Wine: Meet Your Future

posted by alesha in Wine, Guest Bloggers

Attention wine and techno buffs─ Microsoft is offering you a vista to the future.

Introducing Vista-based Microsoft Surface – touch screen tables that can do everything from download photos and video clips to store the name of the wine ordered at a particular restaurant. The technology is currently debuting at hotels, casinos, and retail stores and, according to a YouTube interview with Microsoft, is designed to “make dining more entertaining and easy.” Not sure that it’s currently so rigorous, but okay…

Wired Magazine recently revealed that an innovative wine touch screen table will be one of the attractions at Adour, Alain Ducasse’s highly anticipated new restaurant in New York’s St. Regis Hotel which opens next month. The hotel’s website promises that its “exclusive 4-seat interactive wine bar… will delight both new and experienced gourmands and oenophiles alike.” I’m hoping to try this one for myself.

It’s simple. Just grab a seat at the wine bar and search the interactive list. The screen will serve up all the info you should need- the vintage, grape, and even tasting notes. Almost like having a sommelier –or Snooth– sitting next to you.

Still unsure? No worries, there is an actual sommelier on call, at least at Adour. But personally, I don’t think you will need one.

A Grand Tasting

posted by philip in Wine

Mentioned briefly, last week, I was lucky enough to attend the New York Wine Experience Grand Tasting (like the event itself, quite a mouthful). It proved to be a fantastic opportunity for me to taste many of the world’s greatest wines. But first, lets get the negatives out the way:

Crammed full of sweaty drunken heathens, a fact which I was perfectly comfortable with. My objection lay in the dress code which forced me to wear, and then sweat into, my finest suit? Vying for top ‘classy moment’? Either the guy who grabbed a bottle of Krug Grand Cuvee and drank it from the bottle. Without, then having the decency to at least finish it off. Or the guy who grabbed a whole stack of napkins (serviettes to us Euro’s) and then tossed them in the air so they rained down on us like over-sized confetti. Like I said, classy!

Before moving on. My final objections? With a $250 ticket price for a 2.5 hour tasting, how unprofessional to run out of some of the wines after only 45 minutes. I feel that Krug can be excused from this - who can foresee what happened to their table? But to the rest of the Champagne houses that packed up show by 8.15? For shame. That and a lot of the expensive wineries seemed to be saving money by serving their most recent releases, which were clearly not yet aged to their prime.

Despite the aforementioned, this was still the most spectacular tasting I had attended. What it lacked for in ‘theme’ it made up for in its brute force of spectacular wines. With nigh 300 producers each serving a Wine Spectator 90 point plus wine.

Where else can you start with a slew of vintage Champagnes to prepare the palette, before launching into your own version of the Judgment of Paris by comparing the finest Bordeaux with Napa’s cult cabs, including the venerable Harlan Estate (very good, but not at $450 a bottle I’m afraid), before finishing with Far Niente’s excellent botrytis infused Dulce.

Ultimately, tiring of the crowds, I spent most of the evening loitering by some of the less expensive, but still spectacular wineries: Chateau Rauzan-Segla, Foradori and Duckhorn. Hardly niche, of course, but its surprising who gets sidelined when Haut-Brion and Opus One are present.

Vintage Variations Among Labels

posted by Scott in Wine, Guest Bloggers

The question of what to do with the vintage on a wine label presents a designer with a challenge. An integral part of the label, the vintage is necessary for both marketing and legal reasons. A label that can be used year in and year out can be printed in large runs to save money and doesn’t have to be altered annually. The problem is that the vintage changes every year. To varying degrees of success, wineries are forced to find ways to reconcile cost effective printing and vintage changes. Below are three such solutions (please click on image to enlarge).

The label above upsets me. It is sloppy and thoughtless. A surplus of old labels inspired this winery to print a conspicuous black rectangle over last year’s vintage; the new vintage is forced into the remaining negative space. Wine bottles should be recycled; their labels should not.

The folks behind this label are lazy. I have seen this redacting, as well as the use of vintage-concealing stickers, perpetrated too often. It is as if an expiration date were crossed out and rewritten; it looks like a mistake has been made. It conveys cheapness and ineptitude, which is a shame given that the wine is rather tasty. A label should be an invitation to the pleasures of a wine, or at the very least inoffensive.

This label, on the other hand, offers a similar but near-seamless execution. It took me a while to realize what was going on here given the awkwardness I had come to expect from the first label. A blank space was left in advance so that the vintage (and alcohol percentage and bottle size) could be printed every year over the basic label. This approach reuses the fundamental design without actually recycling the label. It is still a little disjointed as the color of the vintage is different from the other font colors, but this label’s method of dealing with vintage is better than the one that came before it.

Exhibit #3 (above) is a simple but thoughtful solution: a two-part label. The bottom stays the same every year, while the top changes with each passing vintage. The design is elegant and effective. The vintage on the neck of the bottle doesn’t appear out of place or out of style. The vintage is given it own spotlight in a way that seems expected rather than haphazard. This solution is so successful that I didn’t even think of it when first writing this piece; it was so “natural” that a friend had to point it out to me.

As illustrated, not all solutions to the vintage dilemma are created equal. They require foresight and a bit of creativity. Forward-thinking design shouldn’t look backwards. Planning should be evident in execution. A design that inspires a “why didn’t I think of that?” rather than a “my kid could’ve done better,” reaction is proof of a job well done.

Scott Rosenbaum is director of operations for the International Wine Center and wine buyer for the retailer DrinkUpNY.

My Wines v1.2

posted by mark in Website Updates, Snooth

Since we launched the My Wines section we’ve had our ears to the ground about what else we can do to make the whole process as efficient as possible. Some users were (rightfully) confused about adding a wine to the My Wines section. Before today you had to rate, review, wishlist or cellar the wine to get it onto your wines page.

But there’s another level of interaction, similar to bookmarking a website in your browser. If you want to remember a wine for later (you don’t own any bottles, you haven’t had it yet so you cannot rate it, and you don’t want Aunt Hortense to buy you a bottle) now you can just add it to your My Wines page using the “+My Wines” button pictured below.

Keep track of all your (I’m not sure if this is one of my) favorites. And have a good weekend!

The Wine Expectorator

posted by philip in Wine

I went to a tasting event last night, a grand tasting event, and was fortunate enough to sup (and expectorate) some of the finest wines in the world. It was a heady affair, with no real business need for my attendance (sorry shareholders, but I didn’t realize that until after I’d purchased my ticket). Suffice to say I slammed back wines from such estates as Harlan, Opus One, Rothschild, Duckhorn, Haut-Brion, Etude, Phelps, Far Niente, Cos d’Estournel, Krug, Veuve Cliquot etc. etc.

Full report to follow early next week, after the long finish from these excellent wines has subsided.

This One Won’t be on the Sale Racks Anytime Soon

posted by natalya in Wine

The Pour reported yesterday that Jacques Selosse is back. I’ve been hearing about this Champagne for some time- it is favored not only by discerning French palates like those of my friend Eric Dubourg of Wineberry (who, himself, imports one of the most delicious Champagnes I have tasted, Gardet) to our very own guest blogger and favorite wine director Carolyn DeFir, who just mused on the scarcity - and allure- of Selosse last week).

Unavailable in the United States for several years due to the fact that it had no American importer (though there have certainly been many who have tried to bring it back), the proprietor, Anselme Selosse has finally signed with The Rare Wine Company which is now the Champagne’s American importer. Apparently a shipment of this bubbly has already landed on our shores. The bad news is that there’s great demand and very little supply. The booty has been allocated to top restaurants and wine stores (at top dollar) and there’s no word as to when more will arrive. Here’s hoping I’ll finally get an opportunity to try it (I’m adding it to my Snooth wishlist)

An interesting note- the Rare Wine Company site notes that critics have called Selosse Champagnes “Burgundy with bubbles,” and the wines shouldn’t be served too cold. Just in case you’ve gotten your hands on a bottle…

Who Benefits From the Democratization of Wine?

posted by natalya in Wine

“There is something approachable, unstuffy, even friendly in a bottle of Goats Do Roam compared with one of Côtes du Rhône.” The New York Times April 23, 2006

In 1999, lamenting then recently released low U.S. wine consumption figures, American Demographics asked, “How many… gallons of soda and beer would be turned into wine if: (a) You could twist off the cap? (b) It was socially acceptable to drink straight from the bottle? (c) The container wasn’t made of glass? (d) It was available in single servings?”

Prophetic, given that in 2007 myriad new packaging has made wine more accessible. The once controversial screw cap is nearing ubiquity. Though it may not be socially acceptable to drink from the bottle, Niebaum Coppola’s Sofia Mini is an example of a Champagne-like sparkling wine that comes in a sultry single-serving can, complete with straw. Wine containers are no longer made exclusively of glass, Australia’s Wolf Blass has introduced plastic wine bottles, as well as smaller serving sizes (187 ml) for “aspirational” consumers who see “wine as part of their lifestyle and enjoy the experience, but who want to expand the occasion to include the poolside, camping… without carrying around heavy and fragile glass.” There are also wine boxes and other user-friendly packages.

Costco is now America’s biggest wine retailer. According to AC Nielsen, almost 15% of all U.S. table-wine sales take place in ‘big box’ stores.

AC Nielsen’s 2006 report notes that wineries are putting pictures of animals on their wine labels, a plan that has shown early success with young consumers… “Perhaps trying to mimic the success of the Yellow Tail brand, this new wine segment has become increasingly important. Of the 438 new Table Wine brands with sustained consumer sales introduced in the past three years, 77 – or 18%– featured a ‘critter’ on the label.” Clearly there are those who “don’t want to have to take wine too seriously. Not only are they willing to have fun with wine, they may just feel ‘good’ about an animal label presentation.”

New wine nomenclature and friendly labeling have simplified the selection process (as have community wine sites where questions can be asked, reviews accessed, and searches conducted, in relative anonymity). That makes reaching for a Sicilian, Languedoc or Rioja wine only slightly more complicated than grabbing a Guinness. I’d say that’s a win-win for all.

More on this topic in coming weeks…

Snooth Launches “My Wines”

posted by admin in Website Updates, Snooth, Press

New York, NY – October 23, 2007

World’s largest wine review site presents unified view for wine

Snooth has launched its “My Wines” page which allows users to build and manage their personal wine cellars, maintain wish-lists, track reviews and tasting notes. Users can search results in myriad ways, sort by recent activity, quality/price ratio, or ratings. Wines may also be viewed according to availability from Snooth’s partners. All results are exportable and shareable.

“Wine isn’t simply a transactional experience. Your interaction with a bottle doesn’t end after you’ve consumed it – cataloging, repeat purchasing, reviewing, cellaring and aging additional bottles all lead to demand for a totally different interface from the ones used by most online retailers. ‘My Wines’ is the product of our quest for a unified view for wine,” said Snooth’s Founder, Philip James.

Snooth is still in beta release. In anticipation of its full launch, Snooth will continue to add features and build its partnerships over the coming months. Visit Snooth at www.snooth.com to sign up today.

About Snooth:

Snooth is a revolutionary web-based social shopping experience that is simplifying how people select, interact with and purchase their favorite wines.

Snooth is the world’s most comprehensive wine database, featuring over 1.9 million reviews for over 300,000 wines. It offers both casual and aspiring wine drinkers personalized wine recommendations, ratings & reviews, as well as a wine information search tool that seamlessly connects users to the websites of over 1,000 merchants and wineries and critics including wine.com, Sam’s Wines and Spirits, K&L Wine Merchants, Beverage Media and Inertia Beverage Group.

Snooth launched in June 2007. Please visit www.snooth.com for more information.

Contact

media@snooth.com
(646) 723-4328

The Return of the Green Fairy

posted by alesha in Snooth

I recently learned that absinthe, the alluring Swiss spirit of the Belle Epoque in Paris, known for its popularity with artists including Picasso, Oscar Wilde, and Vincent Van Gogh, had returned to the U.S. after a 95-year ban. Outlawed in 1912 because of its supposed hallucinogenic effects (which are reportedly untrue), absinthe is finally legal again.

Absinthe was originally banned because it contains wormwood and the chemical compound thujone, large amounts of which can cause people to hallucinate. According to a recent USA Today article, absinthe historian T.A. Breaux, who created Lucid (one of only four absinthe brands legal in the U.S.- the others are Green Moon and two from Kübler), says that neither Lucid, nor the other three brands contain a significant amount of thujone.

Lucky for me, New York City’s Waverly Inn offers an absinthe martini. I heard tales about sipping the forbidden liquor in Europe. At last I had a chance to ‘see’ for myself. Several nights ago, I ventured downtown to find out what this spirit could do for me.

I asked to see the dark, slender bottle of Lucid that the bartender poured into my drink. Its creepy celadon eyes seemed to be stalking me. Excited and nervous, I tried the drink. The verdict: quite intense (note to self: next time, sip don’t gulp). Powerful licorice flavor. Citrus balances it nicely. I finished it and sent the fairy on its way. I don’t think I’d be up for more than one absinthe cocktail- one’s enough.

The good (and bad) news: no hallucinations. Sorry guys!

There’s been a lot written on this subject lately… For more info on absinthe see Dosenation, Gayot, and Fashion Week Daily.

Making wine in the concrete jungle

posted by philip in Wine

Despite living in the heart of the largest urban conurbation in the United States, Latif Jiji, manages to not only grow grapes, by training the vines up the walls of his Upper East Side Manhattan Townhouse, but to actually harvest, crush, ferment and then age the resulting wine, all while never leaving this concrete Island.

Laying claim to the only winery (albeit unlicensed with the product never being sold on the open market) in Manhattan, this years crop was 500 pounds of Niagara grapes, which was then made into 100 bottles of wine. The first vine was planted in 1977, but the area ‘farmed’ has now spread the an entire wall of the house, as well as the roof.

So how does the home made wine taste? According to Jiji, “it’s fruity, it is smooth. I would call it balanced. But the quality varies from year to year and even from batch to batch.”

Best of all, and a potential copyright infringement claim if I ever saw one, the wine is called “Chateau Latif”.