In 1933 the 21^st Amendment overturned the 18^th Amendment and Prohibition ended. However, negotiations with individual states to assure the passage of repeal included provisions giving states broad power to regulate alcoholic beverages within their respective states.

States took full advantage of their power to regulate.

In Ohio, and many other states, distilled spirits were managed by state-managed retail outlets (where market forces do not impact price) while wine and beer was sold through traditional commercial venues. In New York, state licensed retailers could sell spirits and wine but could not sell beer. In Connecticut and Florida (and many other states) any state licensed retailers may sell distilled spirits, wine, and beer (thus, prices are subject to market forces). More than 30 states permit the sale of alcoholic beverages in grocery stores…New York does not. There are almost as many variations related to the retail sale of alcoholic beverages as there are states.

And then was the case of Granholm vs. Heald. In 2005 the Supreme Court ruled that if states permitted in-state wineries to ship bottles to a state’s residents then it must permit out-of-state wineries to do the same. The Supreme Court ruled that when a specific state law discriminates against interstate commerce (giving an advantage to in-state interests – the dormant commerce clause) the law is often struck down.

While the case did not specifically grant the same permission to retailers as to wineries, many retailers determined that the right to ship also applied to them. And, for a few years many retailers built robust websites and expanded their customer base to include wine and spirit consumers throughout the nation. However, a variety of impediments eventually reduced the number of ‘friendly states’ into which alcoholic beverages could be shipped to less than 15. For example, shipping companies were reluctant to ship wine designated packages and individual states established laws and regulations to restrict the movement of out-of-state retail alcohol to residents.

Now we have Tennessee Wine & Spirits Retailers Association vs. Blair before the Supreme Court.

Tennessee requires a two-year residency before an individual in the Volunteer State can apply for a liquor license. Moreover, Tennessee imposes a nine-year wait for out-of-state individuals and corporations. Utah transplants to Tennessee, Doug and Mary Ketchum (who were encouraged to move to Memphis for their daughter’s health) decided to purchase a liquor store. Total Wines (the retail giant), at almost the same time, applied for licenses to open two retail locations in the state.  The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) was on the verge of approving the applications when state retailers, through The Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association, threatened to sue the state to block the applications.

The TABC went to federal court to determine if the residency requirement(s) was constitutional. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6^th Circuit determined that the residency requirement was unconstitutional. The key argument being that the residency requirement was a violation of the ‘dormant commerce clause’ by discriminating against out-of-state residents. The 6^th Circuit agreed with the TABC.

The retailer’s association appealed to the Supreme Court, and the court agreed to hear a case that will essentially determine if the 21^st amendment provides Tennessee and other states the right to create and enforce any such requirements. The decision may determine, for instance, if a computer or clothing company can sell in Tennessee (or by extension anywhere else) then why should those who sell alcoholic beverages be prohibited for selling their products?

The Tennessee vs. Blair oral arguments were made to the Supreme Court in January. The decision is be rendered between May 13^th and the end of this term in June.

We will examine the Supreme Court arguments, the decision, and the implications when the Supreme Court announces its decision and provides the reasoning supporting the decision. The implications are far-reaching…

There are wines and spirits with a ‘great’ story, and there are wines and spirits that taste great and are sometimes a great value. A product that offers flavor and value can eventually earn a following, but a product with a story but without flavor and value quickly disappear from the retail shelve.

While attending the South Walton Beaches Wine and Food Festival I had the opportunity to taste three of American Freedom Distillery’s Horse Soldier Bourbon…story, taste, and value.

Currently distilled in Columbus, Ohio (Horse Soldier started with eight-year-old stock), the St. Petersburg, Florida based operation was founded by a group of retired Afghanistan veteran Green Berets. Named for the Green Beret use of horses to navigate the difficult Afghan terrain, and with bottles of their Signature Bourbon pressed in molds made from steel “salvaged from the World Trade Center site after the events of September 11, 2001”, this is clearly a product with a compelling backstory. Moreover, a portion of all bourbon proceeds “support the America’s Response monument” at New York’s Ground Zero.

The Horse Soldier team did not rely on the backstory. They visited distilleries in Scotland, Ireland, and Kentucky to better understand the process, created the tagline “Legendary Men, Legendary Spirits”, and hit the road to introduce Horse Soldier Bourbon. They sold the first year’s allocation in a month.

I had the opportunity to taste the Straight/87 Proof ($39), Small Batch/95 Proof ($59), and Barrel Strength/108.5 Proof ($79) bourbons.

The Straight Bourbon is produced of 65% Corn/30% Rye/5% Barley. They use limestone filters and new American Oak (required for Bourbon). The result is a “caramel, toasted corn, and a dark fruit nose”. The oak that emerges on the nose continues through the palate with vanilla and a hint of honey. The lingering finish offers honey and a “warm spicy feel”.

The Small Batch offers a different mashbill. The 70% Corn/20% Soft Winter Wheat/10% Barley is also filtered with limestone and aged in new American Oak. The oak is more prominent with this style. The caramel and the honey is joined by a hint of raisin on the nose. The honey continues on the palate and you will find notes of apple that continues through the finish.

The Barrel Strength is also produced of 70% corn/20% soft winter wheat/10% Barley with limestone filters and new American Oak aging. The corn, however, is Yellow Dent. The Yellow Dent is noted for ‘high soft starch’ that increases sugars and thus alcohol, and in turn offers ‘spiced raisin and toffee’ as prominent elements of the flavor package. I generally find barrel strength spirits to be uncomfortably high in alcohol. And, while the Horse Soldier Barrel Strength is certainly high in alcohol, the mashbill has resulted in a smooth drink with a wonderful deep copper hue in a well-structured spirit.

You can currently find Horse Soldier throughout Florida (including Wine World locations in the panhandle). The website suggests that you could find Horse Soldier in Columbia, South Carolina with plans of soon appearing in Charleston. New York distribution is on the very near horizon.

Look for this one…the Bourbon is excellent, and the story are compelling.

We have returned from the wonderful South Walton Beaches Wine and Food Festival and there is much to share with you about the wines and spirits that we tasted over the Festival’s four days. However, before we dive into that experience, I would like to share a wine included in the May selection from the Accent on Wine club.

The Caruso & Minini 2016 Frappato, Nerello Mascalese is a Sicilian product that validates the current image of Sicily as a region capable of generating excellent wine. The Sicily DOC supports nearly 100 producers and there are over 3,000 grape growers resulting in more than 20 million bottles produced. Many of those 20 million bottles are exported.

However, as recently as three decades ago wines from Sicily were either fortified or Marsala. Sicily was significantly impacted by the phylloxera epidemic. But, a significant investment, a willingness to embrace indigenous grapes, and wines that offer excellent flavor packages at even better prices, have made the wines of Sicily worth seeking.

The Mediterranean climate (Caruso & Minini is one the western-most coast – ironically near the town of Marsala), is ideal for the growth of excellent wine grapes. The rocky soil that is rich in organic substances, resides at nearly 1000 feet above sea level, and dominates the nearly 300 acres of the winery’s estate grapes.

The Caruso family has been in the wine business for four generations, and for most of those generations they focused on growing grapes. The family began bottling their vinified grapes in the mid-1990s and in 2004 Mario Minini, of Lombardy, joined the Caruso’s in the current winery.

Caruso & Minini’s 2016 Frappato and Nerello Mascalese is a product of Sicily’s indigenous grape production. The DNA study of both grapes suggests an historic connection between those grapes and the king of Tuscan grapes, Sangiovese (and some other unidentified varietal). The Accent on Wine selection offers 15% Frappato providing the wine with a fresh (and ironically, a grapey nose), and the rest Nerello Mascalese offers a hint of vanilla and excellent tannins.

This wine also offers excellent balance. There is a wonderful acidity (a little tingle on the tongue), fresh fruit that Vinny of Accent on Wine suggests provides  “bright black cherries, red roses, and cloves” (excellent description). The nose suggests floral elements and the fruit extends from the palate through the finish.

This wine is excellent with cheese-based dishes, and we found the 2016 Caruso and Minini to be a wonderful addition to left-over Mac and Cheese.

This wine is not widely distributed. However, you can find it at Accent on Wine. And, even if you cannot track down the Caruso & Minini, talk with your local wine shop about their Sicilian options…you will not regret it.

Please take a look at the comments section (in the navigation panel on the left side of the blog page). The response to a comment about this mornings (April 26th) post provides a more robust overview of the South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival.

Keep in mind as you read the response that there is a still time to get here, and tickets available for this wonderful event.

Two items for this post.

We recently visited, for the third time, a new wine bar on upper King Street (700B) in Charleston, SC. Graft Wine Shop and Bar is a very comfortable space. Their owners, Femi Oyediran and Miles White, have been recognized for their both their palate and their approach to marketing wine. The recognition is well deserved.

Graft is a wonderful place to try new and unique wines. The list changes regularly, and they often use a Coravin system to offer ‘high end’ wine wines by the glass. For those of you living in the Low Country, or for those of you visiting the ‘Holy City’, consider visiting this wine bar surrounded by a bevy of excellent restaurants.

Graft also offers a small, but carefully selected, collection of wines available by the bottle.

One of the wines is the Matthiason Napa Valley Chardonnay. We purchased a bottle of the 2016.

Good choice.

Produced from vineyards organically farmed for 25 years (and biodynamic for 20). The Matthiasson Chardonnay is carefully picked in two batches. The first batch, about 80% of the fruit “was harvested to capture natural acidity”. The second harvest sought the richness and fruit driven grapes that would frame this wine. The winery utilizes 100% malolactic fermentation. However, this is a wine that is very lean. They age for 11 months in French oak.

Look for pear and apple on the nose, and melon that evolves on the palate and through a lingering finish.

Great wine. Not cheap…$40…but, a wine worth the price.

The second item is the South Walton Beach Wine and Food Festival.

Joy and I (and a close friend) are on our way to the Gulf Coast of Florida to enjoy four days of wine, food, seminars, and conversation. The folks at Chan’s Wine World have done a marvelous thing in creating and growing this event.

This is an extraordinary experience (including one of the finest charity wine auctions), and no matter where you live, if you are interested in wine please consider traveling to the Fort Walton area of Florida for this event.

I look forward to sharing insights on this experience when we return.

We recently visited our favorite wine bar, Accent of Wine in Summerville. And, interestingly, a single wine now covers virtually half an entire wall of this cozy spot. The wall is currently occupied by a 2017 Luta Inyan Pinot Noir bottled solely for Accent on Wine’s two locations.

Luta Inyan is a product of the Hyland Estates Winery located in Dundee, Oregon.  This beautiful Willamette Valley (McMinnville AVA) winery produces outstanding, and highly rated Pinot Noir and a range of white wines from Chardonnay to Gewürztraminer. Luta Inyan means Red Soil (a mix of Native American languages), and is a very appropriate name for a Pinot Noir that comes from the volcanic Jory red soil that dominates the McMinnville AVA.

Joy and I had the opportunity to visit Hyland Estates when visiting Oregon. Hyland’s wines are universally excellent.

The Accent on Wine option offers a classic Pinot Noir flavor package. Floral elements on the nose and red fruit with a spicy earthiness on the palate. The wine has excellent balance and the acidity offers a pleasant tingle on the tongue. The Luta Inyan is ready to drink now. The Accent on Wine staff made an excellent decision in choosing this wine for their establishment.

If you live in the Summerville, SC area you can acquire a Luta Inyan for $26 (a slightly higher up-charge if you want to consume the wine on premise). The $26 price tag is much lower than average bottle price of a comparable Hyland Estates Pinot Noir. If you don’t live in the Summerville area, you might consider visiting Charleston (well worth visiting) and take a short drive to Summerville, just 25 mins from downtown Charleston (or the slightly shorter drive from downtown to their Park Circle location in North Charleston). The friendly staff of Accent on Wine at either location will happily share their find with you.

Many of you have a favorite local retailer or wine bar offering wines or spirits specially bottled for them. Please consider sharing those options, and your review of those options, with other readers.

How often do you look through your wine collection and spot a bottle that at some time long past you had decided was worth waiting to drink? If you are like me…the answer is very often. Or, is there a wine that you intended to drink in short order only to purchase a ‘sexier’ option. That original bottle is too often forgotten.

There are certainly some bottles that you know you were saving ‘for a special occasion’ (the special occasion is discussed in an earlier post), but there are many more bottles that are saved in hopes of gracefully (hopefully) aging. However, all wines do reach a peak of drinkability or maturity. For some wines that peak is very short, but eventually all wines simply become fruitless alcoholic beverages with no character and no value.

You could mark each bottle with a professional or personal ‘drink best by’ notice. However, virtually no one is sufficiently organized to tag each bottle. You could rely on your unfailing memory as when you intended to enjoy a particular bottle. Of course, that memory failure is why most of us did not get into (or even apply to) Harvard. You could have organized your wine cellar/collection to be assured that wines that are most ready to drink are in the most accessible locations. Unfortunately, to organize wine collections to assure optimal drinkability exceeds the organizational capability of most people.

Ultimately, we often come to distrust that forgotten bottle. Is it too old? Alternatively, what if it is not too old? What if you are opening it too early? Really? What’s the actual risk? Are you concerned that in some philosophical universe you are enjoying an older wine when you are not entitled to enjoy it? If you don’t remember why the bottle is still in the collection, then what’s the risk in drinking the bottle? Many questions, but there are reasonable answers.

A personal recommendation…when you are looking for something to enjoy with dinner, of just to sip, pull two bottles from the collection…something old…something new. If the older bottle is still drinkable, enjoy it. If the older wine is well over the peak of drinkability then the response should be, “oh well, waited too long’, and open the younger wine.

Recently, Joy and were preparing to enjoy a meal of leftover pasta and beef. This was clearly not a special meal or occasion. A trip to wine coolers (no cellars in the Low Country of South Carolina) yielded two interesting bottles.  The first, a 1998 Vinakoper Capo d’Istria Cabernet from the Adriatic Coast of Slovenia. We had acquired this bottle while a partner in Tri-Wines, a agency devoted to importing Slovenian wines to the United States. The second, a 2003 Massena 11^th Hour Shiraz. We purchased this bottle during the height of the ‘Australian Invasion’. Many of you may remember when Australian wines were hot. Both wines had been sadly ignored for many years.

I did not look at reviews and recommendations for cellaring until we sampled both wines.

Vinakoper Cab is recommended, by the winemakers, to be enjoyable for a decade. The Massena was thought to be at its peak a few years ago. Neither wine was likely improving while sitting in the coolers. Our personal taste test revealed a Cabernet that past its peak, but still offered hints of dark fruit and was still drinkable the next day. The Massena was a revelation. This 2003 Shiraz, which had been awarded a 94-96 rating by Robert Parker, was in balance, had wonderful deep color, and offered excellent blueberry and red fruit elements from the nose through the velvety finish. We enjoyed both wines with the ‘leftovers’.

Unless you have a better memory than me, or you have an organize fetish that assures wines ready to drink are marked or in an optimal position in the collection, I suspect many of you have a wine or two that is hiding/forgotten in the cellar and that would elevate that meal of leftovers in which we all occasional partake. If you have saved the bottle, and you have uncovered it, you should enjoy it.

Please consider sharing the ‘finds’ in your cellar with other readers.

Joy and I have enjoyed our membership in the Summerville Accent on Wine’s newly formed wine club. Vinny, the wine club’s manager, has introduced us to some new winemakers and their wines, and he has reacquainted us with some of our favorite ‘hits from the past’.

Raúl Pérez became a ‘know name’ when I was associated with Sterling Cellars in Mahopac, New York.  Steve Morrison, the owner of Sterling Cellars, met Raúl Pérez while on a distributor trip to Spain, and returned excited about both the man and his wines. His excitement was certainly justified.

Considered a visionary winemaker, Perez’s first vintage for his family’s winery was introduced to the world in 1994 at the age of 22. In 2005 he struck out on his own introducing the world to Bodegas y Vinedos Raúl Pérez. He hit the ground running. In less than 15 years Pérez moved into the ranks of the world’s great winemakers. Decanter Magazine wrote simply that he “the archetype of the intuitive winemaking genius”.

An example…Pérez aged an Albarino (which he named Sketch) in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. He claims that the water serves as a vacuum preserving the best qualities of the wine while the gentle movement of the currents improve the flavor characteristics. The wine is excellent. It is probably excellent without the ocean aging. However, we perceive that the ocean aging has significantly improved the wine, and thus it is able to be marketed for $80 in the U.S. The Decanter description of Pérez is clearly justified.

Gimmicks aside, Pérez makes excellent wine, and Accent on Wine included his 2016 Ultreia St-Jacques in a recent allocation. Vinified from Mencia grapes (from the Northwest of Spain), this 90-point wine offers, as the Wine Spectator suggests, “ripe flavors of black cherry and red plum supported by vanilla and licorice in a plush texture”. I didn’t find the licorice, but the remaining description was on point.

There is widespread availability of this wine in the U.S. You should be able to track it down for around $20. Steve Morrison, of Sterling Cellars in Mahopac, New York, still has a place on the shelve for Raúl Pérez wines. You can find the Ultreia St-Jacques at Sterling Cellars for $22.00.

Try it with you next pork or white meat meal…you will not be disappointed.

Good wine at a good value…every purchaser’s (and most vintner’s) objective.

Friends joined us for dinner last evening and brought with them a bottle of the 2016 Bread and Butter Cabernet to share. It has been years since we had tasted one of these Cabs…and it was a very good wine (offered at a very good price).

Based in Napa, Bread and Butter is managed by Italian winemaker Stefano Migotto, a partner in the value-priced winery Ca’Momi since its founding in 2006. Dario De Conti, also a partner in Ca’Momi, is also involved in the winemaking process.

Bread and Butter was acquired in 2017 by WX brands, formerly known as the Winery Exchange. The Winery Exchange, founded in 1999, now owns 68 wine, beer, and liquor labels totaling 6 million cases and sold in 12 countries. However, the stated policy of the WX is to leave the management of any acquisition in place to maintain consistency, promote the brand and ultimately, to increase sales. Thus, the Ca’Momi winemakers continue vinification efforts for what is now the largest brand in the WX portfolio.

Ca’Momi, also a Napa based winery, produces wines with a wider range of prices, including Cabernet that pushes above $20.

However, wine is meant to be analyzed for ‘drinkability’, not as an investment opportunity.

This winery was named, according to the Bread and Butter folks, for “the tantalizing aromas and flavors that naturally develop during the winemaking process”. The Cabernet offers an excellent rich color and dark fruit on the nose with chocolate on the palate. There is a full ‘mouthfeel’ that suggests elements of oak, but the tannins are soft, and this Cabernet offers a medium finish. This is a pleasant and uncomplicated drink.

Bread and Butter also produces value priced Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The winery targets this wine as a $15 shelve item…and it worth that price. You can find Bread and Butter Cabernet at Sterling Cellars in Mahopac, New York, and at Total Wines in Charleston (priced appropriately).

This past spring, I introduced unique Rosé to members of our community located in the Low-country of South Carolina. The tasting was a revelation to many neighbors as they worked through nearly a dozen wines from Australia to France to California. Unique grapes; different hues of ‘pink’; different ABV; and different prices was the theme of the evening.

However, while Rosé may have been a revelation to our South Carolina friends, it is certainly ‘caught on’ with wine consumers across the world.

Rosé has been on the rise in popularity. The Wine Economist reports that Rosé sales in the United States alone is growing by more than 40% each year. The WE reports that this increase is the “fastest growth rate of any varietal’. In a nation as wine savvy as is France, Rosé outsells white wine and accounts for nearly 30% of all wine sold in the country. And, the Wine Economist reports that although France is the world’s largest producer, it “actually imports Rosé from Spain”. Spain produces an inexpensive product, but Spain also produces quality wine, and it allows France to export some very popular (Provence) wines.

There is a world-wide growth in consumption that transcends both gender and age. And, while there is greater consumption of Rosé in the summer than in other seasons, you will find Rosé in your favorite wine shop, and on the list of your favorite wine bar, throughout the year.

This brings me to Crushed Fine Wine in Mt. Pleasant. I always try to stop by this very small, but very interesting, shop. Owner Desmond Garrity (his wife Betsy is co-owner) tracks small production wines that rarely find a spot on the shelves of larger stores. Desmond suggested that we would like the 2017 Smoke Tree Rosé.

He was right…

Sourcing grapes from old vine Zinfandel, Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah (from vineyards located in California’s Mendocino, Lodi, and Lake Counties, Smoke Tree seeks “vineyard partners that sustainable”.

The winery began life in 2013 and released its first wine in 2014. This is a very pale wine with excellent elements of strawberry and rose petals that offer wonderful acidity and outstanding balance. The Smoke Tree Rosé is soft on the nose and crisp on the palate.

The Smoke Tree can be found in virtually every state and should sell on the retail shelve for about $18.

For most Rosé drinkers the hope is a wine that is young and refreshing. The Smoke Tree Rosé meets both of these requirements.