Vilmart Champagne, 118
Vincent Dauvissat, Domaine (Chablis), 125
Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Les Preuses, Domaine (Burgundy), 138
vinegar, 76, 77
Vines, Grapes, and Wines (Robinson), 112–13
Vineyard Brands, 53
vineyards, 23, 75, 111
age of, 103
appellation system for, 103–6
California, 108–9
cool-climate sites for, 100–102
disease in, 169
environmental sustainability of, 68
expenses of, 143, 146, 147
farming practices in, 66, 68–75, 76–77, 78, 102, 113–14, 143
monopole, 121
as most important influence on wine, 49, 50, 64, 67, 75, 78
planting of, 100, 103, 107, 136, 156
rain and rot in, 49
ranking of à la 1855 Burgundy cru system, 103–5
rootstocks of, 66
site selection for, 99, 100–102, 104
viticulture, 32
biodynamic, 68–75, 102, 138
California history of, 104
French, 49, 103–8
organic, 70–71, 74
Volnay, 112, 126
Waldorf education movement, 70
Wall Street Week, 54
Washington, George, 169
Waugh, Auberon, 29
Waugh, Evelyn, 29
Welles, Orson, 121
Weygandt-Metzler, 53
What Price Bordeaux? (Lewin), 114
white wines, 34, 38, 126–39, 158–59
acidity of, 56
aging of, 56
California, 94–95
dry, 92
French, 72, 83, 92, 94–96, 104, 111, 126–27, 136–38
Spanish, 152, 158
stemware for, 35
Wiest, Rudi, 52, 134
Wind Gap Wines, 108, 131
Windows on the World, 83
Wine Advocate, The, 28, 134
Wine and Food Guide to the Loire, A (Friedrich), 137
wineberserkers.com, 48
wine cabinets, 34
wine cellars, 57, 58, 64, 75, 83
collecting wines for, 8, 10, 26, 32, 34, 56, 83
filthy, 79
temperature and humidity in, 34, 44
wine classes, 26, 84, 94, 167
wine critics, 7, 14–16, 28, 127–28, 142
agreement vs. disagreement among, 38, 47
catering to, 66, 96, 99, 147
consistency and reliability of, 45–46
influence of, 43, 66–67, 96
professional vs. amateur, 9, 29, 31, 42, 45–47
ratings of, 42–43, 45–48, 99
wine discussion boards, 48
Wine for Dummies (McCarthy and Ewing-Mulligan), 14, 27
Wine from Sky to Earth (Joly), 72–73
wineglasses:
Bordeaux, 35
breaking of, 35
Burgundy, 35
Champagne, 35
cost of, 35
evolution of wine in, 27, 30, 127
grape-specific, 34, 35
ordering wine in, 86, 88
pouring and overpouring in, 88–89
refilling of, 88–89
Riedel family, 35
shape of, 7, 35
Spiegelau, 35
wine guides, 5–6, 7–8, 14–15, 26–27
wine investment funds, 53
wine lists, 25, 36, 82, 83
high-priced, 87–88, 89–90
online, 87
price checking of, 87
winemaking, 62
artisanal, 32
bizarre practices in, 68–69
competition in, 8–9, 154
fermentation process in, 60, 63, 65, 77–78
improved practices in, 8–9, 68
industrialized, 154
manipulation of flavor, texture, and color in, 68, 75–78, 79
quality of, 48–49, 60
sealants used in, 57–58
sterile filtration in, 132–33
traditional vs. modernist, 63
see also vineyards; wineries
wine mavens, 7
accessories for, 34–36
education of, 21–41
evolution of, 31–34
must-have books for, 26–27
three rules for, 21
Winemonger, 51
wine regions, 32, 51
obscure, 8
see also specific countries and states
wineries, 3, 66
artisanal, 32
boutique, 99, 146
California, 103–4, 108–9
customer service of, 59
direct sales and shipping from, 44
family-run, 114, 116, 124
proliferation of, 43, 99
ranking of à la 1855 Bordeaux classifications, 103, 104
returning wine to, 59
visiting of, 168
wines, 3–11
acidity and astringency in, 23, 29, 34, 40, 56, 67, 77, 91, 133
additives in, 61, 75–79, 102, 168–69
advice on, 4, 5–6, 7–8, 11, 14–15, 37, 42–43
aging of, 17, 56–58, 62–65, 79, 100, 129–30
alcohol levels in, 19, 33–34, 61, 62, 65–68, 91, 96, 100, 101, 102, 133
as “alternate asset class,” 53
aromatic complexity of, 22, 24, 28–30, 35, 56, 63, 73
attempted dumbing down of, 17–18
authenticity of, 60, 73, 119
balance of elements in, 23, 30, 133
best time for drinking of, 30
big, dramatic, 62, 66–67, 91
biodynamic, 7, 68–75, 76–77, 102
blue chip, 53
boutique, 99, 146
by-the-glass, 86, 88
chemistry of, 29, 38–41, 56, 76–77
as cocktail beverages, 17, 68, 131
collecting of, 8, 10, 17, 26, 50, 53–57, 74, 113, 119–20, 170
concentration of flavor in, 22–23
connection of human experience and history to, 9–10
consistency in, 45
“corked,” 38, 56–57, 58–59
cost per bottle of, 4, 21–22, 26, 34, 36, 44, 45, 48, 54, 87, 89, 99, 137, 140–50
counterfeit, 10, 44, 54–55
damage of, 38–40, 76
debate and argument about, 60–65, 96
depth of color in, 22–23, 30, 38–39, 68, 76, 102, 119
dirty, 79
discount, 50
drinking a wide range of, 21, 26
education in, 5–6, 7, 9, 11, 15–17, 21–41
enzymes in, 61
fashions in, 8, 33, 99
feelings of anxiety and inadequacy about, 14–16, 18–19
under 15 dollars, 142–43
fortification of, 168–69
frequent drinking of, 21
gateway, 31, 59
importing of, 49–53, 78, 84
maximizing pleasure of, 7, 9, 15, 19–20
metaphors for taste and aroma in, 6, 15–17, 22, 24, 28–30, 63
most desirable qualities of, 22–24
natural, 7, 75–80
négociant, 116–17, 122
objective qualities of, 37–39
obscure, 36
off-dry, 92, 134, 135
Old vs. New World, 32–34, 100, 103, 107–9, 145
ordering of, 36, 81–89, 91–93
organic, 7, 77
oxidation of, 38–39, 57, 58, 63, 78, 119
pairing food with, 4, 7, 67–68, 81–93, 131
personal discovery of, 32
physiological and psychological effects of, 9, 18–20
political allegiances linked to, 12
possible health benefits of, 18–20
pouring and overpouring of, 88–89
quality in, 60, 79, 94–98
quality-price ratio (QPR) of, 140–50
quiet, subtle, 62
rating and judging of, 38, 42–43, 45–47, 66
recommendation of, 37, 42–43, 59, 87
relationships and, 25–26
romance of, 32, 53, 58, 110
sense of place and vineyard (terroir) reflected in, 18, 23, 50, 60, 67, 68, 96, 98–100, 102, 107, 132
shipping of, 44
showcasing of, 90
single-vineyard and single-grape, 118
speculation and investment in, 53–54, 114
“spirit” of, 54
spoiled, undrinkable, 38, 56–59, 78, 79, 119
spoofulated, 7, 60, 61
storage of, 8, 10, 26, 32, 34, 44, 163
subtlety and complexity of, 32
sweet, fruity, 5, 91, 132–34, 135
texture or “mouth feel” of, 23, 24, 28, 31, 34, 68, 76
thinking analytically about, 27
for 25 dollars and under, 148–50
undervalued, 55–56
value, 7, 21–22, 122–23, 140–50
vintages of, 7, 25, 36, 44–49, 54
writing about, 9, 11, 13–16, 17–19, 24, 26–29, 33, 36, 38, 84, 127–28
wine sales:
in big-box stores, 43
competition in, 43, 50
direct-to-consumer, 44
distribution system and, 44
in drugstores, 43
online, 44
regulation of, 43–44
in restaurants, 36, 59, 81–89, 91–93
shrewd buying and, 7, 21–22, 42–59
in supermarkets, 43
supply and demand in, 54, 66, 68, 169
wholesale, 43, 44
see also restaurants; wine shops
Wine-Searcher.com, 45
wine shops, 7, 94
available selections in, 4–5, 42–43, 65, 152, 153
browsing in, 44
comparing prices among, 45
competition among, 43
e-mail offers from, 45
point of view in, 43
proliferation of, 43
receipts from, 59
recommendations from, 42–43, 87
returning wines to, 38, 56–57, 58–59
salesmanship in, 42–43, 46, 50
shipping and delivery from, 44
temperature in, 44
wine tasting in, 42
as easy marks, 10
excesses and affectations of, 3, 4, 13, 15, 16
Wine Snob’s Dictionary, The (Kamp and Lynch), 14
Wine Spectator, 9, 15–16, 36, 42–43, 45, 47, 48, 99
wine tasters, 38–41
genetic dimensions of, 40–41
good, 38
“nontasters” vs., 39
“supertaster,” 7, 39–41
wine tastings, 7, 17, 26–31, 37, 48, 84, 167–68
for appellation designation, 106
blind, 34, 45, 46, 94–95, 123, 142
of Champagne, 35
organizing of, 168
pitting French against California wines in, 14, 94–95, 96, 97, 100, 108
in wine shops, 42
Woodside, Calif., 101
World of Fine Wine, 73–74
World War II, 133
Yale University, 96
School of Medicine, 29
yeasts, 77–78, 102
Yquem, Château d’, 144
1996, 28
Zellerbach, James, 129–30
Zind-Humbrecht, 69
Zinfandel, 91
California, 96, 108, 109, 145, 146
Geyserville, 96
Sonoma County Three Valleys, 145
Zinfandel grape, 65
Zraly, Kevin, 83
Praise for
THE WINE SAVANT
“Entertaining and edifying. . . . [Steinberger] deftly shows how any and all of us can be savvier about wine.”
—Bill Ward, Minneapolis Star Tribune
“[Steinberger] covers the touchstones of all things wine, doling out brief historical illustrations and personal opinions as carefully as someone might pour a Barolo—that is to say, without waste.”
—Marc Bona, Cleveland Plain Dealer
“For the last decade, I have considered Michael one of the best wine writers in the world. You are about to find out why.”
—Gary Vaynerchuk, owner and host of Wine Library TV
“One of the greatest wine writers on the planet.”
—Tyler Colman, DrVino.com and author of Wine Politics
“The author’s opinions, wit, and honesty enliven the writing.”
—Peter Hepburn, Library Journal
ALSO BY MICHAEL STEINBERGER
Au Revoir to All That:
Food, Wine, and the End of France
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MICHAEL STEINBERGER is the wine columnist for Men’s Journal. Previously he was the wine writer for Slate magazine. A James Beard Journalism Award winner, he has written for The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and the New York Times Magazine, as well as numerous other publications. His first book,Au Revoir to All That, was about the rise, fall, and future of French cuisine. His website is winediarist.com.
Copyright © 2013 by Michael Steinberger
All rights reserved
First published as a Norton paperback 2015
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
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Book design by Cassandra Pappas
Production manager: Devon Zahn
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Steinberger, Michael.
The wine savant : a guide to the new wine culture / Michael Steinberger.—First edition.
pages cm
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-393-08271-5 (hardcover)
1. Wine and wine making. I. Title.
TP548.S72174 2013
663'.2—dc23
2013031572
ISBN 978-0-393-24156-3 (e-book)
ISBN 978-0-393-34977-1 pbk.
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