It's all Greek to me? bring it on!

Here’s serendipity: We were on vacation in Greece, and the owners of our small hotel* had scheduled a wine-tasting with their friend (and now mine) George Skouras, owner of a very modern winery in Nemea, in the hills of eastern Peloponnese; we’d driven through the vineyard area, but didn’t stop. Next time, we will. We attended the tasting as a courtesy, and were extremely glad we did.
       George is a heartily affable fellow, but several of the wines were even more eloquent. He explained that most of his vineyards are more than 400 meters above sea level, with one just over 1,000—“the mountains are the refrigerators of our land,” he said, collaborating with the sea breezes (often brisk) to insure ripeness at the right times. Some of his wines are Rhône varieties (Syrah and Viognier), but George was pouring the Greek varieties, which made an excellent case for themselves as well as for the terroir:
       Moscofilero is bottled under its varietal name, a dark pink grape that makes an aromatic, crisp white wine—wildflowers and the merest hint of lime (he called it “joyful acidity,” and he had a good point there); Grand Cuvee Nemea 2007 is red,100 percent Aghiorghitiko, firm and slightly tart (red as opposed to black, cherry), undoubtedly benefitting from being grown at 970 meters altitude; Megas Oenos 2008 is the same grape, blended with 20 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, fermented and aged in new French oak but not overtly or intrusively oaky—both the oak and the Cabernet are smoothly integrated; Synoro 2008 is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Aghiorghitiko, beautifully balanced and deliciously complex (cassis, a bit of mint, vanilla), silky and rich, finesse itself, and a nicely lingering aftertaste—a really lovely wine, and well worth seeking out.
          During the week we were there, we drank the local wine, from the Peloponnese, often simply from carafes, impressed and very happy to be. Greece has gone far beyond the old Retsina days, well into modern times, but in its own delightful way. . . Another reason to go back.
        *The lovely hotel, in Karadamili, is at: www.anniska-liakoto.com

Cat got your tongue?

Among other things, May 17th is Sauvignon Blanc Day, with tastings to be held all over the world (the PR people hope), a multitude of tweets (unsurprisingly), and good will toward the flavour once described as "cat pee on a gooseberry bush." I daren't think what's next. Grenache Day was okay--the grape lends itself to a lot of different expressions and, playing well with others, would never be accused of any derivative of "savage," so a lot of the events organized in different places across the globe were charmingly goofy. Riesling week, similarly, had its charms and was a useful reminder of an often-neglected gem. Sauvignon Blanc? No amplification needed. . .

Ready, Aim. . . Sip?

The news that the National Rifle Association has a wine club, known as the American Cellars Wine Club, caused quite a flurry, with some pushing (Yalumba, furious at being included, demanded its wines be withdrawn, and The Wine Club Directory canceled its recommendation) and some pulling (the NRA removed an open letter on its website from its vice-president, Wayne LaPierre, which explained how wine purchases “directly support” the group, before overhauling the wine-club home page, so that participating wineries were no longer listed upfront; listings, and Wine Spectator-style tasting notes—Beringer Cabernet: “licorice, chocolate, roasted herbs, sweet oak and various blue and black fruits”--were only available to members).
       Given that the NRA is noted for strident militancy, their reaction seemed a little surprising (though not quite as surprising as the image of “good ole boys” who “drove their Chevvies to the levee, drinking. . . Chardonnay”?). The company that handles the actual sales, Vinesse, in southern California, supervises a number of wine clubs, and also went a little quiet—their page for the American Cellars Wine Club doesn’t mention the NRA at all.
       Now there’s another story, according to The New York Times: 250 members of Congress belong to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, and are recipients of funds and hospitality from the Congressional Sports Foundation, a charity that supports research on wildlife and conservation, as well as  lobbying against gun control; members of the caucus have frequently introduced pro-gun legislation. Major donors to the charity are Remington, Winchester, Walmart (a major retailer of guns), and of course the NRA. Among the hospitality events where lobbyists, gun makers, and politicians mingled last year were the “Stars and Stripes Shootout” and “Wine, Wheels, and Wildlife.” Wine tastings are regular features of the charity, it seems, proving at last that wine has finally earned a solid place in American life. Assyrtiko and AK-47s, anyone?

I'll never forget whatsisname. . .

I’m reading, enjoying, and learning a lot from “Inventing Wine: A New History of One of the World’s Oldest Pleasures,” by Paul Lukacs (W.W. Norton, $28.95), a fascinating book. The author essentially re-tells the story of wine from a skeptical point of view rather than the usual romantic angle, adding science and commerce to the mix to provide some new assessments to an old story.
       One such note is ironic: In the Middle Ages, people re-discovered an ancient Roman idea, making wine from dried or semi-dried grapes—the alcohol was higher, which helped preserve the wine, and sweeter, which offset the variable flavors and inevitable spoilage. The wines were highly prized, and in honor of the tradition, they were known as “Romneys.” Surely, the lifelong teetotal recent former Presidential candidate (remember him?) will appreciate that this particular irony didn’t turn up during the campaign. . .

Being perfectly Frank

Cleaning out some old files, I came across an article I wrote a bit more than a decade ago, which included some remarks from my old friend Frank Prial, the distinguished columnist for The New York Times who died last year. What he said is still relevant:
          "Class and price have come to mean the same thing, unfortunately, and too often we see people afraid not to spend a lot of money on ‘fine wine.’ In many cases, price and availability are the defining elements of ‘quality.’ . . . ‘World-class,’ if we must use the term, should apply to all categories at all levels—a good $10 bottle that’s the best in its class is world-class to me.’”
          Amen.