Steel Kaleidoscopes

10 Wine Buying Tips

Do you enjoy a glass of wine now and then but feel intimidated shopping for wine?

Relax.

Here are 10 wine buying tips to help you make the best decisions.

1. Never buy a white from the cooler.
It may seem convenient to buy a wine already chilled and ready to drink, but you're likely buying a bottle that's been over-chilled. When a wine sits in the refrigerator for more than a week, it will lose its taste. The grape's flavors neutralize and become bland. You're much better off buying a bottle from the shelf with a bag of ice. Waiting 20 minutes is a good trade-off for a bottle of wine you'll be able to taste.

2. Buy tilted bottles.
In a wine store, you'll likely see wine both standing up and lying on shelves in a tilted position. The reason a bottle is stored tilted is so the cork is always in contact with the wine. If a bottle is standing, oxygen can build between the wine and cork, drying out the cork and ruining the wine. This isn't to say all standing bottles are bad — but you're almost always buying a higher quality wine if you go for a tilted bottle over a standing one. The proprietor won't risk storing a good wine standing up.

3. Go Dolcetto or Barbera.
Italian wines are delicious, but there's more to Italy than Chianti. In the Piedmont Region, Barolos and Barbarescos, made from the Nebbiolo grape, are tasty but expensive. To save some money, try a Dolcetto or Barbera, both of which are Nebbiolo reds. Barbera is especially good with food. You can get a good bottle of Dolcetto or Barbera for $15-$20, while Barolos and Barbarescos are 2-3 times this.

4. Don't Blow Through Your Paycheck...
Wine-making has improved immensely in the last 10 years. If you're willing to spend $10-$15, you'll rarely get a bad bottle of wine. There are some great values for $10 if you're willing to be adventurous. You don't need to stock your inventory with expensive wines.

5. ...But Splurge Now and Then
It's OK to spend $40-$50 on a bottle now and then if you can afford it. A good vintage Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon or a Barolo from a respected producer will give you a treat down the road. From France, a Chateauneuf-du-Pape or Bordeaux tastes better with age. Save it for a special occasion.

6. Pack the Heat
The percent of alcohol content in wine — referred to as "heat" — gives wine a meaty, full-bodied taste. Check the label before you buy. If a wine is 11-12.5%, it's usually mellow and light-bodied. Wines that are in the 13-15% range are more robust and tend to have more flavor. This isn't always true (some wines can be overdone), but it comes down to your preference.

7. Screw Tops Are Fine
There is an increasing movement to capping wines with a screw closure rather than the traditional cork. Don't be fooled into thinking that screw caps mean the wine is cheap. Some of the best Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand use screw caps. The wine is fine.

8. Buy in ''Bulk''
Most wine stores will give you a discount if you buy six or 12 bottles. It's not a bad idea and the savings are often comparable to a free bottle of wine. I've never heard anyone say they have too much wine in their home.

9. Write It Down
If you find a wine you like, write it down. Take note of the type of grape, the producer, the vintage, how much you paid and where you got it. If you order the wine in a restaurant, make sure you have a pen and paper with you. Conversely, take note of the wines you don't like. Why make the same mistake twice?

10. Bottoms Up
Some wine is meant to save for a special occasion, but most wine is meant to drink now. Wine cellars are nice, but do you really need 500 bottles? Buy it, save the age-worthy reds if you have the space and drink everything else. Life is short.

Classic Dan Miller Moment

So I saddle up to the bar in the John Carver Inn to order two glasses of Sauvignon Blanc to bring back to the room.

After a day of Thomas the Train and our 3-year-old safely tucked into bed and asleep, we thought it would be a nice nightcap to sip some wine looking out over Plymouth Harbor.

As I'm waiting for the bartender to pour the wine, I look behind me at the TV set where Alex Trebek is reading the Final Jeopardy question.

"Which author had the year's best-selling novel seven straight years with seven separate titles ending in the year 2000?"

The huddled masses look confused, turning to each other for the answer.

"John Grisham," I say, in a loud convincing voice.

The barflies stop talking and give me a look like "who's this guy?"

I pay for the wine just as Trebek goes to each finalist's answer.

"Stephen King."

"Not the answer we're looking for," says Trebek.

 "Stephen King."

"Ooh, I'm sorry."

"Stephen King."

"Wrong," says Trebek. "The correct answer is John Grisham."

I slide a tip across the bar and make my exit.

Vinifera Sunset

A few glasses of wine at the end of an emotional family day is appropriate and expected.

In our case, the 1997 Rodney Strong Old Vines Zinfandel was generously offered with our cheese, crackers and conversation about dad.

Dad had a good day. He was bearded, rested and alert. He smiled a lot. His eyes looked skyward during our singing, especially our feeble attempt at the Beatles.

The wine had an oaky, tanned, rustic taste, perhaps a bit after its time but perfect nonetheless. There may have been some tar and leather, and it was good.

In the end it was not so much about the wine, but about dad's good day, his alertness, the movement of his loving eyes, the awareness of his surroundings and while not the best of settings, the perfection of company.

Tears and cheers.

Zing

That's what I taste when I drink a glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Top 10 Wines of 2007

These are the Top 10 wines I sampled in 2007. While the specific vintages may be hard to find, the producers are generally consistent from year to year.

1. Rosenblum Abba Vineyard Syrah, 2004
Wow. This is a pucker-punch with loads of fresh fruit.

2. Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet, 2002
Smooth as silk, the perfect complement to lobster on the deck.

3. Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon, 1997
Subtle and refined, another '97 that delivers as promised.

4. Novy Page-Nord Vineyard Syrah, 2000
Power and finesse. Simply delicious and worth the wait.

5. Caymus Conundrum, 2005
Reminds me a high-end Guwertztraminer but not as sweet.

6. Chimney Rock Cabernet, 2004
Wonderful flavor and texture. Classic Cab.

7. Domaine LaTour Giraud Puligny-Montrachet, 1999
Gathers finesse with age. Magical sitting on the deck in the sun.

8. Pellegrini Chardonnay, 2005
Long Island gem is subtle, crisp, clean and underrated.

9. Leasingham Clare Valley Bin 61 Shiraz, 1998
Well-worth the wait. Delicious red with tremendous balance.

10. Chateau Bel Air Bordeaux, 1997
The Bordeaux that convinces me to keep buying Bordeaux.

Amazing Meals

This is the time of year to eat good food and drink fine wine.

We're doing it.

Sunday's menu was stone crab with Chimney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon and Zenato Valpolicella .

Monday we had grilled sirloin steak with Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon.

Last night we had prime rib with Montoya Cabernet Sauvignon and Cambria Pinot Noir.

Tonight it's dinner out at Tomato, one of Naple's finest restaurants and a unique wine experience.

And tomorrow night, after hitting the links in 80-degree temps, it's lobster, spaghetti with lobster sauce and Stag's Leap Chardonnay (a white will be a nice change).

And I'll avoid the scale for a while.

Setting the Record Straight

So I go to check my traffic last night and see a spike in traffic. A big spike.

Turns out that Stephen J. Dubner, the co-author of "Freakonomics," picked up on my post about the debate over wine corks vs. screw caps.

In my post, I mention that Steve Levitt's wife gave me a "strange look" when I unscrewed a bottle of South African Sauvignon Blanc. This was one of three examples I used while making a point that unscrewing a cap off a bottle of wine can be "uncomfortable" for the host because it's relatively new and messes with tradition.

Dubner interpreted this by making some silly comments about Jeannette, a great friend of my wife's and someone we have known for 20 years.

For the record, Jeannette is anything but a wine snob. She's one of the most engaging, thoughtful, caring, sensitive and personable friends we've ever known. My wife worked side by side with her for many years. We attended their beautiful outdoor wedding. For Dubner to take a shot at his co-author's wife is simply irresponsible.

Should I have used her as one of my examples? Probably not, considering her connection to one of the most talked-about books in the last 20 years. But I often write about what's going on in my life, and she just happened to visiting last weekend. It was a fresh thought.

Jeannette and Steve — if you're reading this — you know my musings are innocent snippets of life and all intentions are good.

As for Mr. Dubner, well, you should know better.

Wine Cork vs. Screw Cap Debate

The debate continues about whether or not winemakers should introduce screw caps as a means to bottle their wines.

The reason there's a shift away from cork is due to the presence of cork taint, typically classified as an odor that smells like a moldy newspaper, a wet dog or a damp basement. Wine experts agree that cork taint affects one of every 10 bottles in varying degrees.

New Zealand appears to be taking the lead with using screw caps, especially with its Sauvignon Blancs.

Here's the problem: Unscrewing the cap from a bottle of wine affects the experience.

While screw caps are easily the most reliable sealer, they mess with tradition and atmosphere. And atmosphere is everything with wine.

We've ordered New Zealand Suvignon Blancs in restaurants and the waiters are almost apologetic when they open the wine.

We recently had a friend over (her husband, Steve Levitt, co-wrote "Freakonomics") and I noticed the strange look she gave me when I turned the screw cap of a very good South African Sauvignon Blanc.

A few years ago, I bought a few bottles of a pricey Sonoma Pinot Noir to open during the holidays and got quizzical looks when I poured the wine after a quick twist.

Opening a bottle of wine is a festive occasion, one reserved for a good meal or to set the tone for conversation with family and friends.

Think about how you rate a restaurant. You base your dining experience on the food, the service and the atmosphere. If the food and service are both great but the atmosphere is generic or stale, you may not go back.

And that's precisely the problem with screw-cap wines.

There's no atmosphere.

A New Grape

One of the benefits of wine-drinking is experimentation.

There's an old cliche that says something about life being too short to drink bad wine, and I agree, wholeheartedly.

I could go through life drinking nothing but Rosenblum Syrahs or Petite Sirahs and be happy.

But if you stick to the wines you know are going to deliver, you'll never leave your comfort zone and you might miss something you would have never tried.

When discussing grapes, I can honestly say I'm not a fan of Gewurztraminer (too sweet and funky) or Grenache (too funky).  I've taken to Malbec (very good) and I lean toward Viognier over Chardonnay (unless you pull out a bottle of Montrachet or Grand Cru Chablis).

I usually consider price when buying wine. I know if I spend under $15, I'm taking a chance on quality. Not to say I haven't purchased a mediocre bottle of wine for over $15, but you're more likely to find quality when dropping a Jackson.

Not so with Feotto della Jato's Feotto Rosso Nero d'Avola.

This was a purchase on a whim, to try a little-known Italian table wine I had never read about or heard of. And it was $10.99.

My reaction?

Nice. And wow. Not to sound like a wine snob, but the raspberry notes were much softer and easier to drink than Dolcettos or Barberas that could be twice the price.

Nero d'Avola. My new grape.

Think I'll pick up a few bottles.

An Old Vine

A lot of wineries boast about their old vines, especially producers of California Zinfandel or Australia Shiraz.

While vines that date back to the 1800s are impressive, they can't match the "black Hamburgh" vine in London, planted in 1768 and now residing in the Hampton Court of the Hampton Palace.

Its trunk has an 80-inch girth and the longest vine is 120 feet. The vines are carefully suspended beneath the roof of a large greenhouse.

That's an old vine.