A Wine Story

Book Review: Penin's Guide to Spanish Wine

Do you like Spanish wine? If you are like most wine aficionados, the answer is a resounding ‘yes.” Why do so many people around the world prefer Spanish wine? Well, for one thing, in today’s challenging economic climate, Spanish wine is a delicious bargain. And there isn’t anything remotely close to “generic” Spanish wine because each region has its own grape varietal and vinification technique.

Making Spanish wine easy to understand is Jose Penin and his Penin Guide to Spanish Wine. The 2008 guide has just come out, and many producers from Spain came to celebrate and showcase their wine at New York’s W Hotel. The wines exhibited were rated 87 to 93 points, and reflect the “New Values” of Spanish Wine.

Jose Pennin is Spain’s version of Robert Parker. His guide rates wines and provides very vivid descriptions, and also educates the reader about the various regions, terroir, and soils. Even if you know nothing of wine or Spain, by the time you finish reading this book you will be an expert.

The book begins with a discussion of Spanish varietals. White grapes include Airen (Spain’s most widely planted grape), Albarino, Garnacha Blanca, Malvasia, Palomino, and dozens of other white grapes you probably have not heard of. You probably are already familiar with Spain’s reds, which include the famous Tempranillo, Garnacha, and the very trendy Mencia from Bierzo. Scanning the other red grape varieties in Penin’s book will alert you to know many other dozens of grapes you can find in Spain.

In the next chapter, Penin introduces you to the best terroirs in Spain, which includes stony soils, clay-calcareous soils, sandy soils, and volcanic soils. The influence of the soil on the aroma of wine is tremendous. Granite and sandy soils, for example, provide a certain bluntness to the wine and give it clean aromas. Gravel soils produce wine with earthy aromas. Simply scan the information about the soil’s effect on aroma and you will surprise and amaze your friends with your knowledge.

Next, you will learn about climates and microclimates. The Atlantic, as you may well imagine, is humid and wet with rain all year round. Wines struggle to mature and are high in malic acid (which is why some of the best wines from Galacia are so acidic and mineral-driven). In contrasts, wines from a Mediterranean climate like Jumilla produce fuller-bodied wines with a higher alcohol content. If you want to go to Spain to experience the wines first hand, Penin also includes a list of local wine fairs in Spain, along with his personal comments and contact numbers.

However, the “meat” of the book is the reviews and ratings of the wines themselves, organized by Denomination of Origin (DO), which is the Spanish ranking system of quality wines. You will find illustrative maps of the DO region and main concentration of vineyards, a general view of the area with a brief commentary on its current situation and foreseeable future, general characteristics of the regions wines, and a fantastic index. This book is really a must for the casual wine drinker as well as the connoisseur. Cheers!

Review: Educating Peter, by Lettie Teague

            Are you curious to learn more about wine but afraid to ask? You are not alone. A few decades ago, many Americans who didn’t know their Burgundy from their Bordeaux felt intimidated by scary, middle-aged, male sommeliers who approached tables at fine dining restaurants with a silver tastevin (a small, very shallow silver cup or saucer traditionally used by sommeliers to taste wine) hanging menacingly from their neck. Today, the situation has reversed itself, with knowledgeable, fresh-faced sommeliers and wine directors, many of them women, assisting guests in a friendly, approachable way with their wine selection.

            Even so, many Americans remain intimidated by the hundreds of varieties, regions, and producers to be found on restaurant lists. Busy with their own professional and personal lives, many people realize the importance of understanding wine for social reasons, but feel they do not have the time, patience, or intelligence to learn. 

            Enter Lettie Teague, executive wine editor of Food & Wine magazine, who has written an absolutely first rate book on the topic titled <i>Educating Peter: How I Taught a Famous Movie Critic the Difference between Cabernet and Merlot or How Anybody Can Become an (Almost) Instant Wine Expert.<i/>

            What is great about this book is how easily and effortlessly Teague gives you key, first rate information about the various wine varietals, regions, and methods of vinification in lively, conversational sound bites. Teague accomplishes this through her conversations with her friend Peter Travers, the film critic for Rolling Stone magazine, who with Teague’s help slowly develops a curiosity and palate for fine wine. The movie critic asks the wine writer simple questions most of us yearn to ask an expert – if we dared! As one reads the book, readers get questions answered without the risk of posing a potentially “stupid question.”

            Beyond Teague’s lively writing style, what is really fun about this book is reading Traver’s observations as he explores different wines and regions. As a film critic, Travers sees wine through the eyes of one trained in visual storytelling. In his colorful commentary, his “Aha” moments are so brilliantly and visually described that even without tasting the wine he holds in his glass, we get a vivid sense of the wine, the style, the region, and what food it might pair well with.

            If you have ever personally tried to describe a movie to a friend, you might have resorted to descriptions such as “it’s like <i> Pretty Woman </i>meets <i> Must Love Dogs</i>. Writers in the film business do this too, as a “short cut” way of getting the producer they are pitching a quick sense of the kind of story they hope to write.

           Describing taste is somewhat more difficult. This is where Teague’s brilliance – and Travers’ descriptive, visual mind -- come into play. One of my favorite passages is when Teague gives her student a bottle of eight-year old white Sancerre (a Sauvignon Blanc from the region of Sancerre in the Loire Valley) to prove that most wines are meant to drink in a year or two after release, and not meant to age. “This smells like a basement!” Travers says, after sniffing in disgust. When Teague gives him a fresh bottle of the same wine from a recent vintage, he can hardly believe it is the same wine. “The aroma is so bright!” he exclaims. Teague notes that Travers tends to describe scents in visual terms, adding “which makes him sound a bit like Barry Manilow, particularly when he describes a Sauvignon Blanc as having a “lemon feeling.”

           If you’ve ever been confused when someone describes a wine as being “closed” or “extracted” you will be pleased to find a comprehensive tasting vocabulary on pages 22 – 27. And you will also find sections on “Old World Wine” and “New World Wine” listing everything you have to know about important regions and wines in these areas.

            In the sub-title of her book, Teague promises that anyone can become an “almost” instant wine expert . Here’s my promise to you: read this book cover to cover, get friendly with your local wine store clerk and tell this individual you want to explore (affordable within your means) wines representative of the various regions Teague discusses, taste and discuss the wines and their regions with a friend, and within a month, you will possibly know more than ninety-five percent of the American population.

Hip Tastes Review

Are you a newly minted executive in your twenties who suddenly finds you are in a world where you have to instantly know everything there is to know about wine? In today’s world, people just a few years out of college find themselves in jobs and social situations when wine is frequently a topic of conversation. Since most American families do not serve wine at the dinner table and in college, beer is often the drink of choice, Hip Tastes: The Fresh Guide to Wine, by Courtney Cochran, is required reading.

Describing herself as a “regular gal” with a newly minted MBA and sommelier certification, Cochran segued into running her own San Francisco based special-events company, Hip Tastes Events, which inspired the book. And in writing the book, Cochran managed to provide a chatty, service-oriented handbook to beginning oenophiles of every age.

Cochran sometimes refers to her book as "Cliffs Notes" for understanding wine, and she is right. While covering every area of wine production (the soil, winemaking styles) Cochran manages to get to the gist of the matter without pontification. In less than 300 easy-to-understand pages, she whizzes through the wine regions and wine styles of the world, giving the reader the necessary background to understand the wine, the region, and the style, without layering on so much detail she loses her audience in the process. On top of giving her readers and education about wine, she also reveals

-- techniques for not getting "ripped-off" in restaurants
-- food-pairing ideas
-- recommended producers in increasingly popular wine regions

If you are already a wine maven, consider Hip Tastes as a gift for the college grad of your choice. And if you are just beginning your wine education, you will find this chatty, upbeat, information-filled book an asset — whatever your age.

First Big Crush, by Eric Arnold Reviewed by Marisa D'Vari

First Big Crush: The Down and Dirty on Making Great Wine Down Under by Eric Arnold

Reviewed  by Marisa D'Vari

So you've seen the film Sideways and know how geeky wine aficionados can get about their favorite grape. Hey, you've been there too after a few glasses of Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon. Once upon a time you felt pretty slick about your wine savvy, but now you're curious to learn more. How is wine made, anyway? What happens during the harvest? Are grapes stomped, Lucille Ball style, by humans standing in a large wooden cask, or is it a mechanical process?

Duly motivated, you zip off to the store and find dozens of books detailing how wine is made. Yet after skimming the dry, dense, detailed paragraphs that remind you of your high school chemistry textbook, your eyes glaze over.

Enter Eric Arnold, whose new book, First Big Crush, is a colorful, laugh-out-loud funny account of his tenure during a New Zealand grape harvest, filled with wacky real-life characters. Of course, I should have figured as much. The first time I saw Arnold, on a WineSpectator.com video clip, he was cleaning the interior of a wine tank, gangly jean-covered legs waving in the air. This guy, I thought, is up for anything.

What first brings Arnold, then an unemployed editor, to Alan Scott Wines in New Zealand is the prospect of getting paid to lazily drink wine in the sun. Very quickly, Arnold discovers winemaking is real work, and dangerous at that. One day, he shows up for his assigned task without boots, expecting to simply push a button. To his surprise, he's expected to kick a half-ton container of grapes, and nearly loses a toe. Instead of sympathizing, Arnold's New Zealand colleagues taunt him, asking why he's walking like a girl.

Arnold's first-person voice is candid and bold, his literary style so lively you won't feel you're reading text as much as you are experiencing the harvest at Arnold's side. In one scene, he is told to walk through the rows of grape vines with a bucket and randomly grab fistfuls of grapes. What activity could possibly be more repetitive and boring? Arnold must have thought long and hard about how to make the process of grabbing grapes colorful and descriptive for the reader, for here is how he chronicles it: "Essentially, you're simulating the world of a machine harvester, which doesn't discriminate, ripping everything off like it just got out of prison and the vine is the dress on a twenty-dollar whore."

In the course of these hilarious 245 pages, you also learn a great deal about Arnold and his twenty-something, slightly slacker-esque, and very male way of viewing the world. For instance, when discussing his relationship with a French girlfriend, he writes, "I'm afraid this isn't the part where I tell you that she took me back to France and taught me everything there is to know about Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne. She had so little interest in food and wine - plus she didn't smoke and she shaved her armpits - that they must have kicked her out of France for not being French enough."

First Big Crush is a highly entertaining but solid primer about the wine making process, told from the vantage point of a likable and very direct narrator. If you've ever wondered how wines are judged in competition, or what factors influence the pricing of wine, you'll see the process through Arnold's eyes. And if you ever fantasized about what it is like to work the harvest but didn't want to get wet and dirty, you can get the vicarious experience right here.

Review: The Wine Bible

The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil
Reviewed by Marisa D'Vari

Imagine yourself at one of the popular new wine bars in your town. You are sipping a glass of red wine perfumed with notes of violet and lavender – a departure from your typical request for a California Cabernet Sauvignon. You take another sip and wonder what combination of soil and sunlight could produce such a succulent wine? Your curiosity roused, you look at the label on the bottle and see it is from the Languedoc – a region in Southern France.

Suddenly, you are bursting with questions about the region. What grape is the wine made from? What is the typical climate of the area? Who are the top winemakers in the region? And if you were going to serve it at a dinner party, what foods would pair best with it?

Karen MacNeil, director of the wine program at the Culinary Institute of America in the Napa Valley, has crafted an excellent book in the appropriately named book, , a terrific 910 page resource for amateur and seasoned wine lovers alike. This book starts out with the basics, with MacNeil explaining the elements, such as sun, water, and soil necessary for good wine, and goes on to the more complex issues of wine making and regional styles.

What I liked best about the book is that MacNeil takes you to vineyards all over the world, describing the climate and terrain with such detail and color you will feel as if you are there, by her side, seeing it for yourself. She even introduces you to winemakers, taking you deep into their dank, dark cellars so you can taste the wine for yourself. Then she describes the local cuisine in such tantalizing detail you’ll want to rush out and create your own wine and food pairing based on the succulent flavors described in that chapter.

You will find many ways to use this book. Instead of reading it from beginning to end, you might try to use it as a reference guide. Did you have a great Chianti at a restaurant and want to find out more about the region? Pick up this book and go to the appropriate chapter. Are you having friends over for drinks and want to show off your wine sophistication? Read up on the wines you’ll be serving and surprise your guests with some fun, colorful facts about the wine. Do you love to cook and are you eager to find the perfect pairing for a recipe you just saw in Food & Wine magazine? You’ll find it in this incredible resource.

Here are some other things you will discover:

- how to taste and analyze wine like a professional - how to read a wine label - how to write your own tasting notes - how to store and serve wine - and much more.

With this book in hand, you can set up your own classes, or study sessions. One week you might study the wines of France, and buy wines from the region. The next week, you can do the same thing with Spain. What makes it even more fun is if you can get a partner or some friends together and make a party of it.

So the next time you find yourself in a wine bar, eager to learn more about what you are drinking, or in a wine store, wondering what to buy, sneak a peek in this book. Sooner than you think, friends and co-workers will see you as the go-to wine expert in your circle.

How to Buy Wine at Auction

The Wine Lover's Guide to Auctions: The Art & Science of Buying And Selling Wines

Book Review by Marisa D'Vari

Okay , so you’ve seen the film Sideways and have been trying to learn about wine ever since. You’re questioning sommeliers in restaurants, taking courses, and buying wine from shops where the clerks know their Bordeaux from their Burgundy. Quite possibly, you’ve made inquiries about turning your basement into a climate-controlled wine cellar.

So far, so good.

Now that you’ve become something of an oenophile, the next step is to begin stocking your cellar with the good stuff. Unfortunately, if you’re serious about collecting wine, you may find that the very best wines are available by allocation only. This means that in order to create the cellar of your dreams, you will have to buy wine at auction.

Ursula Hermacinski, the author of The Wine Lover’s Guide to Auctions: The Art and Science of Buying and Selling Wines, has been one of the most successful auctioneers in the world for over 20 years. Much of that time was spent with the world-renowned auction house Christies, with offices in London, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Her excellently organized book presents a clear understanding of the auction process from start to finish and is divided into four parts.

In Part One, Ursula explains how to get started, elaborating on both the history and details of the auction process, in addition to wine basics. It also provides an overview of the history of wine auctions and details the specifics that will set the reader apart as a cunning bidder and clever seller. In this section, Ursula discusses the most popular grape varieties, how to serve wine, the importance of proper glassware, and why and when to let wine breath.

Ursula prepares you to attend and successfully bid at auction in Part Two. This section begins with a chapter devoted to understanding the catalogue, describing each of its components in extensive detail. Samples of forms are included in the book, with instructions on how the reader should fill them out. Then Ursula describes in detail what happens on “auction day” – including what to wear (anything goes), when to arrive, how to register, and what you will see. The science of selling and choosing the right auction house is the focus of Part Three, detailing the many things that can go wrong in a sale (bad wine, shipping damages, handling charges) etc. Finally, in Part Four, Ursula discusses how to expand your collection, the advantages of charity wine auctions, and how to increase your understanding of wine, primarily through traveling and tasting.

In 229 clearly written, succinct pages, this “goddess of the gavel” has revealed everything an aspiring wine collector needs to know about the auction process, including the right types of wine to buy at auction. Especially noteworthy are Ursula’s trade secrets on how to buy value wines inexpensively. Indeed, this admirable resource is so motivating one can hardly wait to zip off to the next auction and wave that bidding paddle with confidence.

What to Drink with What You Eat

Are you curious about what wine to order with your cheesecake? Intimidated by five-hundred page wine list at a top restaurant? Downright scared when the sommelier comes charging toward your table?

Relax. In the book What to Drink with What You Eat, Authors Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page have created a resource that helps even the ‘average Joe or Jane’ understand the principles of wine and food pairing. They take the conventional, canned, old-school advice of “red wine with meat, white wine with fish” to an entirely new level, based on insights learned from their previous books on cuisine, as well as interviews with America’s top, cutting-edge sommeliers.

In many ways, the format of What to Drink with What You Eat resembles a substantial wine/food pairing encyclopedia specifically designed to be quickly skimmed before heading off to a restaurant or purchasing wine for a dinner party. For example, let’s say you are entertaining clients at a steakhouse, and want to sound intelligent about wine. You know red wine typically goes with red meat, but which red? Old world or new? And what are the virtues of each? By spending just five minutes with this book (and perhaps jotting down some notes) you will be able to help your guests order a Shiraz, Barbaresco, Barolo, or good old Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon based on the elements of the sauce and cut of meat they choose.

In a similar fashion, let’s say you want to dazzle your friends and show off your new kitchen with a fabulous dinner party. Spend a few moments with this book and you will be able to pair every element of your menu with an exciting, unusual wine. No need to consult a professional wine expert, as you have this knowledge at your fingertips.

Sommeliers interviewed for this book are mostly young and more free-thinking than sommeliers of years past. They are enthusiastic about wine, regardless of it’s an exciting, new world find of exceptional value, or a fine-aged Bordeaux worth hundreds of dollars. As a group, they see their mission as helping you find a good wine to accessorize your meal within your price range. And the individual quotes from sommeliers are what makes this book so fresh and appealing.

For example, Steve Beckta of Beckta Dining & Wine in Ottawa believes that as a sommelier, it is almost more important to match a wine to a person than to match the wine to the food. Curious thought! “The most important part of being a sommelier is not your ability to taste, but your ability to empathize with the person who is in front of you,” he explains in the book.

How very true. In one instance, Beckta recalls three ‘big businessmen’ sitting at a table. One wants lamb, one wants halibut, and the other guy wants scallops. They tell him they want the “perfect” wine that matches all three, dissimilar dishes. By carefully listening to the subtext of what they are telling him, Beckta realizes they are after a wine that fits into their comfort zone, not necessarily the best match. To him, that means a “big red” from Australia and as it turns out, the businessmen love it.

Sommelier Alpana Singh, formerly of Everest in Chicago (now with the Lettuce Entertainment Group) agrees that comfort is important. She likes to serve California wines on big holidays like New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day, because people who dine out only a few ‘special nights’ a year want something they can recognize and appreciate.

If you entertain or dine out frequently, What To Drink with What You Eat is a dynamic desktop resource and wine and food pairing primer that will stimulate you to learn more about wine by further reading or classes. If you like oaky Chardonnay, for example, this book will also motivate you to try unoaked Chardonnay wines and realize the difference, especially when paired with food. Yet what works best about this book is the way you can take advantage of the authors’ extensive research and with just a few minutes of skimming, come across as a credible wine expert in front of clients, colleagues, family and friends.

Want to dazzle your friends with your wine knowledge? Check out http://www.AWineStory.com for fun, fast-reading tips and news. Marisa D’Vari is a certified wine educator from the Society of Wine Educators, certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers, and has received her Level 3 diploma from the Wine and Spirit Educational Trust. Her web site also features lively video and text interviews as well as podcasts with top international winemakers such as Robert Mondavi and John Shafer, chefs including the late Julia Child and Daniel Boulud, Charlie Palmer, and many others. She can be reached at story@AWineStory.com.