Local wine food music festival set for Oct. 17

I’m very excited about tomorrow’s event, the Oct. 17 Southern Delaware Wine Food Music Festival. Sure hope you take advantage. It may be the best money you’ve ever spent for this type event. If you do visit, come on by to say hi. I’ll be just inside the main entrance in the room on the left. Amateurs can learn most of what they need concerning sampling and reviewing food and wine in a short, exploratory, BS (that’s “big story” to you) session.

Here are a couple of event notices: Zachys Evening Wine Auction at the Four Seasons in NYC is Wednesday, Oct. 21. This is for big-buck buckaroos. Screaming Eagle, LaTache, Grand Echezeaux, Chambertin, and Romanee Conti are just a few of the big boys being auctioned off. Go to the following site for info: http://zachys.com/auctions/Search.aspx?AuctionId=193&LotNo=239. If you wish, you can enter a bid on the site. Folks who don’t know much about auctions can discern the reason I suggest cellaring for resale. But you really need to know the market, have proper storage equipment and deep pockets to get into this game. There are 461 lots to peruse.  I also was informed by Lee Romano Sequeira about a listing site for wine events, both for posting your events and info gathering for folks like us. Took a look and it was informative. Here’s the site: www.LocalWineEvents.com. A great example of the content and germane to the promotion I’ve been doing for Sodelfest is found here: http://www.localwineevents.com/resources/articles/view/1044/taste-wine-like-a-pro-and-remember-them-all.

Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Arroyo Seco Chardonnay 2012 won gold at the Cali State Fair and it can be had well under $230/case. Wente has been around forever. The Riva Ranch is usually 87-90 points and as strange as it seems, the generic in 2012 was better received than the reserve. Whenever I’m aware of this anomaly I pass it along to you. We want the most bang for the buck, not the best label and high price. The 2012 opened straw colored with lovely apple, pear, fig and toasted oak aromas. It is complex. The legs tell you there is plenty of viscosity. On the palate, it is creamy with tropical fruit, spice and more toasted oak. All are supported by fruit-driven sweetness and balanced acidity. This is just the appearance of sweetness from the fruit. I detected no residual sugar. The clean, dry finish is just delicious with a hint of butterscotch. A lot of old-style Monterey Chardonnay for the money.

The 2012 Caymus Vineyards 49th Anniversary Cab I recommended as a great buy under $60 on release back in June 2014 is bumping up against $100 on the auction sites with an added 17 percent buyers premium. I think this will go close to $200. Hold them or sell half for free wine when they hit $120 if you bought a case. Remember, speculating can be costly. I warned all on the Big Bordeaux Parker WS and WE hyper noise. Here’s what happened: 2009 Chateau Lafite presale $1,435/bottle was halved by 2011 release date Liv-ex (best market gauge out there) recent price $739, down 49 percent from its release price. The retail price has likewise fallen about 37.5 percent. Lafite 2010’s value has dropped by 47 percent, while 2011, ‘12 and ‘13 fell 15 to 25 percent. The ‘11,’12 and ‘13 will continue to drop. If you wish to buy 2009 or ‘10, continue to hold your fire. These prices are still inflated. The only way the prices rise is if the euro starts to gain vs. the dollar. I chose Lafite as an example because they are normally bulletproof. I would prefer readers to buy the 2009 and ‘10 Cru Bourgeois or the second labels of certain Grand Cru estates, especially the 2009 and 2010. It is almost impossible to go wrong in those vintages from Left Bank producers. See ya 12-5, Saturday on Route 5 at Independence Hall.

Email John McDonald at chjonmc@yahoo.com.