It was great to read Eric Asimov's article in last Wednesday's New York Times (13 July 2011) about the Aube, Champagne's most southern sub-region. A photo of Cedric Bouchard gracing the front page of the dining out section is great news for this under-appreciated region. It was also great to get some tips on other producers in the Aube.

Having carried Champagne from Aube producers for several years, I should add a house that Asimov did not mention in his article: Moutard, in Buxeuil. Francois Moutard makes terrific wine from both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as grapes such as Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier and the rarest of all, Arbanne. His cuve "six cepages" contains all six varietals (add Pinot Meunier to the other five heretofore mentioned) - it is delicious as well as instructive. His Arbanne cuve is unique, and worth searching out since it is the only 100% Arbanne wine I've ever seen. All in all, though the basic Brut Reserve, 100% Pinot Noir, is the workhorse - both delicious and a remarkable value.

Another Champagne note: After a visit from one of Alain Sacy's children, I am happy to report that while the Louis de Sacy label bears the "NM" - indicating it is a negociant-manipulant - 100% of their fruit comes from vineyards owned either by Alain or his brother, who "sell" the fruit to the corporation called Louis de Sacy, which they own. Cool, a 20,000 case (annually) estate-bottler!

Old World to New World, and Back?

It could be argued that Syrah and Malbec have done better for themselves in the New World than they ever did in the Old World.

Syrah at its most famous - for wine geeks, that is - is grown in France's northernn Rhone, most notably in Hermitage and Cote-Rotie. But it wasn't until the past 20 years or so that Syrah was grown in quantity in the southern Rhone (and Languedoc-Roussillon), where the bulk of the Rhone Valley's wine is produced and exported. When cuttings were shipped off to Australia in the mid-19th century, the name changed to Shiraz, and the grape, whatever you want to call it, flourished. Far more Shiraz is grown in Australia than has ever been grown in France. Shiraz replaced Merlot as the most requested red wine grape in the USA (how long has it been, 10 years?), but fads only last so long here, and Australia ran into trouble by subsidizing exports of cheap wine - not the best strategy for a place so far away.

Malbec started off in Bordeaux but was pretty much pushed out by the Cabernets (Sauvignon and Franc) and Merlot. It moved southwest, to Cahors, where it is still grown with some success, but Merlot followed it there, and most recent efforts include some Merlot in the blend. Where Malbec has taken off, however, is in the New World, specifically Argentina. In Baltimore, and I suspect most of the USA, Malbec is now the most requested red wine in retail shops.

The Argentine version of the Malbec is, like the Aussie version of Syrah, plush and fat, often jammy. The French, like the rest of the Old World winegrowers, were late to the varietal marketing game, and most of their efforts have been, well, less than successful. France isn't so good at plush and fat - thank goodness, and no offense to the New World because the fun is in the differences and it would be so boring if wine tasted the same no matter where it came from! - no, France is good at dry, balanced and, well, earthy. So, how can France get back into the action? I've tasted a couple of wines in the past year or so that might contain the answer.

The first was a Malbec from Cahors, made by Georges Vigouroux, called Gouleyant. It's got all of that nomenclature on the front label - Malbec prominently enough, though not in a smaller font than Cahors. More important, it's big and rich for Cahors, which seems to appeal to my New World wine customers, while still balanced and earthy and somehow French, which works for my Old World wine customers. It is the number one selling Malbec in the store. The second is a Syrah from the Languedoc, made by Domaine Croix Belle. I resisted purchasing this last year only because interest in Shiraz had declined so precipitously it didn't seem worth the effort to sell a French version. Tasting the '09 yesterday, however, the wine is too good, regardless of grape variety, to ignore. It also succeeds in much the same way the Vigouroux Malbec does - big and rich for France, but still structured and balanced enough to be recognizable as French.

Could this be part of the solution to France's declining wine export woes? For small wine merchants like me, yes (though we still sell plenty of traditional French appellations). For the market at large? Global warming seems to be making it possible for France to make good New World style wine, and they've got lots of vineyards. Stay tuned.

Selling Wine Without Points

This is an old rant of mine, but every once in a while something happens here at CWC that reminds me why I haven't read a Wine Spectator in about ten years. Two couples come in to do a Tuesday Tasting. I started them off with a Prosecco (Gasparini - Asolo, Italy). They enjoyed it; even the one guy who professed not to like bubbles grudgingly admitted liking it. One of the guests then asked me if the Wine Spectator had liked the Gasparini. I responded that I had no idea, that in fact, I hadn't peeked at a Wine Spectator in years. She seemed surprised, even a bit taken back. I then explained that if I waited for the Wine Spectator to mention a particular wine, even a particular wine region, I would end up being like most other wine shops - a follower instead of a leader. I went on... probably went a bit overboard, but she started it!

I explained that I was one of the first stores in Maryland to carry a Prosecco, certainly the first wine bar in Maryland to pour Prosecco by the glass, when we opened in 1998. In fact, we were pouring Prosecco years before any restaurant in Little Italy thought about doing such a thing. Leaders start trends, followers reap the benefits - more press attention, more product availability. The reason there are dozens of Proseccos available in Maryland today (there were two brands in Maryland when we opened) is that the market leaders expressed interest, and suppliers responded to our interest.

Is Prosecco the sole example? No - here's a short list of other trends (grape, style, region, method) that we have helped lead the way on (listed roughly from oldest to newest, dates are approximate):

Shiraz (virtually non-existent in the USA just 30 years ago) - about 1980
Spain (specifically Ribera del Duero, Albarino, Priorat/Montsant/Terra Alta) - 1987
Prosecco (fits in about here - I worked for the first Maryland importer/distributor of Prosecco) - about 1990
Viognier - 1993
Malbec - 1995
Torrontes - 1995
Gruner Veltliner - 1996
Estate-bottled Champagne - 1998
Cremant (de Jura, de Bourgogne, de Loire) - 2000
Organic/Biodynamic winegrowers - 2000
Rose (as in dry pink wine, still and sparkling) - 2000

Of course, I'm not alone; there are a handful of us in each market. And I didn't invent any of these things - this is wine, after all, and it's been around for ages, so there isn't a whole lot that is actually "new." A trend usually gets started with one wine - for some reason, it makes a strong impression, we start searching for similar experiences - next thing you know, customers catch on, ask for more, go to other stores and restaurants searching, distributors catch on, then, perhaps, a few years later, the Wine Spectator.

What Wine Geeks Drink on July 4th

First, many thanks to the salesman who left a message on my voicemail. He wanted to sell me a blog-writing service, based on his observation that while my entries were interesting, they didn't occur regularly enough. To that end I will attempt to make a daily blog entry.

I am often asked by customers walking into Chesapeake Wine Company the first time, if we carry other alcoholic beverages besides wine. Unfortunately I am prone to giving a smart-ass response like "If you walk into a store named Blah-Blah Discount Liquors, do you ask if they carry other alcoholic beverages besides booze?" I've gotten better, though - usually I take the time to point out our small but high quality selection of spirits and beer.

Fact is, I'd be bored just drinking wine. I couldn't have imagined spending July 4th drinking only wine. Sure, I drank some great bubbles at the store - we were open 'til 5pm, and I generally encourage the staff to have some fun on days like the 4th - it was mostly Paul Bara Champagne Brut Rose. But once we made it to our July 4th festivities, I mixed it up; a couple of Coronas, a margarita, then a few glasses of a terrific dry pink Loire Valley Pinot Noir made by Eric Chevalier (like the Bara, a Kermit Lynch selection). By the way, there is no truth to the conventional wisdom that mixing alcoholic beverages causes hangovers. Over drinking causes hangovers, period.