The Feiring Line

Coverage of My Coverage: the Climate Change Conference

Manuel Camblor, a man of excellent taste (obviously) has cited my coverage of the Climate Change conferece. Manuel's (found at http://blogs.larioja.com/otrabotella/posts),is all in Spanish (his February 26th entry) so I had no idea what he wrote, until I had my friend Liz, translate. ++ I have the good fortune to have friends with freedom and access [to attend the Barcelona conference on Wine and Climate Change]. Alice Feiring, whose name you have read here on repeated occasions, was in Barcelona a week ago for the conference. Alice shares my intolerance for the petulant manner in which the great wine industry constantly tries to bullshit everyone, pushing oenological techno nonsense. Being as she is, the indefatigable champion of Terroir, wine agriculture without tricks, true wine, her reports are for me, almost like being there. Tremendously well-informed, astute and caustic, Alice doesn't allow many to escape. A few days ago I wrote with great indignation based on reports from Decanter.com and Catavino that even though they are good they don't give me an infinitesimal fraction of the perspective that Alice provides. ++ This all made me think once again about the difference between my blogging and my other life as a writer-for-hire. This blog is the inner workings of my access, sometimes peppered with Alice-isms that no real paper or magazine would tolerate. Which is why I started this thing in the first place. Thanks for the kind words, Manuel.

Coverage of My Coverage: the Climate Change Conference

Manuel Camblor, a man of excellent taste (obviously) has cited my coverage of the Climate Change conferece. Manuel's (found at http://blogs.larioja.com/otrabotella/posts),is all in Spanish (his February 26th entry) so I had no idea what he wrote, until I had my friend Liz, translate. ++ I have the good fortune to have friends with freedom and access [to attend the Barcelona conference on Wine and Climate Change]. Alice Feiring, whose name you have read here on repeated occasions, was in Barcelona a week ago for the conference. Alice shares my intolerance for the petulant manner in which the great wine industry constantly tries to bullshit everyone, pushing oenological techno nonsense. Being as she is, the indefatigable champion of Terroir, wine agriculture without tricks, true wine, her reports are for me, almost like being there. Tremendously well-informed, astute and caustic, Alice doesn't allow many to escape. A few days ago I wrote with great indignation based on reports from Decanter.com and Catavino that even though they are good they don't give me an infinitesimal fraction of the perspective that Alice provides. ++ This all made me think once again about the difference between my blogging and my other life as a writer-for-hire. This blog is the inner workings of my access, sometimes peppered with Alice-isms that no real paper or magazine would tolerate. Which is why I started this thing in the first place. Thanks for the kind words, Manuel.

Matt Kramer on Austerity

Have a similar palate and I'll love you? Yeah, I'm easy. I felt like a big sore little toe in the world, out of synch, at odds with and like the wrong direction on the nap of corduroy.Today in particular I needed to see Kramer's piece in the Wine Spec entitled, The Fear of Austere. He understands me. And today, I am grateful for that. It could be love. Kramer starts his column by quoting a fellow at a Napa Valley blind tasting. "The wine is austere," said the taster, "And that's not a good word in my book." Kramer goes on to speculate, is that why so many of the wines today taste the way they do, because austere is considered undesirable? Both Kramer and I seem to be on the what's the matter with austere camp. We like austere! It might mean that the wine is an approachable 13% alcohol, maybe it didn't have its tannins erased and just maybe it is interesting instead of NyQuil-esque. A few years back at the Hospice de Rhone some guy said to Steve Edmunds about a syrah, "This ever going to open up?" Meanwhile I was writing a note to self: beautiful! Restrained beauty! I also differ with many on zinfandel. I remember one in particular Summit Ridge. It was a little wine. Not important. Who knows. it could have been a big spoof wine, but I liked it. I have no idea if it still exists or if it does exist it does so in the same way, but it was austere! It had edge, it had angles it had rooms. I also remember when people tasted it they had no context for the angular wine. Then there was Pierre Antoine Rovani at the IPNC. It was 2000 and the 98 red Burgundies were being discussed and slammed by the critic. I raised my hand amongst the masses and said, �I love the 98�s. They have edge and tannin and it�s a relief.� Or something like that. He basically told me I was wrong. Love that. I was wrong. Like a palate can be wrong. It can be misguided but can it be wrong? (Like the guy at Hospices. Well, he was told austere was bad, you see. He was misguided.). Shouldn�t I learn to keep my mouth shut? (yes) But so far, ten years down the line, every time I see 1998 I�ve been really happy. This June when I had the 98 Gevrey VV from Pansiot I found it just delicious, firm and structured. Last week, even though the sommelier at Alta, in the west village, warned me against the �98 Matrot Blagny, (he actually said austere) it had lush aroma of just-evolved- burgundy, extremely floral and woodsy and a touch thrilling, especially at $52. And what about stems, while I�m at it? I love stems but perhaps they were removed from the equation because of FEAR OF AUSTERE? Austere is not a positive word. Austere has value written all over it, it has nun written all over it. But in today�s world I beg for come clerical austerity. And while others get this from stems, I get complexity. Stems in fermentation are endangered species in Burgundy. Book preview: in chapter seven, The Lone Guinea Fowl of Burgundy, I take on the disappearance of stems from Burgundy. I mean, where would DRC, Ponsot, Chandon de Brialles, Geantet- Pansiot, Domaine Leroy and Pacalet, to name a few, be without them P.S. Just got word that Mike Dashe has made a 2007 zinfandel, no added yeast, no overt oak influence. I can�t believe it. This is a Californian wine I am excited to taste. Might even be worth a trip to Sonoma to taste in barrel.

Matt Kramer on Austerity

Have a similar palate and I'll love you? Yeah, I'm easy. I felt like a big sore little toe in the world, out of synch, at odds with and like the wrong direction on the nap of corduroy.Today in particular I needed to see Kramer's piece in the Wine Spec entitled, The Fear of Austere. He understands me. And today, I am grateful for that. It could be love. Kramer starts his column by quoting a fellow at a Napa Valley blind tasting. "The wine is austere," said the taster, "And that's not a good word in my book." Kramer goes on to speculate, is that why so many of the wines today taste the way they do, because austere is considered undesirable? Both Kramer and I seem to be on the what's the matter with austere camp. We like austere! It might mean that the wine is an approachable 13% alcohol, maybe it didn't have its tannins erased and just maybe it is interesting instead of NyQuil-esque. A few years back at the Hospice de Rhone some guy said to Steve Edmunds about a syrah, "This ever going to open up?" Meanwhile I was writing a note to self: beautiful! Restrained beauty! I also differ with many on zinfandel. I remember one in particular Summit Ridge. It was a little wine. Not important. Who knows. it could have been a big spoof wine, but I liked it. I have no idea if it still exists or if it does exist it does so in the same way, but it was austere! It had edge, it had angles it had rooms. I also remember when people tasted it they had no context for the angular wine. Then there was Pierre Antoine Rovani at the IPNC. It was 2000 and the 98 red Burgundies were being discussed and slammed by the critic. I raised my hand amongst the masses and said, �I love the 98�s. They have edge and tannin and it�s a relief.� Or something like that. He basically told me I was wrong. Love that. I was wrong. Like a palate can be wrong. It can be misguided but can it be wrong? (Like the guy at Hospices. Well, he was told austere was bad, you see. He was misguided.). Shouldn�t I learn to keep my mouth shut? (yes) But so far, ten years down the line, every time I see 1998 I�ve been really happy. This June when I had the 98 Gevrey VV from Pansiot I found it just delicious, firm and structured. Last week, even though the sommelier at Alta, in the west village, warned me against the �98 Matrot Blagny, (he actually said austere) it had lush aroma of just-evolved- burgundy, extremely floral and woodsy and a touch thrilling, especially at $52. And what about stems, while I�m at it? I love stems but perhaps they were removed from the equation because of FEAR OF AUSTERE? Austere is not a positive word. Austere has value written all over it, it has nun written all over it. But in today�s world I beg for come clerical austerity. And while others get this from stems, I get complexity. Stems in fermentation are endangered species in Burgundy. Book preview: in chapter seven, The Lone Guinea Fowl of Burgundy, I take on the disappearance of stems from Burgundy. I mean, where would DRC, Ponsot, Chandon de Brialles, Geantet- Pansiot, Domaine Leroy and Pacalet, to name a few, be without them P.S. Just got word that Mike Dashe has made a 2007 zinfandel, no added yeast, no overt oak influence. I can�t believe it. This is a Californian wine I am excited to taste. Might even be worth a trip to Sonoma to taste in barrel.

The Elusive Californian Terroir

I hooked up with my friend Pascaline who is here from France. On a breezy visit she said to me with her characteristic urgency said, "I need to learn about American wine, quick." Then she asked me for a book on the 'terroir' of California. And I realized there are press releases, there are AVA sites but a book on California terroir and how it relates to the state's wine is unfortunately so irrelevant. "Pascaline, how do you address terroir in a their prevalent wine culture (okay, okay, I'm not saying that there are some exceptions--I'm saying prevalent) that denies terroir except when it is a marketing tool? " One could write a book, and maybe it exists, on the characteristics of California terroir, I've even heard Peter Wasserman, Becky of Burgundy's son, hold forth on the differences, but what do I really think? Oh come Alice, tell us what you really think: in a region mostly tecnolizes it's wines to the market, how is it even up for discussion? Poor petite Pascaline, who one day soon, maybe even in November, might be the next meuilluer sommelier du monde, just couldn't comprehend. So, with a half block to spare before we parted ways, she to the Pegu Club for les cocktail and I to Fat Burning Pilates for increased metabolism, I said,� Here is the story: Napa =Fog. Sonoma=slightly cooler so they think they're superior. Anderson and Mendocino, the Loire of California, if they are lucky. Basically look for the highest elevation in California, Paso, could be interesting with the wall of mountains separating vines from beach, peculiar micro-climates and granite....and all around, look for the rare old vines.. Her eyes vibrated. "Old vines? Forty years?" When I told her some eighty years and beyond and look for the old 'goblet' (she didn't know the term, head pruned) she got excited. She had no idea, "So there's hope!" Even though there are hardly any left, I said, "Look, it's not that there isn't some potential in California. It's not that they can't make some really kick ass wines, it's just they don't. They lost their way. Maybe they'll find it once again."

The Elusive Californian Terroir

I hooked up with my friend Pascaline who is here from France. On a breezy visit she said to me with her characteristic urgency said, "I need to learn about American wine, quick." Then she asked me for a book on the 'terroir' of California. And I realized there are press releases, there are AVA sites but a book on California terroir and how it relates to the state's wine is unfortunately so irrelevant. "Pascaline, how do you address terroir in a their prevalent wine culture (okay, okay, I'm not saying that there are some exceptions--I'm saying prevalent) that denies terroir except when it is a marketing tool? " One could write a book, and maybe it exists, on the characteristics of California terroir, I've even heard Peter Wasserman, Becky of Burgundy's son, hold forth on the differences, but what do I really think? Oh come Alice, tell us what you really think: in a region mostly tecnolizes it's wines to the market, how is it even up for discussion? Poor petite Pascaline, who one day soon, maybe even in November, might be the next meuilluer sommelier du monde, just couldn't comprehend. So, with a half block to spare before we parted ways, she to the Pegu Club for les cocktail and I to Fat Burning Pilates for increased metabolism, I said,� Here is the story: Napa =Fog. Sonoma=slightly cooler so they think they're superior. Anderson and Mendocino, the Loire of California, if they are lucky. Basically look for the highest elevation in California, Paso, could be interesting with the wall of mountains separating vines from beach, peculiar micro-climates and granite....and all around, look for the rare old vines.. Her eyes vibrated. "Old vines? Forty years?" When I told her some eighty years and beyond and look for the old 'goblet' (she didn't know the term, head pruned) she got excited. She had no idea, "So there's hope!" Even though there are hardly any left, I said, "Look, it's not that there isn't some potential in California. It's not that they can't make some really kick ass wines, it's just they don't. They lost their way. Maybe they'll find it once again."

Added Tannin Gives Red Wine a Bad Name?

This is just my little theory that I have utterly no basis for. It is in the same category as my belief that Ximanavro is genetically related to Sagrantino, I'm just skating on instinct. Two years ago I was having dinner with a publicist I know in Los Angeles. She passed the wine list to me and said, "It seems I have a problem with red wine." I was mulling over our choices in red Burgundy. I was not happy to hear this. "What kind of allergy?" I asked. She looked around because she was known in this place. She lowered her voice. she didn't establish eye contact and said, "It makes me smell. It makes my skin smell." I wondered for a second if she had that psychological syndrome where you believe yourself to stink but no one else can smell it? But then she followed it up with, "My husband complains about it. He refuses to sleep with me, so I've been only drinking white lately." I thought about this and gave my diagnosis which, I had no medical basis for. I proposed that she might be allergic to added tannins--those nasty ones so common in modern wines. The tannins are added because some winemakers are obsessed with pumping up their color and believe this can do this or cure sunburnt grapes and also adjust mouthfeel. The tannins available are grape, oak and chestnut. This woman had some of those clients and drank mostly Californian and Australia wines. I ordered a bottle of Genetet Pansiot Gevrey and asked her to call me in the morning if her husband complained. I was the writer and she could blame me, so we ordered the wine. There was no problem. She was really happy about the outcome. Red wine was hers again, (as long as she didn't have to drink her client's) Then, I was talking to my friend Dr. Parzen who told me that his uncle's wife complained that red wine made her 'poop.' It seems to have given her the runs. The runs? This was news to me. They're both news to me. Then I heard someone say that new oak gives them the runs as well. If we're to believe this all fingers do point to additive tannins as an allergy source. Any scientists out there?

Added Tannin Gives Red Wine a Bad Name?

This is just my little theory that I have utterly no basis for. It is in the same category as my belief that Ximanavro is genetically related to Sagrantino, I'm just skating on instinct. Two years ago I was having dinner with a publicist I know in Los Angeles. She passed the wine list to me and said, "It seems I have a problem with red wine." I was mulling over our choices in red Burgundy. I was not happy to hear this. "What kind of allergy?" I asked. She looked around because she was known in this place. She lowered her voice. she didn't establish eye contact and said, "It makes me smell. It makes my skin smell." I wondered for a second if she had that psychological syndrome where you believe yourself to stink but no one else can smell it? But then she followed it up with, "My husband complains about it. He refuses to sleep with me, so I've been only drinking white lately." I thought about this and gave my diagnosis which, I had no medical basis for. I proposed that she might be allergic to added tannins--those nasty ones so common in modern wines. The tannins are added because some winemakers are obsessed with pumping up their color and believe this can do this or cure sunburnt grapes and also adjust mouthfeel. The tannins available are grape, oak and chestnut. This woman had some of those clients and drank mostly Californian and Australia wines. I ordered a bottle of Genetet Pansiot Gevrey and asked her to call me in the morning if her husband complained. I was the writer and she could blame me, so we ordered the wine. There was no problem. She was really happy about the outcome. Red wine was hers again, (as long as she didn't have to drink her client's) Then, I was talking to my friend Dr. Parzen who told me that his uncle's wife complained that red wine made her 'poop.' It seems to have given her the runs. The runs? This was news to me. They're both news to me. Then I heard someone say that new oak gives them the runs as well. If we're to believe this all fingers do point to additive tannins as an allergy source. Any scientists out there?

Niche Blogs from Food & Wine Magazine

I was doing my weekly self-Google and found that Lawrence Marcus, who I don't know but has very fine taste (;) of Food & Wine magazine included me in a round up of niche wine blogs. For some reason the link isn't working, so here is the text. I know this self-congratulatory stuff is bordering on pompous and I hope you forgive me. ++ Niche Wine Blogs There are too many wine sites to count�ours alone is a source for 12,000 bottles to buy and pair with food�and they can sometimes be wonky or too broad. Here are five wine blogs that have carved out smart and focused niches in the wine web. By Lawrence Marcus Veritas in Vino Written by Alice Feiring, Veritas in Vino might be the best blog that concentrates on �natural� wines, varihttp://www.movabletype.org/ously defined by Feiring as �non-trickster� or �made with ultra-minimal intervention.� Though Feiring treats the subject with an urgency bordering on militant (she recently called the ubiquitous Veuve Clicquot Champagne �undrinkable�), her wine recommendations are frequently terrific and always unexpected. Come here for tips on Burgundy, grower Champagne and a slew of little-known and under-valued appellations. alicefeiring.com He also included: chateaupetrogasm.com, fermentation.typepad.com goodwineunder20.blogspot.com quaffability.com

Niche Blogs from Food & Wine Magazine

I was doing my weekly self-Google and found that Lawrence Marcus, who I don't know but has very fine taste (;) of Food & Wine magazine included me in a round up of niche wine blogs. For some reason the link isn't working, so here is the text. I know this self-congratulatory stuff is bordering on pompous and I hope you forgive me. ++ Niche Wine Blogs There are too many wine sites to count�ours alone is a source for 12,000 bottles to buy and pair with food�and they can sometimes be wonky or too broad. Here are five wine blogs that have carved out smart and focused niches in the wine web. By Lawrence Marcus Veritas in Vino Written by Alice Feiring, Veritas in Vino might be the best blog that concentrates on �natural� wines, varihttp://www.movabletype.org/ously defined by Feiring as �non-trickster� or �made with ultra-minimal intervention.� Though Feiring treats the subject with an urgency bordering on militant (she recently called the ubiquitous Veuve Clicquot Champagne �undrinkable�), her wine recommendations are frequently terrific and always unexpected. Come here for tips on Burgundy, grower Champagne and a slew of little-known and under-valued appellations. alicefeiring.com He also included: chateaupetrogasm.com, fermentation.typepad.com goodwineunder20.blogspot.com quaffability.com