Libation Station... "The Wine Shop Chronicles"
Monday, March 31, 2008
Triage the hard way...I love Triage wines. If none of you know who they are, allow me a brief moment to give my specific representation of what they are and what they offer. They are a very small Seattle wine importer and distributor that with out a doubt has the most broad ranging eclectic book of cultish or cultish wannabe/couldabe/shouldabe wines from the west coast and around the world. Their portfolio is totally spiced with the terroir funk of chewy fruit coagulants, palate twisting exasperations priced within more than tolerant reason, all mind melding flashbacks to other times and places... new, used, and potentially somewhere in the future. They also possibly have the best one-stop-shop lineup of Champagne in the region. If our demographics' palates were anywhere in the 80% plus vicinity of where we are with these wines, they would be the only importer/distributor I would buy from. Well, maybe Cavatappi... and Riservati might get a spiff.
Triage's recent tasting was wines from America (North and South) at the Triple Door on Union Street in Seattle. This was a little bizarre of an atmosphere for a wine tasting but I suppose totally apropos considering the youth of the owners, reps, and winemakers. I was looking for the black lights and the disco ball, hot pants and fros. I was grooving to a revamped retro funk that reminded me of more leisure suit Larry type days... with earth shoes. I was unable to read my own notes and check the hue of wines in my glass due to the lack of light. I was unable to walk more than three steps without someone bumping my glass or jarring my pen. I usually would consider this an extremely poor venue for a serious wine tasting, but maybe we should not always take ourselves all that seriously.
There were incredible offerings by Susanna Balbo of Argentina. There were the O'Rielly Pinot Gris', the Owen Roe blends, the Synclines, and a collaboration of Northwest Vintners (O'Rielly and Syncline) that created Malbes and Cab Francs and get this... a Blaufrankisch (that's Blue Franc or otherwise known as Lemberger). What a hoot. I was hooked.
And the final moment, when the palate was fried and the feet were tired of sidestepping in an unnatural maneuverable way, I found the obligatory (this was supposedly an American wine continent only tasting) the French Burgundy table where the chard and pinot reminded me why there is wine on the planet in the first place. That is what I call a perfect ending to a partially sunny afternoon, two hours from home, in a black walled dungeon. I was a happy man.
Labels: Other Observations, Wine Alert
The tulips are threatening to sprout within the next two weeks but I'm not so sure winter is ready to relinquish its hold on the agenda of discomforts both cold and wet... which usually means even colder. Although, last night, a possible exclamation proclaiming enough is enough was felt above our home in terms of very loud thunder preceded by white flashes of lightening that may have signaled an official end to winter... maybe. It's really cold out this morning. So in the same vein, I'm not ready to start tossing clean, light, and refreshing wine at a hope of a warm early spring that is not looking too promising. We had 3 inches of snow in the yard last Thursday and another 3 inches Saturday; back to the wood pile and the comfort wines.
The wine club selections this month will reflect the bold and fruit forward characteristics of eastern Washington viticulture with a little twist. The wineries are on the other side of the Columbia River. The theme is about red wine from Oregon that in not Pinot Noir. I've had to reduce the price on both bottles to squeeze them under the $45 cap but find that squeeze reasonable as they are too perfect a combination for late season stews and roasts that warmth more than what the wood stove can provide.
This month's First Wednesday Wine Whatevah!!! Will feature a return of a favorite bubbly we ran out of last October. Aria, a wonderful full bodied Cava from Spain that is 100% pinot noir will be offered along with some other surprises. We will also be having a Pampered Chef party in the loft for any and all who wish to attend. Munchies will be provided.
April 2nd , 2008
5pm to 8pm
5pm to 8pm
Labels: Events, Wine Alert
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Rock stars and RelationshipsRock stars and relationships
We all have our "rock stars". Be it music, authors, artists, chefs or in my case wine makers. You know the small NOT so commercial wines that are not massed produced, where the grapes whisper and talk to the winemaker as he walks though the rows meticulously tending each vine as if it were the only one in the vineyard. They love to teach, to inform, some by example, others but hand selling their wares to clients like myself. My rock stars work hard. They live their jobs. They love their work. It is their art. Some, not all are their own investors What goes into the bottle is more important than the fancy face housing to show case the juice. Therefore, no fancy winery front. Keep it functional types. To keep things simple (because GREAT wine is never simple) (see terrior, see the art of winemakiing) I'll keep my focus on Washington Wine makers.
A few of my rock stars...but not limited to are John Bell, Mathew Rawn, David Stephenson, Ron Bunnell, Karen Hughes, Laurie Michaels, Deborah Hansen, Paul MacCartney ( I had to sneak him in)
Their wines that are more often than not, hand picked, brought into the winery immediately out of the weather, birds, bugs,,,,, put into a crusher and the process is one continuous move, hours upon hours, until the first step is complete. As I get to know my stars I have come to respect who they are. All are quirky and full of passion. All strive to live and enjoy life by working their passions. I have just described Rich and I.
There you go....that relationship thing again.
PS Some of these wine makers you've never heard of...because they are small production. Most self distributed or not even for sale, only for family and friends drinking. OBTW my list of stars really is to long for a blog...with over 500 known wineries in the Washington State I couldn't even begin to list them all.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
the art of elbowing when tasting...I try to enjoy going to industry tastings. It all starts out with the greatest of intentions, excitement stirring with potentials, meeting and greeting, and looking for the best ebb and flow with regard to lineup and what the palate can handle and in what order. There are landmines. Many of the wines that are offered require an immense amount of air time before one can really figure out if they deserve entrance onto the shelves. To really define what is refreshing, elegant, and price worthy beyond the manipulative pitches and ratings requires an attentiveness not that possible in a free-for-all reach and ditch environment. So why do I keep going to these things? Well, to see who's there. Why else?
It can't possibly be to meet with the importer or winemaker. There is too much noise and too many people pushing to get by or around so as to get a dab of juice trickled into their glass. Any civil discussion with applicable questions and reasonable answers is impossible. So the best thing to do is ... "when in Rome..."
The first rule for survival in these mad dashes of interminable frustration is optimal positioning. This is not social positioning, for hierarchy in this arena is irrelevant. If you are somebody, then you will not need to be here in line.
It helps to be large for anchoring in front of a table with a select group of wines. This works well if you get there first and plan to stay there all day. But what if there are other tables you want to sample? You can't be at the same place at the same time, at least in the same dimension and simultaneously conscious of all the other dimensions. At least I have not heard of that happening.
I find the dart and dash, slither and slink, reach and tuck, method to be the most advantageous. This requires a certain amount of nimble response. It requires reasonable knowledge of what you are after so as to know when to cut your losses. It requires an attitude of admitting to a certain amount of indirect rudeness, and it requires the need for little in the way of fumbling with notes and paperwork and loose clothing. The trick is to slide in-between a breast or under an armpit with the air of "sorry my bad" and yet getting out just as quickly with what it was you went for in your glass. Then and only then, you run to a corner of solitude to experience and make notes on what you have found. All pertinent questions can be asked later. It also helps if you do this all with a reasonable amount of displayed maniacal, almost psychotic behavior so if you do really tick someone off, they are more than likely to leave you alone as being some kind of unprofessional eccentric goof without a clue to a herd mentality protocol.
There are at least 4 more industry tastings on my calendar coming in the next month. I must get to practice before the lunch crowd thins out at the $5 Chinese lunch buffet.
Labels: Other Observations
Yesterday I made a decision that there are some things greater in value than one's own foot. I have always tried to take the position that the customer defines where you are in the universe if selling for a living is the universe you choose to be in. If the customer wants it, is going to pay for it, you get it to them. In the world of wine, particularly wines of limited production, more than limited allocation, and with the full measure of cult status brought to bear on price and availability, we have another element added to the equation... leverage.
This question will likely remain unanswered until data is complied over time as to residuals positive or negative, a decision hopefully made with logical application (damn the Greeks for that one), as to if it was a wise one or not. I will have to wonder if I did or did not shoot myself if the foot by refusing the piddly allocation of Leonetti wine offered up by their distributor of choice. The bottom line and the highest road: there is way too much juice being produced to waist time both emotional and strategic trying to build a business relationship with an entity that only cares about numbers. I am trying very hard not to draw a line in the sand or place the proverbial chip on the shoulder with a "don't even think about it" scowl bearing down on any rep walking into our shop to sell their wares. I am not teetering on vengeful thoughts of retribution. I am beyond that at this point. This is business. Unfortunately, our favorite Spanish importer is with this distributor and some difficult decisions may have to be made.
There have been several times when we have had wines pre-sold and a distributor has stepped in for what can only be deemed as leveraging pressure to increase their sales of wine we are not interested in having on our shelves. We are a specialty wine shop. The word "specialty" has a certain connotation about it, like, our wines aren"t probably to be found on end stacks at every grocery store in the region. Yet we are constantly being leveraged to "support the line" before qualifying for "the good stuff" in certain and not so certain terms. This is difficult for us to swallow, as the way Washington law is written, no two distributors can carry the same wine. Our options for access are quite limited. They get the exclusivity and we get a bone if and when they decide to toss it.
So any new vintages of Leonetti will no longer be gracing our shelves. We were told by the distributor in question that once we refuse our allocation, we will be forever removed from the list. So be it. We will miss the presence, the aura brought to our shop of having the bottles displayed on the shelf, the discussions with the many who grew up in Walla Wall and watched with awe how a simple little winery had grown into such a phenomenon, the pawing of the bottles by those who can't for any reason bring themselves to pay such a price for a bottle of wine but really want to, and of course, dissmissing by those that loathe the ascension to such status having to speak their minds beyond the understanding of the hard work and passion required to produce such a bottle of wine. I hear the '87 cab and merlot are tasting mighty fine about right now.
We also now have to look harder at these entities we give money to so they will supply us with what we need to service our clientele. We need to ask more pointed questions, "are they here to help us succeed or just to make their quotas at our expense?" Maybe we need to work as hard and with equal passion to be deserved of the "specialty" label and learn the lessons of how Leonetti got to the top of limited access. I actually feel quite renewed from this experience, even though it has taken several such ones for the light bulb to go on. I look forward to searching out the potentials for finding the new Leonetti on the block before distribution gets their hands on it.
Labels: Fear and Loathing in The 3-Tier System..., Other Observations, Wine Alert
Friday, March 21, 2008
I spit, therefore I am a ...... professional? I must say, the past few industry palate bombardments has driven me to expel more juice than I am normally accustomed to. Basically, I can taste through quite a bit of wine, selecting what is worthy of ending in the gullet versus the spit bucket, without getting overly buzzed. But the onslaught lately has been tongue numbing. I wonder how much of that quantity element is associated with a slowing in sales? I do appreciate the momentum whether forward or reverse. Yesterday I had a meeting after the shop closed that required a reasonable amount of clarity so I spit eight mouthfuls of some really delicious and (when the time is right) potentially magnificent wines of Willis Hall: Syrah, Dolcetto, Tempranillo, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Merlot, Sangiovese and a late harvest Viognier. These are the sacrifices we all sometimes have to make, but we do not have to like it. Today my obligations are minimal and a 3pm tasting is scheduled. It is Friday... which really means nothing in retail, but I am into rationalizing if the end result suits me. Oh, the sun is also out and it is Good Friday and we just got the last 7.8 cases of Aria Pinot Noir Cava which removes it from the market. So I think that is enough reason to celebrate. I will continue to think of more reasons just in case I don't feel I have enough in reserve. More is better.
Labels: Other Observations, Wine Alert
Thursday, March 20, 2008
From Under the Woodwork...I get these creepy nudges from so many external stimuli and they are not that easy to filter through. This is the way business works, with the incessant pressure to buy and sell beyond where one's passion lies, because it is all about numbers and supply side momentums when the sustainability of being able to pay one's bills raises its ugly head. Has it ever really ducked back down?
That is why this blog exists, so we can peel back those layers that get compounded with dull interest, the ones by those entities that need the majority of risk-free homogeneous application to coat the senses of as many would-be and return consumers as possible. We are constantly looking for juice that delights, refreshes, compliments, and basically slams an expletive exclamation within the context of whatever moment is apropos. "Can you believe how expressive this wine is for the price?" Because we teeter on this edge of counter-culture implosion just by the nature of our being reverse intuitive to the process of sales and just plain contrary to the money flow, tis a dangerous and risky stroll we take down revenue road.
I suppose we could be insurgent, selling to the masses whatever the masses think they want to own and for whatever their reasoning is to own it while hording the stuff that only enthusiasts can even begin to appreciate. That would be the easy way out as snobby elitism is really but resting on an overstuffed couch with proper crystal and a remote within reach. I'd like to think we are better than that by sharing our passion and experience for others to find and hopefully enjoy the residuals of.
Basically, there is a ton of juice out in the wine world available for purchase that is completely over-hyped, over-priced, and boring. It is glazed thick with too much oak, nearly fortified beyond alcoholic reason, and finishes long with a residue on the palate instead of an impression. The general "surface" consensus is: "if it exposes more people to wine, then it's worth it." I have been one that has been suckered into this mental environment many a time as I too like to pay $30 for a supposedly low allocated soon to be cult status style of wine I could get for $15 in a less than hyper-frenzied consumer freakout... if I were only to take the time to find it and then offer it as a head-to-head comparison at tastings. I was told that stance would be bad for business. Whoever told me that was probably right.
Notice I didn't throw out any specific names or regions? I'm getting better at this... or worse.
Labels: Other Observations
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Spys like us...
Well, not really. We don't spy upon competitors, at least other wine shops. We even allow vendors to bring grocer wine clerks to our shop to taste since they aren't allowed by state law to do that in their own stores. It seems like a reasonable industry courtesy.We don't see friendly competition as a threat. I guess the key word here is "friendly". Margins are tight in wine retail and there appears to be quite a bit of leveraging for exclusivity that runs rampant throughout the realm, but spying just seems a little ridiculous and, shall I go there... petty. We are supposedly in this all together and I would think the enemy is really the vanilla big box stores that specialize in nothing but cheap prices and bulk juice.
When we visit another wine shop to scope out what potentially else the market is doing, we always, and I do mean always, introduce ourselves to the owner or whomever is working the register. It is a polite thing to do if nothing else. This courtesy is reasonable since we don't intend on buying anything and wasting the owner or a sales person's time just seems a little too predatory. But that also seems to be the nature of business these days. Sad, really.
Labels: Other Observations
Monday, March 17, 2008
St Patty's Day and Green Wine...
I am looking on the web for green wine, the kind that looks green, like green beer, the stuff poured ceremoniously only on Saint Patrick's Day in bars where excessive chugging is not only encouraged but preferred. What does a dab of food coloring cost in cheap beer anyway? So I figured I would see if someone had the yarbles to do that to a cheap bottle of grape. I'm still looking. I've actual found one reasonable recipe. Put a tablespoon of green créme de menthe in the bottom of a flute, add sparkling wine and stir. But that changes the flavor. I just want to see someone hoakie up the color for fun and profit. Of course, I cannot bring myself to do that.
There already is "green" wine lurking about. Vinho Verde, a Portuguese wine from the northern west region is alvarinho and maybe some other grapes picked young... thus they are considered "green". Then there are biodynamic and organic grapes that are grown to be more sustainable to human consumption and earth friendly application. They can easily qualify as "green". But I've yet to see the leprechaun tint forced into motion for the sake of a celebratory one day commotion.
Sorry...
This is a story about how things happen beyond the confines of scheduled absolutes. It isn't about a revolt against professional responsibilty, which we have been known to do when things start getting a little overly serious, but more about the spontaneousness of real and humane priority. It's all good except for some minor disappointment that really is just a postponement, as I'm not in Wall Walla this week, not trapsing about the vineyards: not sniffing, swirling, and slurping, and definitly not buying more juice than we can probably afford. I am home prone on the bed, writing this posting, and (if you haven't already noticed) I am dinking and piddling with fonts and background colors on this blog... because I can. It is approaching Spring and rebirth and renewal are in the air.
Also within that air is a demonic upper-respiratory infestation and flu looking for victims that wander into its path. We thought we were coming down with it and in a (we don't have time for this crap!) panic, Georgiann found an interesting and expensive Chinese herb concoction at the Co-Op, Gan Mao Ling. A non-FDA approved root infusion that I'm guessing could possibly have been grown in Gobi yak dung with the addition of certain bodily fluids syphoned from a less than amicable Himalayan Yeti, and all blessed by a secret order of meat eating Tibetan monks, these licorice flavored pills are possibly amazing. I'm really not sure, for although we felt a little off all week, nothing full blown transpired, so I guess I can say it worked... maybe. Nonetheless, it definitely put a kibosh on Walla Walla as a terrible cold can wreck a wine tasting trip and make it an expensively worthless jaunt.
The first episode for the weekend included a wine tasting class with Bunnell Family Estates, owner/operator,winemaker extraordinaire Ron Bunnell brought in both his Bunnell and RiverAiree labels, a menagerie of Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Malbec, Sangiovese, Barbera, Syrah, Viognier, and the infamous a' pic (GSM) all from the Wahluke slope where some of the best producers in the State are growing, tending, and harvesting. Ron appears to be well anchored there. Food was prepared for paring by our good friend Debbie Aldrich which included roasted vegetables, baked salmon with capers and dill, various cheeses, olives, and of course we have to mention the lamb pizza. That recipe can be found within Jessamyn's site and specifically this page in Food on the Brain. Much was anticipated and expected except for the unanticipated, and in this case it was all about the well being of Ron's 3-year old daughter who at the last minute came down with the formally said suspect nasty flu virus. This sent Ron into early exit mode but not before meeting everyone, giving a brief introduction to his philosophy and then handing off the class to Jonathan, an extremely capable and knowledgeable rep with a well honed knack for eloquence concerning wine discussion. We wished Ron and his wife and daughter well as the 4 hour trip home back to Prosser was probably not going to be a pleasant one. These things happen.
Afterwards we ventured to a friends house to meet up with other friends,friends that we have postponed gatherings with too frequently in the past. Friends who are in need of an occasional center, such as we are, and with work as hectic as it can be, a centering that can easily dismissed as postponable as it had too many times in the past, actually was mutually and inclusively allowed to happen. Though seemingly too short an episode, we managed to reconnect, ponder the navel of the earth with respect to art and the pleasures of life, drink really good wine, mix (or attempt to mix) a Portuguese concoction consisting of dry white port, tonic water, and a lemon, and eat eat eat. The white port elixir actually tasted like a whisky sour. We may have to work on that one. Sunday I opened the shop up as usual and on time, though sluggishly. The fondness of the previous evening moment was still pleasantly fresh in my mind.
Sometimes we are so busy, and we be every a busy bee in this money hungry hive we call life, that nary is the moment when we can choose to commit time for respect, respect for ourselves and who we want to be, not so much who we are. And we project that in our relationships, in the time we allow to happen amongst friends an family. It's not about right or wrong, agreement or difference, loyalty or indifference. Reconnection is a struggle when time pulls and prys in deliberate, almost insidious fashion, as if the world insists on disconnect as a hierarchical standard. Maybe that is what is meant by our national pastime... cynicism.
But once in a while, minds meld in a manner that drives intuitive reflex and causes an inner retrospect to fire spark-like an ignition, a cranking that inspires. Maybe that is what is missing. Not enough of us inspire each other beyond commercialized ascension worship and inspiration is a necessary spice in the concoction of life no matter at what level. I don't get inspiration from everyone I come across. But I can surely inspire someone into an action or at least minimally a thought, a breaking of a dull drab mode that they may not even know they are in. Do I need a shock value? No. Do I need a bottle of Tabasco? Maybe.
Also within that air is a demonic upper-respiratory infestation and flu looking for victims that wander into its path. We thought we were coming down with it and in a (we don't have time for this crap!) panic, Georgiann found an interesting and expensive Chinese herb concoction at the Co-Op, Gan Mao Ling. A non-FDA approved root infusion that I'm guessing could possibly have been grown in Gobi yak dung with the addition of certain bodily fluids syphoned from a less than amicable Himalayan Yeti, and all blessed by a secret order of meat eating Tibetan monks, these licorice flavored pills are possibly amazing. I'm really not sure, for although we felt a little off all week, nothing full blown transpired, so I guess I can say it worked... maybe. Nonetheless, it definitely put a kibosh on Walla Walla as a terrible cold can wreck a wine tasting trip and make it an expensively worthless jaunt.
The first episode for the weekend included a wine tasting class with Bunnell Family Estates, owner/operator,winemaker extraordinaire Ron Bunnell brought in both his Bunnell and RiverAiree labels, a menagerie of Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Malbec, Sangiovese, Barbera, Syrah, Viognier, and the infamous a' pic (GSM) all from the Wahluke slope where some of the best producers in the State are growing, tending, and harvesting. Ron appears to be well anchored there. Food was prepared for paring by our good friend Debbie Aldrich which included roasted vegetables, baked salmon with capers and dill, various cheeses, olives, and of course we have to mention the lamb pizza. That recipe can be found within Jessamyn's site and specifically this page in Food on the Brain. Much was anticipated and expected except for the unanticipated, and in this case it was all about the well being of Ron's 3-year old daughter who at the last minute came down with the formally said suspect nasty flu virus. This sent Ron into early exit mode but not before meeting everyone, giving a brief introduction to his philosophy and then handing off the class to Jonathan, an extremely capable and knowledgeable rep with a well honed knack for eloquence concerning wine discussion. We wished Ron and his wife and daughter well as the 4 hour trip home back to Prosser was probably not going to be a pleasant one. These things happen.
Afterwards we ventured to a friends house to meet up with other friends,friends that we have postponed gatherings with too frequently in the past. Friends who are in need of an occasional center, such as we are, and with work as hectic as it can be, a centering that can easily dismissed as postponable as it had too many times in the past, actually was mutually and inclusively allowed to happen. Though seemingly too short an episode, we managed to reconnect, ponder the navel of the earth with respect to art and the pleasures of life, drink really good wine, mix (or attempt to mix) a Portuguese concoction consisting of dry white port, tonic water, and a lemon, and eat eat eat. The white port elixir actually tasted like a whisky sour. We may have to work on that one. Sunday I opened the shop up as usual and on time, though sluggishly. The fondness of the previous evening moment was still pleasantly fresh in my mind.
Sometimes we are so busy, and we be every a busy bee in this money hungry hive we call life, that nary is the moment when we can choose to commit time for respect, respect for ourselves and who we want to be, not so much who we are. And we project that in our relationships, in the time we allow to happen amongst friends an family. It's not about right or wrong, agreement or difference, loyalty or indifference. Reconnection is a struggle when time pulls and prys in deliberate, almost insidious fashion, as if the world insists on disconnect as a hierarchical standard. Maybe that is what is meant by our national pastime... cynicism.
But once in a while, minds meld in a manner that drives intuitive reflex and causes an inner retrospect to fire spark-like an ignition, a cranking that inspires. Maybe that is what is missing. Not enough of us inspire each other beyond commercialized ascension worship and inspiration is a necessary spice in the concoction of life no matter at what level. I don't get inspiration from everyone I come across. But I can surely inspire someone into an action or at least minimally a thought, a breaking of a dull drab mode that they may not even know they are in. Do I need a shock value? No. Do I need a bottle of Tabasco? Maybe.
Labels: Other Observations
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Taste Walla Walla...And we did. I think there were sixty some wineries all packed into an elevated platform, an embedding tucked in an exclusive seclusion at the Seattle Center as the culture of stamping and tagging continued in the way bureaucratic automatics do and with full authoritative force. It took us three visits to the sign-in table to get our multiple registrations and tickets confirmed before ascending the gated stairway to juice heaven. I think that was what they were trying to project. We were just trying to get ahead of the crowd so as to talk with the winemakers before all the pushing and shoving began.
This is a power tasting event. We were given 3 hours to work our way around the room and as much as one can spit everything splashed about the palate, tannins will wreak havoc and alcohol can seep in through into the gums. With their arsenals stocked and the fruit guns blazing, the pulsating cadence of terroir! terroir! terroir! thumped to the beat of tora! tora! tora! It was not long before I was unable to distinguish much of anything from everything. I got around the room once and sampled most of the whites and then half way around the second time for the reds and then, DING! Time was up.
All was not lost, as we made some winery contacts for direct shipping, and was able to sort through the purple soaked menagerie enough to qualify some specific destinations. I'm in Walla Walla Sunday through Wednesday next week and intend to have enough juice lined up for the summer.
Also, I was absolutely delighted with the showing of the whites. They were more acidic, food friendly, and thus barely to totally unoaked. Even the Chardonnays were refreshing and creamy with no toast... apricot and pear everywhere. Rieslings and Gewurztraminers with a titch of residual sugar and I was slobbering for food... which like most industry tastings I been to lately was seriously lacking. I'm not sure what is up with that but luckily there was Matt's in the Market diagonally across from the brass pig in Pike Place Market where roasted duck leg comfit more that made up for the slight.
Once I get on the road, I'll be writing daily about what I'm finding in the warehouses and vineyards. I'm looking forward to some rumored samplings of Counoise, Cinsault, and Nebbiolo, Tempranillo, Primitiva, Barbera, and Sangiovese. I hear they may have some Cab, Merlot, and Syrah there too.
The "relationships" continued as R and I attended the Taste of Walla Walla in Seattle. The trade tasting was held hours before the doors opened to the public and there were more West Coast pallets per inch of floor space than attendees of the big yearly Nordstrom sale! We met up with our friends Steve and Martin and like waves in the sea, parted, tasted, met up again, compared notes and started the cycle again, over and over until we noticed the room was empting out. WOW the big fruit bombs were in attendance. Fresh soil in the bottle. How about earth mixed with mints, spearmint and peppermint finish. The wine maker admitted that she used to be a mint farmer and was now growing grapes where she previously had mint. Hum...Do ya see where I going with this. The soils...the soils have it hands down. We really did sip and spit and even then you start to feel tipsy after a hundred tasting. The food was at best minimal so I kept a steady flow of crackers in my mouth trying to fend off the tannic pallet shock. (Impossible really).
When all was said and done we headed off for the Public Market. Our dinner reservations weren?t until 5:30 so what else is one to do? Martin and I went shopping while Rich and Steve headed for more...wine tasting! Ahh, the Public Market in Seattle is like a breath of fresh air. The very sight of choice of restaurants, cultural overload and streets with life....heavy sigh. Steve?s friend, Matt's in the Market served us meals that were amazing. How about duck with crispy outside and moist meat on the inside or my perfectly cooked rare fillet migon. Perfect way to end yet another hard day at work wouldn?t you say?
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Walla Walla blues...Tomorrow the shop is closed, and some might think we are off goofing about, repairing a shingle or two on the roof, relaxing, reading a good book, maybe even searching deep for our inner selves. In reality as business owners, we are always "on". Tomorrow is no exception as we venture to the emerald city for the "Taste of Walla Walla". This is the mother of all industry presentations as this region basically defines where Washington wines are and are headed. Are the wines really that good? Is the terroir really that exploited and worthy of cult designations? I can't answer those questions. All I know is if you can identify the Walla Walla soil in Wall Walla wines, you'll be closer understanding the draw. There is no other region like it. The fruit is huge, the tannins, if allowed, can be gargantuan, and the soil... did I mention the soil?
This juice is pricey. Cult status drives it and then there are those pesky economics that include land and labor costs, and the most important... allocation. Nothing beats a 130 case production of artisan crafted wine from what some have called "the perfect climate"... for grapes. The rest is up to the winemaker, and there is some serious talent lurking about all those former wheat fields.
So tomorrow is a work day... but can you really call this work?
For more information on the event and to get access go to:
and enjoy that dirt.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Wine club and relationshipsThe theme "relationships" ricochet off the walls of Libation Station. Wine with wine, our clients and their palates, wine with food, wine with friends, (friends AND wine) distributors and sales and wines and my main partnership Rich and Georgiann.
The interesting thing about all of this is there is a common denominator. If you are going to have a relationship be it,, taste, personalities or both, things need to fit. Get along,, meld, feel good. Get my drift.
And with that lead-in let me talk.... no boast, about our wine club members. What is amazing and totally wonderful is they all fit into the above. They like food, good wine, and sharing it with others.. They are great to sit and visit with. They are intelligent, diverse. How, I ask myself did I get to be so lucky to live my job? I am currently working on a fun trip with a winemaker and will offer the opportunity to our wine club members. I know it'll work because we all are working towards a common cause. Living and loving life (with our favorite wine of course!).
G
Labels: Other Observations, Wine Club Notes
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Tonight's First Wednesday Whatevah...I always enter the shop on these First Wednesday tastings with the idea I have to get a flow in mind for the pours for the evening. The flow is left to right and it encompasses usually a light to heavy progression, there are a few factors beyond theme: acidity, tannin, viscosity, and fruit. I've already pulled and replaced some. I wish I could just uncork about 12 wines and fiddle with them all day until I got the right mix... but then I would probably be useless the rest of the day. So I think I'm happy with what I've chosen. A Rhone Rose', delicate, refreshing, food friendly, and then on to a Cote du Gascogne (that should be interesting) still dry, somewhat fruit restricted do to youth, and then to a Shiraz/Petite Syrah from down under (fruit bombville), and finally a wonderful Moscatell Spanish style, very much like a Sherry. I think the lack of a regional cohesive theme may have something to do with the sun being out. People are scattered about downtown, ricocheting from corner to corner so it makes sense to scatter the wine line up too... I think.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Sensitivities, retail, expectation, and bloggingI have been spending quite a bit of time online bouncing back and forth ideas with other like-minded industry people on the wine industry and the influence of technology. Over a year ago a marketing professional suggested we were way too far out ahead with the blog thing to reach any significant demographic locally. I tended to agree, but I never was one not to stick my neck out with regard to new mediums. The blog as it currently stands is set up as a portal into the mindsets of the owners of a small wine shop and includes a peek into the underlying factors associated within this aspect of the wine industry... good, bad, and ugly. It is an extension of Libation Station's modus operandi but is not directionally related to the bottom line other than an occasional promo and back links. I try to keep it as objective as possible, but there are cross pollinating emotional attachments that cannot be helped. It is intended for curious people accustomed to wandering through the blogsphere that might be interested with what really goes on in this arena. It also is an expression of my particular style which I have no expectations of everyone agreeing with. That is why I write in a blog format and not on the company page. It exists to offer more than to promote Libation Station.
I have noticed a few references coming in that some readers don't get where I'm coming from and see no use for certain trains of thought. This seems like quite an easy fix. As I tell my customers, "If you like it, drink it. If you don't, find something else you like." The same applies to this blog. Warm fuzzy blogs promoting a product are "nice", but this is more about being real and some detachment from the agenda of sales actually adds to credibility. Blogs also tend to shoot from the hip, some quite crassly... even corporate ones, and I actually feel I have been quite restrained considering my normal propensity for outspokenness. To know me is to love me.
These mechanisms are organic by nature and will continually transform. They are meant to inform and entertain and to illicit a response. If you are offended now, you might be more so later, or maybe even less. Most get out of this medium what they are looking for. It's the nature of the blogsphere. If that is not possible, there is always stopping in the shop and tasting something more palatable. I'm usually searching the shelves for something interesting... and writing about it.
Cheers
Monday, March 03, 2008
Sunday Brunch cont...The David Bruce Petite Syrah won in the going south race. Though opened a day later, the fruit flew away before the end of dinner. The Mourchon Cotes du Rhone, though emptied, could have carried on magnificently for another two days. Like I said... style.
Dorothy, we're not in Phoenix any more!
It's our day off (for anyone reading this and owns their own business, you know that term "day off" is an oxymoron). After 4 days of 70 plus degrees and bright sun, this rain is pretty hard to embrace. My mind racing with everything I should be doing for the store and my alter person is dreaming of completing some home projects. One of which is making door knobs for the kitchen. We'll be making them out of champagne corks.. But first, the foot work. The measuring and drilling and scrubbing, sanding and all the misc extras I haven't even thought of yet. The extras always come AFTER we get into the project and several miles away from the nearest hardware store. Stay tuned, I'll take pix of the completed project.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Sunday brunch...I'm cleaning up some untidy ends, mostly wine club stuff, some inventory, and trying to fix this blog. Miles Davis is on the CD player, blowing the later stuff, the fusion and funk, and I was staring at two leftover wines from yesterday's tasting wondering what condition their condition was in. Curiosity getting the better of me and with clean crystal within reach, I no longer am wondering. The first was Domaine de Mourchon, specifically the Cotes du Rhone. It has been open for two days and is just now beginning to calm down into a more rational state. The second one is a David Bruce Petite Syrah from the Central Coast. I thought by 6 last night the fruit had grown as much as it would or could. I was wrong. I'm constantly floored by the differences in styles and though the varietals in these two bottles are completely different, me thinks it wouldn't matter. They are, would, be like night and day regardless. Now I need to find something intermediately worthy for the dinner table that can bounce off both. Something gamy I would suspect.
Labels: Wine and Food Alert
It would appear that many of my pics in many of my postings have disappeared. For some reason the folder holding them snugly on my ISP's server has vanished. It may take awhile to find out what happened and rebuild it. Technology is a lie... wine is truth.
It is March already. I'm ready for a return to abnormality, the kind where a freak spring scatters clouds instead of showers, where blustery wind is replaced with blistery ultra-violet, and layering notions pertain to lotions containing the protections of 30 and 50 factors. Maybe I'm thinking of somewhere else... where village folk lunch the midday sun away in outdoor cafe, sipping tonics sprite with dry white port, a slice of lime, the more than subtle hint of quinine, and talk about what village folk do. Maybe I'm thinking of an ancient warmth where an ancient barefoot process mingles with an advanced extraction technique... and is it really advanced once already figured out? I've always wondered.
The Phoenicians are to blame, artisan builders of vessels worthy of sustaining long reaches coaxed by advanced curiosities, planted this seed long ago, far ahead of their time. And as the seed took root, so did designations and regions, 55 to date, where names such as alvarinho, touriga nacional, tintos barca and fancesca, and some dizzying 250 others not to mention are blended into fermented elixirs to accompany the rustic bean, pork, and oily codfish dishes so relished by these said village folk.
And so our wine club selections this month are two reasonably worthy representations of these ancient and now advanced accumulations. What is not to like about this journey, except maybe several maimings and burnings by the hands of a few central scrutinizers during an Inquisition or two. Maybe that had more to do with foul vintages than was previously thought. Maybe not.
As I look out into the blustering and scattered, scanning the bumper to bumper horizon, I search for my own village folk, and until found, I'll live vicariously warm via these Portuguese delights.
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View my page on OpenWine Consortium
This work by Libation Station, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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