As regular readers know, I write a free, twice monthly wine column that’s distributed to newspapers across the country.

These columns are hosted by Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine. If you don’t see my column in your local newspaper, please send an email to your paper’s editor and CC me (David – at – Terroirist.com).

My latest column, in which I praise courageous American winemakers for producing unusual varietals and exploring unheralded regions, went out this morning.

Embracing the Obscure

This past weekend in Sonoma County, California, 17 vintners gathered for a wine tasting they dubbed “The 7 Percent Solution.”

As the organizers explained, “roughly 93 percent of Northern California vineyard acreage is planted to eight major grape varietals. The remaining 7 percent is home to numerous lesser-known varietals, [which] are finding anchor with a small but growing number of winemakers.”

The event enabled consumers to explore the wines being produced by California’s revolutionary vintners — those willing to embrace the state’s vast and varied climate by avoiding popular grapes and bottling the obscure. Whether they’re producing unusual varietals or exploring unheralded regions, these winemakers are worth celebrating.

That certain regions of California might be better suited to, say, Albarino than Chardonnay makes sense. Across the globe, commercial wine is produced from a whopping 1,368 different grape varieties. It defies logic to assume that grapes native to central France will thrive in all the world’s new vineyards.

Check out the rest of the piece on Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine.

Abe Schoener.

As regular readers know, I write a free, twice monthly wine column that’s distributed to newspapers across the country.

These columns are hosted by Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine. If you don’t see my column in your local newspaper, please send an email to your paper’s editor and CC me (David – at – Terroirist.com).

My latest column, in which I explain how wine enthusiasts approach wine, went out this morning.

Thinking While Drinking

“Is a bottle of wine ever really worth $100?”

This is a question I’m regularly asked by friends who aren’t obsessed with wine. My answer is always the same.

“Of course,” I begin. “For starters, there’s supply and demand — bottles sell for what the market says they’re worth.”

“But to your real question,” I continue, “no one is dropping that sort of money simply because a wine tastes so good. On those special occasions when you splurge — whether for a $25 bottle, a $50 bottle, or even something that costs $100 or more — you’re hoping for something beyond deliciousness. You’re hoping for a wine that makes you think.”

Regardless of a wine’s price tag, this answer helps explain how wine enthusiasts approach wine. Those of us who obsess over what we drink aren’t just looking for something tasty; we’re looking for an experience. Whether a bottle costs $15 or $150, we’re hoping for something great. And a great wine makes you think.

This concept was made clearer last month while listening to Abe Schoener, an iconoclastic California winemaker, deliver a lecture in Washington, DC.

Check out the rest of the piece on Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine.

Black Ankle Vineyards.

As regular readers know, I write a free, twice monthly wine column that’s distributed to newspapers across the country.

These columns are hosted by Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine. If you don’t see my column in your local newspaper, please send an email to your paper’s editor and CC me (David – at – Terroirist.com).

My latest column, which looks at an obscure, emerging wine region here in the United States (Hint: Maryland!) went out this morning.

Blue Crabs, Natty Boh, and World-Class Wine

“Wine is just too fancy for Maryland,” explained Rob Deford, the owner of Boordy Vineyards in Baltimore County, as he discussed the local wine industry’s challenges. “We eat crabs here; we drink beer.”

The audience at this year’s Drink Local Wine conference chuckled in agreement. Blue crabs and Natty Boh are iconic in the Old Line State, but few think of premium wines.

Rob Deford and a handful of other vintners are trying to change that, working to raise the profile of the local wine industry — and increase wine’s popularity among consumers — by raising the quality of Maryland’s wines.

They’re quickly gaining traction.

While the state had just 11 wineries in 2001, it’s now home to 62. And an increasing number of vintners are moving away from the fruit wines and non-European grape varieties that have long plagued the East Coast to produce wines that can compete on the world stage.

Check out the rest of the piece on Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine. 

As regular readers know, I write a free, twice monthly wine column that’s distributed to newspapers across the country.

From Wikimedia Commons.

These columns are hosted by Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine. If you don’t see my column in your local newspaper, please send an email to your paper’s editor and CC me (David – at – Terroirist.com).

My latest column, which explains why pink wine is the perfect accompaniment to summer — and applauds American vintners for taking rosé as seriously as their Old World counterparts — went out this morning.

The Rise of American Rosé

For the past three decades, wine enthusiasts have shuddered when presented with American rosé. 

The reason? Domestic rosé has long been associated with the cheap, sweet “blush” wines that became popular in the 1980s, like Sutter Home’s White Zinfandel. While these wines will always have fans, they’re quite different from the dry, refreshing Old World rosés that oenophiles crave when the weather warms. 

In recent years, however, American vintners have started to produce rosés that can easily rival the Old World’s best offerings. With summer just around the corner, these wines are worth exploring — and stocking up on. 

Check out the rest of the piece on Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine.

Randall Grahm.

As regular readers know, I write a free, twice monthly wine column that’s distributed to newspapers across the country.

These columns are hosted by Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine. If you don’t see my column in your local newspaper, please send an email to your paper’s editor and CC me (David – at – Terroirist.com).

My latest column, which celebrates the American winemakers who dedicate themselves to the varieties made famous in France’s Rhone Valley, went out this morning.

Celebrating America’s Rhone Rangers

This week, more than 100 wine producers are gathering in San Francisco to celebrate America’s take on the 22 grape varieties originally made famous in France’s Rhone Valley.

The producers — known collectively as the “Rhone Rangers” — trace their roots to the 1980s, when a small group of California vintners dedicated to these varieties began meeting informally.

One of these winemakers was Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard. Although best known for his flamboyant and irreverent marketing campaigns, Grahm was among the first American winemakers to embrace varietals like Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre. So when the Wine Spectator dubbed Grahm “The Rhone Ranger” in 1989, the moniker stuck.

As the organization began to grow, these Rhone Rangers realized that if they worked together, they’d all benefit. So in the late 1990s, they formally organized and began promoting their work. The group helped catalyze — and revive — the planting of Rhone varieties across the country.

But they still have lots of work to do.

Check out the rest of the piece on Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine.

Uploaded to flickr by winestem.

As regular readers know, I write a free, twice monthly wine column that’s distributed to newspapers across the country.

These columns are hosted by Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine. If you don’t see my column in your local newspaper, please send an email to your paper’s editor and CC me (David – at – Terroirist.com).

My latest column, which examines the declining influence of Robert Parker and what it means for the future of wine criticism, went out this morning.

How Wine Criticism Is Changing

Twice in the past three months, the wine world has been rocked by news from Robert Parker, the world’s most famous wine critic.

In December, Parker announced that he’d sold a “substantial interest” in the Wine Advocate, the influential magazine he founded in 1978, to a trio of Singapore-based investors — and that he’d relinquished editorial control. In February, one of Parker’s top critics, Antonio Galloni, said that he’d left the publication to start an online enterprise.

Parker, who popularized the 100-point scale for reviewing wine, is nearly 66. So he can’t be faulted for wanting to slow down. But thanks to this pair of stories, oenophiles finally seem ready to admit that wine criticism is changing. Consumers don’t need — or want — centralized gatekeepers telling them what they should or shouldn’t drink. Consumers still need advisors, of course, but when today’s consumers want information, they’re willing to look past professional critics and instead turn to friends and trusted networks.

 Check out the rest of the piece on Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine.

Uploaded to Flickr by swanksalot.

As regular readers know, I write a free, twice monthly wine column that’s distributed to newspapers across the country.

These columns are hosted by Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine. If you don’t see my column in your local newspaper, please send an email to your paper’s editor and CC me (David – at – Terroirist.com).

My latest column, which offers a quick primer on wine flaws, went out this morning.

Identifying Flaws and Faults in Wine

Sniff, swirl, sip.

Whether at home or at a restaurant, analyzing wine is a fairly straightforward process. And when you stick your nose in a glass of wine, you’ll typically encounter pleasant aromas like fruits, flowers, and spices. Sometimes, though, a wine will seem off.

One unfortunate truth about wine is that a decent percentage is flawed — somehow spoiled along the way to your table. Flawed wines should be poured down the drain or returned to your server. Wine should be delicious — and life is too short to drink bad wine.

Recognizing common wine flaws is at least as important as memorizing grape names and tasting descriptors. So here’s a quick primer on some common faults.

Check out the rest of the piece on Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine. 

Wikimedia commons.

As regular readers know, I write a free, twice monthly wine column that’s distributed to newspapers across the country.

These columns are hosted by Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine. If you don’t see my column in your local newspaper, please send an email to your paper’s editor and CC me (David – at – Terroirist.com).

My latest column, in which I look at wine consumption during the Super Bowl to write about the optimistic future of America’s wine market, went out this morning.

Envisioning Wine’s Future

On Super Bowl Sunday, some 1.25 billion chicken wings were consumed alongside 11 million pounds of potato chips, 4 million pounds of pretzels, and 2.5 million pounds of nuts. Massive quantities of beer helped wash all that down — nearly 50 million cases worth were sold on Sunday alone. It’s no wonder why Anheuser-Busch purchased four and a half minutes of ad space during the big game.

Americans also drank wine. While 42 percent of Super Bowl viewers told Nielsen they planned on consuming beer during the game, 33 percent told pollsters they planned to drink wine.

This number caught me by surprise. Sure, the United States surpassed France as the world’s largest wine-consuming nation in 2010. But wine still intimidates many consumers.

Fortunately, as the Super Bowl statistics help demonstrate, this is quickly changing. Across the country, Americans are embracing wine.

For evidence, look no further than your closest grocery store.

Check out the rest of the piece on Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine.

Uploaded to flickr by craig.camp.

As regular readers know, I write a free, twice monthly wine column that’s distributed to newspapers across the country.

These columns are hosted by Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine. If you don’t see my column in your local newspaper, please send an email to your paper’s editor and CC me (David – at – Terroirist.com).

My latest column, in which I tell Zinfandel’s story, went out this morning.

Zinfandel: Uniquely and Distinctly American

Mention Zinfandel to most wine consumers, and it’s quickly dismissed. It’s easy to see why.

For starters, many Americans associate the variety with the cheap, sweet “blush” wines that became popular in the 1980s, like Sutter Home’s white Zinfandel. This style of wine will always have fans, but to my palate, it’s just too cloying. Most white Zinfandel tastes more like Kool-Aid than wine.

Among consumers who know that Zinfandel can produce dry reds, many believe the variety inevitably produces monolithic, alcoholic fruit bombs. Avoiding such wines makes sense – it’s difficult to find pleasure in wines go down like cough syrup.

It’s unfortunate that so many wine drinkers have these impressions.

Zinfandel can be delicious. The best examples are wonderfully accessible and strike the perfect balance between power and finesse. While certainly robust, they’re marked by fresh, brambly berries and are energetic enough to pair with a variety of cuisines. Plus, Zinfandel is uniquely and distinctly American. It’s well worth exploring.

Check out the rest of the piece on Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine.

As regular readers know, I write a free, twice monthly wine column that’s distributed to newspapers across the country.

These columns are hosted by Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine. If you don’t see my column in your local newspaper, please send an email to your paper’s editor and CC me (David – at – Terroirist.com).

My latest column, which urges consumers to drink better in 2013, went out this morning.

Drink Better in 2013

Ask a wine enthusiast to name his favorite value wines, and he’ll likely to steer you towards bottles that cost between $15 and $25 each.

This makes sense — many oenophiles think nothing of dropping $25 or more on each bottle of wine. But this ignores market realities. The average bottle of wine in the United States sells for just $6.22, according to Nielsen. A full 90 percent of all wines sold cost less than $12 per bottle. Americans like to drink cheap.

So a wine enthusiast’s “value” wine is a regular wine consumer’s “splurge” wine. In 2013, resolve to splurge more often. Even if this means drinking less wine to keep your budget balanced, your palate will thank you.

In 2013, resolve to splurge more often. Even if this means drinking less wine to keep your budget balanced, your palate will thank you.

Check out the rest of the piece on Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine.