A Question of Balance

You like wine, but aren’t sure what to look for or wonder how to tell a good wine from a mediocre one. As with anything else in life, the key is balance. There are four key elements that contribute to taste in wine: acid, alcohol, fruit, and tannin. When all of these elements are in harmony, no one element stands out; each blends seamlessly with the others, leaving the wine tasting smooth and elegant. Let’s explore these elements.

Acid. It’s no secret wines contain acid, some more than others, based on the choice of grape used. High acid wines lacking balance get your attention immediately; the acidity burns your mouth and tastes sour or tart. Nevertheless, acidity is good; it increases saliva, readies your palate for food, and makes wine a wonderful food complement.
White wines contain higher levels of acidity than reds. In both, acidity must be nicely integrated with all other elements. Good winemakers strive to balance acidity with fruit to craft quality wines. Sauvignon blancs tend to have higher levels of acidity. For a perfectly balanced Loire Valley Sancerre, I was amazed by a 2006 Domaine Cherrier ($23) at Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio in Las Vegas.

Alcohol. As grapes ripen, sugar levels increase. Fermentation creates wine as yeasts convert sugar into alcohol. The more sugar in the grape must, the higher the percentage of alcohol in the resulting wine. Alcohol levels also vary by grapes, with Rieslings weighing in at lower levels (8% to 10%) and Zinfandels coming in at 14% to 17%. Formerly averaging 12% to 12.5% alcohol, now global warming is elevating levels to 13.5% or more.

However, it isn’t the level that matters as much as whether the alcohol level is harmonious with a wine’s fruit and structural elements. Alcohol balanced with all other elements doesn’t call attention to itself. Conversely, too much alcohol creates a burning sensation in the mouth and throat. Quality wines never provide a burning sensation due to their finesse and balance.
I recently opened a 2003 La Garrigue ($16) from Domaine la Casenove in Roussillon. Smooth and delicious, it was a masterfully balanced wine. Amazingly, its alcohol is 14.5%, but you’d never know it.

High alcohol also presents another dilemma. Wine is meant to be consumed with food. Classic European wines are food friendly due to their historically lower (12% to 12.5%) alcohol and balance. As alcohol rises, wine’s food friendliness decreases. High alcohol wines overwhelm most foods, making them an unsuitable match for dining.

Fruit. Wine varies from subtle to vibrant in terms of the intensity of its fruit flavor. Rich, ripe fruit adds both complexity and texture to wine and contributes to the wine’s character. The same balance principle applies: fruit flavor and intensity should not dominate the wine.
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Hawk Crest Cabernet Sauvignon ($10) offers a nicely balanced wine at value pricing. No wonder, it’s made by one of America’s best winemakers.

Tannin. Ever tasted a red wine that made your mouth feel astringent and dry? Or, have you experienced the harsh, mouth-puckering bitterness of a strong cup of tea? That’s the effect of tannin, a component of many, but not all, red wines. While good quality cabernet sauvignons can be highly tannic when young, other red grapes (think pinot noir) contain negligible amounts of tannin.

Tannin is important to the aging of wine; it provides structure and preserves the wine as it ages. Tannin must be balanced with fruit, however. A wine with lots of vibrant, ripe fruit, as New World wines often contain, can compensate for higher levels of tannin, making the wine softer and easier to drink young. Because tannin comes largely from the grape skins that provide red wines their color, white wines do not contain tannin.
With time in bottle, tannins ripen and become polished. Until then, tannin can be high in a young wine and it’s perceived as bitter. Techniques for reducing the impact of tannin are aging the wine, decanting it for an hour or more prior to serving it, and serving it with high protein foods, such as steak, which cut the tannin.

For another wonderful example of balance, try Chapoutier’s 2006 Petite Ruche Rouge ($25) unoaked Croze Hermitage. It’s awesome.

Make balance a key principle of your life. But remember, balance is subjective due to individual taste thresholds and perceptions of wine.

Enjoy.

Wonderful Wines from Spain

Another political season is here and while the malarkey being tossed around by both parties is enough to drive any sane person to drink, I suggest your drink of choice be wine (in moderation, of course). Why? It’s much healthier for one and, secondly, I write a wine column, not a scotch column. As I discovered long ago, scotch doesn’t enhance the writing process, although Ernest Hemingway might debate that, if he were still alive. Since he’s not, I’ll continue with my thoughts on wine.

Since Americans are now on the hook for $700 B to bail out big, well-managed (detect the irony?) mortgage banks, let me suggest more ways for you to save money on your wine purchases, without sacrificing quality, of course. For smart wine shoppers, that means buying excellent value wines from Spain. Why Spain? Glad you asked. There are several reasons actually.

First of all, Spain is the world’s third largest national producer of wine, with a wine history similar to other Old World countries that goes back over a thousand years. The fact is Spain has more vineyard land under cultivation than any other country. Most of these grapes are, however, of average quality from the Airen grape and are used to make brandy. However, Spain also has a history of quality wines, helped along by French winemakers in the late 1800’s. French vintners came south to lend their expertise to Iberian wineries after their beloved French vineyards were decimated by the phylloxera louse. The Rioja region of Spain was the primary beneficiary, leading to the popularity and fine reputation of Rioja wines today.

Significantly, Spain is the source of some excellent wines, many - almost all, really with a rare exception – representing excellent value for your money. Unlike the leading French, California and Italian wines, most Spanish wines are relatively unknown and therefore, cannot command the high prices of those other wines. Besides Rioja, do Bierzo, La Mancha, Montsant, Priorat, Rias Baixas, Ribera del Duero and Toro sound familiar? They should and provide terrific wines at bargain prices.

A big fan of Spanish wine, I attended a tasting of 10 wines imported by Folio Fine Wine Partners, owned by Michael Mondavi, son of the late Robert Mondavi. He found he had time (and a bundle of money, too) on his hands after Robert Mondavi Winery was sold in 2004. Having extensive knowledge of the wine industry, he established Folio wines to import high quality wines. Its goal is to bring one-of-a-kind wines at a variety of price points to American consumers. Based on this tasting, they surely do that.

The tasting, hosted by Fifth Ave Liquors and Metro 9 Steak House, started with a 2006 Fillaboa Albarino ($17) from Rias Biaxas, the area of Spain located north of Portugal. Albarino is a elegant, aromatic grape that makes crisp, white wine. With a lemony citrus aroma, it’s a great choice for fish and other seafood.

Spain is best known for good to great red wines, and the reds fit that profile. My favorites were the 2004 Comenge ($30), a 100% tempranillo from Ribera del Duero, the excellent 2004 Mas de l’Abundancia “Fluminis” ($30) from Montsant, and the heavenly 2004 “Embruix” ($37) from Vall Llach in Priorat.

The Comenge offered mild, but pleasant fruit and although it was a bit tannic, it will smoothen out with a little time. It’s drinkable now, but should be awesome in 24 months or so. Fluminis, a blend garnacha, carinena and cabernet sauvignon, featured nice fruit flavor and was elegant, delicious and superbly balanced. The Embruix, a blend of garnacha and carinena with a bit of syrah, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, is a highly rated wine that, at its current price, is one of the best wine bargains you’ll ever experience. It’s not cheap, but this wine would still be great at multiples of its current price. While I liked it a lot initially, it’s a wine that grows on you and I soon fell in love with it.

While these wines over-shadowed the other wines tasted, the wines were all very good. Of two Riojas from Palacios Remondo, I liked the Vendima ($15) and thought the Montesa ($20) was exceptionally good and will get even better with a little time. At those prices, less discounts, how could you lose?

I’d be remiss if I neglected to recommend two other of my favorite Spanish wines to you: the 2006 Dehesa Gago ($18) from the exciting, and up-and-coming, Toro Region and the 2004 Gotin Bru from Castell del Remei ($15) in Costers del Segre. Both are exceptional wines for the price. While I love the Gago, I like the del Remei even more. It’s a blend of 50% tempranillo, 20% cabernet Sauvignon, 20% merlot and 10% garnacha.

Buying the value wines suggested in this column should yield excellent wines and save you lots of money. Please send any money you save directly to the IRS to the attention of their Corporate Welfare Banking sub-division. Should that be painful, simply uncork another bottle.

Enjoy.

Give Thanks for Good Wine

As we give thanks for the good things in our lives, let’s appreciate how much wine has improved over the past twenty years and how much good wine is available today. We should do this during Thanksgiving dinner, of course, since wine is the perfect complement to food.

Wine is meant to be consumed with food; good wine and good food are inseparable. When wine’s flavors complement food’s, each tastes better due to the synergistic harmony that occurs in our mouths. The goal of food and wine pairing is to create those fantastic combinations of flavor and tasty sensations that result when the right wine is chosen.

Thanksgiving dinner presents somewhat of a pairing challenge, due mainly to the variety of dishes served. Let’s face it, while a normal dinner includes a main dish with two or three sides, holiday ritual demands a multitude of dishes. Turkey is easy, but the addition of gravy; stuffing; carrots; turnips; mashed and sweet potatoes; butternut squash; cranberry sauce and a host of other, unique side dishes present a cacophony of flavors that influence the wine choice. The solution is to serve one of the “food friendly” wines with the ability to match this wide array of flavors.

Food-friendly wines come in both reds and whites, and both work. They include Beaujolais, champagne and other sparkling wine, Cotes du Rhone, pinot noir, Riesling, and rose. Ripe, fruity New World chardonnays from Australia, California, or Chile provide a number of options and price ranges that also work nicely.

Avoid wines, such as cabernet sauvignon and most red Bordeaux, that would be too over-powering and unlikely to match well with the turkey and flavorful side dishes. Zinfandels are usually high in alcohol, making them less than optimum for food matching. Instead, here are my suggestions for food-friendly, Turkey Day wines:

Riesling. The most food-friendly, flexible wine of all amply demonstrates its ability to wonderfully complement the variety of holiday foods. St. Urbans-Hof Riesling ($20) is from a good producer. It’s slightly sweet, but not too, and mildly and refreshingly tart. Meyer-Fonne Riesling ($22) is also excellent.

Rhone Varietals. Julio’s Liquors’ Tim Korby suggests wines made from Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne make an ideal pairing due to their lush pear, peach and other savory flavors. Originally grown in France’s Rhone Valley, these varietals are now produced in many New World vineyards too. Korby also suggests a Cotes du Rhone as another good choice.

Gewürztraminer. This highly aromatic wine isn’t well known, nevertheless, wine lovers treasure its fruity delights. Go with one made in a drier style. The best come from the Alsace region of France, good news since it provides terrific wines at value prices for the quality delivered. Meyer-Fonne ($28) and Domaine Weinbach ($50) are recommended. Trimbach and Hugel are also good.

Rose. Rose wines often get a bad rap due to the erroneous association many folks make with it to white zinfandel, which can be overly sweet. Truth be told, rose wines are mostly crisp and dry, very tasty and the preferred wine of the European elite during their summer holidays on the French Riviera. Fortunately, you don’t have to be wealthy or a wine snob to enjoy the pleasant combination rose wine makes with the tasty bounty of Thanksgiving table foods. Try Bastianich Rosato ($16), Cantele Negroamaro Rosato ($13), Chateau du Basty ($15) or Corail Cotes de Provence ($22).

Beaujolais. Beaujolais Nouveau, released the third week of November, adds a seasonal touch and makes a good choice. Better yet, Beaujolais Villages offer better quality at the right price. Fruity and light, it can be served chilled. Dubeuf and Jadot are very reliable producers.

Pinot Noir. Low in tannin and smooth and elegant with flavors of berries and spices, pinot noir makes another good holiday combination. I suggest Taz ($25) from Santa Barbara, Davis from Russian River ($45) or JM Pillot Bourgogne Rouge ($30) from France’s Burgundy region.

Sparkling Wines. Champagne and other sparklers work well with the range of dinner flavors and also match soft cheeses and other appetizers well. NV Langlois Chateau Crement de Loire Rose ($30) would be splendid.

You should plan on at least a half bottle (just over two glasses) or more per person. If you have a large group, try a couple of whites and a red for variety. Much of the fun with wine lies in experimenting, so be adventurous.

Enjoy.

A New Way to Choose Summer Whites

It’s summer and most wine lovers are drink chilled white wine to survive the hot weather. With so many out there, which ones are worth buying? Here’s a new way to select summer whites.

We typically ask whether a wine is dry or sweet, as if knowing that alone will guide us. Now, thanks to several wine authors, there’s a better way to categorize and select wines for chilling out this summer. Both white and red wines can be categorized into logical styles. Once you know which style or styles (for the more adventurous) you like, you’ll enjoy other wines within the category.

While each style is unique, any grape variety can span multiple styles, depending on what the winemaker does with it in production. Here are distinct categories of white wines that appeal to wine lovers:

Fresh Light White. Perfect for summer and very food friendly, fresh light whites are usually good values that come from neutral grapes. They’ll be light in body (think watery, but not too thin) and are truly dry, with aromas and flavors that are mostly subdued. Subtle flavors of citrus, apple, and minerals are typical, but will be dimmed if served too cold.

They are crisp and fresh, meaning the wine has high acidity, not a bad thing provided all other elements are in balance. Thanks to their acidity, they complement fish and seafood superbly. Fresh Light Whites are for quaffing; they’re great aperitifs. Wines that fall into this category are unoaked Chablis, Orvieto, pinot blanc, pinot grigio, Pouilly Fume, Sancerre, Soave, sauvignon blancs that aren’t too intense, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, and viura from Spain. I recommend pinot blanc from Trimbach ($14) or Kuentz-Bas ($17), pinot grigio from Santa Margherita ($18-22), and Soave Classico from either Pieropan ($17) or Inama ($15).

Smooth Medi-White. With more body, usually from a tad more alcohol, these smooth whites are almost never too acidic, too sweet or too oaky. That makes them an ideal starting point for new wine drinkers and among the most popular wines. These medium-body wines include many inexpensive, oaked chardonnays. The better ones can be almost creamy and smooth, without being too rich. There’s also a sub-category (Subtle Earthy White) offering subtle earthy, minerally flavors.

They reflect the terroir they are grown in and provide contemplative drinking to connoisseurs and the wine adventurous. Very food friendly, they complement risotto, chicken Caesar salad, grilled swordfish and quiche.

Oaked white Bordeaux; Chilean, Macon, and unoaked Australian chardonnay; Fiano, Oregon pinot gris, inexpensive Viognier, often fall within this category. Among my favorites are King Estate pinot gris ($14), Domaine Talmard Macon chardonnay ($14), and Pine Ridge chenin blanc-Viognier ($14).

Aroma-White. Among my favorite wines are Aroma-whites, easily recognized by their wonderful and very distinct aromas. Bursting with flavor and extroverted personality, these superb food wines match challenging foods, such as salads, curries and spicy Asian cuisine. Other parings are potato salad, soft cheeses, baked ham, and smoked fish. Due to their robust flavors, they’re also great choices without food.

Included in this category are albarinho, arneis, fiano, Gewurztraminer, gruner veltliner, muscat, Riesling, Torrontes, vermentino, and Viognier. I recommend Laurenz V Singing gruner veltliner ($12-$13)and Domaine Weinbach Gewurztraminer ($49).

Rich Full White. At the top extreme, rich full whites include some of the most prestigious (think $$$$) wines from Burgundy and California. These full-bodied whites are known for power and intensity, making the best of them wines for special occasions, not regular drinking. New World versions will be rich, buttery and smooth with flavors of peaches, vanilla, tropical fruit, apricot and cream.

The top grand and premier cru Chablis and pricey white burgundy and California chardonnays fall within this category. While dominated by chardonnay, other grapes create Rich Full Whites: viognier (in better versions), wines based on Marsanne and even a handful of oaked sauvignon blancs. They pair perfectly with creamy sauces and rich foods, such as chowder, lobster or monkfish.

My more affordable recommendations are chardonnay from Jordan ($30) and Casa Lapostolle ($14) and Viognier from Calera ($28), Ascheri ($17) or Alamos ($15).

Most folks, including bars and restaurants, serve whites too cold, dulling their aromas and flavors. Chill them, but not too much, or let them warm up a bit; the subtle flavors will come through to delight you and your guests.

Enjoy.

Smart Wine Buying

Because I love wine and buy it regularly, I’m always looking to get the most for my money. It’s not just because the economy is in the proverbial toilet, nor that today it might be cheaper to fill my car with Chateau Margaux instead of gas. I want the best possible price. Also, I love that wonderful feeling in finding a $13 wine that tastes better than bottles costing two or three times as much. Here’s how to get the most for your wine dollar.

Save by the Case. It’s no secret that you can get a discount buying a whole case of wine. These discounts average 15%, but range from 10% to 20%. Forget about buying at only 10% off and look for a shop that offers 20%. Sometimes, you can even do better than that.

A local shop offered a case of Barbera Italian wine at a terrific price of $85 ($7.00/bottle) or a 30% discount on a case that would have been $120 ($10/bottle) otherwise. Not wanting a full case, I split it with a friend, getting six bottles at the same great, low price. At that price for a decent wine, who could pass it up?

Splitting a purchase with a friend is a creative way to benefit from case savings. A friend and I split a case of Altamura Cabernet Sauvignon retailing for $70/bottle two years ago. It cost us $55 a bottle for a wine I recently saw in a shop for $90. Also, it was a lot easier to justify paying for only six bottles at that price, versus incurring the full case cost myself.

Save on a Mixed Case. Unless you are totally in love with a particular wine, twelve bottles is a lot of it. There are so many wonderful wines out there and you can only drink so many in a month, so why limit yourself? The good news is most retailers will provide you with the same discount on a mixed case of wine. Simply pick out any twelve bottles and you’ll still save 15-20%.

What’s the perfect number of bottles to buy of a wine? I’m convinced the optimum number is between three and six, depending on how much you like the wine. With a single bottle of good wine, if you love it, once the bottle is empty, you’ll be kicking yourself for not buying more. Trust me on that. Buy three or four and, after the first delicious bottle is finished, you’ll have the peace of mind that comes with knowing you have another bottle or two left to enjoy another day.

Save at Tastings. You like wine and want the case price, but don’t have money to splurge? Maybe, it’s time you got a new spouse. I’m just kidding, that’s no way to save money; attorneys will take you to the cleaners, not the wine store. Instead, go to a shop running wine tastings evenings or weekends. Retailers always discount the wines featured in their tastings. Typically you’ll save 15% or more and 25% discounts are not unusual. Often the discount applies if you buy a minimum of three or six bottles, and I’ve attended many tastings where discounts applied to a single bottle. It’s the perfect solution: you sample the wine to ensure you like it and get the case price savings on a small quantity. Whoever said, “it’s a wonderful world,” must have just come from one of these tastings.

Save at Sales. Most wine stores run sales from time to time with discounts of up to 25% or 30%. Sometimes you have to buy twelve bottles, sometimes only six, occasionally only one to earn the discount. Usually spend $15 for a bottle? A sale is your chance to get a $20 bottle for that amount. Heck, why not pick up a $50 champagne for $37 and celebrate life?

Save on Wine Regions. California, and some French, wines can be ridiculously over-priced while some from lesser known regions can be as good or better, while saving you dollars. Look for wines from Argentina, Chile, southern Italy and Spain for wonderful wines at bargain prices. I’ll make recommendations in future columns. In the meantime, try Finca La Linda Torrontes ($14) from Argentina, available at Dyer’s (Watertown), Gordon’s (Waltham), Panzano (Southboro), and West Concord Liquors (Concord). It’s a wonderfully aromatic and pleasant white I know you’ll savor.

Enjoy.

Celebrate Life With Some Bubbly

Nothing epitomizes the celebratory nature of sparkling wine better than World Series victors, showering each other with bubbly. Personally, I’d rather drink champagne than watch grown men spray each other with it. My girlfriend adores champagne and doesn’t believe in waiting for special occasions to drink it. She introduced me to its wonders several years ago.

Undoubtedly, Champagne’s most avid fan was Madame Bollinger, who said in an oft quoted perspective on it, "I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and I drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it, unless I'm thirsty." I completely understand and share her enthusiasm.

Upon drinking an occasional sparkling wine before dinner, I discovered that it makes a great aperitif. Its refreshing crispness (dare I say “acidity”) makes it an ideal cocktail beverage and prepares the palate for dinner. Perfect for warm summer weather, serve chilled, but not too cold.

One favorite is Mont Marcal Brut Reserva cava ($12.00), available at Highpoint Wines (Westboro) and the Vin Bin (Marlboro). Cava, from Spain is less acidic and smoother than champagne. While lacking champagne’s reputation and elan, cava offers consumers one of the best values in sparkling wine and seldom disappoints. Mont Marcal has a fragrance of pear and apple and subtle pear and almond tastes.

Another I like is Pol Roger Vintage Brut champagne ($39.00) available at Fifth Avenue (Framingham) and Julio’s (Westboro). Also a favorite of Prince William and the late Winston Churchill, it’s medium dry and tastes floral, creamy and smooth.

Like most Americans, I never considered sparkling wine with dinner until we tried it. A perfect match for many foods, it pairs well with fish, seafood, vegetables (nothing works better with mushrooms), pasta and risotto, white meats, spicy Asian cuisine and egg dishes. Egg dishes are a challenging match for any wine, and sparkling wine works superbly. A Westport Rivers Westport Brut 2002 ($17.00) from Panzano (Southboro) perfectly complemented a recent Sunday brunch, featuring mushroom quiche. I was pleasantly surprised by its rich, creamy taste and thought this Massachusetts-produced sparkler tasted like a far more expensive one.

Due to its celebratory association, I’ve experienced how popping open a bottle of any sparkling wine transforms any event into a special occasion. It creates a festive mood, and nothing sets the atmosphere for romance like sparkling wine.

Sparkling wine is unique, beginning with how it’s made. An initial fermentation creates still wines, which are blended to maintain the producer’s house style, and followed by a secondary fermentation in bottle that creates bubbles. The words “Methode Champenoise,” “Traditional Method,” “Classic Method,” or “Champagne Method” on labels designate sparklers fermented in bottle, the preferred way. In contrast, most very inexpensive sparklers are fermented in tanks, not in bottle. With a few exceptions, Italy’s Prosecco most noteworthy, avoid those.

France’s Champagne region remains the apogee of sparkling wine. By international trade agreement, only wines made there may be labeled as “champagne.” Delightful sparkling wines are also made elsewhere in France, California, Australia, and Italy. Most sparklers are non-vintage; no year is identified on the bottle. Each is based upon a house style, consistent from year to year. Vintage wines, ideal for special occasions, are made only in the best years, tend to be expensive, and are well worth the money.

There’s a myth that champagne can’t be aged. Not only do the best defy this, even non-vintage sparklers benefit from two to three years of aging. I recently uncorked a Veuve Clicquot purchased in 2006. Two more years made it smoother, creamier and absolutely heavenly. If only we all aged like champagne.

Despite the temptation to drink it sooner, age all champagne 18 to 24 months if you can. You don’t need a wine cellar or special wine cooler. A cool dark place in the basement or in a closet can work fine. Never store any wines longer than a week or so in the refrigerator due to the ill effects of vibration and the lack of humidity over time.

Don’t want for a special occasion. Pop open a bottle of bubbly today. Celebrate life and do it often. You’ll live longer and better.

Wine Wisdom's Mission

My goal is simple: to simplify the world of wine for consumers and to increase Americans' consumption of wine for the following reasons:

1). Wine is one of the healthiest beverages humans can consume. Study after study shows that people who consume wine regularly and in moderate amounts live longer and healthier than either abstainers or abusers. For example, several studies show that regular consumption of moderate amounts of red wine reduces the risk of stroke by over 40%.

2). Wine is a better alternative than spirits and beer. Its consumption in preference to other forms of alcohol would reduce some of the social problems and issues that stem from the consumption of spirits and beer (which I also consume on occasion).

3). Wine is a perfect complement to food. Wine changes food and food changes the taste of wine, making for a better dining experience at home, at a restaurant or at a picnic on the beach.

4). Wine is a social drink that enhances our ability to relax and enjoy each other's company. Drinking it brings us together and creates an atmosphere conducive to fun, enjoyment, and social interaction. Wine loosens our inhibitions to enable us to share of ourselves and to communicate with those we spend time with.

Wine Simplified

Despite the wonder and joys of good wine, today's wine world is often a minefield for the consumer. Facing a plethora of brands and wines (believed to number over 500,000), the average consumer is confused and intimidated. Wine snobs abound. Critics and writers talk and write about wines as if they were speaking a foreign language. Wine gods write about wines the typical consumer will never see and very likely couldn't buy even if they found them. They distance themselves from those of us who just want to find a good wine to drink and to share with our friends.

My goal is to make wine simple and understandable and to encourage people who don't drink wine to try it. I want to inspire people who already drink wine to try different kinds of wines, exposing them to new wonderful and enjoyable moments. Wine is an adventure and making it a regular part of our lives - in moderation, of course - will enhance our experience and enrich our lives in a profound number of ways. Let the adventure begin.