Wednesday, March 14, 2007

What am I looking to buy now-A strategy for the blog

I went into one of my favorite semi-local wine shops today and while I was browsing the aisles the inspiration for today's post came to me. If I were starting my cellar today what would I be shopping for? You guys are going to have to listen to another agonizing story of the mistakes I made when I began building my cellar. Live vicariously through my errors so you can minimize your own and always have great vino at hand.

I got started with wine by buying and drinking cheap Chilean and Argentinian Cabernet. That came after my Riunite, Mateus, and Almaden train wreck in college. I give myself a pass for that time in my life and say I started taking wine a little more seriously after I graduated. I admit at the time I was intimidated by wine shops and especially by the folks who worked there who knew what I wanted to know. So my answer was to find a label that told me what was in the bottle. This way I could decide if I liked the grape or not. Makes sense, right? I also believed that all these French and Italian labels gave me the same information but I didn't speak the language so I was better off with something I could understand.

Without too much trouble I'd bet most of you can figure out what came next. I "upgraded" to California wine. I don't want any of you to think I have anything against wine from this country. I don't. For the purposes of this board I'm looking for the best "values" I can find. Value comes at all price points. They can be a $5 bottle of Spanish wine or a $100 Grand Cru Burgundy but they represent value for the money spent vs what the rest of the market offers. That said I find less and less from California that delivers bang for my buck. Over time you'll see reviews from everywhere. Be patient.

Lets get back to the point here. So I fill up my cellar with ridiculous amounts of domestic wine only to find out I like French and Italian wine better. I'll explain the differences in later posts. The tough thing about learning about Old World wines is the labels are named after places, not grapes. That means you'll need to figure out what is grown where. www.vines.org is a great site with loads of information and a great place to learn.

2005 was an excellent vintage in most of Europe. That doesn't mean you can just walk into a wine shop and ask for something from 2005 in Bordeaux and be guaranteed a great bottle. Producers matter and most great producers make good wine in ok vintages and amazing wine in excellent ones. Knowledgeable wine merchants will be a fine resource for digging out what to buy. The shop I was in today has a wine manager who's palate is second to none. He told me his biggest thrill is when someone walks in and asks for a mixed case of things he's recommend and drink himself for $10 a bottle. Do yourself a favor. Find a shop with a good reputation and do just that. Maybe it's 6 bottles but there are great bargains to be had if you ask!

Last night my regular tasting group got together and did a Spanish theme. I don't have extensive tasting notes due to intoxication.

Highlights:

Llopart "Leopardi" Brut Cava 2000-Clean, fresh, and refreshing sparkling wine. A little fruitier that Champagne but easy to drink and understand. I'd match it with Sushi, smoked salmon, or shellfish. $20-I'd buy this again at this price.

2001 Aalto Ribera del Duero-Wow. Very focused fruit with great balance. Just under $40 I'd buy it at that price.

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