Regulars know it’s not possible to completely describe the transcendental experience of a Crystal Quail evening. After the ritual pilgramage through the back-est of Center Barnstead, New Hampshire country roads and arriving in the middle of nowhere to find a small 18th century farmhouse glowing in the setting sun just twenty yards uphill of the rear over sized garden whose bounty is being prepped at […]
Reconnecting with Cotes du Ventoux in New Hampshire
With the 2006 in distribution and the 2007 releasing, stumbling across the 2005 Chateau Pesquie Terrasses at a local New Hampshire State Liquor store last week was a pleasant surprise. I grabbed the remaining 4 bottles on sale at $10.99, ignoring the half dozen 04s and asked for more 05. With the New Hampshire State Commission selling the 04, 05, […]
Wine Economics: A Consumer and Critic Weigh In
I have been in a digital desert for the last week, dealing with computer problems compounded by a stretch of travel without a laptop. Please excuse the brief WineZag siesta and take a quick few steps back with me to follow up on a previous WineZag post on runaway Bordeaux prices getting in the way of reasonable […]
Bordeaux Sucker Punch Ruins Wine Independence for All
Catching up on some overdue reading during the long Fourth of July holiday weekend, I was struck by a disconnect between two really interesting pieces of material. Wine enthusiasts face significant challenges that threaten a pronouncement of clipped shackles found in the primarily good spirited and reflective recent Alder Yarrow “Declaration of Independence” . Enthusiasts continue to be repressed by a profound problem, overlooked in Yarrow’s celebration of expanding wine availability and information sharing, and inadvertently demonstrated in Robert […]
Wine Discounts: Navigating the Email Jungle
I paused early this morning, scanning the middle third of the countless daily emails from preferred wine retailers that stared at me in unread boldface headlines hawking discounts worthy of going-out-of-business sales. Bin Ends Wine shop, a shrewd on and off-line wine monger with a uniquely well defined quality and value formula, was offering the 2001 Mauro Vendimia Seleccionada for $40 in three-pack buys. I […]
Two Styles of Cotes du Rhone for Now and Later
I can’t have enough transforming wine in my cellar; tannins melting and fruit evolving creating advanced and sensually pleasing characteristics to be enjoyed down the line. I am hooked on it. But inventory and time is money and it makes sense to seek out efficient cellaring strategies. Buoyed by just enough concurrence from fellow Rhone fans on […]
Cote du Rhones for the Ages?
Tasting through this year’s release parade of 2007 Cote du Rhones (CDR) reflects an intensity of reward found in vintages where mother nature sets the perfect table. I have been grinning and tasting the releasing 07 CDRs acknowledging their richness, depth of fruit, aligned structure, and across the board enjoyment. They offer a value buying opportunity with only one question; Buy just enough to drink over […]
2005 Sierra Cantabria Crianza
The 2005 Sierra Cantabria Crianza rises to the top of my charts in the continuous search for world class wines in the sub $20 range. I stumbled across this Rioja last night on a restaurant list for $38 a bottle. A quick check shows it can be bought for mid teens at retail. It is a 100% Tempranillo that […]
90 Points of Costco Wine
It seems legitimate to me that Costco, operating at an incredibly low 0.2% retail margin, seeks maximum turns and sales volume for its entire inventory. As a big box, non specialty retailer chasing lowest possible SGA expense in a declining sales environment, Costco leans on merchandising advantages like brand names and informational signage as strategy elements to turbo power sales volume. So, if Costco wine […]
Gallo for a Nickel or Dime? A Cleansing Period for the Wine Industry at Any Price
The blogosphere has been glowing garnet with empirical proof that the US wine industry haphazardly exposed their flanks to foreign importers with business plans to dominate the value segments of the domestic US fine wine market (recent WineZag post). The industry continued to plant, expand, and gear up for the $50-$125 dead zone in today’s market. Not all the competitive imported value wines were sweet, […]
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