Ronga’s Rant

Black Friday for wineries has occurred. Almost 20% of the staff at one of the largest wineries, Jackson Family Wines (Kendall Jackson), was laid off on 1/30/09.  Also on 1/30 Robert Gary Andrus – founder of Pine Ridge Winery – passed on to another world, hopefully one flowing of wine. Pine Ridge is one of my favorites and if you ever get a chance to try their Malbec which is one of the few masterfully produced Malbecs in CA, then do it. It is not a stereotypical Argentinean Malbec, but just fills your mouth with richness and hits every level of the palate. The Pine Ridge Malbec is a rarity and I was fortunate, heck flat out blessed by Bacchus, to have an opportunity to drink this. Andrus did wonders at Pine Ridge and I have no doubt his legacy will be carried on.

Now, back to wineries being hit with Swine Flu. Why? First, people like me and you are trading down in our purchases. Gone are the days of $120 Silver Oak purchases and hello are the days of South African Pinotage and New Zealand Sauv Blancs. Thank goodness! I view this as a good thing, as if it wasn’t clear. There are plenty of quality and delicious wines for under $15 in these regions.

Second, we are not going out to eat as much and wineries focus heavily on their restaurant sales. Again – a good thing for me and you. Think of the mark up we get hit with at restaurants (sometimes 2x, sometimes 8x!) Wines stores on the other hand….we can find deals. Sweet, sweet deals. Some of my favorite wine stores by way of value include Wine Library in NJ, K&L Wines in SF, Twin Liquors in Austin, TX. Also, ever heard of a little store called Costco – number one when it comes to wine retailers!

So which wineries will make it? Not wineries that have put all their huevos in one basket (i.e. in on-premise – otherwise known as restaurants/bars). Wineries that have a strong focus in off-premise sales (i.e. retail stores) are hanging in there. Some believe small wineries are sunk. I have a different take. If a winery, small or large, has distribution, it can make it. However, in this environment a winery has to have quality wine offered under the $20 mark (with distribution). For example, if you are a small winery with distribution, produce quality wine and get it into the retailers, if you only offer $50+ wines, I say “good luck”. That is, in this environment.

Back to us, the consumers…. Just a couple grapes and wines to offer up if you are looking for wines under the $20 price point with exceptional value – I know I am. However, I caveat – these are exceptional for my palate, for my mouth. Yours is different than mine, surely!

My favorite:  Pinotage, red, usually South African (Graham Beck, Backsberg, Fairview, Nederburg, Kanokop all b/w $10 – 15) this is a smelly, dirty sweat sock, gym lock, blue cheesy kind of wine. Embrace it and eat it with cheese.

Another fav:  Chenin Blanc, white from Loire Valley in France, I prefer South Africa (Ken Forrester $14, Man Vintners $10, Winery of Good Hope $12) this is a full bodied white with a little honey and peach mixed with almond, mineral, and earthy tones depending on the wine and on your palate!

Love:  Malbec from Argentina, red (Bodegas Esmeralda Tilia $11, Alamos $10 – $15 depending on which selection, Norton $18) hints of oak, earthy, dark ripe rich juicy fruit (how’s that for some adjectives?)

Yummm:  New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, white (Nobilo $20, Brancott $18, Babich, $14) papaya, mango, guava, I’m on a tropical island with a lei around my neck sitting pool side with a piña colada in hand… yes acidic, but foresty and creamy.

What do you guys (who actually read this wee lil blog of mine) want from me? Education? Specific wine suggestions? Winery info? Stellar wine bars? Regional info?

This is my first post (obviously). I had so many clever ideas for the first posting, such as how many nicknames you have and why, which cities you choose to live in and why, etc. But then I thought, why not just go straight into what I’m about.

I care. I care about the world. About who’s in charge, how it affects me and how it affects the slums of India. I care about people. About genuine connections, relationships and maintaining the friendships which are important to me. I care about family. They, along with society and my friends, helped shape me into who I am today. I owe my family everything and nothing. As in, they want nothing, though I always feel indebted. I care about people living up to their potential. What a world we would live in if everyone pushed themselves to their potential. And didn’t settle for some mundane job because they feel comfortable. People are oftentimes choosing to perform below their potential. It is their choice and I respect that. I’m just saying I care about those people and would love to see them be proud of themselves and see what they could accomplish. I care about spirituality. I care that people have a reason to be spiritual or not be. Me personally, it helps me get through the day, through life… it is like passion or having an opinion. I surround myself with those who have passionate opinions on subjects even if those opinions differ from mine (sometimes especially when they differ from mine). I’d encourage you not to be complacent, not to just agree, but to be a person with a backbone, with an informed opinion. It makes you more interesting.

This leads me to a couple passions that I get excited about and could write for pages on. I’ll save the best for last. First, music. A quote from Oliver Sacks, Neurologist and author of “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain.”

Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears –
it is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ear.
But for many of my neurological patients, music is even more –
it can provide access, even when no medication can, to movement, to speech, to life.
For them, music is not a luxury, but a necessity.

This has pretty much served as a life mantra for me. It just speaks to me, kind of like music does. There is a song for every mood I’m in or a song to change or enhance whatever mood I’m in. As my mom has said, music can pierce the soul. And I truly believe it can be a healing tool.

Second and an even bigger passion for me is wine. No, not just drinking it. But learning about it. John W. Gardner said “don’t try to be interesting, be interested.” Well, there it is. I am emotionally, mentally and physically enthralled by wine. The process, the people, the color, smell, taste and vast amount of knowledge out there that is unknown to me. The industry is constantly evolving. Consumers are changing. Palates evolve, people learn what they do and do not like and even that changes. I love industries that are constantly changing because I never get bored. Corks, to synthetics, to screwcaps. But why? Well, my interest has been peaked and out I go into the internets because I’m curious. I want to know why to satisfy my own curiosity.

Not sure if this is long or short for a first post, but it was a stream of consciousness as I sit on the bus from NYC to BOS trying to avoid swine flu. I’ve inhaled Airborne, practically bathed in hand-sanitizer, given dirty looks to anyone that coughs (including a child). But writing this lifted my spirits and reminded me, as I listen to my pod, what is important to me.