Phil Ward
-
Posts
235 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by Phil Ward
-
-
In my case, a business dinner is about wine so it would be no problem. If I was not in the business, I would mention it to the hostess/host of the dinner as I would hope they would not want to serve their colleagues a corked bottle of wine. To me it becomes an educational tool for all in attendance.
Phil
-
As I have said, I am amazed at their success and I was just trying to get a feel as to how some wine lovers commenced their consuming of this winery's wines. I hope I did not offend? Just trying to be a diligent student of the wine market.
Phil
-
Just to answer the same question -- Where did I first hear of it?
As opposed to your intimation that I was duped by clever placement in the wine shop; or some such thing...
I was at a casual dinner at the home of a close friend. There were about 20 people. The hostess served a traditional lasagne, and buckets of wine. It was a night of loose laughter among friends. Several people (including me) commented that the wine was quite pleasant and very drinkable. Nobody said, "Wow! OH MY GOD WHAT IS THIS FABULOUS WINE? YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE!!"
Our hostess got out the bottle and said, "It is nice, isn't it? I got it at World Market, and it's only $5." We all agreed that it was a great little table wine for casual evenings with good friends gathered around a fireplace and sharing chitchat over a pan of lasagne.
I don't think Claire ever intended to imply anything else.
And I, for one, agree with her wholeheartedly.
In fact, I think I'll go have a glass of it right now.
Dear Jaymes,
I hope I was not insulting about the subject. I was just trying to learn more about the phenomena of this wine in the USA.
As far as I am concerned, I am happy that people drink wine of any type or quality. I feel this beverage, which I love and sell, needs to be supported at all levels of quality and price.
To me there is really no bad wine produced anywhere (except wines infected by TCA) and that whatever you choose and like is up to you. Wine is a subjective beverage and many times we forget that.
Thanks and again, I apologize if I have insulted anyone.
Phil
-
This is an amazing success story. I can not understand why this brand, with a not great package, has caught hold? I am sure they have become the new comfort factor wines like KJ, Beringer White Zin, Sutter Home, etc.
Have you tasted it? It's very good for a $5.00 wine -- as good as many of the $11.00. Obviously, it's probably not something that most wine people here would go for but for us lowly sorts, it's a good value for the money. I think it's rocketed past the others due to its extremely low price. People are generally happy when they find a $5.00 wine that is as good or better than the others, and Yellowtail, IMHO, definitely trumps Sutter Home.
Claire797, Thanks for your reply and I have tried the wines and find them underwhelming. I think if you asked a manager at your favorite wine store for an alternative at the same price point and better quality, she/he would do their best to find you something a bit more appealing.
This of course, imho.
May I ask why you first picked up the wine(s) to try?
Was it a recommendation from someone who had the wine?
The stores recommendation?
Its position in the store? Stacked near the cash registers?
The label?
The price?
Or?
Thanks,
Phil
-
This is an amazing success story. I can not understand why this brand, with a not great package, has caught hold? I am sure they have become the new comfort factor wines like KJ, Beringer White Zin, Sutter Home, etc.
-
Personally, I don't think there is a "wine bar" in the state of NJ. With the increased knowledge of wine, most of the restaurants I sell to/interact with have at least 8-20 wines by the glass. Whereas, going back to the 80s, the wine bars in NYC, SF, LA, Chicago, etc. would have 30-100 wines by the glass, with multiple tastings and pairings(Chard of the world, fragrant reds, etc) for the consumer to taste. If there is a wine bar of this size/scope in the NJ, I am not aware of it.
Phil
-
Randi,
So glad you had a good experience at Lana's
Yes to the best of my knowledge Humberto did work at La Griglia as well as other fine dining establishments. A very nice young man and very earnest in his work. Lana and her business partner, Peter, are very nice folks as well and I wish them success.
Phil
-
Thanks for the reviews. Anybody ever look at the wine list or order a bottle or glass?
Phil
-
Based on the NYT article a while back, we decided to try the Black Box wines and found them to be very sub par for actual drinking -- we tried both plastic cups (to match the plastic bag
) and wine glasses . No discernable difference. Used the remainder for cooking and that was OK but the boxes actually take up a fair bit of room in the fridge and we always have either an open bottle of wine or a cheap enough wine in the cellar to use for cooking that is also drinkable! I do like the sailing idea, however. Was it because the wine itself wasn't that good or did the package make the wine worse?
Okay, disclaimer up front: I sell these wines in NJ as a distributor.
I was sceptical as were some co-workers but we have been reasonably successful with the recent kickoff. I have used them at a few parties and novice and experienced wine lovers have found them quite palatable for these gatherings. Are they world class, No; are they a good value for Napa Chard and Sonoma Merlot, Yes at the equivalent of $6.25 per 750ml bottle (3 litre.)
I have had a box of each on the counter and in the fridge and for over two months and I taste them every couple of weeks. Still very little change as far as oxidation to the wine.
To me it solves the problem for the novice wine lover of NO CORKED Wines plus offers a good value.
All of this IMHO, of course.
Thanks for reading.
Phil
-
<<And what about Lana's? That is on Raritan also, just north of Central Ave. It is a new restaurant in the Hyatt Hills Golf Complex. The sign says "Lana's Fine Dining". Anyone know just HOW fine??
>>
Have not been but I did work on the wine program with the owner and chef. Chef worked at La Griglia and supposedly has good credentials.
Let us know, please.
Phil
-
Andre,
Nice notes and some nice wines there, too.
Thanks,
Phil
-
<<In any event, the $55, delivered, price tag is evidence of my poor judgment in buying a wine on emotion and not on track record. When I think of what $55, would have bought ten years ago . . .
Best, Jim
>>
Jim,
I sympathize with the above statement. 8-10 years ago they were the new up and coming PN and Chard superstar due to their relationship with Kistler and their vineyard location. They produce very nice wines but there are always better values around the corner. Oh well, lessons learned.....
Phil
-
As I write this I have a note to call them today to meet with the owner Karen, re her wine list and my wines.
I have had a number of good to very good lunches there in the past few years.
Plus wine list and BTG selections are quite good.
IMHO, of course.
Phil
-
In order to make specific Wine.com recommendations, we'd need to know what state you're in. The company has different inventories available to customers in different areas.
I'm in New Jersey. I'd prefer to buy the wine than the toys. It appears that someone over 21 has to sign for the delivery whether I purchase wine or non-alcoholic items. I'd rather get wine for my trouble!
But I guess I should see if they have that wine clip first.... As you are in NJ, they made not be able to ship wine to you.
Make sure you check on the legailities. I am sure they have some nice paraphenalia for a wine lover to play with.
-
I second Mark's Terasses d'Empire, he poured it for us at his restaurant and it was wonderful.
Mark himself may shoot me down for this one, but I've always like Horton Vineyards Viogner, from that ancient wine-producing region of Virginia. Not is the same class as the les terrasses, but nne of the few Virginia wines I've found worth the price -- $18 or so. I don't know how widely available it is. I did once see it on the wine list at Rubicon in San Francisco.
Horton is great, if you can find more current vintages. The bottles I've seen on the shelves recently are still the 1999 vintage, a bottle last week tasted of white wine and not much else. My fave VA viognier is Chrysalis, a bit expensive for a Virginia wine (I think about $24 wholesale) but worth it in my opinion.
Having spent two days in Nov touring VA wineries, I suggest you not look for Horton as I was totally disappointed with their wines overall. The 1999 is the current release of Viognier. The wine was nice but not as fresh as it could have been. It appears that they have too many wines in the line up and have lost focus, IMHO.
I found Whitehall's version (2002) to be fresher and livelier and a good value. King Family/Michael Shaps makes two versions, a Chard Viognier blend that was quite good and a Viognier with about 1.1% RS that was very expressive and the RS did show through a bit too much for me.
I had a Chrysalis Petit Manseng that blew me away!!
-
And I'll add a moderately priced one:
Cesari "Mara" Valpolicella Classico Ripasso 2000 about $14 per bottle
Imported by Opici Imports
It may not be robust but for an everyday quaff it gives some nice pleasure.
Phil
-
The private label wine industry has begun to boom because large retailers want a way to counteract the Fetzers, Mondavis, Glen Ellens, etc of the business. They knew if they could control the price and quality, they could then put their own label next to the above labels and have their employees flog their label, hence making more money for the company. To me this has never been about offering better quality to their customers, its all about leading the customer to a wine they make more money on. Now, being a capitalist at heart, I have no problem with this as long as the wine they are selling does offer better bang for the buck.
Many of the large chains, especially in my state, NJ, adopted this practice. My employer (a distributor) currently does very little of this with our customers although we do offer them occasional exclusives on 2nd labels, brands we need to develop, etc.
All of the above, imho, of course.
Phil
-
I was lucky enough to have three different bubbles yesterday: Krug Garnde Cuvee (still one of my favorites and a stunning wine for its richness); Veuve Reserve 1996 (very nice but not as rich as the Krug); Veuve Yellow (definetly lighter than years past and still better than most of the "name" brands out there.)
Phil
-
And, my question is:
How's the wine program at SamVera?
Phil
-
More Lambertville:
Antons at The Swan Hotel(wine and spirits sold, fine food, good wine list, and a great bar with more casual food); Manon (BYOB and country French); Siam Thai (BYOB, good food, slow service); DeAnna's (BYOB, good pasta, small space); Ota Ya (BYOB, quite good sushi, etc);
in Stockton: Atrio (BYOB and very good food); Stockton Inn (wines and spirits sold, New owners, New Chefs, wait 'til after the new year as I think they are just trying to get thru the season before planning new menu and wine program.)
in Sergeantsville: Sergeantsville Inn(wine and spirits sold, quite good food, well constructed list too.) Also, if you get in the village before 6:00 (Wed-Sat) you can go to one of the last remaining great country butcher shops, Maresca and Sons.
All in my humble opinion, of course.
Phil
-
In the hands of Joly in the Clos de la Coulee de Serrant, Chenin is at its idiosyncratic and authentic best. Your description of the 1999 is perfect and 1999 is arguably Joly's best wine ever. There is much hyperbole in that statement but much substance as well. We have recently tasted the 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001 around the country. As a previous poster commented, the 1997 is one strange puppy. I would not call it flawed but its certainly heavily influenced by botrytis and a perceivable amount of residual sugar. Its not for everybody but it is an interesting and charactered wine. The 1998 and 2000 present a similar profile of quality and character and are very good wines from difficult vintages. The 1999 and 2001 are truly spectacular wines for now or decades from now. The average retail price for these vintages should be ~$74/bottle. All of these vintages are currently available. For those unsure about the price, please try the 2001 Clos de la Bergerie, the lesser known but high quality single vineyard from Roche-aux-Moines, for ~$44/bottle or the 2001 Becherelle bottling for ~$35/bottle. Becherelle is basically Joly's village wine.
For more info on Joly, http://www.coulee-de-serrant.com or check out the October 2003 Decanter article on Savennieres by Stephen Brook.
wineserver,
I have recently been offered the '99 and told by the importer that it was great. I have heard other people say that the wine is too fat. I love this wine and have been using it on and off for 20 years here. M. Joly has had many different importers over the years. Currently, Paterno handles the wine. Personally, I love to see the look on people's faces when I decant a white wine. I decant all of the white Grand Cru Burgundies that I serve, too. Should I buy '99 or 2000 for the restaurant?
Mark,
My customers have bought both the 99 and 00 and I have had positive reports on both. Some writers have given the nod to the 00 but..... My only caveat is: do not buy the 97, as I have written in a prior post.
As they say: "pick 'em"
Happy Holidays
Phil
-
In AC, why not try Dock's Oyster House. Owned by the Dougherty family for 4 generations, great wine list and BTG selections, classic shore dishes, plus innovative new creations, super selection of oysters on the half shell and right around the corner from Trump Plaza; Also new is Babalu Cafe. Coming soon according to rumors are Smith and Wollensky and a Ruth Chris'.
Phil
-
To all who have posted thanks for your comments.
1) It was corked as I have been tasting wines for over 30 years and selling them professionally for close to 20 years. Corked is corked not over the hill.
Phil,
I don't follow your point then.
1. it happens, why hold the front page
2. you should know it's not very good wine.
I am lost by your response as I don't understand:
"hold the front page"
and
" you should know its not very good wine"
Maybe I'm missing something?
Phil
-
To all who have posted thanks for your comments.
1) It was corked as I have been tasting wines for over 30 years and selling them professionally for close to 20 years. Corked is corked not over the hill.
2) As I had three bottles, I thought I would pull one to try with friends plus many tasting notes I have read say that the vintage would never be "ready" but I'm a gamer and love to try wines with good freinds.
3) Storage has been almost perfect since purchased
4) Life goes on when it comes to corked wines but it still p.... me off when it comes to wines I have held for 3 plus years. If I get them as samples or recent purchases, I don't much care. I just express dismay and concern and then pour it down the sink.
5) Still no word from the Chateau since my e-mail to them of Monday. Like I expected a response
Phil
Wine Bars in NJ
in New Jersey: Dining
Posted
True, Northstar does have a wine bar and I forgot about it as I have been disappointed in their wine selections in the past.