Vinotrip

Via the Washington Post’s All We Can Eat blog, it looks like Bethesda Central Farmer’s Market will soon carry wines from Baltimore County-based Basignani Winery (aside: Basignani, how are you still embedding music on your website in 2010?). This news is SO NEW that you won’t even find and information about it on the winery or market websites. Not sure where WP got the tip so I contacted the winery to confirm. While Basignani will sell wine at the market, it sounds like they won’t actually be there every week due to staff limitations. If you’re planning a special trip you might want to call ahead.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is the only deal I’ve heard of for (semi-regular) wine sales at a MD farmer’s market – a relationship made possible by the passage of the Maryland Winery Modernization Act. You know, that other wine bill that DID pass while the direct shipping bill languished in committee. If you’ll recall this post by Dave McIntyre back in June, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Bethesda Central Farmer’s Market is leading the way on bringing you local wine along with your local food. Hopefully we’ll start to see a lot more of this!

The farmer’s market is only open on Sundays from 9-1 in the parking lot on Elm Street behind Jaleo, and Thursdays 3-7 on Bethesda Lane (between Elm and Bethesda Ave). MoCo and NW DC readers: do you already shop at this market? Are you more likely to go knowing you could pick up some local wine too?

August 20th, 2010 Category: Maryland, Wine shops | Comments (2)

Salutations Vinotrip readers. As I’ve rubbed elbows with the “traditional” wine media in recent months at various events, it seems there are a few main angles when it comes to wine writing. One camp focuses heavily on price, looking to answer the question “is this wine worth the money?” Others review on taste alone, passing judgement on a playing field free from cost considerations. Still others seek to find another perspective – stories behind the wine. I like to think that Vinotrip fills the last category best, although obviously we do some of that review coverage too. However, like any media property (okay, any reasonable one), we should strive for a certain level of balance that meets the needs of you, dear readers.

So, my question for you today – when you read Vinotrip, what are you looking for in your local wine coverage? Are you counting on us to identify the best deals in Maryland wine? Are we putting in enough reviews? Sound off in the comments!

My personal take is that we already have enough Wine Spectators in the world, and that our local coverage here on the special interest issues is what makes us unique and valuable for Maryland wine lovers. Do you agree?

Cheers,

-Matt

August 19th, 2010 Category: Deals, Maryland, Reviews | Comments (4)

Part of the mystique and allure of wine is the marvelously inefficient packaging. Soda cans have evolved to save aluminum. Costco sells milk in updated milk containers to save stacking space. It’s the nature of the beast: be more efficient than your competitors or you will lose.

While this may be true in the wine business to some degree, it has not yet led to widespread acceptance of efficient packaging. Some wineries seem to love putting their wine into bottles with weight and girth worthy of a dumbbell rack at a gym. Champagne especially: the bigger, the better.

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It isn’t that we haven’t cracked the case on better wine packaging. We have. There are lighter bottles, bottles with better shape, foil bottles, and the old stalwart: boxed wine. What we need is for someone to step up and put good wine into a box. While Maryland Wine fans may argue that Terrapin Station is doing just that, we need this to happen on a national scale.

Octavin is trying to do that. They’re putting “Artisan wines” into a three-liter box. Check the demo on their website to see their take on the problem.

So it was with great pleasure that I received a sample of Octavin’s boxed wine for me to try: the Silver Birch Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. Seeing such a specific designation on a box of wine is rare. Usually you’re lucky to get a varietal. Usually you’re resigned to “White table wine” or “Alcohol.”

Well the Silver Birch didn’t disappoint. First twist of the spicket yielded a torrent of golden wine. It was like a firehose. We aren’t here for refinement, though. We’re here to drink wine and this enclosure gets it to your glass in a hurry.

First look: Light, golden color. Fresh apple aroma, some floral. Nice example of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. On the palette is was nice, very light and refreshing. Not trying to do too much. The trend with boxed wine is that they are pleasant but less complex than their bottled counterparts. This is no exception, however less-complexity is just fine as long as you aren’t overcompensating with oak or alcohol. Are you listening, small wine producer?

Long term test: So, boxed wine claims to last longer than wine in a bottle. It’s nice. You can have one glass and not worry about punting the whole 750ml. The wine help up okay. Octavin advertises that the wine will last up to six weeks. The Wife noticed a change after a week and after three weeks the wine had tired out quite a bit. I’m very testy about open wines though, one of the harshest critics you’ll find on the morning after.

Octavin’s entry into boxed wine is a welcome one. They are delivering a superior product when compared to other boxed wine offerings. At the price point ($25-$30 per box, 3L equivalent) it is a great competitor to bottled wines in that class.

August 17th, 2010 Category: Tasting notes | Comments (1)

Maryland Wine Festival (website) tickets are on sale now and can be purchased through the Carroll County Government website. The lines to get into the festival weren’t prohibitive last year, but it is always best to buy in advance. You can read my writeup from last year on the 2009 Maryland Wine Festival.

As I’ve said before one of the best ways to get into these things is to volunteer to help.

The Baltimore City Bottle Tax went into effect two weeks ago and residents, as expected, are bitter. Winos will probably fail to notice as the two-cent-tax on their $10 bottle of Boordy will amount to a wallet-clenching 0.2% increase in price. Still, Wells in Towson put out a bolded statement on their blog announcing:

We have decided that the ***Baltimore City Bottle Tax*** will hit OUR POCKETS and NOT YOURS!!!!

Noble cause, indeed.

August 10th, 2010 Category: Maryland | Leave a comment

Last week I had the distinct pleasure of attending a wine tasting in DC at Lima, a trendy (almost TOO trendy) restaurant and lounge inspired, seemingly, by a European dance club. Before I jump in here, let’s start with the disclaimer:

I attended this event as a guest of Octavin, who were kind enough to waive my $15 entrance fee. I received no other incentives, financial or otherwise, from any of the companies mentioned herein.

Phew, glad we got that out of the way. As I was saying, the event was held at Lima, but was hosted by a NY-based company called Cork’d (twitter: @corkd), a project led by Gary Vaynerchuck – the wine man who needs no introduction – to introduce and promote wine to the so-called “millenial” generation. This particular event promoted wines bottled – or should I say, packaged? – by yet another company called Octavin.

So what is an Octavin? It’s an elongated box with an octagonal footprint. Yes, that’s right, wine in a box. But it’s not just any wine. In fact, Octavin has sought out a number of talented winemakers, from all around the world, to sell wine in these nifty boxes. The advantages are many: cardboard boxes cost less than glass bottles; boxes don’t break as easily; vacuum-packed bags keep the wine fresh, and for longer after opening, than a cork would; and the box holds a lot more wine per packaging volume, thus reducing the carbon footprint of shipping and manufacturing.

But more importantly, can you have wine in a box that actually tastes good? I’m here to tell you the answer is definitively yes. Don’t let decades of Sutter Home color your perspective on the deliciousness that pours from these Octavin boxes. It’s an uphill battle, but solid experiential marketing events like this and a distinctive look for the packaging should help them get past the ingrained perception about boxed wine. You don’t have to look any further than Maryland’s own Terrapin Station Winery to see that winemakers at the premium end of the market are exploring alternative (and environmentally responsible) packaging options. And it’s affordable, too, running less than $25 per Octavin for equivalent of four wine bottles (3 litres).

The event itself was a blast once I got used to the ambiance (and put away my rave glow sticks). Cork’d wrote up a recap of the event here, so I won’t re-do any of the tasting notes; I will say, though, that my favorites were the crisp and tart Silver Birch Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, and the jammy, fruit-forward Big House Red from California. You wouldn’t go wrong with any of the six but either of these are perfect for a warm summer evening. The Silver Birch was a refreshing end to a hot DC afternoon and a perfect match for the cheese plates.

I had a chance to speak briefly with Georgetta Dane, winemaker from Big House, who flew in to DC that afternoon. She offers both the Octavin and traditional glass bottles for sale in her tasting room, and evidently there’s a pretty good sell-through rate on those Octavins. So go ahead and try some! The Octavin team were good enough to pull together a partial list of stores in Maryland that carry their wines. There are about 200 in all, so they shouldn’t be THAT hard to find if none of these stores suit your fancy.

PDF of Maryland retailers: Octavin Maryland

Overall I give Octavin wines a solid “thumbs up” recommendation for the quality of the wine and the packaging benefits as an added bonus.  But then again, I’m squarely in their target market as a tree-hugging millenial!

Have you noticed any of these wines in your local wine shop? Would you try them from a box? Would you try them with a fox? Would you try them on a boat? Would you…

…my wife is telling me to end the Dr. Seuss reference while I’m ahead, so…

Cheers,

Matt

August 2nd, 2010 Category: D.C., Events, Wine storage | Comments (1)

Vines on the hillside at Galloping Goose Vineyards in Carroll County, MD

Despite the 100+ temperatures, I trekked from Columbia to Carroll County to bring you this report from the newly-inaugurated Carroll Wine Trail, which officially opened on July 7. All three wineries in the trail – Cygnus, Galloping Goose, and Serpent Ridge – are relatively new on the scene but are doing great things. More importantly, these three pioneering wineries have helped transform agricultural Carroll County into a destination for tourist and homebuyers alike. I smell a brilliant marketing scheme by the county economic development board!

But enough about that. Let’s talk about some wine!

Working from north to south (so you have the shortest drive home from the last winery, obviously), your first stop is Cygnus Winery (twitter: @cygnuswine) in Manchester, Maryland, only about 15 miles from the Pennsylvania border. The label grows a few grapes and imports the rest from nearby vineyards, maintaining a local character in their wine. Winemaker Ray opened Cygnus about 15 years ago in 1996. Perhaps best known for their premium sparkling wines – the Royele blanc de blanc was recently selected for Governor O’Malley’s “Buy Local Week” kick-off event – this winery offered the most selection of the day. You’ll find a number of reds, whites and desert wines on the tasting sheet too. I already have a bottle on Cygnus Red on my shelf from a recent wine festival, so this time I left with a bottle of their chardonnay. For a no-oak chard (and I love me some oak), I found this one very balanced and not overly fruity or acidic.

The tasting room at Galloping Goose. You can't see it here but on the far side, they actually have a green roof covered in cacti.

Next stop, just a few miles from Cygnus, you’ll arrive at Galloping Goose. Another Carroll County wine pioneer, most of their grapes actually go to other wineries. What they do keep, though, makes some excellent wine. Galloping Goose only offers a handful of wines but each represents the best of their skill and expertise. I left the winery with two bottles, their chambourcin and cabernet sauvingnon. The former is light but successfully avoids the cough-medicine-cherry flavor you find in some chambourcins. They recommend serving it chilled which suited me just fine on such a hot day. The latter cab is their most complex wine, a little bit heavy on the tannins now but something I think will age well. One more interesting note: their blueberry dessert wine is made using grape yeast, which gives it a very different character from typical fruit wines that use a special fruit wine yeast. Who knew the little devils were so specific?

Last up is Serpent Ridge (twitter: @SerpentRidge, and they’re on facebook), about 30 minutes south in Westminster, MD. I first discovered them at the Drink Local Wine conference in Virginia and find myself unable to resist either of their fantastic red wines which sit atop the ‘premium’ end of the Maryland wine scene, perhaps even more so than Black Ankle (gasp!). Their Basilisk Red and Vintner’s Reserve, both red blends, are among the best I’ve tasted in the state and the latter already holds a number of awards both in the US and internationally. High demand and limited supply limits their festival appearance schedule, but make sure you try both when you see them at the Maryland wine festival. I took home a bottle of the Basilisk but only picked it over the superior Vintner’s because I couldn’t do the over $30 price tag at the end of the day. Yes, they do have some whites too, but dry complex reds are my favorite and somewhat of a rarity in the local scene. Forgive me that they captured my undivided attention!

My haul from the weekend - four bottles of wine and a glossy brochure!

And that, friends, is the full scope of the Carroll Wine Trail. Look for other wineries to open soon, though, as two more hope to open tasting rooms by 2012. The whole trail is an easy afternoon drive from Baltimore or Columbia and well worth a visit. Props to Carroll County, too, for embracing the local wine movement as a way to preserve their agricultural heritage. I could think of a few other Maryland counties that might learn a thing or two here… ::cough cough:: Howard ::cough::.

Make sure to follow vinotrip on twitter (@vinotrip) for play-by-play action on wine adventures in Maryland and beyond! Check out the feed for notes from the road this weekend with observations from the road, immediate impressions and other random stuff.

Until next time,

-Matt

July 26th, 2010 Category: Maryland, Wineries | Comments (1)

Updated The About page so that it accurately reflects our recent 100% increase in staff. Check out those good-lookin’ wine writers.

Added The awesome WordPress Mobile Edition plugin made by San Francisco-based studio Crowd Favorite. Hats off to them, it works like a champ. Point your mobile device to vinotrip.com and contact me if your particular device still shows the desktop version.

Welcome To our newest sponsor Grays Online. Check their cool switchable widget in our right sidebar and click through to view their wine auctions starting at $9 per case. Christie’s, eat your heart out.

July 21st, 2010 Category: Uncategorized | Comments (3)

I never got into Norton. At wine fairs, people are always telling me that Norton (along with Viognier) is “Virginia’s grape.” The grape is far more common in Virginia than anywhere else. Perhaps because of some heritage thing, perhaps because it’s what is planted so it will continue to be the source of much of the wine. Chrysalis Vineyards has almost 70 acres of the stuff growing. Would be tough to pull all that up and replant something new.

I’ve never had a Norton that I would buy, never even had one that I thought was very good. Hey, Norton, what gives?

Washington DC wine writer Dave McIntyre blogged about his article in the Washington Post about a book about the Norton grape called The Wild Vine by Todd Kilman. Kilman apparently paints Norton as an underdog story, repeatedly getting stamped out just as it gains traction in the wine world. McIntyre paints a favorable picture of the book, writing…

But in the hands of Kliman, the author as vintner, [Norton] makes a fascinating story, complex and with a haunting finish.

Makes it sound like a good read. I’m always fascinated by wine books. It’s a testament to the authors that they can make something so apparently innocuous and boring (A grape) and write book after book about it. Most of the books are interesting, even. McIntyre “highly recommends” this one.

July 20th, 2010 Category: Virginia | Comments (3)

Foothill Vines @ Lava Cap Winery in Eastern California

Chances are you’ve heard that wine grows well around Napa and Sonoma in northern California. You might even be familiar with the vineyards in central-southern California around San Luis Obispo north of L.A. But unless you’ve been there yourself, chances are you’ve never heard of the foothills wine country east of Sacramento, aptly named for its situation on the lower slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The main reason you haven’t heard of these guys, though, is that most of the foothill wineries are craft operations with similar output to a medium-to-large Maryland winery – 20,000 cases a year at the high end, with several well below 10,000. That means a lot of tasting room sales, local restaurant affiliations, and direct shipments to the good residents of California and 29 other states with reasonable alcohol regulation. Unlike the wine from the big regions, you won’t see these CA wines in your local wine shop or grocery store wine vending machine.

Sierra Nevada - not the beer. Almost as tasty, though.

Of course, I can’t talk about that dry, hilly west coast climate without bringing up Zinfandel. This region is particularly known for good zin, but all of their wines tend to pick up a certain spiciness from the minerals deposited by snow melt off the lofty Sierras in the distance. Every tasting sheet listed at least 75% reds, with one winery carrying (I kid you not) three different Zinfandel varietals. Sangiovese and merlot both showed up a lot too. The whites were kind of scattered, although I did taste a nice Viognier. Not as good as a top Virginia Viognier, mind you.

Here, in no particular order, are some wines you might want to try next time you’re in Eastern California – unless you’re lucky enough to be able to order it online.

• Jodar Vineyards: I think their Merlot might be my favorite Merlot ever. Almost more like a Zin in the color and spiciness, but without all the dry tannins. Also a nice Sangiovese that we picked up for our picnic lunch.
• Madroña Winery: First, take a moment to admire that ñ. Doesn’t happen by accident. Also, they had a reasonably good Zinfandel here.
• Lava Cap Winery: By far the best views of the day, all my vineyard photos here came from Lava Cap. This is the 3-Zin winery, and I have to admit that I picked up two (are you seeing a pattern here?).
• Boeger Winery: Another beautiful location, these guys were all about the reds. However, I liked the Barbera best this time.

Awww, look - a baby Christmas tree. Many ambitious Bay Area residents travel to the foothills to pick out live trees.

All in all, this trip made for a great afternoon drive down from our hotel in South Lake Tahoe. About 90 minutes down the mountain from there, so not a good bet during the famous Tahoe ski season, but I’d highly recommend it if you’re there for the beach in the summer. You could probably get there from San Francisco within 2-3 hours, too, if you want to try something a little different next time you’re on the west coast. Just make sure you find some friends in DC before you go so you can ship everything back to them. Not that I would do something like that. Never. Of course not. <shh.>

I'm on a boat!!!

Cheers,

Matt

July 16th, 2010 Category: I thought that was obvious, Wineries | Comments (3)