Noble Rot

Austrian winemaker, Alois Kracher, and his sweet wine legacy

I've had a little 187ml bottle of 2005 Kracher Trockenbeernauslese in my wine fridge for the last six months or so... a brief blip on the radar of this wine's potentially long life. Until last week, this bottle was just another curiosity, a beautiful golden thing that I'm saving for a special occasion when something sweet and luscious and divine is in order.

Then, last week, I heard the news that Alois Kracher had passed away at the god-awfully early age of 48 years old. I didn't know this man, but my curiosity about Austrian wines led me to research him and discover what I wish I had known all along--that he is largely responsible for the fact that I've even had access to so many great Austrian wines lately.

If you've heard of the mess the Austrian wine industry faced in the 80s, great. If you haven't, even better. It's just another example of how a few people's actions can have an unexpected and appalling effect on an entire industry and the hardworking people who built it. Alois Kracher was the opposite of those few scoundrels--a hard-working man whose passion and dedication to his craft and fellow winemakers helped erase sour memories with the sweetness of his personality and the ambrosia in his bottles. True, I never had the pleasure of meeting Alois Kracher, therefore I cannot personally attest to his sweet personality. But if you read the likes of Jancis Robinson, Howard G. Goldberg, and James Rodewald, you'll get the sense that this was no ordinary man. And how many other winemakers do you know who would willingly wear a winemaker cheese hat--with a smile?

I'm debating about that Kracher TBA in my fridge. I feel it would be a fitting tribute to sip a little glass in his honor... and perhaps also a way to glimpse the man's personality through his creation. But I know it has a long, long life ahead of it. And while I know it has a lot to offer now its youth, I don't want to cut its life short. I want Kracher's wine, at least, to live to the ripe old age it deserves.

2 Reasons to Give Italian White Wines Another Chance

Just read Erik Asimov's post highlighting some great Italian white wines and immediately thought of this Vermentino I drank recently. Can't remember what I ate with it, but it was probably just a little cheese and some chunks of smoked trout... that seems to be all I can manage to get together for dinner these days. Who needs dinner anyway when you've got a wine as nourishing and memorable as this? I found it intriguing, all these elements present at once, a little bitterness like toasted nuts, honey, fresh herbs. I started keeping this little wine journal (left) and pasting in the labels with the idea that I would blog about each of them. Well, if I can't manage to get together a real dinner, you can imagine why this is the first of these posts to make it on this blog. In any case, Erik, you don't need to convince me that there are delicious white wines coming out of Italy these days. This Vermentino was one I purchased at K&L Wines here in Hollywood, where I've found several equally quaffable Italian white wines with the assistance of their Italian buyer, Greg St. Clair.

A commenter on The Pour also mentioned Insolia (which I've also seen as Inzolia), a beautiful golden/green wine from Sicily that I've only begun to explore. I had one that was pretty blah, but others have been on par with the Vermentino mentioned above - and shared some of the almondy, citrusy qualities as well. I've tried the Cusumano Inzolia recommended by Michael (midtownstomp.blogspot.com) and wholeheartedly agree with his recommendation.

Austrian Red Wine - What to drink when you can't decide between red and white

I've been nursing a bottle of Austrian red wine (yes, I said Austrian red wine) from a producer called Umathum in Burgenland. Austrian wines have been on my radar big time for the last several months, and I'm shocked shocked to discover how little most people (including myself) know about the wines from this awesome region.

If you've heard of, tasted, and can name a couple of Grüner Veltliners (Austria's most populous grape variety, accounting for nearly 40% of its wine production) give yourself a pat on the back. Maybe you've even tasting an Austrian Riesling or two (see a great Austrian Riesling I recently tasted). But Austrian red wines? Bah!

Hold your horses, Nelly. I was skeptical, too, but I have to say - this bottle is kind of growing on me. I'm drinking the 2006 Umathum Zweigelt, Burgenland (Zweigelt is the grape - just in case you were wondering) and a few thoughts are forming:

• This is a very minerally wine. Clean and sort of steely on the nose, like standing in a creek.
• It's very light, but in an appealing way. Though it's pretty grim outside (bleh, November) it makes me think of spring picnics and breezes and sipping by the lake.
• This is a wine I would reach for (and have been) when I can't decide if I want to drink a red or a white. It fulfills my red cravings with its berry notes and light spice, but it's so clean and light that it lays easy on my palate.

On the subject of Austrian whites, I recently shared a bottle of 2005 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner, Kammerner Renner with a colleague while we dined at Ella, a brand spanking new restaurant in Sacramento. Dinner was great, but the wine really stuck with me - yum! The next day I was still tasting these beautiful floral notes and gorgeous mouth-filling fruit, all balanced with a food-friendly acidity. This was a delicious Grüner Veltliner, if you can trust my somewhat inexperienced palate.

These last three dabbles into Austrian wine have definitely left me curious and eager to learn more. Stay tuned for more Austrian wine tasting in future posts...

For now, here are a few Los Angeles wine shops with a decent selection of Austrian wines:

The Wine House

K&L Wines Hollywood

Vendome Wine & Spirits

Wine Online: Are Wineries Using the Internet's Full Potential to Sell Wine?

I've been thinking about the wine business a lot lately. No surprise, given wine is what I do for a living. But I've recently been spending days buried under a stack of research materials pertaining to the Internet, blogs, websites, all these communications tools that are right at our fingertips, and growing more and more accessible with every new coffee shop and portable device that has a Wireless Internet connection.

There are an awful lot of ways to buy wine online, whether you buy directly from a winery, wine shop, auction, or even a private collector. And some of these guys are really good at using the Web to sell wine. Check out K&L Wines for an example of a great online wine shop that's making full use of Web 2.0 technology to sell wine. These guys have an interesting blog, nice graphics (they just redid their website), and helpful descriptions of the wines, producers, grapes, regions--which is why they pop up just about every time I search for a wine online. Tons of relevant content! Tons of keywords! Plus, they update the thing site about every day, which keeps everything fresh. And guess what--they sell tons of wine online!

So this all got me thinking about small wineries and how they are and could be using the Internet to sell wine. Many people in the wine, web, and PR industries are familiar with the story of Stormhoek, the South African winery who doubled their wines sales with a PR campaign targeting bloggers. This is an example of what can be done with a targting, well-orchestrated online campaign that combines marketing and public relations. Lots of wineries have gotten in on the blogging game, but I'm not sure that everyone who's blogging really understands what the blog does for your business. Nonetheless, it's an encouraging sign that so many people are attempting to break the old marketing molds and speak directly to consumers.

Tom Wark's wine PR blog "Fermentation" brings to mind another advantage of small wineries becoming more web savvy in their sales and marketing strategies. Forming relationships with potential customers online means they're more likely to buy directly from the winery, meaning all the profit goes into their pockets instead of being spread out among the middlemen. As demand for direct sales increases, so does the likelihood that consumers will loudly advocate against laws that prevent direct shipping from wineries to consumers in certain states. Currently, there are only about 26 states that allow wineries to ship directly to consumers. Ostensibly, all those middle men are there to prevent alcohol from getting into the hands of minors. Frankly, I think this is a bunch of BS. I don't know many teenagers in California who get online trying to buy bottles of Santa Barbara Pinot at $45 a pop, so why would they do that in North Carolina?

In any case, I will continue to post about selling and promoting wine online, in the hopes that my comments and those of all you web-savvy, wine-savvy readers out there will help the little guys get their names out to a wider audience, so they can keep producing great wine for all of us to enjoy!

~Michelle
michellem@danfredman.com

Buried... but still sipping

Today, and for the forseeable (spelling? Can't even think right now) future, I am completely buried under a mountain of research pertaining to my Masters program in Communications. But, there's always time for great red wine, right? Greg and I cracked open a bottle of 2004 Mendel Malbec from Mendoza, following up on last week's Argentinean wine tasting in downtown LA. I have to say, this is a darn good wine - especially for the price. I see it listed on K&L Wines right now for $19.99, but I swear I paid $16.99 for this wine a month or so ago. Perhaps those wine critic scores bumped the price up a bit -- Wine Spectator 90, Wine & Spirits 91. Not bad for a region no one in the northern hemisphere had even heard of ten years ago! And even at $19.99, what a deal! This Malbec would be a great alternative to California Cabernets of the juicier, fruit-forward style. Given the insane winds blowing outside my window tonight, it's the perfect wine for snuggling up in a furry blanket with a little piece of dark chocolate and a cat.

And while you're enjoying this luscious, chocolate-cherry wine, keep winemaker Roberto de la Mota in your thoughts and prayers (if you do that sort of thing). He was seriously injured in a car accident in August, and is still in pretty bad shape. Decanter magazine says the accident left him "with seven broken ribs, lung damage and a spinal cord injury. The extent of the latter damage is not yet clear, although it appears that three vertebrae have been affected. De la Mota reportedly lost feeling in his lower body following the accident." I don't think De la Mota would want you to stop enjoying his fabulous wine, but I do think he would appreciate you taking a moment to send him some good vibes.

WineBlueBook Relaunched: New Format Makes Smart Wine Buying Easy

Want to find great, high-scoring wines that won't break the bank? Thinking about dropping a chunk of change on a great Burgundy, but not sure it's worth the price? Check out WineBlueBook, the consumer advocate buying guide with the pragmatic solution to wine buying.

WineBlueBook was re-launched this month with a new timely format. Instead of issues focused on Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Burgundy, or Pinot Noir, WineBlueBook will now canvass wines as soon as they are reviewed by key wine critics. This allows consumers to discover the great values while they are still readily available, and also means there is something for everyone in every issue – no matter what your favorite region or grape variety.

Formerly known as QPRwines, WineBlueBook dishes up a simple value index that weighs major wine critics’ scores against retail price and availability. If you’re not a statistician, the math behind it may seem complex; but the resulting recommendations are straightforward and unbiased. As the brains behind WineBlueBook, founder Neil Monnens doesn’t review wines himself, but instead gives the layman a handy wine buying guide that bridges the gap between the curious consumer and obsessive connoisseur. He gives subscribers the confidence to discover and try new wines, knowing they’re getting the most for their money and avoiding the dogs.

After more than 17 years studying, tasting, growing, and writing about wine, Monnens has made it his mission to provide smart information to make wine buying decisions easier for consumers. In August 2000 he launched WineRelease.com, the only website publishing past, current and future wine release dates. Now with the re-launch of WineBlueBook, Monnens makes it easier than ever for entertainers, collectors, banquet planners, and oenophiles of every stripe to shop smart and drink well.

WineBlueBook is an invaluable resource for novice and expert alike, whether the interest is solely “best bang for the buck” wines or to establish a varied wine collection of fine and high-end treasures. For a $25 annual fee, subscribers get WineBlueBook delivered monthly to their email Inbox as a downloadable, printable PDF file. Email delivery helps conserve natural resources, ensures timely delivery, and means never having to update your mailing address.

Want to know more? Email michellem@danfredman.com

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Lovely day... had a flat tire