Video Review: Nicolas Perrin Syrah

One of my earliest articles discussed Syrah, and how the grape was a victim of wine fashion. For some reason, Syrah has received the short-end of the stick when it comes to popularity among American wine consumers. Unlike Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and even Chardonnay, it's rare to see someone sit down at the bar and order a glass of Syrah. However, just because it's not an en vogue grape doesn't mean that isn't capable of producing some stellar wines. In fact, Syrah-based wines are some of my personal favorites.

Maison Nicolas Perrin Syrah ViognierIn France's Northern Rhone, Syrah is the only red grape that is allowed to be planted, and many think that the the region is the grape's true ancestral home. There are certainly some fabulous expressions of Syrah that can be found in the region. While wines from some Northern Rhone appelations (Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage) can cost a fortune, the region is also home to several wines that are fantastic expressions of Syrah, but won't break your budget. One of these is the Maison Nicolas Perrin Syrah-Viognier. It's a delicious Côte-Rôtie lookalike, but at $12.99, it's far more affordable than your typical Côte-Rôtie. To learn a little bit more about the wine, and for an interactive tasting, check out the video.

The Maison Nicolas Perrin Syrah-Viognier is currently available at Burlington Wine Shop, for $12.99. Trust me, it's a steal. However, mention this post, and get an extra 10% off! If that doesn't encourage you to try Syrah, I don't know what will.

Italian-American: A Phrase Not Commonly Applied to Wines

2006 Bonny Doon Ca' Del Solo Nebbiolo

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending Wednesday Wine Down with a group of close friends. Afterwards, we ventured down to a new Neapolitan pizza restaurant on Saint Paul Street, called Pizzeria Verita. The pizza was excellent, and I was especially impressed with the both the selections and pricing featured on their wine list, which was mostly Italian in composition. After perusing the short, but thoughtfully composed wine list, I settled on choosing the Cantine Valpene Barbera for our table. This Barbera is a perennial favorite of mine, and it earned high praise in the small blind tasting of Barbera that I hosted this fall.   

However, as I sat at the table and observed the ease with which the Barbera paired with our pizza, a nagging thought re-entered my head. Why weren't more American vintners producing wines from traditionally Italian varietals? I certainly enjoy Italian wines, but it is often fun to compare American interpretations of traditionally European grapes. However, for all the diversity and growth that America's wine culture has enjoyed over the past 30-plus years, American viticulture is still shockingly dominated by grapes that are native to France. Nearly all of our most prolific and popular grapes - Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and to some extent Syrah and Riesling - trace their origins to France. What about Italian grapes? Isn't their a devoted following for Italian wines in America? I've seen wine enthusiasts hunt down prodigious Chiantis, Brunello di Montalcinos, Barolos, and Barbarescos, along with more obscure Italian varietals, such as the red wines made from the Nerello Mascalese grape by Tenuta delle Terre Nere on Mount Etna in Sicily. Certainly, some Italian grapes are likely to be limited to their native terroir, but it is still shocking to think that our wine industry has been so heavily influenced by France to the detriment of other countries.

I am always searching for new wines, and I have a particular affinity for the obscure and esoteric. At the present moment, American wines made from Italian varietals are well described by those characteristics. The question to ask is: Why is that the case?

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Springsteen, Birthday Dinners and Wine Lists

Thursday, August 16th marked my 28th birthday, and I was lucky enough to be able to take some time off from work to celebrate. I headed to Boston on Wednesday night, and closed out my 27th year watching Bruce Springsteen deliver one of the most memorable concert performances I've ever seen at Fenway Park. Fenway Park Scoreboard Before SpringsteenAside from wine, two of my biggest passions are sports and live music, so seeing Springsteen at Fenway was an amazing synthesis of my life's other interests. I know that this is a wine blog, and you probably didn't come here looking for a concert review, so I'll leave it to the experts to recount just how incredible the Boss' Fenway performance was. Let me just say briefly though, this show was unbelievable. If I were to relate it to a wine drinking experience, it would have to be akin to drinking Salon or Krug or some other top flight Champagne. It's expensive, and it's not something you'll do everyday, but as you're enjoying it you have to smile, because you know that you're experiencing something that's absolutely transcendent, and worth every penny you paid for it. That's how I felt about Springsteen's show.

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Will Pinot Noir See a Reverse Sideways Effect?

In my first column for this site, I touched on the subject of "wine fashion," and how on certain occasions, the overwhelming popularity of a type of grape, or style of wine, can result in a backlash against that grape or style of wine from knowledgeable wine consumers. In nearly all cases that I can think of (Merlot, Chardonnay, etc.), this stems from what Jancis Robinson has termed the "'big equals bad' phenomenon."

As with any blanket statement philosophy, always assuming that "big equals bad," invariably leads to some missed opportunities, as Robinson illustrated with a story from a recent blind tasting where Gallo Moscato was selected by several Masters of Wine over several more expensive artisanally produced Moscatos. However, in general, the wine public has rebelled against large scale wine production because it represents wine that is made for the sake of profit, and generally eschews small scale wine making techniques that bestow quality and character on wine. One of these techniques is the careful sourcing of the grapes. In evaluating the state of Merlot prior to the evisceration of its reputation by the movie Sideways, here is what I wrote about the manner in which the grapes were selected:

As Merlot's popularity increased, countless wineries added Merlot to their repetoire, in the hopes of capitalizing on the growing demand. However, not everyone who attempted to cash in on the increased demand for Merlot was well positioned to do so. The promise of economic gain caused wineries to overlook whether they had the appropriate climate to grow Merlot grapes, and many produced substandard wines as a result of this oversight. The glut of average Merlot that flooded the market, combined with its near universal popularity, led to a backlash against Merlot among the wine conoscenti, and formed the basis for the disparagement of Merlot in the movie Sideways.

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Lambrusco: Wine Industry Promotion or Forgotten Gem?

As someone who likes to try new wines, and be on the cutting edge of emerging trends, a slight smile crossed my face when the lovely young women manning the Vinlandia USA table at the Killington Wine Festival began aggressively promoting Lambrusco, as I tasted through their portfolio at the Saturday Grand Tasting. 

"You simply have to try Lambrusco," said one of the women. "It's a delicious, dry sparkling red." 

Not to worry, I told her, I'd definitely be trying the Lambrusco. My philosophy of always being willing to try any wine that I'm offered when at a tasting nonwithstanding, I'm well aware of what Lambrusco is, and I've had several good experiences with it. I very much appreciated the Villa di Corlo Lambrusco Sorbara that was served at the Vinlandia USA table, but I also thought of the Lini Lambruscos that I occasionally enjoyed during the days that I worked at BRIX Wine Shop in Boston. I'd always enjoyed Lambrusco, but it wasn't something that I drank very often. 

Still, I couldn't help battling a little skepticism, as other festival attendees approached the table, and were given the same spiel about the Lambrusco. Perhaps it was because I'd witnessed repeated efforts to attract people to the Lambrusco, but after one couple walked away without trying the Lambrusco, one of the women at the table addressed my girlfriend and I again. "It's the summer of Lambrusco," she declared, and pointed towards a placard on the table.

 

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