The New Wine Review Weekly: June 20, 2024

đŸ· What the bros don’t know about Piedmont wine

June 20, 2024

So Jason Wilson visited Piedmont—a region he’s long adored—and his trip led him to some major realizations:

  • “The idea that young Barolo is always too big and aggressive—with growling tannins that might rip your face off—is one of those deeply ingrained beliefs in our wine culture. This reputation has also fostered a certain machismo around Barolo, as well as a strange gendering that happens when Barolo is compared to its neighboring Nebbiolo-based wine, Barbaresco. We’re often told that Barolo is “masculine,” while Barbaresco is “feminine.””

  • “This gendering of Barolo and Barbaresco, mind you, is not a thing of the past. You’ll still regularly find it in wine media, and the most-referenced book on the region is called Barolo and Barbaresco: The King and Queen of Italian Wine. On my recent trip to Piedmont last month, I was told by several producers: ‘We call Barolo the king, and Barbaresco the queen.’ At least two others told me: ‘Barolo is the man. Barbaresco is the wife.’”

Which leads to some annoying—yet wholly predictable—outcomes:

  • “How this masculine/feminine thing plays out in America is unsurprising. Dudes love Barolo, and mostly give Barbaresco a pass. A friend who works as wine director for a popular Italian restaurant in Manhattan said she often tries to dissuade men—almost always men—from ordering Barolos that are still too young. But her proposals of Barbaresco at similar or lower price points generally fall on deaf ears. ‘It’s nearly impossible to sell Barbaresco to guys that demand Barolo,’ she says.”

And yet. Jason discovered there is lots of new stuff going on in and around Italy’s greatest region—new producers, new approaches, and most of all, a new way of thinking about the wines. Read his outstanding essay for more.

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On the heels of his incendiary essay on the Barolo Bros and dated perceptions of Piedmont, Jason also wrote another article inspired by his time in Piedmont—this one focusing squarely on the latest developments in Barbaresco, along with some expert advice:

  • “The common wisdom on Barbaresco has always been that it’s more ‘approachable,’ with more ‘finesse’ and 'elegance,’ yet with less ‘power’ and ‘ageability’ than Barolo. Barbaresco has always had less aura around it than Barolo. Consequently, it’s also generally less expensive.”

  • “Given how the climate is changing our old definitions of Barolo—and given its current prices—wine buyers would do well to take a deeper look at Barbaresco. If you love Nebbiolo, do yourself a favor. While most top Barolo sells well north of $100 (with certain single-vineyard bottlings cracking $200) you can still find great Barbaresco for $40 to $80. Even top crus in Barbaresco can still be found below $100.”

Hit this link to read his baker’s dozen of Barbarescos that you do not want to miss out on.

WHAT’S HOT ON OUR SUBSCRIBER-ONLY SLACK, PART 1

You may recall Susannah Skiver Barton’s recent scorcher of an interview with Adam Herz, who’s doing yeoman work (as a one-man band, no less) in finding and outing whiskey counterfeiters. We are thrilled to tell you that he will be joining us for a live, no-holds-barred Slack chat next Friday, June 28, at 4 PM Eastern/1 PM Pacific. In case you aren’t familiar with Herz’s vibe and work, be primed to expect serious fireworks. This will be a subscriber-only event, so—if you haven’t already—sign up for the full New Wine Review experience for access!

THE BEST DAMN WINE BARS IN BROOKLYN

Sara Keene weighs in:

  • “In 2008, Eric Asimov wrote an article for The New York Times about the rise of wine bars across the city. At the time, he wrote, there were about 130 wine bars, all cataloged on a website called nywinebarguide.com, which kept a running tab and which no longer exists.”

  • “Today, it feels impossible to list all of New York’s wine bars. The city is bursting with them, and new ones open every month. But arguably nowhere in New York has welcomed more wine bars in the last decade than Brooklyn.”

That’s putting it mildly. One could just about do a “best wine bars on this block of Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint” article. Sara, though, dug much deeper. For her best-of-the-absolute-best—everything from the internationally known stars to the natural wine dives—check out her authoritative piece. 

WHAT’S HOT ON OUR SUBSCRIBER-ONLY SLACK

  • The great tasting note debate (which we strongly doubt is finished).

  • The best substitutions for a certain obscure whisky in a cocktail recipe.

  • The Tuesday night Lambruscos—and other weeknight bottles—that we enjoyed this week.

TWO WINE STORIES THAT CAUGHT OUR EYE THIS WEEK

  • The wildfires in Sonoma County are now under control (as we type this, at least), and the evacuation orders have been lifted (see previous parenthetical). To state the obvious: it wasn’t even summer when this happened. Clearly, severe wildfires are part of the weather systems that winemakers on the West Coast, and elsewhere, now must contend with every year. We all talk about the rising cost of the wines that most excite us—and there's plenty to talk about that subject these days. And perhaps we should also keep this reality in mind as we gripe about the rising prices of our favorite wines from these regions.

  • One of the world’s natural wine pioneers just turned up on a Harvard Business School podcast. NWR sends its congrats to the one and only Frank Cornelissen!

As always, thanks for reading! See you next week for much more.

Santé!

The NWR Editors

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