firstcrushwines.com

2008-03-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to Paul Gregutt's review in the Seattle Times February 2008.
Two of First Crush's wines were picks of the week.

seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2004190412_winecol20.html

2008-03-28T12:36:00.000-07:00

Here are my comments on the recent push against Brett in wines:

Congratulations on your editorial pages slant against Brettanomyces flavors which I shall hereafter call the "War on Brett" (Vol. 32. No.15.) I've come to bury Brett, not to praise it.

Mr. Laube gives Brett a glancing blow in his column using the term "barnyard" with a tone of derision - why not be stronger in denunciation if it is so clearly dirty? It is left to Mr. Molesworth to call it out in the vernacular- "Brett is a flaw, plain and simple." Such a declaration of victory by black and white over grey is refreshing since most of the wine world remains on the fence, and god forbid, some tasters and consumers are actually inclined to like a bit of Brett.

A complexing yeast agent that arises from natural and non-interventionist wine making, Brett can be eradicated with proper hygiene in the winery and a regime of SO2. Enough said. Unfortunately, while winery hygiene is one thing we can all agree is a key to great wine, a regimented SO2 program is not. SO2 is problematic where winemakers choose to use naturally occurring yeasts or where an organic regime is in place where sensitivity to overall SO2 levels is a paramount concern. The global consumer continues to demand such attention to methods in every consumable product - can we really make the case that they really want more sulphur in their food chain rather than less? It is so much easier to demand change than to actually provide a holistic solution. Nevertheless, I've come to bury Brett, not to praise it.

Consumer demands for greater grape maturity and flavor development, mainly driven by critical reviews in magazines such as the Spectator, result in wines with higher Ph levels; a prime breeding ground for Brett. What has brought so many together and driven circulation, now threatens to drive us asunder? House styles in Bordeaux and the Rhone which have evolved over time include "bretty" flavors; a great number of which have been met with critical acclaim for decades, this magazine included. More recently such "bretty" flavors in abnormal concentrations have arisen farther afield in New World wineries and the results have been kindly termed "amateurish and faux world." In an ill-conceived attempt to provide gravitas to weaker vinous efforts, the equally common human spoilage agent is most responsible for this backlash against Brett.

Perhaps it is time to re-task our legions on those winemakers so desirous of high scores that they will resort to any artifice to achieve it.

Long live Brett.

2007-09-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

These troopers published a brave article in the August 19th op-ed page called" The War As We Saw It". In the article they expressed their concerns about the direction of the war and the support of the people they were nominally supporting. Today they are dead. Please take a look and think about supporting their young daughters.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/opinion/19jayamaha.html?ei=5090&en=5a8349a0e944e61b&ex=1345176000

2007-09-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

Somepeople say: Like political hacks on TV whom overutilize the term, "some people say" in order to cast doubt on folks that are working for real environmental progress, we take up the discussion of such things as carbon footprints.

First of all let me address the concerns of folks who might ask why sustainability is such a focus for First Crush Wines, and why, we as importers of wines from France, Australia and New Zealand can say we are focused on sustainability when wines are available from domestic producers that "theoretically" carry a lower carbon footprint from producer to consumer. I'm in favor of total carbon footprint accounting and transparency. Only then we can have a real discussion of the facts regarding sustainablity.

Like any other industry in the US, the wine industry is outsourced to the gills in making our vertical market as efficient as possible. We buy most cork from global sources, not just Portugal, or synthetic from a variety of materials native or not; glass from the lowest cost producer, a lot from China, our biggest producers top up their vats with cheap malbec, cab, etc from South America under the 15% TTB laws regarding vintage and appellation. We buy a lot of oak barrels from France, Hungary and Russia. We grow our grapes using irrigation, one of the most rare commodities on the planet where European producers for the most part are forbidden to irrigate during the growing season. And we still use a lot of chemicals. All those chemicals take a lot of energy to produce in factories.

Obviously I'm sensitive to the point. I put wine on boats and have them travel to Seattle from Marseilles. 30 days on the water. Why is it then, that wines from France are still less expensive and better than the vast majority of wine that is grown within 200 miles of Seattle, and in total use less carbon than those same wines. That is the rhetorical question for you!

2007-09-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

One of First Crush Wines early partners, Michel Fonne of Rene Barth Wines in Bennwihr, suffered a catastrophic loss of most of his vineyard fruit in June. Ironically, he was in attendance at VinExpo when it happened. The same storm destroyed vineyards from Bordeaux to the Rhone reminding us once again that wine is first and foremost still an agricultural product and thus subject to the whims of mother nature. Here is the Decanter story:

http://www.decanter.com/news/125985.html

2007-09-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a wonderful piece on how taco trucks are changing the culinary culture in New Orleans post-Katrina. Arriving with the labor that is the key to rebuilding a vibrant city, Taco trucks have become instant hits with the food loving locals. In an unwise bid to save hush puppies and po'boys from extinction, members of a parish council are trying to regulate them out of town.

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/medicine/la-na-tacotrucks14jul14,0,2340119.story

2007-08-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

Maggie Dutton of the Seattle Weekly wrote this very flattering piece on the company which appeared in 28 July 2007 print edition and is archived on-line at:

SEARCH AND DISTILL: Where to get cheap delicious French wines.
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2007-07-25/food/where-to-get-cheap
-delicious-french-wine.php

2007-05-02T18:58:00.000-07:00