BOEKENHOUTSKLOOF THE WOLFTRAP 2008

The Grade: OUTSTANDING. The Mojo: The Boekenhoutskloof Wolftrap 2008 is a very cool red blend from the Franschoek Valley in South Africa. Comprised of 68% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre, and 2% Viognier, this Rhone-inspired red is rich, dense and bordering on full-body characteristics. Loaded with aromas and flavors of blackberries, smoke, black pepper, roasted game, blueberries, tobacco, earth, chocolate and oak. It's a big wine for just under $10, and it's ideal for barbeque ribs or grilled steaks.

THE APPRECIATION INTERLUDE

I’ve been cramming for this Certified Specialist of Wine exam for a couple weeks now (it’s basically Level 1 of the Certified Wine Educator course) and I found myself stopping for a few minutes to reflect on this long, strange trip I’ve been on the last two decades. What started as a part-time job as a busser and dishwasher at a restaurant in Evendale, Ohio called the New Orleans House, meandered into the plan to get my various wine certifications and be a wine know-it-all for hire. I drifted in-and-out of restaurant jobs, even entertaining the idea of owning my own restaurant (which I had envisioned to be called “Vermilion”), which I quickly abandoned after returning home to Ohio to go back to college.

It honestly wasn’t until my last full-time restaurant job, as bar manager for a little place called Café Boulevard back in 2000 that I entertained the idea of biting the proverbial bullet and pursuing a career in wine. Leaving that restaurant behind, I found myself at a small wine shop in Vandalia called The Little Store, where blues guitarist/fellow wino/good friend Eric Jerardi showed me the promised land – that being the great wines of Italy and France.

Thanks to another good friend/mentor Mark Maher, owner of Cutting Edge Selections in Fairfax, OH, for helping me get into what many in the biz have called “Wine University” in these parts, Chateau Pomije, in O’Bryonville. I have to thank Tim Shumrick for giving me the opportunity to learn the retail buying side of things, and exposing me to many of the great wines I have come to love today.

I ended up here at Liquor Direct Wine & Spirits, across the river in Covington, in September 2002, and it has been a non-stop whirlwind ever since. The winemakers, importers, brokers and sales reps that I have met over the years have had a profound impact on my ever-burgeoning love of wine, and I can honestly say, without a doubt, that despite all the headaches and frustration that comes around in this business, I truly have one of the coolest jobs on earth.
Many thanks to the cast and crew of the now defunct restaurant/night club Night Moods in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the amazing folks whom I helped to open Dick’s Last Resort in North Myrtle Beach as well, the good people of Twin Lakes Seafood Restaurant in Sunset Beach, North Carolina (not sure if they are still open) and Marina Raw Bar, in Little River, South Carolina for exposing me to the Food & Beverage business in a big, dramatic way! Special thanks to Joey Sacco, Mike LaPlante, Jeannie Reid, Daniel Clopton, Ralph Hunn and everyone at Night Moods who helped save me from myself.

Big thanks to everyone at Damon’s, Country Club of the North, Sycamore Creek Country Club, and most importantly, the Bayou Café, all of Dayton, Ohio, for being as supportive as possible to a daydreaming oaf like myself. Especially to the folks of the late Bayou Café, who were the closest thing I could have ever had to extended family – I miss you all.

To all those involved with Café Boulevard in Dayton, Ohio – I stayed there longer than any other restaurant I worked at, and most importantly, to Chefs Chris Velden and Justin White, for being two of the most impressive, creative people I had ever worked with up to that point.

I was privileged to have worked, though briefly, for Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel, when I served part-time at the old Pho Paris in Oakley. Jeff Hickenlooper, Mary Le, Jared Whalen and all the folks I was able to work with, inspired me to be the best I could be, even though I was moonlighting there while still running the wine department here at LD.

I’ve got to meet a lot of great people in this business, from David Schildknect (the world’s foremost authority on German and Austrian wines) and Sara Floyd (Jorge Ordonez’s superstar sommelier) to winemakers Michael Honig, Laely Heron and Luis Reginato (of Luca and Tikal). I am truly blessed to be a part of this business and hope to inevitably make the kind of contribution to this industry that so many of my peers have done. The list is truly massive, but here are just some of the folks that helped me along the way (who I haven’t mentioned above):

Sean McKown, John Drake, Hootie, Frank Braddock, Mike Frazier, Paul Shaw, Scott Davis, Mike Bowman, Jim Sheets, Wendy, Patty Click, Eva Christian, Audra Huelsman, Shanna Ramsey, Sara Staloch, Craig Cooper, Heidelberg Distributing of Dayton, Ohio, Ohio Valley Distributing, Bob Bowditch, Rick Dearworth, Julie Szabo, Maureen Hunley, Brian Scott, L.R. Hunley, Steve Dinnerstein, Marty Piazza, Rich Collins, Lisa Sweeney, Kevin Chaney, Todd Williams, Cory Nordhof, Jamie Dickerhoof, Matt Baugher, Ed Chalupa, Audrey Wood, David McDade, Christine Ahern, Ed Travis, Jeff Bundschu, Lou Morelli, Eugenia Keegan, Liz Rutherford, Jim Teegarden, David Kantor, Todd Brill, Patrick and Connie Allen, Brian Talley, Shirley Brooks, Pat Kerrigan, Stephane Brocard, Amelia Ceja, Catherine Timmins, Pat Hanna, Gordon Hullar, Todd Nikolai (RIP), Jeff Bodnar, Larry Gurner, Chris Webb, Tom Cartlidge, Bruce Robson, Christophe de la Fontaine, Linda Taylor, John Erickson, Matt McCormack, Richard Tiedemann, Harrison Jones, Jill Leslie, Laura Ginn, Wayne Dutschke, Michele Jordan, Pat Henderson, Colleen Glennon, Antonio Morescalchi, Pam Starr, Drew Neiman, George Hendry, Trent Moffett, Walter Schug, Nicole Roth, Michael J. Phillips, Richard Bruno, Isabel Fernandes, James Hutton, Susie Selby, Liz Hugo, George Geris, Dave Schumann, Artie Bonanno, Elizabeth Grant-Douglas, Morgan Hartman, Adam LaZarre, Michael DeLoach, Bruce Neyers, Greg Graziano, Roy Cloud, Jose Pastore, John Given (RIP), Josefa Concannon, Theda Doane, Eric Danninger, Kristin Freund, Joy Merrilees, Giampaolo Cherubin, Thomas Halby, Megan Cushman, Jody Bogle VanDePol, Kent Savitt, Matt Citriglia, Jeff Lefevre, Joe Roberts, Thea Dwell, Lisa De Bruin, Michelle Lentz, Mike Rosenberg, Tim Lemke, Jonathan Seeds, and the list goes on and on.

Of course, I have to thank the Depenbrock clan and everyone at LD for continuing to give me the motivation I need to keep striving toward getting better. And my wife - that goes without saying - the reason I get up every morning and the big factor in why I want to continue in this business (besides the passion for it of course).

It feels good sometimes to just stop and thank those that have helped you along the journey to wherever it is you may be going.

Cheers!

ROBERT JOHNSON AND THE D.O.C.G.

Robert Johnson and the DOCG wines from Italy: What the hell do these things have in common? The number 29. That’s how I am going to remember the 29 DOCG wines of Italy. Robert Johnson, arguably the greatest blues guitarist of all time, wrote only 29 songs before he died under mysterious circumstances at the age of 27 in 1938. “Crossroad Blues” could equate to the Franciocorta wines of the Lombardy region, and “If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day” could be Moscato d’Asti. I could designate “Hellhounds On My Trail” as Carmignano, and “Come On In My Kitchen” as “Sagrantino dei Montefalco.” I am just being arbitrary, but I think it’s a pretty effective way for my musically-dominated mind to work for this upcoming test.

For those of you that don’t know what DOCG means or even stands for, the DOCG designation on Italian wines simply delineates the highest quality levels available. This means that wines that are DOCG-designate are the best of the best. There are 29 wines that have been ceritified DOCG (which stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Grantita or “controlled and guaranteed origin”):

From Piedmont: 1) Barbaresco, 2) Barolo, 3) Brachetto d’Acqui, 4) Gattinara, 5) Gavi, 6) Ghemme, 7) Moscato d’Asti;

From Lombardy: 8) Franciacorta, 9) Valtellina Superiore, 10) Sforzato (Sfursat);

From Veneto: 11) Bardolino Superiore, 12) Recioto di Soave, 13) Soave Superiore;

From Friuli-Venezia Giulia: 14) Ramandolo;

From Emilia-Romagna: 15) Albana di Romagna;

From Tuscany: 16) Brunello di Montalcino, 17) Carmignano (red only), 18) Chianti, 19) Chianti Classico, 20) Vernaccia di San Gimignano, 21) Vino Nobile di Montepulciano;

From Umbria: 22) Sagrantino di Montefalco, 23) Torgiano Rosso Riserva;

From Campania: 24) Taurasi, 25) Greco di Tufo, 26) Fiano di Avellino;

From Sardinia: 27) Vermentino di Gallura;

From Abruzzo: 28) Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane;

And from Marches: 29) Vernaccia di Serrapetrona;

The wines of Italy are a complicated topic to cover. Believe me I know. Italian wines are my truest passion, and I have a hard time with them. There are at least 2000 grape varieties used in Italy to make wine, and there is 1 winery for every 1000 Italian citizens – that’s a lot of wineries per capita. Hopefully though, I can load up all of Robert Johnson’s tunes on my MP3 and on the way to Atlanta and my test next week, I will be one step closer to passing.

BETTER DRINKING THROUGH CHEMISTRY

Fermentation, according to my Society of Wine Educators Study Guide, is “a biochemical process involving about thirty successive chemical reactions, each catalyzed by a specific enyme – an organic substance capable of causing a chemical change.” I never imagined while I was falling asleep in my Chem class back in high school, dreaming about Catherine Bach from Dukes of Hazzard, that I would miss out on what would become a surprisingly integral part of my beloved once and future wine career.

The chemical formula for the fermentation of grapes into wine is C₆H₁₂O₆ + yeast = 2 C₂H₅OH + 2 CO₂. This breaks down as grape sugars converting through the action of the yeasts introduced to the juice into ethanol and carbon dioxide. Also, heat is generated and expelled through this process. It’s easy to forget the simple chemical mechanics of making wine when you’re swirling your favorite red or white amidst friends at a dinner party, but there it is.

The sugar in grapes is measured in degrees (referred to in the U.S. as Brix – in France, it is called Baume, in Germany, Oechsle). Grapes harvested at 24 Brix will result in a wine potentially possessing alcohol of approximately 12%.

Fermentation, according to my guide, is difficult to start if the must (unfermented grape juice) is cooler than 57° F and problematic to control at temperatures above 95° F. Conversion of sugar into alcohol accelerates as the temperatures rise, yet at very high temperatures, the yeasts shut down and die. The irony is that ethanol, created during the fermentation process is actually toxic to the yeasts that help produce it. Warmer fermentations subsequently produce wines of lower total alcohol.

Yeasts have very simple nutritional requirements: sugar, minerals, nitrogen and vitamins – the same we humans need. Yeast cells are anywhere from 25-60% nitrogenous material, they require nitrogen in order to reproduce. Obviously, nitrogen is a key ingredient to a healthy fermentation process.

There are several types of fermentation: carbonic maceration, malolactic fermentation, inoculated fermentation, wild yeast fermentation – each process a different device in the winemaker’s toolbox. While carbonic maceration is simply a process involving the entire cluster of grapes, using all the parts to ferment naturally (a process used primarily in Beaujolais production), and malolactic fermentation is a “secondary” process used to transform malic acid (which is the natural acid in grapes) to lactic or dairy acid (giving the wines a creamy, buttery texture), the initial fermentation processes of inoculated (or cultured) fermentation versus wild yeast fermentation generates pros and cons as well.

Inoculated fermentation gives you a quick start to the process, with a predictable outcome of alcohol, higher alcohol production due to high alcohol-tolerant yeasts, the ability to ferment at lower temperatures, fewer by-products, a resulting clean wine with few off-odors. Wild yeast fermentation however, gives you more acetic acid (lending a rustic tone to the wine), more ethyl acetate (in small amounts, adds complexity), more glycerol, increased phenyl alcohol, H₂S, acetaldehyde, and overall, a less-efficient, less-predictable alcohol production. Sounds like inoculated is the way to go right? Yet there are many winemakers who choose wild yeast fermentation because of the style it creates. It’s almost like a painter choosing oils or acrylics, it all depends on their inner palette (palate).

I think my High School Chemistry teacher would be shocked that I would be so enthralled by chemistry now. I wish I wouldn’t have been daydreaming about girls so much, and I wish I would have paid more attention. Hopefully, Mrs. Osborn would be at least a tiny bit impressed now.

VARIETAL IS THE SPICE OF LIFE

So the countdown to the exam is on… my Certified Specialist of Wine exam. Like most of us, I get all tense about exam, have all of those weird, neurotic dreams about that final exam that you realize you haven’t studied for is happening that day – the kind of anxiety that is pretty ridiculous when you really think about it, but you can’t because you’re too anxious about taking it. Round and around and around we go.

In my typical fashion, I nonchalantly study, reading a page here, a page there, until two weeks before the big day, and then it’s nonstop cram jam! This week, in preparation for the section on varietals, I spied a few things I hadn’t realized (or just needed refresher on):

1. Pinot Noir has the propensity to mutate constantly, and over time, has morphed into Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and even Pinot Meunier.
2. California Gamay is really either the grape Valdigue orjust inferior Pinot Noir.
3. Zinfandel and Primitivo are descended from the Croatian grape Crljenak.

4. Syrah is not originally from Persia (hence the Australian version named Shiraz) and is French in origin; a cross between ancient varieties Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche.
5. Sangiovese takes its name from the Latin “sanguis jovis” or “blood of Jupiter.”

6. Sangiovese is prone to oxidation, hence the brickish hue it often acquires in the bottle.
7. Tempranillo has several pseudonyms, including Ull de Llebre (Cataluna), Cencibel (Valdepenas), Tinto de Toro (Rueda and Toro), Tinta Roriz (Douro), and Aragonez (Alentejo).
8. Muscat is thought to be the ancestor to ALL grape varieties.

Pretty cool, eh?

Of the most fascinating major grape varieties, Pinot Noir tops the list, due to its extremely temperamental responses to various climates, soil compositions, viticultural practices, and so on. The perfect way to understand the difficulty of growing Pinot Noir is in the monologue Paul Giamatti’s character in the movie “Sideways” delivers, telling Maya, played by the lovely Virginia Madsen, how it requires just the right amount of warmth and cold, and the proper soil conditions, and the right amount of tender loving care by the vineyard manager and winemaker, and all the vineyard workers who come in contact with it (just paraphrasing of course). Learning about its tendency to mutate over time is not surprising. It’s a bit like watching the old Sally Field movie “Sybil” with her characters multiple personalities, each one different from the one before it. Maybe Pinot Noir suffers from the plant kingdom’s own version of MPD, who knows.

Discussing wine with friends last night, the mantra of the talk was that, and I say it to customers all the time, with wine, you are always learning something new. I guess that's what makes wine such a great adventure, that element of discovery in every bottle.

ZEN AND THE ART OF WAREHOUSE MAINTENANCE

One of the least glamorous portions of my gig as a wine buyer is managing our warehouse. It might sound really easy, but there is always something that goes wrong and I find myself spending half-the-day sorting it out.

It was at least a fortuitous event in my previous work history that I spent almost 2 years working for R&L Transfer, a trucking company based up the road in Wilmington, Ohio. I joke with my boss that I am the only one in his employ that boasts previous job experience as a “loadmaster” (which sounds pretty vulgar upon reflection). This past job, along with a lot of “temp”-ing as a furniture mover, delivery driver and dock worker are all valuable tools now in my current job, despite my co-workers believing is quite "glamorous" is actually a arduous, time-consuming job I wouldn't trade for the world.

Now, most wine buyers aren’t really required to move product around so much, or at least, none that I am aware of – there are part-time and third-shift employees for that I am told. However, with the business model our owner constructed some time ago, it’s a requisite for functioning to see the product and touch the product and physically move the product in order to better understand how things turn around here, which is a big reason why my wife can’t get a lot of work out of me when I get home.

As our business continues to grow, the need for a more efficient system – whether it is product tracking, requisition forms, and the like – to aid in positioning our inventory becomes more apparent, but modern ways are just not our style. And since everything is done by hand, we obviously miss a few things. And you know what that means – the wrath from on high reigns down with great regularity. Never a dull moment. It crushes me to realize once a customer asks for a wine I have ample supply of at the warehouse has been missed on the transfer because of the other 120 or so cases I just trucked over and had no room for in the van, blah blah blah. I hate excuses yet I become trapped in a few of them daily. Should there be a resolution to it? Yes. Can there be? Sure, but it would cost a considerable amount of money to remedy the problem. Or will it? There are those that would argue if I just wrote things down, I wouldn't forget, to which the reply is "I do write it all down." Often it's a matter of, "I have several cases and I should be okay for the day," and then a customer comes in and buys up all my back stock at a time when I am finishing up for the day and am unaware that that situation happened. It can be my own little danse macabre in a way, and utter frustration to think about when I get home (to the chagrin of the Mrs.).

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One of these days, we'll create a better system, but until then, I can't forget to eat my Wheaties in the morning.

Just a slight muse on a dark and stormy Wednesday.

THE RETURN OF AN OLD FAVORITE

Yesterday, I received a group of wines that have been hard fought to get in this state over the past 7 years. I haven't been able to fully comprehend the reasons why, except to say that a certain retailer downstate has been a real pain in the ass about "exclusivities" - the concept of one retailer selling a specific brand for the entire state - and given our logistical situation, that prospect has always proven untenable.

So the store welcomed back to the shelves, one of my favorite wines, a rose from Montes called Cherub. 100% Syrah from Montes' Archangel estate in Marchigue (in the Colchagua Valley), this delicious blush has been one of my go-to wines for summer the past 4-5 years. It possesses aromas of red fruit and flowers, and on the palate, it delivers notes of spicy strawberry, red raspberry and orange peel. There is plenty of balance between fruit and acidity, which makes this wine very enjoyable with food, or just a chilled glass after a long day working. I baked some red snapper filets and made white beans and tomatoes with cilantro, which paired up well with the Cherub.

I know a lot of folks are a bit skittish when it comes to "pink" wines, but this would satisfy any red drinker, no problem. Give it a try.