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See, this is one of those thing that irks me so bad…I did Tweet about this, but felt the need to elaborate…its things like these that made me start Rad Grapes and keep me going during the darkest of times to prove to as many people that I can that there is a difference in what kind of wine you sell and how you look at the wine business. We sell great tasting, quality artisanal wines and are proud of it. No toilet paper…
In a great piece from Eater NY, written by Talia Baiocchi, succinctly summarizes what’s wrong when quantity rules over quality on the retail side of the wine business. My favorite part: “The most powerful wine buyer in the world, Costco’s lead wine buyer Annette Alvarez-Peters doesn’t understand why wine is any different than toilet paper. Last night CNBC ran a special called “The Costco Craze: Inside The Warehouse Giant,” which featured Alvarez-Peters… in what might as well have been a six-minute segment on wine ignorance.”
Most of the wine sold in places like Costco and other large “markets” is wine that is manufactured, it is not artisanal, wholesome and oh so flavorful, like the wines we represent, sell and distribute. When you are the buyer for Costco, which sells so much wine, they have become the world’s #1 wine retailer don’t understand why wine is any different than toilet paper, in mind you are automatically disqualified as a place where I would consider looking for fine wine. There a plenty of good, family owned wine shops around where they only sell wine (no toilet paper) where you can find a great selection of quality artisanal wines, most of which also come from small, family owned wineries. I would much rather drink great wines and support family businesses that make, distribute and sell those wines, rather than buy manufactured wines from some mega-retailer whose head wine buyer thinks wine is like toilet paper. Good wine is rare and not even close to being a commodity like…well, you know…Geez!
Yet again, I must start out by thanking my dear friend Bob Shack for not only finding another well-priced gem of a wine, but also for allowing Rad Grapes to be the sole NY distributor. I have been looking for the right rose from Provence for a while and feel very lucky that we have such a great wine to sell in New York. I love Rose, but have a pet-peeve with a lot of Provencale roses – they are refreshinig all right, but for my palate, most of those Roses are a little too short on the after taste. Rose need not be extracted or high in alcohol, not at all, but I feel that beyond the refreshing factor, good Rose, like any good wine, must have great fruit, good acidity and length on the palate…
 2011 Esprit Sud Coteaux D'aix-en-Provence Rose With the 2011 the Les Quatre Tours Esprit Sud Coteaux D’aix-en-Provence Rose I have filled the void in our portfolio. The wine is a blend of old vine Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Cabernet grapes. Beautiful pale rose-pink color, refreshing and well-balanced. Fruit aromas of red currants, strawberries, and grapefruit. Dry and mineral finish, a hint of spices, with a long aftertaste. A balanced rosé wine, with a great finish.
Yes….those are palm trees behind the bottle of rose in the picture…on vacation in Florida – perfect beach wine! Cheers & Happy Easter!
As noted in some earlier posts, I have been hard at work (with some help) trying to find some new wines at great price points. Like always, quality is always the most important thing, but it helps if you can find the right wine at a competitive price point. Actually having great artisanal wines at price points that can compete with the rest of the market is an advantage.Even better, we have a number of new wines coming in over the next couple of months. Business has finally picked up a little, so I actually afford to add some fun new wines at price points that will sell will ease.
 2010 Pont de Nyon Cotes du Rhone
Thanks to our old friend Bob Shack and HB Wine Merchants, we are blessed with a new Cotes du Rhone, sourced from vineyards in the Cairanne area, which in my view has some of the best old vine Grenache and Carignane based Cotes du Rhone wines. The 2010 Pont de Nyons Cotes du Rhone is a blend of some of that old vine Grenache, Syrah, Carignane and Cinsault and delicious at that. Great balance of wild berry fruit, structure, acidity, spice and even a touch of white pepper. Retail price is about $12. How Rad are your Grapes.
Link to map of the Rhone valley for context.
Well, there’s a bit of good news for small distributors, wineries and wine geeks throughout NY State. It seems that given Governor Andrew Cuomo’s opposition to allowing wine to be sold in NY grocery stores, lobbyists are backing off after pushing their agenda hard over the last few years, without success. I have been selling wine in the NY market now for almost 23 years and remember that the issue of wines in grocery stores has been brought up multiple times in the last few decades and thankfully the attempt has gone down in defeat every single time, so far…
Rochester’s local ABC affiliate WHAM with the latest news on the issue, with my highlighted excerpt below:
Penfield, N.Y. – Lisa’s Liquor Barn is used to pouring in the sales, something the store says there would be less of, if wine were allowed in big box stores.
“If you open it up to chain stores, there’s no way the small man could compete,” said Director of Lisa’s Liquor Barn, Patrick Tobin.
Lobbyists, including Wegman’s have for years, spent millions of dollars trying to change New York laws, hoping other retailers could sell wine.
Our news partner, The Democrat and Chronicle reports lobbyists are giving up for now, because Governor Andrew Cuomo opposes wine in grocery stores.
“We were David and Goliath and to say it’s a victory, I think it’s a victory for the New York State consumer and a victory for small businesses,” Tobin said.
Assemblyman Joe Morelle, who co-sponsored the grocery wine legislation isn’t giving up.
“I think it’s time will come, whether it’s this year or the future. I don’t think it’s a question of if, it’s a question of when,” said Morelle.
Just a little quick whited analysis here from a political wonk, like myself: As you can see, Assemblyman Joseph Morelle, who coincidentally represents the Rochester area where Wegman’s is based is not done pushing the issue yet…I wonder how money much the Wegman’s family has contributed to Assemblyman Morelle’s campaign coffers? Democracy for sale to the highest bidder again? It sure looks like it, doesn’t it? At least it looks that way…The good news, for now, is that we obviously have Governor Cuomo on our side and the issue has been tabled in Albany for now. Certainly an issue to keep a guarded eye on, while we fight against Empire and Southern trying to slip the “At Rest Law” into any legislation they can up in Albany….I wonder who represents their interests in Albany? Who’s election coffers are they stuffing? Hmmm?
So here we are not even the middle of March and everything seems to be in full bloom already, what seems weeks earlier than normal. Spring is such a welcomed change in so many ways, including for us in the wine business. The fact that we really did not even have a winter this year, does not change the fact that January and February tend to be two of the slowest months of the year, including this time around. Thank God for an early Spring. What seemed like the flip of a switch, March business has picked up significantly and across the board. That could mean a number of things…
Spring brings everyone out of the wood work, puts most of us in a better mood, restaurants start to change their menus, wine drinkers start to shift their drinking habits and new vintages of whites and roses start rolling in. The pickup in sales for Rad Grapes may also have something to do with the fact that even I feel like our portfolio is about the best mix of quality to value we have had, since I started the company seven years ago. (7 years?!) The wines that we currently represent are all selling well and hopefully will continue to, but I also need to keep reminding myself that it’s a long way still to get completely out of the hole we have been in after the downturn – thankfully we are in better shape and improving further.
In addition to the current portfolio, including the newest additions of our Rueda wines from Vacceos and our Toro wines from Munia – which are all selling very well, we have a few more exciting additions to the portfolio coming in the next few week, that will add some more excitement to the mix. So what are we expecting? well in next few weeks, we have a rather full bodied and elegant 2011 Rose from aix-en-Provence coming in; a fantastic brand new value priced Cotes du Rhone ; awesome Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir from Marlborough, New Zealand; in early May we have a Malbec and Cabernet from Vina Amalia in Mendoza, Argentina arriving and the old Vine Fiddlehead Cellars Zinfandel from Amador later in May as well. I will also try to fit in some Vacceos Tempranillo Rose with our next order from Spain. Pfew…that’s actually quite a few new wines in the next couple of months. with business on what finally feels like a nice, hopefully sustained upswing, some critical new additions to the portfolio will only help.
And yes…I already have some other great wines from the Willamette Valley, Alsace and Priorat that are in the pipeline. The Rad Grapes portfolio looks very nice now, but by the time we get to September it’s going to look and taste even better. Cheers to that!
Even with a small artisanal wine portfolio like Rad Grapes has, you should have certain wine varietals and categories ideally covered. I have been working hard at finding wines to fill what I would consider holes in our book – Rose from Provence, good Malbec from Mendoza and some good old fashioned Zinfandel, what I consider California’s only native grape varietal (even though, yes it did originate as Mali Plavac). What I’m going to focus on today is some of that good old fashioned Zin…more later on the Rose & new Malbec. We have not had a good Zinfandel in our portfolio for some time and that is due in part to the rough economy over the last few years and some mistakes that I think have learned from as well.
Over the many years in the wine business, I have had the privilege of selling and enjoying some absolutely fantastic Zins that have helped shape my palate, like Ravenswood (old vineyards like Monterosso & Dickerson), Ridge, Storybook Mountain, Peachy Canyon – really great hard core Zinfandels. Hence it seems to have taken me longer than anyone thought, but after tasting and tasting and tasting, I have found two Zinfandels that I feel are worthy of being added to our portfolio.
The first, already on order is from Gann Family Cellars, I loved the depth and elegance of their 2007 Alexander Valley Zinfandel. That should be available in New York in about two weeks. There are several growing areas that have reputation for great Zinfandel, like the Alexander Valley, Dry Creek, Amador, El Dorado, Russian River, Paso Robles to name a few. My goal is always to pick wines that I believe are representative of their local terroir and drink well, even though they may sometimes be high in alcohol. Higher alcohol, as in 15% plus ABV (Alcohol By Vol it as volume) is normal for big Cali Zins and I look for that, but the wine also must be balanced, with hearty fruit and solid acidity to match the backbone and power of the wine. The Gann Family Cellars 2007 Alexander Valley Cellars Zinfandel is just that, big, structured, juicy, powerful and long on the palate with some good spice. Should retail for about $30 per bottle. Bingo…that takes care of a spot for a quality Sonoma Zinfandel…what else?
Looks like we have also lucked out and may be adding an awesome Old Vine Zinfandel that I tasted and liked a while back, but the timing was just not right then. They are looking for a new distributor and looks like the timing is right this time. I am talking about Fiddletown Cellars 2009 Old Vine Zinfandel that Laura and I enjoyed the other night. It is a huge, big, fat, juicy, ripe, spice laden old vine Zin that will kick your ass! It’s labeled at 15.5% alcohol, but you really can’t feel or taste the alcohol, although you do feel its effects pretty swiftly…very enjoyable.
 Fiddletown Cellars 2009 Old Vine Zinfandel Fiddletown Cellars is located in what happens to be California’s smallest AVA, Fiddletown in Amador County, which is within the broader Sierra Foothills AVA. Zinfandel has the luxury of a very long growing season in the Sierra Foothills and that concentrates flavor and provides balance to the fruit. If all goes according to plan we should have Fiddletown Zin available by mid April. The wine will retail for about $22 per bottle. I will drink to that…yes, we did get a second sample bottle that is waiting in the wings…Having two very distinct and well made Zinfandels representative of two well know and very different Zinfandel appellations in the Alexander Valley and Amador at two different price points give us what we need in terms of good Zin. Cannot wait…
On the same new container from Spain as the Munia wines, we brought in some Vacceos from Rueda. The region of Rueda offers some of the best value priced wines from Spain for the money, especially for stuff coming from rather old vineyards. When looking for inexpensive wines, you have to be flexible. It is unlikely to find a small producer who can produce really good, what I would consider cheap wines in any kind of quantity. What’s the alternative? In Spain some of the best value wines come from wineries that are made up of growers who form a co-op or as the Spanish call them Sociedad Cooperativa. Vacceos is a label from Agricola Castellana, Sociedad Cooperativa, which dates back to 1935 and happens to be one of the largest producers from Rueda having access to a wide variety , quality and price level of fruit. Their wines have received great international acclaim and great ratings from Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, Guia Penin and many others.The best quality fruit comes from the best available vineyards and given the size of the organization, the wines are still priced at great price points. The Vacceos wines come from some of the best vineyards, especially so with the Verdejo that comes from 75 year old vines and the Rueda Crianza coming from some of the best available Tempranillo vineyards.
The Vacceos line consists of an old vine 2010 Verdejo which is super crisp, refreshingly clean with a pleasant long aftertaste; 2011 Tempranillo Rose (fresh vintage coming in April), 2010Tempranillo Roble which is a fantastic every day red with fruit, body, spice & style, aged 3 months in French oak and the 2007 Tempranillo Rueda Crianza, which is lush, structured and rather smooth with some cedar, tobacco & leather on the back end. The Verdejo, Rosado and Tempranillo Roble will all be selling for $10 or less retail. Good wine for $10 or less? Really? Heck yeah! How Rad are your Grapes?
 Vacceos 2010 Verdejo, Vacceos 2010 Tempranillo Roble and Vacceos 2007 Rueda Crianza
At Rad Grapes we pride ourselves in providing great values in the wines we sell, given the fact that we concentrate primarily on the quality of the wine, we have very few wines that fit the $10 per bottle and under category. We have broken that barrier with the Vacceos line up and I see doing very well with these wines given the amazing quality to price ratio. We should be able to sell quite a few cases of these wines once they catch fire. All I have to do is take bottles out, pull some corks and make sure my customers taste the wines. The rest takes car of its self. I’m looking forward to the ride. Salud!
It has literally been years since I have imported new wines from Spain. There have been a number of reasons for that, but what’s important is that after several logistical and shipping delays, our new wines from Spain are finally here. First up are the Munia wines from Bodegas Vinaguarena in Toro. Munia is named after Muniadonna, the beloved mother of King Fernando I. The winery where Munia is vinified is modern, built in 1999, right along the Guarena River, a main tributary to the Duero. The 30 hectares of Tinta de Toro ( It is what locals call Tempranillo) vines are aged anywhere from recent 5 year old plantings to older vines over 30 years in age. Tinta de Toro ripens incredibly well in the region, making what I believe are some of the most structured and complex Tempranillo wines made anywhere in Spain.
The main objective with the Munia wines is to make the highest quality D.O. (Denominacion de Origen) wines possible. In order to achieve that, meticulous sustainable vineyard management techniques are used. In order to concentrate the quality and flavor of the grapes, over 50% of the crop is sacrificing in the thinning of the crop. Vineyard workers drop or cut off half the grapes on the vines in order to achieve the quality of grapes sought. It is a big sacrifice, but once you taste the wines, you will immediately realize why they do what they do at Munia. It is all about what’s inside the bottle and exactly what Rad Grapes is about. Great wines.
In picking wines from specific Spanish D.O. areas for our portfolio, I strive to find rustic, original wines that I feel are truly representative of the terroir of the growing area and the history. The Munia wines fill that roll just beautifully. We have imported 3 different Munia wines – the 2008 Roble, aged 6 months in oak; the Munia Crianza 2006, what the winery refers to as their “Alma de Toro” – Soul of Toro, aged in oak for 14 months and the 2003 Reserva aged for 24 months in oak and extra years in bottle. The Roble is the every day drinking Toro. The 2003 Reserva is by far the best wine out of the bunch, but really needs decanting to release what I call “the Genie from the bottle”, but the 2006 Crianza is absolutely amazing right out of the bottle. No wonder it is called “Alma de Toro”.
 2008 Munia Roble, 2006 Munia Crianza & 2003 Munia Reserva
The wines literally just arrived last week and even though I just picked up samples a couple of days ago, we have already sold some wine. My friend Eric at Shon 45 on 8th Ave. & 51st bought some of the Munia Roble and Henry at Manhattan Wine Exchange on 3rd Ave. & 63rd absolutely loved the 2006 Munia Crianza and picked some up. I will be out showing the wines over the next few weeks and we’ll see where else we can find them homes. Look for another post soon, regarding some more new Spanish wines from Rueda, that have arrived on the same container as these…
I found this great article published by Decanter Magazine and thought it was important enough to share…
Red wine may have some effect in inhibiting the hormone that causes breast cancer, a study has found.
The study at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles found that chemicals in the skins and seeds of red grapes slightly lowered oestrogen levels among premenopausal women.
The same effect was not seen in white wine.
The study, published online in the Journal of Women’s Health, challenges the widely-held belief that all types of alcohol consumption heighten the risk of developing breast cancer.
Alcohol is known to increase levels of oestrogen, which fosters the growth of cancer cells.
However, the research at Cedars-Sinai suggests red wine acts differently, appearing to block the process that converts hormones such as testosterone – which is present in women’s bodies – into oestrogen.
In the study, 36 women drank either Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay daily for almost a month, then switched to the other type of wine. Blood was collected twice each month to measure hormone levels.
Link to rest of article…
I drove down to the warehouse today to load up on samples, including some new releases. I have enjoyed the Holidays and two long weekends ina row, but it’s time to get back to work. Hopler just released the 2010 Gruner Veltliner and Bergevin Lane released their 2009 “Moonspell” Cabernet Sauvignon. They both arrived into our inventory just before the New Year. One of the favorite things of all that I do is to taste new wines and new releases, especially since both of the wines I am tasting new vintages for today are in our top 10 selling wines. We love ‘em and we sell ‘em. I am tasting both new vintages for the first time…First the Gruner “beste trauben”:
 2010 Hopler Gruner Veltliner
The 2010 Gruner from Hopler is just rocking. I’ve sold this wine since the 2005 vintage and this may the epitome of clean, crisp & juicy. The nose has a spicy hay like scent, along with pear, quince and lots of mineral notes. On the palate the wine is super juicy and layered with great acidity and a long finish with more mineral notes. By the way, this wine retails for about $16 per bottle…Why is this Gruner so damn tasty?
“The Pannonian climate bestows the area with the highest amount of sunshine in Central Europe and the highest average temperature in Austria. The regional climate is not only determined by its east-facing position, but also by continental influences. This mixture has a very positive effect on winemaking. In the winter, it is cold and has little snow, in the summer hot and humid – and due to the blazing sun, the evaporation of Lake Neusiedl is extremely high. 2000 hours of sunshine, high humidity and an average of 500ml of rain per year provide climatically unique conditions for the production of premium wines.” – from the Hopler website…(all harvested by hand too).
Next, and while I start prepping dinner it’s time to sip some of the 2009 Bergevin Lane “Moonspell” Cabernet.
 2009 Bergevin Lane "Moonspell" Cabernet Sauvignon This wine is an absolutely fantastic & classic Cabernet with the best of both worlds. This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec & Petite Verdot may the best effort yet, blending great fruit from Horse Heaven Hills, Wahluke Slpoe & Walla Wall. Bam! Tasting notes from the winery are better than I could ever hope to describe this sublime wine”…MOONSPELL, A luring name and a luring wine. Intricate power and delicious balance. Dark fruits especially black berries and black currant cassis followed by mineral, earth, balanced smoky oak and plenty of spice. Dense and thick the entirety of the mouth is coated with rich concentrated flavors while the tannins, fine and ripe, linger elegantly behind leaving the impression of pure Washington fruit and terroir. The most perfectly balanced Cabernet bottling so far without a doubt… New world marries old world!!!” Retail price is about $30 per bottle. We sold through the 2007 and 2008 vintages pretty quickly. Don’t wait for the press to come out…
Both wines are in stock and available for our NY customers. Cheers!
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