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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.”
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