So what’s all the fuss?  Did anyone really think that wine was so objective and predictable that upon tasting everyone would  decipher the same nuance, scents, and tastes? Dah, do you also believe in the Easter Bunny (ah, need to be careful here or I ma y not receive my eggs this Spring .

Common sense would suggest that we are not all the same. Some have a very keen sense of smell and others do not. Further, we detect chemicals (scents) at different rates – where one smells a particular scent it may go totally unnoticed or unidentified by another. So it would make sense that even if all wine tastings were consistent and objective, you still may not “experience” the same tastes and aroma(s) as suggested by the taster.

So why have competitions and ratings at all? Simply put, it provides another point of reference. Considering there are approximately 7,000 wineries in the US alone offering about 70,000 different labels, any additional information or insight is helpful. On all of my wine reviews I include a description of the wine (usually back label), which sometimes contain little if any information at all. I normally consult the label after tasting the wine as I always find it interesting to see if my notes agree or contrast with those on the label. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t.

So should you buy solely based on scores, medals or reviews? Really not a great idea.

However you can use these scores and ratings to help in the buying decision. I always check to see who is reviewing the wine, i.e., I  follow the reviewer rather than the score itself. Here’s how it works:

Assume you see a score by a reviewer (let’s make it easy or contraversial depending upon your perspective – Robert Parker). You read a review or score and then try the wine and make your own judgement – was it what you expected based on the rating? If yes, try another rated by Parker and again look for characteristics that you value in the wine. You can do this in reverse as well. If you see a high score by Robert Parker and you don’t like the wines that he has given high scores to, you can avoid those wines assuming they likely would not be to your taste.

Now there are some standardization methods in place such as the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Systematic Approach to Tasting, which is broken down into four categories:

• Appearance – deals with the clarity, intensity, color and other observations
• Nose – Deals with the condition, intensity, development, and aroma characteristics
• Palate – Deals with the sweetness, acidity, tannin level, alcohol level, body, flavor intensity, length
• Conclusions – Deals with the judgement in terms of quality, price, and readiness for drinking

This kind of tasting standardization helps, but there is still a great deal of interpretation and subjective judgement, and the more you know about wine, the more you may be influenced into smelling or tasting something that may or may not be there based upon what you were expecting to taste.

My advice: simply use the scores as additional insight, but not as a main buying criteria. Try as many wines and varietals as you can (In Italy alone there are 1,000 different Vitis Vinifera grape varietals … so you have your work cut out for you!). Exploring wine is fun .. and now you have a great excuse to explore.

I originally was introduced to Cameron Hughes Wine two years prior during a tasting event at another location. Bill Erwin of Classic Wine Imports was pouring (I have seen and always enjoy speaking with  Bill  at  local wine events).  At the time I had the pleasure of tasting a Dry Creek Valley Merlot (Lot#61).  I was quite impressed by its quality and reasonable price.

It is with that background that I introduced myself to Cameron last evening. Like many people I have met in the wine industry, he was open, engaging, and passionate about his business. This was even more evident as we tasted through eight of his wines ( see more below). Cameron took the time to walk the attendees through details of each of the wines – origin, varietal, vinification methods, as well as answering more indepth questions about his company and each of the  wines. It was clear from the start that he is not only passionate about his wines, but also getting them introduced to new potential customers looking for quality wines at reasonable prices.

So what is a “négociant”? According to Wine Pros Archive (derived from the Oxford Companion to Wine), it is a “French term for a merchant  and one used particularly of wine merchants who buy in grapes, must, or wine, blend different lots of wine within an appellation, and bottle the result under their own label.”

From the Camerone Hughes Wine  website,  “Our focus is on buying at the high-end, small available ‘Lots’ of super premium wine. Because not all wine at the high-end is bottled, we rescue those ‘Lots’ do some stylistic blending and get it to you at a great price.

Our company produces and markets wine under Cameron Hughes Lot Series, Flying Winemaker, Hughes-Wellman, RockRidge, and Evergreen. We do not own vineyards or ferment wine. Our business model is built around what we call in the industry the “spot” market for super/ultra premium bulk wines. We use our own palates as guides to deliver delicious, super premium wine that is easily accessible price and style-wise.”

For this particular tasting, there were four varietals representing the Flying Winemaker series as well as an additional four wines from the Lot Series.

From the Flying Winemaker label (unlike the Lot Series that represent  limited quantities of wines purchased, bottled and offered only until they run out, these are varietal wines that are sourced from a particular winery on an on-going basis), we tasted a Chardonnay (Margaret River, Western Australia), a Tempranillo (Compo de Borja, Spain),  Cabernet Sauvignon (Maipo Valley, Chile), and a Zinfandel (Lodi, California). Each of these wines were meant to represent their origin and style.

From the Lot Series an additional four wines were offered including Lot 91 a Russian River Chardonnay, Lot 112 a Merlot from Napa Valley, Lot 102 a Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford, and Lot 74 another Cabernet Sauvignon from Oak Knoll in Napa Valley.

I also  had the pleasure of tasting one additional wine that is soon to be released: Lot 100 a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley. This one is very typical of Stags Leap Cabernet and sure to please.

Considering the current recession and price pressure to find good value wines at reasonable prices, it is not surprising that Cameron Hughes Wine is growing fast (Cameron Hughes Wine was ranked #18 of the fastest growing privately-held companies in the US by Inc. Magazine), and based on the enthusiasm, skill  and passion of Cameron and his staff, I expect that growth to continue.

To learn more about Cameron Hughes Wine, vist them at their website, follow them on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, or better still get on the Cameron Hughes Wine mailing list (scroll down on the left hand side).

There are  many sites  focused on this very subject (GoodCheapWine, Good Cheap wines, GoodCheapWine Guide, Cheap Wine Ratings, etc.).

Part of the problem is that the definition itself is somewhat subjective at best. What is a good bottle of wine and what do you consider cheap?

The only thing for certain today is that the definition of cheap may have gone down due to the recent global recession, while the price of  “cheap” wine  in many cases has gone up!

So .. let’s tackle the “good” part first.

When someone describes a good bottle of wine I would think they would be taking into account its appearance (clarity, color), its aroma or smell (strong, faint, off, pleasing), and its taste (full bodied, fruity, earthy, etc.) – certainly its taste at the very least. In addition, one might judge whether it complements or fights with a particular  food.

The problem is that what is good for one is not necessarily good for another. Some thrive on a full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon and others on  an off dry Riesling - both can be relatively inexpensive and well made wines or both could be expensive and poorly made.

Many wine drinkers prefer old world styles while others new world, others might prefer sweet to dry or fruity versus earthy.  Since wine is so subjective, it is hard to build the definition of good or bad based on  characteristics alone unless perhaps you  build a definition for each varietal and each style, and even then it will still be a matter of taste.

One could simply say if I like it … its good, and if I don’t it isn’t. This is likely going a bit too far in the other direction since  just because it is wine and drinkable doesn’t make it good wine.

Hamburger..Good or not?

I think there is a correlation here to good cheap food. You can make a hamburger atvarious price points based on the cut of meat, the fat content, cooking method, and the beef itself.  Good for one may be a cut of Angus with a very small percentage of fat cooked medium rare on a grill, or it might be a cheaper cut of meat with a much higher content of fat that is well done cooked in a frying pan. Either might be considered good …. really a preference and a matter of taste.

So, what is good wine? Trying to step back from subjective tastes, it first needs to be without flaws – cork taint (TCA), brettanomyces, or oxidation for instance, and it should also be clear (although if unfiltered there may be some slight cloudiness or sediment which is not considered a flaw). Beyond that, subjectivity rules.

Personal opinion?  YES – you can buy good cheap wine, but you cannot buy cheap REALLY GOOD or GREAT wine. You can buy wine that is very drinkable and worthy of being an every day quaffer. There are many, many examples from around the world (visit the sites above for tons of suggestions).

With that said, there is a truism in wine: You can make bad wine from good grapes, but you cannot make great wine from bad grapes.

This again has a strong correlation to food: the better the quality of the ingredients and talent in preparation, the greater the potential for something special. There are no guarantees. However, you can’t start with substandard ingredients and poor preparation, and create a masterpiece.

Good Cheap Wine Part II … a deeper look at  cost and process ….coming shortly!

Four Vines / J Dusi Tasting

First to the wines. A total of 10 wines were tasted during the event including 9 from Four Vines and 1 from Dusi Wines (see list below). Much of the grapes were sourced from the vineyard itself and the surrounding area in Paso Robles, and the rest from other prime grape growing AVAs in California such as Dry Creek Valley and Russian River.

I can’t say this for every tasting I have been to, but for this one all of the wines tasted (with the exception of the Naked Chardonnay) were full bodied, complex, a virtual (no pun intended) pleasure. This is not to suggest the chardonnay was not well made. Rather, the chardonnay is one of Four Vine’s entry level offerings. It is a very good every day quaffer, but simply did not have the same kind of complexity as the other offerings.

My personal favorites included the Sophisticate, Anarchy, and a very different style but nonetheless very well made, abeit more femine style Zinfandel from J. Dusi Wines. The 2005 FV Zin Port was also really nice with a great balance of sweetness and alcohol, and a mouthfeel and finish that went on and on. Wiht that said, I can say that all of the wines are highly recommended!

Bill Grant & Janelle Dusi

Besides the tasting itself, both Bill and Janelle got the crowd going with anecdotes about making wines, winery costs, quality, wine storage,  and tidbits about the different varietals including of course Zinfandel, but also Syrah, Mourvedre, Petit Syrah, Tempranillo,
Malbec, and Petit Verdot (really enjoyed the Monachy as well, which is a blend of the last three and normally only available at the winery).

However, being a long time marketer I also wanted to take note of the great teamwork that went on to make this event a success. Keeping in mind the current recession, competition continues to be very keen for wineries around the world. There are neary 6,000 bonded wineries alone in the US all competing for shrinking dollars.

Bill Grant (left) & John Hannum

In order to standout in the crowd, wineries need to provide access to their wines so that avid wine consumers have a chance to try their wines and become loyal fans. That said, having worked in marketing for many years, I was very pleased to see such great cooperation between the wineries (Four Vines and J. Dusi Wines), the distributor (M.S. Walker), and the retailer (Yankee Spirits).

The adage of the evening was  “if you can’t get the people to the tasting room, get the tasting room to the people”. In this case, Yankee Spirits advertised the event to their mailing list, which consists of customers of their Sturbridge, Swansea and Attleboro locations. These locations are spread apart, about 2 hours between Swansea and Sturbridge and 1.5 hours from Attleboro to Sturbridge.

This distance would most likely have discouraged some of the participants from attending. However, Yankee Spirits tried something new last night: they offered to bus their customers free of charge from the other locations to Sturbridge. This was a win win for everyone – for the wineries, retailer and distributor it no doubt translated into incremental sales, and for the customers an evening to try some new wines and learn more about the industry.

Bravo to all those involved.

Now  .. for the Pièce de résistance !

There is a great deal of buzz today about social media and how wineries can take advantage of it to increase their visability, grow brand recognition, and increase sales. Here is an example of marrying smart traditional marketing and social media: the wineries, distributor and retailer setup and sponsored the event, and now I am taking that event and splashing it through my blog, Twitter, etc.

Social media and net working are not to be feared  .. it is simply another set of tools to help connect with your current and prospective customers.

All in all …. Great wine, Great grapes … and a Great tasting!

For more information, visit Four Vines and J. Dusi Wines.

List of wines tasted at event:

2008 Four Vines Naded Chardonnay
2007 Four Vines “Biker”
2007 Four vines “Sophisticate”
2006 Four Vines “Maverick”
2007 Four Vines “Anarchy”
2006 Four Vines “Loco
2007 Four Vines “Peasant”
2006 Four Vines “Monarchy”
2007 J. Dusi Zinfandel
2005 Four Vines Zin Port

Since then I have traveled all over Western Europe many times, but I had never returned to Spain – not by choice, simply circumstance.  So it was of particular importance that I ensured I visited some wineries during a trip to Madrid this past year.

Beyond delightful side trips to Toledo and Segovia (of which I would highly recommend – they are short direct train trips from Madrid), we made our way to Sardon de Duero (“the Golden Mile”) for a visit to Abadia Retuerta.

Abadia Retuerta sits on the site of a 12th century abbey (Santa Maria del Retuerta). Currently the winery is transforming part of  the Abbey into a hotel where visitors can come to the area and discover more wineries and destinations along the Golden Mile.

From the website, “The Abadía Retuerta Estate occupies over 700 hectares of terrain, and its name comes from the combination of two words that define and describe the territory: Rívula (river bank) and Torta (twisting, winding).

Over 204 hectares of vineyards are spread out on hillsides ranging in altitude from a maximum 850 metres down to the southern bank of the Duero River. We have a wide variety of soils, with representations of most of the world’s best varieties, and state-of-the-art technology (meteorological stations, anti-frost towers, etc.)”

Abadia Retuerta vineyards

When we arrived we were met at the Abbey and then driven into the vineyards to get a sense of the soil, climate, and a great view back towards the abbey.

After a lengthy discussion we drove back to the main road, turned right and drove a mile or so to where the grapes are processed. Here we were provided an in depth explanation of the methods used at Abadia including their use of gravity

Barrel Room Abadia Retuerta

racking. I am afraid that I likely asked more questions than the rest of the group were comfortable with, since the last stop was back at the Abbey for a tasting!

When we arrived at the Abbey there were three wines opened:  Seleccion Especial and Cuvee Palamar from the Abadia collection, and one estate wine, Pago Negralada.

I can say that without exception, everyone in the group was very happy with each selection. These were all very dark in color, full bodied and complex wines, one building upon the other. My only regret was unlike years past, it is much harder now to bring back wines via plane.

The winery personnel could not have been more gracious or friendly, and I would highly recommend a visit should you find yourself on the Golden Mile in the future.