The Wine Savant: A Guide to the New Wine Culture (21 page)

^*
Wines that can be purchased for under $100 a bottle.

Acknowledgments

Pity the children whose parents are working on books at the same time. While I was writing this book, my wife, Kathy Brennan, was writing a cookbook and helping to edit another. We never missed a basketball game or dance recital, but it was probably not the most enjoyable eighteen months for our kids, James and Ava. I thank them for their patience, and nervously await the payback that will surely be coming our way during their teen years, which will be arriving all too soon. I thank Kathy, too, for her encouragement and love. If a marriage can survive three books at once, it is a strong marriage, and she is a wonderful partner.

I want to thank Maria Guarnaschelli, my editor at Norton. She is a legendary figure in the culinary world, and it was an honor and pleasure to have had the opportunity to work with her. Thanks, as well, to her assistant, Mitchell Kohles, for all his help, and to Liz Duvall, whose copyediting was not only superb but also quite entertaining (a wine snob? Moi?).

I owe a debt of gratitude to my agent, Sloan Harris. He is a great advocate and an invaluable source of advice, and I feel very fortunate to be represented by him. My thanks, too, to the rest of the team at ICM.

I also want to thank my parents, John and Rita Steinberger, and my in-laws, Joseph and Keiko Brennan, for all their support, and my thanks, too, to the extended Steinberger and Brennan families.

Last, I want to express my appreciation to the wine community—to the many winemakers, wine merchants, and wine enthusiasts who have answered my queries, challenged my preconceptions, and helped make me a better wine writer. Wine is an endlessly fascinating subject, and the wine world is home to some of the smartest, nicest, most engaging people that I've encountered in my work as a journalist. I feel privileged to be part of that world.

Index

Entries correspond to the print edition of this book. You can use your device's search function to locate particular terms in the text.

ABC (anything but Chardonnay), 128, 131

Achatz, Grant, 85

Acker Merrall & Condit, 167

Adrià, Ferran, 85

Adventures on the Wine Route
(Lynch), 26–27

Aglianico, 153

Aglianico grape, 8, 152, 153, 159–60

Agrapart Champagne, 118

agriculture:

biodynamic, 68–75, 76–77, 102, 138

industrialized, 70, 76

management of, 71

organic, 70–71, 74

use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in, 70, 72

see also
viticulture

Alain Junguenet/Wines of France, 51

Albariño grape, 8, 135, 152, 156, 157, 159

alcohol, 9

body, texture, and sweetness of, 65

flavor of, 39–40

legal regulation of, 43–44, 65

politics and, 12

preferences in, 3–4, 12

sexual performance and, 19

in wine, 19, 33–34, 61, 62, 65–68, 91, 96, 100, 101, 102, 133

Aligoté grape, 111

Alinea, 85

alleles, 41

Alston, Julian, 66

Alzheimer's disease, 19

Angers, 71

animal experiments, 19

anthroposophy, 69–70

anti-flavor wine elite (AFWE), 60, 61

antioxidants, 19, 76

Appellations d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC), 105–6

appellation system, 103–6, 136–37

Araujo Estate Wines, 69

Argentina:

Mendoza region of, 51

wines of, 6

Armand Rousseau, Domaine, 124

Arneis grape, 153

Arnot-Roberts Wines, 108, 131

aromas, 3, 28–30, 35, 63, 73

change of, 30

gamey, 157, 161

maturing of, 56

metaphors for, 22, 24, 28–29, 127, 163

oak, 64

rotten-egg, 57

savory, 22, 23

sense of place exuded by, 24

sweet and fruity, 5, 22, 23, 24, 30

tainted, 39, 56, 57, 154–55

art, 16, 38

arteries, fatty deposits in, 18–19

Asimov, Eric, 14–16

Assyrtiko, 153, 158

Assyrtiko grape, 158

Aubuisières, Domaine des, 137

Au Bon Climat Winery, 109, 131

Auslese, 133, 166

Australia, 57, 158, 161

Barossa Valley region of, 8, 65, 107

McLaren Vale region of, 51

wine importers of, 51, 52

wines of, 32, 37, 51, 61, 67, 76, 91, 134, 141, 145, 159

Australian Premium Wine Collection, 51

Austria:

wine importers of, 51

wines of, 134, 135, 153

bacteria, 79

Bandol, 32

Barbaresco, 5, 48, 56

aging of, 63

old, 55

Barbeito Madeira Terrantez, 1795, 25

Barbera grape, 160

Barolo, 5, 32, 34, 48, 56

aging of, 63

old, 55

Barquín, Jesús, 74

barrels:

aging in, 17, 62–65

flavor imparted from, 61, 62–65

oak, 61, 62–65, 79

Barrett, Heidi, 99

Barrett, Jim, 129

Bartolo Mascarello, 55

Bartoshuk, Linda, 39

battonage
, 120

Baumard, Domaine des, 138

Bear Stearns, 141

Beaucastel, Château de, 69, 161

Beaujolais, 6

artisanal
cru
, 5, 78

Becky Wasserman Selections, 51

beer, 88

blue-collar bona fides of, 15, 17

connoisseurs of, 15

craft, 17

culture of, 15, 17

pairing food with, 91, 92

“skunked,” 57

upmarket move of, 17

wine drinking vs. drinking of, 3–4, 12, 15, 17

Beerenauslese Wine, 133

beer snobs, 15

Bellow, Saul, 70

Billionaire's Vinegar, The
(Wallace), 10

Biodivin group, 74

biodynamicsisahoax.com, 73

biodynamic viticulture, 68–75, 76–77, 102, 138

certification of, 76–77

controversy and skepticism about, 69, 73–75

cosmic aspects of, 70–71

ideological and cultish aspects of, 69–71, 73–74

origins of, 69–71

quality of wines created in, 69, 74–75

schism in, 74

use of natural fertilizers and pesticides in, 71, 75

Blaufränkisch, 153, 159

Blaufränkisch grape, 8, 159

blood circulation, 19

blood clot prevention, 18

Bloomer Creek Winery, 135

Blot, Jacky, 137

Blue Nun Wine, 134

Blumenthal, Heston, 85

Bordeaux, 27, 32, 35, 58, 64, 114–16, 118, 123–24, 163

alcohol levels in, 33

blind tastings of, 123

classified-growth, 57

collecting of, 56

1855, 45, 123, 124

fake, 10

first growths of, 8, 123–24, 162, 168

loss of interest in, 110–11, 114, 118–19, 170

prices of, 54, 55, 141, 143

top-growth, 53

2005, 47–48

Bordeaux
(Parker), 27

Bordeaux/Burgundy: A Vintage Rivalry
(Pitte), 115

bottles:

Bring Your Own (BYO), 89–90

“corked,” 38, 56–57, 58–59

cost of, 4, 21–22, 26, 34, 44, 45, 48, 54, 87, 89, 99, 137, 140–50

empty, 24

evolution of wine in, 27, 30

“off,” 38–39, 163

sealants for, 56–59

temperature of, 44

variability of same wine among, 45

Bouchard Père et Fils, 122

Boulud, Daniel, 84

brandy, sugarcane, 169

Brazil wine market, 8

brettanomyces, 29

Brillat-Savarin, Jean Anthelme, 32

Brinkman, Jeff, 102

British Press Council, 29

Broadbent, Michael, 28–29

Brock University, 40

Brown, Tina, 29

Brun, Jean-Paul, 106, 154–55

Brunello di Montalcino, 35

Bruno Giacosa Winery, 55

Bual grape, 169

Budweiser Beer, 15, 17, 142

Burgundy, 8, 32, 33, 58, 62, 100, 101, 133, 162, 166

ascendant popularity of, 110–25

collecting of, 56, 119–20

complexity of, 112

fake, 10

Gallo Hearty, 22

grand cru
, 48, 57, 83, 111, 115, 122–23, 126, 168

négociant
, 122

premature oxidation in, 119–21

premier cru
, 22, 57, 111, 115, 122–23

prices of, 54, 55, 141, 143

rare, 8, 141, 168

red, 30, 34, 35, 48, 67, 84, 103

2005, 47–48, 49

value, 122–23

villages
, 111, 122

white, 34, 83, 92, 119–21, 129, 135

Cabernet Franc, 111

Cabernet Franc grape, 157, 160–61

Cabernet Sauvignon, 4, 28, 76, 113

California, 55, 64, 94, 97–99, 108, 109

French, 110–11, 113, 127

Merlot blended with, 111

Napa, 31, 32, 56, 66, 69, 99, 113, 141

Ridge Monte Bello, 55, 104

Stag's Leap, 1973, 94

Washington State, 21

Cabernet Sauvignon grape, 8, 66, 110, 111, 152–53, 160

Calera Wine, 98, 109

California, 7–8, 63, 66–67

Anderson Valley, 102

Central Coast of, 84, 97, 98, 145–46

debate over formal classification for wines of, 103–6

history of viticulture in, 104

inexpensive wines of, 144

Mendocino County, 101

Napa Valley region of, 7, 8, 31, 32, 46, 66, 69, 95, 97–99, 113, 141, 147

reliable climate of, 95

Santa Cruz Mountains region of, 96, 97–98, 101–2, 168

Silicon Valley, 98, 100, 101

Sonoma Valley region of, 7, 31, 66, 96, 97, 98, 100, 101, 129, 147, 168

terroir
movement in, 98–100, 107–8

vintages of the 1970s–1980s in, 95

vintages of the 1990s in, 95–96

wines of, 31–34, 46, 64, 94–109

California, University of, at Davis, 66

Calvinism, 21, 142

Camille Savès Champagne, 118

Canary Islands, 8

cancer, 19

Carignan, 6

Carmenere, 6–7

Carmenere grape, 6–7

Castilla y León, 156

Cava, 90

Cédric Bouchard Champagne, 118

Chablis, 49, 157

grand cru
, 22

Chadderdon, Robert, 51

Chambolle-Musigny, 112

Champagne, 35, 116–18, 166

collecting of, 56

food combinations with, 90, 92

grapes blended in, 117

nonvintage, 90

Champagne flutes, 35

chaptalization, 77

Chardonnay, 28, 50, 69, 128–31

blanc de blancs
, 128

buttery note in, 29, 130, 131

California, 31, 34, 84, 94, 97–98, 108, 109, 128–31, 157

Chateau Montelena, 1973, 94, 129

as a cocktail, 131

French, 96, 121, 128, 138

malolactic fermentation of, 29, 130

pairing food with, 131

Rhys Horseshoe Vineyard, 131

Sandhi Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, 131

Sonoma, 31

Yellow Tail, 22

Chardonnay grape, 8, 49, 66, 72, 97, 100, 111, 117, 127, 135, 136, 152, 159, 166

Charlie Trotter's, 83

Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 24, 32–33, 161

Chave, Jean-Louis, 145, 146

Chave Hermitage Cuvée Cathelin, Domaine, 1991, 25

cheese, 18

Chenin Blanc, 135–38

Clos du Bourg, 137

French, 136–38

Le Haut-Lieu, 137

Le Mont, 137

South African, 136

Chenin Blanc grape, 72, 135–36, 159

Cheval Blanc, Château, 124, 160

1947, 25, 162–64, 167

Chianti, 33, 35

Chicago, Ill., 17, 85

Chidaine, François, 137

Chile:

earthquake of 2010 in, 6

Maule region of, 6

wines of, 6–7

China:

rise of, 9

wine market of, 8

cholesterol:

HDL, 18

LDL, 18–19

Cinsault, 6

climate change, 9, 33, 66, 96, 113, 133, 158, 165–66

Climens, Château, 144

Clos de la Coulée de Serrant, 71–72

Clos du Bourg, 137

Closel, Domaine du, 138

Clos Naudin, Domaine du, 137

Clos Ouvert Winery, 6

Coche-Dury, Domaine J.-F., 25, 120, 125, 138

cocktail parties, 17

Columbia University, 72

Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine, The
(Seldon), 14

Comtes de Vogüé, Domaine, 125

Comtes Lafon, Domaine des, 125, 145

Copain Wines, 100–101, 108, 131

corks, 56–59

natural, 57, 58

popping of, 58

synthetic, 58

tainted, 38, 56–57, 58–59, 120

corkscrews, 34, 35–36

Corsica, 158

Corton-Charlemagne, 88

Côte Chalonnaise, 122

Côte-Rôtie, 33

Côtes du Rhône, 56–57, 145

Coulée de Serrant Estate, 71–73, 75, 137–38

cow manure, 68, 69, 71

craft beer movement, 17

criminology, 74

culture, 17, 41

beer, 15, 17

high, 14

pop, 12–13

wine, 11, 27, 50

Curnonsky (Maurice Edmond Sailland), 72

Cuvée de Silex, 137

CVNE, 55

Dan Kravitz/Hand Picked Selections, 51

Dashe Cellars, 108

decanters, 34

Declaration of Independence, 168

De Maison Selections, 52

Demeter International, 74

Democratic Party, 12

de Villaine, Aubert, 95, 145, 147

diacetyl, 29

dinner parties, 17

diseases:

chronic pulmonary, 19

gerontological, 19

Do Ferreiro Wine, 135

Domaine Select Wine Estates, 52

Dominus, 95–96, 108

Dom Pérignon, 140

Donkey and Goat, 108

Dönnhoff Wines, 134, 139

Draper, Paul, 78, 96, 145

Dr. Konstantin Frank Wine Cellars, 135

Dr. Loosen Wine, 134

Drouhin, 122

Dujac, Domaine, 124

DuPont, 39

Edmunds, Steve, 66

Egly-Ouriet Champagne, 118

Eisele Vineyard, 98–99, 104