Wine Focus: Whats up for April?

Think Pinot Noir was mentioned last month?

[David M. Bueker]

We've done red two months in a row, so Robin & I made a decision to go with...ALSACE!

We've done red two months in a row, so Robin & I made a decision to go with...ALSACE!

Wrong. There are posts about whites in both the South and Rhône threads. Look at the last post from Joe Moryl, for example.

And there are reds in Alsace, some of which are becoming very good.

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to discuss this .

[David M. Bueker]

Well you can't deny that the dominant posting has been red.

Not trying to be dictatorial, but it was getting late in the month. There's lots of opportunities (read: months) to cover much ground, and we haven't talked Alsace in a few years.

Not trying to be dictatorial,

Well, you could have fooled me there.......and for Rhône too.

[David M. Bueker]

Rhone was an attempt to build on the memntum we had with Southern France & maybe keep the guests around a bit longer. It wasn't as successful as we hoped, but Robin and I both thought it worth trying.

So let me ask - what topic do you want? Pinot Noir as a complete variety is broader than we normally prefer to do.

The list of prior topics is posted here.

So let me ask - what topic do you want? Pinot Noir as a complete variety is broader than we normally prefer to do...[/url]

More broad than Riesling, that has been done twice? The closest we've done to Pinot Noir is "Affordable Burgundy". Even though I'm going to a blind tasting of PNs this weekend and will take notes, I could vote for Alsace whites for April and Pinot Noir for May.

We've done red two months in a row, so Robin & I made a decision to go with...ALSACE!

Wrong. There are posts about whites in both the South and Rhône threads. Look at the last post from Joe Moryl, for example.

And there are reds in Alsace, some of which are becoming very good.

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to discuss this .

I agree with Tim, there used to be plenty of discussion about upcoming subjects..some of them instigated by me.
Whilst here , I would like to add that it was me who introduced those S French winemakers and pundits to the Languedoc Wine Focus. Sarah Ahmed joined us during Portugal month so I think I have shown that I value Wine Focus very highly!

So let me ask - what topic do you want? Pinot Noir as a complete variety is broader than we normally prefer to do.

David, I would be very pleased to do Alsace sometime and its white emphasis becomes more welcome as the days warm up.

Pinot Noir is indeed a vast subject. I think that Burgundy is a worthy subject in itself, so how about Pinot Noir, excluding Burgundy (or excluding Côte d'Or so as to allow us to bring in some lesser known red Burgs from around Auxerre (Irancy) and the Côte Chalonnaise)? This subject would require me to go out and buy, one of which could well be an Alsatian .

Following on Southern France, I would like to take a look at South Western France (excluding Bordeaux). This would cover a broad palette of flavours from Bordeaux near look-alikes in Bergerac, Marmandais, Duras and Buzet to the highly individualistic offerings from Madiran, Cahors, Jurançon, Irouléguy, Fronton, etc. Availability may be a problem in some areas but if Bob can once again rustle up some experts (e.g. Paul Strang or some Brit expatriate vignerons) it could prove very interesting.

A few months ago, Ian Sutton produced an interesting list of possible topics and I will try to find it.

[Robin Garr]

Just to jump in here, folks, I think everyone understands that this is a collegial community and that we generally make every effort to involve folks in decisions. It happens that last month Rhone followed so logically from Languedoc that we just decided to make it happen without really thinking about an electoral process. Kind of the same this month, frankly, it crept up on us, and Alsace (or, for those in outlying parts of the world, Alsace varieties) seemed like a good spur-of-the-moment pick.

May I respectfully say that I hope no one will feel personally aggrieved about this? No such thing was intended. And if you guys want to throw out ideas, we're always happy to hear 'em. Next month, or any month, start tossing them out in the last week or so before the month ends, and we'll certainly be happy to engage in conversation. And in months where that doesn't happen, please don't be offended if the moderators look around on the 28th or 29th and say, "D'oh! Let's do _____."

[David M. Bueker]

Not that my name is much other than mud in this discussion right now, but I have been thinking about how we determine topics for Wine Focus. We tend to have 3 different types of topics come up: variety based, broad region based & what I will call sub-region/niche topics. We then hem and haw about whether any or all are appropriate for Wine Focus.

How about we develop a rotation, where each quarter we do one of each: variety, broad region and then sub-region/niche topics. This might help with the concerns regarding availability, as at least we know that we are making a concious decision to explore some of the more narrowly focused topics every once in a while.

So it would look something like this:

April: Alsace (broad region)
May: Pinot Noir (variety)
June: Himalayan Goat Milk Wines (niche)

Obviously some of that is meant in good fun, but I think it gets my point across.

Thoughts?

[James Roscoe]

Would the Himalayan goat milk wines also take in those from the Ganges river valley? Is that a different appellation? I would enjoy a discussion on the difference between goat wines from India and those from Zimbabwe. How do they compare to New World varieties from Jamaica and the Ozarks?

It works for me. Southwest France, other than Bordeaux, does present an availability problem for me (even if the wines are available, I've been spending my wine dollars elswewhere and don't want to run out and buy wines from a region that may not appeal to me.) But if niche wines are only one month out of three, I can choose to read Wine Focus without contributing that month or maybe look for one suitable wine to broaden my experience.

P.S. I have had a couple Jurancon wines I liked but doubt that they are available locally.

I'm regrettably lacking Alsace wines also at present but don't mind buying a couple since I do enjoy drinking them and it is time to focus a bit more on white wines.

Would the Himalayan goat milk wines also take in those from the Ganges river valley? Is that a different appellation? I would enjoy a discussion on the difference between goat wines from India and those from Zimbabwe. How do they compare to New World varieties from Jamaica and the Ozarks?

Unfortunately our myopic AZ legislature has banned all imported goat milk wines to protect the Arizona goat milk wine industry from unfair competition. No one was able to convince any of those who approved this measure that the Arizona goat milk wine industry is non-existent.

June: Himalayan Goat Milk Wines (niche)

Excellent. I'm looking forward to it - I have a couple of cases coming from Nepal with some ungrafted and completely non-interventionist goat milk wines (from goats whose beards were never trimmed - really non-interventionist!)

James - everybody knows the pollution around the Ganges river valley only serves to spoof up the goat milk wines in those area. The Himalayan ones are much purer.

[David M. Bueker]

Great points Salil. As for me, I have always preferred cool climate goat milk wines. The stuff from around the Ganges does not have enough zip for me.

Has anyone ever done a side by side blind tasting of Himlayan goat milk wine with Himalayan yak milk wine? I have always thought the yak milk wines were too bretty for my taste, but other people tell me it's the terroir. I figure the blind side by side tasting would decide the matter.

http://www.boer-goats-farmstay-bed-breakfast.com/jamunapari-and-barbari-kathmandu-nepal.html

[James Roscoe]

Great points Salil. As for me, I have always preferred cool climate goat milk wines. The stuff from around the Ganges does not have enough zip for me.

Has anyone ever done a side by side blind tasting of Himlayan goat milk wine with Himalayan yak milk wine? I have always thought the yak milk wines were too bretty for my taste, but other people tell me it's the terroir. I figure the blind side by side tasting would decide the matter.

I have a sweet tooth so I enjoy the Ganges River Valley goat milk wines. Perhaps the extra chemicals give them a little flavor. Do they use those small Indonesian barrels or the traditional Indian ones?

[David M. Bueker]

I have a sweet tooth so I enjoy the Ganges River Valley goat milk wines. Perhaps the extra chemicals give them a little flavor. Do they use those small Indonesian barrels or the traditional Indian ones?

American oak.

How about we develop a rotation, where each quarter we do one of each: variety, broad region and then sub-region/niche topics. This might help with the concerns regarding availability, as at least we know that we are making a concious decision to explore some of the more narrowly focused topics every once in a while.

So it would look something like this:

April: Alsace (broad region)
May: Pinot Noir (variety)
June: Himalayan Goat Milk Wines (niche)

Obviously some of that is meant in good fun, but I think it gets my point across.

Thoughts?

I think that this is an interesting approach. The rotation would not have to be too strict with Himaatyan Goat Milk Wines appearing less than once every three months , but we would have the opportunity of getting in a more abstruse wine type under the "niche" hat.

As for SW France, we could get it in either as a region or as a niche (albeit a diverse one).

Southwest France, other than Bordeaux, does present an availability problem for me (even if the wines are available, I've been spending my wine dollars elswewhere and don't want to run out and buy wines from a region that may not appeal to me.)

Surely one of the pleasures of WF is that it is a reason to experiment with a wine type which one would not normally try? SW France contains some highly original flavours, e.g. Madiran, Cahors, Jurançon, which one may not like, but which are richly rewarding if one does.