T O O RDER M ORE F EA T URED W INES C ALL 1-800-823-5527 T ODAY ! Volume 21 Number 5 The ©Vinesse Wine Club 2013 SKU 21210 GrThe Officiala NewslepTTer fOrevine ViiNesse wiiNe club MeMbers The Gold Medal Wines of Placer County, Calif. Why Take the Time to Smell the Wine? Colomé: Taking the Art of Winemaking to New Heights Regional Barbecue Styles... and Wine G E T Y OUR D AILY D OSE O F W INE N E W S A T http://blog.vinesse.com 2 • The Grapevine • Visit vinesse.com OUR MISSION: To uncover and bring you wine gems diTOr s OurNal from around the world, which you’re e ’ J not likely to discover on your own, and which enhance your wine enjoyment. YOUR GRAPEVINE TEAM: You May Be a Lab Rat Intrepid Wine Enthusiast, Chief Taster and Winehound: By Robert Johnson Martin Stewart ine lists presented on tablets, in lieu of traditional Chief Operating Officer (aka “The Buck Stops Here”): W leather-bound books, are all the rage in restaurants Lawrence D. Dutra today — particularly those with extensive lists. Editor: Robert Johnson If you’ve dined at an list displays a label Wine Steward: establishment that uses for a specific bottling, Katie Montgomery the Tastevin tablet wine that bottling sells 29% The Grapevine is published by Vinesse, list, congratulations! better than a wine 822 Hampshire Road, Suite E, Westlake You have something that’s listed without an Village, CA 91361; 1-800-823-5527. Copyright by Vinesse, LLC. Printed in USA. new that you may add accompanying label. No responsibility is assumed for loss or to your resumé: lab rat. That’s just marketing damage to unsolicited materials. Labrador OmniMedia, 101. If you have to a team of beverage and package a product Be good to the planet software people who in a box, make sure produce the Tastevin the box at least has a RECYCLE wine list, have been picture of the product collecting and analyzing on it. sales data from their beverage list. A 29% difference in sales is huge for CHARTER MEMBER It’s certainly a representative sample. any restaurant menu item, particularly BENEFITS: Here’s a look at the numbers: 12 of a high-margin item such as wine. It’s The Grapevine Newsletter the largest states and market areas in important information for a restaurant America... 50 accounts... 34 million to know and have available. Premium wine selections at transactions. But here’s what you, as a wine members-only prices Not all of the data was shared in consumer, need to know: Now that Wine tasting as a participant the press release issued on behalf a restaurant knows that displaying on VINESSE’s Gold Medal of Labrador OmniMedia just after a label increases purchases, it has Award Panel the first of the year. I can think of a the ability to manipulate consumer Complimentary subscription dozen things I’d like to know about behavior. For instance, if a wine to VINESSE’s Cyber Circle consumer purchasing preferences and on the list isn’t moving well, or if a Community patterns, but I suppose much of that slot needs to be opened up on the Random giveaways of wine would be considered “proprietary” wine rack for an incoming order, a and accessories information. restaurant could display the label of Wine Finders Reward — Sadly, what was released really the slow-moving wine and move it out identify a future wine selection wasn’t all that enlightening; it simply more quickly — presumably, about and earn a reward backed up what many of us have 29% more quickly. Perfectly matched recipes for “known” for years. I’m not suggesting all restaurants featured wine selections The “key insight,” as the press with tablet lists would do this. Just be Complimentary wine tasting release termed it, involved the use of aware that some may. “artwork.” It seems that when a wine Visit vinesse.com • The Grapevine • 3 Wine Pairing Ideas from Cheese Experts f you have any doubt that the good people of Wisconsin know their cheese, simply tune Iinto an NFL football game from Lambeau Field. There, at the home of the Green • The cheeses: mild, earthy and nutty Fontina; buttery, Bay Packers, many fans make slightly acidic Haverti; mellow, savory and creamy a fashion statement (of sorts) Muenster; and tart and creamy Monterey Jack. The wine: by wearing a plastic replica of a slightly fizzy Gewurztraminer, with its winter spice and wedge of cheese atop their heads. fruit undertones. They even gladly accept the • The cheeses: fresh, moist and crumbly Queso Fresco somewhat derisive designation of and Queso Blanco; creamy, slightly tangy Asadero; and “cheeseheads.” dry, salty and crumbly Cotija. The wines: Mead (made So, when the Wisconsin Milk from honey — dry, sweet or in-between), or sparkling Marketing Board publishes a guide Spanish cava. to the cheeses of the state — • The cheeses: rich, buttery, slightly sweet and creamy including food and beverage pairing Gouda; and light, nutty and smooth Edam. The wine: a partners — it should not be ignored. low-acid, off-dry (slightly sweet) Riesling. Here are a few of the pairings gleaned from that guide... • The cheeses: sharp and nutty Asiago; buttery, sweet • The cheeses: rich, buttery and slightly sweet and nutty Parmesan; tart, tangy and assertive Romano; and Mascarpone; creamy and mildly sweet Ricotta; and tart, hearty, robust and peppery Pepato. The wines: fruitful and salty and crumbly Feta. The wine: fruity, floral and herbal high-acid Nebbiolo (including Barolo and Barbaresco), or Chenin Blanc — including Vouvray from France. sparkling Italian Prosecco. • The cheeses: rich, creamy and mushroomy Brie and For more ideas on pairing Wisconsin cheeses with wine, Camembert. The wine: a fortified wine aperitif. visit www.EatWisconsinCheese.com. THE ONE THAT STARTED IT ALL! • Hand-crafted gems produced by little known or small estates • Limited-production bottlings • Under-the-radar wines you won’t find in supermarkets EACH SHIPMENT INCLUDES: WINE COLOR MIX: Reds, Whites, or Both — Your Choice! • 6 bottles from all over the wine world FREQUENCY: Monthly • Detailed Tasting Notes for each featured wine PRICE: Only $12-$15 average per bottle plus shipping To learn more about this Club, call 800-823-5527 or visit www.Vinesse.com 4 • The Grapevine • Visit vinesse.com Colomé Sets the Quality Standard in Argentina ÉLEVANT SOCIETY™ IT’S NOT FOR EVERYONE. IS IT FOR YOU? Vinesse created the Élevant Society to meet members’ demands for super-premium wines. onald Hess was dining at a Boutique Hotel and the exclusive While virtually all small bodega in Salta. The James Turrell Museum (see sidebar) bottle of wine served that have been opened. members of the original D evening, a Malbec, was exceptional. The Hesses’ vision has a high regard American Cellars Wine Club Hess wanted to know its source, and for social responsibility, and over the were very satisfied with their much later learned the estate that last 10 years, the Hess Family has monthly selections, some produced it had been founded in 1831. contributed to the building of the wanted more, and they This year, that winery is celebrating village’s community center and church, were willing to pay for it. its 180th anniversary, making it the and to the betterment of the school oldest in Argentina, and Hess is its and the neighbors’ houses. Today, owner. Bodega Colomé has been Colomé is the source of employment completely renovated and revitalized, and income for most of the village’s EACH ÉLEVANT SOCIETY and the specialties of the house are 400 inhabitants. SHIPMENT INCLUDES: Malbec and Torrontes. The winemaking philosophy is • 2 or 4 bottles — your choice — The age of the vines (some as old as simple: to keep the grapes’ singular 160 years), the biodynamic practices flavors from the vineyards into the of super-premium wines, mostly and the altitude (the vineyards are winery and all the way through to the big and bold red varieties or perched between 6,000 and 10,000 glass of wine. The oenological team blends feet above sea level) combine to create works hand in hand with the people in • Detailed Tasting Notes for each distinctive, bold and intense wines charge of the vineyards. featured wine that speak of their origin. Oenologist Thibaut Delmotte has Donald and Ursula Hess first been with Colomé since 2005. He’s visited the Calchaquí Valleys in 1998, searching for the perfect terroir FREQUENCY: and the ideal weather to produce Approximately Monthly unique Argentinean wines. What they discovered at Bodega Colomé PRICE: was beyond their expectations; they found their home away from home, $85.99 average per the grandeur and natural beauty of the shipment including shipping estate inspiring and rejuvenating them. In 2001, they purchased Colomé. Since then, new vines (distributed To learn more about among four estates) have been planted this Club, call 800-823-5527 to reach the current 140 hectares, new winery facilities boasting the latest or visit www.Vinesse.com technology and equipment have been built, and the new Estate and Rural Visit vinesse.com • The Grapevine • 5 from France and studied in Beaune, Upper Calchaquí Valleys, considered Burgundy, where he gained wide the highest altitude viticultural region experience. He now speaks Spanish in the world. The winery farms four with a Salteñan accent. vineyards: La Brava in Cafayate; Oenologist Consultant Randle Colomé, where the vineyards surround Johnson has a Master’s in Viticulture the winery; El Arenal, and Altura and Enology from the University of Máxima. Both El Arenal and Altura California, lives in the Napa Valley Máxima are located in the Payogasta- town of St.