Mo's Wine & Spirits

The U.S. economic news has not been good this year, with a looming recession and many failed financial institutions. So it may surprise you that despite the bad economic news, more than $66 million worth of fine and rare wine were sold at US auction in the second quarter of 2008 alone. This is a 23 percent increase in sales over the same period last year. The crises on Wall Street (and the record gas prices on Main Street) have not dampened enthusiasm for fine and rare wines auctions. In fact the Wine Spectator’s auction price database shows that in the first half of 2008, the Fine Wine Auction value rose, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 7 percent for the same period. All the wine divisions of the big auction houses are steadily growing, and some houses have over 20 wine auctions a year.

Rare Wine values at auction are skyrocketing in the United Kingdom as well, and in fact the increases logged there have also bested their popular UK stock index, the “Indy 100”,  (the recognized indicator of general economic health in Great Britain). Wine auctions in Great Britain are showing bigger gains than the US, with an amazing 39% increase for the first half of 2008. Bordeaux is leading the way at auction, with more than a 90% increase in sales over 2007.

In the U.S., charity auctions are among the biggest movers every year. One of the biggest annual charity auctions is the Auction Napa Valley, held every summer in the heart of wine country. With Oprah Winfrey and Jay Leno on hand this year, there is never a shortage of star power at this superstar charity auction, which mingles the movie stars from Hollywood with the Wine Stars from Napa and Sonoma. This last  summer saw almost 900 people participate, and raised a near-record $10.35 million, falling just short of the high set in 2005. About 150 wineries pour their best at this event, along with 60 restaurateurs and artisan food producers from the valley. Just remember to bring your checkbook along with your autograph book!

Back in 1999, Dave Matthews decided that he wanted to take his attitude towards organic foods and bring it into the realm of the grape; he decided to design his own vineyard. However, not being a master vintner himself, he asked for the assistance of Brad McCarthy, who had been working at Acacia, a winery in Canernos, California. Both Brad and Dave had similar outlooks on how they wanted the vineyard to be constructed and, upon combining their ideas, created Blenheim.

Brad believed that the best way to produce a wine is to be as gentle as possible with the fruit by not using hydraulics and motors to move the grapes through the wine production process. What he came up with is an ingenious design that relies on gravity alone to transport everything through the fermentation process to where it is aged in barrels. The winery itself is built into a hill so that this gravity flow system could be made possible. While many winemakers feel that using hydraulics to transport the fruit instead of a gentler gravity system yields little difference in the wine, McCarthy feels that his way enables him to produce a “purer product.”

The real purpose of Blenheim is to produce a wine that exemplifies the characteristics and taste of a true Virginia wine and so all of their grapes are grown in the state. Blenheim has its own four acre vineyard where they grow three different varietals, but they also purchase grapes from other Virginia vineyards as well. Blenheim offers Chardonnays, Merlots, a Meritage, and a couple other varietals that have been recently released. While their operation is small compared to others, their focus has been, and will most likely remain, to produce quality and not quantity. With their unique approach to wine production, Dave Matthews and Brad McCarthy, along with everyone at Blenheim, will surely be turning out sweet music for your palate for some time to come.

To hear Matthew Amster-Burton tell it, “Motley Crue is not a band known for its discriminating taste in alcohol,” but these days band frontman Vince Neil has changed his tune. “Neil has since released a Napa cabernet and a Sonoma chardonnay ($20 each) under the Vince Vineyards label.” In an article appearing in MSN Lifestyle’s The Wine Life, Amster Burton discusses this and other examples of the close relationship between celebrities and their wines.

Neil certainly isn’t the first star to make wine. Film director Francis Ford Coppola has been “taking the hands-on approach since 1975, when he founded the Niebaum-Coppola Estate winery in Napa.” Coppola’s first vintage came out in 1978 and he hasn’t stopped yet. Just last year he “introduced a sparkling chardonnay in single-serving cans ($5) named for fellow director – and daughter – Sofia Coppola,” Amster-Burton notes.

Then there are cases like those of Bob Dylan. While he’s not to be found on the back-end of wine production, his name is still beginning to appear on bottles. It’s the result of an Italian winery which made several tribute bottlings in honor of the singer/songwriter.

Learn how others of your favorite celebs have ties to wine, including racecar driver Mario Andretti, pro football player Joe Montana, and singer Olivia Newton-John with a peek at the full MSN Lifestyle article here.

Will we be seeing a Depp-Paradis wine any time soon? According to press reports, actor Johnny Depp has bought his long-term girlfriend Vanessa Paradis a vineyard in France.

Depp is perhaps most recognized for his work in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series as well as in director Tim Burton’s dark and quirky productions, like Sweeney Todd now playing at movie theaters.

Lucy Shaw and Oliver Styles of Decanter.com, report that the actor purchased the French estate “as a gift to celebrate the release of Paradis’ new album, Divinidylle.”  In their article the authors go on to reveal that, despite the purchase, it is unlikely that the pair will produce wines. Based on conversations with Les Fouleurs de Saint Pons, a spokesperson for the local wine co-operative, they reveal that the property bought by Depp does not contain winemaking facilities.

Still, Depp is known for his love of French wines. In a linked article Depp reveals that his favorite wine is Château Calon-Ségur, a Saint-Estèphe third-growth, and that he also has a fondness for Pétrus and Château Cheval-Blanc. “With those wines,” Depp said, “you reach nirvana.”