Wine Media Guild of New York

Jeremy Parzen, Ph.D., became the latest member of the Guild after a vote at the June business meeting. Welcome, Jeremy!

He blogs regularly at Do Bianchi., his blog devoted to Italy and Italian Wine and Food (and, occasionally, his band). His writing has also appeared in Wine & Spirits, Gastronomica, and The Art of Eating.

He’s also probably the only one to have translated a 15th Century cookbook (Maestro Martinoof Como’s The Art of Cooking) from the Italian.

On May 7, the Wine Media Guild will break new ground with a unique tasting — Charbono. It is highly unlikely that you have ever had this wine in a comparative tasting. The wine is produced only in California by about fourteen wineries. There are fewer than 90 acres of the grape under cultivation. Many of the wines are not available beyond CA. The Slow Food movement recently voted Charbono varietal wine in to its “Ark of Taste,” renewing interest in this historic grape. I know most of the 14 current producers, and all 14 have already promised or sent their wines (including Turley). Some are sending older wines.

Our speaker is Paul Smith, the owner and winemaker at OnTheEdge winery in St. Helena. We also will be joined by Sally Ottoson, owner and winemaker at Pacific Star Winery in Fort Bragg and Gregg Smith, son of John Smith, owner and winemaker at Oakstone Winery in Fair Play, CA.

Charbono was at the height of its popularity in the 1960s, when Inglenook produced a lot of it and there was a Charbono Society in San Francisco that held annual black-tie dinners. Its flavor is unique, but one producer described it as having a “soft leathery acid-tannin profile like a Syrah and forward berry fruit like a Zinfandel. The intense nose is full of ripe, ‘purple’ fruit aromas, perfumed blueberry, black cherry and smoky vanilla. The palate is dry with balanced acidity, full body and plush ripe tannins. Overt flavors of black cherry, thyme, white pepper, blackberry and tar burst on the taste buds.” Or, as Randall Grahm once said: “Charbono reminds me of The Wild Child, a feral creature brought back to civilization. One is always aware that this grape is somehow quite different.” –Pat Savoie

And member Robert Simonson posted his thoughts from the Petite Sirah lunch in April on his blog, Off the Presses. FYI Robert also had a recent article on Kosher wines in Saveur.

Congratulations to Philippe Newlin and Robert Simonson for being elected the newest members of the Wine Media Guild of New York.

Philippe Newlin is the Tasting Director at Wine & Spirits magazine. He also teaches wine classes at Columbia Business School, contributes to Devour.tv, and is studying for the Master of Wine.

Robert Simonson writes the monthly “In the Cellar” column and contributes other wine stories for the New York Sun. He has also contributed articles to Salon.com, Wine Spectator, and Time Out New York. His blog, “Off the Presses,” has a summary of our Chateauneuf du Pape lunch here.

Wine Media Guild November Newsletter
Ron Kapon, Editor

Members’ Memos

Carol Berman began her “Class in a Glass Wine Buy of the Week” segment Thursday October 18th on “Food Talk” with Mike Colameco on Radio 710 WOR. Her minute-long segments will air every Thursday at approximately 11:45AM. Or you can go online at www.wor710.com . Her “Wine Buys” are also posted on her website www.classinaglasswine.com . Carol was on Arthur Schwartz’s show on WOR from 1999-2004.

John Mariani and his brother, Robert, have written a very personal book, Almost Golden, about growing up in the Pelham Bay area, an incredibly idyllic place in the North Bronx, during the 1940’s and ‘50’s. It is not yet available in bookstores, so to purchase a copy ($14.95) go to www.amazon.com or to www.bbotw.com/Product.aspx?ISBN=0-7414-3017-7 .

I attended part of the “Special Harvest Edition” of Wine Camp in mid-October on the North Fork of Long Island. Sponsored by local wineries and Bed & Breakfasts, it is a 4 day/3 night event. The next Wine Camp will take place in March 2008. For more information: www.winecamp.org

November Tastings (more…)

Members’ Memos

Perry Luntz has a new book coming out in November: Whiskey and Spirits for Dummies (John Wiley & Co.). Perry’s newsletter, “Beverage Alcohol Market Report Online” will reappear as a bi-weekly, free online newsletter in October.

If any members have a book coming out, please let me know.

October Events (more…)

Just how multi-faceted is grenache? And what does the increasingly common but unregulated term “old vines” mean? We will find out in our October tasting where the theme is old vine grenache.

With wines from Spain, France, Sardinia, and Australia, we will taste through 20 examples of grenache including: two examples of white grenache, a rose, several reds and grenache-dominant blends, and a Banyuls dessert wine.

Jean-Francois Ey, 30, will be the speaker. Grenache is his favorite grape. We’ll taste some of his wines along with many others including:

* La Conreria d’Scala Dei, Les Brugueres white 2006 - Priorat/Spain
* Lafage Cuvee Centennaire 2006 (Grenache Blanc) - France/Roussillon

* Stephen Pannell Greanche Rose 2006 (from 37-year-old, dry-grown bush vines in Blewitt Springs) - Australia/McLaren Vale

* Capçanes, Cabrida 2004 (100% Grenache from 90 to 105-year old-vines) - Spain/Montsant
* Francesc Sanchez Bas, Montgranatx (organic, 95% very old vine garnacha/5% cabernet sauvignon) - Spain/Priorat
* Pasanau Germans, La Morera de Montsant 2003, (62% old vine garnacha/24% cabernet sauvignon/14% merlot) - Spain/Montsant
* Janasse, Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes 2004 (organic) - France/Rhone
* Domaine de Marcoux CdP 2004 (40 to 60-year-old vines. Organic) - France/Rhone
* Domaine La Roquete Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2003 (70% Grenache) - France/Rhone
* Saint Jean du Baroux, l’Oligocene (75% Grenache and the rest Syrah, Carignan, and Cinsault; Ventoux) 2004 - France/Rhone
* La Soumade, Fleur de Confiance 2003 - France/Rhone
* Gilles Troullier, l’Esprit du Temps 2005 (80 year old vines, biodynamic) - France/Roussillon
* Ey Vineyards Ey Vigne d’en Gaume 2004 - France/Roussillon
* Ey Vineyards Vigne las Collas, 90% Grenache - France/Roussillon
* Clos des Fees, Petite Siberie 2004 - France/Roussillon
* Mas de la Dame Coin Cache - France/Provence
* Sella & Mosca Cannonau 2004 (the oldest grapes in the world) - Italy/Sardinia
* Villa Creek Cellars, old vine garnacha 2005, - USA/Paso Robles
* Yalumba, bush vine grenache 2006, - Australia/Barossa
* De Lisio (100% dry-grown bush vine Grenache from 70-year-old vineyard in Blewitt Springs) - Australia/McLaren Vale
* Pirramimma, old bush vine Grenache 2003, - Australia/McLaren Vale
* Kaesler Grenache “The Fave” 2005 (single vineyard, 80-year-old vines) - Australia/Barossa
* Yalumba OV Grenache “Tricentenary” (vines over 100 years old) - Australia/Barossa

* Ey Vineyards Banyuls 100% Grenache - France/Roussillon

Welcome to the new internet home of the Wine Media Guild!

We are an organization of about 30 wine writers and wine journalists from other media that has been going strong ever since 1976. Our members include contributors to major media outlets. Cumulatively, we have authored over two dozen wine books, including several best sellers. See our about page for further details.

We have an exciting lineup of nine wine-tasting lunches in New York City this year. We will learn more about such topics as old-vine grenache, the wines of Aloxe-Corton, or the current state of play in Champagne with industry participants or experts as speakers. You can see our 2007-8 calendar here.

If you are a wine writer and this has whet your proverbial whistle, feel free to contact one of the co-chairs about attending since we welcome non-members. And if you’d like to join the Guild and learn our secret handshake, see what it takes to become a member.