In 2008 we recommend our readers try a wine its likely they have either never had, think is too girly to have, or have not had in a really long time.

That wine is Rose, yes guys you too.

Rose wine does have a pink-ish color and will be low in tannins. They will drink more like a white.

Many connoisseurs don't have Rose high up on their list. But, it is summertime and Rose tastes awesome cold. It's about as refreshing as a margarita only two glasses won't get you as tipsy.

So...go to your trusted local shop, pick up a bottle of Rose. Chill it, pop it open and enjoy.

Want a personalized recommendation? Shoot us an email at: sb@worldwinegroups.com , or drop us a line on Twitter or Facebook.

Cheers to a very happy 4th!

The World Wine Groups has posted its June winning wine from the Sonoma Regional, Zinfandel.  Click Here to see the Results.

If you haven't signed up for Twitter, we recommend that you do so. It's a ton of fun and it answers the question (very concisely), "What Am I Doing?"

@samirbh

@Jensandiegoca

Cheers,

Samir and Jen.

John Stuart, the owner of a wine shop in the Willamette Valley region of Oregon has lost a dispute with the liquor commission. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) has disallowed Mr. Stuart from letting his customers use a one ounce self dispensing machine. He spent $125,000 after the OLCC told him it was OK to do so about a year and a half ago.

Full article can be found by clicking here.

In a state where wine sales do occur in big retailers, such as Vons in California, consumers do benefit with more competitive pricing. However, in general those big box stores tend to carry more of the mass produced and mass marketed brands such as Yellowtail instead of some of the smaller batch boutique wines that you can find from your local wine shop.

http://www.beverageworld.com/content/view/34883/

TRENTON, N.J.: New Jersey lawmakers are again considering plans to allow beer and wine sales in grocery stores. While 45 states allow such sales, New Jersey limits supermarket chains to two total liquor licenses. It also mandates that the liquor be sold separately from groceries, usually in an adjoining store.

Major supermarket chains are working to change that, but smaller liquor store owners fear the change would drive them out of business.

"The big guys are going to wipe out the little guys," Jeffrey Warsh, executive director of the New Jersey Wine and Spirits Wholesalers Association, told lawmakers in a December hearing.

Legislators took no action during last year's hearing, but Sen. Raymond Lesniak, the bill's sponsor, expects a vote Monday by the Senate Economic Growth committee. He predicted the bill will pass.

The measure is backed by a coalition that includes QuickChek, Stop & Shop, SuperValu, Wegmans, Pathmark, Whole Foods Market and Albertsons, which owns Acme.

Otto Leuschel, chairman of the Retailers for Responsible Liquor Licensing coalition, said consumers would be assured more convenience and choice with one-stop shopping.

"With the many burdens that New Jersey residents currently face, such as the economic downturn and the rise in gas prices, consumers are looking for ways to improve their hectic days," he said.

The New Jersey law was adopted in 1962 to prevent price fixing and monopolization and to address organized crime.

Fred Leighton, owner of Bayway World of Liquor in Elizabeth, has doubted a need for the bill.

"Do we really need or want more convenience in the sale of alcohol in this state?" Leighton asked. "Do we need it? I mean, we're not in Texas where you have to drive a hundred miles. New Jersey is a dense state -- if you need alcohol, there's plenty of opportunity to find it." 

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. 

World Wine Groups Says...

Since Merlot took a back seat to Cabernet after 2004's Sideways, wine drinkers everywhere have been looking for bold red wines that are different than Cabernet.  Zinfandel is best bet for bold red wine drinkers.  Often times confused with White Zinfandel (a table wine, jug wine or boxed wine sold at convenience stores) a good red Zinfandel will satisfy any experienced wine drinker’s palette and make fans out of novices.

Bottles You Can Buy

Cline 2005 Sonoma Zinfandel - Red Wine
Kenwood 2003 Sonoma Zinfandel Reserve - Red Wine
Kenwood 2005 Sonoma Zinfandel - Red Wine

Food Pairings

Zinfandel pairs like a traditional bold red wine: grilled steak, lamb, gorgonzola cheese, and dark chocolate. 
Also pair well with rich, creamy pastas, grilled or rotisserie chicken, and baked Italian dishes like lasagna and canelloni. 

About the Wine

Zinfandel is a variety of red grape planted in over 10 percent of California wine vineyards.^[1] DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in the 'heel' of Italy (Puglia).

Sonoma county has the second-largest Zinfandel-producing land area after San Joaquin.^[40] The county contains the warm Dry Creek Valley AVA, known for its juicy Zinfandel with bright fruit, balanced acidity and notes of blackberry, anise and pepper.^[4][38] Dry Creek Valley produces Zinfandels in a variety of styles ranging from the high-alcohol Amador style to balanced spicy wines.

Read More here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinfandel

The World Wine Groups, LLC has standardized on a 100 point system for reviewing and scoring wines.  Click Here to Read our Ratings System.

Public Scoring

We listened to you and the World Wine Groups, LLC has now launched a beta 100 point public scoring system.  This easy to use new scoring system allows anonymous scoring entry via our entry page.  This scoring is for the public who doesn't want to "log-in" or keep track of their own scores and reviews but they do want to contribute to the overall scoring and ratings of the community.   

Top Rated Wines

In addition, we are now keeping a list of the top rated wines from our users in the Winning Wines Section of the website.  This list will contain the top scored wines, dynamically updated minute by minute.  This is just the first in a long que of updates we will have for our users to help them select and review wines scored by the community.

Now Accepting Applications for User Scoring

In addition to public scoring, we are now accepting applications to use our beta user scoring application.  This application will allow you to score and review wines and keep a close watch on what you've tasted, your favorite countries and varietals.  In addition, this application has special features for wine groups who want to score while they are tasting. Click Here to Submit an Application.

An Indianapolis Winery, Chateau Thomas Winery, is set to release a no-calorie, no-carb wine today at an Indiana Wine Festival.  World Wine Groups looks forward to getting a hold of one of these bottles and tasting it!  We will keep you posted.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080606/LIVING07/806060445/1272/LIVING07

You know it is a great week when you turn on the Today Show and watch Matt Lauer telling you to drink more wine!  A study that was released this week tells us that a compound, Resveratrol, may protect the heart and slow the effects of aging.  This is a "no brainer" for any one who has hung out with their italian family and watched their 80 year old relatives sip down jug after jug of table wine.  Usually these tests are done on mice, and we are not sure how many bottles of wine these mice had to drink, but we hope they were drinking something good. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/05/AR2008060501420.html

Apparently a few other wineries have attempted the method for still wines and Roederer is the first to try it with sparkling wine.

PARIS (Reuters) - One of France's oldest champagne producers is testing a new way of ageing its bubbly: on the seabed off northern France.

Louis Roederer wants to find out if its wine tastes better if it is kept in cold sea water and rocked by currents than in the cellars of the city of Reims, where it is normally stored.

Roederer said on Monday it had placed several dozen bottles 15 metres (50 feet) underwater in the bay of Mont Saint-Michel, a rocky tidal island off the coast of Normandy, last weekend.

A cellarman came up with the idea after realising that the water temperature in the bay, a constant 10 degrees Celsius (50.00F), was ideal for ageing wine.

http://africa.reuters.com/odd/news/usnL02767619.html

The couple became wine afficionados when David was playing for Real Madrid in Spain. David purchased the California vineyard for an undisclosed sum (rumored to be seven figures) in the Napa Valley region. The wine is not scheduled to be commercially available, rather for friends and family. 

According to the grapevine, lots of pun intended, David presented Victoria with a bottle of wine, featuring her on the label while the couple was taking holiday in the Napa area.

A great interview with the Beckhams may be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P842Tmi6lrc

World Wine Groups says...

Why not give it a try...if for no other reason than it is fun to say.

Bottles you can buy

Chapoutier 2005 La Bernardine Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Rhone Blends Red Wine

Chateau La Ner2003 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee des Cadettes - Rhone Blends Red Wine

Domaine du Vieux Lazaret 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Exceptionelle - Rhone Blends Red Wine

Food Pairings

Grilled meats, game, roasts, sausages, lamb, spicier cuisine

About the Wine

The Rhône wine region in Southern France is situated in the Rhône river valley and produces numerous wines under various Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) designations. The region's major appellation in terms of production volume is Côtes du Rhône AOC. The region is generally divided into two sub-regions with distinct vinicultural traditions, the Northern Rhône (referred to in French as Rhône septentrienal) and the Southern Rhône (in French Rhône méridional). The northern sub-region produces red wines from the Syrah grape, sometimes blended with white wine grapes, and white wines from Viognier grapes. The southern sub-region produces an array of red, white and rosé wines, often blends of several grapes such as in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is an AOC for wine made near the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Rhône wine region in southeastern France. It is the most renowned appellation of the southern part of the Rhône Valley. Vineyards are located around Châteauneuf-du-Pape and in the neighboring villages Bédarrides, Courthézon and Sorgues between Avignon and Orange and covers slightly more than 3 200 hectares or 7,900 acres. Over 110,000 hectolitres of wine a year is produced here.^[1] More wine is made in this one area of southern Rhône then in the entirety of the northern Rhône region.^[2]

Read more here: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teauneuf-du-Pape_AOC

What was your first memory of wine?

Occasional wine with Sunday dinners when we were kids.

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine?

Gallo Hearty Burgundy in college ($1.55 a gallon); Mateus Rose when courting my future bride; 1966 La Mission Haut Brion after I learned something.

Do you think it's the taste of a good wine or the experience while drinking the wine that makes it good?  Why?

All of the above. Start with a dozen wines in a blind tasting as one way of picking a good one (to your particular palate) and then match wine with good food and great company. Sharing wine with others is the greatest pleasure.

But don’t think it’s just the taste.  A major part of our appreciation is in the nose.  I can remember tasting a barrel sample of the 1985 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23 in early 1986 at the winery long before it went into barrel aging and bottling.  The nose exploded with fruit – an amazing concentration of Cabernet plus a few nuances from the terroir. It was packed with Cabernet character on the palate, hidden behind the tannins. But the nose got me. Two or three years later it received top scores from many critics. Also, if you do a blind tasting with Cabernet or Pinot Noir or Chardonnay from different countries and regions, be guided by the nose (aroma of the fruit, bouquet from the terroir, barrels, style of the winery, etc.).  Very fun.

How big is your cellar?

About 1,000 bottles. 

What is your favorite vineyard or brand?

For consistency, I’d recommend several from different parts of the world, while avoiding the ultra-expensive cult wines.  California: Caymus, Beringer, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Hanzell, Phelps Insignia, Mondavi Reserve Cabernet.  Bordeaux: Lynch Bages, Cos d’Estournel, Pichon Lalande, Pichon Baron, L’Angelus, Palmer, Clerc Milon, Carraudes de Lafite, La Mission Haut Brion, Mouton.

 
Do you have a favorite bottle?

1975 La Mission Haut Brion, 1985 Stag’s Leap Cask 23, 1982 Mouton.

What wine are you saving for a special day?

1970 Dow Oporto, 1985 Heitz Cellars Martha’s Vineyard Magnum, 1989 Mouton Magnum.

Where do you buy the majority of your wine?

Different retailers: San Diego Wine Company in San Diego; the Wine Club in Santa Ana; K&L in San Francisco.

Have you ever had an organic wine?  Did you like it?

Just the Bonterra.  Good value. 

What is the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine?

$200.  I’ve been fortunate to get into futures. 

What was your favorite wine experience (or one of your top experiences)?

Too many to count.  The best usually involve a so-called gourmet group of five couples that we have enjoyed supping and sipping with for more than 25 years.  We get together every quarter to try cuisine from a different region, with wines to match.  Each couple is charged with bringing one of the courses and appropriate wine. The mixing and matching is spectacular and ranges from a $12 bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with a clam appetizer up to a $100 Napa Cabernet with the beef Richelieu (if you haven’t done this, please do).

What one wine do you recommend for our readers to try?

Try one new wine a week to go with food, take notes on what you like and don’t, and continue the quest.

What is an up-and-coming wine (or winery) you think is a good value right now?

 Malbec from Argentina, Cabernet from Chile, Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

 
Did we miss anything?

Wine needs company – good food and great people. Don’t get hung up in wine-worshiping or buying labels. As noted above, continue the quest.

About Tom Gable

Tom Gable, a native Californian, has been writing about wine for more than 30 years.  He began during his tenure as business editor of the San Diego Evening Tribune in the 1970s. He was syndicated through Copley News Service and also contributed frequently to travel, wine and inflight publications before moving into a full-time career in public relations.  He continues to cover wine as contributing wine editor for San Diego Magazine and also writes about wine, food and travel for magazines and newspapers.

Tom has judged at major wine competitions and traveled extensively in the winemaking areas of the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and New Zealand. He is a member of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin and the Commanderie de Bordeaux. 

Tom is CEO of Gable PR, San Diego, one of the west's leading public relations and marketing communications agencies.  He is the author of The PR Client Service Manual, now in its fourth edition and the No. 1 book sold through the Public Relations Society of America on PR program planning, implementation and managing for results. 

A graduate of San Diego State University, he served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army and as a war correspondent with Pacific Stars & Stripes. Prior to starting his first firm, The Gable Group, in 1976, he was business editor of the San Diego Evening Tribune and a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and other business, travel and regional magazines. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting and holds many awards for writing and public relations.

Tom and his wife, Laura, live in Del Mar, California, and have three grown children.

Gary was awesome enough to share some time with us and do a phone interview for our readers, providing his insight into the world of wine. Gary, who is from Jersey and is a huge Jets fan, was driving around San Francisco on his way to lunch with Kevin Rose (of Digg fame) and then to dinner with Mark Zuckerberg (of Facebook fame). Between that and TV appearances on the Big Idea, Conan, and MadMoney, we say, Tough Life!  :-)

We at Got Tannins encourage you to go out and support Gary's new book - 101 Wines Guaranteed to Inspire, Delight, and Bring Thunder to Your World.

What was the first memory you have of wine?

My first memory of wine is Manischewitz wine at a passover dinner when I was 13 years old.

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine?

Before I even truly liked wine I had already taking the family business from $3m (1997) to $10m. I was obnoxiously booksmart. The first "good" wine was an Amarone.

Do you think it's the taste of a good wine or the experience while drinking the wine that makes it good?  Why?

Easiest question ever!  its totally about the people you share it with. Sometimes its mindset, the day; the emotions you go into it with.

How big is your cellar?

A bit tough to answer given my business. My cellar is really tied into inventory of Wine Library. 

What is your favorite varietal (i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)? Why?

At this specific moment Cab Franc from the Loire Valley.

What is your favorite region for wine (i.e. Napa Valley, Margaret River, Montelcino)

I tend not to fall in love with any specific region, I like trying and experiencing new things.
 

What is your favorite vineyard or brand?

Don't have one favorite vineyard or brand.

Do you have a favorite bottle? (varietal, region, year)

1994 Bryant Family Cab. 1st birthday in New Jersey after I finished college at a family dinner (I went to Mt. Ida )

What wine are you saving for a special day?

Cases of birth year wine.

Have you ever had an organic wine?  Did you like it?

Yes, I think everybody has, but don't realize it. Lots of wineries don't publize it. They will all start now. Perception in industry was organic wines were not good. On the flipside, organic or sustainable wines will be the norm within a decade.

What is the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine?

$700-$800 range, for older Burgundy's at Cru in NY, great wine restaurant.

What was your favorite wine experience (or one of your top experiences)?

The impromptu flash SXSW wine party (2008) at the Marriott that everyone found out about via Twitter.

What one wine do you recommend for our readers to try?

A wine that is a varietal that they've never had before. Period. That my friend is how people will get into wine and learn about wine. 

It's almost summertime, what's your take on Rose?

I like rose, but am more of a fan of white crisp white wines.

What is an up-and-coming wine (or winery) you think is a good value right now?

Douro region in Portugal is where its at. Classic varietals, portuguese indigenous grapes. 

Did we miss anything?

Getting into wine is easier and better than ever before. Most importantly, people need to try different things. Too many people find a specific grape and have too much of it, for example, pinot noir, what they should be doing is trying as many varietals as they can.

You can follow Gary Vaynerchuk at Twitter - Garyvee

You can follow us at Twitter - Samirb

Are you a San Diegian who is influencing the wine industry!  Contact us as our viewers would love to hear from you! Please email Sam at sb@worldwinegroups.com or Brad at bvd@worldwinegroups.com.

Ernie was kind enough to sit down and share with the Got Tannins community, his personal thoughts on wine. We at Got Tannins encourage you to go out and try some South African wines!

What was the first memory you have of wine?

To be honest, it took a while before I discovered wine. You have to bear in mind I grew up in Johannesburg, which is a long way from South Africa’s wine country. Also, my dad never drank alcohol so we didn’t have any wine in the house. It was only really when I met Liezl and then went to visit Jean Engelbrecht [a good friend and partner of Ernie Els Wines] at his family vineyard that I started to taste wines and really enjoy them.

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine? 

I don’t know that I can remember an exact bottle or anything like that, but I’ve always enjoyed good Bordeaux. I guess that’s helped shape my tastes and the way I think about wine. You can see it reflected in the wines we offer now.

Do you think it's the taste of a good wine or the experience while drinking the wine that makes it good? Why?

I think it’s a bit of both. I mean, the two kind of go hand in hand and if one element is not right it can easily spoil the other.

How big is your cellar?

We have 46 Ha (114 Acres) of vineyards on the property in Stellenbosch, and the winery has the capacity to handle 300 tonnes (331 tons) of grapes every harvest. I would think this is a small-medium size, which suits us nicely.

What is your favourite varietal? Why?

I’ve always loved red wine, as I said, especially your classic Bordeaux-style. Our flagship wine, the Ernie Els, is a Bordeaux-style blend of five different varietals and it has been a huge success around the world.

What is your favorite region for wine?

I’m biased, obviously! But I’d say we’re very lucky in South Africa because the wine is very special. The weather gives us the perfect growing conditions and I think it’s fair to say we’ve come along way in a short space of time. We’re catching up with some of the other New World wine regions like the Napa Valley and Australia, and even giving some serious competition to the established countries such as France. We’re producing some great wines in the Stellenbosch area these days. It’s very exciting to be a part of that success.

What is your favorite vineyard or brand?

My opinion is obviously not very objective, but I just love drinking the new vintages from our three wineries that we are involved in. With the portfolio currently at 14 wines, there is always something new to try.

Do you have a favorite bottle? (varietal, region, year)

Stellenbosch 2003 reds are very good. 2006’s are exciting but time will tell how they mature.

What wine are you saving for a special day?

Although we are a young wine brand, our first wines are getting close to optimal drinking and I am looking forward to trying our maiden vintage, the 2000 Ernie Els Bordeaux blend again. Being a wine built around a 60% Cabernet Sauvignon base, the wine should have opened up beautifully in the last year or so.

Where do you buy the majority of your wine? (Retailer, Direct, etc. Feel free to name the store you shop at or the site you buy from)

To be honest, Liezl and I buy our wine from a variety of retailers, normally on short notice for my airplane or a braai [barbecue] with friends.

Have you ever had an organic wine? Did you like it?

I have had very few organic wines, but I think I need time to understand them a little better.

What is the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine?

The best wines I have had were actually gifts from friends, so I have been very lucky.

What was your favorite wine experience (or one of your top experiences)?

I think it’s hard to beat sitting down with a few friends after a game of golf and sharing a nice bottle of wine. You know, it makes you feel good about life. And being a South African, for me a good steak on the braai with a nice red wine is a great combination; that’s probably my favourite meal.

What one wine do you recommend for our readers to try?

One of our friends from Franschoek, L’Ormarins, has just released the A. Rupert collection, and the Cabernet Franc is outstanding.

What is an up-and-coming wine (or winery) you think is a good value right now?

My friend Greg Norman has always delivered great wines at all price-points.

#1 Kaiken Ultra, Malbec, 2006

#2 Alta Vista 2006 Alto - Malbec Red Wine(Link to 2004 Vintage)

#3 Melipal 2005 Malbec - Red Wine

Bill Daley is the food and wine critic with the Chicago Tribune. His recent articles may be found here.
 

What was the first memory you have of wine?  
^{_{My parents never drank wine so my first memory was wondering what those bottles were by the cash register at the liquor store. One shelf held 5 bottles of red, the other 5 white. that was considered a fully stocked wine department in 1960s Connecticut. My first taste of wine? Well, must have been in high school. Mateus, I think. not bad...but then it was the 1970s and I thought I was very sophisticated.}}

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine? 
^{I remember a French semillion/sauvignon blanc from the Graves region. I loved the lemony tartness of the wine with lobster and wanted to know why the wine worked so well.} 

Do you think it's the taste of a good wine or the experience while drinking wine that makes it good?  Why? 
_{Both actually. I think good wine is a treat whereever you are but if you have a good setting, like-minded companions, fine glassware and some choice nibbles, the experience seems more exalted.} 

How big is your cellar? 
^{It's two shelves of my linen closet! We Chicago apartment dwellers don't have a lot of room.} 

What is your favorite varietal (i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)? Why? 
_{I love gruner veltliner. Never had it until I was in my 40s, in Las Vegas, because Connecticut didn't sell the wine then. Loved the acidity, the touch of richness, the crispness. And discoverered, much to surprise, how well the wine worked with California foods - especially seafood.} 

What is your favorite region for wine (i.e. Napa Valley, Margaret River, Montelcino) 
_{I don't really have one...I like wines from all over.} 

What is your favorite vineyard or brand? 
_{Ditto; plus I couldn't play favorites in public anyway. I like wines that deliver on their promise and at a fair price, too.} 

Do you have a favorite bottle? (varietal, region, year) 
_{Still fond of 1982 French Bordeaux because that was the first big vintage I really was aware of.} 

What wine are you saving for a special day? 
_{Already happened. The arrival of my daughter in 1994. Veuve Clicquot Champagne.} 

 Where do you buy the majority of your wine? (Retailer, Direct, etc. Feel free to name the store you shop at or the site you buy from) 
_{I rarely buy wine any more because we get so many bottles here at the office. I take home a bottle or two and try them.} 

Have you ever had an organic wine?  Did you like it? 
_{Yes. Yes, getting better all the time.} 

What is the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine? 
_{Retail? $120. I'm cheap.} 

What was your favorite wine experience (or one of your top experiences)? 
_{Standing in the vineyards at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars tasting barrel samples with the wine maker.} 

What one wine do you recommend for our readers to try? 
_{One wine? Hmmm. I think a white, a gruner or riesling. Goes with the growing trend for pan-Asian/fusion cuisine.} 

 What is an up-and-coming wine (or winery) you think is a good value right now? 
_{Can't really say.} 


BIO:
Bill Daley is a food and wine critic with the Chicago Tribune. He writes a weekly wine column, "Uncorked," for the Tribune’s food section called Good Eating. His column in Sunday’s Q section, "Daley Drink," answers questions from readers on wine, beer and spirits. In tackling the food and wine beat, Daley also covers chefs and food personalities, cooking techniques and trends. He tapes a weekly video segment on food and wine that is displayed on the Web sites of the Chicago Tribune and other Tribune-owned newspapers. A weekly spot on food and wine airs on WBBM-AM, the CBS all-news radio station.

Daley arrived at the Tribune in 2004. Previously, he was a food writer and restaurant reviewer with the San Francisco Chronicle and spent 11 years at the Hartford Courant, where he ultimately became the Sunday magazine’s restaurant reviewer. He has been recognized twice for restaurant criticism by the Association of Food Journalists and has served as that organization’s president from 2002-2004.

A graduate of Manhattanville College, Daley also holds a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in New York City. He serves on the board of directors of the Gerber/Hart Library and is a resident of Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.

What was the first memory you have of wine?

My Dad was taking wine appreciation courses when I was a pre-teen.
He became a huge fan of Cabernet Sauvignon and took us on a family trip
to the wine countrywhere we toured the Robert Mondavi winery.  I've always
thought of food and wine as bringing loved ones together and sharing a
sense of conviviality. I hope our new wine bar, Cin-Cin fosters that among our
customers.

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine?

Most likely a Cabernet Sauvignon from Cardinale in Napa.

How big is your cellar?

About 250 bottles.

What is your favorite varietal (i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)? Why?

Riesling and Pinot Noir, they produce very versatile, sophisticated
and food-friendly wines.

What is your favorite region for wine (i.e. Napa Valley, Margaret
River, Montelcino)

Favorite regions include: Burgundy, Alsace,
Austria, Oregon and more locally, Anderson Valley.

What is your favorite vineyard or brand?

The Burgundian style Pinot Noirs that Josh Chandler of Lazy Creek
Vineyards produces, as well as the Grüner Veltliners and Rieslings
from Austrian winemaker Willi Bründlmayer.
 
Do you have a favorite bottle? (varietal, region, year)

I have a luscious aged Grüner Veltliner from Austrian winemaker Willi
Bründlmayer.
 
What wine are you saving for a special day?

Several, in the burgundy and champagne category. Just waiting for the
right occasion/person to share with.
 
Where do you buy the majority of your wine? (Retailer, Direct, etc.
Feel free to name the store you shop at or the site you buy from)

I tend to buy from local/boutique type wine shops rather than big
chains. Vin, Vino, Wine in Palo Alto is great for French wines.
Robert's Market in Woodside has some good finds as does Vintage in
Berkeley.
 
Have you ever had an organic wine?  Did you like it?  

I've had the opportunity to try many organic wines when I was wine buyer for Whole
Foods. My favorites are Sobon Estates Zinfandel and Amity Pinot Noir. 

What is the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine?

Before I was in the wine industry I spent $145, 3 years ago for a
great Napa Cabernet.

What was your favorite wine experience (or one of your top experiences)?

My favorite wine experiences are those where I am with a close friend
or loved one experiencing the delicious nuances of a wine. Enjoying
wine is so much about the context in which you are drinking.
 
What one wine do you recommend for our readers to try?

Try Hexamer Riesling Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg "Quarzit" from the
Nahe region in Germany. It will go great with Indian Curry or spicy
asian-influenced dishes.
 
Why are you passionate about sustainable, organic and biodynamic
produced wine?
 
Sustainable, organic and biodynamic wine production is
very challenging, yet the result is undisputed, producing wines that
not only represent the grower's dedication and commitment to his/her
land but also offer pure flavor and great fruit intensity. I am happy
that people are getting better educated about the fact that pesticides
are poisons designed to kill living organisms and can be harmful to
humans as well as the earth.  Since these methods are just emerging in
the wine industry, it is not realistic to only serve wines made with
these methods, but by offering the best wines from the best producers
I hope that Cin-Cin will be a place that people can explore more than
just flavor and types of wine, but ones that are grown differently as
well. 

About Lisa Rhorer -

Lisa Rhorer, Co-Proprietor, General Manager and Wine Director, Cin-Cin Wine Bar
Lisa Rhorer is a former senior high-tech marketing professional,
working for such Silicon Valley giants as Google, Oracle and Creative
Labs. Lisa left Google to pursue her passion for wine, going on to
graduate from the prestigious Professional Wine Studies Program at the
Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena and earning membership in
the Court of Master Sommeliers Program.  At CIA, she studied under
such wine industry luminaries as Karen McNeil (author of The Wine
Bible), Christie Dufault (former Sommelier at Gary Danko) and Robert
Bath (Master Sommelier).  Lisa has further built on that knowledge as
Wine Buyer for Whole Foods; sales manager for Spanish wine
distributor, Vinos and Gourmet and behind the counter at two popular
Bay Area wine bars.  Her love of travel and wine has brought her to
visit top wine producers in Austria, Italy, France and Spain and
attend the Toscana Saporita Cooking School in Italy.

 
 

The team at Got Tannins would like to thank Lisa for her time. You can learn more about her new venture at www.cincinwinebar.com

 

 

Lisa Rhorer
Proprietor/Wine Director, Cin-Cin Winebar
www.cincinwinebar.com

Coming soon to Los Gatos - Spring 2008
Sustainable. Biodynamic. Organic.
Explore what good for you can taste like.

What was the first memory you have of wine?

My family lived in Naperville, IL until I was about 12. Most of the neighbors all had kids the same age, so in the summer there were block parties. The "wine" was some sort of pink stuff in a box. I didn't try it, and I don't think any of the adults did either. But I don't remember, and I'm sure the adults then don't either.

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine?

Hogue Cellars Fume Blanc from Washington, which I discovered when I was in college. It was cheap and consistently very good.

 

Do you think it's the taste of a good wine or the experience while drinking the wine that makes it good?  Why?

I think it's a bit of both, but environment is a huge factor. If you're drinking '61 Latour while you're in a North Korean labor prison with electrodes hooked to your nipples, I don't imagine the wine's going to taste all that great. But I've been with friends and family and had a wonderful time even though we were drinking some pretty mediocre wine.


How big is your cellar?

Don't have one. I just have a mini wine fridge designed to hold 16 bottles that I've crammed about 20 into (mostly Chateauneuf, some Sea Smoke and a couple goodies from New Zealand). And a wine rack for everything else, that holds maybe 50 bottles, is usually no more than half full of drink-now wines.

What is your favorite varietal (i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)? Why?

Sauvignon Blanc. I just love how different it is in each part of the world it's grown, and how it's at its best from Marlborough, NZ. Bright, acidic, tangy, fruity, grassy – it's got a little of everything, and goes as well with dinner as it does with a fruit salad at breakfast (if that's your thing).

What is your favorite region for wine (i.e. Napa Valley, Margaret River, Montelcino)

Marlborough, mostly because of the personal connection I have to it. But also because it's not just a Sauvignon Blanc pony. There are great Pinots, Chards, Rieslings, even Syrah and Viognier there. It's a small region, but has so many wineries trying so many different and interesting things all the time. And even the local trashy bars have really good wine in them.

What is your favorite vineyard or brand?

Allan Scott, again, because of the personal connection. But a couple other brands that drew me to Marlborough were Huia, Wairau River, Hunter's and Drylands. Some of my favorite discoveries there are Fromm, Herzog, Spy Valley, Astrolabe, Highfield, Seresin and Foxes Island.

Do you have a favorite bottle? (varietal, region, year)

Yes, but it's empty. It's a bottle of Hogue Fume Blanc from 1996 I think, that is one of several that a bunch of friends and I drank the night before we all graduated college. Everyone signed it.

What wine are you saving for a special day?

More and more I'm finding that sort of thing in general to be a bad idea. Because you wind up with tons of wines you feel like you can't drink because the day just isn't special enough for one reason or another. But among those I have lying around for the specialness or the odd, late-night, impaired decision are: three Sea Smokes, a couple Domaine St. Prefert 2005 Chateauneufs, a 10-year-old Champagne, some single-vineyard Allan Scott Pinot and Chardonnay, and a Fromm Syrah. Oh, and I think there's a half bottle of Hungarian Tokaji buried in there somewhere that my parents gave me.

 

Where do you buy the majority of your wine? (Retailer, Direct, etc. Feel free to name the store you shop at or the site you buy from)

On the way home, after work, to be consumed that night. There are a few retailers near my office and a couple near my apartment in Brooklyn, such as Slope Cellars. Just depends on my mood. But for bigger orders I usually buy from Wine Library in NJ and have the wine shipped to me.
 
Have you ever had an organic wine?  Did you like it?

There are some good ones out there, sure, but I don't think they're better because they're organic or anything. And I would say that 75% of the organic wines I've had that proudly marketed themselves as such weren't that good. Not terrible, but not worth the extra money they cost.

What is the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine?

I bought a couple magnums of Chateauneuf that were $130 each I think. That's really pushing it for me since I'm not rolling around naked in piles of money. Actually, I'm not rolling around naked in piles of anything.  

What was your favorite wine experience (or one of your top experiences)?

Spending a year making it, and writing a book about it. I'm a pretty lucky dude that way, I'll admit. Though one funny thing that springs to mind is when I visited Australia, and was staying in a hostel in Byron Bay, which is a secluded little party town. It was Christmas Day, and for $20 there was an all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink BBQ. But all the wine was in boxes – really awful, sweet, Hunter Valley plonk. I had one bottle of Riesling, from Pettavel in Geelong, Australia, that I wanted to bring back to NZ, but I couldn't stand to drink the boxed stuff. So I opened the Riesling. Then I heard that people in the kitchen of the hostel were saying, "Did you see? There's a guy out there drinking wine from a <i>bottle</i>! Coooool."  

What one wine do you recommend for our readers to try?

Manischewitz. So you never forget what horrible wine tastes like.  

What is an up-and-coming wine (or winery) you think is a good value right now?

My obsession of the moment is cheap Spanish Garnacha: Las Rocas, Tres Picos and Pablo Menguante all come to mind. But ask me tomorrow, and I'll probably have a different answer.

Did we miss anything?

Other than shoe size, boxers vs. briefs, and social security number, no, you didn't miss a thing. This is the longest Q&A I've ever done!

Got Tannins would like to say cheers to Eric and encourages our readers to try out his book, which is rated 4 1/2 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com.  Click the following link - First Big Crush to purchase.

#1 Val di Suga 2001 Brunello di Montalcino - Sangiovese Red Wine

#2 Luciani - Brunello Di Montalcino - 2001
#3 La Togata - Brunello Di Montalcino - 2001

 Wine Collections