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The Grapevine
Hosted by Michael Franz
Special to the Washington Post
Wednesay, Oct. 24, 2001; Noon. EDT
Today at Noon EDT, Washington Post wine columnist Michael Franz was on the Web for The Grapevine and talked about the art of wine and his latest column.
Franz, who says he's been "drinking wine for 20 years and intently studying it for 13 years," regularly conducts public tastings for the Washington Wine Academy. You can find his column on alternating Wednesdays in The Washington Post Food section.
The transcript follows -- enjoy the oenological banter.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Michael Franz: G’day mates! Welcome to The Grapevine, an interactive forum on all things vinous. The basic idea for the show is that you submit any question plausibly related to wine, and I do my best to shed some light on the matter. Anything from the growing of wine grapes, to the craft of the winemaker, to the workings of the wine trade, to issues of buying, storing and serving the stuff is fair game, so the range of potential discussion points is very broad. I’m always especially interested in questions regarding the pairing of wines with food, so let me help if you’ve got a question along these lines.
As usual, I want to give you Grapevinistas a special tip on a hot bottling, and today’s pick is Villa Mount Eden “Coastal” Cabernet Sauvignon 1996, $10. A couple of shows back, somebody asked for a recommendation on a good, affordable California Cab, and I was essentially stumped, since the horrific price increases of recent years have just about emptied out the category. So, for fear of looking stupid again, I solicited samples from all local wholesalers for an article that will run in the Post in two weeks. The early returns are not promising, but this bottling from Villa Mount Eden is an early standout. It is surprising that 1996 is still the current vintage, and that may be a peculiarity that holds true only in the local D.C. market. In any case, the wine is lovely, with ample berry fruit, very light touches of wood, and some emerging secondary aromas from four years in bottle. This was notably better than several wines that were right at the upper end of the $20 price ceiling that I set for samples…so you get the picture. This will go fast once the word gets out in two weeks, so start your engines!
OK…on to your questions!
Woodbridge, Va.:
Hello, Michael!
Impossible to think of satiny, luscious Chiantis while sitting in front of PC, wearing a satin Hawaiian shirt, but duty calls. What '98s can you recommend for stocking a small cellar that is now totally bereft of the wonderful '97 Chiantis, both for everyeve and special occasions. I usually look in the $12-20 range for the former and twice that for the latter.
Thanks much!
Michael Franz: Hey...could be worse...at least you can get away with wearing a Hawaiian shirt! Not too long ago, I published a story on 1998s (an under-heralded vintage that produced very nice wines), and you'll be able to find that archived in the Food section from the home page for this site. Happy hunting...and don't get too worried if many of the wines are sold out, because the 1999s that replace them should be just as good!
Washington, D.C.:
Hi. I got a bottle of Cabernet a few months ago and, stupid me, I put it in the fridge. Is it OK to take it out and let it sit at room temperature until I drink it (probably another few months) or is it already ruined?
Michael Franz: My hunch is that it is fine. However, I believe I'd go ahead and drink it now, rather than waiting for the few months. Even if it is a young wine, the dietary fat in a steak will buffer the tannins and make the wine enjoyable even now. One more thing: Don't let the wine come all the way up to room temperature (which is just too warm; this was a fine rule of thumb when it was hatched by guys in cold, English manor houses in the 19th century, when room temperature was 62 degrees). Catch it when it is in the low 60s, hope for the best, and enjoy!
McLean, Va.:
Hello.
I was just wanting to get your opinion of the store Total Beverage (now called Total Wine and More or something of the sort). It's very convenient to me and seems to have a huge selection. However, I notice that when you mention local retailers that carry a certain wine, they never come up. Are you mostly wanting to give a boost to smaller retailers, or is there something about Total Beverage that I'm not catching?
Thanks.
Michael Franz: Hi,
The fact is that I haven't been into any of the stores for quite some time, so I'm just not current on their status. They went through an ownership change a few years ago, so perhaps they've improved. However, in their initial years, I found the service to be seriously sub-standard, the stock counter-intuitively displayed, and the prices just average. Next time I get a chance, I'll stop into one of the stores.
Anybody out there got a more current read on these places?
Missouri Norton:
Michael -
Several friends and I held a wine tasting last week whereby everyone brought a bottle of syrah based wine, including a 1999 Groom Shiraz, 2000 Laughing Magpie, 1998 Russian Hill Syrah and a 1997 Cote Rotie. The group generally liked (I was in the clear minority) the more fruit forward Australians as opposed to the leather, earth and spices of the Norhtern Rhones.
My question to you: what style of syrah do you generally prefer? And, is that based on food matching or just a general affinity?
Thank you.
Michael Franz: Hi there,
let me work backwards on this one. I actually enjoy the two styles with different sorts of foods. I love northern Rhones with relatively simple meat dishes (leg of lamb is perfecto) when they are older and lighter (having dropped their baby fat), since these enable the wonderful aromatic complexities to shine through. With younger versions from the Rhone, I like robust, rustic foods with low spice content such as cassoulet. The big, juicy, fruit-bomb type from Australia or CA (which my colleague Ben Giliberti calls--perfectly--"Big Hair Shiraz") is really best with grilled, spicy foods that call for red wine (the sweet-seeming fruit balances the spice and the charring from the grill.
Which would I drink if forced--heaven forbid--to choose only one style? Rhones...because aromatic complexity trumps chunky fruit in my book every time.
Baltimore, Md.:
Where might one locate the Villa Mt. Eden Cab you recommended?
Michael Franz: Hi there Balto...I think this one should be unusually easy, since this line (which also includes a very good Pinot Noir for about $12) is made in pretty large volume and is quite widely distributed. I'm not sure the Maryland distributor will have the same vintage (I got my sample from D.C.), so watch out. If you're offered 1997, go for it; if it is 1998, I'd pass.
Good luck!
Annapolis, Md.:
Dear Michael,
Enjoy this online immensely! Would appreciate your thoughts regarding entry into the wine industry for those with a passion for wine (esp. on becoming a sommelier without prior experience). I've attended many tastings, courses, etc., but am wondering as to the next steps. Thanks!
Michael Franz: Aren't you nice! Thanks for joining in. I believe you've asked about this before, and one of your fellow Grapevinistas was kind enough to send me an e-mail with some information to pass along to you. It includes contact info for some advanced wine training, and if you simply send me an e-mail at mfranz@loyola.edu so that I can get your address, I'll forward his message along to you.
Good luck, and don't forget the rest of us when you hit the big time!
Falls Church, Va.:
How can I know when to let a fine wine breathe before drinking it? If a fine 10-15 year old Bordeaux still tastes tannic when I open it, is there anything I can do to speed up the breathing?
Michael Franz: This is a good question, which in wine usually means that there is no simple or straightforward answer. In my experience, almost no young red wines (within four years of the vintage) are harmed by breathing for half an hour in a decanter (or any clean glass vessel), and more than half are improved by this (which is to say that they are softer in texture and more complex in aroma and flavor).
So far, so good. However, as wines get older, decanting becomes a dicier practice. Some wines of a more delicate character (like Burgundies and Chiantis) will actually start to "dry out" and "crack up" if decanted for half an hour when the are approaching 10 years of age. By "dry out," I mean that they will lose the taste of sweet fruit, which leaves the tannins tasting dry and overly prominent. By "crack up," I mean that the wines can lose their coherence and symmetry, both in terms of aroma and flavor. It takes longer for Cabernet-based wines to enter this perilous phase, but they get there too. So, a 15 year-old Bordeaux that tastes tannic when opened MAY soften and get better after half an hour or more, but likewise it MAY actually drop its fruit and taste even mroe tannic then when first opened. How to know? You can't know, but your hunches will get more and more accurate with experience, if your experience is backed by knowledge of the producer and vintage. If 1990 Margaux tastes tannic when you open it, let it breathe without worry; if a petite chateau from 1991 tastes tannic when opened, it is probably only going to get worse....
Washington, D.C.:
Re: Total Wine
My first experience with Total was a major turnoff -- finding case after case of Beaujolais Nouveau stored in their temperature-controlled room (a potentially nice touch), while two bottles of the 1989 Trimbach Clos Ste. Hune Riesling Vendange Tardive (one of the greatest white wines ever produced) were languishing on the regular shelves. Not to mention their entire selection of Champagne.
I recently paid them a visit on a lark, and not much has changed. I've never seen such a huge varieity of wines that, based either on low quality or way-too-high prices, I had absolutely no desire to buy.
Michael Franz: Sorry to say, that was exactly my take on the place(s).
BTW...1989 Trimbach Clos St. Hune VT is one of the ten best white wines I've ever tasted. Got any more? I'll rake your leaves....
Rockville, Md.:
Ref the question on Total Beverage--or whatever its called now. I shop there regularly and buy most of my wine there. They rarely have the wines you recommend, but the selection is good. I've found the service to be terrific. I tell them what we're having, they match it with the right wine. I like their selection of Rhone Valley reds--my personnel favorite.
Michael Franz: That's good to hear, and I'm glad to learn that you've benefitted from helpful service
Baltimore, Md.:
Dear Michael, Thank you for your recent reviews of Austrian whites. I just returned from a week in Austria, and sampled a number of lovely wines, many not imported here. You didn't mention Brundlmayer, who makes a superb GV Alte Reben (the 2000 is killer!) and some wonderful Rieslings. Have you tried these wines? Thanks for your input.
Michael Franz: I've been buying those Alte Rebens since the early 1980s and adoring them. They are available in the USA, and are imported either by Vin DiVino in Chicago or by Terry Theise (sorry, can't remember at the moment). I hope to make it to Austria to learn more next year (never been there), and if I can swing it, you'll hear more from me on the subject withing a year.
Bethesda, Md.:
Micheal,
Hi. I was interested in your column about the Austrian wines with the funny name (can't even remember it now). I clipped it out and went to my local wine store (a county run place in Germantown - Montgomery County) but couldn't find them, or any Austrian wine for that matter, anywhere. And this is a sizeable store that has a nice selection. Got any tips on finding them? Thanks.
Michael Franz: I'm sorry to say that the Montgomery County stores are likely to be totally useless for non-mainstream wines like Gruner Veltliners from Austria. Calvert Woodley in D.C. has been stocking Austrian wines for years, and I'd guess that MacArthur (not too far from you) would have some as well.
Anybody out there seen stock in other stores?
Washington, D.C.:
Hello Michael!
Two questions:
We are having Thanksgiving at our house. We have about 18 bottles of all nice, but maybe three of each different kind of reds. For instance the Ancient vines Mourvedre (which I find appealing because it is so smothh for a red with such flavor) from Cline which I love. Is it bad not to serve say a case of the same, but serve one type, and then switch to the next, with fresh glasses of course, rather than have to shell out a lot of cash for a case of all the same type, and still have more red in the house, which we have not been drinking terribly fast? Should I mention that I don't typically match food with wine because I like to drink wine I love rather than pick something for what food it goes with.
Also, have you tried the Lolonis wines. My step father gave me some great chardonnay from them for Christmas, that was great because it wasn't too oaky, had nice subtle vanilla and was still buttery , like I like it. I really enjoyed it and I wonder if I would be safe in buying their chardonnay that was available this year if I was hoping for something similar.
Michael Franz: I think you should be perfectly comfortable going with that plan for Thanksgiving. Try to drink the lighter wines first and the bigger ones later, so that the lighter ones don't seem diluted by comparison or produce an anticlimax. I get a big kick out of fooling around with the interplay between wines and food, but there is absolutely no reason why you should!
Those Lolonis wines have really impressed me on occasion. They were being made by Jed Steele (one of CA's top winemakers) for a while, and though I don't know if that is still the case, you're in on a little-known secret.
Washington, D.C.:
So, in light of the total bev. Question, do you have any wine shops that you totally trust if you were to go in and say "I'd like a nice wine to go with X, this is what I like and don't like."
I live right near Ace on New Mexico, ut I am not always sure about their wine. Any ideas?
Michael Franz: There are certainly a dozen or so INDIVIDUALS whom I regard as completely reliable, but I cannot say that there is a STORE that I totally trust. This is because the level of experience and interest in food differs from consultant to consultant. At Ace, get to know Joe Reily, who is very knowledgeable and knows a lot about food as well.
Pentagon:
Total Beverage: Was there this weekend. Found it to be less intimate then the smaller shops in town but with a larger selection then most. If you don't know much about wine and are looking for wines listed in magazines (like Wine Spectator) and newspaper columns as a starting point you can often find them at Total Beverage. If you are looking for a relationship with someone in the wine store whom you can trust to lead you to wines you will find tasty, I would reccomend sticking with the smaller places in town. The prices aren't much better or worse then other stores. Rodman's for example is cheaper but Cleveland Park is about the same.
Michael Franz: Thanks for your input.
Connecting this with the previous question, at Cleveland Park the consultant to know is Tony Quinn. Very good palate, lots of experience, and a really nice guy.
Boston, Mass.:
I have recently discovered Chilean red wines. My opinion: Some of the best values in wine today. I recently had the pleasure of sharing a bottle of 1991 Don Melchor, Cabernet Sauvignon, Private Reserve. Awesome! The Concha Y Toro Winery has been putting out a great product. And it is nice to enjoy a quality wine without having to take out a second mortgage.
Michael Franz: Hi there Boston. Those Don Melchor Cabs are indeed stunning. I've tasted every vintage ever made, and it is great stuff. I six-bottle collection of aged wines from different vintages is being released later this year, and I'll include them in a piece on wine-related holiday gifts toward the end of the year.
Closing tip: Try the stuff from Montes, including both the entry-level wines (priced around $9 or $10; excellent Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet, and also a pretty good Malbec) as well as the Montes Alpha stuff, priced in the high teens.
Bethesda, Md.:
re. the Austrian wines. Thanks for the tip, now where exactly is this MacArthur wine store you mention? Thanks
Michael Franz: On MacArthur Blvd., near the reservoir above Georgetown.
Rockville, Md.:
Hi Michael,
I have found Austrian and I think, Swiss wines at Rodman's in D.C. I don't remember the names and the selection is small.
By the way, do you like that store at Paul's?
Thanks
Michael Franz: Yep, I should have thought of Rodmans, as the wine buyer there called me this morning to say that they've had good success with Austrian wines in the past. And, Swiss wines too?!! I love Swiss wines, but have an awful time finding them.
Washington, D.C.:
I agree about Tony at Cleveland park. He helped me choose the wines for my wedding, and he was VERY HELPFUL.
Michael Franz: Yep! No Surprise there!
Chateauneuf de Pape question:
Hi Michael!
Long time lurker, sometime poster:
I got back from France a month ago (yes I was there during the horrible tragedy, but that is another story in itself).
I spent an entire day at Chateauneuf DP with a few friends. I bought 4 bottles of wine. I wondered if you could tell me their quality? I cannot find info on the web about them.
And, most importantly - which of the below should I uncork for my Mom's 60th next Wednesday?
1998 Barronnies d'Estouard. I paid about 60 bucks for it. Was I dumb? It was quite good.
1994 Belugado Grande Reserve. I paid maybe 30 bucks for it.
1997 Domaine Pontifical. again maybe 25-30 or so, I forget already.
2000 Domaine de St. Prefert -- maybe 20 bucks or so.
Being overseas during that time was so surreal. We saw fighter jets flyover the little village every half an hour or so, not kidding (this was Thursday the 13th). We were extremely numb and that didn't have much to do with the wine.
Anyway, thank you so much for your help.
Beth
Michael Franz: Hi Beth,
Please post frequently!
Happy birthday to Mom...I hope she'll enjoy that 1994.
One last thing: The flyboys in the French Air Force are always buzzing around the southern Rhone, for reasons unknown to me. So, if you get back there and it happens again, you can know that it doesn't imply another tragedy.
Takoma Park, Md.:
Michael,
Let me share a quote with you of the exact kind that makes me hate wine snobs.
"The bulk of what is made in Austria is simple wine for quaffing purposes (as in most wine-producing countries), and only about 10 percent of national production is high-quality wine suitable for export."
We've never met, but at least in your writing, you do not usually come off as a "wine snob." I enjoy your columns and the balance you take between making your writing accessible to the novices [like me] and the experts. So when I read the above quote, I think to myself, "Gee, I like 'simple' wine, where simple has a good connotation, and I like to be 'quaffed' by my beverages."
So am I missing something here? Tell me what the difference is between "simple" and "high quality." And, can't wine both quaff and be high quality, or is there some rule that says every wine I drink must challenge my palate?
Michael Franz: Hi,
It was certainly not a snobby thought, so I'm concerned if the writing made it seem that way.
I like simple wine too, and like almost everyone else who has been fortunate enough to travel in Europe, I can say that there are few pleasures in the world that can match a lovely, fresh glass of simple, local wine at an upretentious cafe or bar. There is almost always a great symbiosis with the local foods, and often an uncanny and inexpressable "fit" between the flavors and the atmosphere of the locality.
However, this sort of light, simple wine often does not travel as well as richer, more hearty wines. Moreover, inexpensive wines don't stay inexpensive one they've been boxed, shipped across the world, slapped with import duties, and run through the tax gauntlet at the wholesale and retail level. Thus, the lovely little wine that you might enjoy for two bucks in a Vienna cafe may just not make sense as an export item.
That's all I meant!
Michael Franz: Yikes...out of time! Please join in when we next crank up The Grapevine in two weeks, same time, same site. Until then, cheers!
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