Right now, many in the wine world are freaked about the decline in wine drinking. Advice: relax, take a deep, cleansing breath. A nice, chilled rosé also might help.

Wine is a lifestyle choice. By their very nature, lifestyle choices are always in chaotic, often irrational flux. Examples from the wine world:

• Merlot was a big thing at the end of the last century. Women in particular enjoyed it because it usually was softer and smoother than cabernet sauvignon or syrah or some of those bombastic wines from northwestern Italy you could not drink until they were at least six years (and preferably 10-15 years) old. California winemakers made merlot you could drink when you got home from the store. The market lapped it up.

Then the movie Sideways. Miles Raymond (Paul Giamatti) proclaimed: “I am NOT drinking any f**king Merlot!” It did not matter Miles hated merlot only because his ex-wife liked merlot, not for any fault in the varietal. Suddenly, a plot point in a popular movie involved bashing merlot. Merlot sales plummeted. Drinkers made new lifestyle choices. Merlot did not change. It remains one of the world’s great varietals and blending wines. But, still, “I ain’t drinking *** merlot!” became a meme.

AI generated illustration

• Blousy, oaky, buttery, big fruit chardonnays were a big thing in late 1980s and 1990s. They didn’t go very well with food—okay, they worked with movie theatre popcorn—but ladies, in particular, were not pairing it with food. They were sipping it in the country club’s outdoor bar after a round of golf or a tennis match or by-the-glass at a big chain restaurant where wine-food pairing was irrelevant. Big chardonnay was the wine equivalent of comfort food. It was a transition from sweet wines, soft drinks, or cocktails. Lush, approachable, ripe fruit, vanilla, butterscotch, creamy mouthfeel. What was not to like?

Then those drinker’s palates matured, or maybe it was just time for a lifestyle change. At the turn of the century, ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) became the next bandwagon to hop onto. White zin, pinot grigio, Veuve Clicquot, prosecco, sauv blanc, even dry riesling (for gosh sakes) was the next de rigueur pour for the dialed-in parvenu. “Anything But Chardonnay” was the incantation—unless it was an un-oaked, subdued malolactic conversion chardonnay, then… well, maybe.

AI generated illustration

• In the 1980s and especially the 1990s, monster, jammy, very high alcohol, zinfandel fruit bombs became a big thing, especially among manly men. Let the ladies sip insipid white zin, some gals even put ice cubes in their tumbler glass (shudder). Big zin was hedonistic macho indulgence. The 16-plus percent ABV and the overly-ripe fruit meant the wine tasted sweet even if laboratory tests proved it was “dry.” The high alcohol made it more a “cocktail wine” than anything a reasonable person would pair with food. Except, maybe, with a huge slab of fat-dripping beef you just removed from your expensive backyard grill fired by mesquite wood you harvested yourself with your high-powered chainsaw. Throw in a plate of fried onion rings and a loaded baked potato, and we’ve got a real meal here, buddy. A hearty slap on the back and backward ball cap is optional.

Okay, some research indicates there is only marginal male preference between male and female in this wine category, but the zeitgeist then (and now) was big zin was male while lighter, “more feminine” (whatever that is supposed to mean) wine was female. In any event, the stereotypes and lifestyle choices did not hold in the 21st century. With blowback from wine professionals such as sommeliers, whose job is to pair with food, and wine writers, whose job is to constantly come up with something new in 500 words or less, zin today is stylistically fragmented. Lighter and more food-friendly red zin occupies a growing middle ground, flanked by white zin (which still outsells red zin) and monster zin. The wine world carousel continues to spin.

AI generated illustration

Lifestyle choices regarding wine and alcohol in general experience constant fluctuation. In the 2010s, for instance, some Gallup Polls suggested wine was approaching beer as the alcohol delivery vehicle of choice. What heady days those were for vintners and for bank vice presidents ready to loan money to create new vineyards and expand or create new wine operations. Then the 2020s slapped them both in the face with the reality of lifestyle changes.

Not only has wine consumption declined, a new cohort of consumers has made a lifestyle choice to drink little or no alcohol. Medical sources assert any alcohol consumption can be bad for you. Neo-prohibitionists channel Carry Nation. While Neo-prohibitionists have not yet taken hatchets to saloons or wine barrels, they do clamor for increases in alcohol excise taxes, limit times and places alcohol can be sold, restrict advertising, and lowering the legal blood-alcohol-content. The wine world faces several headwinds.

That noted, wine has been around for more than 8,000 years and is deeply imbedded in our culture, our religions, our culinary proclivities. Wine is not going away. In the U.S., the total wine industry—production, distribution, sales, consumption, tourism, and service industries—generates some $324 billion annually in economic impact and is increasing in spite of the headwinds.

U.S. wine generates 1.75 million jobs and $102 billion in wages. Wine delivers more than $53 billion in tax revenue. These numbers have been resilient, even rising, amid the slight downturn in wine consumption in the U.S. in the 2020s. We are drinking less, but we are drinking better and more expensive. If you have read this far, I hope your fears of wine’s collapse are allayed and you are relieved.

Lifestyle choices, by their very nature, constantly change. Sit back and chill out with a nice glass of wine of your current choice, good food, and—especially—sharing with family and friends. That lifestyle moment is immutable.

Last round

Relationships are like Indian food.

They start out hot and spicy, but end up with someone on the toilet crying and saying “why me? why me”?

Wine time.

Bonus last round

Police officer pulls over a speeding car.

Officer: “I clocked you at 80 miles per hour, sir.”

Driver: “Gee, officer, I had it on cruise control at 60. Perhaps your radar gun needs calibrating.” Not looking up from her knitting, driver’s wife says: “Now don’t be silly, dear. You know this car does not have cruise control.”

As the officer writes out the ticket, the driver looks over at his wife and growls: “Can’t you please keep your mouth shut for once?” Wife smiles demurely and says: “Well, dear, you should be thankful your radar detector went off when it did or your speed would have been higher.”

As the officer makes out the second ticket for the illegal radar detector, the man glowers at his wife and says through clenched teeth: “Woman, can’t you keep your mouth shut?”

The officer frowns and says: “And I notice that you are not wearing your seat belt, sir. That’s an automatic $75 fine.” Driver: “Well, you see, officer, I had it on, but I took it off when you pulled me over so that I could get my license out of my back pocket.” Wife: “Now, dear, you know very well you never wear your seat belt when you are driving.”

As the police officer is writing out the third ticket, the driver turns to his wife and barks: “Will you just shut up!” Officer looks over at the woman and asks: “Does your husband always talk to you this way, ma’am?” Wife: “Only when he has been drinking.”

Wine time.

Thanks for reading Gus Clemens on Wine! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Gus Clemens on Wine is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Links worth exploring

Dave McIntyre’s WineLine Longtime Washington Post wine columnist now on Substack. Entertaining, informative.

Good + Tasty Excellent wine stories by Kathleen Willcox. Focuses on the business and culture of sustainable wine, food, and travel.

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website: Gus Clemens on Wine website

Facebook: facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter (X): @gusclemens

Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/gusclemensonwine.bsky.social .

Long form wine stories on Vocal: Gus Clemens on Vocal

Apple podcasts https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=apple+podcasts+gus+clemens+apple+p…&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8.

Linkedin: Gus Clemens on Wine

Ah, it was a heady wine time while it lasted. Wine enjoyed more than 50 years of vineyard and winery growth, more than 50 years of improving quality, more than 50 years of consistent year-over-year market expansion. Those were the days, my friend. We thought they’d never end. We’d sing and dance forever and a day.

Reality: nothing lasts forever. Pendulums swing both ways, as the wine world is painfully coming to grips with now.

In 2024, California wine production fell to its lowest level since 1999. United States production fell to its lowest since 2004. Both total wine consumption and per-capita demand in the U.S. fell together for the first time in modern wine history. Worldwide wine production is down to 1961 levels even though there are more than five billion more people on Earth today.

On a granular level, winegrowers leave grapes on the vine, knowing they cannot recoup their harvest expenses. Wine stores close. Wineries close or dial back, drop labels, trim staff. Newspapers drop wine columns as wine advertising dollars dry up. Restaurants pare their wine list. Supermarkets reduce shelf space devoted to wine.

Let’s examine what is happening and put it into some perspective. Spoiler alert: the sky is not falling, Chicken Little.

Wine drinkers fall loosely into two categories. Members of the largest cohort are not that interested in where the wine came from, how it was made, who made it. They want a relatively inexpensive alcohol delivery vehicle that tastes good, maybe pairs with food. They enjoy wine, but they also can hang with beer, hard seltzer, premixed cocktails. They also may have cut back or eliminated alcohol consumption.

The second cohort is into wine. Members of that cohort care about all the details, food pairing, vintage conditions, particulars about how it was made. They can be labeled as “wine geeks.” Wine is their go-to alcoholic drink, and they are willing to search for quality and pay for it.

The first cohort is the principal source of the wine decline. They are the reason the hardest hit wine segment is commodity value bottlings, aka “supermarket wines.”

The wine lover cohort has much less impact on the decline. In fact, while sales of lower-end wine has significantly tumbled for the past seven years, sales of higher end wines have weathered the storm. Wineries are selling fewer bottles of wine but maintaining their cash flow because people are buying higher-priced efforts. Those drinkers are drinking better, a trend that is more than a decade old.

The commodity, supermarket wine segment has a hard row to hoe. There are too many “next big things” in that alcohol silo. The market will remain, but will not be as robust as it was the past half century. And, of course, the cohorts are not black and white, but have shades of gray between them.

The better wine cohort has an emotional connection to wine. For them, wine is joy, pleasure, deliciousness, and rewarding, with fascinating back stories. And—yes—some snob appeal that quality wine is not pop-the-top and slurp-it-down to get-a-buzz stuff. For them, wine’s cementing attraction is pleasure. On the palate, in the mind, and—yes—pleasant satisfaction that you are smart enough, educated enough, and successful enough to enjoy and appreciate a liquid that has been treasured by fellow human beings for more than 8,000 years. There is conclusive evidence of a winery in Armenia dating back 6,200-plus years, including botanical evidence the wine was made using the areni grape. You can buy Armenian wine made with areni grapes today from a winery near the archeologic find in Armenia. Not many enterprises can match that claim.

Bottom line: while this is a somewhat turbulent time in the wine business, especially in the cheaper, factory-produced wine segment, wine is not going away. Worldwide wine production may be down to 1961 levels, but it remains a half-trillion dollar business. Production is almost six billion gallons—30 billion bottles. In the United States, wine generates more than $325 billion in economic impact. Various research groups forecast wine’s worldwide economic impact will be between eight hundred billion and more than one trillion US dollars by 2033. The wine world is changing, but it is not going away.

Sure, the wine trade faces headwinds. Every product, especially a discretionary product like wine, faces headwinds on a cyclical basis. Sometimes you are the hammer and you strike. Sometimes you are the anvil and you bear. The likelihood is after testing times the strong will survive and flourish, while the weak will suffer their Darwinian fate. Wine has been here before—my goodness for 13 years in the United States you could go to prison for making and selling wine. Let’s all take a deep breath, relax, and figure out what wine we are going to joyfully enjoy together tonight.

Tasting notes:

• Karas Areni, Armenia 2023 checks an amazing number of boxes in the wine world. First, it is a delicious wine that sips in a space between pinot noir and sangiovese. Second, archeological finds discovered evidence of this very grape dating back 6,100 years and the first clearly identified winery in the world. The winery is in the shadow of Mount Ararat, believed by Christians and Jews as the possible location of Noah’s Ark. You get to drink history, the very beginnings of wine, and drink superb wine. And do so for $16-20. Link to my review

• Val delle Rose Litorale Vermentino Maremma Toscana DOC 2024 is delightful iteration of vermentino’s lighter, fresher style. While it has good acidity, there is a smooth creamy texture and slight oiliness that creates excellent mouthfeel and tension. Clean, crisp winner from a highly regarded, long-time player in Tuscany. $15-20 Link to my review

• Herzog Wine Cellars Lineage Pinot Noir, Clarksburg 2022 is affordable, fruit-forward, kosher wine from America’s largest fully kosher winery. It is a value play in pinot noir rather than sophisticated, but is very serviceable in what it is intended to be. Wallet pleaser; smooth and easy crowd pleaser. $18-22 Link to my review

• Stoller Family Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2022 is rich, elegant charmer with lingering finish, polished, refined fruit. Excellent balance of fruit, oak, restrained alcohol. Civilized pour that demonstrates why Willamette Valley pinot noir deserves to be in conversation as some of the world’s premier pinots, especially at this price point. $50-60 Link to my review

• Early Mountain Vineyards RISE, Virginia 2021 is a very smooth, well-behaved, merlot-led Bordeaux blend only produced in exceptional years. Just now entering its best drinking window, this easily can be held another decade-plus. Early Mountain is Virginia’s flagship winery. All winery profits are directed to Virginia communities and innovation in the Virginia wine industry. $135-150 Link to my review

Last round

How do I determine how much wine to drink? I take it on a case-by-case basis.

Thank you for reading. This is a reader-supported publication. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber. No matter how you subscribe, I appreciate you.

Links worth exploring

Dave McIntyre’s WineLine Longtime Washington Post wine columnist now on Substack. Entertaining, informative.

Good + Tasty Excellent wine stories by Kathleen Willcox. Focuses on the business and culture of sustainable wine, food, and travel.

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website: Gus Clemens on Wine website

Facebook: facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter (X): @gusclemens

Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/gusclemensonwine.bsky.social .

Long form wine stories on Vocal: Gus Clemens on Vocal

Apple podcasts https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=apple+podcasts+gus+clemens+apple+p…&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8.

Linkedin: Gus Clemens on Wine

This is the weekly column

It is high summer in the Northern Hemisphere. What wine fits into the zeitgeist of pools splashing with bikini-clad frolickers slathered in sun screens, outdoor cooking, indoor binge watching movies on a wide screen while the AC heroically soldiers on?

A surprising star shines bright: sparkling wine.

First, sparkling is the wine best served around 40 degrees, lighter versions as low as 37. That is the coldest temperature recommended for wine. If you like a cold one on a hot day, sparkling is the answer.

Second, sparkling is the most versatile food wine. Examples:

• Hot dogs. If you want a drink for your dogs, look no further than well-chilled sparkling. The high acidity of sparklers is a perfect palate cleanser for the fatty richness of a hot dog. The bubbles also provide a scrubbing mechanism, re-setting your palate for your next dog bite. Champagne, Spanish cava, New World sparklings, Italian prosecco—they all have a dog in the hunt for pairing with your wiener wonder.

Jefferson

• Watermelon. Sparkling not only is secularly popular, there are solid scientific reasons it works. Watermelon and sparklings have complementary flavors. Watermelons deliver honey-like sweetness, bright fruit, citrus undertones. These are the same descriptors often found in sparkling reviews, especially sparkling rosés. Sparkling’s high acidity is counterpoint to watermelon’s natural sweetness, enhancing the fresh, crisp qualities found in both. Sparkling’s bubbles amplify the cooling sensation of the fruit, especially efficacious in high summer. Prosecco particularly shines here.

• Buttery popcorn. You have had your saturation of pool floating and UV attacks on your epidermis and have retreated to the cool embrace of your air conditioned room with the wide screen to watch the latest, mindless summer movie. Sparkling wine definitely can help here. Buttery chardonnay is the apex pairing with buttery popcorn, but sparkling is a photo-finish second. Sparkling’s effervescence and crisp acidity are a felicitous contrast to buttery popcorn’s buttery richness. Prosecco and Spanish cava will provide wallet-friendly alternatives to Champagne or other pricier picks.

In all cases, colder the better. You can serve sparkling right out of your refrigerator. If you need a quick chill, put the bottle in a bucket with half ice and half water, plus some salt for the fastest chill—this method is much more efficient than putting bottles in the freezer.

Enjoy the joys of high summer. The attraction of life is change. Soon enough you will miss the pool water being so warm, the days being so long and hot, and the friends and family gathered around the outdoor grill listening to the doggies sizzle. It is high summer in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the depth of winter in the Southern. Enjoy the moment.

Tasting notes

• Gruet Brut Rosé NV: Delicious, accessible, correct pinot noir brute sparkling made with 100% pinot noir. Red fruits on the nose and palate are framed by excellent acidity, a lengthy column of tiny bubbles, and invigorating mouthfeel. $17 Link to my review

• VARA Winery VARAxLG Brut Blanc de Blancs American Sparkling Wine NV: Superb sparkling wine made in Albuquerque, NM in collaboration with Laurent Gruet of Gruet Wine fame. Further proof American sparkling made in New Mexico is an incredible value and easily matches sparklings made elsewhere. $40 Link to my review

Last round

Why did the lions move at the end of summer?

Because the pride goeth before the fall.

Wine time.

Gus Clemens on Wine is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. No matter how you subscribe, I appreciate you reading.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website: Gus Clemens on Wine website

Facebook: facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter (X): @gusclemens

Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/gusclemensonwine.bsky.social .

Long form wine stories on Vocal: Gus Clemens on Vocal

Apple podcasts https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=apple+podcasts+gus+clemens+apple+p…&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8.

Linkedin: Gus Clemens on Wine

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Dave McIntyre’s WineLine Longtime Washington Post wine columnist now on Substack. Entertaining, informative.

This is the weekly newspaper column

Random wine facts and hacks 10-25-2023

Random notes on wine conundrums, weird facts, and wine hacks.

• How do you open bottle with a wax seal? Instead of foil, some winemakers now substitute wax as a wine capsule. What do you do?

The original purpose of wine capsules was to provide a protective shield to prevent rodents and insects from harming the cork. As that purpose faded into yesterday, capsules remained to promote the brand. Nowadays some wines have a wax seal for the same image reason.

What to do? Do not try to scrape off the wax, that usually results in a messy exercise in futility. The answer is to simply plunge the corkscrew through the wax and into the cork. Then extract the cork, which will dislodge the necessary amount of wax. Would it be more efficient for wineries to abandon foil and wax capsules altogether? Yes it would. And several, gratefully, have done so.

• On the subject of corkscrews, which should you use? Fortunately this is simple and inexpensive. The best corkscrew, hands down, is the double-hinged waiter’s corkscrew. You can get it for less than $10, often for free if you buy a case of wine at the right store. The worst—the winged corkscrew.

• Almost any wine you buy, especially under $50, is ready to drink when you get home and will not measurably improve with age.

• If you do put down the wine for some age, do so only if you can store it in a place with steady temperature at 72 degrees or less. It does not have to be a dedicated wine fridge, although that is optimal. Avoid light and vibrations. Never store your wine on the top of your refrigerator.

• Don’t sweat stemware. Yes, varietally-specific glass may marginally enhance enjoyment of the specific varietal, but a middle-of-the-road glass—a generous white wine glass—will do fine.

• The best wine values—South Africa, Portugal, Spain, Chile, Argentina.

• When in doubt, decant. Almost no wine will be harmed by decanting, many will improve. You can decant sparkling wine and it will not kill the fizz.

Tasting notes

• El Coto Rosado, Rioja 2021: Fruity, tasty, simple rosado (rosé) that flaunts strawberry. $10 Link to my review

• Tribute Sauvignon Blanc, California 2022: Juicy, citrusy, with enlivening rush of spiciness on the finish. $14-17 Link to my review

• Farmhouse Vineyards Cultivated, Texas High Plains 2019: Smooth, fruit-forward, decadent dark fruit delight. $35 Link to my review

Last round

If you replace your evening glass of wine with green tea, you can lose up to 87.4% of what little joy you have left in your life.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter (X): @gusclemens

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. Give it a try Link to The Sample

This is the weekly newspaper column

Wine is history 10-18-2023

Every bottle of wine is a history. Usually a wine is an expression of a single year. It tells the story of that year’s climate, the people working the vineyard, the people making the wine. Plus, there is the backstory of the grapes, the vineyard, the winery, the people.

Many wineries and winemakers have compelling histories. In the Old World, it is not unusual for winemaking family sagas to stretch back hundreds of years. Vineyards they work also date back centuries. To write about wine is to write histories of the makers, the vineyards, the grapes. The wine may be delicious, the backstory even more so. Often inspiring and uplifting.

Take Champagne. Women have leadership roles in winemaking and winery management today. Something new? Not in Champagne, where women have played critical roles in the top Champagne houses for more than two centuries. Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin—Veuve Clicquot—took over the winery in 1805 when her husband died. She was 27 years old. She turned the winery into a major international player. She invented the riddling technique still used by sparkling makers today.

Louise Pommery took control of her Champagne house upon her husband’s death in 1858. She turned Pommery into a sparkling powerhouse and was instrumental in making brut the world’s most popular style of Champagne.

Camille Olry-Roederer took over her house after her husband’s death in 1932. Over the next 42 years she turned the company into a bubbly superstar.

Elisabeth Law de Lauriston-Boubers married Jacques Bollinger in 1923. They vigorously promoted their Champagne house until his death in 1941. She saw the house through World War II and decades beyond. She so charmed Ian Fleming that his character James Bond would only drink Bollinger.

The Gallo brothers, Ernest and Julio, sons of Italian immigrants, founded a small winery in 1933. Today, E&J Gallo is still family owned and the world’s largest winery. It produces one-third of the wine made in the U.S. and more than 3% of all the wine made in the world.

You would be hard-pressed to name a more accomplished father and daughter duo than Dr. Nicolás Catena Zapata and Dr. Laura Catena. Nicolás was a professor of economics at UC-Berkeley and ran the family winery in Argentina. Laura became an emergency room physician with degrees from Harvard and Stanford. Until recently, she practiced emergency medicine in California while heading one of the largest Argentine wine brands in the world.

Great histories. Great stories. Great wine.

Last round

A will is a dead giveaway. Wine time.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter (X): @gusclemens

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. Give it a try Link to The Sample

This is the weekly newspaper column

Texas wine AVAs episode #2 10-11-2023

Texas wine facts: Texas is the fifth-largest winemaking state, behind California, Washington, New York, and Oregon. And Texas wine is No. 3 in economic impact, just behind California and New York. Both rankings according to the National Association of American Wineries.

There are eight Texas AVAs (American Viticultural Regions). Last week we examined three around Fredericksburg, this week the remaining five.

• Texas High Plains. Heart of the Texas wine grape growing, a monster AVA spanning eight million acres of the Texas Panhandle, basically from Lubbock to Brownfield. Grows 80-plus percent of Texas wine grapes, supplying wineries across Texas and beyond. Located on the Llano Estacado, one of Earth’s flattest expanses. First thought—how could this be?

Topography. The elevation is 2,800 to more than 4,000 feet. It is called the “High Plains” for a reason. Such elevations include some of the world’s premier wine regions, especially in the Americas—think Chile and Argentina. Climate is dry, but there is irrigation. Sandy loam soil drains well and vexes phylloxera. Brisk winds thwart mildew. Plunging nighttime temperatures deliver important diurnal shift. That is a textbook definition of a wine grape region.

• Escondido Valley. Far West Texas, just north of the Big Bend. Covers 50 square miles, 250 acres of vineyards. Contains some of the oldest vines in Texas, provides hot days, cold nights, sandy soil. It once supplied grapes to the huge Ste. Genevieve Winery in Fort Stockton, but that enterprise folded. Now supplies grapes to the rest of Texas.

• Mesilla Valley. West of El Paso, includes part of New Mexico. There are 40 acres of vines that benefit from the 4,300 feet altitude; most of the vines are in New Mexico.

• Texas Davis Mountains. The Davis Mountains, part of the Rocky Mountains, are rugged and deliver 5,400 foot elevations, cooler temperatures, and more precipitation. Challenges, yes. Rewards, yes. The AVA is some 270,000 acres, but less than 50 acres of vineyards. The new frontier of Texas AVAs. Look for Blue Mountain Vineyard and Chateau Wright offerings.

• Texoma. The newest Texas AVA spans 3,650 square miles north of Dallas-Fort Worth and hugs the Texas-Oklahoma border, including Lake Texoma, from which it gets its name. More than a dozen wineries are based there, with tourism and events driving a major part of the operation, similar to the wineries and tasting rooms in the Texas Hill Country AVA.

Texas wine. Forty years ago, a snicker, maybe a guffaw. No one is laughing at the Lone Star State now.

Last round

The doctor told me my DNA was backward. And I said: “AND?” Wine time.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter (X): @gusclemens

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. Give it a try Link to The Sample

This is the weekly newspaper column

Texas wine AVAs episode #1 10-4-2023

Texas wine once was an amusing blip on the wine world radar. There was interesting activity around Lubbock, an ambitious project in the Big Bend, dreamers in the Hill Country, and—of course—ardent over-achievers around College Station.

But wine? In Texas? Come’on man. Seriously?

Well, Texas winemakers are the ones laughing now and skeptics are in their dark, silent corner nursing over-priced, over-oaked Napa fruit bombs.

Texas has gone from 20 wineries in the 1980s to some 450 wineries today. Texas is the fifth largest wine producer in the United States. Granted, dwarfed by California, but California dwarfs everyone. Washington, Oregon, and New York make more, but—hey—now Texas is in the conversation.

And Texas celebrates this each October—Texas Wine Month.

Grape-growing areas are defined by federal designations called American Viticultural Areas: AVAs. Each AVA has an official name and boundaries. Some stretch for Texas miles; others are tiny pockets. An AVA is an attempt is to identify unique terroirs—that amorphous French term that identifies the many elements that make a wine from a specific place different from wine from other places.

Wineries do not have to pay attention to AVAs. If they do, 85% of the wine must come from the geographic area, and the wine must be produced in the AVA. Other Texas areas are petitioning to add more AVAs. Right now, there are eight. This week we explore three around Fredericksburg:

• Texas Hill Country. Located north of San Antonio and south-southwest of Austin, it is the largest AVA in Texas and third largest in the nation. It spreads over nine million acres and 1,000 acres of vineyards. It includes two mini-AVAs: Fredericksburg and Bell Mountain. But grape growing is not the main thing here. Wineries and tasting rooms are. The Texas Hill Country AVA is the second-most visited AVA in the nation, behind only Napa.

• Bell Mountain. This is a tiny AVA within the Hill Country AVA, but it was the first in Texas. It is only five square miles and about 70 acres of vines. Its location allows for quality, lower-temperature grapes cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and pinot noir.

• Fredericksburg. Another pocket in the Texas Hill Country AVA includes some 700,000 acres, but only 60 planted in an assortment of grapes, mostly white. It surrounds the town of Fredericksburg, home to more than 100 wineries, and—to be blunt—exists primarily to add atmosphere to wineries and tasting rooms. Those wineries get their grapes elsewhere—the Texas High Plains. Which we explore next week.

Last round

If money does not grow on trees, why do banks have branches? Wine time.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter (X): @gusclemens

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. Give it a try Link to The Sample

This is the weekly newspaper column

Wine geekiness 9-27-2023

It comes with the wine writer territory: people encounter me at the grocery store, in elevators, on the street and ask me about wine. “As a wine geek…” they begin their question.

Hmmm. Wine geek?

The original meaning of geek was a “highly intelligent, but introverted person.” When the term entered wine nomenclator, geek also suggested someone who championed unfamiliar grapes from obscure producers.

Well, I assert Gus Clemens on Wine is not that. Not introverted. Not focused on obscure wines.

Almost 16 years ago when a newspaper editor asked me to begin this project, the assignment was to write about wine in general for the general population and to suggest wines that everyday people could find without trouble or travel. I worked at the approach; the column began running in October, 2008.

Yes, I do occasionally challenge readers with uncommon grapes or techniques—white malbec and güner veltliner, for instance. But the wines have to be accessible at grocery or wine stores, online, or from the maker’s website. If extraordinary efforts are required—physical visit to the winery, any effort that includes passports and vaccination proofs—the wine never is recommended.

So, while I accept the “wine geek” sobriquet with a smile, I don’t consider myself one. Actually, I strive not to be one. The same applies to “connoisseur” and “oenophile.”

I do love wine and all the stories that abound with wine.

I do enjoy that my job includes appreciating wine almost every day and writing wine stories.

But I do not think of myself as a wine geek, connoisseur, or oenophile. I consider myself a writer and humorist whose subject happens to be wine. That is the job a newspaper editor challenged me to do, and one I have enjoyed ever since.

I thank each of you for being part of this adventure, even when you call me a geek.

Tasting notes

• Joseph Carr Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2020: More tartness and assertive black fruits than previous vintage, but remains a tasty wine that will pleasure many palates. $12-18 Link to my review

• W. & J. Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Ruby Porto: Jammy plum and chocolate delight. Serious acidity balances ripe fruit sweetness. Velvety richness masks high alcohol. Engaging finesse. Intense, focused through long finish. $25 Link to my review

• Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot, Napa Valley 2019: Smooth celebration of dark fruits framed by well-done oak. Plush with tart blackcurrant notes. Savory elements and herbal traces add character and depth. $44-55 Link to my review

Last round

I used to be in a band called “The Missing Dog”… You probably saw our posters on telephone poles. Wine time.

This is the weekly newspaper column

The religion of wine 9-20-2023

Is wine a religion? Wait—I am not suggesting wine will replace my Catholicism—but we cannot ignore religious elements associated with wine.

This is not about wine’s long, historic, intimate relationship with the world’s major religions. I am referring to approach, rituals, and messianic fervor associated with wine and wine worshipers.

A recent study examined the connection between wine consumers and wines they consume. The research revealed wineries and wines can evoke evangelical responses among their disciples. The process begins with a conversion experience with the winery and the wine.

Visits to wineries often proceed like a religious ritual. First, there is the vineyard tour with reverential attention to the vines, the soil, terroir (an all-inclusive, semi-religious term). Then the ceremonial sequence of tasting—see, swirl, smell, sip, savor. The pietistic explanation of special glasses for each varietal. The worshipful backstory about the winemakers. The homage to the hallowed vineyard. The hagiography of the grapes, the winery, the winemaking family, and everything about wine in general.

Then there is the emotional response among sippers, whether at the winery or among friends-family. They share gushing exaltations of their experience with the wine. They vow to spread the word to others, creating in some cases “cult” wines driven by fervent adoration of the flavor, the magical nature of their undiscovered, inimitable wine find. They are passionately driven to eagerly share with others and convert them into acolytes for their venerated vino.

Finally, there are spontaneous conversions. For some, it is to a specific wine. For others, it is the  Saul on the road to Damascus moment when the bright light flashes and they embrace the “wine-foodie” or “wine aficionado” transfiguration experience. They find themselves born again into a world of wine appreciation, gastronomic joy, and culinary salvation.

Such can be wine, if you are a true believer.

Tasting notes

• Noble Vines Collection 337 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lodi 2019: Dense, jammy, smooth, rife with ripe dark fruit. Straightforward every-day drinker. $10-15 Link to my review

• Viña Peñalolén Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley 2019: Delivers well integrated velvety tannins, dark fruits with interest-creating tang. $18-22 Link to my review

• Herzog Wine Cellars Lineage Malbec, Clarksburg Vineyard 2020: Mevushal and kosher for Passover California malbec; smooth easy drinker. $18-22 Link to my review

• Hahn Family Wines SLH Pinot Noir 2021: Tasty, easily approachable Santa Lucia Highlands pinot. Soft, forgiving, engaging. $22-25 Link to my review

• Gamble Family Vineyards Paramount Red Wine, Napa Valley 2017: Rich, opulent melange of cab franc, cab, merlot, dash of petit verdot to lavish red-black wine deliciousness on your palate. $90-100 Link to my review

Last round

What do you call a sleep-walking nun? A roamin’ Catholic. Wine time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter (X): @gusclemens

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. To give it a try Link to The Sample

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column

How to pair wine and cheese 9-13-2023

You know wine and cheese were made for each other. You also know not all wine pairs with all cheese. What is a person to do?

Relax. Most wine you purchase at your store will pair with most cheese you purchase at your store. Perfect pairing? Maybe not. But an abomination unto the Lord? No.

Remember: it is better to pair wine with the diner than wine with the dinner. If you like cheese X and wine Y, it is likely to be a good pairing no matter what “experts” opine. But, if you want guidance, here goes:

• Pick one star, either the wine or the cheese. In the wine-food-cheese pairing arena, when you have two or more elements competing for attention you have a food fight, not a congenial, delicious experience.

• If your are into cheese, go with subtle whites or lighter-bodied reds.

• If you are into wines, go with mild-to-medium cheeses that will not strive to overpower your wine.

• Sparkling wines and light, acidic wines pair with almost everything. Bubbly always lifts the mood.

• What grows together goes together. Italian wine—Italian cheese. Spanish wine—Spanish cheese. You get the idea. This also is true for food, BTW.

• Match intensity of the wine with intensity of the cheese. Brie, soft goat cheese, emmental, cream havarti will not hang well with hearty reds. Long-aged cheddars, stinky cheese, gorgonzola, stilton will maul your delicate Provence rosé.

• Oaked, low acid, high alcohol, tannic wines are hard to pair. Sip your bombastic Napa cab by itself, maybe with some neutral crackers. Or your grilled ribeye. Eschew cheese.

Tasting notes

• Fresh Vine Sauvignon Blanc, California 2021: Clean, fresh, strong emphasis on low calorie, low sugar, low carb. Very light on the palate; succeeds in delivering credible sauv blanc experience. $15-18 Link to my review

• Château Mourgues du Grès Galets Dorés Costières de Nîmes 2022: Fresh, citrus-flavorful, well-made biodynamic wine from southern Rhône. Opulent, luscious. $16-18 Link to my review

• Château La Rame, Sainte-Croix-du-Mont 2021: Lilting caresses on the palate. Delicate, flutteringly bashful fruit. Clean, refreshing with sharply defined fruits is this effort’s calling card. $21-29 Link to my review

• Rutherford Hill Rosé of Merlot, Napa Valley Appellation 2021: Light, crisp, flavorful expression of free run merlot. If you are a merlot fan—you should be—this is delightful. $22 Link to my review

• Lake Sonoma Winery Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2020: Vivid-fruit pour delivers some tartness without overbearing, confected fruit you can encounter with lower-shelf pinots. $26-30 Link to my review

Last round

After 24 hours, three scientists got bored watching the Earth spin. So they called it a day. Wine time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter (X): @gusclemens

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. To give it a try Link to The Sample

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column

Wine ingredient labels 9-6-2023

Ingredients and allergy information likely are coming to a wine label near you. Much already is mandated in Europe. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is taking comments to fine-tune U.S. mandates.

The process takes time. When decisions are made winemakers have two-plus years to get approvals and print labels. So 2026 is the earliest you will see mandated ingredient labels on U.S. wines.

Wine ingredients are not a simple issue. It is likely only ingredients in the finished product will be listed, not those that disappear during the winemaking process. Makes sense, but not certain. Will percentages of individual grape varieties be required? Will “grape juice concentrate” cover ingredients like Mega Purple? For most wine, water—85% or more—will be listed. All to be determined.

Labeling advocates struggle with vagaries of wine. Exact descriptions vary with vintage. Even from a specific vintage, wine is a living product that changes over time. It is hard to determine things like alcohol by volume (ABV) in advance for labels to be printed. One attorney involved in the process quipped: “Wine is not Cheetos.” Expect a wave of lawsuits when rules are asserted.

There is momentum to allow winemakers to use QR codes to publish ingredients. QR codes would be more timely and accurate. It also would free winemakers from having to change their labels each year, an important consideration for smaller winemakers.

The QR code solution also is attractive because wine is an international trade product. It would allow winemakers to satisfy the rules of different countries–or, horror of horrors—individual U.S. states. It is easier and faster to tweak a website than to print a gallimaufry of labels that depend on where the wine was made, sold, or shipped to.

Wine ingredient labels are coming. This will be a good thing. But the devil will be in the details.

Tasting notes

• Attems Pinot Grigio Ramato, Friuli DOC 2021 is interesting play as a rosé of pinot grigio. Lively and full of flavors. $15-20 Link to my review

• San Felice Il Grigio da San Felice Chianti Classico Reserva DOCG 2019 is well-done mass distribution Chianti. $15-25 Link to my review

• Lapostolle Cuvée Alexandre Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is fulsome with brooding, dark fruits and ripe flavors. $22-25 Link to my review

• Chehalem Pinot Noir Chehalem Mountains, Willamette Valley 2021 is smooth, elegant, somewhat bashful red fruits, easy-going tannin and proper acidity. $25-32 Link to my review

Last round: What is the leading cause of dry skin? Towels. Wine time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter (X): @gusclemens

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. To give it a try Link to The Sample

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column

Labor Day 8-30-2023

Next Monday brings us to the annual bittersweet pivot from the adventures and tribulations of summer to the prayed-for succor of autumn. Labor Day.

For many of us this year, September temperatures dipping into the 80s and low 90s will be a welcome relief. Soon, hopefully, the days of triple digits and record breaking will be history. Fading, too, however will be the days of beaches, baseball, and backyard barbecues. Cometh the domains of football, falling leaves, and harvest feasts.

School teachers welcome children back. Grandparents wave poignant goodbyes. Vacation adventures are relegated to memory and photos in cellphones and scrapbooks. Labor Day is the Janus-faced holiday that reminds us for everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.

In the northern hemisphere, the gathering of grapes is underway. There are sighs of relief for many. The gauntlet of late frosts and hail, of drought and sun-scorched days, of pests and careful calibrations about which day, which hour to pick has been run. Now magic shifts to stainless steel and wooden vessels and labyrinthine decisions and processes. If all goes well, the fruit of the vine and work of human hands will produce bottled poetry. These are the seasons the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in them.

Tasting notes

• Cellier des Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Grenache-Syrah Rosé 2021: Perfect summertime rosé with fresh, fruity flavors, zippy acidity. $10-15 Link to my review

• Zardetto Z Prosecco Brut NV: Inviting, fruity, classic, clean, crisp. $12-17 Link to my review

• Valdo Numero 10 Brut Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG 2019: Sophisticated, nuanced. Made using the traditional method instead of the more common tank method. $14 Link to my review

• Gran Castillo Rocío Brut Cava NV: Fresh, fruity, some complexity. There always is value in Spanish cava. $14-18 Link to my review

• Union Wine Co. Kings Ridge Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley 2021: Straightforward, fruity, pleasing. Delightfully smooth, supple. $15-17 Link to my review

• Gioacchino Garofoli Kòmaros Rosato Marche IGT 2022: Fun, light, fruity delight. Marvelous, unctuous mouthfeel. $16-20 Link to my review

• Scout & Cellar Scout Wild Sauvignon Blanc: Fits classic SB “salad in a glass” profile. Solid, easy drinker, fresh, tasty. $18 Link to my review

• Biltmore Reserve Rosé North Carolina 2021: Mellow easy drinker. Delivers palate-pleasing touch of sweetness. All the fruit you want in a rosé. $18-25 Link to my review

• Fleurs de Prairie Languedoc Rosé 2022: Lilting, light, demure effort led by grenache noir and syrah. Bright, crisp acidity are major features. $19 Link to my review

• The Paring Sauvignon Blanc 2019: Serious iteration of sauv blanc with medium-plus body and robust fruit and tanginess. $20-25 Link to my review

Last round: Why did Humpty Dumpty have a great fall? To compensate for this miserably hot summer. Wine time.

This is the weekly newspaper column

Cheap wine troubles 8-23-2023

I hate to break it to you, but the days of good cheap wine are numbered. Very drinkable wine under $10 was a holy grail of wine drinkers and wine writers for years. Alas, those days are fading in the rearview mirror of our lives.

Ten dollars retail no longer covers cost of production—of growing, of bottles, of corks or screwtops or even bags in a cardboard box. Vineyard workers deserve a living wage. Transportation and storage costs—up. Cost of bricks and mortar stores or of shipping and handling for online buyers—up. Taxes—every government entity wants to suck on the alcohol teat. The greed and inefficiency of the three-tier system.

The days of good cheap wine are fading away and we have to adjust.

Mother nature’s climate change agenda is not helping. The Riverland, a vast region of South Australia alongside the Murray River, once was an agricultural powerhouse. Wine, citrus fruits, stone fruits, almonds. The region once produced almost one-third of Australia’s wine crush—19 Crimes is the wine you most likely recognize from there. Today it is imploding thanks to drought and floods. Nowadays those are not mutually exclusive. Aussie grape growers and wineries are simply walking away, no longer able to keep the lights on or the the Riverland wine presses pressing.

The new sweet spot is wine in the $15-25 range. There is margin in that to give all the hogs of wine production a place at the trough. The code word is “premiumization.”

Lower-end grape growers and wine makers worldwide are not in a happy place. The table plonk that sustained their grandparent’s operation now is lost to time out of memory. Mommy and daddy’s white-knuckle operation is doomed. It is time to upgrade vineyards. Governments long fattened on wine success should help in this. Time to improve product and expand to wine tourism and other income streams. Or die.

The days of rushing into a convenience store and scoring a couple of $9.99 bottles of drinkable wine for your haphazardly organized soirée are going, going, gone. Life has evolved for billions of years. Why should now be any different?

Tasting notes

• Daou Vineyards Soul of a Lion Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles Adelaida District 2020 continues the winery’s record of excellence. It delivers conclusive evidence Paso Robles produces wine to compete with the world. $150 Link to my review

Last round: Kid to teacher: “You only teach useless crap.” Teacher to kid: “Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Wine time.

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. To give it a try  Click here

Upgrade to a paid subscription ($5/month) to access complete archives and bonus material. Opt out any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly column

As someone who loves writing and wine, it was a quick and easy call 17 years ago when the local newspaper publisher asked me to write about wine in his publication.

It has been a happy 17 years with too many joys to mention. But there are downsides. Tasting a lot of wine is part of the job, and that can become tedious. That is especially true of boring, cookie-cutter wines.

Often identified as “supermarket wines” or “mass production wines.” Meiomi and Mark West are among the best known—they sell hundreds of thousand bottles a year (Meiomi, one milllion)—but there are many others. They are not terrible wines with obvious flaws. Usually there are no flaws, but wines designed to have no flaws in mass production also means they have no soul. They are boring. Taste enough of them and you are besieged by a depressing ennui.

Maksym Kozlenko

Such wines will be fruit-forward approaching jammy. There likely is some residual sugar to flirt with sweetness. They will be around 14.5% ABV. Reds likely will be blends, but cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir will be 75% of the blend, just qualifying them to be labeled by the varietal name.

If they don’t go for a varietal naming, they will be labeled with a focus-group refined name concocted by their marketing department with special attention on an eye-catching label. When wines taste much the same, the key to success is what the bottle looks like standing upright on a crowded supermarket shelf.

For the same money, you can experience distinctive wines that reflect the place and time they were made and offer individualistic takes on what constitutes wine. Their production numbers will be far less. They can come from anywhere, but South America (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay) and the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal) particularly abound in such values. I don’t want to slight the Languedoc of France, various part of Italy (especially Sicily), and others—including smaller operations in California, Oregon, and Washington State—the list could go on. You get the idea.

My wine reviews gravitate to such wines, while affordability and availability (internet wine sales really help here) remain important considerations.

As long-time readers know, I consider myself a writer who happens to write about wine rather than a wine cognoscente attempting to be a writer. Also, a curator rather than a critic. If I publish a wine review, I do so because I think readers may find in it something to enjoy. I chose to spend our limited time together presenting a wine worth trying rather than warning you about a wine to avoid.

If you enjoy them, there is no reason to avoid supermarket, mass production wines. They are often serviceable, if rarely exciting. If you dare for something beyond bland, I offer you my tasting notes.

Tasting notes

• Domaine Bousquet Gaia Cabernet Franc, Gualtallary Vineyards, Mendoza, Argentina 2018: Rich, tasty, balanced cab franc from one the world’s leading producers of organically-farmed wine. Tasting this at seven years old mellowed the wine, it also proved its ageability for an affordable wine. $15-18 Link to my review

• Bodegas Virgen del Galir Pagos del Galir A Malosa Godello, Valdeorras DO, Spain 2020: Premium white wine made with godello, Spain’s come-back grape. Excellent taste and body. Elegant, subtle, wonderfully reflects rugged terroir of the Valdeorras DO, especially its minerality. $15-21 Link to my review

• Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling Finger Lakes 2023: Another example of Dr. Konstantin Frank’s masterful skill with riesling in the Finger Lakes region of northwestern New York State. Keuka Lake provides superb conditions for cold-climate riesling grapes, as does the region’s soil composition. The Keuka Lake plots provide the bulk of the grapes and their shallow, shale-based soils deliver minerality, acidity, and structure. $20 Link to my review

Last round

If at first you don’t succeed, then skydiving probably is not for you. Wine time.

Thanks for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. Please share and invite friend to subscribe.

Gus Clemens on Wine is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. No matter how you subscribe, I appreciate you reading.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website: Gus Clemens on Wine website

Facebook: facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter (X): @gusclemens

Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/gusclemensonwine.bsky.social .

Long form wine stories on Vocal: Gus Clemens on Vocal

Apple podcasts https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=apple+podcasts+gus+clemens+apple+p…&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8.

Linkedin: Gus Clemens on Wine

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Dave McIntyre’s WineLine Longtime Washington Post wine columnist now on Substack. Entertaining, informative.

This is the weekly newspaper column

Wine and health debate continues 8-16-2023

Is a glass or two of wine good for you or bad for you? Experts: It is good for you, you will live longer. Experts: It is bad for you, it will shorten your life.

Well, thanks for clearing that up. In the 1990s, experts asserted red wine consumption with its healthy resveratrol component helps prevent cardiovascular disease. Red wine was cited as a reason for good health and longer life expectancy in France.

Such assertions glossed over that, in general, the French consumed less fast food and meat, consumed less food at meals, and enjoyed a better health care system. But, hey, red wine was the key, along with the Mediterranean diet of less meat and more fresh fruits and vegetables. Viva La France.

Well, this is science, so that wisdom would be challenged. And so it was. This year the New York Times reported researchers came to a different conclusion: even a little alcohol can harm your health. The safest choice is not to drink any alcohol at all.

There is no argument that excessive alcohol consumption is a bad thing. Bad for health. Often bad for relationships. Certainly not good if you drive somewhere to consume. But what about moderate consumption—a glass or two as part of your family meal at home?

There is a problem. The “no alcohol” folks isolate alcohol as a single variable. Life does not work that way. Other studies assert people who joyously interact with people live longer, and even if they do not live longer, they enjoy more enriching, satisfying lives. Most wine is consumed with others, integrated into a meal and interaction with others. If such activity trims a few days, weeks, or even months off my life, then I gladly take that deal.

In 2018, the British medical journal The Lancet published a major study on links between alcohol consumption and cancer, heart disease, and other illness. It was a major work of scholarship combining hundreds of studies. Unfortunately, it only glancingly addressed effects of moderate drinking. Increased incidents of cancer were small. For heart disease, moderate drinking decreased risk. The studies also divorced pleasure in life from longevity. Old joke: “if you cut out drinking you may not live longer, but it will seem longer.”

Bottom line: drinking wine may not help you live longer, but drinking wine in moderation is not ingesting poison either. And certainly can make life more pleasant. Salude!

Last round: What do you call a retired cowboy? De-ranged. Wine time.

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. To give it a try  Click here

Upgrade to a paid subscription ($5/month) to access complete archives and bonus material. Opt out any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column

Big wine 8-9-2023

Most wine is produced by a small number of large wineries. At the same time, most wineries are small producers.

In February 2023, Wine Business Monthly reported there were 11,601 wineries in the U.S. Eighty-three percent of those wineries produced 5000 cases of wine or less; 49% produced 1000 cases or less.

Most U.S. wine is produced by one-half of one percent of our total number of wineries. Gallo is the behemoth with production of some 100 million cases a year—more than three percent of worldwide wine output, twice as much as its nearest competitors. Gallo produces more than the combined production of the next four big U.S. wineries—The Wine Group, Trinchero Family Estates, Delicato Family Wines, and Constellation Brands.

Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao

The situation is not exactly the same in the other major wine producing countries, but similar. In Europe and elsewhere, there is winemaking where hundreds, even thousands, of grape farmers band together in cooperatives. The co-ops may produce wine for a grower’s label or combine production of many growers under co-op labels or both produce some wine for the grower’s label, then combine leftover grapes into co-op wines.

The reason for this is simple. Many individuals simply do not have enough production to afford all that goes into winemaking—from equipment to skilled labor to marketing and sales.

Large European makers—the big Champagne houses, for example—have equipment and supporting resources, but do not grow enough grapes on their own to meet demands. They buy grapes from growers.

Around the world wine also is produced by négociants. A négociant or négoce is a wine merchant who purchases grapes, juice, or finished wines and then vinifies, bottles, or labels under their own names. Joseph Carr Josh Cellars is a popular U.S. wine that is a négociant operation.

The idyllic wine picture is a sixth-generation family toiling in their vineyard, hand-sorting grapes, and lovingly shepherding juice through fermentation, aging, and bottling. That is true for some wine, but by no means all.

Tasting notes

• Joseph Carr Josh Cellars Chardonnay 2020 is a showy, crowd-pleasing commercial wine you easily can find thanks to abundant production and distribution. $11-15 Link to my review

• Cantine Ermes Epicentro Nero d’Avola Riserva, Sicilia DOC 2016 is dense, fruity to jammy expression of Sicily’s signature red grape. Made by a cooperative with 2,373 members. $15-20 Link to my review

Last round: This summer is so hot, the local barbecue joint no longer has to burn wood to slow cook its brisket. Wine time.

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. To give it a try  Click here

Upgrade to a paid subscription ($5/month) to access complete archives and bonus material. Opt out any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column

Rise of rosé 8-2-2023

As this gruesome summer of heat domes burns on, incidents of rosé slurping likely have increased in your wine world. Rosé has long been considered a quintessential bellwether of hot weather, so global warming is a boost to the rise of rosé.

Rosé relishing was ascendant even before this sad summer of sizzle. While rosé is wonderful well chilled as thermometers are challenged, rosé also deserves respect as a pleasurable pour any time of the year.

Rosé Wines World Tracking tracks rosé trends since 2002. During that time, rosé wine production exploded. Between 2011 and 2020, production surged by 132 million gallons to some 528 million gallons total—3.6 billion standard bottles. One in ten bottles of wine produced in the world now is rosé. Almost one in three bottles of wine consumed in France now is rosé.

Image by Samantha

The rampant rosé surge is led by dry iterations. Consumption of sweet rosé—blush wines, white zinfandel—has declined. So the rosé rise is fueled by serious wines. Those are wines with great food pairing versatility that also can be enjoyed sipped on their own or as an aperitif. They can please white wine lovers and red wine lovers alike.

Certainly wineries embrace this trend. Rosé is relatively quick and easy to make—no time spent in expensive barrels, out the winery door and onto seller shelves in months instead of years. Rosé often goes into lighter bottles with twist-caps, which saves money and is more environmentally friendly. No business—and wineries are businesses—frowns upon lower production costs and faster returns on investment.

Consumers enjoy that even higher end rosé is comfortably priced.

Rosé wine is not the “next big thing.” It is today’s big thing. Pink’s time has come.

Tasting notes

• Game Box Wine Wondercade Edition Rosé Wine 2022 is delightfully refreshing, delivers tasty red fruits in an entertaining box. $22 for three-liter box ($5.50 a bottle) Link to my review

• Masciarelli Colline Teatine Rosato IGT 2022 is very easy going, delicate, let’s not get too serious, warm weather sipper. $11-14 Link to my review

• Calcu Gran Reserva Rosé Malbec 2022 is clean, refreshing, with delicious red fruits, particularly strawberry. Nice blend of mostly malbec abetted by petit verdot. $14-18 Link to my review

• Valdo Floral Rosé Brut NV is a special edition wine celebrating flowers and nature. Unites red grapes from Sicily—nerello mascalese—with classic glera grapes of prosecco in Veneto. $18-20 Link to my review

Last round: Why do mermaids wear sea shells? B shells are to small and D shells are to big. Wine time.

This is the weekly newspaper column

Old vines celebrated 7-26-2023

“Old vines”—marketing hype or a real and important thing? For the creators of the Old Vine Registry (OVR), old vines are a real and important element of the wine world.

Start with definition. OVR defines old vines as vines/vineyards at least 35 years old. For many, 35 doesn’t even seem old, but there is logic behind the designation.

Old vine zinfandel (Photo by Randy Caparoso)

Wine vines evolve. Vines typically do not produce useable fruit until their third birthday. Then they enter a period of about 30 years where fruit improves and production is generous. For a grower fixated on yield-per-acre, this is the sweet spot. Once production declines, time to rip out old and plant new.

That approach overlooks advantages older vines bring to the sorting table. Older vines may deliver less fruit, but fruit with more intensity and character. Quality rather than quantity. Old vines have much deeper root systems—some up to 30 feet, although 15 feet is more common. Young vines likely have roots less than three feet deep. Deep rooted vines cope better with drought, heatwaves, certain diseases. The growing challenge in vineyards today—drought, heatwaves, certain diseases.

In the U.S., you most likely encounter old vines with California zinfandels. Wineries survived Prohibition by making sacramental wines and various clever, and legal, home-made wine packages using zinfandel.

The OVR currently lists 229 U.S. vineyards containing old vine zinfandels. Eschen Rinaldi was planted in 1865, Original Grandpere in 1869. The OVR website provides links to find wines and vineyards. Eschen Rinaldi grapes, for instance, make their way into Turley Wine Cellars Zinfandel.

There are vineyards and vines 600 years old in Germany, 400 years old in Georgia and Slovenia, and 350 years old in Italy. In the Americas, Chile has several vineyards more than 200 years old.

The OVR website began in 2010 as a spreadsheet on JancisRobinson.com, but now is a growing, stand alone, crowd-sourced, non-profit enterprise. Longtime wine writer and digital expert Alder Yarrow took up the challenge in 2022. He notes: “It’s important to stress that this site that we’re launching is what we call an MVP—Minimum Viable Product. It’s our first shot at it and we think it works rather well but there's plenty more that we know we’d like to add and change…”

Old vines consistently produce some of the highest quality wines. OVR is worth a visit.

Old Vine Registry website

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. To give it a try  Click here

Gus Clemens on Wine is reader-supported. If you enjoy, please upgrade to a paid subscription ($5/month) to access complete archives and bonus material. Opt out any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

America’s first AVA 7-19-2023

American Viticultural Areas attempt to tie wines to places. Ideally, vineyards in a specific AVA share similarities in soil, climate, geology, and elevation. Those various things, along with human interaction, comprise what winemakers call “terroir.”

By definition, an AVA is a wine grape-growing region that provides an official appellation designation for the mutual benefit of wineries and consumers. Winemakers want consumers to know about their unique geographic pedigree in the belief wines from a specific area possess distinctive characteristics. Consumers seek wines from a particular AVA for the same reason.

If a wine label claims the contents come from an AVA, at least 85% of the grapes used to make the wine must have been grown in the AVA. In addition, the wine must be fully finished in the state where the AVA is located.

Stone Hill Winery, Missouri  by Picasa 2.0

Boundaries of AVAs and rules governing them are set by the Tax and Trade Bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury. Prior to 2003, the rules were set by the Treasury’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Prior to 1980, before the AVA system, appellations were designated by state or county boundaries. All those appellations were grandfathered, which is why you see some wines labeled “New York State” or “Sonoma County.”

The first designated AVA may surprise you: Augusta, Missouri. Wine vines were first planted in Missouri in the 1830s by German immigrants near the town of Hermann on the banks of the Missouri River, 50 miles west of St. Louis. Rocky soils were unsuitable for many crops, but such soils work fine for wine vines. By the 1850s, the area had more than 60 wineries and produced more than 10,000 gallons of wine a year. The area was known as the “New Rhineland.”

Sadly, the insanity of Prohibition virtually destroyed Missouri wine grape growing. The government tried to make up for its blunders when the AVA system was created. Citing significant cultural history and distinct terroir—ancient glacial soils—the Augusta AVA beat out Napa for the title of America’s first AVA.

Tasting notes:

• Scout & Cellar Scout Wild Sauvignon Blanc: Fits classic sauvignon blanc “salad in a glass” profile. Solid easy drinker, fresh, smooth, tasty. $18-19 Link to my review

• Stoller Family Estate Chardonnay, Dundee Hills 2021: Vibrant with crisp acidity, vivid fruit and aromas. Fermentation and aging primarily in stainless steel preserves aroma, acidity, and pure chardonnay citrusy flavors. $18-25 Link to my review

Last round: Policeman: “Do you know why I pulled you over?” Me: “Look, if you have already forgotten, I am not about to remind you, officer.” Wine time.

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. To give it a try  Click here

Gus Clemens on Wine is reader-supported. If you enjoy, please upgrade to a paid subscription ($5/month) to access complete archives and bonus material. Opt out any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Beat the heat with wine 7-12-2023

If you live in the southern part of the USA, summer 2023 has been a horror. Record-breaking high temperatures, the sort of records no sane person wants to brag about.

There is a wine solution, especially if you want to have an outdoor family event around pool, patio, porch, picnic, dock, backyard. Or inside with the AC cranked up, for that matter.

TorQue Astur photo

Sangria punch. Chilled, low-alcohol sangria is wonderful hot summer wine play.

You can make sangria with almost any wine. Cheaper works since the wine is just part of an ensemble cast, but avoid total plonk. Spend low two digits. Avoid wines labeled “sangria.” This is usually inferior wine with artificial flavorings. You are much better served using real ingredients. Recipe below is a suggestion. Making it your own is encouraged.

Multiply ingredients to suite your party’s size. Figure four people per 750 ml bottle of wine. Estimate on high side; even non-wine drinkers will enjoy this, and it is inexpensive enough you will not lament if you throw some away. It also can be put in the refrigerator and enjoyed the next day.

• 750 ml of wine (or more, depending on the throng—same with all the ingredients that follow)

• 1 lemon, 1 orange, 1 lime, 1 red apple. Cut into thin wedges. Do not peel or squeeze to make juice

• 2 tbsp sugar

• 1 cup pulpy orange juice

• 1 cup lemonade

• 1 can (20 oz) of diced pineapple (include the juice)

• 3 shots triple sec or Grand Marnier

• 1 cup raspberries or strawberries (fresh, thawed, or frozen)

• 4 cups chilled ginger ale

Pour some ingredients into pitcher: Wine, lemon, orange, lime, apple slices, pineapple, sugar, orange juice, lemonade, triple sec/Grand Marnier. Chill overnight in your fridge—this is important, best sangrias marinate at least 12 hours.

Add ginger ale, whole berries before serving. Serve with ladle so people can get some fruit to eat. Serve straight or over ice.

If you are adverse to the work and prep of a quality sangria punch, you can always go with wine out of the bottle. Put the bottle in you refrigerator, that will lower the temperature to the low 40s, usually too cool for best appreciation, but in summer toss out some rules.

White wines are the best suited for this, but light reds can work. To balance everything out, drink a glass of chilled water with each glass of wine.

Last round: You know it is a hot summer when your electric bill is more than your house payment. Wine time.

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. To give it a try  Click here

Gus Clemens on Wine is reader-supported. If you enjoy, please upgrade to a paid subscription ($5/month) to access complete archives and bonus material. Opt out any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

John Steinbeck, riffing from Shakespeare’s Richard III, wrote: “Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun…”

With respect to both august authors, now is the “summer of our excruciation” when—at least in my Texas—triple-digit, record-high temperatures produced by the “glorious summer by this sun” heat dome are making William Carrier, the inventor of modern air conditioning, a saint to be venerated regardless of your religious inclinations.

Does wine have a place in this? Of course it does.

Think pink. Think light. Think dry. Think chilled. Think ice cubes. Think cans. Think bag-in-a-box. In fact, think out of the box of your usual wine routine.

Rosé has long been a summer cliché. While rosé is wonderful any time of the year, if there ever was a summer to buy into the rosé cliché, this is it. Well chilled—if you are sipping outdoors, even put an ice cube in your glass or plastic cup—rosé is perfect way to beat heat. Rosés typically have lower alcohol—even more so with that ice cube diluting and chilling—so you don’t have the burn of higher alcohol big reds, but you still have some of the character of red wine.

Chilling tip: if you recoil from ice cubes, use frozen grapes.

Go dry rosé. Sweeter rosés—sometimes called “blush”—are too sweet for the heat. Also, when sipping in the sun, make sure some sipping is water. Alcohol dehydrates—a reason to shun high alcohol—so match wine glasses with water glasses.

If you must go red, go with lighter reds. Lambrusco is the lightest red wine commonly available, and has the bonus of being slightly bubbly. Gamay, often better known as gamay beaujolais, works chilled in summer and is even better in summer than it is as a gotta-have-a-gimmick wine at Thanksgiving.

Pinot noir, especially etherial iterations, is lighter alcohol and higher acidity, all nice when chilled for summer elegance. Cinsault—pronounced “san-soh”—typically has aromas some describe as “hotdog” and certainly it has savory elements, so you can see where this is going on your summer outdoor meal deal.

Light, bright, high acidity, lower alcohol white wines are no-brainers. You can easily get them in cans—great for chilling in an ice chest—and cans certainly are safe where broken glass will be a summer bummer.

Finally, a suggestion not often made in serious wine writing—give Gallo’s Barefoot Wine a try. Really.

Last round: This summer has been so hot cows are producing evaporated milk. Another reason to sip chilled wine.

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. To give it a try  Click here

Gus Clemens on Wine is reader-supported. If you enjoy, please upgrade to a paid subscription ($5/month) to access complete archives and bonus material. Opt out any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Wine descriptions often refer to “texture.” What the heck does that mean? There is a texture difference between silk and sandpaper. There is a texture difference between a crisp apple and creamy mashed potatoes. Wine is a liquid. Liquid is liquid texture, right?

Well, no. Not with wine. Red wines have texture, usually tied to tannins. Pinot noir texture often is “silky.” Sangiovese often is “grippy.” Zinfandel often is “oily.”

PHOTO CREDIT: KAILUCE96

White wines seldom have significant tannins, so other qualities influence texture. With whites, weight on the palate, acidity, and mouthfeel matter. Descriptors often include creamy (malolactic fermentation), sharp (no malolactic), unctuous (depends on the grape).

Sauvignon blanc typically has a lower pH—greater acidity—so it feels prickly, punchy, zesty, light. Chardonnay typically has a higher pH—lesser acidity, especially after malolactic fermentation and time in oak—so it has a rounder, thicker, more subtle texture.

Wines with higher alcohol have a heavier, more viscous, fuller texture whether they are red or white. Often wines, especially whites with floral notes and low alcohol, have less texture, or their texture is airy, nuanced. Red wines with assertive tannins, odors, and alcohol have more brutal, earthy, pay-attention-to-me texture.

Winemaking influences texture. Aging on the lees—dead yeast cells created during fermentation—imparts creamy texture. Stirring the lees—bâtonnage—creates a richer texture. Malolactic fermentation—withheld, partial, or complete—creates texture. The more malo, the creamier the texture. Less malo, less creaminess.

Barrel choice influences texture. The type of oak, the age of the barrels matter. New oak imparts more oak flavors. Previously-used barrels impart less oak. Newer oak imparts an oily texture that glides across the palate, especially when combined with malolactic fermentation. Meanwhile, no-oak and no or limited malo results in sharp texture. In the case of no-oak New Zealand sauvignon blanc, texture can be described as a razor blade on the tongue. Trust me, that is considered a good thing, especially paired with food.

Such is the texture of wine.

Tasting notes

• Clean Slate Riesling, Mosel, Germany 2020: Classic Mosel riesling at astonishing price. Off-dry with citrus notes, very good balancing acidity. Fruit-forward, smooth, crisp, fun, tasty easy drinker. $11-13 Link to my review

• Acrobat Rosé Wine, Oregon 2021: Crisp, clean, nice strawberry fruity pure Oregon pinot noir play. Balanced, tart, fruity-sweet (not sugar sweet). $14-15 Link to my review

• Chalk Hill Estate Red, Chalk Hill Appellation 2018: Built to be widely accepted premium California cab-led blend. Fully succeeds. Rich, tasty red fruits. $53-57 Link to my review

Last round: What do you get when dinosaurs collide? Tyrannosaurus wrecks. Wine time.

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. To give it a try  Click here

Gus Clemens on Wine is reader-supported. If you enjoy, please upgrade to a paid subscription ($5/month) to access complete archives and bonus material. Opt out any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Back to basics 6-21-2023

Arcane knowledge is the bane of wine writers. While we fulminate over nuance differences between bâtonnage and pump-over, readers roll their eyes over esoteric words with obscure, oddly accented letters.

Reboot. Back to basics: Wine 101.

• Wine is an alcoholic beverage. While wine can be made from any fruit, most wine is made from “wine grapes.” Wine grapes are different from table grapes. Wine grapes are sweeter, contain seeds, and have thicker skins than table gapes.

• There are thousands of wine grape varieties. Most trace lineage to the species vitis vinifera. Each vine type is a variety. When wine is made using a particular variety, it is called varietal wine.

Photo by Tobias Andersson Åkerblom

Many wines are blends of varieties, with each variety contributing characteristics. Cabernet sauvignon is softened and gains depth and complexity when blended with merlot, for instance. In many cases, varieties are fermented separately, then skilled palates determine what percentage of each achieves the optimal wine.

On the other hand, field blends are a mix of varieties that grow together and are vinified together. You get what you planted, not what wine geeks determine with beakers and daedal formulations.

• Grapevines are woody perennials that produce an annual crop. Various factors—climate, soil, human interaction—affect how a wine tastes. The wine term for this myriad of influences is “terroir”—which is French for land, but in the context of wine, means every influence involved.

• Vintage refers to harvest year. Non-vintage (NV) refers to wines that are a blend of several vintages. Champagne and many sparkling wines and sherries typically are NV. This allows winemakers to achieve consistency. In exceptional years, sparkling wine makers produce vintage efforts.

• There are four basic types of wine. Sparkling wine retains CO2, making it bubbly. Still wine does not retain CO2. Fortified wines include added distilled wine spirits; typically to increase alcohol content and stop fermentation to produce a sweeter wine. Aromatized wines include non-grape additives to influence smell; vermouth is the best known.

You don’t need to know bewildering words and obscure techniques to enjoy wine. Sip it. If it pleases you, it is good wine for you, no matter fulminations of wine wordsmiths.

Tasting notes

• Domaine Bousquet Sparkling Brut Charmat Organic Rosé, Tupungato, Mendoza NV: Lively, fruit-forward charmat process sparkling. Superb value, wide distribution. $13 Link to my review

• C. L. Butaud Pa Pa Frenchy Red Wine, Texas, 2021: Grenache-based Texas wine. Simple, easy drinker. $18-22

Last round: I heard that Argentina is starting to get a little colder. In fact, it’s bordering on Chile. Wine time.

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. To give it a try  Click here

Gus Clemens on Wine is reader-supported. If you enjoy, please upgrade to a paid subscription ($5/month) to access complete archives and bonus material. Opt out any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Wedding Champagne 6-14-2023

Last week we argued Champagne was a poor choice for a wedding reception. Too many people, too high prices, too much cacophony to appreciate expensive French bubbles.

Champagne has a place. Consider it for an intimate honeymoon meal. Consider it for an anniversary tête-à-tête. Consider it when you want to treat yourselves to a special episode just because you can.

While Champagne makers insist their product is more than just a special-time tipple, for most of us opening a wine that costs triple digits automatically makes it a special event. So what is Champagne? There are specific rules and production methods that make it what it is and why it costs what it does.

Start with location. Champagne is exclusive to the chalk-and-clay soils of France’s Champagne region centered around the city of Reims, about 90 miles east, slightly north of Paris. Legislation defined the production zone in 1927. It encompasses about 132 square miles, 319 villages. Nearly 280,000 plots are tended by more than 16,000 growers. Most plots are about the size of a tennis court.

Myriad plots create a mosaic of individual terroirs, giving Champagne makers a rich, diverse palate of grapes. Champagne can only be made using three grapes: chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier, although very limited quantities of other varieties are allowed in rare instances.

Makers must employ méthode traditionnelle where the second fermentation—the fermentation that produces CO2 bubbles—is in the bottle that you eventually buy. Non-vintage bottles must age a minimum of 15 months in the bottle; many Champagne houses age longer. Vintage-dated bottles must age a minimum of three years; many houses age longer.

Champagne is the most expensive sparkling wine. Elaborate and lengthy production protocols contribute to Champagne’s pricing. Vintage-dated bottles start at $60-80. Prestige bottles have sold for as much as $2 million. Ultra high-end examples sell for $275,000. A bottle of Perrier-Jouët, 1874 vintage, sold for $57,000, the record amount at Christie’s. You can buy a bottle of Dom Perignon Brut Rosé 2005 online for $2,500-$3,500. Everyday bottles sell for $125-$300-plus.

Champagne costs as much as it does because it is excellent wine, time-consuming to make, rare in the highest quality tiers, and—most importantly—because Champagne drinkers are willing to pay. All of which is why I recommended you pour less-expensive sparkling at your raucous post-matrimonial-vows shindig. Save Champagne for the times and places you can really appreciate it.

Last round: Marriage is a union between a person who never remembers anniversaries and another person who never forgets them. Wine time.

Since you subscribe to my newsletter, it follows you enjoy wine and humor and are an adventurous, inquisitive person. Each morning, The Sample sends you one article from a random blog or newsletter that matches your interests. When you find one you like, you can subscribe to the writer with one click. To give it a try  Click here

This is a reader-supported publication. Upgrade to a paid subscription ($5/month) for access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly column

People ask what was the most expensive wine I ever received for review. I think their question reflects curiosity about what wine I get to review and how does expensive wine taste.

From the beginning, my work was directed at wine that people could purchase in a local store, or at least online. So reviewing 30-year-old wines costing four figures was out of the question, even if I obtained such wine through some vinological miracle.

The CliffsNotes answer to “what’s the most expensive” question is around $250. Such offerings are not common, but not rare. Some come with strings attached—in exchange for receiving the wine, they ask me to interview the winemaker—or chef de cave, the cellar master in charge of making Champagne. My answer: “Sure, Brer Fox don’t throw me into that briar patch.” The marketeer sending the wine also knows if I spend the effors to interview the winemaker, there is excellent chance there will be a review. And a very good chance the wine will be worthy of a review.

The expensive wines generally are Champagnes and Napa cabernet sauvignons. In most cases, these are legitimately priced offerings. Some, however, are nice enough wines with a flashy price slapped on to create the illusion of superior quality. Buyer beware. Over-inflated prices can be found on some subscription wine club offerings—it gives the illusion of a bargain. I seldom receive or review such wines. High prices can suggest high quality, but does not guarantee it.

The next level down of ultra premium wines fall into the “around $100” range. These are much more commonly offered for me to review. They often are excellent wines, as I strive to convey in my reviews. But, are they really worth the premium price? There rests a classic dilemma.

Do you buy a $105 bottle of unarguably very good wine, or do you buy four bottles of almost as good—or as good—wine. Or five or six bottles of pretty good wine? If you are a casual drinker or really can’t tell the difference, the more affordable is the obvious answer.

Today, almost any wine you buy for $15 or more is a good wine. Buy it, drink it that evening, don’t sweat the credit card bill or the negative blather of some condescending critic. If you get deeper into wine, the higher shelf offerings will be there waiting for you. Or you can happily stick with old friends. The wine you enjoy is the right wine for you.

Last round

Why are married women often heavier than single women?

Because single women come home, see what is in the fridge, then go to bed.

Married women come home, see what is in the bed, then go to the fridge.

Wine time.

Gus Clemens on Wine is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. No matter how you subscribe, I appreciate you reading.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website: Gus Clemens on Wine website

Facebook: facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter (X): @gusclemens

Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/gusclemensonwine.bsky.social .

Long form wine stories on Vocal: Gus Clemens on Vocal

Apple podcasts https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=apple+podcasts+gus+clemens+apple+p…&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8.

Linkedin: Gus Clemens on Wine

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Dave McIntyre’s WineLine Longtime Washington Post wine columnist now on Substack. Entertaining, informative.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Wedding bubbly 6-5-2023

June—the wedding month. Time for celebration and Champagne. Well, yes and no.

Celebration, surely. Champagne at the wedding? Let’s think about that.

Many weddings, at least the reception part, are boisterous, topsy-turvy events. A wonderful whirl of activities by an eclectic gathering of people who likely fill out the entire bell curve of wine drinkers.

Photo by Roman Boed

True champagne starts out at $40 a bottle and quickly bubbles up from there. There are more cost-efficient sparkling lubricants to encourage bonhomie and create a festive nimbus around the newlyweds.

Consider two sparkling wines made the same way as Champagne—where the second fermentation occurs in the bottle you pour. The fancy name is méthode traditionnelle.

When such sparkling is made in France, but not in the Champagne region, it typically is labeled crémant or with a specific appellation designation. These can be found in the $25-50 range.

When the sparkling is made in Spain, it is called cava, and major values abound. Bottle prices can be as low as $15 and many of your guests likely could not tell the difference between cava and a Champagne costing tens times as much. In fact, since both crémant and cava can be lighter and crisper with more approachable fruit flavors, many may prefer those pours over wallet-wacker wines.

If you want to stay within the borders of both the USA and your budget, there are affordable bubbles made in Washington, California, Oregon, and New York. Korbel, for instance, makes a lovely California brut rosé for $15. And never forget the amazing, affordable sparkling Gruet makes in New Mexico—an astonishing treasure wine writers have touted so often as a hidden gem it no longer is a hidden gem. Gruet definitely remains a gem, however, at less than $20.

Finally, there is the sparkling darling with soaring popularity—Italy’s prosecco. The wine is made using the cost-efficient tank method, creating a creamy pour in the $10-15 range. Father’s of brides can easily find succor in this choice, and a host of guests will celebrate the host’s bubbly call.

Champagne has its nuptial niche. We explore that next week.

Tasting notes.

• Mack & Schühle Art of Earth Prosecco Frizzante DOC: Simple, pleasant, fresh, good acidity. Great example of tastiness and affordable quality. $12-16 Link to my review

• Josh Prosecco Rosé DOC: Charming crowd pleaser. Light, balanced, versatile. Excellent sipped by itself. $15 Link to my review

• Scharffenberger Brut Rosé Excellence Sparkling Wine Mendocino County NV: Plush, creamy, vibrant acidity. $24-28 Link to my review

Last round: The wedding was so emotional, even the cake was in tiers. Wine time.

This is a reader-supported publication. Upgrade to a paid subscription ($5/month) for access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Wine supply and demand 5-31-2023

The U.S. wine industry has been on an historic 50-year run. Demand from Baby Boomers drove the effort. Now the wine industry is fearful the run is done and tough choices loom.

In the 1970s there were about 1,000 wineries in the United States. Today, there are more than 11,500.

Napa has gone from 25 wineries in 1975 to more than 400 today. Wineries and grape growers planted more and more acres to meet demand. Now demand has leveled off.

Winemakers still make money. Premiumization allows makers to sell the same number of bottles—or fewer—while maintaining income because increases in price make up for sales stagnation or decline. Also, the increase in direct-to-consumer purchases mean the winery gets to keep more of the sale.

The growth model of the past half century, however, is not sustainable. Jeff Bitter, president of Allied Grape Growers, said several years ago for the grape business to be healthy, 30,000 acres of vines needed to be pulled. This year he told the Western Farm Press: “We didn’t pull out the acreage that I believed we needed to in order to be in balance. But three short crops in a row have masked the reality that those acres are still there. When you’re producing at 10% below average crop, it’s like some of that acreage has been removed. And although the acreage base has been reduced somewhat from where we were three years ago, we shouldn’t be fooled by those short crops because the acres are still in the ground.”

Bitters is a fourth-generation California grower who oversees a nearly 600-member statewide grape growers cooperative that sends $100 million worth of grapes annually to wineries, shippers, packers, and dehydrators. He maintains there are several things to be concerned about, but waning consumer demand is the major reason for anxiety.

The problem is younger consumers are a smaller cohort, have more choices in alcohol beverages, and may rebel against their parents’ preferences. In addition, Boomer numbers shrink every day. Some die, some reduce wine consumption, some turn to other beverages.

Production follows demand. With demand down or flat, the astonishing growth of vineyards and wineries cannot be sustained.

Bottom line: There will be plenty of good wine for you, but you may want to re-think your dream of spending retirement money on starting a wine operation.

Last round: Excessive use of commas is considered a serious crime, made worse with semicolons. They almost always result in a long sentence. Wine time.

This is a reader-supported publication. Upgrade to a paid subscription ($5/month) for access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Wine bottle shapes 5-24-2023

Wine bottles come in various shapes, sizes, weights, and colors of glass. A quick tour.

Bottle shapes:

• Tall, slender. Wines from Germany’s Mosel and France’s Alsace. Green, brown, and blue glass historically marked regional differences.

• Tall, curvy, often distinctive. Once exclusive for rosés from the Côtes de Provence. Now can be a distinctive bottle for rosé anywhere.

• Burgundy. Curved sides, gradually sloped necks, wide main body. Usually associated with pinot noir and chardonnay, now is used for other reds and oaked whites.

• Bordeaux. Sharply sloping shoulders; main body is not as fat as Burgundy bottle. Associated with cabernet sauvignon, merlot, other Bordeaux varieties and blends. Some think the shape is meant to handle sediment when decanting.

• Sparkling. Intended for Champaign, cava, other sparkling wines. Glass is noticeably thicker, punt deeper. Constructed to protect the wine during production moments like disgorgement and riddling. A “mushroom” cork and a twisted wire closure keep the bubbly’s pressure intact, as does the heavier glass. The pressure inside is 60-90 psi; pressure in the tire of a family car is 32-35 psi.

• Fiasco. Short, rounded wide base, covered with a straw basket. Once the go-to bottle for Chianti.

• Unique bottles. Any shape the winery can dream up and bottle maker produce, from stubby to square to you-name-it. No specific wine. Designed to stand out on a wine shop shelf.

Bottle volumes:

• Piccolo. Holds 187 milliliters (ml), a little more then one standard serving.

• Demi. Half-bottle, holds 375 ml.

• Standard. Holds 750 ml; five standard pours.

• Magnum. Twice as large as standard bottle; holds 1.5 liters. Keeps sparkling wine fresh longer; slower aging for still wines because there is less oxidation.

• Jeroboam. Twice as large as a magnum; holds 3 liters—five times as much as a standard bottle. Ideal for a party for wine drinkers.

Tasting notes:

• Chateau Domecq White Wine, Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico 2021: If you have not experienced a wine from Mexico, this is excellent place to start. Mostly chardonnay with dash of viognier. $14-16 Link to my review

• Duchman Family Winery Roussanne, Oswald Vineyard 2020: Rich, complex with distinct fruitiness enveloped by creamy mouthfeel and crisp acidity. Made in Texas using Texas grapes. $26 Link to my review

• Wrath Wines Boekenoogen Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands 2018: Enchanting interplay of black and red fruits. Significant whole cluster fermentation for sophistication and subtlety. $49-58 Link to my review

Last round: With the rise of self-driving vehicles, it is only a matter of time until there is a country song about a guy’s truck leaving him for another owner. Wine time.

This is a reader-supported publication. Upgrade to a paid subscription ($5/month) for access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Same-tasting wines 5-17-2023

We are privileged to live in a wine time that surpasses all of history for quality, consistency, and availability. Wines that would have evoked drooling admiration a half century ago now are available in quantity for $20 or less at your neighborhood supermarket.

If you are looking for something to criticize about that, wine critics unearthed a criticism: Too much wine tastes the same. Good, but the same. Potentially boring, especially if you are a prolific wine drinker (as wine critics tend to be).

It has been a trend for a while. Red blends and lower-price pinot noir are tailored to a pre-determined, focus-group tested taste profile that can be scaled to up to a million bottles a year. The product fills the niche that was filled by “table wine” produced in California’s Central Valley or France’s Languedoc-Roussillon in the past. Those regions, dismissed as producing a sea of plonk by wine critics in the past, now achieve quality. Who knew or anticipated?

Grape growers upped their game. Wine makers gamed production techniques. Mother Nature delivered global warming so grapes could get riper and once-cooler regions that struggled could join the wine parade. Today, the Central Valley and Languedoc-Roussillon—and more—contribute tanker-truck loads of juice to make wines we would have applauded back in the day.

Critics must find something to criticize, so we make snarky comments about how this is a smooth, very drinkable wine, but tastes the same as a dozen others. That can be a valid kvetch from someone paid to taste multiple wines a day and then write something snappy about each one, but it is not the world where most wine drinkers dwell.

You may enjoy wine at a special meal, or many times a week, or on occasion with your mah-jongg or book club. When you do, you want something affordable, available, predictable, palate pleasing. A whole lot of winemakers are scrambling to please you.

As you become more sophisticated about wine, you may find smaller production, single vineyard, more expensive, harder to obtain wines can offer exceptional depth and complexity. Delight in your good fortune.

On the other hand, if you love that million-bottle simulacrum of pinot noir or red blend, enjoy away without guilt or hesitation. Wine is joy and pleasure, not a contest. Whatever you enjoy is good wine for you.

Last round: Simply going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car mechanic. Just saying. Wine time.

Gus Clemens on Wine is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Wente Clone made California chardonnay 5-10-2023

If you enjoy California chardonnay, you likely have Charles Wente and his children to thank for it.

Wente came to America in the 19th century. Upon arrival, he learned how to make wine from famed vintner Charles Krug. In 1883, he established a 47-acre estate and winery in the Livermore Valley, 45 miles east of San Francisco.

In 1908, Wente planted the first chardonnay vines in the valley. In 1912, Charles’s son, Ernest, a UC–Davis student, convinced his father to import chardonnay cuttings from a well-known vine nursery in France. Ernest picked vines that showed the best health and the best flavors, grafted them together, then continued to propagate and improve them.

Very early Wente photo

Ernest propagated vines differently than others. While many selected for yields—the higher the better—Ernest focused on vines with very concentrated flavor and abundantly fruity berries. Flavor took precedence over yield.

Historical Wente photo

The decision paid off. Ultimately, Wente developed the “Wente Clone” variety of chardonnay vines. Chardonnay makes up more than half of white wine acres in California, and more than 75% of all California chardonnay comes from the Wente Clone.

Today, Wente Vineyards, is the oldest continuously-operated, family-owned winery in the country. Wente enjoys the honor of being continuously-operated because they produced sacramental wines during Prohibition. After repeal of the Volstead Act, Ernest and his brother, Herman, released the nation’s first varietally-labeled chardonnay in 1936.

Others have built on the Wente foundation, but all acknowledge the Wente Clone is the basis of California-style chardonnay. Bold. Full-flavored. Fruit-driven. The concentrated juice also is well-suited for the use of new oak, a technique often used. California chards now come oaked and unoaked, and with and without malolactic fermentation. Doesn’t matter. Almost all the chardonnay grapes used to make the wine trace their lineage back to Charles Wente and his son Ernest.

Tasting notes

• Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Chardonnay, Arroyo Seco, Monterey 2021: Smooth, rich. Excellent ripe, delicious fruit. $17-21 Link to my review

• Stags’ Leap Winery Chardonnay Napa Valley 2020: Impressive complexity, depth in oak-and-butter genre of Cali chards. Done with elegance and style. Very smooth, rich, fresh, clean. $20-28 Link to my review

• Textbook Chardonnay Napa Valley The Pey Family 2021: Pey family set out to make Napa wines that were “textbook Napa wines;” And this fits that definition. $22-27 Link to my review

• Gary Farrell Russian River Selection Chardonnay 2018: Fresh, tasty, silky-creamy, smooth, graceful. Nice equilibrium of superb fruit, acidity, oak nuances. Made with Wente Clone. $30-35 Link to my review

Last round: What do you call a duck that breaks into people’s houses? A robber ducky. Quak—wine time.

This is a reader-supported publication. Upgrade to a paid subscription ($5/month) for access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Mother’s Day 5-3-2023

May is the Mother’s Day month in the United States.

The argument easily can be made that every day should be Mother’s Day. Mothers are, after all, absolutely essential to the survival of our species. But we especially celebrate moms and grandmoms and mother figures Sunday, May 14. To give you plenty of time to prepare, suggestions on Mother’s Day wine.

Women drink wine. Surveys indicate women consume around 60 percent of the wine in the U.S. and easily drink more wine than they drink beer or spirits. You know your mother best, but the odds are good she will appreciate wine on her special day.

Women are better wine tasters according to numerous studies. Women in childbearing years are significantly more sensitive to odors than pre-pubescent girls and post-menopausal women. Women of childbearing age can identify smells at concentrations up to 11 orders of magnitude better than men. No matter their age, women smell and sip better on average than men.

Studies also show men and women experience wine differently. Much of that is tied to a woman’s more nuanced ability to smell, plus more flavor receptors on their tongues. Women tend to note greater distinctions between wines and pick up a wider array of flavors. Women have an easier time picking up bitter notes than men, which may explain why women tilt—slightly—to enjoying sweeter wines. On the flip side, while men may miss subtle notes, they are more likely to have a positive experience with any wine they taste.

Women’s wine tasting ability improves more with practice and study than the same regimen with men. More men than women are sommeliers and wine professionals, but that speaks to old prejudices and boys club proclivities rather than the skills of women.

Fortunately, the wine world is changing. It is no longer shocking for a woman to be the head winemaker, manager, or winery owner. That is an additional something to celebrate on May 14.

Tasting notes

• Vilarnau Rosé Delicat Brut Reserva NV: Elegant, balanced, red-fruit-driven delight, especially at this price point. Fresh, crisp, fun, fruity, bracing acidity. $12-15 Link to my review

• Don Olegario Albarino, Rias Baixas 2019: Impressive complexity. Classic expression of a grape consistently earning respect. $19-22 Link to my review

• Stoller Family Estate Pinot Noir Rosé, Willamette Valley 2022: Generous, delicate fruit with a charming balance of texture, acidity, and light body. $24-28

Last round: My grandmother is more than 80 years old and still doesn’t need glasses. She drinks her wine right out of the bottle.

This is a reader-supported publication. Upgrade to a paid subscription ($5/month) for access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Wine myths 4-26-2023

Wine can be complicated—hardly a dumbfounding revelation. It does explain why there are some false rules about wine. Let’s bust some myths.

• Champagne is only for weddings, New Year’s, and special occasions.

While Champagne may be above your pay grade as an everyday drinker, Champagne—and sparkling wine in general—is one of the most versatile wines. It goes with almost every food. It is appropriate before, during, and after a meal. It almost always elevates the tenor of a gathering.

And—against conventional wisdom—it can be argued it should not be the choice for weddings and New Year’s because those typically are boisterous affairs where the focus is on partying, not deep appreciation of a beverage. Spanish cava or Italian prosecco is more affordable and still delivers inhibition-lifting fun.

Save expensive Champagne for intimate special occasions. Your wedding anniversary, landing that new job, or an intimate evening with someone you love.

• Holding a wine glass by the bowl heats the wine.

Well, yes, but not enough to significantly influence enjoyment depending on how long you hold the glass. When you hold a glass for a significant period of time, the warmth of your hand and the ambient temperature will warm the wine. It is unlikely to ruin the wine. Holding by the bowl does leave oil from your skin on the glass, which negatively impacts visual appreciation.

Holding the glass by the stem or foot is a more refined method of securing your goblet, but it is not unforgivably gauche to hold by the bowl. Do whatever you want. Wine exists to be enjoyed. You are not striving to earn a gold star from Miss Manners. You are striving to enjoy wine time with friends.

• The more expensive, the better the wine.

Sure, the higher the cost the more likely the wine quality. But certainly not always, and the average person may not discern the difference between a good wine and a very good wine. Do the math. Would you rather have a very good wine that costs $120 or four bottles of good wine that cost $30 a bottle. In broad terms, $15-25 can get you a delicious wine and $25-35 may get you a wine a click better.

In any event, it is gauche to brag about the cost of the bottle you are pouring.

Last round: The police told me they would arrest me if I kept telling bad jokes. I stopped because I was scared I would end up in the punitentiary. Wine time.

This is a reader-supported publication. An upgrade to paid subscription ($5/month) gives you access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

I inadvertently failed to attach the podcast on the original posting.

This includes the podcast.

Mass production vs great wine 4-19-2023

The wine world divides into two camps: factory wines and distinct wines. That artificial division is black and white while the wine world is grey; it is simplistic and annoys those who recognize nuance. But the paradigm works in broad stroke terms. Let’s explore.

People drink wine for a cacophony of reasons. Weekend pleasure. Midweek indulgence. Social lubricant at a function. Means to clutch the next rung on a social ladder.

When we buy wine, we confront an existential fork in the wine road. Factory wine—made in the millions to sate a specific, focus-group-determined wine profile. Find it in your grocery store. Not spectacular, but usually dead-center-perfect for what you expect.

Or you can secure a distinct, non-factory wine seldom carried in grocery stores. When you find it, pull the cork to see what you got.

Factory wine is security. Predictable. Readily available. Reasonably priced, sort of.

Non-factory wine is none of those things—although reasonable pricing can sneak in, especially with Southern Hemisphere wines. Non-factory wines often are the product of relatively small acreage and the toil of a family, often for generations, especially in the Old World.

Factory wines promise you predictable, market-tested flavors. Non-factory wines offer you adventure and the chance to soar above the clouds while the factory wines are flapping their wings to clear the tree tops.

This column is not some despairing ramble. There are mega-wineries that have divisions producing extraordinary, terroir-driven, vintage-correct wines. Bravo Gallo, Constellation, The Wine Group, Treasury Wine Estate, and Viña Concha y Toro. But each of them also produces a vast lake of factory wines. This is how they got to be among the world’s largest winemakers.

I enjoy factory wines. I review them favorably for what they are. “Delicious” and “easy drinking” are descriptors I often use.

And, then, there are the distinct wines. Often relatively small production by multi-generations of wine makers, but there are examples from divisions of mega-wineries, too. Distinct wines taste the place—terroir. They may have marginal imperfections—if art is perfect, it is bland. Pull cork and embrace surprise on the palate. Adventure is one big reason wine is wonderful.

Tasting notes:

• Symington Family Estates Quinta da Fonte Souto Portalegre Branco, Alentejo DOC 2020: rich with pleasing depth. Round, smooth, impressive length. $18-25 Link to my review

• Bonterra The McNab, McNab Ranch Vineyard, Mendocino County 2020: bold, smooth, approachable. Flagship of organic and biodynamic-focused Bonterra. $52-60 Link to my review

Last round: I told my doctor I hurt my hand opening French sparkling wine. He told me it was only sham pain.

This is a reader-supported publication. An upgrade to paid subscription ($5/month) gives you access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Wine and Mexican food 4-12-2023

Beer or margarita is the knee-jerk response to alcohol pairing with Mexican and Tex-Mex food. All well and good, but wine can be in the conversation, too.

OK, big tannic red wines don’t play well with Mexican fare, but there are a host of wines that snuggle nicely with corn, beans, chilies, spices, beef, and pork. Rule of thumb: lighter reds, Spanish and Portuguese wines, rosés, sparkling wines all offer delicious possibilities.

© Tomas Castelazo, www.tomascastelazo.com / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Here are some popular dishes and suggested wine pairings:

• Chicken or beef fajitas with tomato salsa. Tempranillo, zinfandel. Medium reds with plenty of fruitiness more than hold their own with savory chicken, beef, peppers, and onions. Avoid reds with big tannins because they do not mesh with spiciness.

• Tamales. Pinot noir, beaujolais, cabernet franc. Light-body reds will play well with the slow-cooked pork filling; earthiness complements the dense masa exterior.

• Chili con carne. Carménère, zinfandel, GSM blend. Bold flavors and green pepper notes of the wine complement the hearty stew. Carménère, especially from Chile, is an outstanding pairing.

• Chips with salsa. Sangiovese, Chianti, Nero d’Avola. Tomatoes are at the heart of both Italian and Mexican cuisine; these three Italian wines go well with tomato-based salsa.

• Quesadillas. Chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, riesling. A crisp wine with high acidity will cut through the heaviness of the melted cheese. The minerality in the wines works well with the onions and the tortilla.

Tasting notes

• Gillmore Mariposa Rosado de Pais 2021: Fresh, soft, faint red fruits; excellent acidity; very approachable. Superb value. $5-10 Link to my review

• Albert Bichot Horizon de Bichot Chardonnay 2020: Languedoc chard drinks like more expensive chards from tonier regions. $15-18 Link to my review

• Koyle Gran Reserva Carménère 2019: Silky in the mouth, delicious. Avoids green, herbaceous notes carménère sometimes brings. $15-18 Link to my review

• Gérard Bertrand An 825 Crémant de Limoux Brut Rosé 2020: Light, refreshing splendid example of affordable quality sparkling. $17-20 Link to my review

• Jean-Paul Brun Domaine des Terres Dorées Beaujolais “Le Rosé d’Folie” 2021: Delicate, delicious Beaujolais from a multi-honored maker. $19 Link to my review

• La Crema Monterey Pinot Noir 2020: Admirably consistent; classic winery delivers California pinot noir that punches above its weight. $19-23 Link to my review

• Concha y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Pinot Noir, Limari Valley, Chile 2019: Fresh, tasty; fruit leads the way. Excellent QPR. $22-25 Link to my review

• Beronia Gran Reserva Rioja 2013: Old-vine expression of mostly tempranillo. Evolves into easy drinking, rich red. $30-35 Link to my review

Last round: A Mexican magician tells the audience he will disappear on the count of three. He says, ‘Uno, dos…” and poof! He disappeared without a tres. Wine time.

This is a reader-supported publication. An upgrade to paid subscription ($5/month) gives you access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Wine grapes 11,000 years old 4-5-2023

It is long established that grapevines and wine date back thousands of years. Until recently, the accepted date was 8,000 years ago. New research has pushed that back to 11,000 years.

The previously accepted narrative is the first domesticated wine grapevines emerged in Georgia (the country located at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia). A large study involving 89 researchers and 23 different institutions recently published in the respected journal Science significantly alters the chronology.

Instead of Georgia 8,000 years ago, the study asserts there were two contemporaneous domestication events 11,000 years ago. One occurred in the Levant—modern day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan. The other occurred in the Caucasus, which includes Georgia.

Domesticated vines from the Levant made their way westward with human populations. The vitis vinifera varieties that are the foundation of most wine we drink today happened through a series of accidental cross-breeding with wild vines. Human domestication in the Levant also gave us wheat, barley, flax, and lentils.

The domesticated vines from the Caucasus gave rise to different varieties now grown in Georgia and Armenia. Human domestication of both varieties gives both groups many shared features even if they are different species.

In both cases, the domestication of grapes parallels the earliest domestication of cereals and the rise of protocivilizations. While there is scant archeological evidence of winemaking, there is tangental evidence. In the Near East, domestication favored sweeter grapes for eating. In Europe, domestication tilted to making smaller, less sweet grapes with thicker skins—not so good for eating, ideal for winemaking.

Researchers acknowledge more work has to be done. This is science, more work always has to be done. But it appears winemaking—at least the domestication of grapevines—likely is as old as agriculture and older than civilization.

When you sip wine tonight, ponder that you are sharing a libation with ancestors stretching back to time out of memory.

Tasting notes:

• Alain Jaume Bellissime Rosé 2021: clean, pure Rhône rosé from Chateauneuf du Pape area using organic practices. $12-16 Link to my review

• Kono Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2021: crisp, refreshing, vibrant easy-sipping winner. $14-15 Link to my review

• Vina Ventisquero Grey Glacier Las Terrazas Vineyard Single Block Pinot Noir, Leyda Valley, Chile 2017: light-medium palate pleaser; fruit forward, compelling, superb value. $20-22 Link to my review

• Lake Sonoma Winery Malbec Lazy Dog Vineyard, Sonoma Valley 2019: spot-on California malbec; classic malbec qualities in fruit, tannins, and overall profile. $40-45 Link to my review

Last round: What is a cow without a map? Udderly lost. Wine time.

This is a reader-supported publication. An upgrade to paid subscription ($5/month) gives you access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly column

Vintage and location are keys to understanding wine in Texas, which now produces the fifth most wine in the United States.

Texas wine growers must contend with unpredictable and extreme weather events, making each Texas vintage an adventure. Therein lies both the magic and the challenge, because weather and weather events dramatically impact each year’s Texas wine and what grapes are grown.

When late frosts or hail thin the grape crop, the crop tends to more more concentrated—often making for better wine. Heat stress can reduce sugar accumulation, which is why Texas grape growers turned to varieties that do well in the heat. Drought can stress vines and reduce yield, but Texas grape growing regions long ago adopted farming methods and irrigation technology to deal with it. Add to that vast amounts of wine-vine-friendly land and the wealth to invest in the wine lifestyle, and you have the formula for Texas success. A surprise to those whose opinion of Texas is based on inaccurate stereotypes.

More than 80% of Texas grapes are grown on the Texas High Plains, the vast flatlands of the southern portion of the Texas Panhandle, known in historic times as the Llano Estacado. The Texas High Plains AVA encompasses some 8,000,000 acres (12,500 square miles, larger than nine states) with Lubbock as the largest urban center.

The High Plains are called the “high plains” for a reason. The great, very flat plateau has elevations from 3,000 to 4,000 feet above sea level. That puts it in the same league as high elevation vineyards in Argentina and Chile.

Long a region of cattle raising and cotton, peanuts, squash, and melon farming, the High Plains also are a place of unpredictable weather. Late spring frosts, hailstorms, torrential rains, drought, and sudden freezes are all part of the deal. Such variability means vintages can vary markedly from year to year. That’s not a bug in Texas wine, it is a feature.

The High Plains AVA provides many winegrowing advantages. The high elevations mean hotter temperatures and more UV during the day. That encourages quicker fruit ripening—some Texas harvests begin as early as late July—and thicker skins. The elevation also means cooler nights, the coveted “diurnal shift” that preserves acidity. Early harvests give Texas wines their distinctive minerality. Thicker skins make for darker, more intense red wines.

High Plains soil usually is red sandy loam or sandy clay loam. The phylloxera louse hates sandy. The winds are reliably strong, hot, and dry. Mildew and fungus hate windy, dry heat. The soils have excellent drainage characteristics. Wine vines love good drainage.

All well and good, but Texans had to figure out what grape varieties are best suited for this inviting wine vine environment. It was pretty clear from the beginning cool-climate varieties like chardonnay, riesling, and cabernet franc would only work in very limited Texas places. But tempranillo, mourvèdre, blanc du boise, chenin blanc, and viognier proved to do well.

Texas is a very big place with winegrowing spread across its vastness, so broad generalizations are inherently flawed. The Texas Hill Country AVA, for instance, is somewhat different than the High Plains AVA. While the Hill Country grows many of the same grapes that work on the High Plains, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, gewürztraminer, albariño, and roussane are a larger part of the mix in the state’s second-most important winegrowing region. The Texas Hill Country is the state’s largest AVA at 9,000 acres, more than 14,000 square miles. It is the third-largest AVA in the United States and contains two sub-AVAs.

Fredericksburg, Texas (Larry D. Moore photo)

The Hill Country AVA demonstrates the diversity of the Texas wine industry. While most Texas wine grapes are grown in the High Plains AVA, the Hill Country AVA is the Texas wine showcase. Centered around Fredericksburg, a charming Texas-German town located between San Antonio and Austin, the Hill Country AVA is the second-most visited AVA in the United States, second only to Napa.

In addition to the big two there are six other Texas AVAs:

• Fredericksburg is a sub-appellation in the Hill Country AVA. It surrounds the town of Fredericksburg.

• Bell Mountain also is a part of the Hill Country AVA; it also is near Fredericksburg.

• Escondido Valley is located in Pecos County in the Big Bend area of western Texas. “Escondido” is Spanish for “hidden.”

• Mesilla Valley primarily is located in New Mexico, with a small portion in Texas along the Rio Grande around El Paso. “Mesilla” is Spanish for “high plateau.”

• Texas Davis Mountains is located in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas surrounding Fort Davis; it is particularly a high altitude AVA with elevations of 4,500-8,300 feet above sea level.

• Texoma is located on the Texas-Oklahoma border north of Dallas. It is the newest Texas AVA.

All these factors—variable weather challenges, vast and variable land conducive to grapegrowing, discovery of grape varieties that thrive in Texas conditions, the economic power of the second-most populated state and the state with the nation’s second-highest GDP—make Texas an exciting frontier in the wine world. Watch this space.

Tasting notes

• William Chris Vineyards Purtell Vineyard Grenache, Texas High Plains 2020 is smooth, easy drinker from a top Texas winemaker and leading Texas wine grape grower. Delivers the svelte sophistication of grenache. Very approachable. Clean, fruit-forward. $21-25 Link to my review

• Becker Vineyards Prairie Cuvee, Texas High Plains 2019 is light, refreshing, full fruity flavor. This is classic Rhône blend well executed using Texas-grown grapes by a substantial player in the state’s ascendency in the wine world. $25 Link to my review

• Wedding Oak Winery Sweetheart Rosé, Texas 2021 is rosé delight with delicious fruit. Elegant and substantial. Complexity from a well-coordinated mélange of Texas red grapes that deliver fruitiness and intriguing florals. Well made Texas wine. $29 Link to my review

• Wedding Oak Winery Chenin Blanc, Texas High Plains, Phillips Vineyard 2023 delivers vivid citrus, tree fruits in clean, precise manner. No interference from oak, nice depth and complexity. $30 Link to my review

• William Chris Vineyards Mourvèdre Reserve, Texas High Plains 2018 is a solid, silky presentation of mourvèdre, a grape that has found a home in Texas. Good balance of fruit, acidity, and reserved, elegant tannins. Tasty, well behaved, worthy Texas tipple. $35-38 Link to my review

• Flat Creek Estate Buttero Red Wine Blend 2018 is fruit-forward expression of classic Italian grapes—sangiovese, primitivo, montepulciano—from a quality Texas winery that specializes in Italian grapes. $35 Link to my review

Last round

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. He said his summer was pretty good, too. Wine time.

Last round bonus humor

• If you fret your microwave has been collecting data and your TV set has been spying on you, just remember your vacuum has been gathering dirt on you for years. Wine time.

• This week has been tough—constant rane, hale, gails, drissle, thundre, litnin, hy tydes, tawnaydoes, and rizzing colde. It was a really bad spell of wether. Wine time.

• Why are married women often heavier than single women?

Because single women come home, see what is in the fridge, then go to bed.

Married women come home, see what is in the bed, then go to the fridge. Wine time.

• Man asks this wife: “What would you do if I won the lottery/“

Wife: “I would take my half and leave you.”

Man: “Great. I won $12 today. Here’s your $6. Stay in touch.” Wine time.

Gus Clemens on Wine is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. No matter how you subscribe, I appreciate you reading.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website: Gus Clemens on Wine website

Facebook: facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter (X): @gusclemens

Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/gusclemensonwine.bsky.social .

Long form wine stories on Vocal: Gus Clemens on Vocal

Apple podcasts https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=apple+podcasts+gus+clemens+apple+p…&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8.

Linkedin: Gus Clemens on Wine

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Dave McIntyre’s WineLine Longtime Washington Post wine columnist now on Substack. Entertaining, informative.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

What is your vinotype? 3-29-2023

What type of wine do you like? If you are unsure, there are many online tests to point you in the right direction. The most popular determines your “vinotype.”

Master of Wine Tim Hanni developed the test. He found personality traits and food preferences determine how different wines taste to different people.

Hanni proposes wine preferences are determined by genetic physiology—the number of taste buds on your tongue being the most important—your memories, your environment, and your learning. As you add memories, learn more, and change environments, your preferences can change. You also can be on the border of two categories.

Hanni proposes four broad vinotypes:

• Sweet: People in this category are picky about wine and most other things in their lives. They want something sweet, light, and not too strong. 70% are women. They also typically love soda and excess salt.

• Hypersensitive: These drinkers are similar to the picky, sweet category, but are slightly more open minded about exploring new wines as long as they are clean and simple. People in this category are likely to complain about TV volume and thermostat temperature. They likely cut tags out of clothes and have a hard time finding the right sheets and pillow cases.

• Sensitive: Drinkers in this category fall in the middle of the wine-drinking spectrum. They are flexible and adventurous. They tend to be free-spirited and less rigid in everyday life. They find something to like in almost any wine. They probably were an easy birth for their mother. They tend to be the moderator/peacemaker in business and family situations, but may struggle with big decisions.

• Tolerant: People in this category demand intensity. They go for big, bold flavors—rich, very intensely flavored whites and full-bodied reds—and can’t understand why other people enjoy “wimpy” wines. They tend to be decisive, linear thinkers. They enjoy strong, black coffee and cheese. They demand to set volume and the thermostat controls.

If you Google “Tim Hanni” or “vinotype” you will find many online tests to suggest your type. It will be fun.

Tasting notes

• Funckenhausen Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza 2020: concentrated dark fruits. Well-made, competent cab at good price, rather than a memorable pour. $15-16—1 liter bottle (this would be about $11-12 if 750 ml bottle). Link to my review

• Renwood Ranch Estate Zinfandel, Amador County 2019: broad, plush, avoids massive alcohol and fruitiness of some big California zins. Flirts with elegance and decorum. $24-27 Link to my review

Last round: I named my iPod “The Titanic.” When I turn it on, it reports: “The Titanic is syncing.” Wine time.

This is a reader-supported publication. An upgrade to paid subscription ($5/month) gives you access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Wine questions answered #2 3-22-2023

Answers to your pressing wine wine questions.

• Port wine can still be made by human feet stomping grapes. Are feet sanitized for this?

Feet are sprayed with sanitizing solutions, then rinsed off before the stomping begins. That is good practice, but because of alcohol content, human pathogens do not survive in wine even if there is no sanitizing. There also are ceremonial foot stompings around harvest, but that is for show and the juice rarely goes into actual production. BTW, modern wine crushers only imitate the pressure of a human foot. Winemakers assert the human foot remains the perfect shape and firmness to crush grapes and break the skin while not crushing the seeds. The ideal? A 120-pound woman with large feet.

• Sometimes an older bottle of wine has sediment. Will it harm me?

It would be odd if an older bottle of wine did not have sediment. Sediment is natural and will not harm you, although it may taste gritty and be unpleasant. When grapes are crushed, flecks of skins, stems, and seeds remain in the juice. After fermentation, yeast cells, tartrates, and polymers remain. Many wines are filtered, but many winemakers think that practice mutes flavors. Some particulate matter remains no matter what.

As wine ages, the particulates fall to the bottom of the bottle. Also, during aging, phenolic compounds such as tannins bond together to create additional sediment. Wine pigments are among those phenolic compounds, which is why a wine’s color fades with age.

Far from indicating a wine is bad, some sediment often is found in higher quality wine, especially with aging. You can avoid putting the sediment in your glass by decanting or by pouring through a filter. You can use a coffee filter, but a fine metal filter is better because coffee filters can add flavors to the wine.

• How long does boxed wine last?

The plastic bags holding wine in boxed wine are semi-permeable for oxygen. That is the reason for the “drink by” date. Oxidation in wine is similar to how a slice of apple turns brown when exposed to air. An un-opened box wine should be good for a year. An opened box wine, especially stored in your refrigerator, can be good for four-plus weeks before it begins to oxidize.

Last round: When you are dressed all in black and some smart aleck asks you who died, simply look around the room and say, “I haven’t decided yet.” Wine time.

This is a reader-supported publication. An upgrade to paid subscription ($5/month) gives you access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Wine’s love-hate relationship 3-15-2023

Wine has a love-hate relationship to oxygen. Not enough oxygen when it is in the winery and wine can be reductive—engendering volatile sulfur compounds. Burnt match and rotten eggs are common odor descriptors. Too much oxygen and the wine tastes “tired” and eventually turns to vinegar.

When wine lives in the Goldilocks zone—not too much, not too little oxygen—everything is just right.

Oxygen begins to affect wine as soon as the bottle is opened. At first this is a good thing, helping release suppressed aromas and flavors. It is why allowing wine to “breathe” either in your glass or in a decanter or aerator can be a good thing.

At first, almost all wine can benefit—or at least not be harmed—by the initial exposure to oxygen. But the clock is ticking. As days pass after opening, wine becomes less enjoyable. There are devices and storage methods to slow the decline, but as long as the wine is exposed to oxygen decline is inevitable.

Wine spoiled by too much oxygen exposure can be identified by sight, smell, and taste. Spoiled reds take on a rusty brown color; spoiled whites turn yellow, gold, or dark. Spoiled wine will have aromas of fruit replaced with bitter, even acetone smells. If the nose gives you pause, pour the wine down the drain instead of into your glass.

If you aren’t sure about spoilage, you can always taste the wine. Spoiled wine will not harm you, but it also will not bring joy. It will taste unbalanced. It will have nuttier notes and subdued fruit flavors. Higher alcohol wines will taste more alcoholic.

Different wines have different after-opening drinkability. Wines with lower tannins—grenache, pinot noir, gamay, for example—spoil faster. Wines with higher sugars—riesling—last longer. Wines with high tannins, acidity, and sulfites last longer. Oxidized wines—madeira, Oloroso sherry, port—will last the longest after opening because oxidation is part of the process of creating the wine.

Box wine can last a month after opening, particularly if stored in your refrigerator. There are storage methods that replace oxygen in the bottle with inert gasses—Coravin, for instance—that extend the life of a bottle for years.

As with almost all things with wine, if the wine tastes good to you days or weeks after opening, then enjoy.

Last round: When I see names of lovers carved into a tree, I don’t find it romantic. I find it weird people take knives with them on dates. Wine time.

This is a reader-supported publication. An upgrade to paid subscription ($5/month) gives you access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Today’s humor

An ironing board is just a surf board that gave up on its dreams and went to work. Wine time.

Wine questions answered 3-8-2023

Answers to whimsical wine questions.

• I am going to a wine tasting and want to look my best. What should I do?

It is imprudent to wear white, but otherwise go with what is comfortable and appropriate for the event. There is one thing you should not do. Do not brush your teeth before going. Toothpaste does not play well with wine. Toothpastes usually are heavily flavored to cover up the taste of fluoride, detergents, and abrasives. The surfactants that cause toothpaste to foam as you brush are particularly problematic. If you must, brush at at least an hour before the event.

• What does it take to freeze wine in a bottle?

Depending on the alcohol content, most wine will freeze at 15 or 20 degrees, but it must remain at that temperature for some time before freezing solid in the bottle. Wine’s freezing point is lower than water, but as wine begins to freeze the water content expands, pushing up the cork and potentially breaking the bottle. Don’t put wine bottles in your freezer.

• I’ve had a bottle of wine for a decade. Has it improved with age, gotten worse, or stayed the same?

It depends on the wine and how it was stored. It is unlikely to have improved, likely has lost flavor and vibrancy, likely will not harm you. Almost all wine today is made to be consumed when you buy it, certainly within a few years of purchase.

As wine ages, its flavors become nutty and earthy. Primary fruit flavors fade. Those changes occur after three-to-five years, and some people enjoy those flavors.

Some wines are made for aging, but typically they are not released until they can be enjoyed soon after purchase. Quality Barolo wines, for instance, often are aged five-to-seven years before release. If you do spend the money for such wines and intend to age them, proper storage is vital. The best temperature is a steady 55 degrees. Keep away from sunlight and vibrations.

Tasting notes

• E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône Red 2018 maintains Guigal’s reputation for consistent, delicious, serious wine. Complex, elegant, velvety smooth, charming. $15-18 Link to my review

• Borgo Scopeto Chianti Classico DOCG 2018: easy drinking Chianti Classico. Does not offer layers of complexity or long finish. Does deliver tasty sangiovese with a good supporting cast. $16-21 Link to my review

• McCall Corchaug Estate Pinot Noir, Long Island 2015: New York can produce wines of unexpected quality. $25-30 Link to my review

This is a reader-supported publication. An upgrade to paid subscription ($5/month) gives you access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Finally, rain in California wine country 3-1-2023

After suffering desiccating drought for years, California found itself awash in alluvian floods in 2023. The state that produces almost 90 percent of U.S. wine is almost 170 percent ahead of normal precipitation.

So, what is the impact of deluges in our nation’s most important wine region? As you can imagine, there is good and bad.

The bad: The fires of previous years meant there was less ground cover to absorb moisture, so there are landslides, downed trees, rivers swollen with water and debris, vineyards flooded for extended periods.

The good: Reservoirs and underground water were replenished. Many vineyard operators anticipated the future and worked at erosion control by planting cover crops and building water diversion systems to capture water. La Crema winery, for example, so far has captured more than 75,000 gallons of rainwater and has a capacity to store up to 200,000 gallons.

The impact on vines largely depends on vine age. Young vines with shallow roots do not fare well in flooded vineyards. Older vines with deeper root systems fare well, and the increase in groundwater bodes well for them in years to come.

The deluges came when vineyards were dormant and most resilient. Vineyards are tough—that’s how you get century-old vines. Freezes and floods don’t have much effect on dormant vines. Mother nature threatens crops when the vines come out of dormancy—bud break. That’s when late freezes, hailstorms and excessive rain can hurt that vintage’s crop. But, even then, tough vines will be back at work next season.

The storms interrupted human’s ability to get into the vineyard for pruning and cleaning up debris. It is difficult to work in mud, water, and torrential rain for both humans and machines. Since many vineyards are reached by dirt roads, there were times when mud and flooded rivers meant vineyards could not be reached.

Amid the hassles, California grape growers overall are pleased, relieved. As one grower put it: “Abundant rain during the dormant season is one of the best things to worry about.” Water supplies are on their way to being restored. Soaking rains wash down salt in the topsoil, refreshing soils. More water in the soil means a later bud break, less irrigation, stronger canopies in the spring.

All in all, growers prayed for rain for years. In 2023, their prayers were answered.

Last round: A grasshopper sits down at a bar. The bartender says, “We have a drink named after you!” The grasshopper replies, “Who in the world names a drink ‘Steve?’” Wine time.

This is a reader-supported publication. An upgrade to paid subscription ($5/month) gives you access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Glass and its alternatives 2-22-2023

Glass wine bottles have enjoyed a long and storied run since they were adopted after advances in glass making in the 1600s. Now, however, glass has competition.

Prior to glass bottles, wine was transported and stored in wooden barrels, clay amphorae, and sheep skin bota bags. Glass provided instant advantages. Glass is durable, strong, inert, transparent, can be formed in attractive shapes and sizes, and is relatively easy and inexpensive to make.

Glass allows wines to age gracefully for years without degradation or imparting taint or unwanted flavors. No other container offers those properties. Glass will remain the go-to container for wines made for aging for the foreseeable future.

But glass is not the best container for all wines, or even most wines. The majority of wines are consumed shortly after purchase. Glass offers no advantage for such wines and has disadvantages. If glass goes into a landfill, it remains there for tens of thousands of years. Glass is heavy, incurring costs in transportation and storage. Although glass can be recycled, recycling glass is an expensive process in transporting to recycle centers and in the recycling process.

The wine industry—the beverage industry in general—is working the problem. Some alternatives:

• Lighter glass bottles, bottles made with recycled glass, reusable bottles. The thickness of the glass in a wine bottle has no impact on wine.

• Bag-in-a-box, aka “boxed wine.”

• Aluminum containers.

• PET bottles (recyclable plastic, often found in bottled water).

• Aseptic cartons (milk and juice containers).

All non-glass alternatives deliver significant advantages in weight, recyclability, and cost. None of them offer proven ability to store wine for extended lengths of time, but less than 10 percent of wines improve with aging. Currently, 77 percent of all wine is sold in glass bottles. Glass bottles—manufacturing shipping, warehousing, and disposal—account for 40 percent of a typical winery’s carbon footprint.

Glass wine bottles are here to stay, but environmental and cost concerns makes it increasingly more likely you will be pouring from a non-glass container in the future.

Tasting notes

• Herdade do Esporão Monte Velho Rosé 2021: Demure, lilting rosé charms with delicate red fruit, food-friendly acidity. $8-12 Link to my review

• Feudo Montoni Nero D’Avola Lagnusa 2020: Sicily’s signature red. Gentle tannins, relaxed acidity, smooth, easy drinking. $18-23 Link to my review

• Ram’s Gate Sauvignon Blanc, Carneros 2020: Tart, tasty, good acidity; lemon-lime, grapefruit, and pineapple, green apple. $30-37 Link to my review

Last round: Pavlov at a wine bar enjoys a glass. The phone rings. Pavlov jumps up and shouts. “Darn, I forgot to feed the dog!”

This is a reader-supported publication. An upgrade to paid subscription ($5/month) gives you access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

What is wine? 2-15-2023

What is wine? For many, that question was answered thousands of years ago. Wine is grape juice after yeast converts its sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Fruit wines that are not made with grapes and grape wines made with aromatic additives—vermouth, for example—are not wines. More than 20 years ago, the European Union codified that the term “wine” could only appear on labels of grape wines with no additives. Other beverages must include a clarification such as “apple wine” or “aromatized wine.”

In the 21st century, however, younger drinkers upended the market. They buy wine, some with added flavors, in cans. They buy blackberry, blueberry, even dandelion wine. They buy hard seltzers—carbonated alcoholic beverages with all sorts of flavors—and in such numbers makers feared running out of aluminum.

They buy grape wines with little or no alcohol. The market for no or low alcohol wines grew by more than seven percent in 2022. Non-alcohol wine sales grew faster than low-alcohol sales. Is non-alcohol wine really wine? In an Australian newspaper survey, 25% of responders said wine with no alcohol is still wine. What comes next? Grape-free wine?

cc-by-2.0

The sea change in what people think about wine reflects existential challenges to winemakers. For centuries wine was a “steady as she goes” business. Vineyards and wineries passed through generations making only incremental changes or improvements. The same applied to consumers.

Now comes revolutions in what and how beverages are made, packaged, and sold. Also a revolution in what consumers want.

Replacing its aging customer base is a big challenge for traditional wine. Boomers remain the largest market for traditional wine, but their numbers shrink each day. Younger consumers don’t know or care about old vino verities.

The great irony: while we enjoy the greatest quality and choice of traditional wine in history, beverages that do not qualify under wine’s traditional meaning threaten the market share and, thus, the future of traditional wine. Whew.

Tasting notes

• La Valentina Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Rosé 2021: distinctive color and versatility, heavier-than-standard rosé body. Serious rosé strikes the middle ground between rosé and red. $14-16 Link to my review

• Ancient Peaks Chardonnay, Paso Robles, Santa Margarita Ranch 2021: good of middle-of-the-road Cali chard. Good with food, good sipped at book club confabs. $17-20 Link to my review

• Banshee Ten-of-Cups Brut California NV: bright and vibrant. Persistent, creamy length. $25-30 Link to my review

• Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley 2018: superb Bordeaux-style, superb vintage. Smooth, balanced, elegant, refined. $60-65 Link to my review

Last round: What do you call a retired cowboy? Deranged. Wine time.

This is a reader-supported publication. An upgrade to paid subscription ($5/month) gives you access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Champagne’s rise 2-8-2023

The land was sheep country, too far north for grapes. The local wine was mediocre, pawned off to roughhewn wool buyers or consumed by locals as vin de table.

Nevertheless, to raise money for monasteries, Benedictine monks steadily improved their vineyards. They learned what grapes fared well in the cool climate and chalky soils around Reims, the historic Benedictine cathedral town where French kings were crowned. They spent a significant effort dealing with the pesky problem of carbon dioxide—a natural byproduct of all winemaking.

Reims Cathéter (2.0 Generic (cc by 2.0))

Because wine did not travel well, local wine had to be poured at coronations and royal events at Reims. The local wine became linked to sumptuous celebrations and elite society.

Hyacinthe Rigaud, cc By-SA 4.0

Louis XIV significantly burnished the local wine’s image when he enjoyed it along with his other obsessions of fashion, luxury, and prestige. Then Louis XV—son of the Sun King—authorized transportation of the local wine to other regions in bottles. Now, instead of the wine going flat in wooden barrels, the CO2 remained trapped in the wine. It sparkled.

When English glassmakers improved bottles to contain higher pressures in the mid-1600s, the wine from the cold sheep country found its niche as a special wine for celebrations. Mythology followed. Pierre “Dom” Pérignon did not invent Champagne and never announced he was “seeing stars.” While Pérignon substantially improved vineyard management, he actually toiled to avoid bubbles. In a pure PR move, Pérignon was credited with Champagne’s creation a century after his death.

Bottles enhanced the Champagne myth. At first, labels showcased association with nobility. After the French Revolution, labels promoted Champagne as the soul and character of the French people. Voltaire proclaimed Champagne “the most glorious expression” of French civilization.

Myth making accelerated. Jean-Rémy Moët established Moët in the United States with George Washington as a happy customer. Napoleon used Champagne to toast a new, industrious bourgeois society. When the Russian army routed Napoleon and reached the city of Reims, the resourceful Veuve (“widow”) Clicquot welcomed the soldiers. Instead of destroying her winery, the Russians got drunk and went home as an eager market for her product.

The Industrial Revolution expanded markets. Winery innovations improved efficiency and quality. Champagne entered a golden age that continues today. Champagne became symbolic of sophisticated celebrations, triumphs, luxury, indulgence. The neglected region of sheep and inferior grapes turned the wine world upside down.

Last round: Wine gives people ideas. Champagne gives people strategies.

This is a reader-supported publication. An upgrade to paid subscription ($5/month) gives you access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Wine sales statistics 2-1-2023

Which of these statements about the wine industry is correct?

Demand decreases, the industry faces rocky times. The industry is doing fine, even if volume is down, value is steady. The industry has a rosy future as drinkers switch to higher-priced wine.

Rob McMillan of Silicon Valley Bank—a go-to source—says “anyone who says they know what’s happening to total sales is fooling themselves.” There simply is no reliable source of wine sales statistics.

Wine sales data is a confusing mix of proprietary data, estimates, modeling, and retail sales numbers that do not include key statistics. Each of the most respected data sources report different and incomplete numbers. It all depends on what beans are counted.

• Gomberg Fredrikson may be the most comprehensive. It uses a variety of sales and and tax data and modeling. But counting everything is impossible, as they admit, and access to their report is expensive.

• Nielsen scans sales data from the country’s biggest national and regional retailers. But, whoops, they don’t count Trader Joe’s and Costco. Nielsen also doesn’t include independent groceries, small wine shops, direct-to-consumer (DTC), and on-premise sales. That is a Grand Canyon of missing data.

• SipSource gets its numbers from the country’s biggest wholesalers. It does not include DTC, smaller wholesalers and importers.

• Impact Databank includes modeling and estimates from the company that owns the Wine Spectator. It effectively tracks sales of the country’s biggest brands. Misses most of the rest.

• Ship Compliant delivers the best look at DTC sales, but that is only a slice of the pie.

• Federal and state agencies have some of the best information derived from tax collections. Trouble is, there is input overload. There are 50 states, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, and the Commerce Department. Good luck finding all that and excluding duplications.

So, is the U.S. wine industry doing good, treading water, slowly declining, or in trouble? It depends on who is counting and what they are counting. Wine is made by thousands upon thousands of people and sold in thousands and thousands of outlets. Bottom line: nobody really knows. It can drive someone to drink. Maybe wine.

Tasting notes

• Mateus Dry Rosé 2021: classic beginner pour for Boomers; half century later remains quaffable. $10-11 Link to my review

• Cannonball Sauvignon Blanc, California 2020: excellent under-$20 Cali sauv blanc. Vivid citrus, Meyer lemon, lime flavors framed by tangy acidity. $14-15 Link to my review

Last round: I just ran over one of Snow White’s dwarfs. He wasn’t Happy. Wine time.

This is a reader-supported publication. A paid subscription ($5/month) gives you access to bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Wine is the most interesting drink 1-25-2023

Wine is the world’s most interesting alcoholic beverage. You expect wine columnists to make such an assertion, but we can back up the claim.

There are three essential types of alcoholic beverages: beer, wine, spirits. Thanks to cultural and economic factors, beer has long been the most popular in the U.S. for several reasons.

Beer is the most popular beverage of the countries of origin—England and Germanic countries—for the first immigrants. Beer also is made from crops suited to the Atlantic seacoast where the first non-native Americans settled.

Spirits had a similar advantage. Production does not depend on difficult-to-grow crops. Grains for spirits also can be used for food crops for both humans and animals.

Wine is different. Immigrants from wine-producing countries like Italy, Spain, and France arrived later than other immigrants. Furthermore, it takes at least three years for a vineyard to consistently produce wine grapes, and wine is the product of a single growing season rather than a constant supply of commonplace raw materials.

Wine producers also tend to be a plant-to-bottle enterprise. Beer and spirit makers tend to be brewers and distillers who buy ingredients from whomever has some to sell. Often, the distinctive ingredient is water, and the U.S.—certainly in the beginning—had a plentiful supply of quality water.

Beer and spirits are faster and easier to make. Wine is the opposite, but it enjoys one distinct advantage. Because of its diversity, it is more interesting to drink. Individual wines have a direct connection to specific grapes, a specific place, a specific time.

Beer and spirits producers can claim they produce beverages with shades of difference—often using barrel aging techniques developed by winemakers—but none would argue they come close to variations found in wines.

Because the backstory of a wine is more interesting than beer or spirits, it has long been a more common subject of storytelling. That is a verifiable claim. In 2021, the federal government approved 178,724 different alcoholic beverage products for sale. Some 63% were wine, 24% were beer, and 12% were spirits.

The good news for wine writers—and for their readers—is wine provides a virtually inexhaustible supply of engaging stories about lands, grapes, weather, individuals, techniques, flavors—and on and on. Not only is wine more interesting to drink, it also is more interesting to read and write about.

Last round: My friend just gave me glass cookware from Jamaica as a present. It is Pyrex of the Caribbean. Wine time.

Gus Clemens on Wine is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly column

To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. In June of 2025, such a time has come for my wine writing adventure.

In the summer of 2008, the editor of my local newspaper, the San Angelo Standard-Times, challenged me to write a wine column that would entertain and inform the average wine buyer. The “buyer” part was important because the weekly column would be an anchor on the Wednesday food section of the newspaper and advertisers wanted information about wines customers could buy in local stores.

And so a wonderful adventure began. By September I had written enough test drafts to find a voice, approach, and word length to prove to myself I could pull this off. Imperatives included a word length to fit into the news hole on the front of the food section, a commitment to file well in advance since the section often was one of the first to be processed in the newsroom, never to miss a deadline, never to lazily submit a previous column even if my well of ideas was dry. I take pride in hitting every single one of those marks the past 17 years.

It was pleasing when sister papers of the Standard-Times—in Corpus Christi and Abilene—picked up the column. Then the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, which was not part of the company at that time. Then came newspaper sales and consolidations and, soon, I was providing columns for the new mothership, Gannett-USA Today. Now the column appeared all over the United States, from Florida to California. Those were heady times for a wine writer in San Angelo, Texas.

That was the case for more than a decade. I was a nationally syndicated wine columnist and expanding into non-Gannett-USA Today newspapers since I own the rights to my work and only sold papers the rights to use my work in print and online. The money was nice, the audience was more important.

At the same time, I was online almost from the beginning. I owned an advertising agency that made websites, so from the first months my columns and wine reviews were available in a searchable, free website— Link —and on Facebook. Then Twitter (X). Eventually Bluesky and LinkedIn.

Wide exposure brought delightful benefits. Winemakers around the world sent me samples to taste and write about. I got to interview and be interviewed by notables in the wine world. When I visited wineries, I got special treatment. I told many folks, this was one of the best writing gigs in my more than 50 years as a professional writer. And I could toast my good fortune with a high-quality bottle of wine the maker had begged me to receive for free.

Much of this delicious adventure continues, but in 2025 one chapter closes. Local daily newspapers throughout the United States have entered hospice protocols. Gannett is doing its best to remain viable, but clearly denouement looms. At first, because of shrinking space, my wine column stopped running weekly and became episodic, especially in the non-Texas newspapers. Then in the Texas newspapers. Invoices went unpaid. When I queried editors about the situation, silence.

In correspondence with Dave McIntyre, who ended his weekly wine column in The Washington Post this January after 16 years, I realized we faced similar pressures in a changing newspaper environment. “Despite our efforts to spread the appeal of wine, a wine column is aimed at a niche audience,” he wrote, “while newspapers increasingly grade the success of an individual article on the number of readers who click on it.”

This is not a valedictory column. I enjoy writing about wine and reviewing wine and do not intend to stop. I just face the reality that newspapers no longer are one of the vehicles to reach readers.

In some ways, I celebrate new freedom. I no longer am subject to the tyranny of a 450-word count. I no longer am confined to a once-a-week schedule. That likely does not mean fewer columns/posts, likely more, but not always on Wednesday.

To the newspapers that carried my column for most of the past 17 years, thank you. It has been a joy of my life. To all my readers/followers, this is not goodbye. See you on the internet.

Links to where to continue to find Gus Clemens on Wine are below.

Last round

Ancient Egyptian architect: “Do you know how to build a pyramid?”

Ancient Egyptian builder: “Well, yeah, up to a point.”

Wine time.

Links:

Gus Clemens on Wine website

Gus Clemens on Wine Facebook

Gus Clemens on Wine Twitter/X

Gus Clemens on Wine Bluesky

Gus Clemens on Wine Vocal (long form )

Email: wine@cwadv.com

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Wine drinking tips 1-18-2023

As life semi-returns to pre-Covid normal, we return to restaurants and order wine. We have folks over for dinner. We pay attention to things besides vaccinations and masks. Observations, tips.

• At a fancy restaurant, what do you do when the sommelier presents the cork? Easy: Nothing. The cork presentation is a vestige of a world long past. The cork was examined to ensure the wine in the bottle matched the claim on the label. If you wish to save the cork as a memento of your evening, feel free. Otherwise, let it lay.

• You want to set a proper table to impress. You know the basics. Spoons-knives on the right, forks on the left. Where do glasses go? In traditional setting, there are three glasses. Water glass goes on the right above the dinner knife. White wine glass goes further to the right above the soup spoon. The red wine glass goes on the right, centered above the water and white wine glasses. Now you are at your hoity-toity best. By the way, pour good wine and serve a delicious meal and it doesn’t really matter where you place utensils and glasses.

• Fancy wineglass makers will sell you a specific glass for almost every wine you pour. Do you need them to fully appreciate wine? No. You easily can make do with one all-purpose glass—a large white wine glass works well. If you want more, go with a white wine glass, a large red wine glass, and a sparkling wine glass that is not a narrow flute.

• Is there a “correct” way to hold your wine glass? This is not really a Miss Manners issue. It is a best practices suggestion. Hold the wine glass by its stem or its foot rather than cupping the bowl in your hand. When you hold by the bowl, you warm the wine. You also leave fingerprints and oil from your hand on the bowl. Neither of these are good outcomes, but it also is not the end of the world or a klaxon warning of gaucheness if you hold by the bowl. Enjoy the wine any way you wish, but consider the stem or foot hold.

Tasting notes

• Scheid Family Wines VDR Very Dark Red 2020 is deep, dark wine that showcases two grapes rarely used together as sole grapes in a blend—petite sirah and petit verdot. $24-25 Link to my review

• Torre de Oña Finca Martelo Rioja Reserva 2015 is mouth-filling with rich, dark fruits.$33-40. Link to my review

Last round: Where do milkshakes come from? Nervous cows. Wine time.

Gus Clemens on Wine is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Pressing wine questions 1-11-2023

As we hurtle into the new year, answers to pressing wine questions.

• What does “second label” mean? It often means great value. A winery’s “first label”—their grand vin in Bordeaux—is made using the winery’s best grapes and then finished in the winery’s best barrels. The second label is made using excess top-quality juice and juice that does not quite measure up to top standards. It sells at a lower price. Often there is only a slim difference—a difference most of us would not even notice. Don’t balk at buying.

• What does “second bottle” mean in a wine review? Similar to a second label, the term references a wine that is not the best quality. Unlike a second label, which can be a superb wine, when a reviewer notes the wine works as a second bottle, it typically means the wine is drinkable but not distinguished. It will taste plenty good enough as a less-expensive follow-on pour. Second bottles are particularly useful at a festive occasion where multiple bottles of wine will be enjoyed. Which brings us to our next note.

Photo by Kailuce96

• Wine is best enjoyed in moderation, and best paired with food. That is why wine drinkers are less likely to be drunkards and are the least likely to be alcoholics among those who imbibe. But people get drunk, and some get drunk on wine. Which brings us to identifying the states where you are most-likely to get a DUI or die as a result of drunk driving. The answer comes from a survey by Forbes Advisor.

States with highest incidents of drunk driving death and DUI arrests: Montana, Wyoming, Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota.

States with the fewest deaths and DUIs: Washington, D.C., New Jersey, Utah, Delaware, New York. Bottom line: Don’t drink alcohol, including wine, and drive. And watch out for those who do.

• What do you do when you pour a glass of wine and you find it undrinkable for your palate? Open enough bottles and this inevitably will happen. Answer: pour the poor one down the drain and open another bottle. Don’t use bad wine in cooking. Tastes bad in a glass, tastes bad in a dish.

Tasting notes

• Stemmari Dalila Sicilia Riserva DOC 2020 is rich and delicious blend of, mostly, grillo and some viognier. $14-15. Link to my review

• Scaia Rosato, Veneto IGT 2021 is expertly correct rosé using a classic Veneto red grape. $14-18. Link to my review

Last round: What did the princess say in the photo booth? “Someday my prints will come.” Wine time.

Gus Clemens on Wine is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.

This is the weekly newspaper column.

Optimism 1-4-2023

New year. No matter if you look back on 2022 with a sigh of satisfaction or you are grovelingly thankful to survive another solar circumnavigation, time for optimism.

If you make wine or enjoy wine, wine is an expression of optimism. Growers gaze across pruned vineyards stark and bare, maybe swaddled in snow, maybe resolutely defiant against the howls of winter. Still, optimism.

There must be optimism or you would not be a grape grower. You are confident that in more years than not, after cold comes fledgling promises of spring. Each day dawns a minute earlier. The vineyard begins to awake—vines are optimistic.

This is a reader-supported publication. Consider a paid subscription ($5/month) to access bonus material and complete archives. Opt out at any time.

By April, the signs of life appear. Sap rises. Buds begin to break. Sure, dangers lurk—hail, late freezes—but this is time for optimism, optimism justified more often than not. After bud break, growers prune shoots to calibrate production. Reducing quantity of grapes increases quality because the vine optimistically concentrates more energy into the remaining clusters.

Flowering follows. Grapevines produce “perfect flowers” because they pollinate themselves without the need of bees.

Vine grape buds

In early summer, clusters appear. They begin as tiny, green bulbs. Clusters of optimism for the dramatic visual to come.

Then, a miracle. The tiny green bulbs grow and change color. Vérasion (“verre-ray-shun”) is the most beautiful time of the year in a vineyard, the time growers optimistically anticipated the previous seven months. Green becomes purple, black, red, pink, yellow.

As summer fades, grapes ripen, sugar levels rise. At the peak moment—optimistically with dry weather and adequate labor—comes the harvest. Then, on to the winery and another opportunity for optimism as skilled grape growers hand off to skilled winemakers.

If you enjoy drinking wine, optimism goes without saying. Why would you buy a bottle of wine if you were not optimistic it would be a rewarding experience?

With this effulgent homage to optimism to begin 2023, I leave you with a twist on an old Irish blessing: “May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind always be at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, and may the best bottle of wine you have ever enjoyed be the one you enjoy tonight.”

Tasting notes:

• Montes Limited Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2021—fruitiness in a softer take on sauv blanc. $9-12 Link to my review

• Siduri Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2020—superb entry-level pour into world of Siduri pinot noir. $17-22. Link to my review

Last round: My New Year’s resolution: Drink more of what you will give up for Lent a couple of months from now. Wine time.

Thank you for reading Gus Clemens on Wine. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Email: wine@cwadv.com

Newsletter: gusclemens.substack.com

Website:  gusclemensonwine.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/

Twitter: @gusclemens

Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Balanced Diet Original recipes, curated links about food systems, recipe reviews.