Wine Club Newsletter - March 2024
Attracting Younger Wine Drinkers
The big headwind facing wineries around the world is what many see as the industry’s inability to attract younger drinkers. Story after story was written about how wineries can attract younger customers. While strategies for attracting Millenials and Gen-Zers to wine vary, one thing is certain, the industry needs a greater market share for those 21 to 40 years if it wants to thrive in the future.
The Wine Spectator asked young wine professionals across the country for their ideas and the strategies that they themselves use to make wine more attractive to younger diners.
Wine Spectator: What can the wine industry do to better appeal to younger drinkers? And how are you encouraging younger diners to order wine?
Summer Knoop, owner and wine director of Award of Excellence winner Cafe Mamo, Grand Rapids, Mich.
When I was young and first getting into wine, the things that kept me away from ordering bottles were the feeling of pretension when looking at a wine list and thinking the staff would judge me based on what I picked. Plus, I was flat broke, so the idea of spending $40 on a bottle of wine in a restaurant was daunting, especially considering I might not even like it!
I see this still with young guests that come into Café Mamo, so we offer half off bottles at happy hour just to ease people into the idea of sharing a bottle with the table. From there, our entire philosophy revolves around simplicity and being unpretentious, so our list has bottles that fit every price range from broke college student to avid wine collector.
Hugo Bensimon, wine director of Grand Award winner Grill 23, Boston
I think the wine industry should appeal to young customers through the actual label itself. I find that a lot of “natural” wines have gone the direction of sprucing up their wine labels with much less of a classic look and appealing towards the younger demographic. We see it mainly in retail, but a lot of today’s classic wines have had the same label for years. I know a lot of the younger crowd that picks a bottle of wine purely on what the label looks like.
I would love to see some classic wineries, with great wine, update their seemingly outdated labels and reflect a more fun approach towards their wines. I think we have had a strong correlation with the more expensive a bottle of wine is, the more the label needs to seem classic and plain. I would love to see that change.
Christopher Gaither, co-owner of Ungrafted, San Francisco
One thing the wine industry lacks is diversity. There are efforts being made to address it, but it is a huge factor in getting more people interested in wine. We must work to appeal to different ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic sectors by being welcoming and creating safe spaces for people to enjoy wine (on their own terms) without feeling judged or intimidated.
Tyler Blair, wine director of Khâluna, Minneapolis
When appealing to young generations, the key is to create an experience. Young people want something to remember, something they can discuss. Expensive things are no longer a motivating factor. Keep it intriguing and interesting; however, keep it simple and approachable. It also helps to offer these by the glass so one can experience more, curating specific pairings to complement each dish on our menu.
Bill Cox, wine director of Best of Award of Excellence winner, Counter-, Charlotte, N.C.
I have heard a lot of chatter recently about the interest or disinterest of young people regarding wine. I think this is a complex topic that encompasses price points, sustainability, agricultural practices, health concerns and even portion control. Speaking for Counter-, I will say that I take great pride in introducing wine as food, and I think our audience across all age ranges is receptive. When you think about wine as an accompaniment to food, you begin to ask yourself, “Hmm, how will this sauce go with that fruit note or will the acidity change the mouthfeel of this wine?” In this, we have been very blessed to introduce people to experiences they otherwise would not try.
Many people are skeptical of sake, but a beautiful Junmai Daiginjo in tension with a gentle dashi [kombu seaweed stock] or complementing a fried plantain helps guests view the dining experience through a larger lens. With traditional grape cultivars, it is very much the same; we want to shatter your expectation of “I don’t like or only drink XYZ.” Part of this is force-feeding guests their vegetables, so to speak, but more so giving them the context and understanding to appreciate well-made wine.
Seriously, how did brussels sprouts become everyone’s favorite vegetable suddenly, when my parents refused to make them because of childhood trauma from the cruciferous terror. Young or old, peas or Moscato, if presented with a compelling technique and story, people will take interest.
Maddy Jimerson, wine director of Casa Tua, Aspen
A lot of young drinkers are intimidated by wine and feel like they need to be an expert to enjoy it. With the exception of Franzia and the slap-the-bag culture, our society has put wine on a pedestal: something for special occasions to be enjoyed only by a select few. To appeal to a younger crowd, this kind of culture surrounding wine needs to change. From marketing to selling wine on the floor, the wine industry as a whole needs to develop an element of approachability and, most importantly, humility.
I believe this can be accomplished by focusing on what’s behind the bottle. What I mean by that is selling the story. Who made it? Where is it from? If we can bring the story to life, then wine becomes more relatable, more approachable and a little less intimidating. I am currently developing a series of short films featuring Italy’s often-forgotten wine regions using this approach. I focus on the story of the producer, through which the audience can learn about the region. Instead of getting into the technicalities of the wine and how it was made, the films highlight the winemaker and his or her experiences. In this way, the audience can learn about the wine through the people who made it.
...
Cheers!
Gary Parker, Owner
The WineSellar & Brasserie
2021 Viognier, Vega Vineyard & Farm
Growing Region Santa Maria, California
Varietal Composition 100% Viognier
Fermentation Ten Months Stainless Steel
Alcohol Content 14%
Suggested Retail $39.00
WineSellar Club Price $35.09
Broad Strokes:
From the Winery: In 1976 Bill Mosby and his wife Jeri found the favorable land and purchased the 206 acres of Rancho la Vega. They planted eighteen acres of wine grapes. The Mosby’s learned of the rich history that the ranch carried with it and thus Vega Vineyards was born, a family venture to sell wine grapes to wineries. In 1980 they changed the name from Vega Vineyards to Mosby Winery and focused on selling direct to customers out of the tasting room on the property.
Demetrios and Karen Loizides had always been drawn to the region due to its similarities to Demetrios’s ancestral and grape-growing village of Kathikas, Cyprus. They realized their dream, purchased the farm, and wanted to share with friends and community. From there is where Vega Vineyard and Farm, a winery, restaurant, and catering operation that offers a genuine “farm to table” model grew.
Appearance:
I really believe the label is a successful interpretation of what the Loizides’ are trying to forward: This is an old, established 1853, special farm. The etching of the vineyard and farm is classic old world. Nice back label story as well. The wine has a brilliant silver/gold hue and is perfectly clear.
Nose:
The aromatics are straight forward, elegant, balanced, and clean. Pineapple fruits, with apricot, white peaches, and some delicate spices.
Texture:
Medium in weight and body. Voluptuous, velvety, and enveloping fruit. Its richness coats the palate upon entry, through the middle, and all the way to the finish. Expansive fruit with some firming acid and a lovely, lengthy finish. Feeling clean and full on the palate.
Flavors:
Tropical fruits, but the majority of the early flavor profile comes from the pineapple scent we got on from the nose when it was first opened. Then it expands to include passion fruit, peaches, ripe orange, Meyer lemon, and honeysuckle.
Serving Suggestions:
This is an anytime wine for casual sipping to pairing with composed salads.
2019 Domaine Cabirau Serge & Marie, “Maury Sec”
Growing Region Languedoc-Roussillon, France
Varietal Composition 70% Grenache, 20% Carignan, 10% Syrah
Fermentation New and Used French Oak Five Months
Alcohol Content 14%
Suggested Retail $24.00
WineSellar Club Price $19.79
Broad Strokes: 91-93 Points Jeb Dunnuck
After 27 years in the wine business in America, “Hand Picked Selections” President Dan Kravitz took the plunge and purchased 13.5 acres of vineyard land in the Roussillon! The Domaine (taking its name "Cabirau" after the name of the vineyard itself) is in the village of Maury, which will receive its own sub-appellation for Côtes du Roussillon next year.
It is planted entirely to Grenache and is comprised of twelve almost-contiguous parcels on a high stony hill just below the famed old Cathar fortress of Queribus. Ten acres are planted with 20-25 years old vines, with vines in remaining acreage averaging more than 60 years in age.
Appearance:
I really like the packaging on this bottle. What appears to be a bright gold outline of an overhead view of a floating vineyard plot (the 12 contiguous ones he has) contrasts perfectly with the dark overall theme the rest of the bottle carries. The wine is a dark magenta with hints of gray.
Nose:
Very exciting nose! Deep scents of kirsch, balsamic, black pepper, and freshly crushed roses. It is rare to have such a flower forward scented aromatic, but I just couldn’t get it out of my senses; roses and even violets! Black earth, soil.
Texture:
Medium more so than medium full in weight and body. That said, it has excellent concentration with a fabulous feel in the mouth. Silken, even, balanced and just overall lovely, the wine comes in layers of richness and flavors.
Flavors:
First entry brings the dark earthen soil components, underbrush, clay, black pepper and spices surrounded and saturated with dark berry fruits. But really, here come the roses. It has the taste of what a feel like a rose petals smell like. I am not sure in my fifty-year history of tasting wine that I have ever had that before but here it is. And I loved it! Notes of black tea and kirsch.
Serving Suggestions:
This will improve with 6-10 years in the bottle. Age some!!! Quality to price ratio is HIGH!
2022 The Paring Pinot Noir
Growing Region Santa Barbara County, California
Varietal Composition 100% Pinot Noir
Fermentation French Oak, 35% New, 65% Neutral, 11 Months
Alcohol Content 14.1%
Suggested Retail $30.00
WineSellar Club Price $26.99
Broad Strokes:
Armed with a degree in Soil Science from the University of Vermont and vintages at Staglin in Napa, California and Craggy Range in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, Matt Dees has an intrinsic feel for wine, from dirt to glass. Curious and experimental by nature, Matt’s approach to winemaking is grounded in the vineyard first and foremost: attuned to the vines, the weather, the soil, Matt seems almost to be a part of the vineyard itself.
Matt comes to wine with an untethered philosophy, a mindset embodied in The Paring. At the core of these wines one finds a wide-ranging exploration of style, vineyards and blending. When he's not working with The Paring, Matt can be found making the wines for its big sister wineries- JONATA and The Hilt.
The Paring is a cut of each estate. The Paring puts pedigree first, and then lets imagination take over.
Appearance:
Straightforward label is simple yet descriptive. The Paring Knife icon to illustrate their motivation and overall scheme of separating the results from each vineyard they use to place in either one of their products, Screw cap!
Nose:
The nose was closed for quite some time after opening the bottle, as it showed the shyness of its youth. After 45 minutes, it began to mature and allowed a sweet spiciness that was accentuated by cherry fruit, black walnut, coriander and mushrooms.
Texture:
Medium to medium light in weight, but long and expressive in the palate. It is elegant, vibrant, exuberant. Fruit and acid are balanced well. It was interesting to see how the fruit and the acid played off each other as the wine opened up.
Flavors:
Cream soda meets cherry soda meets root beer meets Dr. Pepper. Spices of white and black pepper. This of course is in conjunction with the seductive cherry fruit. You also discover vanilla and chocolate, black walnut, and golden raisins.
Serving Suggestions:
This is more of a near term drinking wine, made for lighter fare.
2020 Cordant Syrah
Growing Region Central Coast, California
Varietal Composition 100% Syrah
Fermentation New and Used French Oak
Alcohol Content 15.6%
Suggested Retail $54.00
WineSellar Club Price $40.49
Broad Strokes:
David and DeAnn Taylor founded Cordant Winery in 2014 with the goal to produce Pinot Noir and Rhone-style wines that would become favorites in their own cellar, and hopefully those of friends, family, and customers.
Today we make about 3000 cases of wine per year, from Monterey County in the northern California Central Coast moving south through Santa Barbara County, a distance that covers almost 200 miles.
Certain wines we vineyard-designate which allows us to present those vineyard sites through their unique terroir, micro-climates, and soil conditions. It is always a joy to taste vineyards side-by-side to understand their unique contributions.
Appearance:
I really like the textural enlightenments on the distinctive but not too explanatory label. The back label provides a bit more insight, but hey, they are a small producer who do stay in touch with their wine buying public. Dark purple edges go black well before reaching the core.
Nose:
Classic Syrah varietal fragrances with assertive power: dark berry, smoke, black olive, herbs and earthen soil. Savory style, with notes of beef jerky, bacon, blood sausage, chocolate nibs, raspberry and blueberry.
Texture:
Large and really wild, with the sensational richness and racy acids making the palate dance with excitement and anticipation. In the mouth, it is a WOW!
Flavors:
This sweet and luscious wine travels through the palate leaving trails of fruits and complexities from its spicy richness and frolicking acids. Black and blue fruits, berries and currants, with olive, a swath of fresh and dried herbs, meat fat of bacon and jerky, toasty/char and chocolate.
Serving Suggestions:
This will improve with 10-20 years in the bottle. This wine will be amazing at the 15-year mark, 2035 let’s call it. Put down 6-12 bottles!!
2021 Lasorda Family Wines #2 Super Tuscan
Growing Region Paso Robles, California
Varietal Composition 52% Sangiovese, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Malbec, 10% Petit Verdot
Fermentation French & American Oak
Alcohol Content 14.5%
Suggested Retail $40.00
WineSellar Club Price $35.99
Broad Strokes:
Lasorda Family Wines is a family endeavor founded by Baseball Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda. We embody Tommy’s fearless spirit and passion in our winemaking, and in doing so, seek to honor and preserve his legacy as baseball’s true ambassador. Our collection of award-winning small production wines embraces the best of Paso Robles, a region known for its unique and diverse climate combined with distinct landscape.
Many people do not know that Tommy was introduced to the art of winemaking before he ever put on a baseball glove. His father, Sabatino Lasorda, was an Italian immigrant hailing from the small town of Tollo in the Abruzzo wine region. He was experienced in winemaking and continued the practice upon settling in Norristown, Pennsylvania. As a young boy, Tommy would eagerly observe his father’s hobby of winemaking at home, and would often help his father procure and press grapes before distributing the finished wine to family, friends, and neighbors.
Appearance:
Beloved Tommy Lasorda. As a fan of baseball, watching Lasorda was fun as he was expressive, funny, and dedicated to “Dodger Blue”. Heartwarming to see his jersey number “2”on the label and even on the cork! Darkish hue for a Sangiovese, bleeding out to cranberry red at the edges of the glass. Viscous.
Nose:
Red cherry and pomegranate fruits with Indian spices, black pepper, and red licorice. Some delicate smoke from the wood treatment. Cherry, cherry, cherry!
Texture:
Medium in body with a long and even feel throughout the entire mid-palate and finish. A nice touch of silky smoothness, balanced fruit and acidity.
Flavors:
Ripe black plum, black pepper and of course the red cherry from the nose, Wood oak is very well integrated, adding to the potpourri of delightful fruit. Spicy, dusty, tobacco, delights!
Serving Suggestions:
All Italian foods: Pasta, modern day pizza, eggplant parmigiana.
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, Laird Estate
Growing Region Napa Valley, California
Varietal Composition 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec
Fermentation 22 Months French Oak, 35% New
Alcohol Content 15.2%
Suggested Retail $70.00
WineSellar Club Price $62.99
Broad Strokes:
From the Winery: For consulting winemakers Paul Hobbs and Julian Gonzalez, the attraction to help the Laird’s craft their own wines began simply with their family. With Ken having over 40 years in the business, they recognized that he truly understood the ‘ins-and-outs’ of the industry and were able to meet the unique trends and challenges of the wine business. Paul and Julian saw Ken’s determination and knew he was in it for the long run, not simply for hobby’s sake. They also believed the combined vineyard expertise of Justin and Ken was tough to beat. Lastly, there was a shared vision and goal to produce great, estate wines.
With over 50 years in the wine business, we truly understand the “ins and outs” of the industry and are able to meet the unique trends and challenges if the wine business. We believe that our success is due to our vineyard expertise and the shared vision.
Appearance:
The familiar Laird Family Estate label on the tall bottle Is distinctive and attractive. Trouble is you can’t get two bottles in a two-bottle deep wine bin, so it takes up a bit more space in the cellar. The wine looks great, very dark black at the core, dark magenta on the edges.
Nose:
You can detect the excellent structure of this wine just by the way it comes to the olfactory. Sturdy, upfront acid gives way to blackberry and blueberry fruit, with sweet red vermouth dark wood, honey-walnut and roasted nuts.
Texture:
Quite linear and angular after first opening the wine, you need to go slowly for the first ten to fifteen minutes. Then this medium full-bodied wine opens up nicely and begins to make memories in your mouth. Long, dry finish is also noteworthy.
Flavors:
The black cherry fruit dominates the early flavors, and gives to some sweet vanilla oak, underbrush, wood and herbs. Also noted were clove, some cinnamon, and ripe raspberry. It has layers of blackberry and ever so slightly astringent black cherry with a slight earthiness, tobacco, and spice box, with hints of cedar on a tight firm tannin lingering finish.
Serving Suggestions:
This will keep 15 years or more. Put at least 6 bottles in your cellar!
Rabbit Stew
Rabbit Stew (Hasenpfeffer)
I have been able to source fresh local rabbit for home. Here is a winner recipe for it!
Serves Four
Ingredients:
-
½ pound bacon, diced
-
3 pounds rabbit meat, cleaned and cut into pieces
-
½ teaspoon salt
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⅓ cup all-purpose flour
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½ cup finely chopped shallots
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1 clove garlic, finely chopped
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1 cup dry red wine
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1 cup water
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1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
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1 tablespoon currant jelly
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10 black peppercorns, crushed
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1 bay leaf
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¼ teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
Gravy:
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
Method:
- Place bacon in a large skillet; cook and stir over medium-high heat until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
- Sprinkle rabbit with salt and coat with flour, shaking off excess.
- Cook rabbit in bacon fat in the skillet over medium heat until browned. Transfer rabbit to a plate and set aside. Drain excess grease, leaving 2 tablespoons fat in the skillet.
- Sauté shallots and garlic in fat in the skillet until tender, about 4 minutes.
- Add wine, water, and bouillon. Boil, then stir in jelly, peppercorns, bay leaf, and rosemary.
- Return rabbit and bacon to the skillet. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer until rabbit is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Remove bay leaf and discard. Place rabbit on a warm platter; cover to keep warm while preparing gravy.
- Make gravy: Stir lemon juice into cooking liquid in the skillet. Mix water and flour in a small bowl; stir mixture into the skillet over low heat and simmer until thickened. Stir in thyme.
- Pour gravy over rabbit or serve in a gravy boat on the side.