Looking to Europe

We have written many times recently of the troubled 2010 and 2011 wine grape vintages here in North America, and while there are exceptions many of the wines we have tasted are not very good. Recently we have tried the 2010 Skylark Pinot Blanc and the 2011 Skylark Pink Belly dry rose and have found both to be exceptional. Similarly the 2010 Josh Cabernet and 2010 Pennywise Pinot Noir have been very good, and there are others too that appear to have either been picked prior to the harvest time weather woes, or have come from vineyards that were so tightly and expertly managed that the wines are still very good.

The point remains though that the outstanding wines are fewer and the not so good ones from these years are more plentiful. One trend that is developing though is that Europe in general had a good year in 2010 and in some appellations an outstanding one. Part of the reason for this is simply practice.

Most of the winegrowing regions of Europe have far less reliable and consistent weather throughout the growing season than our appellations here in the states. California, Oregon and Washington normally have some of the most consistent weather patterns in summer and fall of any wine regions worldwide.

So when we go through some of the swings that we saw specifically during the fall harvest season of 2010 and 2011, vineyard management becomes all important and missteps are more common here. In Europe though the farmers and winemakers are more frequently exposed to summertime rain storms, temperature swings and all types of weather shenanigans and therefore are better prepared for them.

The wines from Europe produced in 2010 have in general been of very high quality and overall we expect to see moderate prices for these old world wines. The pricing issue is being driven by a couple of macroeconomic factors that are expected to stay in place. First there is a good to slight over supply of wine on the market right now. This supply issue keeps downward pressure on prices as wineries must continue to move their product out of the winery and into the retail chain in order to keep capital flowing and to address storage constraints from barrel and tank all the way through the warehouse.

The other big factor helping with European prices specifically is the strengthening U.S. dollar versus the Euro and other European currencies that is the direct result of the European debt crisis and the faltering economies there. When the dollar is in a position of relative strength we can simply buy more wine for that dollar keeping prices down here.

The one exception on pricing appears to be the Burgundy region of France, known for producing top notch Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; the prices of Burgundy have always been more volatile during very good years. The 2010 vintage in Burgundy is one for the history books and consequently we are seeing price increases of 50 percent and more from the best producers. Many of these price increases may not "stick" so a wait and see approach may be best for this appellation. In addition there are some 2008 and 2009 wines from Burgundy still out there at compelling prices to fill the void while we wait for pricing of the 2010's to come into line. One currently available is the 2010 Red Burgundy from Lucien Boillot that is $24, as the local distributor is closing the vintage out.

The other option for 2010 wines from Europe is to focus on some of the lesser known regions like the Languedoc, Rhone and Alsace from France. Many of the Spanish and Italian regions too are seeing steady prices despite showing very good quality in their wines.

A couple of specific recommendations to fill the void are the 2010 Domaine du Choron Merlot for $10 and the Cotes du Rhone from the same producer for $13 - both standouts. An exception to the Burgundian pricing we discussed are the wines from Nicholas Potel, we found his Pouilly Fuisse, his Nuits - Saint Georges and his Bourgone all to be very good priced from $14 to $20. The Tempranillo Cabernet blend from Spanish producer Altozano similarly priced at $11 is a delightful wine. From Italy the 2010 Mona Sangiovese also an $11 bottle is good also though done in a lighter style. In Italian whites we really enjoyed the Ruffino Orvieto Classico for $11. Finally the 2010 Riesling and 2010 Dornfelder both $20 from Germany are not only good but have some of the most spectacular packaging we have seen.

While we work our way through these leaner wine years the vital thing for wine consumers is to have alternatives, and we are fortunate that right now European winemakers are providing some good ones.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and writes frequently for the online version of Coeur d'Alene Magazine at www.cdamagazine.com. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com.