A Chat With Alex Elman

[DonRocks]

I'd like to welcome our next guest, Alex Elman, of Alex Elman Wines, LLC, based in Frederick, MD.

I've known Alex for years, and we have incredibly similar palates. She values (and thus imports) organic wines that reflect their terroir - "organic" and "terroir-driven" are two principles from which she will not waver.

If you purchase an Argentinian Torrontes from Alex, you can be sure that the wine will have all the characteristics of a Torrontes (which is not always the case), but more specifically, from a Torrontes that was grown its specific region of Argentina. She goes to the vineyards, and makes extremely tough, strict decisions before accepting any given wine in her portfolio.

When you see a wine with an Alex Elman label on it, it will be true to itself.

Here's an official bio-sketch of Alex, whose wines have just recently become available in the DC, MD, and VA markets:

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Alex Elman has been a prominent figure in both the international and New York wine industry for over 20 years. Born in New York City to parents in the food and wine industries, Alex began to develop her advanced palate early in life. 

Eventually, Alex's taste led her to develop the three guiding principles that drive her brand today: provide wines that are accessible, terroir driven, and made with sustainably and/or organically farmed grapes. 

In 2011, Alex Elman Wines released its inaugural portfolio of branded wines, with the goal of providing wines that anyone could enjoy. 

Alex Elman Wines is now expanding its portfolio by releasing an Extra Virgin Olive Oil that follows its organic and sustainably made principles. The olive oil will be available in over 100 independent stores nationwide as of October 1^st.

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I also asked Alex to give me a bullet-point list about her portfolio - here's what she came up with:

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In order to qualify to be included within the Alex Elman product line, all wines and food products must meet the following criteria:

* wines must be "authentic" and terroir driven; no manipulation, authentic to the region, allowing for the unique characteristics of the soil and climate of the particular region to be present in the flavor of the wine

* wines and food products must be organic or sustainably farmed

* wines and products must come from a family owned property

* wines and food products must retail for around $15

* wines are all appproachable, easy to drink and pair very well with foods

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Please join me in welcoming Alex to this community, and thanking her for being our guest for this chat. Alex, thank you very much for being here, and I look forward to seeing your wines start showing up in restaurants all over town.

[Alex Elman]

Don,

Thank you so much for allowing me to participate, and for welcoming me into the DC Dining community!  I am so pleased to be able to be involved and to be able to share my thoughts, knowledge and ideas about wine and food.  As I am, personally and professionally, new to the DC, MD and VA commmuities, I am especially honored to be here with all of you.

I moved, permanently, to the area, and more specifically, to the Frederick area in Late November. I can honestly say, and this is coming from a born and bred New Yorker with additional roots in New England, that this past winter was the worst I have ever spent. I guess it was  just my welcome to the area! Regardless of this, I am loving being part of the "mid-Atlantic community."  I am extremely excited that my wines can now be found in MD., DC., and VA.  I have only recently secured distribution so, there is a a lot of work ahead of me and I am looking forward to the challenge and to introducing the portfolio everywhere.

I love pairing wines and foods together.  One of my most favorite things to do when I am conducting a "pairing" is to throw in an extremely bad pairing.  I do this so that the participants can taste how certain foods really don't pair with certain wines and, of course, this creates and opportunity for everyone to discuss why these items don't pair well.  In my experience, the most fun is had when everyone is engaged. I am looking forward to engaging with all of you and, I am certain, we will pair well together!

Cheers!

Alex

[DonRocks]

Alex, I heard a rumor that you like Red Burgundy with sushi.

In fact, I heard a rumor that this was mentioned on Oprah!

Is this true, and if so, what inspired you to envision such an insightful and masterful food and wine pairing?

---

To expound on the "Buck The Cliché" advice, do you really think the whole "white with fish, red with meat" mantra is *that* problematic?

The reason I ask is because despite the dogmatic rule, my experience tells me that with a simple piece of grilled venison, I'd prefer an earthy Rhone (or something resembling it), and with raw oysters, nothing beats a Muscadet.

However, I think that saucing - perhaps more than the specific protein - has a dramatic influence on what might be considered a "good" pairing. Example: a piece of salmon poached in a red-wine reduction. To me, this seems like it would call for a light-to-medium-bodied red (a Chianti, for example); whereas the same piece of fish in a lemon-caper sauce would scream out for an unoaked Chardonnay.

(Thank you, by the way, for concentrating so much on unoaked wines - is your entire portfolio devoid of new wood?)

Could you take these thoughts and run with them?

And thank you again for being here!

[Bart]

Alex -

    What are your thoughts on the local wines?  Have you tried many?  What do you think?

[Alex Elman]

Don, thank you, again, for inviting me to participate with all of you. I hope that everyone enjoyed this glorious weekend! I was extremely happy about the lack of humidity and sunny days - I was able to spend time in my modest garden and tending the flowers in the back yard. I am truly amazed how quickly the garden is growing"¦nothing like former farm land for my garden to flourish. My herb garden is taller than I every expected it to be.

I am going to answer each of your questions in turn below the original as they are all great and need individual attention.

Alex, I heard a rumor that you like Red Burgundy with sushi.

In fact, I heard a rumor that this was mentioned on Oprah!

Is this true, and if so, what inspired you to envision such an insightful and masterful food and wine pairing? 

I do, indeed, like red wine with sushi! Of course, not every red wine will fit the bill and, of course, it depends on what type of sushi we are talking about. The rumors are true! A number of years ago I was extremely fortunate to be invited to dinner at Sushi-Ko in Washington, DC. My friend, with whom I dined that night, was quite friendly with the chef. We were at the mercy of the chef's food and wine pairings. Fortunately, he knew what he was doing. He happened to have an incredible Burgundy selection and we were treated to a fantastic tasting/pairing menu. I was "geeking out" on the flavors of each red Burgundy with each sushi pairing and, I will never forget, the tuna - ha!  What I am trying to say is simply, I allowed someone else to teach me something I never would have tried on my own and when I allowed myself to truly taste each wine with, for example, ginger, my eyes were opened and my taste buds were joyous.

To expound on the "Buck The Cliché" advice, do you really think the whole "white with fish, red with meat" mantra is *that* problematic?

The reason I ask is because despite the dogmatic rule, my experience tells me that with a simple piece of grilled venison, I'd prefer an earthy Rhone (or something resembling it), and with raw oysters, nothing beats a Muscadet.

However, I think that saucing - perhaps more than the specific protein - has a dramatic influence on what might be considered a "good" pairing. Example: a piece of salmon poached in a red-wine reduction. To me, this seems like it would call for a light-to-medium-bodied red (a Chianti, for example); whereas the same piece of fish in a lemon-caper sauce would scream out for an unoaked Chardonnay.

I do not believe in steadfast rules for wine and food pairings. I feel that instead of concentrating on the actual type of protein, one should pair the wine with the preparation or sauce, as your example indicates. This is far more important that trying to adhere to "steadfast" rules that, truly, don't stand the test. As with everything I do when pairing, I believe that experimentation is the best way to go. Try something totally out of the advised, and see how it works - you may be pleasantly surprised. I also tend to pair the wines I am in the mood to drink with foods. I say this as I consider myself "phasal" as opposed to addicted or following rules"¦which really don't apply anyway. This simply means that if I am drinking rosé, because I want to, I will probably pair that rosé with whatever I am eating. By the way, rosé from Provence is probably one of the most forgiving types of wines out there.

(Thank you, by the way, for concentrating so much on unoaked wines - is your entire portfolio devoid of new wood?)

Could you take these thoughts and run with them?

And thank you again for being here!

The wines in my portfolio are completely devoid of new wood. I believe that new wood has no place in wine. Aged barrels are okay as they do not overtake the flavor the of the grape, and allow the "terroir" to show through. Most of the wines currently in the portfolio have no wood whatsoever as I wanted consumers to really taste how the soil and climate affect the grape and, subsebquently, the flavor of the wine. The one exception is our Barolo blend. This wine is a blend of Nebbiolo, the grape of Barolo, Barbera and Merlot. The Nebbiolo spends 5 years in aged French barrels. Aged "oak" allows grapes with tannins to age slowly without affecting the taste of the wine.

There is so much to say about pairing food and wine and so much to say about trends and counter-trends of wines. I really don't want to bore everyone but I will discuss anything any of you would like to ask. It is my firm belief that the traditional way of making wine is what is correct. Wine from grapes has been in existence for over 7000 years"¦only over the past 20-30 years have wine makers attempted to "manipulate" wines in order to change their taste. If it aint broke, don't fix it! The current trend is a backlash against the "modern" wines. The beauty of wine is that the terroir, soil and climate, make the difference in the flavor of the wine. It is important to retain these unique characteristics.

Alex

[Choirgirl21]

Hi Alex, thank you for participating in this chat. Reading the list of criteria in Don's first post sounds like a dream come true. Those are essentially what I am always looking for and, at least in suburban MD have a tough time finding so I look forward to checking out your portfolio and seeing if any of your wines are carried in my area.

A question regarding the oak aging - you said that you don't believe new oak has a place in wine, yet you mention that the traditional ways of wine-making are the way to go. Doesn't traditional wine-making have a history of using both new and used oak barrels? If nothing else, something has to go into those barrels to make them used in the first place, no? I do understand the desire to not have the presence of the oak overpower the inherent characteristics of the wine; just hoping you can expand a bit more on this topic.

Jen

[Alex Elman]

Hi Alex, thank you for participating in this chat. Reading the list of criteria in Don's first post sounds like a dream come true. Those are essentially what I am always looking for and, at least in suburban MD have a tough time finding so I look forward to checking out your portfolio and seeing if any of your wines are carried in my area.

A question regarding the oak aging - you said that you don't believe new oak has a place in wine, yet you mention that the traditional ways of wine-making are the way to go. Doesn't traditional wine-making have a history of using both new and used oak barrels? If nothing else, something has to go into those barrels to make them used in the first place, no? I do understand the desire to not have the presence of the oak overpower the inherent characteristics of the wine; just hoping you can expand a bit more on this topic.

Jen

Jen, thank you so much for your thoughtful question and desire to have the types of wine I import in your local stores and restaurants.

I would like to address your first point and then will expound on the "oak" issue. As we are just beginning to get the wines into local stores and restaurants, it always helps if consumers request them. I am not asking you to go out and actively "sell" my wines but if you don't see them in your favorite store, ask the wine buyer to get them in. Our distributor for MD, DE, and DC is Prestige Beverage Group and for VA, Virginia Imports. Also, if you let me know which stores you frequent, I will be sure that our distributor visits them.

Now on to the compelling topic of new oak "¦

It is true that traditional wine making included new oak barrels. What is not so known is that those barrels were "broken in" prior to actual use. In Rioja, Spain, for example, wineries grew the white wine grape, Viura for the sole purpose of "aging" the new oak barrels. The white wine would then be thrown away. Sounds crazy but, traditionally, it is the truth. Today, traditional  wine makers in Rioja use aged barrels for their different categories of red wine blends. They do, however, keep the white wine that was used to age the new oak barrels. This grape is still viura, as stated above, and is always aged in new oak barrels. A little note, many traditional Rioja producers often purchase "used" oak barrels for their Crianza, Reserva and Grand Reserva as these catagories of wine spend up to 36 months in barrels, in the case of the Grand Reserva.

I use Rioja as an example because I find it fascinating and instructive.

I want to be clear, I am not against barrel aging; I am not a personal fan of new oak as a flavor. Wine is a delicious agricultural product and a food product, as far as I am concerned.

An additional consideration is that new barrels are extremely expensive and most producers need to amortize the cost of these barrels into the price of the wine. Many producers keep their barrels for at least 5 years. What I love about this is that the barrels are then sold to Scotch producers and other distillers of aged spirits.

Thank you, Jen, for your provocative question. I am always open to discuss my aversion to new oak and the reasons why, as well as anything else.  Please remember, wine is subjective, like all art. I believe that wine makers are agricultural artists and do the best they can with what nature has given them. Of course, if a wine is within a DO, denomination of origin, AOC, the French version, DOC, the Italian version, there are rules that must be followed. Just a little tease as I am sure we will get into this at some point!

Stay cool, enjoy a nice cold glass of wine with some yummy tapas for this big summer holiday.

Cheers!

Alex

[Alex Elman]

Alex -

    What are your thoughts on the local wines?  Have you tried many?  What do you think?

Bart,

Unfortunately, I have not yet tried too many local wines. I do, however, know of the wonderful reputation of VA wines. I will be tasting more and more of them as the summer progresses. I have tasted a few MD Wines - I believe that they do the best that they can with the soil and climate. I have found that MD wines are better the sweeter they are. I was stumped by a couple of MD Wines as to what grapes they were made from "¦ not at all what I am accustomed to!  his shows that no matter how long one is in the "wine" business, one can always learn.

Thank you for this thoughtful question - I promise I will taste many more VA And MD Wines shortly.

Alex

[DonRocks]

Alex,

What would you pair with an old-school shrimp cocktail?

(I'm about to have one, and I know you won't see this in time, but this is not an obvious pairing to me.)

[LauraB]

Hi Alex,

Your style of wine sounds exactly like what I really like in a wine. I'm interested in learning where they may be available locally at the retail level. In the meantime, I'm glad to see that you are being asked some intelligent questions upthread.  My question, however, has nothing to do with wine per se.  As a former Frederick, Maryland resident myself, I'm wondering, what brought you to Frederick?

[Alex Elman]

Alex,

What would you pair with an old-school shrimp cocktail?

(I'm about to have one, and I know you won't see this in time, but this is not an obvious pairing to me.)

Don, I hope you had a great 4th of July holiday weekend. It truly was a glorious weather weekend making the fireworks even more spectacular. We had a 5^th of July cook out for our friends and family and we were lucky to have a fabulous (postponed) fireworks display - I was happy that the weather earlier was dreadful, so we got all the fireworks at our party. We didn't make anything fancy, it was sort of pot luck, but the wine was, indeed, flowing!

Now to your great question: What wine pairs well with a classic shrimp cocktail? You are correct, it is not obvious but not totally out there either. As we discussed earlier, it is really more about the sauce than what the actual protein is. As the classic shrimp cocktail has a tomato and horseradish, cocktail sauce, that is what we need to pair. Of course, my first choice is a rosé from Provence but I would also try a Syrah/Shiraz, Riesling and Torrontés (notice I said "and" not "or")! In my opinion, you either go semi-sweet, or spicy red "¦ never forget the rosé!

As always, I would try them all and determine what you like best.

I do apologize that I was not able to answer this before you had your classic shrimp cocktail - what did you drink with it?

[Alex Elman]

Hi Alex,

Your style of wine sounds exactly like what I really like in a wine. I'm interested in learning where they may be available locally at the retail level. In the meantime, I'm glad to see that you are being asked some intelligent questions upthread.  My question, however, has nothing to do with wine per se.  As a former Frederick, Maryland resident myself, I'm wondering, what brought you to Frederick?

Hi Laura B! Thank you for your questions. I am really pleased to be able to discuss with all of you wine and food pairings - of course, I enjoy discussing my new home as well.

As we only just began distribution in MD, VA and DC in early June, our wines aren't in a vast number of stores. If you can't find it in your favorite store, please ask for the store to get them in. Our distributor is Prestige in DC and MD, and Virginia Imports in VA. I have found that often the "grass roots" approach works extremely well.

Laura B, you are not the first person who has asked me what brought me to Frederick from NYC. It is truly a bit of a love story! I was asked to be a part of a charity motorcycle ride for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation last June 2013. The founder of the ride saw me on the CBS Mornign Show and called me up, and asked me to donate some wines as I was a Juvenile Diabetic. I not only wanted to donate, I wanted to ride and support the cause in person - besides, I love riding motorcycles. Long story short, the man I rode with is the reason I live in Frederick. We fell in love and I am now a wine importing Fredneck! Truthfully, I really do love it here and I enjoy the peace as I travel much of the time from September through May.

Thank you for asking!

Alex

[LauraB]

Laura B, you are not the first person who has asked me what brought me to Frederick from NYC. It is truly a bit of a love story! I was asked to be a part of a charity motorcycle ride for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation last June 2013. The founder of the ride saw me on the CBS Mornign Show and called me up, and asked me to donate some wines as I was a Juvenile Diabetic. I not only wanted to donate, I wanted to ride and support the cause in person - besides, I love riding motorcycles. Long story short, the man I rode with is the reason I live in Frederick. We fell in love and I am now a wine importing Fredneck! Truthfully, I really do love it here and I enjoy the peace as I travel much of the time from September through May.

Thank you for asking!

Alex

That's a great story, Alex.  Very happy for you!  And now that you're a Fredneck, it won't be long before you're using phrases like 'good to go' and 'goes down the road.'

[DonRocks]

As we only just began distribution in MD, VA and DC in early June, our wines aren't in a vast number of stores. If you can't find it in your favorite store, please ask for the store to get them in. Our distributor is Prestige in DC and MD, and Virginia Imports in VA. I have found that often the "grass roots" approach works extremely well.

Alex,

Few things are more "distancing" than reading about wine from afar. Is there any way members of our website can actually find some of your wines to drink?

Would it be possible to set up some sort of tasting?

If not, is there a more effective way than simply asking a retailer? My gut instinct tells me that importers *always* tell people to ask for their wines, but consumers almost *never* do - they just forget to do it. So, I think unless we're pro-active, your wines could easily be forgotten once this chat has concluded.

Okay, so what's the best way to get your wines on our radar screens? This chat is an entrance to Center Stage, so you may as well use it to your advantage.

[cheezepowder]

Alex Elman Wines is now expanding its portfolio by releasing an Extra Virgin Olive Oil that follows its organic and sustainably made principles. The olive oil will be available in over 100 independent stores nationwide as of October 1^st.

Hi Alex - please tell us more about the olive oil.  I'm wondering why you're expanding into olive oil -- is there a connection with wines?  Where is the olive oil made?

[ktmoomau]

And where are the olives grown?  I love your concept for wines, do you ever do events where people can taste the wines in your portfolio?

[Alex Elman]

Alex,

Few things are more "distancing" than reading about wine from afar. Is there any way members of our website can actually find some of your wines to drink?

Would it be possible to set up some sort of tasting?

If not, is there a more effective way than simply asking a retailer? My gut instinct tells me that importers *always* tell people to ask for their wines, but consumers almost *never* do - they just forget to do it. So, I think unless we're pro-active, your wines could easily be forgotten once this chat has concluded.

Okay, so what's the best way to get your wines on our radar screens? This chat is an entrance to Center Stage, so you may as well use it to your advantage.

Don, thank you for your thoughtful questions.  I completely agree that "nothing is more distancing than reading about wine from afar".  I am doing all that I can to get the wines into retailers and restaurants in the DC, MD and VA areas as fast as possible.  I realize that people do forget to ask for the wines at their favorite retailers.  There are a couple of things I can think of to help"¦

First and foremost, I am more than happy to be proactive in getting my wines into your members' favorite retailers. If any of you would like to have the wines available locally, please, send me the names of the stores and restaurants and I will get them in. 

And we can definitely have a wine tasting or pairing for the members. We can do this privately or at a restaurant or wine bar of one of the member's choosing.  This is easy to get set up so, if any of the members would like to make a suggestion, bring it on and I will follow up! Furthermore, if anyone would like to "host" a wine tasting at their home, I would be honored to conduct it.

I have a number of tastings scheduled in MD in the next couple of months with retailers that have just brought on the wines. We also have a few food and wine pairings scheduled in local restaurants as well.  Please check my web site:

AEwines.com

Go to the "Where's Alex?" tab and the schedule will be posted shortly.

The web site also has a "Store Locator" tab and this will be updated to reflect new retail locations within the next week.

Thank you all for the opportunity to be in contact and keep the questions coming. Enjoy this fantastic weather to spend time outside with some great wine and food!

[Alex Elman]

Hi Alex - please tell us more about the olive oil.  I'm wondering why you're expanding into olive oil -- is there a connection with wines?  Where is the olive oil made? 

Hi Cheezepowder! Thanks so much for asking about our olive oil. Olive oil is, indeed, connected with wine"¦loosely. Often, grapes and olives are grown in the same areas. They both need similar types of climates to grow in. Both the grape vines and olive tree roots are very hearty and can grow in dry climates. The roots seek deep into the soil for the water tables. This is the main connection. 

The reason why I decided to make olive oil our next product is because, first of all, I love it, and believe, as a Brazilian, that all meals begin with olive oil and garlic. Also, olive oil is the main staple of the Mediterranean diet and, I feel, that that is the healthiest way to live. Lastly, I found a great organic extra virgin olive oil producer that met all of the criteria to be part of the Alex Elman Authenticated brand, not to mention that they make a superior product.

Alex

[Choirgirl21]

First and foremost, I am more than happy to be proactive in getting my wines into your members' favorite retailers. If any of you would like to have the wines available locally, please, send me the names of the stores and restaurants and I will get them in. 

And we can definitely have a wine tasting or pairing for the members. We can do this privately or at a restaurant or wine bar of one of the member's choosing.  This is easy to get set up so, if any of the members would like to make a suggestion, bring it on and I will follow up! Furthermore, if anyone would like to "host" a wine tasting at their home, I would be honored to conduct it.

In my neck of the woods, I love when I kind find wines I enjoy at the Total Wine in Laurel, MD but I realize that may not be realistic for a small distributor. In which case, I'd love to be able to find your wines at I.M. Wine in Fulton, MD. Perfect Pour in Columbia, MD might also be a nice option.

And yes please on a DR tasting. I don't have the space to host it or I would offer. Maybe a DC (or MD ) restaurant would be kind enough to lend us a private room knowing that we'd likely patronize the restaurant afterward?

[Alex Elman]

And where are the olives grown?  I love your concept for wines, do you ever do events where people can taste the wines in your portfolio?

Hi ktmoomau, thank you for asking about events where people can taste my wines. I always do "in-store customer demos" at every retailer where my wines are carried. As a matter of fact, I am doing an informal walk-around wine and food pairing at I Ricchi on Tuesday, 29 July.  This is actually going to be really fun as we are pairing 4 of my wines with an Italian style "cook out". All can attend - please come and let me know you're from donrockwell.com!

With regards to our olive oil: The olives come from Extremadura, Spain. This region is on the border of Spain and Portugual. In my opinion, the best olives are grown in Spain, and thus, the best olive oil comes from Spain. Many olives are shipped from Spain to other countries in order for those countries to make olive oil"¦they will remain nameless but this is a known fact.

Our olive oil is made from the Manzana Carcarena olive. This is a  fantastic olive as it's smoke point is over 400F so it can be used for cooking without burning. It is  truly delicious and beyond fresh.

Thank you again for asking!

Alex

[cjsadler]

Hi Alex,

 

I'm curious to know more about where and how you get your wines. The Barolo blend you mentioned, for example.  Was this from an estate that used to bottle the wine under their own label, sell the grapes to someone else, or what?   How do you find new opportunities to buy wines for your portfolio?

 

Thanks,

Chris

[Alex Elman]

Hi Alex,

I'm curious to know more about where and how you get your wines. The Barolo blend you mentioned, for example.  Was this from an estate that used to bottle the wine under their own label, sell the grapes to someone else, or what?   How do you find new opportunities to buy wines for your portfolio?

Thanks,

Chris

Hi Chris, thank you for your question on how I find new wines for my portfolio and how I found the ones already in the portfolio.  

I am very fortunate to have been in "the business" for a very long time. I attend and have attended many, many, many wine shows both in the U.S. and abroad.  I keep all information on each winery I like, and take notes on each wine.   

When I decided to launch the Alex Elman AUTHENTICATED project, I had a couple of wineries in mind. Unfortunately, once the criteria were decided on, a couple of those wineries didn't make the grade. I chose the wines the way they are. The idea is to not have any manipulation in the wines, a truly, as much as possible, terroir-driven wine. This has always been my own personal criteria as this is how I was trained when I began in this business, and even prior when I was taught by my mentors on how to evaluate wine.   

I am always searching for new wines for the portfolio and I have a number of possible wines in the pipeline ... I just have to be sure that the producers and I are on the same page!

Regarding our Barolo blend, it is an interesting situation. Barolo is a D.O.C in Italy. This means that there are certain rules that a winery must follow in order to be called Barolo. These rules are as follows: 

The grapes must come from a vineyard within the Barolo region (in the Piedmont region of Italy).   

The wine is made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes and is aged 10 years in aged French oak barrels.

That is it!

A number of Barolo producers are "going off the reservation" and making a "table wine" so that they can sell and introduce  a "baby Barolo" to consumers.  We, as consumers, are extremely fortunate that these producers are doing this, as this allows us to drink a "baby Barolo" earlier than a Barolo and for a far better price.  

Most Barolos are, at minimum, $100 per bottle, if you a re lucky!  These blends can befound at very reasonable prices. Our SRP: $15. 

Now, to actually answer your question, the baby Barolo in my portfolio is from an actual Barolo producer. The name of the producer is Giorgio and Giovanni Sordo.  

All of the wines in my portfolio are from actual producers (I don't blend them). Some of these producers want to enter into the US market and this is how they want to get in, and some have their wines already in the US market under their own label. By being part of a "brand" with an actual person backing the authenticity of the wine, it makes it easier for these unknown wineries to make inroads into the US market.  

I acknowledge the wineries/producers on the back of each bottle. I am not a wine maker; I am an expert in what wine is supposed to taste like. I leave the wine making to the experts in that art.

Thank you, Chris and everyone, for your thoughtful questions - keep them coming! I am enjoying myself with all of you and am thrilled that you have welcomed me into your community with open arms and lots of questions.

Cheers!

Alex

[DonRocks]

Alex,

Thank you *very* much for being with us so far. We'll do our best to drive you away - just give us time.

Let's say I'm a producer who wants to get into your portfolio, but I'm hiding something about my wine.

I know, speaking from personal experience, that there's almost *no way* I could tell if a wine was organic or not, and if someone wanted to fool me, I'm quite certain that they could.

So ... how easy is it to bullshit you, and get in through the front door?

Don

[Alex Elman]

Alex, 

Thank you *very* much for being with us so far. We'll do our best to drive you away - just give us time. 

Let's say I'm a producer who wants to get into your portfolio, but I'm hiding something about my wine.

I know, speaking from personal experience, that there's almost *no way* I could tell if a wine was organic or not, and if someone wanted to fool me, I'm quite certain that they could.

So ... how easy is it to bullshit you, and get in through the front door?

Don

Don, I want to take this opportunity to thank you, from the bottom of my Bordeaux glass, for inviting me to be a part of this chat with you and all of your members. I am having fun, hope everyone else is, and I think it will be extremely difficult to drive me away "¦ you all are stuck with me!

Now to your interesting question:

To be completely honest, it is fairly difficult to bullshit me, at least when it comes to wine! I have been bullshitted by some of the best in the past, but not in terms of wine. One of the reasons I stayed in this fickle business is because of my palate.

I have been tasting wines since I was 4 years old. It is a good thing I was born a long time ago, or my parents would have been put in jail or something ridiculous like that. I digress. My nose and palate were trained when I was very young and I am extremely picky. I have been "in the wine business," professionally, since I graduated from college, but was tasting for many years prior. I also lost my sight when I was 27, so supposedly, my "other" senses are even more acute. If for some reason I am fooled, I always have my trusty companion whose nose far surpasses mine by about 1000%! My trusty companion is my Seeing Eye Dog, General. General is not as discerning as my previous dog, Hanley, but he is learning. There's a video where I talk about Hanley's wine-sniffing prowess here.

Actually, it was pretty fascinating to watch (so to speak) Hanley turn his nose away from wines that were not balanced, had too many chemicals and generally were not correctly made. I offended more than one producer when I confronted them about the offensive glass "¦ but, in the end, how could they argue with the extremely fine-tuned senses of a dog? My new dog, General, is really not to be trusted, as he will drink just about anything! Time will tell if he will be as good as Hanley was. In the meantime, I am always fine-tuning my own nose and palate. I am still quite good at nailing a wine when doing a "blind tasting." Honestly, no pun intended!

I am so pleased to be chatting with all of you. I know it is summer and there is a lot going on away from home, but please keep the questions coming, I love being a part of this community!

Cheers!

Alex

[DonRocks]

Great answer, Alex!

In the past two days I've drunk the 2013 Chardonnay and the 2011 Malbec, both from Argentina.

Both of these wines have traits in common that *so many* other wines don't:

They are simple, and don't pretend to have any complexity that they shouldn't.

They are clean, with no off flavors, and absolutely identifiable as Chardonnay and Malbec.

They taste good - which sets them apart from about 90% of wines on the market.

When I put down my glass, I actually look forward to picking it up again.

There is absolutely no oak which, in less expensive wines, imparts a completely non-fruit flavor and aroma.

Both of these really do taste like grape juice that has been fermented.

From first sniff, to final aftertaste, there is nothing to be found except purity.

There are no harsh or unwanted tannins - I doubt the Malbec was made with stems.

They are paragons of simplicity, with absolutely nothing gratuitous about them.

I want to get more of both of these for daily drinking.

[Choirgirl21]

This is a very general question, but could you talk about the various faults/flaws you can encounter in wine and how you detect them? Perhaps this is a two part question. I was originally thinking about TCA, reduced wines, etc., but I know you consider oak to have no place in wine so perhaps by your own definition and not the technical definition in the wine world, oaked wine is a flawed wine. Are there other things that you would loosely consider flaws (maybe we need a separate word for what I'm getting at here) and how do you detect those - perhaps a high alcohol content, unbalanced in some way (too much fruit, too little fruit, the wrong kind of fruit, lol). I don't know, maybe this is to broad of a question. Feel free to stick to the original, straightforward one.

[DonRocks]

Alex is on vacation, but she is aware of choirgirl21's question, and is working on her answer.

I also want to thank Alex for all the work she's done here. We all take for granted how easy it is to read questions and type in responses, but that's simply not the case for everyone. Alex is a model of human courage, and I'm proud to be supporting her and promoting her business ("promoting her business" is not the point of this chat, but hopefully it's a beneficial side effect).

[zoramargolis]

Will the catastrophic earthquake in Napa have an effect on more than just the wine currently aging in barrels, that were tossed hither and yon and perhaps lost altogether? I'm wondering if you think that wineries in other California regions or other states will take the opportunity of fewer Napa wines in the near future to raise their prices.

[Alex Elman]

This is a very general question, but could you talk about the various faults/flaws you can encounter in wine and how you detect them? Perhaps this is a two part question. I was originally thinking about TCA, reduced wines, etc., but I know you consider oak to have no place in wine so perhaps by your own definition and not the technical definition in the wine world, oaked wine is a flawed wine. Are there other things that you would loosely consider flaws (maybe we need a separate word for what I'm getting at here) and how do you detect those - perhaps a high alcohol content, unbalanced in some way (too much fruit, too little fruit, the wrong kind of fruit, lol). I don't know, maybe this is to broad of a question. Feel free to stick to the original, straightforward one.

Late summer greetings, Choirgirl! I must apologize for my extreme delay in answering your multiple part question. I have been at my family home in the Berkshire mountains of western MA. Regardless, here it goes"¦.

Your question has many facets to it - I want to begin by clearing up one important aspect:

I want to be clear that I did not mean to lead everyone to think that I believe that oak has no place in wine. Much to the contrary, oak most definitely has a place in wine, for aging. My issue with many "modern" wines is that oak is used as a *flavor* as opposed to what it has been used for, for thousands of years: aging and tempering tannins in certain varietals.

There are a number of well-known regions that use oak for the reasons mentioned above:

Bordeaux

Rioja

Barolo

to mention only a very few. These appellations - regions - have rules, and those rules include the use of oak in aging and the length of time that the wines must spend in barrels in order to be able to be labeled as, for example, Barolo. This is a long and involved discussion that I am perfectly happy to engage in if anyone would like (I could discuss this all day long).

I digressed "¦ now to your actual question.

I was trained in a very traditional manner - I tasted, tasted, and tasted some more! My palate has been trained over time to be able to detect "flaws" in wines.  Of course, anyone can tell if a wine is unbalanced. If a wine is too high in alcohol, if it doesn't dissipate quickly after opening the bottle, especially in reds, then the wine is not well-balanced and most probably not very pleasant to drink. Unfortunately, this is happening more and more with global warming.

TCA (you should Google this) has to do with oak barrels and a bacteria associated with the processes that barrels go through. This is fairly easy to detect, as the flavor of the wine is affected and quite nasty. The tragedy of this is that the entire batch that was in the particular barrel is ruined.

Wines can be made in different ways:

Fruit forward

Aged

Bright with balanced acids

Etc.

Unfortunately, as "taste" is subjective and everyone's tastes are different, the interpretation as to what a "good" wine is can be flawed as well. This is why I believe that "terroir" driven wines are the only authentic way to produce a good bottle of wine. The other side of this argument is that wine makers are artists and, indeed, they are, and the wine is their individual interpretation of the terroir ... blah, blah, blah.

In my opinion and experience, in order for a wine to be a "good" wine it must be balanced, above all else. I do not want to taste a tremendous amount of alcohol, oak, or for a wine to have too much acidity. These are my standards but really, this is the easiest way to explain it. I also prfer a sweet wine to have a nice balance of acidity so I don't need an a dose of insulin to get me through the bottle!

I guess my point is that a "good" wine is a balanced wine, sort of like a great symphony - with all the aspects of the wine, like the instruments in a symphony, coming together harmoniously.

This is a complex process and takes time to learn how to perfect.  It is also important to remember that the older the vines the better the wine, usually!

There are few rules to wine drinking and tasting but a steadfast one for me is the "balancing act" being perfect.

I know this is probably not exactly the most in-depth answer to your question, but it is the best I can do without having a glass of wine in front of us and discussing all of the aspects of the wine together.  Speaking of this, I am very interested in doing a wine pairing and tasting with all of you. If any of you have any interest in being part of such an evening, please let me know so we can begin to plan something. Any suggestions of venues are also welcome. We are getting the wines in more and more locations (see the web site), and, fingers crossed, we will be the VA Whole Foods locations soon. The wine buyer for the mid-Atlantic recently asked to taste the wines for the mid-Atlantic stores. We currently sell in all of the stores in Florida and Atlanta, GA. I feel that Whole Foods is a good large chain store for my brand - just a little gratuitous promotion.

If my answer to this question leaves anyone wanting, please do not hesitate to ask more.

I am looking forward to getting back to Frederick and the DC area next week "¦ I have had enough of the mountains.

Cheers!

Alex

[lperry]

Hi, Alex, and thank you for chatting with us.

I am very interested in the unusual pairings you mentioned above, and I was wondering if you have thought about wine pairings in situations where most people would choose beer or a cocktail instead of wine - foods with complex spice mixtures such as a Thai or Indonesian curry dish, for example.  When I look for recommendations, just about everyone seems to lean toward a slightly sweet Riesling or Gewurztraminer.  Do you have any ideas for something a little different?

[Alex Elman]

Will the catastrophic earthquake in Napa have an effect on more than just the wine currently aging in barrels, that were tossed hither and yon and perhaps lost altogether? I'm wondering if you think that wineries in other California regions or other states will take the opportunity of fewer Napa wines in the near future to raise their prices.

Hello Zora and thank you for your question - it is a thought provoking one. Unfortunately, the devastation in Napa is still unknown in its totality. Many vineyards, as they had begun, or were just about to begin, their harvests were totally devastated. Others had manageable damage, if there is such a thing, and still others had minimal damage. What does this mean for the consumer? Well, definitely higher prices for the 2014 vintage in Napa (obviously!) Some wineries will choose not to produce this vintage at all, and still others will capitalize on the tragedy and charge even higher prices than they already do for Napa Valley wines. My recommendation is to drink wines from other regions both domestic and imported - usually a better value.

Now to the second part of your question:

I honestly do not know if other regions will raise their prices. Obviously, this will be an individual winery decision. I would hypothesize that it would be in the "other" regioins best interest NOT to raise their prices but to raise awareness of their wines. 

Regardless of what has happened in Napa there is still a tremendous glut of wine in the world. Wineries have been popping up all over the world in record numbers for the past 25 years, hoping to capitalize on the incredible growth in wine consumption, especially in the US market. The Chinese are also fully committed to being huge wine consumers, so the market is wide open. Yet, there is still a glut of wine in the market. 

My advice, if you are a Napa Valley wine fan, is to buy now - or better yet: Sell some of your collection, if you have one, at great prices. Better still, get into wines from other regions. Sonoma makes some fantastic wines - better than Napa, in my opinion.

The other interesting fact about Napa Valley wines is that they are not aged as long as wines from, for example, Bordeaux so they will be up and running again very soon and the loss, or partial loss, of the 2014 vintage will be minimal. This sounds a bit harsh and I don't mean it this way as I have tremendous sympathy for all of the Napa Valley wineries, their production, owners, employees, and fans. My prayers go out to all of them, and I hope that wineries from other regions do not try and take advantage of the tragedy. 

It is important to also remember that "natural" disasters and nature's fickleness are always taking tolls on different wine regions across the world. In as much as the earthquake has, and will continue to, affect wine production in Napa, no one is talking about the terrible frost that has decimated the vines in Burgundy this year. This, in my opinion, is far more devastating than Napa.

I do not want to offend anyone with my thoughts - these are only my opinions. Much like taste in wines, opinions on wine differ and many of us get quite vehement in our own thoughts!

I thank you, Zora, for your question, and am interested in seeing how this all pans out.

Cheers!

Alex

[Choirgirl21]

Thank you for your response Alex, and yes, I am definitely interested in any tasting you would put together. What are you looking for in terms of a venue to host this? Maybe that would help garner some suggestions.

Speaking of this, I am very interested in doing a wine pairing and tasting with all of you. If any of you have any interest in being part of such an evening, please let me know so we can begin to plan something. Any suggestions of venues are also welcome. We are getting the wines in more and more locations (see the web site), and, fingers crossed, we will be the VA Whole Foods locations soon. The wine buyer for the mid-Atlantic recently asked to taste the wines for the mid-Atlantic stores. We currently sell in all of the stores in Florida and Atlanta, GA. I feel that Whole Foods is a good large chain store for my brand - just a little gratuitous promotion.

It is important to also remember that "natural" disasters and nature's fickleness are always taking tolls on different wine regions across the world. In as much as the earthquake has, and will continue to, affect wine production in Napa, no one is talking about the terrible frost that has decimated the vines in Burgundy this year. This, in my opinion, is far more devastating than Napa.

Or even right here in MD. Black Ankle lost about 1/3 of it's white crop to frost alone last year.

[Alex Elman]

Hi, Alex, and thank you for chatting with us.

I am very interested in the unusual pairings you mentioned above, and I was wondering if you have thought about wine pairings in situations where most people would choose beer or a cocktail instead of wine - foods with complex spice mixtures such as a Thai or Indonesian curry dish, for example.  When I look for recommendations, just about everyone seems to lean toward a slightly sweet Riesling or Gewurztraminer.  Do you have any ideas for something a little different?

Hi lperry, and thank you all for including me in your DC Dining community - I have had a great time answering your questions and learning a little about you all. I appreciate your thoughtful questions and inclusion.

Pairing food and wines is probably my favorite thing to do. I do not believe in the tried and true always being the best way to go. I happen to love Thai food, the spicier the better! I also enjoy complex foods with different spices and, especially, currys.

I often drink what I am in the mood for, be it beer, wine, or cocktails with my spicey food but I am going to answer your question properly.  I, personally, am not a huge fan of wines with a lot of risidual sugars. They have their place but they are not my favorites, even with spicey hot foods. I have been in many a Thai restaurant and they recommend a Riesling, Gewí¼rztraminer or even a Muscat. Not for me and, honestly, I don't think it does the "heat and spice" justice. Beer isn't sweet, right? There is nothing more refreshing with a  spicy meal than a great Thai, Vietnamese beer, light and cold. But this is not what you are asking!

I would pair the following white wines with spicy, hot, and complex foods:

Torrontes

Godello

Treixadura, it is blended with a number of other grapes including Torrontes

Pinot Grigio, the real stuff

Clairette

A nice little wine from Provence

These wines are great for spicy foods as they are light enough to be refreshing but have enough backbon (maybe not the Pinot) to not get lost in the spice and heat.

Again, all of this is personal taste, mood and options but, as always, I recommend trying something new each time you are out. Bottles can always be sent back "¦ trust me, there is huge mark up per bottle, so don't worry if you aren't satisfied. Also, if the wine is available BTG, by the glass, ask for a little taste before you order the entire bottle Oh, one more little tip "¦ and, please, don't hate me all you restaunteurs, if you are planning to drink the same wine as your dinner partner, buy the bottle and not BTG. There are approximately 4-5 glasses per bottle of wine and wines by the glass are the same cost as the restaurant pays for the bottle. The mark up per bottle is usually around 300% as opposed to the BTG mark up which is 400-500%. We can't  blame them - this is where they make up a bit of money.

Cheers!

Alex

[Toogs]

Probably a dumb question, but I just want to make sure the zip code wine finder on your site is correct--nothing south of Baltimore at this time?  Thanks.

[Alex Elman]

Probably a dumb question, but I just want to make sure the zip code wine finder on your site is correct--nothing south of Baltimore at this time?  Thanks.

Hello Toogs!

Thank you for your inquiry. Unfortunately, the "store locator" is not always correct. I am going to speak with our web manager and make sure all is in working order. We are working on getting the wines into more and more stores south of Baltimore - I know we have wines in various locations in Westminster and also Mt. Airy and Green Valley. We are hoping to get into the Annapolis area within the next few weeks as well as other southern MD counties. We are in the midst of completing our application to get into Montgomery County. Hopefully, we can be in the Montgomery County stores by mid October. In the meantime, I will speak with the web manager and be sure that all the entries have the correct zip codes.

We are also getting out with the DC reps to get the wines into DC area locations. If you email (Alex@AEWines.com) me your favorite stores, we will get in there and make appointments to have the wines tasted and, hopefully, brought in. Any assistance helps greatly and I can't overemphasize how much this is true. This is a grass roots effort and we appreciate any and all recommendations and help as it takes time to get our distributor reps to work with us!

Thank you, and Cheers!

Alex

[Toogs]

Thanks.  It might be correct, I was counting Mt. Airy and Westminster as "north."  Montgomery is perfect for me, although I know they are probably a huge hassle on your end.

[Alex Elman]

Thank you for your response Alex, and yes, I am definitely interested in any tasting you would put together. What are you looking for in terms of a venue to host this? Maybe that would help garner some suggestions.

Speaking of this, I am very interested in doing a wine pairing and tasting with all of you. If any of you have any interest in being part of such an evening, please let me know so we can begin to plan something. Any suggestions of venues are also welcome. We are getting the wines in more and more locations (see the web site), and, fingers crossed, we will be the VA Whole Foods locations soon. The wine buyer for the mid-Atlantic recently asked to taste the wines for the mid-Atlantic stores. We currently sell in all of the stores in Florida and Atlanta, GA. I feel that Whole Foods is a good large chain store for my brand - just a little gratuitous promotion.

...

Or even right here in MD. Black Ankle lost about 1/3 of it's white crop to frost alone last year.

Hey Choir girl - Thank you again for engaging with me! First of all, I would really like to have the opportunity to vist Black Ankle Vineyards - I will be in touch in order to do so.

Regarding the venue I would be interested in "¦ I am not picky. I would suggest our warehouse but I don't think that many people would be willing to come all the way out to Frederick County for a wine tasting - the problem, of course, is driving home after! 

I think a restaurant, private home, any interesting location (as I said, I'm not picky), would work. Do you have any suggestions?

I did not realize that Black Angle had lost 1/3 of it's harvest last year, I am so sorry as I really know how devasting that is. 

People don't really realize or think about the fact that wineries and winemakers are farms and farmers, they are at the mercy of "Mother Nature" and can only work with what the weather and earth allow. This is why wine making and vineyard owning is such a difficult proposition (albeit very satisfying).

Today is a glorious day but it does not negate the changing weather patterns that we have been witnessing for a long time now. I am not going to get into a long dissertation about globing warming, arctic vortices, etc. However, in my opinion, the opportunity that is granted with these changing weather patterns lies with more northern climates being able to be wine regions "¦ just some food for thought.

I want to thank the entire DC Dining community for chatting with me this summer. I have enjoyed myself tremendously, and I'm not going anywhere - I will work with Don to get a little wine pairing event set up and he will keep you all informed (in case you don't know by now, it's a challenge for me to navigate the internet, so I'll need someone to reach out to me and let me know what's going on).

Don, many thanks for the opportunity to be a part of the DC Dining community. I am looking forward to continuing to to be a part of the forums and interacting with all of your members and fascinating guests.

Cheers to all!

Alex