Rock, Paper, Scissors

I've had my eye out for Roshambo wines ever since I starting reading Sonadora's blog, Wannabe Wino. She's a big fan of Roshambo wines, and her enthusiasm for the label was infectious. I looked high and low and finally found a Roshambo wine to try in a small independent grocery store here on the coast in Anchor Bay.

It's fortuitous that at a time when everyone is talking about inexpensive chardonnay, the 2004 Roshambo Rock, Paper, Scissors Chardonnay ($10 direct from winery; available from other merchants for between $12 and $16) was so good. Add it to your list, if you can't get your hands on Mr. Shaw's wine. One thing, though: if you serve this wine too cold, it's not a good thing. You will smell and taste almost nothing but something like wet stones. Once it warms up to proper serving temp, however, you will be rewarded with aromas and flavors of apples, hay, and a rich touch of creme brulee. I think this wine saw some oak, but it was very lightly done if it did (I couldn't find out anything about the making of this wine on the website or at any other site). Here any oak gives the wine richness, not woodiness. Excellent QPR for a wine that was very well done if not terribly complex. And believe me, for bargain chardonnay, you could do a LOT worse.

With your wine, how about a fabulous summer salad, like this chicken and bulgur salad? It was zesty and creamy with a citrus dressing, the toasted taste of bulgur wheat, and chunks of rich avocado. It's a great main-dish salad for this time of year, since it takes almost no time to cook and if you have leftover chicken nothing to cook at all (well, you have to boil water).

Enjoy the weekend!

$2 Chuck, State Fairs, and More From the High Blood Pressure Department

As of today, it's official. There's a new best chardonnay in the state of California.

In case you've been vacationing in Tierra del Fuego and not heard, the 2005 Charles Shaw California Chardonnay ($2 Chuck to most of us) won best of the varietal at the California State Fair recently and those results will be announced today. The result was leaked a few weeks ago, in case you think you've already heard this.

Mr. Shaw's wine came up the winner against 350 competitors from all price ranges in a blind tasting competition of chardonnays. Since that time, print media and the blogosphere have been busy working overtime on the meager details that accompanied the leaked story. (*ps. I do realize there is no Charles Shaw, but I thought I'd try to treat it as if there were for effect. Sorry if this has confused anybody). Alder Yarrow worked himself into an uncharacteristic lather about it over at Vinography, Jeff Stai at Twisted Oak's El Bloggo Torcido provided a lucid counterblast (along with a run-down of relative postings), and the story even made NPR. Brand-new blogger Jim Gordon over at Wine Enthusaists's UnReserved points out that the large volume of wine made under this label is bound to make my $2 Chuck different from his $2 Chuck. Others are attributing the win to the triumph of the "people's palate" and "Charles Shaw" (Fred Franzia) is chalking it up to the high quality of his wine.

I personally do not like Mr. Shaw's chardonnay. Despite this, and though I am a huge fan of Vinography and all that Alder Yarrow has done to increase wine knowledge in this country, I cannot agree with him that because of this award all state fair medals are worthless indications of a wine's merits. I cannot speak for all state fairs, but the California State Fair wine competition is a tightly run ship. Joe Drinker and Wanda Winelover can't just walk off the street and start judging wine at the California State Fair.

How do I know this? I know because ten years ago I couldn't get passing marks on the test given at the advanced seminar in wine tasting at UC Davis taught by John Buechsenstein (former winemaker at Fife and one of the founders of Sauvignon Republic) that since 1998 has helped to certify state fair judges. I was pretty new to wine, but it's not an easy test to pass. Maybe I should retake the test now that I've had some more experience, but ten years ago it was completely overwhelming even though I'd successfully completed the preliminary coursework and beginner tasting seminars.

Here are a few other things to know about the California State Fair judging.

1. Contrary to popular opinion, the State Fair doesn't break down wines by price categories. That's the SF Chronicle competition, folks, not the Fair. So Mr. Shaw's wine was not in fact tasted against chardonnays under $5, but against all chardonnays entered.

2. All Fair wines are tasted blind. In coded glasses. There isn't a bottle shape or screwcap thread in sight to influence the tasters. Not all critics taste wine blind, FYI. Wine & Spirits does, and so does Wine Spectator, Steve Tanzer at International Wine Cellar, and Wine Enthusiast. Wine Advocate does not, at least not across the board. Nor, in the normal course of things, do I.

3. All Fair wines are given a numeric score based on a 100-point scale that is agreed upon in advance and is loosely based on the UC Davis 20-point scale. To get a double gold (like $2 Chuck 2005 Chard) you have to get 98-100 point scores. Then, the gold and double gold wines are tasted again to pick the best of the varietal.

4. The Fair accepts submissions from wineries for judging. This does not necessarily imply bias, a bad pool of wines for consideration, or an inside job. As far as I can make out, nearly every wine publication, blog, and critic accepts wine that is sent to her or him from wineries for review. They also buy wine. The only holdout on this issue may well be Jerry Hall over at Winewaves. (note: I reviewed the tasting guidelines for the 5 major wine mags in the US, and gleaned what I could about tasting policies and press samples from the top 30 wine blogs on alawine.com. If I am in error about this, please do let me know and I will make a correction here in the body of the post. )

5. You have to QUALIFY as a wine judge and it is not an easy business. The qualification exam was designed by professors at UC Davis. You can either take the test, or take the UC Davis seminar in Advanced Tasting and then take the test for an additional fee. The seminar and exam are only offered once a year, and if you pass you get put in the pool of potential judges. This year's seminar is on July 28, if you are interested. It costs $325 (lunch and wine included), lasts from 9-4, and getting the test graded and submitted to the Fair is an extra $50.

6. The identity of Fair wine judges is not a secret, as some in the comments section on Vinography imply. The list of 2006 wine judges included winemakers, masters of wine, professors of enology, wine writers, and other wine professionals as well as qualified (see #5) tasters. The list of 2007 wine judges has yet to be published, but when it is, I will hotlink it here.

So here's the bottom line.

Palates vary enormously. In 2005, the winner of the best chard over $30 at the SF Chronicle wine competition was a 2002 Grgich Hills that Wine Spectator rated 76 points. Enough said.

Everything you read about wine should just be one factor in your decision to purchase a bottle.

ALL competitions and wine ratings are subject to being monkeyed around with, and (more likely) are subject to completely groundless charges of fraud and deception. For those of us old enough to do so, remember the hysteria surrounding the 1976 Judgment of Paris?

ALL judges, critics, and bloggers have varied degrees of competence. Some are hacks. But I don't think we should tar and feather an entire segment of wine critics based on that. If so, there would be no wine blogs--that's for sure.

As a consumer, find judges and critics you trust whose palate seems to coincide with yours and follow their recommendations. If you like the 2005 Charles Shaw Chardonnay, chances are you will like the other California State Fair judges' picks for this varietal. And if you don't like $2 Chuck? Look somewhere else.

I write this with full knowledge that nothing I say here will convince state fair skeptics, or serve as a cautionary tale to those who are already racing out the door with their car keys to buy Mr. Shaw's wine. Drive safely.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #35: Spanish Value Wines

Welcome to the 35th Wine Blogging Wednesday, the monthly virtual tasting event started nearly 3 years ago by Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours and still going strong under the guidance of Michelle and Kevin of My Wine Education, today's hosts. Their theme for July was Spanish value wines, and they asked us to try to find a bottling under $10.

The wine I found was made by Bodegas Castano, located in the Yecla DO, south of the city of Madrid. They have a comprehensive website, complete with a soundtrack and flash. If you want something a bit more narrative, check out the bodegas' profile over at the Wine Doctor. The family that operates Bodegas Castano, one of the largest vineyards in the appellation, have been making wine for generations. In the 1980s they rebuilt their winery, and have been making high-quality, budget-friendly wines ever since making full use of their old vines such as the ones that produced the grapes for this bottling.

The 2003 Bodegas Castano Yecla Solanera ($9.95, Costco; available from many merchants for between $10 and $19) is a big, bold wine made with 75% monastrell (or mourvedre, as it is known elsewhere). The monastrell is blended with cabernet sauvignon and a touch of grenache. At present, the wine is taking about 45 minutes to fully open up. Once it does, abundant cherry aromas emerge along with a bit of black tea and herbs. The aromas are more effusive than the flavors, which are a bit muted with cherries and mineral notes. This is a tannic wine, and can make the sides of your tongue pucker, but they soften with food and with decanting. I found that this wine wasn't fully integrated yet--its alcohol, aromas, flavors, and tannins didn't quite hang together into a harmonious package. Still, once we'd let it sit for a while it was an easy drinker with good QPR. If you've got a bottle of this wine, I'd put it aside until the winter and see how it's doing then, or remember to decant the wine before you drink it.

This big, bold wine needed some hearty food to go with it and help tame the tannins. We had it with rib-eye steaks grilled outside, and some baked potatoes with sour cream and chives. These were a perfect partner with the wine, and I would recommend something similarly meaty if you have a bottle.

Thanks to Michelle and Kevin for their great theme. I'll have the roundup posted once they manage to draw together all the contributions from what I imagine will be a popular event. And, as always, I'll see you here next month for WBW#36, the theme of which is still TBA.

Good Wine Under $75, or Is It Possible to Have Wine at a Restaurant without Having a Heart Attack?

I am catching up with all kinds of things, and one of them is my wine reading. I just checked out Lettie Teague's column in the July 2007 Food and Wine Magazine, which was enough to make me reach for the bloodpressure cuff. (image from Menumasters.net)

She was writing about the wine markups on your average wine list. These are typically--and for me, shockingly--2 to 3 times wholesale. That's some markup. If a wine costs $10 wholesale, and $15 retail in the wine shop, then in a restaurant you can expect to see it for $25-$30. And when I see a bottle of wine on a wine list for $25 that's actually worth drinking I am so grateful I'm often on the brink of proposing to the waiter. This seldom happens these days, so no need to worry about the waitstaff! Here's another little secret, however, to make you even more frustrated: restaurants sometimes purchase the wines for LESS than wholesale. Yes, less.

We're told this is absolutely necessary for restaurants to make their profit margin. I wonder. I really do. And I worry. Mostly, I worry about the winemakers. Because if restaurants think they're paying high rent, have you ever seen the monthly payments on a vineyard?

I worry, too, about what these wine markups are doing to the growth of "everyday wine culture" in this country. One of the best ways for folks to get to know different wines is to buy a bottle in a restaurant, decide they love it, and look for it later. That's how I first tasted both Twisted Oak and Anglim wines--at the Firefly Bistro in South Pasadena where their wine is actually priced reasonably! In most restaurants, it's become so prohibitive to buy wine that I usually don't even read the wine list except for the selections sold by the glass. I know this is the least economically sound strategy, but I would rather buy one vastly overpriced glass of wine rather than five.

I'm not sure there's much we can do about this, but if you know of a restaurant with a sensible wine markup and/or a good corkage policy, give them a shout-out in the comments section. For those of you in LA, Colorado Wine Company keeps a low/no corkage interactive Google map. And the aforementioned Firefly Bistro has an unusual and eclectic list with low markups, and great winemaker's dinners like the upcoming event on July 18. Here's to all the restaurant owners out there who make it possible for wine and food to be consumed at the same meal without requiring their diners take out second (or in LA, third) mortgages.

Drinking Local: Navarro Gewurztraminer

Given my temporary hiatus away from LA, it seems appropriate to take advantage of local wines that are often hard to find in my usual shops. So don't be too surprised to see more Sonoma and Mendocino wine reviews over the next few months.

My most recent find came from the small town of Philo (population 473) up in Mendocino, where Navarro Vineyards are located. I'm not going to say too much about the winery here, because I'll be traveling up there in August to do a Winery Watch report. But because this is such a perfect summer wine, I'm going to get a little bit ahead of myself and post a review of a fabulous gewurztraminer made by Navarro now. (picture of the hilly areas around Navarro's vineyards, courtesy of Mendo Wine Tours).

The 2005 Navarro Gewurztraminer Cuvee Traditional ($14 from Navarro) is a superb example of this relatively underplanted varietal. Made in the dry style, it has lovely aromas of apples, honeysuckle and a touch of lemon blossom. It's like tasting the Mendocino countryside! These aromas develop into flavors dominated by apple, accented with white pepper. This was a wine with lots of complexity and appeal, at a very attractive price. And I loved the spicy, peppery edge that can so often be missing in domestic gewurztraminer. Excellent QPR, as is true with most Navarro wines. This is a producer to watch out for, since their wines almost always represent excellent quality and value.

Gewurztraminer, like dry riesling, can be an excellent food wine.We had this with some soy-marinated shrimp that we threaded onto skewers and popped on the grill, some steamed jasmine rice, and a vegetable stir-fry. The wine really went well with the mix of flavors, and it drew out the spicy notes in the stir-fry and the shrimp.

Navarro Vineyards wins high praise from Dan Berger in the Wine Report 2007, where the Vineyard is featured as one of the greatest California producers, producing some of the greatest wines, the best bargains, and the most exciting or unusual wines. They sell direct to consumers through their online wine shop, so if you can't wait until next month for the report, have a browse around their shop now. You'll be staggered at the variety and the wallet-friendly prices. And if you have a Navarro favorite, leave a note in the comments below.