Purchased Wines For Cellaring During 2015

Wines these days are more accessible seeming to drink well immediately on their release into the market place. This is particularly true for some lovely fragrant whites and lighter reds. However it is always wise to buy a few quality wines that will improve in complexity with some bottle age. So many choices available but try to take advantage of recent outstanding vintages and good values. These are some of the wines for cellaring I purchased during 2015:

2010 was a slow ripening late vintage in Piedmont making for some classic Nebbiolo wines. At the top level Barolo from Elio Grasso in Monforte D’Alba are impressive – both Ginestra Casa Mate & Gavarini Chiniera vineyards need time. Barolo Brunate is a successful region for that south sloped ampitheatre in La Morra and I put away several producers including Macarini, Damiliano and Aurelio Settimo. For top value and earlier drinking I bought 2010 Barolo Fontanafredda Serralunga D’Alba & Batasiolo. Also 2010 is an outstanding year for Brunello Di Montalcino with the fairly priced Castelgiocondo from Frescobaldi (#1 wine for 2015 by James Suckling) and San Polo (Decanter fav) worth collecting among many other producers.

2012 in Chablis has lower yields for concentration and excellent balance. Christian Moreau Premier Cru Vaillons Cuvee Guy Moreau benefits having the high acidity rounded by 30% 2nd & 3rd year oak and low yields of 35 hectolitres/hectare from 80+ year old vines. Their Grand Cru Les Clos & Valmur are special wines.

Still buying 2010 red Burgundy I can find with a top value being Domaine Pavelot best vineyard old vines La Dominode 1er cru in Savigny- Les-Beaune built to age. Whites also show good balance with Meursault Perrieres Bouchard Pere a favourite.

Inexpensive whites from Muscadet and the Riesling and Chenin Blanc varieties globally benefit with aging. Champagne for that older “English” taste changes with aging. Collect Tyrrell Semillon Vat 1 from Hunter Valley Australia for a unique aged treat.

British Columbia emerging with celebrated Syrah from multi winning CC Jentsch as well as many others including Laughing Stock and Painted Rock. Pinot Noir also a killer led by Foxtrot Vineyards and many close challengers.

A top value to collect is the dependable current release 2013 Wynn’s Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra Australia with older average 35 year old vines, French oak. lower alcohol (13.5) and balance. Enjoy.

What special bottles did you put away in 2015 for a future special event?

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5 wine predictions for 2016

Wine predictions for 2016

By Joseph Temple

Happy New Year!

As we get ready for a decisive 2016 that includes the election of our 45^th president, a Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and NASA launching a spacecraft to the planet Jupiter, we can only guess what will happen this year in the ever-changing world of wine. What fashionable grape variety will oenophiles drink as they cast their ballots in November? What wine region will become uber-trendy as people from around the world watch the games in Brazil? Well, let’s break out our crystal balls as we try to predict five wine trends for 2016.

English sparkling wine in 2016

Back in November, we wrote about the meteoric rise of English sparkling wine, which has gone from an oxymoron to a smash hit in a relatively short amount of time. “It is an industry which has huge potential and is proving to be one of the new faces of modern British agriculture,” according to Miles Beale of the UK’s Wine and Spirit Trade Association. With some producers showing a staggering 300% increase in annual sales, French Champagne maker Tattinger decided to get in on the act when it bought land in the bubbly-making hotspot of Kent. So expect British fizz to have a landmark year in 2016 with it appearing more frequently on wine lists and being more readily available at your local shop.

Millennials drinking wine in 2016

Last year, this blog discussed the growing impact of the millennial generation in terms of wine consumption as ten thousand of them turn 21 every single day. And one crucial difference between this group and their baby boomer parents is that 85% of millennials said they like to purchase unfamiliar brands from less traditional wine growing regions (at an affordable price, of course). So be prepared to see a greater democratization of wine in 2016 as millennials plant their flag as the dominant demographic.

More people will be drinking wine by the glass in 2016

In a previous era, if you ever decided to purchase wine by the glass, it was always a good idea to ask the waiter how long the bottle had been sitting around uncorked. But with more restaurants adopting the groundbreaking Coravin system, allowing you to pour a glass without uncorking the bottle, get ready to see a greater variety of wines to choose from when ordering by the glass at your favorite restaurant!

Chilling of Prosecco in 2016?

Ever since the market crashed in 2008, Prosecco has grown by leaps and bounds as a cost-friendly alternative to Champagne. Peaking in 2013 when it outsold its French competitors for the first time ever, many now believe that this sparkling wine is about to experience some unpleasant growing pains. With demand topping supply for premium bottles usually labeled DOCG, consumers seeking finer fizz may start to move away from this Italian bubbly towards Limoux or premium Cava.

What is natural wine

Once considered a niche product for hipsters, natural wine – which is defined by one importer as wine “made with the least possible use of chemicals, additives and overly technological procedures” – is about to enter the mainstream in 2016. With improving quality and a greater interest in artisanal products, more sommeliers, according to Bloomberg, are expected to add these wines to their lists in 2016.

Sources:

Bernhardt, Anastasia. (2015, December). Wine Trends To Look Out For in 2016. Country and Town House. Retrieved from http://countryandtownhouse.co.uk.
Holland, Laura. (2015, December 30). English sparkling wine’s corker year. Express. Retrieved from http://www.express.co.uk.
McCoy, Elin. (2015, December 30). Eight Ways the Wine World Will Change in 2016. SwissInfo. Retrieved from http://swissinfo.ch.
What is Natural Wine?. Jenny & François Selections. Retrieved from http://jennyandfrancois.com.

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The top 10 Ask Sid questions of 2015!

The top 10 Ask Sid questions of 2015

Thanks for all your thought provoking questions during 2015. I appreciated the wide variety of items that have been raised. Please keep your enquiries on any wine and food topic coming for 2016!

1. Arsenic in cheap wine? (3.25.2015)

2. Best Wine with roast turkey? (10.21.2015)

3. Sweet Potato vs Yam (1.28.2015)

4. Alternatives to Chablis? (6.3.2015)

5. A cost-friendly alternative to Prosecco? (5.27.2015)

6. Sauternes wine & food pairing (3.4.2015)

7. Breaking the wine rules (6.17.2015)

8. Blind Tasting Skills (11.18.2015)

9. Port reinvention? (10.14.2015)

10. Aging wine underwater? (4.29.2015)

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Sid’s top 10 entries for 2015!

Top 10 entries from Sid Cross for 2015

Quite a diverse selection of wine postings on IWFS drew your attention during 2015. However it was enlightening to see you were most interested in trends. Your top two hits were the wine trends for the 1990s and the 1980s! Now we need an article spotlighting the top new wine trends for 2000-2010. We thank you for your following in 2015 and for your helpful feedback.