January Wine Focus topic discussion

[Robin Garr]

Hey, gang ... something about having the holidays on the weekends this month is really causing the calendar to pile up on me. I can hardly believe that tomorrow is New Year's Eve and Saturday is a new month and a new year!

Any thoughts on a Wine Focus topic for January? Broad enough to be accessible, narrow enough to be ... focused. Affordable, and ideally either available around the world or at least a reasonable substitute is.

Some form of warming fortified for winter? Or something completely different? Let's hear your proposals.

What about wine-themed New Year's resolutions? Or reflecting on the past year of wines we've enjoyed and our hopes/goals for the new year as it relates to wine?

[Robin Garr]

What about wine-themed New Year's resolutions? Or reflecting on the past year of wines we've enjoyed and our hopes/goals for the new year as it relates to wine?

Joy, those are extremely good topics for forum conversation, and we should do them all. I'm not sure whether it fits as the subject for the "Wine Focus" thread, though, where we generally like to invite everyone to taste, discuss and share comments on a specific kind of wine for that month.

I don't mean to knock down your ideas, though. We should indeed talk about all those things.

We've never done a wine focus on the red wines of Portugal. It's been a proposal that's been tabled before due to lack of availability, but defining it to allow any red wine from the entire country of Portugal seems a lot broader than some of the narrow focuses we've had in the past. And I'm sure Joe Moryl and Bob Parsons could provide us all with some useful guidance.

[Robin Garr]

We've never done a wine focus on the red wines of Portugal. It's been a proposal that's been tabled before due to lack of availability, but defining it to allow any red wine from the entire country of Portugal seems a lot broader than some of the narrow focuses we've had in the past. And I'm sure Joe Moryl and Bob Parsons could provide us all with some useful guidance.

Keith, I'm certainly willing to consider it. I had a great time exploring the wines of Portugal (not just the Ports) during a visit a few years ago, and I don't need convincing. I do thing broad availability is a problem, but I ought to be able to fine an item or two around here. Let's consider it a firm nominee, and see what else comes up.

Sounds great! Forumites should also think about some of the white wines coming out of the country......Portal, Pato, CARM just to get going.

What about wine-themed New Year's resolutions? Or reflecting on the past year of wines we've enjoyed and our hopes/goals for the new year as it relates to wine?

Joy, those are extremely good topics for forum conversation, and we should do them all. I'm not sure whether it fits as the subject for the "Wine Focus" thread, though, where we generally like to invite everyone to taste, discuss and share comments on a specific kind of wine for that month.

I don't mean to knock down your ideas, though. We should indeed talk about all those things.

No worries! Thanks for the feedback.

Portugal. Here is the Top 5 from Sarah Ahmed, may be tough to find but will give readers an idea of the amazing progress Portugal is making.

http://www.thewinedetective.co.uk/blog/ ... -portugal/

[Robin Garr]

may be tough to find

That's a real problem for Wine Focus. Wines we can only read about won't help us much.

Wish I still had friends down near Fall River, MA. That place is a treasure trough of Portugese wines. But, the friends went to Florida.

[Robin Garr]

Wish I still had friends down near Fall River, MA. That place is a treasure trough of Portugese wines. But, the friends went to Florida.

Fall River has a big Portuguese-American community, as I recall.

Okay, here's the plan: This afternoon I'll drop by our neighborhood wine shop, which is a nice little shop, well-run by a knowledgeable guy but not all that huge an inventory, no more than 500 bottles at a guess. If they have at least a few Portuguese reds, I'll report them; if they have none, I'll report that. Although it's only one litmus test, I think the total absence of Portuguese reds would be a signal that accessibility is going to be an issue.

Another thought: What if we go with Portuguese reds but consider that definition to include Port - particularly NV Ruby or Tawny, as an alternative for those who can't get Portuguese dry reds?

Out of curiosity, I checked the websites of my favorite stores both in NYC area (Chambers St, Grapes the Wine Co, Zachys, Astor, PJ Wines, WineLibrary, Post) and CA (WHWC, Winex, JJ Buckley)- each had at least 2 dry Portugese reds. And I know I saw Quinto do Cabriz in supermarkets in Georgia. So shouldn;t be that tough,though I think including Tawny ports is a good idea,

Here in the Oregon market we have about 2 dozen producers available. I have the advantage of selling wine so I see all the different price books. I have certainly had some very nice both reds and whites that are very well priced.

[David M. Bueker]

Given the potential difficulty of finding the wines, why not let the topic stand as Portugal, allowing red, white and fortified. Not all that focused, but so what.

[Robin Garr]

Given the potential difficulty of finding the wines, why not let the topic stand as Portugal, allowing red, white and fortified. Not all that focused, but so what.

I think the intent of the OP was that everybody knows about Vinho Verde, but Portuguese table reds are a relatively new and growing category that deserves its own study. I am fully on board with that, provided the wines are at least reasonably available. Opening it up to Port allows access to more people, but (in my opinion) opening it all the way up to "the wines of Portugal" loses the original idea entirely.

I'm not wedded to this, but that's my initial reaction.

I don't happen to have a Portuguese dry red in my stash at the moment, but I'd be interested enough to go grab a bottle. There are a couple of places here in Santa Rosa that, if I recall correctly from my initial lookarounds, have some.
And I really enjoyed the Douro reds when I was in Portugal a few years ago.

John

[David M. Bueker]

Ok then. There's one "non-swill-level" Portugese dry red at my local shop. Perhaps I will try it.

[James Roscoe]

"Swill-Level" Portuguese reds might surprise you. Portugal is not Australia or Chile, yet.

[David M. Bueker]

"Swill-Level" Portuguese reds might surprise you. Portugal is not Australia or Chile, yet.

Ok, you get to drink the Mateus. When I said swill I meant it!

[Robin Garr]

Ok then. There's one "non-swill-level" Portugese dry red at my local shop. Perhaps I will try it.

But is it spoofy?

Just checked the NH Liq Index. There are a couple of Douros under $15 available nearby. Then you jump to $30, $40, $50. This all does not mean a large inventory; maybe 100 bottles total scattered all over the state. Of course we can also check Whole Foods in Portland.

[Robin Garr]

Bad news: I got by my local wine shop, and the guy's got a boatload of Spanish wines, and he's got Port, but he's got no Portuguese table wines, no red and not even any Vinho Verde. He said the major distributor, Southern Wine and Spirits, can't (or won't?) get him any, saying it's just not available and there's little demand.

I expect I could find some in this city if I want to drive around to either one of the larger wine shops or one of the more high-end boutique shops, but the question rises, how much effort can we put people to and still expect to have an active Wine Focus.

I suggest that we either:

(1) Go with the previous idea (David?) of going with All Portugal, including whites, reds, Ports and I guess that would take in Madeira too. This might not be horrible, as it can't hurt to have an excuse to open a nice fortified or two during chilly January. If we do, we should add a subtext encouraging people to dig up dry red not-Ports if we can, though.

(2) Drop it, punt, and come back with something else.

To me, with the First coming up tomorrow, it seems late to punt. Is everyone okay with Portugal in General, but dry red if you can find it?

[David M. Bueker]

Portugal it is!

I see that Portugal in General won out. I'll still chase down a Douro if I can.

John (chasing madly after a bottle of wine with windmill-shaped antlers)