Elizabeth Spencer Winery

Last night, I swung by 33 wine bar for a tasting of some of the Elizabeth Spencer wines. Angie from Appellations Wine Co was there pouring them, and I ran into several friends. I had never tried the wines from Elizabeth Spencer before, and was pleasantly surprised. Here are my thoughts (sorry, I don't remember many of the vintages- all current releases):

Sauvignon Blanc- This is the style of sauvy that I like. It wasn't over-acidified, but rather had a roundness to it that was very pleasant. It had a touch of creaminess to it that, to me, indicated a small touch of malolactic fermentation- it could have also just been the fact that it was the first wine that I tried.

Chardonnay- This was the least impressive of the bunch. It was okay, ubiquitous California Chard.

Grenache- this was probably the easiest drinking of the lot. It had the bright, bing cherry note, and was really a "guzzler" instead of a "sipper". My only wish is that is was about $10 less (I think it rang in at about $26).

Pinot Noir- This wine was kind of weird. The normal pinot fruits were there, but the tannins seemed a bit out of whack. They were a touch too harsh, and not in balance with the fruit.

Syrah- I liked this one as well- great initial nose of eucalyptus, mint, and chocolate covered strawberries. It was medium bodied, and not paint-your-teeth-purple in its extraction. I will likely buy some

Cab- In 3-4 years, this wine will be really nice. Everything was in balance, it was just too young to be drinking now. Give it a few years in the bottle, and the fruit and tannins will meld together nicely.

All in all, the wines were pretty nice. They are small production, thus causing a bit of an increase in price.

That's all I got- Cheers.

Upcoming Events

The next official event that I will be teaching at has been announced:

What- a class comparing Old World and New World versions of the same varietals
Where- Foam, at the corner of Jefferson and Cherokee
When- Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at 7 pm
How much- $12 per person (a strikingly good bargain, if I do say so myselft)
Why- because you love wine, and this is a really cool, chill place to learn about it
Who- You, and everyone that's mildly interested in wine that you know

I have a couple of other things in development. I will be doing a 5 or 6 week series at 33 wine bar, more info to come. I am also working with the owners of Ernestos on setting up some events, and even talking to the folks at Entre Underground about doing something.

If you have any ideas for classes that you would like to take, please let me know- write comments on here, or send me an email at kyle@sipofknowledge.com

Thanks, Cheers!

The Work-With

I can't remember if I have posted about this before, so if I'm repeating myself, sorry. As a wine sales rep, one of the things you get to/have to deal with are "Work-Withs", also called "Ride Alongs." This is where somebody from one of your suppliers works the day with you, as you see your accounts, and you only focus on their products. I bring this up because I have a work-with today, and I'm taking around a guy that I have never met before. Sometimes these days can be really fun. If the person is cool, you can get into a lot of accounts, sell some wine, and they usually buy me lunch. If they aren't cool, then the day can be about 10 hours of pure torture. I can usually tell how the entire day is going to go based on my first account-call with the person. A good supplier realizes that we know our accounts intimately. We know what makes them tick, and also what will keep them from ever buying the product being featured again. A good supplier also listens to us when we say what to focus on, or what not to bring up. A bad supplier ignores our experience with the account, because they think they know everything there is to know about sales.

For example, I once rode with a German wine supplier in Boston. This chick (who only worked there for about 6 months) literally brought along 11 different rieslings to sample, in the middle of January, with a foot of snow on the ground- not the optimal time. I would say to her "This next stop is Bargain Spot. He knows some about wine, but not enough to know the difference in all 11 rieslings. Pick 3 that you want to show him, and focus on those." The idiot rep still drug out all 11 bottles, and the owner gave me a look that said "get her the hell out of here." I did, and he bought nothing.

I have had two suppliers fall asleep in my car because they drank too much the night before.

I have had several suppliers try to throw their weight around in an account, resulting in them getting all of their product permanently banned from the store.

I have had one supplier that talked so rudely to an account I kicked him out of my car 3 hours early.

I had one supplier that drank so much during the day, I was worried dropping her off at her rental car because she was obliterated at the end.

Bad suppliers get what I call a lot of "windshield time." I will sacrifice being alone in a car with them for extended periods, just so I don't have to tarnish my relationships with my accounts. The way to do this is to act like you have an account call first in Chesterfield, then downtown, then lunch, then out to Wildwood, then maybe Clayton. By this time, they get the point, act like they have work to do in their hotel room, and ask to be dropped off.

This is not to say that all work-withs are bad. I had an amazing lunch talking about wine with a winery owner from Alsace. I had one of the top meals of my life eating dinner with a rep from Chicago. I got in a car wreck with a supplier in the car (not my fault), and we still laugh about it to this day. I had another rep set my parents up with an incredible winery tour and dinner. I have sold hundreds of cases of wine by putting the right rep in front of the right account.

Let's just hope that today's guy is more of the latter, and less of the former. If you see me cruising back and forth on 40, you know how my day is going.

Cheers!

Quick Wine Suggestion of the day

Last night, my wife made the Chicken Spaghetti recipe from weight watchers (check out www.ninja-fingers.blogspot.com for the recipe). I knew that we needed a white wine to match with it. Since the dish has a decent amount of spice and heat to it, I wanted something that was unoaked, and had just a touch of residual sugar.

I found a bottle of Hey Mambo "Swanky" White in my fridge, and it did the trick. Check it out if you get the chance, it's a blend of viognier, muscat canelli, chenin blanc, and sauvignon blanc from California. It has just enough of a floral note and sweetness to it to make it pleasant with a spicy dish, and enough acidity to make it refreshing.

If you want to buy some retail, it should be around $10, and I know they have a bunch of it at Paradise Valley wine and spirits in Fenton.

Cheers!

A foie gras limerick

Just a little something to lighten your day. Due to my current goals of dropping pounds, my trainer has suggested that I not eat foie gras. Maybe it's because it has 500 calories per ounce?

There was an old gourmand of Crediton
Who ate pate de foie gras having spread it on
A chocolate biscuit
He boomed "Hell, I'll risk it!"
His tomb bears the date that he said it on.

That being said, go out and buy some foie, and raise a glass of Sauternes or Sherry with it, and think of me.

Cheers!

It's been a while

I know, I know....you have been sitting at your computer, anxiously checking every 30 minutes to see if I blogged at any time in the last week. Sorry, no such luck. Between work stuff, trying to get my fat butt in shape, and travelling to Texas for a wedding, I have neglected by dear friends here at Sippin Saint Louis.

Never fear- to soothe the pain, go out and get the 2007 Fisher Unity. I talked a while back about the '06. Forget it. The '07 smokes it. It's a good dose of cab, made by one of the most wonderful families in Napa. It is also only available in restaurants...so far I know that Eclipse, Veritas, 33, Niche, and Niche Brasserie carry it. I hope Sidney St. Cafe will soon be added to that list.

Enjoy, and cheers!

Drinkers and Thinkers

Last night was the first of a series of classes I'm going to teach at Foam, located on the corner of Jefferson and Cherokee. The management has dubbed this series as "drinkers and thinkers", which I really like. Truth be told, this was the most laid back, fun "Basics of wine" class that I have ever done. 8 people attended, and we all sat around in comfortable chairs, just chatting about wine, and trying some new stuff. The cost was only $12 for 6 wines, and it took just a shade over 2 hours.
If you want to try wine in an atmosphere that is truly pretension-free, come check it out! We will continue the series next month (date TBA) with a class on "Old World vs. New World" wines. I hope you all can make it!

Today's wine recommendation- Since it's warming up a bit, go try the Napa Station Sauvignon Blanc from California. I like this because it doesn't taste like the over-acidified stuff from New Zealand. It is a bit rounder, has subtle citrus notes, and a green apple thing going that is really refreshing. It should cost around $11 retail.

Until next time, Cheers!!