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[NOTE: I am probably going to catch hell for this, but I was talking to a sales rep from one of the local distributors, who spoke to me about the lack of accountability of this person’s superiors, i.e. I forgot to do something so “screw” the customers (just paraphrasing). The customers being us retailers. It sucks for the reps because they bear the brunt of our anger and frustration. So here it goes…]

I’ve been thinking about the 3-tier system of spirits distribution in the U.S. quite heavily lately, with the out-of-the-blue advent of HR 5034, a bill that would prevent any future attempt at correcting the extraordinarily flawed system of regulating the sales and distribution of alcohol in this country. I would try to make sense of it for you, but I think fellow wine blogger Tom Wark puts it into far more succinct context for the masses than I could ever hope to do.

Essentially, the wholesalers have been trying vehemently to prevent consumer and retailer access to small wineries directly, producers that either 1) cannot afford to pay a wholesaler to distribute their products, or 2) the distributor network has chosen not to represent their products in any given state. The concept of direct shipping has been the bane of the wholesalers’ existences, so the use of the “underage drinking prevention” diatribe has been an effective tool in keeping consumers in the dark about their chokehold on the market.

The liquor laws in this country are so convoluted and mired in so much bureaucracy that most people need a law degree to navigate them, and still it won’t make a lick of sense. Yet what bothers me most about all of this is that there is no accountability amongst the wholesalers for, at best, proving to have no regard for good customer service AT ALL to the only people that they actually need to make money – us retailers.

We are caught in the middle of just about every screwed up order you have ever placed with a retail shop, or any wine you’ve ever been looking for that you cannot seem to find. Incompetency, apathy and arrogance seem to rule the upper-tiers of wholesaler management, and at times, they won’t think twice about raising a price without warning, changing a deal, reneging on an agreement, etc.

I don’t mean to lump them all into the “bad” category – we deal with some pretty incredible distributors who really care about what they sell and how they sell it, and believe me, even the megawholesalers that we deal with have sales reps and management that work really hard to take the best care of us they can. It’s just I hear far too often of how this deal changed or that deal disappeared for no reason, just as we are advertising that brand at the originally agreed-upon price or vintage.

It’s funny because at least at the stores I buy for, we expect very little of our sales reps. All we really ask is information presented in a timely and efficient manner, in such a way that we can make the appropriate buying decisions to better service our customers. It’s all elementary retail really. Yet there are so many times when the first-of-the-month comes and goes, and we discover that we should have bought in on this deal, or didn’t have to buy in on that one – it’s ridiculous, and the bottom line, it costs us money.

Wholesalers should be accountable for their mistakes and yet there really isn’t much we can do about it. We retailers are at times, held hostage by the wholesalers because of all this consolidation; we couldn’t just say, “I am not buying anything from you for a month”; it would probably put us out of business because they have so many of the products we need, we would just be screwing ourselves.

I love this business. If I didn’t, I would have become a tech writer a long time ago, and I would have been bored to tears doing it, but I wouldn’t have to show up to work and fight every day, the market, the wholesalers, the nasty customers, the state bureaucrats that keep raising “sin” taxes, and so on. It baffles me that tobacco farmers here in Kentucky are becoming grape growers more and more, and wineries are springing up pretty quickly, yet the liquor laws here in Kentucky are still prehistoric in nature, with 75% of the state still “dry.” When the state needs revenue from tourism, which the wine and spirits industry contributes to greatly, is becoming overburdened with our state’s “triple tax” schematic, when are we going to stand up and say “enough is enough.”

Our beer distributors here continue to raise prices, and in this “bridge economy” where we depend on out-of-state buyers for the bulk of our business, they are now staying in their states to buy their spirits, and the revenue both we as retailers and we as the state are losing are rising exponentially every day, the need for a radical shift in how spirits are distributed in this state and this country is becoming more and more necessary, in order to save jobs, save lost tax revenue, save face with the consumers and prevent an emerging wine industry from going belly-up before it ever really gets going.

I’ve had so many lawyer friends tell me the biggest mistake the U.S government ever made was Prohibition, and a close second was it’s repeal. What those two amendments to the Constitution did to the wine industry and the spirits industry was turn control over to a group of seedy, greedy mafia-types that in any other business, could be investigated for racketeering. Well, maybe that’s a bit harsh, but the overall detriment to the industry has already been incurred. And unfortunately, it is the wholesalers that hold sway with our elected officials, not the people.

The only real way to initiate change is with your votes, both this primary season, and this November. End incumbency, vote out all the old dogs, and put in individuals who would choose to represent you and not the special interest groups. And if they go the way of the lobbyists, they are out too. No incumbents anymore. Maybe then some things will change.

Okay, no more political tirade. I am off my soapbox. Have a great weekend. And drink what you want – it’s still America, right?

Our Tramonte rep Devon came by with some pretty groovy wines:

Rock Gully Dry Riesling Frankland River 2007. Grade=Amazing. I love the drier style of Riesling from Australia; almost always showing off flinty, slate-y characters alongside Rainer cherry, peach, apricot, kumquat, and honeysuckle notes. Finishes with the perfect amount of acidity.

Enotria Arneis Mendocino 2009. Grade=Outstanding. Winemaker Greg Graziano is truly off the rails with all of the Italian varieties he is growing in Northern California, yet the climate and soil suit their intricacies quite well. This ancient Piedmont grape is racy and sharp with peach, apricot, hints of orange zest and nutmeg, and an almost-dusty character that add to its cool complexity.

Enotria Cortese Mendocino 2009. Grade=Outstanding. Completely different than a Piedmontese Gavi, this white wine shows off very bright lemon, orange, guava and Ugli Fruit character. A hint of minerality and well-balanced acidity make this a very cool, very different white wine.

Ventana Sauvignon Blanc Arroyo Seco 2008. Grade=Outstanding. Grassy, herbaceous, with a bit of lemon meringue and grapefruit notes, finishing with a hint of kiwi, guava and gooseberry. Really nice.

Ventana Pinot Noir Arroyo Seco 2007. Grade=Outstanding+. Soft and supple with mild cherry and strawberry notes, hints of red plum, cola and black tea, plush tannins and well-balanced acidity.

Ventana Rubystone Arroyo Seco 2007. Grade=Outstanding. A blend of Grenache and Syrah, this California Cote-du-Rhone is soft and juicy with tart red berry notes, a hint of blueberry compote, white pepper, rhubarb pie and black olives. A nice value.

Rock Gully Shiraz/Viognier Frankland River 2007. Outstanding. Bold and expressive with the perfume from the Viognier giving it some violet and lilac notes in the nose. Displays a lot of blueberry pie, raspberry preserves, mint, olive tapenade and baking spices. A dose of black pepper and black truffles in the midpalate take it to a fairly ethereal place.

Our Vanguard rep, Jeff came by with Spencer Graham of Elizabeth Spencer wines. The winery was born out of love, literally, with Spencer and his wife, Elizabeth Pressler, after years in restaurants and wine distribution, set up shop in the Napa town of Rutherford, and began making unabashed, varietally correct wines, championing their California origins without drowning in them like so many of their peers.

We ran their wine gamut, tasting 5 wines:

Sauvignon Blanc Mendocino 2009. Grade=Outstanding. Crisp and vibrant citrus fruit with notes of fresh cut herbs, mineral and sun-dried hay. Shows off a nice bit of acidity without being too piercing. Lively on the finish.

Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2008. Grade=Amazing. Full-bodied and opulent with ripe baked apple and pear notes, hints of nectarines, pineapple, butterscotch and toasted brioche. Has a lot of acidity, yet intermixed with a slightly glycerol mouthfeel. Really sexy – and I am not at all a California Chard fan, but this might make me reconsider.

Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2008. Grade=Outstanding. Pretty rich and dense for a Pinot Noir, with dark cherry, plum, cola and toasted hazelnut tones. The tannins are a bit fuller than normal PN tannins yet still plush. The finish is luxurious and well-balanced.

Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2007. Grade=Amazing. This gives you a bit of dryness up front, and then has a kind of rich fruit boomerang effect toward the finish. Kind of like hearing a loud car stereo a few blocks down the street, then as it gets closer it gets louder and louder, until it’s outside your front door blowing your windows out. Lots of jammy, juicy black fruit, hints of cedar and spice, and finishes up with generous helpings of mocha, tobacco, pepper, cinnamon, chocolate, kirsch, and vanillin oak.

Syrah Sonoma Coast 2008. Grade=Amazing. Really nice notes of red berry fruit, some white pepper, a bit of earth, truffles, cinnamon stick and roasted game. Juicy on the midpalate, and finishes with velvety smooth tannins and well-balanced acidity.

Rarely do I take the opportunity to have lunch with one of my suppliers. It’s not that I would like to go, it’s just that I usually don’t have much time to get away from the stores. This was not the case today when my SWS/Crane rep Sheena, and her boss Harold, wanted to take me to one of our local jewels of the restaurant scene – Chalk, for some lunch and a tasting of the wines of Willamette Valley Vineyards of Oregon.

I haven’t been to Chalk since their shakeup of the kitchen many months ago (last I went Chef Jared Whalen was still there) with former NuVo co-owner and Chef Mark Bodenstein. The aesthetic is still there, a kind of casual bistro with a big city air and a kitchen with French country inspirations. I was definitely looking forward to a few hours away from the store, and revisiting these great value wines from Oregon was also a treat.

Lunch for me consisted of Chef Mark’s unique twist on a BLT, with Applewood Bacon, Lettuce and red beets, topped with a fried hen’s egg, and served up with some French fries cooked in duck fat. I hoped that the staff there knew CPR, because I am sure that a heart attack was on the dessert menu.

We tasted 5 wines from Willamette Valley Vineyards:

Pinot Gris Willamette Valley 2008. Grade=Outstanding. Light-bodied with bright notes of lemon peel, honeydew and starfruit aromas and flavors. Some hints of tangerine and d’Anjou pears mixed in with some nice mineral character. Finishes clean and refreshing.

Chardonnay Dijon Clones Willamette Valley 2007. Grade=Outstanding. Medium-bodied with some ripe pear, baking spice and tropical fruit notes. A creamy mouthfeel with just a splash of vanilla and nutmeg give it some extra complexity.

Pinot Noir Whole Cluster Willamette Valley 2007. Grade=Outstanding. Bright and lively cherry fruit give this whole cluster fermented PN a vibrant buoyancy. It has some white pepper, truffle, cola and red berry notes as well, and good fair well with a slight chill.

Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2007. Grade=Outstanding. Earthy and spicy with some hints of red berries, black cherries, cocoa powder, cola and light-roasted coffee. Notes of roasted nuts and cherry tart resonate throughout its well-balance of acidity.

Riesling Willamette Valley 2008. Grade=Outstanding. Fruit-driven and semi-dry, with clean notes of Rainer cherries, pear, apricot, mineral and a slight herbaceousness. Very nice.

I have to thank Sheena and Harold for getting me out of the store for a spell, and for Chalk for turning out a great lunch. Now if I can keep the paramedics at bay until I can work off all the cholesterol I took in, and I will be good.

Our Vanguard rep Jeff came by last week with three very cool wines:

Zuani Bianco Colli 2008. Grade=Outstanding. This white blend from Italy is medium-bodied with bright stone fruit and citrus notes. It has a lot of depth with its minerality, freshness and well-balanced acidity.

Trinoro Le Cupole Rosso Toscana 2006. Grade=Amazing. Phenomenal Bordeaux-styled blend from Tuscany. Loads of dark fruit character, big, velvety tannins and seductive mouthfeel. A very sexy wine.

375 Wine Co. Rosé 2009 375 ml. Grade=Amazing. Marbue Marke (winemaker for Caldwell) and Drew Nieman (of Neiman Cellars) collaborated to bring us this remarkable rosé that possesses generous helpings of strawberry jam, cinnamon, rose petal, raspberry compote and red tea notes. It is one of the best rosés I have had in a long time. Impressive. Available only in half-bottles.

Our Heidelberg rep Wendy came by last week with a handful of international wines to try:

Badabing Grillo Sicilia 2008. Grade=Outstanding. I’d swear this was Chardonnay for how much body this wine had. Much more round of a mouthfeel than other Grillo I have had, this white possessed nice stone fruit, with a hint of creaminess. Really nice.

Umani Ronchi Verdicchio Marche 2008. Grade=Outstanding. Bright, crisp, with a lot of mineral and citrus up front, and a hint of blanched almond and pear toward the finish. A really good value.

Quo Grenache Rosado Campo de Borja 2009. Grade=Amazing. Damn! I am not afraid to admit I love a good rosé, this 100% Grenache rosé is bright and vibrant, with loads of fresh strawberry and red raspberry notes. Juicy and alive on the palate. Perfect for this time of year (or anytime for that matter).

Vina Alarba Rosado Calatayud 2008. Grade=Outstanding. I like this rosé as well, though being a year old had mellowed a lot of the acidity and turned the fruit a bit softer. It is still drinking very well, but compared to the Quo, it pales.

Badabing Nero d’Avola Sicilia 2007. Grade=Outstanding. A beefier, brawnier version of Nero, this is kind of Nero on steroids, drinking more like a Northern Rhone or a Coonawarra Cab. It shows off a lot of jammy red fruit with lots of spicy characters, hints of tobacco leaf and toasted oak. Very good.

Catching up on last week’s notes:

Our RNDC/Cumberland rep came by with some great stuff from California, as well as lunch from our favorite sub shop, Jimmy John’s:

Fat Monk Riesling Central Coast 2008. Grade=Outstanding. Semi-dry Riesling with some apricot, Bing cherry, mineral and white peach notes. Great value.

St. Supery Virtu Napa Valley 2006. Grade=Average+. Think this is getting close to over-the-hill, yet still shows some nice clean stone and citrus fruit. Soft, without much acidity present, certainly due to age. Looking forward to the 2007.

Chimney Rock Elevage Blanc Napa Valley 2007. Grade=Outstanding+. Really crisp with a lot of herbaceousness amidst the lemon tart and grapefruit grandstanding. Nice minerality and well-balanced acidity.

St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc Dollarhide 2008. Grade=Outstanding. Stunning single-vineyard effort. Bright, lively with loads of lemon, lime, grapefruit and hints of orange zest and pineapple too. Well-balanced and finishes zesty and clean.

Fat Monk Chardonnay Central Coast 2008. Grade=Outstanding. Surprisingly good Chard, not too oaky, and not over-the-top buttery. Well-balanced. Good stone fruit flavors with hints of creamy vanilla, butterscotch and pineapple.

Quickfire Chardonnay Napa Valley 2008. Grade=Average+. A bit heavy-handed with the oak, this Chardonnay could do with some restraint. Okay notes of apple, pear and nectarine, as well as some baking spices and buttered toast, yet the oak gives the impression of splinters in the mouth.

Fat Monk Merlot Central Coast 2007. Grade=Outstanding. Another nice surprise from these guys, this Merlot is on point with blackberry, currant and slight coffee and licorice notes. Smooth tannins lend to a smooth finish.

Quickfire Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2005. Grade=Outstanding. Has a lot of body and some well-integrated tannins, mixed in with black currant, blackberry, cedar, tar and mocha notes. Velvety tannins and solid acidic backbone. Very nice.

St. Supery Elu Napa Valley 2005. Grade=Amazing. I have been in love with this wine for some time now. A gorgeous Bordeaux-themed blend that is rich, dense, seductive and concentrated. Beautiful tannins are the backdrop for expansive jammy blackberry and blueberry notes, hints of milk chocolate, espresso, spice box, tobacco and much more. Just a sexy beast.

St. Supery Cabernet Sauvignon Dollarhide 2005. Grade=Amazing. Very young, this big, bold Cab is magnificent with its black fruits, baking spices, coffee and mocha notes. Powerful tannins that need time to settle down and mature, a few years in the bottle will plush out this monster quite nicely.

Last week, our RNDC/KY rep David, dropped in with some wheelin’ and dealin’ wines:

Zonin Pinot Grigio delle Venezie 2008 1.5 L. Grade=Average. A decent PG with some nice stone fruit and lemon characteristics. Simple, but good.

Zonin Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2008 1.5 L. Grade=Average. Not bad for this Italian red, displaying some soft, red fruit and good acidity. Nice value.

Tilia Torrontes Salta 2008. Grade=Average. Good example of this Argentine white, with some noticeable hints of honeysuckle, peach, and white flower. Good balance of acidity, though it falls a little short on the finish.

Louis Jadot Pouilly Fuisse 2008. Grade=Outstanding. A wonderful French Chardonnay with subtle oak, judicious use of malo, and a harmonious display of stone fruit, mineral, and nectarine.

Tilia Malbec/Syrah Mendoza 2007. Grade=Outstanding. A bold, medium-to-full-bodied red with loads of jammy blue and red fruit, some spicy notes, and a smooth, plush finish.

Redwood Creek Malbec Mendoza 2008. Grade=Outstanding. I was superbly shocked by this wine. Redwood Creek? Seriously? The fact that this is from Mendoza and not somewhere in California really surprised me, yet this medium-bodied red shows of slightly muscular blue fruit flavors, some spicy character and a bit of tar and oak. And under $8? Wow!

Ghost Pines Zinfandel Napa/San Joaquin 2007. Grade=Outstanding. Brand new from Ghost Pines, this sexy Zin is not too overblown in the alcohol dept., showing off some restraint there, yet portraying exuberance all the way with big, bold, jammy black and red fruit aromas and flavors, some zesty spice and pepper notes, and well-balanced oak tones.

Chocovine NV. Grade=Outstanding. This red wine with real Dutch chocolate is something I really wanted to hate, yet it came across something akin to Yoo-Hoo (which I love). You can’t even tell this is wine. It’s just like really thick chocolate milk. Crazy. It’s good. I just shudder to think how much of this you would have to drink to get drunk. Just think of the hangover. Oy!

Yesterday was Earth Day. It’s a day the world should be celebrating. I for one was, but not because it was Earth Day. Ten years ago yesterday I convinced my wife to marry me (much to her chagrin), and we went out to dinner to celebrate ten years together (however, she might refer to it as infernal bondage or the Stygian Mindf&^#). We don’t go out too often these days so it was actually pretty exciting to get cleaned up and head to one of our favorite restaurants around town – Slim’s, in historic Northside, an oft-overlooked area of Cincinnati.

Slim’s feature Puerto Rican-style cuisine that is super-casual, with an almost do-it-yourself service and BYOFW (bring your own f-n wine), which is awesome. The food is always great, and they rank amongst the area’s best. Top that off with it being really affordable, and you can bring whatever wine you want, it’s a helluva deal. But that isn’t why I took her there. No, I actually took her there because it IS casual, and the laid-back atmosphere allowed us to talk and spend “quality” time together, something we don’t get too much of these days, what with the hectic pace of my job.

I decided that one of my Washington Road Trip mementos was the way to go with the wine, bringing along a bottle of K Vintners Syrah The Deal 2007, a killer Syrah from the Wahluke Slope AVA.

We got to Slim’s fairly early (I was hoping to take her to see the movie SHE’s been wanting to see for weeks now, Clash of The Titans – seriously, she loves Action movies), and we sat down with our bottle of wine, and scanned the menu.

We started off with something called Asopao, a kind of soupy paella dish with rice, seafood, and tomatoes. It was a terrific starter dish, and paired great with the Syrah.

For dinner, we shared the Pernil (Pork Butt) with fried plantains and this Seafood dish consisting of shrimp and mussels in a vibrant tomato stew, as well as some Puerto Rican cole slaw. Again, the wine matched up extremely well, and the buzz was coming, despite taking things real slow.

We wanted dessert and decided to drop in on Honey, another great restaurant in Northside, just doors down from Slim’s. Sitting down in their back terrace area outside, my wife had a glass of Chateau les Roques Loupiac 1999, kind of a poor-man’s Sauternes, while I had a cup of coffee and we split this crazy good dessert – Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies with whipped cream and red wine ice cream.

Are you f-n’ kidding me?!

Bacon. Chocolate. Red Wine. And Ice Cream.

Oh yes. And it was DEE-LEESH-EOUS!

My wife opted out of the movie, sensibly deciding we should head home. Good thing too, because being the lightweight I am these days, I found myself too buzzed to be driving so the Mrs. took the keys and the helm, and steered us back to the ranch, for some quality couch piloting and episodes of Destination Truth and V.

My wife is incredible, not just because of the Bacon Chocolate Chip cookies, but having spent 10 years together, we have had a spectacular ride. Sometimes it has been bad, and sometimes it has been great. Yet in this crazy, mixed-up world we live in, I couldn’t see myself riding through it without her there with me.

Our Cutting Edge rep, Lauren, came by yesterday with a few new things to try, including some wines from a negociant of excess California juice that has some “secret yet well-known” origins:

Manzanita Canyon Chardonnay California 2005 1.5. Grade=NA. My rep and my assistant Shannon both intercepted this from my mouth before it ever went in – their consensus view point was that it S-U-C-K-E-D. Thanks for throwing yourselves on the grenade ladies!

Chime Chardonnay Napa County 2008. Grade=Outstanding. This is a pretty good, well-balanced Chardonnay that wasn’t terribly oaky or flabby. Had nice notes of stone fruit, pineapple, banana and Mandarin oranges. Not a lot of creaminess, some glycerol – decent balance of acidity.

Chessman Pinot Noir Anderson Valley 2008. Grade=Outstanding. Fairly smoky style, with some baked cherry pie and cherry cola qualities. A bit of heft and body to it, this drank something akin to a Pommard by way of Baden or Central Otago.

Lot 205 Petite Sirah California 2007. Grade=Outstanding. Lots of jammy fruit character. Medium-bodied with medium tannins and a juicy blue and black fruit finish.

Cable Car Cabernet Sauvignon California 2007. Grade=Outstanding. Nice and fruity, this is more of a Pinot Noir drinker’s Cab, with lots of ripe black and red currant, a bit of licorice, some tobacco and chicory notes. Would make for a great patio red.

Chessman Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2006. Grade=Outstanding. A bit more robust than the Cable Car, with some heavy tannins, notes of baking spices, tobacco, mocha, espresso, black truffle, blackberry cobbler and toasted oak. Pretty nice for the price.