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Monday June 06, 2005

Stupid wine laws
Recently the US Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional for states to ban shipments of wine direct to customers from wineries outside the state, while permitting shipments direct to customers from inside the state. But rather than accept the spirit of the decision, the states simply close the loophole by banning intra-state shipments. In fact in New Jersey the wineries voluntarily gave up the right to ship!

Meanwhile in Georgia, some restaurants allow wine enthusiasts to store some of their prized bottles in the restaurant's cellars. That way you can be sure that the restaurant has the wine you want and that it's been cellared properly. But earlier this year the Georgia Department of Revenue raided some of these restaurants and confiscated the privately owned wines.

While on a trip to Hawai'i, my neighbours ordered a bottle of wine in a restaurant, planning to have a couple of glasses with their meal then drink the rest of the bottle in the hotel later. Oh, no you don't. In Hawai'i - and many other states - you have to finish the bottle or leave it behind. So much for socially responsible drinking.

Thankfully I live in California. But even here the laws can get wierd. Recently I discovered that they really don't want people importing wine from abroad. I drank some excellent wines on a recent trip to France, but unfortunately they aren't available in the USA, so I wanted to know how I'd go about importing a few cases. Well it turns out that as a private individual there's no legal way to do it other than carrying it home from a vist. This didn't surprise me too much, so I looked into what it would take to get a licence to import. It turns out that it's not too difficult - it costs about $500 plus a background check - but having imported the wine I wouldn't be allowed to drink it! Legally I'd have to sell it all on to a licenced retailer. D'oh! Permalink | | | | Comments [2]
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Audelssa - A winery to watch
I visited Napa and Sonoma last week to show friends around and do a spot of tasting. One of the highlights of the weekend was a visit to Audelssa This is a winery on the Sonoma side of Mount Veeder that's trying to change peoples' expectations of Sonoma Cabernets.

Because the Mount Veeder appellation only applies to the Napa side of the mountain, Audelssa is in the much larger (and, under the circumstances, somewhat misleading) Sonoma Valley appellation. They have about 80 acres (the slopes are so steep it's hard to measure accurately) which are mainly planted with Cabernet Sauvignon. Most of the grapes are sold to well known labels, but beginning with the 1999 vintage they began making some wine themselves. Initially they used the name Schaefer Sonoma until Shafer objected.

It's worth the trip just for the views, but the wines are very good too. They poured the 2000, 2001 and 2002 Cabernets, and a 2002 Syrah. I particularly liked the 2002 Cabernet, but unfortunately it's not released until September. The 2001 was very good too and it's available for about $25 if you shop around - excellent value in my opinion.

If you're in Sonoma, make an appointment to see them - and enjoy the drive! Permalink | | | | Comments [0]
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Friday March 11, 2005

Rosemount GSM 2001
If you like big Aussie reds, check out Rosemount GSM 2001. It's got nothing to do with mobile phones; GSM stands for Grenache, Shiraz (AKA Syrah) and Mataro (AKA Mourvedre) - three Rhone varietals. At $17 this little beauty will hold it's own against a Chateauneuf du Pape at twice the price. Permalink | | | | Comments [0]
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Thursday January 06, 2005

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc
If you like dry white wine, look out for the 2004 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. It goes for about $12 in Costco, slightly more elsewhere. Some crazy people are paying up to $35 a bottle at auction. Wine Spectator gave it 91 points, named it on their Top 100 wines of 2004 and called it Explosively aromatic, brimming with spice, herb and peppery character, surprisingly docile in the mouth, with lovely pear, apple, melon and mineral flavors that linger enticingly. Permalink | | | | Comments [0]
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Sideways
I went to see the movie Sideways last night. It's very good. I'm not going to review it - there's plenty of those already - just recommend it.

You know how it is when you watch a movie that covers something that you know a little about - you spot every stupid goof and impossibility. I can't watch the Star Wars Episodes 1 and 2 without thinking that the laws of physics clearly don't apply in George Lucas's world. And don't get me started on The Net. But this time the details were right (or seemed right to me). There's lots of clever "in" wine jokes such as naming the character Maya and the references to Cheval Blanc. People without much wine interest can laugh at the pretentiousness of it all and may even learn a little.

I saw it at the new Cine Arts cinema at Santana Row. I didn't even realise it was there; I don't go to Santana Row very often. It's a really nice place, and the carpet isn't sticky from gum and spilled coke.

But I really, REALLY wish I'd taken a nice bottle of Pinot Noir with me. Do cinemas charge corkage? Permalink | | | | Comments [0]
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