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Wine Newsletter
Fall 2009
The business of wine can be a gritty thing. Our three-tier system of distributing wine in the U.S. means a bottle of imported wine changes hands many times before it’s actually opened and enjoyed. For example, many wineries leave all of their commercial responsibilities to a broker or courtier, who negotiates with an importer. The importer purchases the wine and ships it to their warehouse, before it is sold to a local distributor. From there, the distributor sells to retail stores and restaurants, where it is finally enjoyed by you. Every step along the way we haggle over prices, allocations, storage and transportation. Members of the wine trade have to wear two hats: one as passionate wine people who strive to share our discoveries, lending our expertise to customers; the other as business people who must watch the bottom line. To keep our perspective, we sometimes take quick trips to wine country or dig deep into our cellars for a special bottle at home. Occasionally, we’re visited by importers or winemakers, and reminded of why we chose this métier: it’s all about popping corks and drinking the stuff!
The entrance to Domaine des Baumard in Rochefort-sur-Loire. Photo by Jesse.
Last month one of our importers, Fred Ek of Ex-Cellars wine Agencies in Solvang, California, called to let me know that he would be visiting Omaha in September. Fred's company has built its business on importing a handful of quality producers, many of which I'm sure you already know: Guigal, the Rhône valley négociant famous for its single-vineyard Côte-Rôties; Champagne Philipponnat with its iconic Clos des Goisses bottling; and Domaine des Baumard which for many, is the quintessential source for Loire Valley Chenin Blanc. Wine writer Chris Kissack of the excellent website winedoctor.com, says of Florent Baumard, the current proprietor ..."is a delight to meet..." a fact I confirmed when I visited the estate last fall. Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley is produced in every imaginable style: from sparkling to still; lusciously sweet to bone dry. What is most remarkable about Domaine des Baumard is that you can taste benchmark examples of each of these styles, all under one roof! Fred and I have arranged for a special evening at the The Boiler Room featuring the wines of Florent Baumard. If you'd like to know Chenin Blanc as it should be, from one of its greatest producers, we invite you to join us at The Boiler Room at 6PM, Thursday, September 17th. The price of the tasting is $40.
The stunning landscape of the Barbaresco hill. Photo by Jesse
Sometimes our wine suppliers are homegrown like Lincoln native Mark MacDonald and his excellent company The Italian Vine. Mark spent a few years in Naples, Italy while he was in the military and returned an Italian wine fanatic. Mark's distribution company is based in Lincoln, working exclusively with Italian wines. He's brought me many producers that I hadn't previously encountered, including the young Giovanni Abrigio of Barbaresco in Piedmont. Together with his father Orlando, and his wife Virna, Giovanni farms around 25 acres of vines in the Barbaresco zone. Nebbiolo, the grape of Barbaresco and Barolo, is extremely sensitive to its terrain and can be remarkably different from one vineyard to the next. In the past, growers in these areas would blend their various Nebbiolo vineyards into a single cuvée but now many more producers are expressing their land by bottling several different single vineyard wines or crus as they are known. This proliferation of Cru Barbaresco and Barolo in the market has required us wine industry folks to re-study the region and the new Masnaghetti Editore maps that detail the hundreds of vineyard parcels we now see on wine labels. Giovanni is planning a trip to Omaha for a special evening at The Boiler Room in early November. He'll be bringing most of the wines that he and Virna produce, including cru Barbarescos from Vigna Montersino and Vigna Rongallo. Chef Paul Kulik is planning a special prix fixe menu built around Giovanni's wines and another special ingredient: ALBA WHITE TRUFFLES! We're finalizing the date now, please send me an e-mail so we can keep you informed. This event will sell-out fast!
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