Wine from two countries that can’t produce enough food to feed their populations. I’m not holding my breath. Wine from the Himalaya foothills is an intriguing idea but how do you get people who need to grow food to farm grapes for wine?

I’ll repost my old question, third time’s the charm right:

I was out in OR and WA this summer where I got to taste a bunch of 300 case production pinotâ??s as well as some great reislings, zins, and syrahs. I had a great time. At one winery my friend was laughing at me in the tasting rooms, I was lining up glasses of wine in front of me and going back to them in order to see how air was affecting them. He thought I should be â??drinkingâ?? faster. I pointed out that if his glass was empty he couldnâ??t be enjoying the wine as much as I was.

Am I off base, was I tricking myself into thinking I was getting anything new from the wines by letting them air out in the glass? This was over a 20 to 30 minute time span.

d’oh!

SeanM………I think thats a great way to go.
You might not be getting the full decant out of it, but it’s probably opening up your wine a little.
Sounds like a lot of fun…I love the low production Pinot’s.

B

A co-worker just returned from China and he said what passes for wine over there really isn’t wine. So he treated them to a couple of bottles of very nice Australian Cab at a very elegant French restaurant (white gloves…the whole deal). The Chinese weren’t thrilled with it at all. Which leads me to believe, if they don’t recognize a good wine, how can they make one. So I’ll roll the dice on India even though I don’t enjoy their food.

Bob

I have never had grape wine from China. But the local Indian restaurant has some Indian Wines. I tried them and found that they tasted like cheap table wines. In all fairness just tasting a few wines does make me informed. Gary, have you ever had a pleasing wine from China or India?

Bob, I think if the profit margins were favorable, the government or a private investor in China would spend money to bring in a top-shelf winemaker. Sure, it probably won’t be Chateau Beaucastel CDP, but last I checked bottles of Yellow Tail and Little Penguin were flying off the shelf. Look at what Korean companies have done with electronics and automobiles. Samsung and Hyundai are selling and the quality has improved over the years.

At the end of the day, I will drink what’s good–irrespective of the country where it was produced.

good show.. I wish you really did taste the Charles Shure. I think that is a verv bad wine but you are correct thay shure sell alot of it.. See you soon…. Justin

Hi Gary,

I would be very interested in you trying another Rosenblum Zinfandel. I joing their club last year (before I had tasted) because of their high ratings and reasonable prices. Rosenblum had two wines in the WS 100 last year I found that most of the wines were way to jammy, over the top fruit and high alcohol heat and tasted almost like ports. But they have received very high reviews and I want to know if I am missing something. The way you trashed the Vintners Cuvee I was really hoping you could try the Rosenblum Harris Kratka Zinfandel 2002. You have it in stock and after todays trashing, maybe you should give them another shot.

Thanks,

Bruce

Have you considered tasting fruit wines or Mead?

Sorry someone had you taste that Rosenblum Cuvee. I’ve had lots of other Rosenblums that were decent, but that cuvee is pathetic. One of my favorites of the Rosenblums is the Carla’s Vineyard. Also the North Coast 2004 Appelation Series is pretty nice for the money.

QOD… Wow, tough choice…. maybe China.

How about tasting the 2001 Allegrini Amarone? I have tasted the 2000 and it was amazing.

several people have bashed rosenblum. Their single vineyard zins can be very good ie. the last 4 years of the Richard Sauret vineyard, and are very reasobable in price. For countries, I would pick china over India for wines.

I have lurked long enough. QOD answer: Neither. India and China will NEVER be major players in the wine industry. Both countries have such a scarcity of good, clean drinking water that I seriously doubt their governments will ever allow large-scale wine production to export the juice.

I love the spoof video!!!

Keep it coming Gary.

Beautiful finish… now that’s entertainment with some great VaynerNods. C’mon G- where did your VaynerNods go? Maybe they went wherever the Jets’ MoJo is.

Great episode with an awesome spoof…kudos to Tim F.

Also, congrats on the amazing wine tasting. I went on Monday and was very impressed with the wine and food spread… Everything was wonderful, especially the Clio, which was my favorite wine of the evening.

QOD…neither…possibly India for beer, but not wine.

sheila

Tony- I’m looking forward to your Kirkland P report-
I picked up the Kirkland Marlborough Sauv Blanc today – – $9.99 and the recent Costco Magazine CLAIMS that their Kirkland brand wines TASTE as wines 3 times the price. We’ll see.

I am also VERY curious about the Cameron Hughes wines. I just listened to a 1 hour ipod interview with him (Hungry Mag out of Chicago I think) because his wines are JUST now getting into 3 Chicago Costcos – till now they’ve only been available in the California market. Cameron’s story is really great. What he’s doing is really unique and the story about how he got into Costco is fun! I doubt if we’ll ever get them in Texas as we have really wierd laws that restrict how retailers can buy wine – they HAVE to go through specific distributors, never to the source, so if the distributors can’t or won’t get it, too bad.

I see you can get the Hughes wines directly through his website if you aren’t in Chicago or California. Also, if anyone is interested in the VERY good interview with him it’s Hungry Magazine #22, August 18, 2006. Go to http://www.culinarypodcastnetwork.com to find it.

4:48, wheres wine library tv?????

Gary:

First, congrats on Episode #100! But to answer your question, I choose China. I was watching a show one night on some obscure station and they were talking about how China is making progress into wine rather than the usual sake.

My favorite episode was probably #94 where you reviewed my current house red, the Bodegas Arrocal. A wonderful wine and I think better than the Core Riva.

Again, congrats on your 100th and . . . congrats to the Colts! Undefeated baby!

Gotta love Peyton!

Cheers!
Dom

In answer to your question, I would choose beer. The terroir of both of these countries are polluted beyond the point where I could enjoy drinking its juice.

China, because I have one from the there and know they actual make it.

but I believe as GeneV said beer.

GO CARDs even though Mets took game 1.

Fantastic episode! We got to watch you bitch slap a couple wines (always fun), taste one that merited some VaynerGulps, and then the spot-on parody of Tim F’s. Perfect mix of info and humor.

QOD: China, because it seems like they have a lot of disparate climate areas so might be able to get some interesting things going on.

Spoof QOD: Erwin Schrödinger

I donâ??t see anything on WL.com from China or India. Why not stock some cases? They may not be quality wines by U.S. standards, but they would be a novelty. Hereâ??s your marketing gimmick: the two-buck Chan.

Comment 57: By Don from Seattle
——————————————————–
Maybe the two-yen Chin!

I would go with the wine from China (haven’t had any from there or India) just because of some of their other exotic agricultural production and potentially unspoiled soil.

You have got some real guts Gary, ripping on your best-seller (of anything) — can’t accuse you of not being honest or forthright. –but it’s pronounced A-mah-row’-nee

OK.. you got me… have watched every episode and finally joining in!!! Loved this episode!! I am no longer buying my wines at WL… Trader Joe all the way… NOT!!!!!

QOD: Not India. I just don’t like the Indian palate that’s all. I don’t like Indian food, desserts, etc. HOWEVER, if you could simply get a winemaker from another country to go there I think the terrior is diverse enough to kick rear. Otherwise, China’s got the upperhand to me personally because of simple palate issues. I know no one who HATES Chinese food (especially the authentic stuff not that American garbage). Indian food on the other hand can be an acquired taste.