For The Love Of Port

Is this news?

It certainly is not "new" that is for sure. Nonetheless, fun to read for any true wine lover.

Your thoughts?

http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2013/0 ... erisation/

Yeah, whatever. He loves to deny that Parkerization exists. In the past I've been flat out told my more than one Cali producer they've made wines soley in the style he likes to get good scores.

This quote though had me scratching my head

During the interview Parker also dubbed Bordeaux one of the “best value for money” wine regions in the world

Uh, yeah right. Sure there may be some lesser houses that are values from time to time. But it has to be the worst value of any wine region in the world at the upper end.

Andy wrote:

In the past I've been flat out told my more than one Cali producer they've made wines soley in the style he likes to get good scores.

So basically you are saying that the numerous individuals who told you this were winemaking whores who really didn't care about making wines they like, or liked to drink!?!?!

Roy Hersh wrote:Andy wrote:

In the past I've been flat out told my more than one Cali producer they've made wines soley in the style he likes to get good scores.

So basically you are saying that the numerous individuals who told you this were winemaking whores who really didn't care about making wines they like, or liked to drink!?!?!

More like smart businessmen. Not all winemakers - or Port makers, for that matter - make their product for passion. In fact I'd wager that most make their product in a style that they think will sell well, whether due to historical tradition, aggressive or clever marketing, or just because the juice is good.

Roy that's a good summation lol

In all seriousness, I do know there are winemakers who only care about obtaining great scores from critics and they have at times said so, unabashedly online which I always thought was dumb. But they are likely laughing their way to the bank and sticking their noses up at the winemakers who are possibly less successful financially, while hand crafting beautifully made wines that they personally love. Glenn made a good point too.

It is very much the fact that many winemakers occupy both sides of the fence on this. In California, where a winemaker might make wine or consult at 6 different wineries or more, there are wines of passion and wines of formula in many portfolios. I've been told by multiple winemakers "this is a wine I make so I can afford to make the wines I like to make/drink". The same can be said of most bigger wineries as well.

Bradley Bogdan wrote:"this is a wine I make so I can afford to make the wines I like to make/drink".

In the Port world those are called "rubies."

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The only reason I work is to drink the wines I like.

Bradley Bogdan wrote:It is very much the fact that many winemakers occupy both sides of the fence on this. In California, where a winemaker might make wine or consult at 6 different wineries or more, there are wines of passion and wines of formula in many portfolios. I've been told by multiple winemakers "this is a wine I make so I can afford to make the wines I like to make/drink". The same can be said of most bigger wineries as well.

Well put.

I am generally not a fan of this new fad of one winemaker making wines for many different companies. The Michael Rolland type. IMO they really never get to know the property as they really are never there and only show up once in a great while to make important decisions based on some chemical analysis of the wine. That isn't wine making. I remember watching a video about Rolland and it turned me off to anything he had his hand in making. He was making decisions about what to do with wines over the phone. And his answer to almost everything it seemed was micro-oxygenation. Why not just hire a scientist to do the same at a far cheaper rate? I want wine where the winemaker is around it, tastes it regularly, has input into how the grapes are grown, etc.

Andy Velebil wrote: I am generally not a fan of this new fad of one winemaker making wines for many different companies. The Michael Rolland type. IMO they really never get to know the property as they really are never there and only show up once in a great while to make important decisions based on some chemical analysis of the wine.

Have you tried his Douro effort?

Moses Botbol wrote:

Andy Velebil wrote: I am generally not a fan of this new fad of one winemaker making wines for many different companies. The Michael Rolland type. IMO they really never get to know the property as they really are never there and only show up once in a great while to make important decisions based on some chemical analysis of the wine.

Have you tried his Douro effort?

Didn't know he was doing a Douro project. What is it?

I knew that Michel Rolland had done some consulting/winemaking work up in Vinho Verde with Caves Alianca, but the only project that I knew of where he had any influence in Douro was Muxaget up in the Douro Superior where he had worked years earlier with Mateus Nicolau de Almeida (was it in Argentina?). Otherwise, this is news to me too.

Andy Velebil wrote:

Moses Botbol wrote:Have you tried his Douro effort?

Didn't know he was doing a Douro project. What is it?

Quinta dos Quatro Ventos Reserva. I have been drinking the 2001 and it says "is the result Francisco Antunes, working with world-renowned winemakers Michel Rolland and Pascal Chatonnet to creat a wine of superior quality"

Moses Botbol wrote:

Andy Velebil wrote:

Moses Botbol wrote:Have you tried his Douro effort?

Didn't know he was doing a Douro project. What is it?

Quinta dos Quatro Ventos Reserva. I have been drinking the 2001 and it says "is the result Francisco Antunes, working with world-renowned winemakers Michel Rolland and Pascal Chatonnet to creat a wine of superior quality"

How was it?

Andy Velebil wrote:

Moses Botbol wrote:

Andy Velebil wrote: Didn't know he was doing a Douro project. What is it?

Quinta dos Quatro Ventos Reserva. I have been drinking the 2001 and it says "is the result Francisco Antunes, working with world-renowned winemakers Michel Rolland and Pascal Chatonnet to creat a wine of superior quality"

How was it?

Did it rate as "superior quality"?

Bradley Bogdan wrote: How was it?

Did it rate as "superior quality"?

I'd say it did, but is drinks similar to Rolland's other wines. A little too new world for my preference, but it did have some wicked floral aromatics and quite smooth. The bottle is so thick, it looks like a magnum. I prefer my wines done in more traditionally, but that is not a knock against the wine. I have two-three bottles left.