Find a wine you enjoy? Try a different style from same maker

Congratulations to Total Wine & More on Naamans Road in Claymont for winning a Winesearcher gold medal for best overall retailer wine list. On the surface, it reads as a so-so award, with 16 golds from among 240 submissions across the U.S. Only stores with aspirations compete. Except for WineDeals.com, Amherst, Mass., the others are in major metro areas. According to the article, the Claymont Total Wine has 13,732 items available for sale. 

While browsing, I came across a bottle of Dopff & Irion Cremant d’Alsace Rosé Brut NV $22, 88 McD. I hadn’t had the opportunity to try this previously, but I enjoy their Egerie Chardonnay Brut 2017. It’s pale golden, very fine and profusive mousse, green apple, white floral, almond and anise nose. Only $19, 92 McD, it rivals some well-known $35-$40 brut Champagne. So I decided to give the Rosé a swirl, and I’m happy I did. It’s made with Pinot Noir and shows lovely pale-pink color with great effervescence, berry and cream nose, lovely creamy feel on the palate and a pleasing lemon finish. Those looking for a festive bottle can check out Valdo Spumante Rosé Floral Edition NV, 88 McD under $16. Good bead, pale salmon color, the bouquet shows strawberries and cranberry with black cherry nuance. Raspberry repeats on the medium finish. This is an extra dry but has enough acidity to keep it balanced and clean. Nice-looking centerpiece bottle with a floral-pattern, shrink-wrapped Fabrizio Salvi illustration and a rose-colored cap.

Ram’s Gate Winery El Diablo Vineyard RRV Pinot Noir 2018 is worth a look, around $75, 92 McD. Burgundy style with great bouquet, pomegranate, raspberry, strawberry with lavender, forest floor and cherry back notes. Moderate tannins, subdued oak and appropriate acidity support loads of fruit flavors. RGW El Diablo Chardonnay 2018 offers lime, verbena (great lemon-smelling creeping plant, grows great in our area, well-drained soil works best), some malolactic-driven almond, segues into a full, round palate with vanilla, toasted cereal and limestone minerality, $71, 92 McD. Joe Nielsen joined as Ram’s Gate director of winemaking in 2018. He initiated another level of product, RGW Cellar Note, and I was fortunate to sample two. Ram’s Gate Pinot Noir 2018 shows cherry, raspberry, strawberry with hints of rose, rhubarb and herbs. Raspberry-strawberry repeats on palate and the finish shows tea, cola and spice, $58, 91 McD. Will improve with two years or so; it came from younger vines. The 2018 Cellar Note #1, 82% Cab and Malbec from Moon Valley district, costs about $65, 91 McD. Dark purple. Cherry, currant with Serrano ham, black pepper and barrel spice nose. On the palate, more currant supported with slightly elevated tannins; the wine’s color suggested proper acidity, clean, long finish shows tea and tobacco. Don’t confuse with RGW Bismarck Vineyard Cab Moon Mountain at $128.93.

Final paragraph today gives props to President Biden. Fair and balanced. Last July, Biden issued an executive order titled Promoting Competition in the American Economy, one aspect of which was favorable for adult beverage consumers. Treasury was asked to eval the alcohol industry. In the course of their discovery, Biden’s appointees determined, among other issues, the largest barriers to competition are state laws promulgated after Prohibition repeal. They also determined consolidation and anti-competitive behavior come mostly from distributors, not producers. “Concentration at the producer level and the wholesale level has really stifled competition for wine and spirits." Regulars know I have been chiding the Dover lads for years to break the stranglehold that costs consumers at least one layer of profiteering due to our three-tiered system. None can explain why direct buy, which should enhance competition, is bad, bad, bad. They normally point to uncollected taxes, and mom-and-pops failing. U.S. history lesson from the Whiskey Rebellion 1791-94, fomented by Hamilton’s lunacy, should inform that whenever governments gets out of the way, well-run businesses thrive. A 1791 excise law set a varying 6- to 18-cent/gallon tax rate. Keep in mind that that’s 6-18 cents in 1791 dollars, a lot of jack. Smaller distillers frequently paid over double/gallon compared to larger producers. The Federalists always go after the mom-and-pops. As Willie Sutton said, “That’s where the money is.” This is a good read: wine-searcher.com/m/2022/02/us-treasury-pushes-alcohol-reforms.