En Primeur or wine futures: Purchasing wine before it is bottled.

Wine futures…no it is not a movie about purchasing wine in the space age, but instead it is a potential investment opportunity for the avid wine speculator.  En Primeur also known as “wine futures” is actually the act of purchasing wine that has been made but not yet bottled. Although this is occurring in many regions today, including California and Italy, en primeur is a specialty of Bordeaux (region in France). Each April, Bordeaux hosts tastings for investors, merchants, collectors, etc. who are interested in purchasing wines en primeur.

Like any investment there are some pros and cons with purchasing wines en primeur.

Pros:

• Consumers can secure wines that may have very limited quantities and may be difficult to obtained after they are released.
• Purchasing a wine en primeur or as wine futures will be cheaper than purchasing once it is released to the public.
• There is opportunity to gain wines from great vintages like Bordeaux 2000.
• Wines can be obtained in less common formats like halves, magnums, and so on.

Cons:

• Payment is required at least a year to 18 months prior to the official release of the vintage.
• What you taste and pay for could be totally different from what you actually received once the bottled version has been released.
• You have to wait at least two years to receive your wine.
• You could be required to carry insurance and pay storage fees if you aren’t keeping the wine on your on property.

Before you set out to invest in wine via the en primeur or wine futures route do your research. As with any investment it can be a gamble (no pun intended) and you surely want to be well versed. Choose a reputable merchant to work with. Other helpful tips regarding en primeur or wine futures can be found at decanter.com. Check them out and happy drinking!

4th Annual Valley Wine Festival

On June 19, 2010, the city of Calabasas (California) along with Barcelona Enterprises will host the 4th Annual Valley Wine Festival and you are invited to attend. This year’s festival promises to be one for the record books. The theme will be “Vegas in the Valley” and you will be able to enjoy food, wine, beer, spirits and the flavor of Vegas. The festival will feature Casino gaming tables to entertain the attendees with games like Blackjack and Roulette, all with play money/chips for a worthy cause.

Located at The Commons in Calabasas it is expected that this event will sell out. Over 2000 attendees are expected and tickets will not be sold at the door. So hurry and get your tickets now. Standard ticket prices are $100.00, however, pre-sale tickets are currently available at 50% off so take advantage and purchase your ticket now. If you are a business owner  (i.e. wine bar, restaurant, etc.) and you would like to be a sponsor, please contact the festival committee at the link above to discuss sponsorship. This would be a great and inexpensive way to expose a large group of people to your business.

Food, beer, spirits and wines will be featured at the festival. Some of the wineries and wine importers that are sponsoring this event include, Rancho Sisquoc, Classic Wines of California, MegaWine Inc., Four Vines, Ravenswood, and Salo Wines & Spirits, just to name a few.

Finally, all proceeds from this festival will go to the Alzheimer’s Association. If this weren’t enough the festival is also doing it’s part to be “GREEN”. What this means is that The LA Green Business Program has issued a certification that the Valley Wine Festival meets and exceeds all the strict guidelines of being a green event. Some of the things the are doing to be “GREEN” include:

• - Minimizing all paper use (as far as no faxes)
• - Print on 100% recycled papers
• - Print only with green certified printers in LA.
• - All the trash produced from the event is composted
• - All disposable utensils and cups are compostable
• - Supplies are all procured locally to minimize trucking
• - Reusable products are used whenever possible.
• - All linens are laundered using green/environmentally conscious standards and practices.

So make plans to attend the festival (all details included below). A good time with fellow wine enthusiasts is promised. See you there!

• What: 4th Annual Valley Wine Festival
• Where: The Commons in Calabasas, CA
• When: June 19, 2010
• Time: 2PM – 7PM

Remember, drink responsibly.

The Wine House

Yesterday  The Wine House hosted an in-store wine tasting featuring Terry Theise, USA’s premier importer of German & Austrian wines as well as, growers Champagnes (sparkling wines of Champagne that aren’t produced in the larger houses). A true wine aficionado, Terry  started importing wines from Germany in the 1980′s. To say that Terry is knowledgeable about wine would truly be an understatement. He is an award winning, progressively intellectual wine professional and I truly enjoyed meeting him and tasting some of the wines he imports.

Adam Zuckert & Terry Theise

I also had the pleasure of meeting another lovely man, Adam Zuckert. Adam had the most important job of the day. He poured all of the great wines we got to sample.

Featured were the following:

Champagne

• NV Hebrart, Brut, Cuvee de Reserve

Austria

• 2008 Hofer, Gruner Veltliner Liter
• 2006 Prieler Leithaberg Weiss
• 2003 Brundlmayer, St Laurent Ried Ladner

Germany

• 2007 Spreitzer, Rielsing Trocken Liter
• 2007 Leitz, Redesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Spatlese

Also poured were a Wagner Stemper and the AJ Adam Riesling. The Riesling was absolutely delicious. A smooth and creamy wine with flavors of citrus fruit and honey. It was definitely a welcomed surprise.

Of the wines listed above I had two favorites…the Brundlmayer and the Lietz. As most of you know I love Zinfandels and the Brundlmayer had the frutiness of Zinfandel with the pizazz of Grenache & Pinot Noir. The sugar content of the Brundlmayer was not as apparent as an American Zin but the full fruitiness was certainly there. I found this wine very tasty and appropriate for any occasion.

The Lietz Riesling is a fruity wine with a silky texture and  flavors of peach and grapefruit. I found it to be semi-sweet with a tangy twist. This delicious wine can be enjoyed with a meal or alone (as long as it is chilled) on a hot summer day.

From the standpoint of the wine…most of what was poured was delicious. One suggestion to the owner of The Wine House… please get a bigger, more comfortable tasting area. For a store this size there should be a bigger area to accommodate  the people who attend the wine tasting.

One special or unique thing that The Wine House offers is a self serve tasting room (see pictures below). These machines are set up with various bottles of wine that patrons can taste at their leisure. You just insert your money or pre-paid card and push the button for the wine you want to taste and voila…you glass is automatically filled.

Wine Dispensers at The Wine House

This is the wave of the future in wine tasting… Sorry Adam.

If you have never been to The Wine House you must check it out. Not only do they have rows and rows of wine for your drinking pleasure they have a great restaurant for a unique dining experience. Check them out today.

Our final wine stop on our trip to the Santa Ynez Valley was at Gainey Vineyard. The story of the Gainey family is quite an interesting one. Please visit their website to read about the history of their farms and ranches as well as more about their vineyard.

Gainey is a lovely Spanish style winery that has received many accolades. Although a little dark, the tasting room’s ambience is very conducive to enjoying fine wine. Upon entering the tasting room we decided looked around a bit before standing in line to pay our tasting fee. Once we paid we obtained our complimentary Gainey logo glasses and proceeded to the barrel room to begin the tasting.

Before we made it to the barrel room we stopped to enjoy the massive wine bottle room. Walls on both sides of this narrow but long room housed hundreds of bottles. After getting a few pictures we made our way into the very large barrel room. There were two tables in the room. One table was for general public tasting and the second table in the back of the room was reserved for a bridal party tasting.

Wine Bottle Room

We found our place at the general tasting table and began by tasting a 2007 Limited Selection Sauvignon Blanc. We both found this wine to be crisp, fruity and very enjoyable. This wine could definitely be poured and enjoyed on a hot summer day. The 2006 Limited Selection Chardonnay was the next on the list. It was absolutely delicious. It, too, was very crisp. However, it had stronger fruit flavors like peach and pineapple. Although the fruit flavor was bolder than the Sauvignon Blanc, the Chardonnay still finished very smoothly. The next wine we tasted in the barrel room was the 2006 Limited Selection Pinot Noir. This wine wasn’t appealing at all. It was very hard and bitter. The fruit flavors were very heavy and obtrusive. After pouring the remainder of that wine into the dumb bucket we were given the last wine to taste from that room which was a 2006 Limited Selection Cabernet Franc. It wasn’t as bad as the Pinot but we didn’t find anything extra special about it either. It was too spicy and sagey (if that is a word) for our taste.

The Barrel Room

The remainder of the tasting was being held in an area of the gift shop so we made our way to that counter to taste the final four. The first was the 2006 Syrah. I couldn’t wait to taste it because I haven’t really met a Syrah I didn’t like. This one was a bit disappointing though. It was drinkable but the finish was very peppery. We were told that this particular wine was a blend of Grenache, Viognier and Mourvedre along with the Syrah. The fruit seemed to be overwhelmed in this blend by pepper and spice. The next selection was a 2006 Limited Selection Syrah. This was definitely an upgrade from the regular Syrah. It smelled of blackberries and raspberries and had a creamier, smoother finish than the first. It was by no means overpowering.

Gift Shop

The next taste was of the 2006 Limited Selection Merlot. This was the jackpot of all the wines we tasted at Gainey. The aroma of this wine combines dark fruit and cocoa and the taste is smooth and creamy with decadent chocolate finish. If you like Merlot this is definitely one for your wine cellar. The final taste at Gainey was a 2007 Limited Selection Riesling. This wine was extremely refreshing. It had a nice mellow citrus flavor with hints of pear and apple. Unlike most Rieslings this wine had a very subtle sweetness to it. I quite enjoyed this wine as well and a few bottles of it along with the LS Merlot and LS Syrah managed to find their way into my shopping bag before I left. The Gainey Winery is a definite must-do on your adventures to the Santa Ynez Valley. We enjoyed it immensely. We were a bit disappointed though that we weren’t able to do an actual tour of this winery as they normally do about four or five a day. The day we were there they happened to be short-staffed and couldn’t accommodate any tours. Needless to say it still was a very pleasant experience and nice place to visit.

Chumash Casino

Now with a name like Gamble you know we couldn’t leave the SYV without making a pit-stop at the Chumash Casino. Neither my husband nor I had ever been there before and really didn’t know what to expect. When we got there though we realized that it was a true casino like many of those in Vegas. However, there were some differences. This casino’s age limit is 18, not 21 like Vegas. Because of that there is no alcohol served in the actual casino. You can purchase alcohol, however, upstairs at the Willow Restaurant but only if you purchase food.

So when we got to the casino my husband made his way over to the blackjack table and I didn’t see him again for at least four hours. I meandered around and played a variety of slot machines (that’s pretty much it for me) as well as checked out some of the other floors in the building. The main casino permits smoking. However, on the third floor is nonsmoking and there are slots as well as a poker room. After about four hours of slots (didn’t really win anything) and wandering around I decided to go to the restaurant to have a snack and a glass of vino. After a quick glance at the appetizer menu I ordered the clams and then peruse the wine list to pick out just the right wine. I initially order the Kalawashaq Zinfandel from Paso Robles. The smell was incredible, however, when I took a sip I immediately noticed the sweet licorice taste. I tried a couple more sips after letting it sit for a while but finally realized I wouldn’t be able to finish it. I then asked the server if I could try the Robert Hall 2006 Syrah instead.

She was very polite and brought me the glass of Syrah. She explained that she’d just opened the Zinfandel and that it hadn’t had a chance to breathe and was probably just tight. The Robert Hall Syrah on the other hand was perfect. The smell of cherries and blackberries immediately caught my attention. The taste was smoky and the finish, very smooth.

After my wine and my snack I decided it was time to gather up my husband before he gambled away the kids’ college funds. I found him still sitting at the blackjack table still playing. He played another round our so and then decided he’d had enough blackjack for the day. While walking it out we both agreed that we still like the Vegas casinos best of all. What else would we say…we usually win in Vegas.

Rideau Vineyards - A Taste of New Orleans in Wine Country

Our last post found us at the Kalyra Winery in Santa Ynez. After an uneventful time tasting at their winery we left and proceeded to the Rideau Vineyards in Solvang, CA. For those of you unfamiliar with Solvang it was founded by Danish educators so it has the feel of Denmark with Danish bakeries and restaurants. It is also home to the Hans Christian Anderson Museum and the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art.

The Gardens at Rideau

Although that is impressive the town is also home to a very well respected vineyard. Rideau Vineyards was founded in 1997 by Iris Rideau, a New Orleans native.  Even though the Rhone varietal isn’t well suited to the Santa Ynez Valley, Iris decided to dedicate her vineyard to this varietal because it most appropriately complimented her Creole background and cuisine. This vineyard was extremely superior to Kalyra in ambience as well as product.

Upon our arrival we walked into a very nice size tasting room where  we were immediately acknowledged. There was a nice size crowd and wonderful aromas of food wafting through the air. Unfortunately we’d just eaten and didn’t have room to partake of the lovely sandwiches or fruit and cheese platters.

Rideau - The Main Room

Approaching the initial check-in point we were immediately greeted with warm smiles and were given the choices of participating in the traditional tasting or a couple of special tastings they were offering. After looking over the list my wonderful husband suggested that we do the special tasting of the Reserve and Estate Red Wines. For the general public this particular tasting is $20.00 per person but for club members (which we now are) it is free. This tasting was being conducted in another room separate from the main tasting room. As we maneuver our way through the building we immediately noticed displays that called out the owners New Orleans upbringing. There were Mardi Gras masks as well as colors of burgundy and gold everywhere. The furniture was ornate giving you the feel of France during the 18th or 19th century.

We finally made our way to a smaller tasting room where the server immediately acknowledged us. She began to pour the reds for us giving  much detail on each of the wines. The first wine we tasted was a 2006 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills). We found this wine to be a bit to dry for our liking. We typically like a pinot that has a much smoother finish. The second wine was a 2005 Pinot Noir (Bien Nacido Vineyards). This pinot was even bolder than the first and again we really didn’t  care for it.

I was beginning to get a bit concerned because I’d heard such great things about the wines from this vineyard and having been disappointed by Kalyra, I didn’t want to be disappointed by Rideau as well. The server then poured the third wine. The 2007 Sangiovese was absolutely out of this world. It was a very full bodied wine with great complexity. This wine has a strong taste of berries with an oak texture. My husband and I enjoyed it a lot.

The fourth wine served to us was the 2006 Estate Mourvedre. After learning that the vineyard has one acre dedicated to this grape we were again disappointed because we found this wine to be quite bitter. Not to fear though, our disappointment quickly turned to excitement when we served the 2006 Chateau Duplantier. This wine carries Iris’ maiden name and is very spectacular. It is a blend that has the flavors of raspberries and ripe fruit as well as a hard spice. Although it is bold in flavor it has a very smooth finish. We enjoyed this one so much that we purchased a few bottles of it.

Our final taste at Rideau was the 2006 Estate Syrah. This, too, is an excellent wine. it has an extremely dark fruity taste but finishes quite smoothly. This jackpot also found its way into our take home bag.

Rideau - A Landmark

After we’d finished our tasting we wandered around for short while checking out the sites. There was  a very lively piano player in the main tasting room keeping the crowd very motivated. The Rideau Vineyards is a great place to do a wine taste, hold a wedding or entertain prospective business clients. We didn’t get to meet Iris on this trip but I hope on my next visit (and there definitely will be a next visit) I will. Please check out the Rideau Vineyards and let me know what you think.

The next blog will look at the final winery(Gainey) of our weekend and our adventures at Chumash casino. Until then, drink responsibly.

We took a trip up to the Santa Ynez Valley on Saturday to visit some vineyards and do a small amount of gambling. Our stops included the Kalyra, Rideau and Gainey wineries as well as Chumash casino. Today’s blog will give you a little insight into our experience at Kalyra. I will blog about the other vineyards and Chumash over the next few days.

I was concerned about going on Saturday because the sky was cloudy and there was mention of rain (something rare in Southern California). I was also a bit fearful that the weather around Santa Barbara would quite cold. However, the day turned out to be absolutely lovely. The sky was blue and the temperature was in the 70′s. A great day to go wine tasting.

The Ambience

 Our first stop on our adventure was the Kalyra Winery tasting room. Immediately we find it small and a bit crowded. The decor was a sort of tiki style which I assume is to pay homage to the owner who is from Australia. The tasting bar takes up a large part of the room but upon entering we find it a bit confusing on how to get started. We eventually noticed the cash register at one end of the bar and went over to pay the $10.00 per person tasting fee. The tasting fee included six traditional wines and two dessert wines. After paying we obtained our glasses (which were ours to keep) and the cashier began to pour our first taste right there at the register. This was also quite disturbing because as other people came in they were trying to inch their way in to pay as well. We eventually moved to the opposite end of the bar to gain more room and access a spit/dump bucket because there wasn’t one on our end.

The Whites

Our first taste was of the 2007 Kalyra Sauvignon Blanc. It was agreed that this wine was bland and weak. There really wasn’t anything exciting about it. Next on the list was a 2007 Chardonnay (Unwooded) which is fermented in stainless steel. Again, there really wasn’t anything great about this wine either.

The final white of the traditional wines was the 2007 Riesling. I actually found this wine okay (not great, but okay). As I have mentioned before I am not a big fan of sweet wines and this one was only mildly sweet. It was still a bit weak though. It is almost as if their white wines are watered down.

The Reds

I was beginning to think that this winery just didn’t produce good wines until we got a taste of our first red, a 2006 Sangiovese. It had a very deep and dark fruity taste. This wine definitely grabbed my attention and made me rethink the winery. Next was special wine they called the 2005 Kalyra MC² Blend. This wine is 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a very deep berry taste with a bitter chocolate finish. Although the guy pouring it said this is one of their better wines I really wasn’t that impressed with this blend.  The final red at Kalyra was the 2002 Barossa Valley Shiraz. Although bold this wine had a full berry and spice flavor with a very smooth finish. It definitely made me appreciate a red in their portfolio.

And for Dessert

The two dessert wines poured included the 2007 Viognier Sticky Wicket and the Kalyra NV Black Muscat. We found both of the dessert wines to be quite tasty. The Viognier had a surprising honey flavor with hints of citrus and pear. This seemed to be a favorite of most the tasting participants. The Black Muscat is  fortified with brandy early in the fermentation process giving it a very strong and sweet flavor.

Overall the Kalyra was a bit of a disappointment. The tasting bar was crowded and a bit disorganized and the wine just wasn’t that appealing. Although there were a couple of decent wines at Kalyra there were no jackpots. As always this is only my opinion. I encourage you to try it for yourself. I would appreciate hearing any of your comments.

Next blog…I will share with you our experience at Rideau.

This evening my husband and I attended the Louis/Dressner Portfolio Wine Tasting held at the Woodland Hills Wine Company in Woodland Hills, California. This was a unique event for the WHWC. It was a casual walk-around tasting where you met some of the finest winemakers from Europe. Included below are the producers who attended:

Francois Pinon – Vouvray

Luneau-Papin – Muscadet

Franck Peillot – Bugey

Terres Dorees – Beaujolais

Domaine Louis-Claude Desvignes – Beaujolais

Domaine Marechal – Burgundy

Azienda Agricola Montesecondo – Toscana

Campi di Fonterenza – Montalcino

Occhipinti – Sicilia

Eric Texier – Rhone

Vittorio Bera & Figli – Piedmonte

Chinati Vergano – Piedmonte

Each winemaker poured two or three of their wines for tasting. There were several good wines among these and a few not so great wines. Three wines that stood out for my husband and me this evening. The winner for me was the Campi di Fonterenza – Montalcino 2006 Sangiovese IGT. For those of you unfamiliar with the Sangiovese, it is a red grape grown primarily in Tuscany, Italy. It is Italy’s most planted variety and creates the framework for many Italian wines including Chianti and Carmignano. Of all the wines I tasted this had the most elegant flavor. It is age for six months in a stainless steel tank and then for six months in Slovenian oak barrels. The fruits of this wine come alive as you inhale its aromatic bouquet. This wine is medium-bodied but has a rich flavor unlike many European wines. It retails for about $30.00.

My husband’s pick of the evening was the Chianti Classico by Azienda Agricola Montesecondo – Toscana. This was somewhat shocking to me because this is a quite a robust wine and my husband tends to like a sweeter flavor. I thoroughly enjoyed this wine and we both agreed that it would serve well with a nice pasta dinner. It had a very rich flavor but was smooth at the end. This is definitely one for the wine cellar. Retailing for about $28.00, it is definitely a good buy.

Our final pick was quite surprising for me because I am not a lover of sweet tasting wines. However, we both found the Moscato d’Asti by Vittorio Bera & Figli – Piedmonte quite refreshing. Today was an unusually hot day in the area we live in so this chilled and moderately sweet wine really hit the spot. The hint of orange and melon provided you with a sense of relief from the 100-degree temperature. Its crispness almost made you feel as if you were not drinking wine but instead a sparkling ade.

Overall this was quite an interesting tasting. I have tried French wines on several occasions but never really find one that excites my palate. French wines tend to be a bit to smooth and mellow for me. When drinking wine I like a little excitement on my taste buds. However, I will continue to try them. The Italian wines really were the jackpots for my husband and me this evening. So much so that we definitely made a few purchases before leaving. If you get an opportunity please tastes the wines I’ve mentioned here and let me know what you think. Also, check out the Jackpots & Craps sections on this blog and see which wines made the list.

Until the next time…Ciao!