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In this week's Premium Edition: Highly rated dessert wine As many of you know from my occasional lectures on the topic, I encourage readers to declare independence from the published critics, developing the wine self-confidence to make your own informed choices based on quality and value, using published point ratings to backstop your own judgement, if at all. But let's face it, it can still be reassuring to select and enjoy a wine, then discover that the likes of noted critic Robert M. Parker Jr. shared your good opinion. The excellent dessert wine that I'll discuss in tomorrow's Wine Advisor Premium Edition, for instance, earned a Parker grade of 94. To my pleased surprise, it's still reasonably priced for its niche. The Premium Edition, our subscription-only E-letter that focuses on more upscale wines, aims to help you shop with confidence when you're considering a bottle for a special occasion. The $24 annual subscription brings you 26 biweekly E-mail editions.
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Want to take a look at a free sample first? Click here: Wine-shipping news wrapup As I put together today's Wine Advisor in my portable computer on the seat-back tray table somewhere over Northern Florida, it occurs to me that if it were as complicated to get yourself and your luggage across some state lines in the U.S. as it is to purchase wine from out of state, the public simply wouldn't hold still for it. And under such unlikely circumstances, if a major national special-interest group opposed the traveler's right to fly from point to point as the national wine and liquor lobby opposes our right to purchase a bottle of wine in a similarly straightforward fashion, I think a lot of us would be out there pounding on the doors of the people responsible in angry outrage. As we discussed in last Monday's Wine Advisor, the U.S. Supreme Court entertained arguments on this issue Dec. 7, considering state laws that deny individuals in many parts of the U.S. the right to purchase wine directly from producers and vendors across state lines. "It does appear that our side did a significantly better job than the other side," said Patrick Campbell, wine maker of Laurel Glen winery and a regional director of Famliy Winemakers of California, an industry group that favors consumer choice in wine buying. "The wholesalers look rather shell-shocked afterwards. But then, of course, they didn't have much of a case to work on," Campbell joked, thumbing a brief after-the-fact report into his BlackBerry at my request. Reporters at the one-hour Dec. 7 hearing, although perhaps more disinterested, seemed to take away similar views. "Small producers of fine wines may have made a sale in the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, as the justices signaled that they were inclined to strike down state laws prohibiting people from buying wines directly from out-of-state vineyards," The Los Angeles Times's David Savage reported from the courtroom. "That would not only give boutique wineries in California and around the country a way to expand their markets, but might also unravel decades-old laws that regulate the marketing of beer, wine and liquor in the United States." The Washington Post's Charles Lane said he thought wine makers who want to ship directly to consumers across state lines "got a sympathetic hearing." Lane summarized aggressive questioning by several of the justices, including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who said, "One thing is certain" ... "The central purpose of [the 21st Amendment, which repealed Prohibition] was not to empower states to favor local liquor industries by erecting barriers to competition." The hearing attracted international attention. The Sydney Morning Herald was intrigued by the presence of former Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr as lead attorney for the Coalition for Free Trade, another group that supports direct shipment to consumers. The Australian newspaper quoted Starr, after the hearing, calling into question laws that permit in-state winemakers to sell and ship while denying similar privileges to producers in other states. "It's insulting, it's wrong, it's discriminatory," Starr reportedly said, adding that such laws are aimed at protecting wholesalers, who have a "powerful oligopoly." The arguments also prompted more than a few newspaper editorialists to to take the free-trade side. The Toledo (Ohio) Blade, for example, wrote, "The U.S. Supreme Court would do wine lovers ... a favor by corking anti-consumer laws in 24 states that prohibit direct sales by out-of-state wineries via telephone and the Internet. ... What's being decided is a matter of convenience and choice for adults, and we'll raise a glass of the finest vintage if the Supreme Court rules that way." In Baton Rouge, La., editorialists for The Advocate wrote, "The justices are right to be skeptical about overly restrictive state laws. The constitutional reservation of regulation of booze to the states is one thing, but it should not trump the obligation of the states to do so fairly - and that means the same rules ought to apply to wineries in a state or outside its boundaries." One caution: It's way too early for wine enthusiasts to uncork celebrations. The Supreme Court won't announce its decision until next spring, and courts often surprise observers who think they see an "obvious" direction in judges' remarks from the bench.
Since I've covered the background and details of this issue recently, I didn't repeat them today. If you'd like a refresher, though, check the archives for the June 4, 2004, article, "Supreme wine decision,"
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TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE If you prefer to comment privately, feel free to send me E-mail at wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit. Following up on last week's appealing "Rainwater" Madeira, here's another luscious dessert wine to warm a winter night, this one a sweet Muscat from Rutherglen, a small, historic wine region in Victoria, northeast of Melbourne, that has long been known for its world-class dessert wines.
This wine is an attractive, clear reddish-amber color. Dried fruit aromas, rich and full, almost leap out of the glass. The aroma gains complexity from minty floral notes, but intense dried-apricot character is dominant here, filling both the nose and palate. It's a very sweet wine indeed, so much so that lush sugars easily outpace a good level of crisp, fresh-fruit acidity. A hint of milk chocolate joins dried-apricot fruit in a very long finish. U.S. importer: Old Bridge Cellars, Napa, Calif. (Dec. 7, 2004) FOOD MATCH: Sure, it would go with nuts, dried fruit and cheese, but for me, a wine at this sweetness level doesn't go with dessert; it is dessert. VALUE: Note that this is a 375 ml. "half-bottle," but a little of this rich, sweet stuff goes a long way. By the pricey standard of high-quality dessert wines, this one's a bargain. WHEN TO DRINK: It's intended for immediate enjoyment, but wines of this style are made to last, and should keep in a good wine cellar for many years. Note also that this wine, in contrast with dry table wines, should keep reasonably well in the open bottle for as long several weeks; longer still under refrigeration, but do let it warm up a bit before serving. A wine of this complexity loses a lot if you serve it ice-cold.
WEB LINK:
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To purchase today, click Last Week's Wine Advisor Index The Wine Advisor's daily edition is usually distributed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (and, for those who subscribe, the FoodLetter on Thursdays). Here's the index to last week's columns:
• Screwcap preserves freshness (Dec. 10, 2004)
• Malbec from Paul Hobbs (Dec. 8, 2004)
• Wine shipping comes to court (Dec. 6, 2004)
• Complete 30 Second Wine Advisor archive:
• Wine Advisor FoodLetter: Adriatic-style seafood and pasta (Dec. 9, 2004)
• Wine Advisor Foodletter archive:
SUBSCRIBE: Administrivia To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, or for any other administrative matters, please use the individualized hotlink found at the end of your E-mail edition. If this is not practical, contact me by E-mail at wine@wineloverspage.com, including the exact E-mail address that you used when you subscribed, so I can find your record. We do not use our E-mail list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail address to anyone. I welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. To contact me, please send E-mail to wine@wineloverspage.com All the wine-tasting reports posted here are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry.
Monday, Dec. 13, 2004 |
Chambers Rosewood Vineyards Rutherglen Muscat ($16.99)
