Spoiler Alert: Wine Spectator Top Ten Sneak Peak…What??!?
Top 10 Wines of the Year, Wine Spectator, WOTY
In their annual countdown to their Top Ten Wines of the Year, usually the Wine Spectator releases wines 100 through 11 for subscribers a day early, and then reveals the top 10 in a countdown on their website, over the course of a week or so.
This morning, they gave a sneak peek to subscribers of the entire top 100. A mistake? I’m not sure. I think they were trying to boost subscriptions by charging for access to the full list, a week in advance of when non-subscribers gain access to the list. But we all know how information gets disseminated online. Rapidly. Widely. Etc.
Suspense has been suspended as far as the Top Ten is concerned, and suffice it to say, the annual d547 contest is closed for entries. I’ll mull through the handful of entries and try to come up with a winner (a few people seem to have gotten a few wines correct, so we may end up with a split prize again).
And in the spirit of democratization of information via the internet, here’s a snapshot of the WS Top 10 for those of you who aren’t subscribers:
Most of you realize that I don’t take these rankings seriously, and I like to have fun with it, poke fun at it, etc. I don’t stock most of the high scoring wines in my shop (Telegraphe excepted), and don’t chase points (though I do admit to making a stupid Bordeaux purchase of the Rauzan-Segla last year amidst the hype; and I totally regret said purchase). But I still enjoy my own Top Ten contest, as making a game out of it usually results in the initiation of some sort of dialogue regarding scores, subectivity, etc.
Suffice it to say, I think that in its quest for paying subscribers, the Spectator actually took a lot of wind out of its own sails and kind of killed the fun of the countdown.
My biggest disappointment, though, comes in that I don’t get the usual five or six blog posts out of the countdown and only get this one. And, of course, it’s all about me.
ADDENDUM: You don’t even need to become a subscriber to get the Top Ten Sneak Peak. Sokolin already has several of the wines for sale on its site, with an animated banner showing each of those available and their rankings.
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get your wine on
2008 “Bebame” Red, El Dorado County, California
Cabernet Franc (65%) and Gamay (35%) from - gasp - California! And only 13% ABV, pretty modest by California standards. If I tasted this blind I would probably have said it’s from the Loire Valley. It has pretty much nothing in common with the full bodied iterations of Cab Franc coming out of Napa. Juicy, light, delicious quaffing wine.$18 a bottle
2006 Telegramme Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge
Really balanced and smooth, this is a bargain of a Chateauneuf. Yeah, the 07s are lauded but what would I prefer to drink? This! It’s the second label of Vieux Telegraphe, from the same property but from younger vines. And it’s a deal at $33 a bottle.2006 or bust!
NV Barcino Cava: LA Times Wine of the Week!
Delicious and just in time for New Year’s Eve…this is the LA Times Wine of the Week, and we have plenty in stock. Order online, pick-up in-store!$14 a bottle!
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Wine Retail and Social Media: Yeah, I Should Be Blogging…:
But I’m not. Funny, it was pointed out to me that domaine547.com appears as a successful example of social media in wine (juxtaposed against the Wine Spectator of all things) in this recent presentation (see slide #25). I guess they haven’t looked at the blog lately; it hasn’t been updated in weeks.
Really, in my internet-only days, I never understood why Brick and Mortar retailers didn’t take the time to blog. Now I know. They don’t have the time!
Seriously. Even in the downtime when there aren’t any customers — which, let’s face it, exists in decent quantity — there’s always something to be done at the store that takes priority…from the very lowly tasks, like sweeping, to the equally tedious but still mundane paying of bills, or putting price labels on bottles, to tasting wine with reps, it all has to get done. And I am here without support staff a fair amount of the time.
Suffice it to say, to all those out there giving speeches about social media and the importance of it to branding for wineries and wine stores, people, for the most part, get it. I know I get it! But finding the time is another story. And finding a voice? Even harder.
So at the moment, what I’m doing is tweeting (@domaineLA), because tweeting is very time un-intensive. A tweet takes a few seconds, and I think I get both my voice and my point (when I have one) across in these little quick spurts. I don’t know that it’s enough, but at least it’s something.
I really hope to get back to blogging soon. I swear, I do! But right now I have something very important to do, so you’ll have to excuse me while I go empty the trash can in the bathroom…
Wine Retail and Social Media: Yeah, I Should Be Blogging…
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wine jargon
Frizzante
From Wikipedia: Frizzante is an Italian wine term term for semi-sparkling wine (as opposed to Spumante, which is generally used for fully sparkling wines). Frizzante wines generally owe their bubbles to a partial secondary fermentation in tank. You might notice a light fizz or tingly sensation on the tongue with a Frizzante wine, compared to the more carbonated sensation that more fully sparkling wines yield.
Scorekage
Okay, so we made up this word yesterday after a great restaurant experience. We brought a bottle of wine with us, expecting to pay a corkage fee. But the restaurant either forgot to charge us the $15, or decided to be nice to us. We scored! Hence, “scorekage” has entered our lexicon. This can also refer to BYO friendly restaurants that don’t charge for corkage under any circumstances.
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DomaineLA Store Contact Info
If you’re looking for our brick and mortar shop, here’s where it can be found:
(323) 932-0280
Hours are 11AM to 8PM, Monday through Saturday and noon to 5PM on Sundays.
Read more…Fabulous & Frugal!
Our friends launched a new site and domaine547 is a featured wine columnist in their premiere edition! Go check out Fabulous & Frugal for some fantastic lifestyle tips for living the good life during what, for most of us, is an economically challenging time. There’s much more than wine there, and we’re thrilled to be a small part of the start of what will surely be a successful venture. Congrats to Brandi & Steph for their achievement!
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domaine547 In the Blogosphere! Imbibe Magazine Unfiltered
November 16th, 2009 at 10:14 am
i don’t even recognize any of these wines (although i recognize two of the producers, columbia crest and Dom. du Vieux Telegraphe). i have a copy of Decanter’s 2009 World Wine Awards, talk about drinking from a fire hose….