It's Grape: Wine Programs Ahoy

“There’s been a lot of pain in the winery, but a lot of pleasure in wine lovers’ wallets.”

By Barbara Keck

It’s such a welcoming place, filled with Tahoe nautical memorabilia, photos of beautiful boats, sailors and so very into enjoying a nice glass of wine. This is the Tahoe Yacht Club located in Tahoe City, and Commodore Andy Wagner encourages prospective members to take a tour, and, by the way, he’d love to talk about wine. Andy is the mover behind the Club’s wonderful series of wine tastings and programs.

A recent event featured Rod Santos, owner of Wine Thieves, two retail stores in the East Bay. Their motto is “We find wine steals so you don’t have to.” Rod’s presentation, “A Coup for Consumers: Higher-end Wines at Bargain Prices,” verified that wine lovers can find good wines without breaking the budget.

It’s both good news and bad news that Wine Thieves has an extensive list of great finds. Good news for wine drinkers, and bad news for winemakers who ended up not being able to move recent vintages due to the recession.

“During the recessionary 2009 economy, California vintners shipped 467.7 million gallons of California wine to the U.S. wine market, up a modest 0.2 percent compared to the 2008,” notes The Wine Institute of California. “The estimated retail value of these sales was $17.9 billion, down 3 percent from 2008 as consumers traded down to lower-priced wines. Wineries that were reliant on restaurant sales found that on-premise sales were off 6 to 9 percent as consumers dined more at home and business travel was curbed. Some wineries diverted inventory to off-premise retail accounts and many placed new emphasis on direct-to-consumer sales …”

Summary: there’s been a lot of pain in the winery, but a lot of pleasure in wine lovers’ wallets.
Tahoe Yacht Club members and guests tasted interesting examples of Wine Thieves finds.
The 2009 Robert Hall Rose de Robles is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre (Paso Robles). Perhaps you think of rose as a blush wine that can be almost sticky-sweet, this rose, however, is far from that. It is dry, juicy and sophisticated. Aromas of fresh raspberries, with a hint of tangerine. 13 percent alcohol. $14 per bottle.

2009 Pinot Gris Acrobat from one of Oregon’s largest wineries, King Estate, is dry with nice citrus and apple tones. “Crisp entry with nice balance between acidity and residual sugar, round and full mid-palate, clean refreshing finish,” noted the winemaker. 12.5 percent alcohol $11 per bottle.

The Montepulciano San Lorenzo, 2003 from Umani Ronchi, Italy is a single vineyard, full bodied red wine made from 100 percent Montepulciano grapes grown in Mount Conero overlooking the Adriatic Sea, and aged 14 months in oak to provide a distinctive, subtle aroma and flavor. Finely structured, it pairs with roasts, game and aged cheese. At $10 the bottle, stock up, because it will age well in your cellar. Originally sold at $18 the bottle. 13.5 percent alcohol.

A great everyday wine is the 2007 Rock Star California red from Rock Wall winery. There’s a fascinating story behind this winery, which was started in 2008 by a daughter of the well known Rosenblum wine family and is housed in an old airplane hangar in Alameda. This red is 45 percent Napa Syrah, 34 percent Tempranillo and 21 percent Cinsault. Aged in oak, with flavors of dark berry fruit, violets and anise, with a hint of peppery spice.14.5 percent alcohol. $14 by the bottle.

The 2002 Melanson Cabernet Sauvignon Matthew’s Block, is from an eight-acre parcel on Pritchard Hill, Napa Valley. Only 73 cases were produced, and Wine Thieves has most of what’s left at $20 the bottle (originally $55, pre-recession). Harvested in 2002, aged in French Oak and bottled in 2005, a classic California cab, nicely tannic. 14.2 percent alcohol.

Interested in a tour or membership in the Tahoe Yacht Club? Contact general manager Marianna Dye at (530) 581-4700.

Follow Barbara’s blog at www.winebiznews.blogspot.com. Contact her at barbara@winebizpr.com. She is currently working on her forthcoming book “Mountain Wineries of the Sierra and Its Foothills.”