wines for an 'Unheardof' tasting

I'd suggest a Godello (white) and a Mencia (red) both from Spain. Have also had a couple of really nice Sylvaners lately. Or heck, just grab whatever your local store has from Austria as almost all (especially the reds) are apt to be unheardof.

chadrich in Wine

America's Biggest Rip-offs

I would argue that you also have to look at this in absolute dollars, not just percentage mark-up. And that the amount of labor and effort that goes into the cooking or brewing of that steak or coffee, and the risk of loss (waste of stale coffee, spoilage of meat) justify the $ mark-up moreso than the costs associated with providing and serving the wine. It wouldn't be worth your bother to brew coffee, soil a cup and saucer, provide cream and sugar, and drag it all to the table if you didn't make $2.00 on the effort, even though that is 5X. I'll also give you a $24 (4X) mark-up on the steak to provide it fresh, cook it right, serve it, and clean-up afterward. But I have more trouble giving you a $100 (or 3X) mark-up on a $50 bottle of wine. I probably need a spreadsheet, but just can't make the overhead (including all the items listed above) accumulate to enough to justify that.

I would also argue that the costs associated with the wine are not "scalable" other than the cost of capital tied-up in the more expensive bottles. So perhaps a $10 retail bottle might in fact need to sell for $25 to cover the overhead and a profit. But seems like the $50 retail bottle should sell for something like $75 and more than amply cover that same overhead.

I don't know (and would be interested in hearing from someone who does), what the "spoilage" of wine in a restaurant is (ie how many bottles age in the rack and never sell before they're too old to be viable)? I'm sure a lot of that depends on the volume of the restaurant and the quality of the list itself.

chadrich in Wine

America's Biggest Rip-offs

I'm an accountant/analyst, so the type of study mentioned here (one that takes in all the restaurant's licensing, research, liability, holding costs, need to make a profit, etc) rings very true to me. And while I don't have the time nor the data to do such a calculation, I am usually pretty good at giving a scenario the "sniff" test. And when I sniff the typical wine list that shows a mark-up to 3 times retail (and by the way, as we all know, the restaurant is paying something closer to wholesale), something does not smell right to me.
As a result, I'm a big fan of BYOB. And I do not begrudge a corkage fee that covers the cost of owning and maintaining glassware, a license that allows the wine to be poured, and a modest fee for the restaurant. Further, I make sure that I tip the waiter appropriately for the work associated with the wine service.
What really irks me (and usually results in a cancelled reservation) is the restaurant that has an exorbitant mark-up and/or a lousy wine list but will not allow BYOB. That feels like a hostage siutation to me, and one that I'm not going to voluntarily become a part of. I understand the sentiment of "just don't order/bring wine". But for a nice relaxing dinner out with family or friends, wine is an integral part of the meal, and one that I'm not willing to forego.

chadrich in Wine

Only 1 Day in Paso Robles: What Wineries to Hit?

I was remiss in not mentioning Adelaida. That was our absolute best tasting room experience and some of our most memorable wines from that trip.
Also really liked Edward Sellers, and if you're staying in downtown Paso, it's likely an easy walk to hit their tasting room.
Linne Calodo-really liked their wines, but the portfolio is somehwat narrow and the prices are on the high side.

chadrich in Wine

Only 1 Day in Paso Robles: What Wineries to Hit?

You're lucky as Paso is a great place and has a ton of high-quality wineries to choose among. I think a lot depends on what you want to accomplish. Are you looking for great architecture and views (Justin or Calcareous), good dependable wine, to locate wines you typically won't be able to buy at home, or something else?
While most wineries have something low production for tasting room or wine club only; and I think highly of Four Vines, Justin, and Tablas Creek...my opinion is that you can likely buy most of the stuff you're going to taste there from the wine store closest to your house.
I perfer to focus on low production places that may not distribute widely (Hunt), or known places that may have a large portion of their portfolio not generally available outside the tasting room or mailing list (Turley).
I'd also carefully study your winery map considering that you have limited time. I think you'll be investing a fairly serious chunk of your time in going out to Justin, if you choose to do so.
Whatever you decide, enjoy!

chadrich in Wine

2010 - What are you drinking?

Cleaned the cellar over the holidays, so am trying to have the discipline to drink the stuff that most needs to go (either due to age or due to there being no more rack space for that particular category). Last night finished off a 2007 David Coffaro Petite Sirah and tonight I'm eyeing a 2001 Saumur.

chadrich in Wine

Sparkling for a Crowd?

Our "go-to" sparkler the past few years has been Nino Franco Prosecco. It's generally a crowd pleaser; neither too dry nor too sweet. Used to be quite reasonably priced, but has crept upward. I still think it can be had for around $15 on sale or with case discounts.

chadrich in Wine

Why do so many corkscrews suck?

I have a drawer full of various types. But always fall back to my Lagioule waiter's style. And while I feel cooler using it, I can't argue that anything makes it far superior to the $5 grocery store version of the same device. I have a rabbit equivalent that generally annoys me and takes up too much space, and jams the drawer when it opens the wrong way (learn from my mistake and see hint above about saving its casing).

chadrich in Wine