Sadly, But Perhaps Truthfully

Also - Final Holiday Gift and Entertaining Tips

If you read our stuff consistently you probably noted that we sadly (see above) seem to lack the important and very appreciated quality of being humble. We may now get even worse.

The current issue of Wine Spectator trumpets its 100 Best Wines of 2002 considering price and quality. Its Number One Choice is the 1999 Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape at $30. If you have been reading our recent articles you know that we were pitching this wine and the area consistently for almost a year. Ironically Guigal may have really deserved the more important rating as #1 overall winemaker of the year for producing 230,000 cases of its 2000 Cotes du Rhone for a retail price under $10. It is FrankAboutFood.com’s choice as #1 wine for the year.

In fact, of the top16 of The 100 Best, there are three wines priced in the realistic under $35 category. We have been touting all of them during most of 2002. The other two are the De Nerthe Chateauneuf Du Pape and the unbelievably valued Columbia Crest Chardonnay. Other Wine Spectator revelations in the Best 100 Category are that New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs are great white wine choices and can be found in abundance under $15. Where did you read that this year?

Further, in a recent previous issue Wine Spectator offered 4 lengthy articles dealing with unjustifiably high starting wine prices along with the separate issue of exorbitant restaurant markups. You could have flown across the country before finishing  the reading. However since they carefully danced around all the controversial issues (winemaker hype, land speculation, false shortages, avarice and especially ego), you learned very little. We covered the same issues in one direct page that clearly defined the responsibilities.  

If you are a visitor to Napa and serious about wine, you should consider obtaining the recently released book “Far Side of Eden” as I mentioned in the previous issue. You might not agree with everything the author says but this very readable work will give you some insights on wine pricing and marketing that are remarkably revealing. Francis Ford Coppola,with justification, is particularly dissected. The book is also a great and unique gift for any of your “wino” friends.

David Shaw, the excellent food and wine special columnist recently had a full 2 page featured article in The Los Angeles Times that dealt with the etiquette of BYOB (bring your own bottle to the restaurant). He also discussed corkage charges and offered a chart of comparison prices.  We were the first to do all of this in the United States almost a year ago and further we again focussed on the restaurants at which you dine in the Ventura area …again all in one page.

Then there is this minor issue of money. The Wine Spectator charges you $5 to read about wines that you can’t afford or if you can afford them, you can’t find because only 300 bottles were produced for the entire world. The Los Angeles Times Food Section is however, very good and food critic Irene Virbila, alone is certainly worth reading. But the paper is also not free.

The punchline is that FrankAboutFood.com is free, deals with areas of your interest and about products that you actually can afford and easily locate. Why not give some of your friends a subscription to FrankAboutFood.com. as a gift? They will appreciate your thoughtfulness and financial perspicacity more than a tie or a scarf with green fish or birds on them. The price is certainly right.

Finally, this is the Holiday and gift giving issue as well so here are a few reminders that we have been touting.

Champagne for Serving or Giving.

Great values abound as predicted early in the year.  Cristalino at $6 is an unbelievable for value for parties and as host or hostess gifts. Pacific Echo at $13 compares with $30 big domestic names. Louis Roederer Brut at $16 may be the best overall bubbly value in the world. Further, if you give it as a gift, the receiver may think that is French rather than from Napa and they may even think it is Cristal which Roederer sells for $200. Taittinger Francaise at $28 may be your best bet if French is your style and finally Dom Perignon can be easily found for $75 although you really have to wonder where Moet et Chandon found all the grapes to make this supposedly luxury Champagne as ubiquitous as Coca Cola.

If you are going to give regular wine as a gift, you cannot go wrong with the Wine Spectator # 1 as reported or the Cotes Du Rhone. If you want more choices, check out Second Chances in FrankAboutFood.com. There is a myriad of ideas in the wide range of old Wine Wisdom articles.

There are also now many versions of that wine bottle opening bunny for as low as $25. They all do about the same thing and will last a life time no matter what other hype you may read.  

Finally, if time is a factor, but you want to give something unique and worthwhile, visit a local independent wine merchant such as Conejo Wine and Provision. Tell Tim Coles how much you want to spend and a bit about to whom the gift is going.  The professional advice you get and the time you save will be well worth the effort and the few extra pennies. Let’s face it. Professional advice and service do have a real and worthwhile value.

Happy Holidays