WTN/Wine Advisor: Chablis rehabilitated (2005 Chantemerle)

Coming out of corportate america in our marketing driven society I have to still consider this just a marketing ploy.

Maybe, except that there really isn't much in the way of marketing around the stuff anymore (hence why I haven't noticed the stuff even existing). At this point isn't it really just a holdover from days gone by. Seen any ads or commercials for Paul Masson Chablis anymore?

You're right, David: Dead horse, fully flogged. Not an issue. move on.org

I'm going to start calling it 'California Sekt'...

I'm going to start calling it 'California Sekt'...

Considering the language/population/culture shift, it might be better to go with 'California Cava', Bill.

I'm going to start calling it 'California Sekt'...

Considering the language/population/culture shift, it might be better to go with 'California Cava', Bill.

'Cava' has too much of a negative connotation for me. I relegate them to cheap, fizzy, often dirty sparkling wines.

No one has yet brought up that even Champagne is considering expansion of its borders (already bigger than ever) to allow world-wide demand to be met (and the devils advocate in me would ask why an area now outside of 'Champagne' could be called 'Champagne' in the future. It rather defeats the purpose of AOC, no?) I hate to be the one to say it (especially with the ridiculous price of Bordeaux these days), but perhaps the market can decide what the reasonable cost of Champagne should be. There is always Cremant de Loire for the dinner table.

'Cava' has too much of a negative connotation for me. I relegate them to cheap, fizzy, often dirty sparkling wines.

I hear what you're saying, Bill. But I don't think it's so much that they're dirty (though, yes, some are, cause there's crap everywhere, of course), but more the general nature of the grapes used.

One of the telltales of Cava for me is that stinky/dirty rubber/plastic funkiness. That comes from the Parellada/Macabeo blend.

But now we're seeing more Chardonnay in some of the cavas, so who knows what will happen in the future.

Best cava I recall having within the last several years is the Montsarrat. If you see that, try it. It's pretty good, and cheap as cava should be.

(But, yeah, I'd drink Loire bubbly, or Bourgogne, before I'd pony up for most any cava.)

'Cava' has too much of a negative connotation for me. I relegate them to cheap, fizzy, often dirty sparkling wines.

I hear what you're saying, Bill. But I don't think it's so much that they're dirty (though, yes, some are, cause there's crap everywhere, of course), but more the general nature of the grapes used.

One of the telltales of Cava for me is that stinky/dirty rubber/plastic funkiness. That comes from the Parellada/Macabeo blend.

But now we're seeing more Chardonnay in some of the cavas, so who knows what will happen in the future.

Best cava I recall having within the last several years is the Montsarrat. If you see that, try it. It's pretty good, and cheap as cava should be.

(But, yeah, I'd drink Loire bubbly, or Bourgogne, before I'd pony up for most any cava.)

I do hate to generalize (wait, no I don't! ) I'll keep an eye open for Montsarrat. Thanks.

[David M. Bueker]

I don't suppose we could call it Napa Valley (or Mendocino) Petillant?

I don't suppose we could call it Napa Valley (or Mendocino) Petillant?

Nice David! I think you're on to something.

I don't suppose we could call it Napa Valley (or Mendocino) Petillant?

Nice David! I think you're on to something.

Nope. Won't work. The French don't like it when we use their words for our stuff. You know, words like 'vintage'.

Why don't we go with simple, basic, forthright labels and say "Contains Carbon Dioxide".

[David M. Bueker]

I don't suppose we could call it Napa Valley (or Mendocino) Petillant?

Nice David! I think you're on to something.

Nope. Won't work. The French don't like it when we use their words for our stuff. You know, words like 'vintage'.

Why don't we go with simple, basic, forthright labels and say "Contains Carbon Dioxide".

So if I open a bottle of sparkling wine am I contributing to additional global warming? If every bottle of sparkling wine in the whole world was opened at one time would all of hte glaciers spontaneously melt?

An FYI (if anybody is still interested at this point) to what the US/EU was arguing over in terms of what 'semi-generic' names are to be allowed.

This is the official TTB list:

Burgundy
Chablis
Champagne
Chianti
Claret
Haut Sauterne
Hock
Madeira
Malaga
Marsala
Moselle
Port
Rhine
Sauterne
Sherry
Tokay


And technically, the naming protocol for what is approve is that your wine is grandfathered in if you have established prior use...but if you change any element of the name (Producer/Company Name, Fanciful Name (if any), Semi-Generic, and appellation of origin, then you automatically lose any grandfathering rights.

For instance, if Joe Blow Rippling Brook Chablis California changed any element of it's name Joe Blow/Rippling Brook/Chablis/California---they wouldn't be able to continue using the name Chablis.

Retsina, interestingly enough, was already covered by a separate agreement between the US and Greece, ceding the rights to retsina to that country.

And in a previous question, someone wondered about vermouth. Vermouth isn't a place name; I assume that's why it was not included with the semi-generics. Vermouth is a word derived from "wormwood' (I believe it's kin to the old German 'vermut'), orginally one of the many botanical/flavoring ingredients in vermouth.

I don't suppose we could call it Napa Valley (or Mendocino) Petillant?

Nice David! I think you're on to something.

Nope. Won't work. The French don't like it when we use their words for our stuff. You know, words like 'vintage'.

Why don't we go with simple, basic, forthright labels and say "Contains Carbon Dioxide".

So if I open a bottle of sparkling wine am I contributing to additional global warming? If every bottle of sparkling wine in the whole world was opened at one time would all of hte glaciers spontaneously melt?

Well, close...I believe the scientists have clearly determined that for all the glaciers to spontaneously melt we would have to open all the sparkling wines in the world simultaneously, while all the cows in the world farted methane gas. And if either Bush or Cheney were speaking at the time, we'd definitely be goners.

[David M. Bueker]

And the fact that hock and moselle are protected is just ridiculous. I guess the Germans want to make sure they still have those terms available in case they want to modify the wine law to shoot themselves in the other foot (again).

And the fact that hock and moselle are protected is just ridiculous. I guess the Germans want to make sure they still have those terms available in case they want to modify the wine law to shoot themselves in the other foot (again).

Well, yeah, I'd sure agree with Hock, David.

Might surprise you though that I can sorta see the Moselle, albeit on somewhat spurious terms (but then, consistency is highly overrated, so I get to be inconsistent). Moselle is the French version of Mosel....and there are (although damned few people care about them) wines from the Moselle in Luxembourg. So I guess I could see protecting the name of the river that runs through it, yeah.

But Hock? C'mon, that's kind of silly.

Now I think I'll go out and have a nice dinner with some Berliner Weissbier (that's not from Berlin), some Wiener Schnitzel (that's not from Vienna), some Cheddar (that's not from Cheddar), some Gruyere (that's not from either France or Switzerland), some Potatoes Lyonnaise (that's not from Lyon). Of course, some cold cuts, like Bologna (that's not from Bologna), Salumi Toscana (that's not from Tuscany), and some linguica (that's never even been close to Portugal). For cocktails, we'll have some Scotch (that's not from Scotland), some Bourbon (that's not from Bourbon), and some Gin (that's not from Holland). For after dinner drinks maybe we'll have some Australian Port (that's not from Portugal, oddly enough), or maybe some Australian Tokay (that, again, oddly enough is not from Hungary). Can't decide whether to have dessert be an English Trifle (that's never been trifled with by an Englishman) or Salzburger Tort (sans Salzburger, of course).

And for breakfast tomorrow: umm, Belgian Waffles! (that aren't from Belgian). Unless I can wheedle my wife into making Dutch Babies (neither Dutch, nor babies, thank the FSM).

I sincerely hope no one is offended or misled by any of this.

[David M. Bueker]

I'm just going to go out and get some Buffalo Wings (not from Buffalo...the place or the animal).

I'm just going to go out and get some Buffalo Wings (not from Buffalo...the place or the animal).

THAT is where I draw the line. Buffalo wings from anywhere else are just plain 'ole chicken wings.