The wine writer’s dilemma
Here’s a dilemma: I found this tasty Loire Valley red, but there’s not much made and it’s hard to find. Should I share it with you anyway, dear readers?
To make a long story short, this has been a frequent dilemma over all the years I’ve written about the wines that I enjoy: I go to local wine shops and I look for interesting wines that fall in the affordable price category. That’s a moving target which has risen to the range of roughly $10 to $25 these days.
By “interesting wines” I usually mean wines made all around the world but that tend toward the classic model of dry, complex European table wines meant to go well with food …
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… Not so fruity or oaky that all other flavors are submerged. Not too simple. Not so powerfully alcoholic that they burn. Wines that show balance between fruit, secondary aroma and flavor characteristics. Wines that show complexity in the style of an orchestra, not a one-note tune picked out on the piano. In short, wines that aren’t boring.
Again, I want all of this at a price that I feel comfortable paying for something to go with dinner tonight. That’s not an easy challenge in an age where many of the wines that show these pleasing traits have been pushed into the $50-and-up range and even to three figures and beyond.
Surprisingly, there’s plenty of wine out there that meets all these seemingly conflicting standards. But here’s the problem: Most of the wines that match my criteria are not mass-produced. They’re made from grapes grown with care on smaller farms, and fashioned with loving hands by wine makers who are, to use a word that’s currently over-used, artisanal: Something produced in limited quantities by an artisan through the use of traditional methods.
This is the exact opposite of industrial production that churns out widgets or gizmos all exactly alike. By its nature, there’s not a lot of it.
And so we come to the wine writer’s dilemma: The wines that I seek, those that I enjoy the most, and that you’ve told me you most want to hear about, are typically made in lots of a few thousand to, at most, a few tens of thousand bottles each vintage. That’s just not enough to make a bottle for everybody who wants one, or even enough to reach every wine shop in the world or nation.
A vineyard and village scene in the Val de Loire. (Photo from VisitFrenchWine.com.)
So when I sit down to write this weekly column, I know that I’m going to be telling you about a wine that you may not be able to enjoy, even if my words about it whet your appetite. This week’s featured Loire red wine, sadly, is a particularly troubling example: Wine-Searcher.com, the source I routinely use to help you find vendors, lists just one single source, and that one is in Vouvray, France. I’ve been able to find just two U.S. distributors for this wine, both serving only regional areas: Wine Craft in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Planet Wine in Northern California.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about the wine writer’s dilemma as it applies to this publication: What do you think when I write about a wine that tempts you but isn’t available in your local market? I try to fill the gap by providing information about similar alternatives. Is that helpful? Tell me what you think! But please don’t tell me to review boring wines even if they’re easier to find.
Here’s a look at this week’s difficult-to-find Loire red. You may be able to find it in the Ohio River Valley and the Bay Area and possibly other places, but it’s a tough one. Or look for a possibly similar alternative at these pages: Cab Franc – Gamay blends and Val de Loire IGP wines on Wine-Searcher.com.
Today’s Tasting Report
Domaine Timothee Delalle 2022 “la Burette” Val de Loire ($14.99)
A typical Loire Valley red blend of Gamay (75%) and Cabernet Franc (25%), this is a clear, dark reddish-purple wine with a thin garnet edge. A luscious strawberry and cherry scent leaps from the glass, with an elusive hint of espresso behind them. Red-fruit flavors follow through on the palate with red fruit so juicy that it almost seems as sweet as a ripe strawberry, but fresh-fruit acidity provides necessary structure and holds it in balance. 13% alcohol. U.S. importer: Wine Craft, Cincinnati, Ohio, Planet Wine in California, and possibly other regional distributors. (Aug. 22, 2024)
FOOD MATCH: Typical of Gamay, this is a versatile food wine that would go well with poultry, pork, salmon, charcuterie, French cheeses, and spicy plant-based fare like our choice, crisply air-fried Sichuanese-flavor tofu.
WHEN TO DRINK: No rush, but it’s not a wine for cellaring. Buy it, drink it, enjoy it.
VALUE:
I’m impressed with this wine’s quality-price ratio in the middle teens.
WEB LINK:
Here’s a fact sheet from distributor Planet Wine.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Sadly, Wine-Searcher.com strikes out on this limited production Loire red. Check with your retailer or the distributors Wine Craft in Cincinnati, Ohio and Planet Wine in Northern California; or look for similar regional blends that play in the same ballpark at Cab Franc – Gamay blends on Wine-Searcher. Also check its page on Val de Loire IGP wines.
Find the wines you want
Explore Wine-Searcher
Wine-Searcher.com is the place to go online if you want to find where to buy a particular wine that interests you. What’s more, Wine-Searcher.com offers so much more. It’s well worth a visit just to discover its many features, including its popular list of the world’s Top 10 Best Value Wines.
Good wines we’ve tried under $10.99!
Want tips to still more good, inexpensive wines? Here are Wine-Searcher links to vendors and prices for a bunch more wines for $10.99 or less that I’ve told you about in recent years. In some cases the prices may have risen over the $10.99 mark since I reviewed them, but they should still be excellent bargains. Please tell us about your favorites!
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Personally I quite like hearing about artisanal wines like this even if their production volume is tiny. It’s a good way to give exposure to small winemakers who make high quality juice, but have a limited marketing budget, and if I really really want it, I can still track it down. And who knows, with a larger audience you might find someone who happens to live near one of their retailers!
Part of the answer to this dilemma might be to write about purchasing decisions for small quantity products. Other than price and a willingness to play wine roulette, are there any other considerations that you use in selecting a wine for which there may be limited information?