Ok, so these are trying times and simple survival is the now the key to long-term success.  Restaurants, retailers, banks and good businesses that one would have thought would prosper forever are failing in record numbers.  This folks seems to be the beginning of a new reality.  Lives and families and businesses whose futures seemed secure are in doubt like never before.  The new reality indeed.  Once the hand wringing is over however, those with the will to venture into this not-so-brave new world must look at the opportunities that present themselves.  As goes the state of the world, so goes the world of wine.

The fine wine market has taken financial hits just as every other investment and commodity has.  Let’s take a second and define these two categories.  First we can talk about the wines that almost everyone is familiar with and that would be those created by mass production.  With these wines the origin of the grapes are often somewhat suspect.  Who grew them?  Where were they grown and under what circumstances tend to be the key questions.  Grapevine stress is the key to quality grapes so with current trends of varying forms of irrigation what is the quality of grape you are actually getting?  Let’s be clear however, often bulk wine represents great value until marketing exceeds the ability of the producer to control vineyard quality expectations.  There are a gazillion wines of this type available on the open market from every grape growing region in the world, just keep in mind the wines are likely to be very inconsistent vintage to vintage as the marketing pressure increases for these bulk producers.

The second choice is the traditional crafted wines wherein the origin of the grape is known and identifiable.  These wines range anywhere from single vineyard wines to regional wines with the onus belonging to the winemaker to know the basics agricultural method.  These wines generally are a far better reflection of the art of growing grapes and making wines that you may always remember.  The beginning of this art is choosing the right grape to grow on the right soil with microclimate always in mind.  This is among the first decisions the grower has to make.  With the bulk industry that decision often begins with the dollar to grape tonnage in the forefront of the decision making process, not so much about the quality and the art.  Then come the decisions of how to prune the vines to reduce the yield as opposed to maximizing the yield.  The fewer grapes a vine produce the more flavor and sugar is present in the grape.  This makes for better ‘natural’ alcohol levels and overall balance of acid to alcohol.

Now we get to talk about the dreaded term terroir. This in its simplest form is the special relationship grapevines have with the basic geography, soil, climate, microclimate, weather and all of the other natural conditions where the grape is grown.  This is the point where the art really comes into play.  The winemaker at this point through science, experience, vision and his knowledge of his local terroir finds methods to accentuate the positive pieces of his vineyards.  When this is done well wine becomes something remarkable and lifestyle enhancing.

The first objection that comes to mind is pricing for artfully produced wines.  Well pish-posh I tell you.  Great wine is not always expensive, and here is the crux of our theme related diatribe this month.  Again, as goes the state of the world, so goes the world of wine.

With the state of the world economy as it exists today great wine is being dumped at price reductions unimaginable as little as a year ago.  We are talkin’ Great Growth Bordeaux, Grand Cru Burgundy, huge Napa Cabs, phenomenal Chardonnays and every other category you can imagine.  While these are still pricey for the everyday tippler the availability is finally there when you really want your socks rolled up.  But there is another entire category that I’ve ranted and raved about all year.  This category being the up and coming wine makers.  Talk to wine professionals you trust, try ‘em and buy ‘em.

As more and more wines from all over the world become available along with the added presence of very intriquing and multi cultural recipes the never-ending discussion of wine and food pairings is never far from the hot topics of the culinary aware. For even the sophisticated and experienced wine drinker this venture can produce cold chills as the onus of not wrecking what should have been a fabulous meal (were it not for that misbegotten wine choice) becomes mammoth in the broad scheme.

Once again American wine drinkers are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to manipulating menus to produce acceptable pairings. The whole concept with food and wine has never really been well discussed in my opinion, so here it is. Let’s start with big and bold and very bone dry reds. These wines have vilified and exalted depending on the beholder. This speaks to the expert European winemakers who had centuries of experience making wines designed for food. In Italy, France and Germany wines were rarely allowed to contain over 14.5% alcohol. Any alcohol content over that and your palate becomes anesthetized, actually numbing your ability to taste anything. California on the other hand has begun producing over-extracted wines with alcohol levels into the 15% to 16% range. These wines are not at all food friendly. Unfortunately too many of the New World wines are big alcohol, over extracted wines that are decidedly not food friendly. California has been the trend-setter here where it is fairly common to find wines at 15% alcohol and sorrowfully much higher. It is important to note here however that there are many exceptional wineries producing wine the old-fashioned way. Just check the label for the proper alcohol level and you’ve got a pretty good start.

The real point however is the fact that very dry, and I mean absolutely moisture sucking dry, wine has a very specific purpose. If you love big marinara sauces, you know, those really flavorful robust sauces that delight the palate and inflame the soul, you will note that the first bite is little short of magnificent. By the time you’re halfway through it however somehow magically it turns into spaghetti. If you take a very small sip of very dry wine, it strips your palate clean, causing you to re-salivate. This in turn makes every bite as glorious as the first. It’s not that you are quaffing huge quantities of wine, just tiny sips to enhance every taste sensation. You see, your palate has the ability to adjust to hot and cold (remember how hot that first sip of coffee is in the morning) as well as powerful spice. Again, just take really small sips between every bite. This will provide the most meaningful enhancement as you continue to enjoy wine with food.

Once you have begin to grasp and use the information above you now have the opportunity to really have fun with wine, but only if you use wines with the proper alcohol levels and sip between tastes.

Now is your chance to begin trying wine and food pairings that form that very symbiotic relationship of enhanced flavors on both sides of the discussion. This is where is starts to get fun. Pinot Noir is a fantastic food wine as it has tremendous fruit along with an endless myriad of sub flavors and is fantastic with almost any wild game, pork, and is light enough to be the ideal red wine with lighter meats such as chicken and even denser fishes. Similarly, lightly oaked and well balanced Chardonnay can also be fantastic with all of the above. Cabernet, Merlot, Sangiovese, and the never ending parade of French, Italian and Spanish varietals work particularly well with Beef and heavy sauces. Seafood is phenomenal with many white varietals but here are some of the no-brainers. Reisling, Gewurtztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, and any white from Italy are incredible with shellfish and will bring out some of the natural sweetness in these foods.

The point here is simply to experiment, different wines with as wide a variety of foods possible. Most importantly drink wine.

In closing just remember, when in doubt Amarone goes with everything.