Tasting Flight 4/19/06
Cult Denim and Cult Wine
It was about three years ago that I realized that “premium denim” was here to stay. The cult fashion trend has exploded, and now jeans costing over $200 are common for both women and men. My first pair of cult denim was Diesel, a marketing and product pioneer. Since then, I have purchased two additional pair of Diesel jeans, along with pairs of Sevens, AGs, and others. Diesel wine is next! The brand powerhouse presented three wines at Vinitaly in early April. The Italian wines (a Chardonnay, a Cab/Merlot blend, and a Pinot Nero) are all priced well above 100 British Pounds. Robert Cipresso, one of Italy’s best-known consultants, oversees the production. I am excited to try it, but until I hear an outstanding review, I’m more likely to spend my $100+ on a bottle of French Bordeaux or Diesel jeans. (Decanter)
Boxed Wine Revenge
Wine purists have faced challenges recently. Innovative packaging has exposed the tradition-rich wine world to high-technology is strange forms. First, wine purists had to debate the screw-cap. I think many now agree that the this closure does not in and of itself imply inferiority. In fact, there are screw-cap bottles I now dream about at night. The mass market will be the next to shed its predisposition against screw-caps, and then - watch out. But, are we really ready for boxed wine - again? Three Theives is hoping to bring ‘boxed’ wine back into the mainstream. Their tetra-pak packaging reminds me of elementary school lunches with Hawaiian Punch or Hi-C (and the technology is not too far off). The price points are affordable - leaving one remaining question: Taste? If these guys can make the wine great, they have the marketing muscle and creativity to surprise the market. I am withholding judgement for now, but MSNBC is excited.
Home Team Genetics?
Regular readers now know that I am from Colorado, so every now and again I read something that sparks that Hometown Pride. Today’s Denver Post has an article on the Master Sommeliers who call Colorado home. Two of the nation’s youngest MS recipients, as well as the first woman to receive this distinction, are among the 9 Master Sommeliers in the state. With only 74 Masters in the U.S. and 175 in the world, Colorado seems to have disproportionally high representation. And there are two Colorado establishments (Little Nell’s Montagna in Aspen and Frasca in Boulder) that have two MS on staff, which is unprecedented. I am proud to be a Colorado native among statistics like that!