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the #1 thing I look for is having it be so very, very varietally/terroir expressive that it makes me feel the same way I felt the first time I really “got” the taste/aroma of a type of wine. Much like Summer Roberts, I started my wine career with a very high academic aptitude, but no intrinsically gifted palate, so a wine needs to evoke a very specific taste and memory to get three stars from me… a few examples:

- Dry Alsatian whites need to smell like petroleum… I learned this while watching the first five minutes of the 3rd episode of The Wire… I hated the first two sips of the wine (SO OILY!) and the first two episodes of the show (NOTHING HAPPENS… it’s like trying to start Anna Karenina in media res at the mushroom picking scene and without the whole “Happy Families are all alike” thing. argh!) When the show came together though, my palate followed suit … the third sip is the charm! Tropical fruit and petroleum is a beautiful flavor marriage!

- Cabernet… no matter where it’s grown… needs to smell like cassis… red or black, ripe or unripe… Cabernet needs to smell like cassis for me. Why? Because, I really “got” Cabernet the first time when I was tasting with Jane (who worked for the James Beard foundation for years and started the most perfect little wine shops in the world) and a rep poured us a Paso Robles Cab that had 0% terroir but was 100% varietally expressive, and she said, “wow, that’s a lot of cassis… at least, it’s obviously Cab.” From then on, I was able to spot a good cab in a blind tasting from a mile away.

- Gevrey-Chambertin must have a distinct aroma of Robitussin… which is probably why I don’t like Gevrey-Chambertin… yes, it’s Pinot Noir, and I love Pinot Noir (not true, I love funky Pinot Noir), but no matter what euphamisms people use for Robitussin (e.g., Juniper Berries, Licorice, Wormswood, etc.) it still smells like Robitussin when it’s done correctly.

Alsace, Cabernet Sauvignon, Old World, Pinot Noir, Red Burgundy, Wine Questions Answered | No Comments

Ok, yeah, I do know a bit about wine, but who really needs another person who knows quite a bit about a lot of wine areas… wouldn’t it be better if I were a person who knew quite a bit about a lot of wine areas AND  a ton about one, wonderfully underappreciate wine area?!

I’m just thinking outloud now, but these are the areas where I think there might be an opening for me to make an actual difference in helping people slow down and really enjoy wine:

• Alsace: wow, prima facie this might be the worst idea in the universe since almost everyone reading this (i.e., all of T.B. Ackerson’s regular customers) hates white wine that isn’t “zippy and crisp” and red that isn’t “big and creamy.” Alsace whites are often big, petrol-driven oil slicks in your glass, and their reds are tiny, tart marvels. They also have a ton of unmined, terroir-based idiosyncracies. Spicy, Oriental, and fatty Eastern European dishes go perfectly with the wines of Alsace, and wouldn’t you know it… Spicy, Oriental, and fatty Eastern European dishes are all the rage of New York City!
• New Zealand: One day people will understand that grapefruit-driven Sauvignon Blancs are this country’s least exciting wine zone! Pinot Noir that has the funk of Burgundy and the cinnamon of Oregon is what makes my palate dance in New Zealand. Heck, even their Riesling rivals the noble, just-mentioned Alsace. Wow, I could totally do that those wines with some oddly savory Asian fish!
  
• Non-sucky Syrah: Specialize in one of my least favorite grapes? Well, it’s only my least favorite when lazy winemakers turn out “fruit’ish” red wines that taste more like the paper used to print their labels than the actual land used to grow the grapes. When it’s done right it tastes like raw meat, burnt flowers, and ripe black fruits. That sounds like it might go wonderfully with Korean beef!
  

Alsace, New Zealand, Syrah | No Comments