Recently in Buying Wine

Please read the whole post on Vinography:

Are You A Wine Lover? Then Call Your House Representative. Now.

I've been known to spout an opinion now and again about the Three Tier alcohol distribution system in this country, and the maddening array of ridiculous regulations that govern our ability to purchase alcohol. Mostly, however, I stay out of the fray because I'd rather write about, and I'm sure you'd rather read about, fantastic wines.

But something happened yesterday that sent chills down my spine, and made it imperative that I broadcast to as many of you as possible the urgent need to call your Congressional Representative immediately. When you get one of their aides on the phone here's what you need to say:

Under no circumstances should they vote for a house bill HR 5034: The Comprehensive Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness Act of 2010.

While this would be bad for us personally and what we are trying to do here, it is nothing compared to what it would mean for millions of consumers and entrepreneurs in the U.S.

Enoteca Bonatti is a historical wine shop in Florence, on Via Gioberti past Piazza Beccaria (enough out of the center that you are not paying tourist prices and can find a wonderful selection - not just Tuscan wines). I have been there a couple of times but today I shopped seriously as a way to get over not attending VinItaly this weekend. Here is a little video of the wine they delivered a couple of hours ago:

Enoteca Bonatti a Firenze dal 1934
Via V. Gioberti 66/68r 50121 Firenze
lunedì 15,30-19.45
dal Martedì al Sabato 9,30-13,00 e 15,30-19.45
Tel +39 055 660050
Fax +39 055 6529321
info@enotecabonatti.it

I focussed on wines from the Alto Adige/Sudtirol region, especially those of the three producers below. I have had several of these already. I am crazy about Unterortl - the wines are fantastic, the prices are fair, and they use screw caps (!). This is a place I would really like to visit one day.

• Azienda Agricola Unterortl
• Cantina Terlan
• Andrianer Kellerei

We are big fans of this Carmignano producer and I am pleasantly surprised to see this wine on the Wine Library website. Very attractive price also, on sale for $24.95 a bottle.

2005 Ambra Elzana Carmignano Riserva 750ML

More about Fattoria Ambra here. Carmignano is a historical wine area and Cabernet has been planted here (along with Sangiovese of course and other varietals) for centuries.

Until I can offer wine here that I have sourced myself, I thought it would be interesting to see what was available from the various affiliate programs I belong too. Here is a Chianti Classico I can heartily recommend, the Castellare Chianti Classico 2006.
I was down there a couple of weeks ago to buy some of this, and the 2006 is all gone (as is the 2007 - I ended up with 6 bottles of the 2008). To get this wine now in the U.S., at this price ($21.99) is quite a deal. That is just a couple of dollars more than what you can get it for here in Italy.

Here is a datasheet (PDF) for this wine from the producer, but I think it is woefully out of date. This is exactly the kind of wine I am hoping to present myself eventually, outside of the size of the production (that being said, this is a fine, handcrafted wine from a very reputable producer in an esteemed region - but they are just too big and established for us to ever hope to work with directly).

I have had this vintage however and highly recommend it - I don't have tasting notes but what is on the wine.com site is pretty accurate - it was a pleasant surprise to find this wine there.

Millesimi is an enoteca on Borgo Tegolaio, a little street near Piazza Santo Spirito. It is a "fine" wine shop, featuring the best of Tuscany, and also an impressive selection of European wine, including both still French wines (maybe the best I have seen in Florence) and Champagnes (I believe the owner is French and sources the wine directly). If you are a wine lover and are in Florence, this is a shop you could (and should) spend an hour or two browsing around in.

Millesimi Srl
Borgo Tegolaio 33/r
Tel. 055 2654675
Email: millesimisrl@tin.it (you can email them to place orders)

Well cinderellawine.com - the newest venture from Gary Vaynerchuk and the Wine Library - went live last night, and their first wine just had to be from Tuscany!

The offering is the 2003 "Solengo" IGT from Argiano - at the unheard of price of $23.33 a bottle - with free shipping on orders of 3 bottles or more. It is interesting to me for a lot of reasons, but first and foremost it has to send a shiver down the spines of Tuscan winemakers. We are seeing some true price (and perhaps brand) destruction. Once wines like this start selling at these prices, others are sure to follow. And what do makers of Chianti Classico do? Plenty Classicos are in this price range, with most Riservas beyond this price point. I am not saying this is categorically "bad" news for the industry, but it could be a harbinger of new parameters of price that will force many people to rethink what they are doing - and I mean everyone in the business.

To those of you who are going to buy some - enjoy!

If you shop on line for wine, this .01 cent shipping sale is good for this week -

Nice 20% off special on 6 bottles or more from Wine.com.

I have access to a small amount of vintage Brunello from some top producers (Argiano, Valdicava, etc.) at unbelievable prices. I am going to work on getting a list posted this week of the names and vintages, but if you have any interest send me an email and I will reply with the inventory as soon as I have it. These are names and vintages you may not be able to get anywhere in the states (retail) at the moment.

This will be coming straight from Italy so I will post shipping prices too but I think 12 bottle cases are going for about $150 US at the moment in general - some states are more, some a little less maybe.