Wine Atlas

In the middle of summer, wine should be light and refreshing, like the 2005 Domaine de la Louvetrie Le Fief du Breil Muscadet.

If there is any wine that separates generations in this country, it has to be Muscadet. Americans older than 50 drank this light-bodied, high-acidity, citrus-tasting wine with shellfish and flounder decades before New Zealand ever sent a bottle of sauvignon blanc to these shores.

Conversely, those younger than 40 have rarely if ever chosen a bottle of Muscadet over the explosively citrus-flavored, intensely aromatic, fuller-bodied, bracingly tart New Zealand sauvignon blancs like Cloudy Bay, Craggy Range, Spy Valley, Matua Valley and many more.

One has only to look at restaurant wine lists to see the change. Muscadet has been reduced to an afterthought.

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In addition to receiving a number of requests for the names of wineries to visit in Napa Valley, a good friend called the other day and asked, “If I only have one day to spend in Napa, what would you suggest?” and I immediately responded: Spring Mountain.

Anyone who has driven north on Highway 29 through Napa Valley will recall the two-lane highway that is dotted with the entrances to some of the most well-known California wineries such as Robert Mondavi, Neibaum-Coppola (now called Rubicon), Opus One and Louis Martini, just to name a few. Every time I make this drive, I almost feel the exhilaration of using some of those old “E” tickets from the early days of Disney World, but instead of screaming down Space Mountain, I am slowly driving up Spring Mountain.

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One of the things that I hope to bring to my readers is a true perspective of what is going on in Wine industry and some behind the scenes insights to help you better understand wine. In this slow economy you may wonder how it can benefit you when it comes to enjoying that special bottle, well here’s how it works.

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As noted yesterday, the week of 4th of July is prime time for wine bargains. And his week’s email special at Arrowine is one of those great buying opportunities, particularly if you like to buy good, Spanish reds by the case.

Sabor Real Toro 2006, from the excellent Spanish growing area of Toro is 100% old-vines tempranillo. The warm Toro climate – where the hot days and cold nights are said to help grow smaller grapes with thicker skins (for a higher skin to juice ratio) – makes for wines of considerable color, flavor, power and longevity compared to tempranillo-based wines from the more famous Rioja region.

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If you are a lover of Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, you have probably had more than your fair share of New Zealand wines. In all honesty, if you are just a casual drinker, you may not have even realized where they were from, but were buying them more for cost conscious reasons than anything else. Then you open up this $15 bottle of wine and are absolutely blown away. How can New Zealand send great tasting wines to America and charge less money?

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