BITS & BOBS

Posted on December 25, 2023 by Stan The Wine Man

Merry Christmas everyone! There is no snow on the ground, but there was certainly a refreshing cold snap, reminding us that winter had arrived. Christmas Eve is a busy day in the wine department as people make their wine-purchasing decisions. I love it because I get a lot of questions about what goes best with whatever it is, they decided to serve for Christmas dinner. This year, it ranged from Prime Rib, of course, to turkey, ham, duck and lamb. What are you serving for Christmas dinner? I put up an Episode on my YouTube channel called “Prime Time Reds,” which focused on wines to serve with a roast (prime rib). The cool thing about that episode is that I discovered a couple of reds that were stellar and under twenty bucks. If you get a chance, you might want to check it out.

Speaking of my YouTube channel, when the Seattle Times put a comment from a reader about me in the Pacific NW insert, which I mentioned in the last Bits & Bobs, it boosted the subscribers to my YouTube channel by 60 in one day. That’s incredible! As of today, I’m at nine-hundred-three, only ninety-seven away from one thousand subscribers. One thousand is the magic number. When I hit a thousand, they monetize my channel and start paying me. I take my channel seriously and it would be nice to see a paycheck for the work I put into it. I love reviewing wines for all of you and finding the best bang for the buck, which saves you and me money. I have a reputation for finding gems in wine that do not break the bank and I don’t intend on changing my course in that regard.

I will be shooting a sparkling wine episode which should go live on Tuesday. I also intend to write a simple but informative article in this blog, on the different methods for producing sparkling wine. Methode Champenoise, charmat and pet nat. I’m super curious about all the different pet nat style wines that I’ve come across lately. As I’ve mentioned, I believe that category will grow in 2024.

As always, I’m looking for ideas for episodes on my YouTube channel. One that I am looking forward to shooting, is another episode about aging inexpensive wines. The last one I shot on this subject was about three years ago and it continues to get a lot of views. The new episode will be, “Can budget wines improve with age?” I will again expound on the places in the world where you can find lesser-priced wines that may have the ability to improve with age. I will also explain the necessary components in a wine that gives it the ability to get better over time. I’ve been experimenting with this for years. My cellar is filled with wines that are under twenty bucks that have been aging for eight years or more. I will be diving into my cellar soon to choose the wines for the new episode. The fun part is finding out how they are developing. There could be a few surprises. One never knows until the cork comes out.

Tomorrow, I will reveal my 2024 “Winery Of The Year.” I had a nice interview over the phone with the winemaker and he is excited to have this distinction. This winery doesn’t produce a lot of different wines, but what they do put out there is special. It is a very difficult decision for me to make because there are so many great wineries out there. What I look for, is a winery that puts out quality wine at a fair price. There are great wines being produced, but they are out of reach price-wise for a lot of consumers. I look forward to focusing on the wines from this winery and also making the trek over the mountains to interview the winemaker for my YouTube channel.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Stan The Wine Man

Well, for the second time in two months, I’ve been mentioned in the Sunday Seattle Times Pacific NW insert. Erik Lacitis did a follow-up to his article in November about wineries in Washington State where he focused on a start-up winery from San Juan Island. In the November article, he published some comments I made over a phone interview he did with me. As my wife Susie said, the chances of Erik including a comment from a reader about me are pretty slim. I’m appreciative of the comments from the reader. Also, I garnered quite a few new subscribers to my YouTube channel due to the mention in the December 17th Pacific NW insert. Now, that’s pretty cool, just saying.

I recently did a phone interview with the winemaker for my 2024 “Winery Of The Year,” which I will soon be announcing. A small Washington State winery that produces some stellar juice. It’s always a difficult task to choose a winery of the year. There are so many that could be my choice. It seems to always come down to that one or two wines that stand out to me. I can’t wait to focus on this winery in 2024.

My focus on YouTube this week will be red wines for a prime rib dinner. I know, I know, not everyone cooks prime rib on Christmas Day. However, that’s what I prepare for my Christmas meal, so I will allow myself the freedom to review reds that pair well with prime rib. That being said, if ham is your choice, I would suggest three possible reds: Pinot Noir, Grenache, or Syrah. All three work for different reasons, depending on how you prepare your ham. Syrah works well with a bone-in ham. It can be a bit stronger in flavor which it needs to be to stand up to Syrah. Both Pinot Noir and Grenache work with a ham that is cooked in a milder way. Growing up as a kid, my mom always prepared a ham for Christmas that came wrapped in plastic and was cheap. Wine was never served at holiday meals in our household. A single mom with six kids had to be frugal. I’m going to date myself here. I believe my mom could purchase a pretty good sized ham for around ten dollars or under. I will eat ham these days, mostly in sandwiches.

We are about to go into bubble season big time. As I’ve mentioned recently, nationally, Prosecco sales are on the rise, whereas wine sales in general are on a decline. I’m not sure how long that trend will continue, but I do see it in my department. Prosecco sales are on fire. However, I do not necessarily see a downward trend in wine sales. I have a loyal group of wine drinkers that keep my department going strong. What I do see in my area is a decline in beer sales, which is weird because craft beer is such a strong category nationally. Since I’m the beverage manager, I oversee wine, beer and booze. Wine is my passion, but, I have an interest in all three categories. With the economy the way it is, liquor sales are also impacted. In my humble opinion, wine is the healthiest choice of the three, so I’m glad to see my people are looking out for their health!

I will be featuring sparkling wine on my YouTube channel immediately after Christmas. One will be solely Prosecco since it is such a hot ticket right now. I recently discovered a Cava that I will review in one of the episodes. Cava is such a value sparkler. I reviewed Dibon Cava in one of my episodes on budget-friendly wines for December parties recently. This is a classic example of what you can get from Spain at a stupid price.

I’m looking forward to 2024 and I’m waiting for some comments from you concerning trends you believe we will see in the wine world this coming year. Any help on this subject will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Stan The Wine Man

We are getting ever so close to Christmas, which means a lot of wine shoppers will be looking for hearty reds to go with their prime rib or a solid Pinot Noir to enjoy with their Christmas ham. I honestly love this time of year in the wine department. Cabernet Sauvignon will be the top choice for most wine drinkers, but I love the challenge of getting someone to try something just a little different. Don’t get me wrong, I love Cab myself. However, stretching palate horizons is what I’m all about. For instance, my “Pick Of The Month” for December, which is a red from Puglia, has enough depth and complexity, along with a touch of minerality that makes it a perfect match with food. Will it stand up to prime rib? Absolutely! And, it is only fifteen bucks. With the cost of meat right now, saving a few bucks on the wine side sounds good to me. I know many of you will want to seek out something a little more special and I get it, it’s Christmas. That said, I will be shooting an episode on possible wine choices to pair with prime rib or ham. They will not all be budget-friendly, but being who I am, most of my choices will be kind to the wallet.

I just put out an episode on YouTube featuring budget-friendly wines for December parties. This episode features bubbles and white wines. All four that I reviewed delivered a fantastic quality-to-price ratio. Check it out if you get a chance. Speaking of my YouTube channel (Stan The Wine Man TV), I am open to any suggestions from you, on what you would like to see me feature. What subjects interest you? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section. I have some ideas, but any help is welcome.

I’ve been thinking hard about possible buying trends for 2024. I had a discussion with Lauren, my Southern sales rep. and she came up with one that I hadn’t given any thought to. Non-alcoholic wine sales are really starting to take off. It isn’t necessarily because people are giving up on drinking wine. I’ve found that some people are seeking out n/a wine as a break in their consumption of fermented juice. The problem is finding decent non-alcoholic versions of wine. We have a few choices at the store, some better than others. I know there are more out there and I will do my best to find some of the good ones. With better techniques in producing n/a wines, I think we will find that the quality will get better in the near future. I will be shooting an episode on that very subject in 2024.

Another trend I think we’ll see next year will be growth in the Pet Nat category. Right now, it’s kind of a hipster thing, but I can see it making its way into the mainstream of wine drinkers. Pet Nat is a sparkling wine that has lighter bubbles and winemakers use this method for making wines of all types. The Pet Nat method is to bottle juice that has not finished fermenting. As it finishes fermentation, light bubbles are trapped in the bottle which is usually sealed with a pop cap, although a few producers use cork and cage. You get a little sparkle with your wine, which is different and kind of cool. I have quite a few choices in my department, including a Pet Nat Barbera which is very good. I think this will be a big trend in 2024. There will be others of course, so I will be writing an article with my thoughts on trends in 2024. I’ve been wrong in the past, the future is always hard to predict. But, that doesn’t stop me from trying.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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STAN’S PICK FOR DECEMBER 2023

Posted on December 7, 2023 by Stan The Wine Man

Actually, I already let the word out on this one in my article featuring my top twenty wines under twenty bucks for the year. This is my number one wine of the year in that category. As my #1 wine, I thought it would be appropriate to make it my December pick at the store and on this blog. So here it is.

2021 Albea Comeluna Puglia Rosso (Puglia, Italy)… $16.

Deep cherry notes come through on the nose, joined by notes of dried bark, earth and hints of cinnamon and licorice. Intense cherry notes on the palate that are balanced by nicely integrated acidity. Earth and dried bark notes sneak out on the mid-palate into the complex and long finish of cherry liqueur, licorice, and hints of chocolate, mingled with the earth notes. Such good balance. It wants to go big and bold, but the structured tannins and earth notes keep everything in check. 85% Nero di Troia and 15% Primitivo (A+)

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