and the headlines) is based on a very small portion of wine. Yes, the price of Romanee-Conti is going to be outrageous for the 05 vintage (it will be released to the US market soon, and rumors are it will run up to $7500 a bottle). The big name Bordeaux (Petrus, Cheval-Blanc, First Growths) are also going to continue skyrocketing. What is motivating the people who are paying these new prices is not the quality of wine in the bottle but rather the status that comes with owning those wines. Until wine is no longer cool, I don’t think you will see any slowdown on the price increases there.

The confusion comes from the fact that the price increases in these collector wines generate massive headlines but are not necessarily reflective of the overall wine industry. Most people are looking for wine between $8 and $20. If no options are available, they will move on to something else. The wineries know this, and like anyone in the agricultural business they are well aware of the fact that a crop surplus is never a good thing.

It is for this reason that many producers across Europe have a vested interest in keeping their wines affordable for the US market. No matter how you spin it, the USA is going to be the most important market in the world for wine within the next five years, and we don’t produce enough on our own (France, Italy, Spain, and Australia all dwarf the US in terms of volume of wine produced). Wine consumption across Europe is plummeting. The wineries that can’t just sit back and wait for a bunch of wealthy Japanese and ego-driven Americans to throw an absurd amount of money at them for a status symbol know they must maintain and develop a presence in the United States.

Because of this, I believe many of them will suck it up and take a hit in the short-term. They won’t swallow all of the lost profit resulting for the growth in the Euro but they will work to keep their wines available and affordable, even if it means taking some losses up front. There long-term success depends on it.

Finally, there is also a (understandable) misconception that domestic wines are going to become great values. I’m not convinced. Domestic wineries, especially those in California, have been more than happy to follow along on any price increase. In fact, it is quite disturbing how many domestic wineries continue to up their prices year after year despite no change in quality of the wine. The simple justification is “someone else is getting it.” Based on quality of product, I would argue that American wines are overpriced to European wines (speaking in very broad terms, of course), and not only do domestic wines have no currency exchange to blame this on but there is no reason to believe they will slow down the price increases anytime soon. In fact, I’d be more concerned about how these wines that have taken drastic price increases over the past three to five years are going to do once the dollar does rebound than about how European wines will fare in the short-term.

Another footnote for everyone to put in the back of their thoughts: these European countries have been producing and selling wine in some cases for close to two millenniums, and it has been an international business for the majority of that period. They’ve been through this before and know how to handle these fluctuations. More importantly, the domestic wineries should be worried about what happens when the French wineries no longer have to struggle to keep their prices down because of a weak dollar.

The 2007 Jefferson Cup

This past week was the 2007 Jefferson Cup, an annual wine competition put on by Doug Frost that I assist with. The event is American-only and routinely features wines from states all over the country, including: California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, Ohio, Kentucky, and more. It's a great event, and very, very, very enlightening.

Normally I would have three million things to say, but because of all the craziness of the event and then the pressure of getting the charity portion of the event set up I tasted probably only about six wines total. Not a great learning experience for me this year. Also, I have to admit that when I did have the chance to sit down and try some things I was cherry picking through stuff I already knew was pretty special.

But, if there is one thing to say about this year's results, it's that they were pretty boring. Seriously. That is not to say the entries we got were substandard. I'm saying the exact opposite. We had a laundry list of great producers from every portion of the country. It's just that for the last several years when I have done this event it has always been fun to learn new things and get exposed to great new wines. This year I just didn't feel that way.

I haven't had a chance to review the full results yet (on Thursday I was making sure that each of the four panels received their 160 or so wines, all in the correct order and properly coded for blind tasting), so my statements might not be 100% accurate. When I looked at the finals table I was really, really, really impressed by the 51 wines selected as Jefferson Cup nominees. Briefly glancing at some of the wineries that consistently scored high I was also thrilled. I just wasn't surprised.

Delille makes great wines. Not exactly a groundbreaking revelation. L. Mawby turns out top-flight Sparkling wines. Nothing new there. Paul Draper of Ridge makes spectacular wines. I don't think that qualifies as a major newsflash. Adam Puchta and St. James (Missouri), St. Julien (Michigan), Callaghan (Arizona), Gruet (New Mexico), Konstatin Frank (New York), and the Columbia Crest and Chateau Ste. Michelle reserve level wines are all wonderful. Once again, nothing particularly groundbreaking.

Part of this is no doubt a result of being around this event for several years. I'm familiar with which wineries turn out great stuff on a consistent basis. Being told that wineries like Carol Shelton, Walla Walla Vintners, Ayres, and Segehesio are making really good wines isn't news to me because that was beat into my head prior to this year's event. But in a way it is sad because I've become accustomed to learning about great new wineries each time I do this event. As I've learned more, there are fewer surprises.

But at the same time in reinforces one of my major beliefs, and one of the things I consistently try to instill in people: great winemakers make great wines. It really is that simple. Some people believe anything from a famous wine region is great (or just as bad, anything from a region that doesn't have major clout can't be good), or that the most important thing is getting the "great vintages." Nothing could be further from the truth. You could put me Pomerol, Vosne-Romanee, or Rutherford tomorrow and if I turned out something that even warranted being put in a bottle it would be a miracle. I'm sure that 2005 did offer spectacular growing conditions in Burgundy and the Southern Rhone Valley, but an inexperienced farmer wouldn't know how to take advantage of it, and once again there is the minor detail of turning fruit with great potential into wine. The best producers know how to make the most of these great opportunities, and probably more importantly they know how still deliver a wonderful wine when conditions aren't perfect.

In a sense I'm bummed that nothing I'd never heard of before grabbed me this year, but most of that is due to the fact that I really didn't have the chance to taste anything. As for the results, they merely prove the facts. People that know what they are doing will always make the best wine. I shouldn't be bummed about that. I should be thankful.