June at SF Wine Center

June was a busy month at SF Wine Center, with the Pinot Days tasting in San Francisco driving a lot of wine traffic and interest. I helped out with some events, including the actual Pinot Days tasting at Metreon and a couple satellite tastings at SFWC. Check out the SFWC Blog for more on these tastings! 

Pinot Days

Old World vs. New World with GLG Labs

Anderson Valley/Mendocino Tasting

Happy Mumm Day

I celebrated my recent birthday with a trip to Mumm Napa for my favorite wine - the kind that sparkles. I received a tip to try their limited edition 2011 Sparkling Pinot Meunier, which was peachy, flowery and very pretty, having spent 18 months on its lees before disgorgement. This traditional Champagne blending grape is aptly named for the flour-like dusty white down on the underside of its leaves. Though unknown to many, Pinot Meunier is the most widely planted Champagne grape and is favored because it buds later and ripens more reliably than the finicky Pinot Noir. In the final wine it contributes fruity flavors and aromatics.

Another favorite from this tasting was the DVX 2006, a 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which spent 5 years on its lees, so it was nice and toasty.

After this second visit to the beautiful Mumm terrace my favorite remains their Reserve Brut, a 60/40 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that is consistently bright, creamy, fruity and toasty. We wanted to buy another Magnum but they were sold out. Next time!

Thanks again to Lauren and James for a wonderful tasting.

Sharing Pinot at SFWC with The Corkdork

Lately I've been hanging out at the San Francisco Wine Center, and one day storage member John (aka The Corkdork) shared a bottle of Pinot Noir with us in The City Room. It was produced by winemaker Sashi Moorman and Rajat Parr, a sommelier who oversees the wine program of the Michael Mina restaurant group and is involved in various wine making projects. Raj is also a wine educator and writer of the book Secrets of the Sommeliers, co-authored with Jordan Mackay, a frequent SFWC educator.  As the label shows, the  fruit for this wine came from the warm Sta. Rita Hills Appellation of Santa Barbara county, which is not only the location of the movie Sideways but a region some believe to be the best place in the New World to grow Pinot Noir, due to its cool Pacific marine layer. While enjoying this easy-sipping Pinot on a pleasant afternoon, we noticed blackberry jam and delicate spice on the palate. Thanks, John and Rajat!

WOT is Wine on Tap?!

Ever hear of wine on tap (WOT)? It's a relatively new alternative to wine by the glass programs in restaurants and bars. The New York Times covered this trend in 2009 when it started taking off. WOT makes a lot of sense, benefiting both the restaurant and the producer:

• Wine on tap stays fresh because it resides in an air-tight container. No more half-drunk, oxidized bottles. 
• Bottles and corks are eliminated, which saves on costs for the producer and waste for the restaurant. 
• The risk of cork taint from natural corks is eliminated. 
• It is considered eco-friendly.

Logistically, the winery controls the storage of the wine and refilling the kegs, making sure to keg a finished, filtered wine. The retailer must have a special WOT system for storage and serving, separate from beer taps. This system by nature is airtight; WOT systems must be equipped with nitrogen to replace the air space left by the wine served.

When I worked at Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard they had just started a keg program with some local restaurants, and I cleaned, filled, delivered and sampled my fair share. Wiemer's wine tasted the same or better coming out of the keg compared to the bottle; it really did taste "fresh."

I'm intrigued by the WOT concept and I try a keg wine whenever I see one.  Here in San Francisco, you can find WOT at The Slanted Door's sister restaurant, OTD in Pacific Heights, or at Barrique in Jackson Square, to name just a couple.

One issue with keg wine is the perception of quality. Is it cheaper wine if it doesn't come in a bottle with a cork? Is it not worthy of aging, and does this make it seem lower-quality? Is this what winemakers want when they keg a wine or is this what they are getting?

At the same time, wouldn't it be a good idea for wineries to use kegs for their tasting samples, instead of opening bottles all the time? Is anyone doing this? The tap dance continues...