Introducing Due Santi Wines

Guess Who is returning to the wine business? ME! After an eight year hiatus and an incredible journey in writing and photography, I have returned to my beloved wine sales. This time with a significant twist. I am now importing wine from Italy and my great alma mater, The University of Dallas. The wine is called DUE SANTI ROSSO ( 2 Saints is also the location of the UD Constantin Rome Campus), and you may get in on the presale right here. Yes, of course, my photography career is going to remain a huge focus for me, but I am thrilled to be able to share this wine that I have long believed should be a part of the lives of all of us UD Alumni. Since I started in the wine biz in 1996, I have dreamed of one-day importing wines and having a portfolio of beautiful elixir to offer clients, friends, and family. Little did I know I would begin with a product from the place where it all began, Rome.

In 1995 I was sitting in a Cafe in Florence, with my UD girlfriend along with her mother and sister. The conversation had grown banal, and while I had not enjoyed dry red wine before that night, I began to sip from a 3-liter jug of Chianti a waiter had placed on the table. By the 3rd glass of my new favorite beverage, the conversation was flowing, I was poetic, and my life had changed. I returned to the US, got a job as a clerk in a wine shop, and 22 years later, here I am, importing wine from the campus of the University that gave me the opportunity to fall in love with wine and Italy.

[caption id="attachment_27019" align="alignnone" width="450"] The Beautiful Label Design of DSR[/caption]

Due Santi Rosso is the brainchild of Dr. Peter Hatlie, my dear friend, and director of the UD Rome Campus. Peter has nurtured the vines on campus like he coaches the minds of his students. The result is the 2015 DUE SANTI ROSSO, a wine of great typicity, perfect backbone, and a beautiful bouquet (I only use that term when it is beautiful). I could not be happier with the first wine in our new portfolio. My partner in this endeavor is Harvard MBA Chris Tyler. He started Cellar Browser to help collectors sell bottles of expensive and rare wines. I bought some great Barolo from him, and we began to discuss the DUE SANTI project. I had been telling Peter for a few years that this wine was commercially viable, and now with Chris's enormous help and talent, we are bringing the wine to the US (along with more wines this fall).

Our business model will be direct to consumer sales, and we will offer all wines as pre-sales at very aggressive pricing. For example, right now, the DUE SANTI ROSSO is offered at $19.99 a bottle when purchased in a case of 12 (or more) bottles. Of this, a portion of the sale price will benefit The University of Dallas and its Students.

The University of Dallas gave me the opportunities in life to be where I am today. I am honored to offer a product that will allow me to invest in their storied Rome program, and to hopefully inspire future students to choose a path in life that brings them joy and discovery on a daily basis. I will be coming to Dallas for the Alumni and Family Weekend on Oct 12-15 to pour DUE SANTI ROSSO and talk about all things UD, Rome, and Wine.

Today is one of the best days of my professional life.

Housewrighter Featured in Purely Domestic Wine Report

Sunrise in the Alexander Valley

The Housewrighter is currently featured in the wonderful wine industry insider's guide, Purely Domestic Wine Report. My friend, Doug Wilder, is a fascinatingly observant man. His keen knowledge of the domestic wine industry has led him to discover many of the nation's cult wines, long before they became household names. I met Doug years ago, when we both worked at Vinfolio in San Francisco. However, I only really got to know him when we spent a day working with the iPhone camera. Now, Doug produces his glossy publication solely with images he takes with his iPhone. That is how powerful this tool can be, and how well Doug uses it. In his writing, and in his photos, there is a deeply considerate artist at work.

Now, and thanks to Doug, I can offer my readers a complimentary issue just by clicking this link, Purely Domestic Wine Report . If you enjoy domestic wines, and want an inside track to what is excellent, up and coming, and recently released, just enjoy this complimentary issue, then sign up for PDWR. My readers receive hugely discounted subscription rates of $45 for online only and $75 (a savings of $45 off the normal $120) for the online and print. The printing is gorgeous, and all of the artwork pops. I leave mine out on the coffee table and people are immediately drawn to them when visiting our home. Doug has been really great to me, promoting my work as an artist. I would love to give back to him. Check out the Purely Domestic Wine Report, and look for more of my work in the future.

Thank you for taking the time to support my photography, and share in this passion for wine and wine lifestyle.

Cheer y'all!

Michael

The Blue Rock Chronicles - Blending

Kenny Kahn and Graduated Cylinders, in Baby Blue, of Course

The Blue Rock Chronicles is my year-long journey, in residence, with Blue Rock Vineyard in Sonoma County's Alexander Valley. Recently, I had the great privilege of sitting in, and joining, the blending of Blue Rock's most popular wine, Baby Blue. My favorite part of being a wine merchant, for many years, was the opportunity to taste so many finished wines upon their releases. Now, after the many thousands of prêt à boire products I have tried, for which I believed many could have been better with my professional input, I was getting my chance to put my money where my mouth is.

Well, let's just say, not only was I bad, I would have likely ruined Baby Blue, and the winery's reputation had I been given the final say in the blend. Gut instincts, guesses, and my long-held beliefs as to which varieties of grapes contribute which characteristics to a wine, were summarily dismissed for real chemistry, mastery of phenolics, and years of blending practice. What do I mean by this? It takes experience, knowledge, and the ability to thin-slice where a wine comes from, in order to know where it will finish (pun intended). In other words, blending wine is a job for professionals.

Great wines are made in the vineyard, is one of the most commonly heard adages in the wine biz. I think this statement, while true in the sense that poor grapes never make great wine, is mostly marketing. It is promulgated to the public via Sommeliers, retailers, and the media in part to cultivate a pervasive ideology of farm to table. The notion that the farmer is the gatekeeper to great wines has attained almost myth status in the industry. I believe great wine is "made" in great wineries. A vineyard can produce grapes sent Fedex from heaven, but if the associated winery is unclean, the winemaker is reckless, and the fermenting conditions are less than ideal, these grapes will yield a crap wine. Great wine is a symbiosis of farm, and skill. A hardy vineyard must deliver its yield to an equally healthy winery. After the harvest, and even after the fruit becomes wine, this is where a new game becomes afoot. How a wine is finished is very similar to a chef plating food. A professional cook uses finishing salts, careful garnishes,  and sauces to deliver something visually appealing, and with complex flavors. A great winemaker makes incremental decisions, during blending, in order to determine balance, acidity levels, richness, and mouthfeel. It is this stage, that I experienced blending Baby Blue. This is a final hurdle that either makes or breaks a wine.

Meet Miro Tchalokov, Blue Rock's consulting winemaker. Miro hails from Bulgaria, and learned winemaking and viticulture at one of Eastern Europe's most important universities for agriculture. Under the radar, which is how he appears to like it, he quietly makes excellent wines at Trentadue winery, and consults on several others, including Blue Rock. In one evening, sitting and tasting with Miro, I learned more about the craft of winemaking than in all of the winery visits, research, and personal experiences I have had. Kenny and Miro are a wonderful juxtaposition of dreamer to pragmatist, yet they are both artistically inclined. Miro would add a little of the merlot, I would expect one outcome, it would be another, a better one. Kenny would suggest some of the vineyard cab, I would be sure it would be too much, it would be perfect. I would offer a suggestion here and there, Miro would humor me, and watch my face sink as the suggestion proved to be fruitless. We were, after all, blending Baby Blue. Blue Rock's most successful wine may have come about from a happy accident, after a challenging vintage for the reserve wines, but now it has a life of its own. It is a fan favorite, a great value in California wine of this ilk, and made by the deft hands of dedicated artisans. Sixteen years I spent tasting wines for a living. I can tell you very quickly where a wine is from, its relative makeup, and its age. However, I have no idea how to blend an unfinished wine. I am so glad these guys do, and that they paid me no real mind, other than to show me so many things I did not know, and likely never will know, at least not like they do. The 2013 vintage of Baby Blue will be outstanding, because Blue Rock is an excellent winery, that happens to grow beautiful fruit, and they have some serious winemaking firepower. Luckily for them, and for Blue Rock clients, they kept my blending input on the periphery. This certainly must have given Miro and Kenny a modicum of self-satisfaction, and a  little touch of, "take that wine Mr Wine Professional."

Stay tuned, as next time, as I experience southern hospitality, at a Northern California wine lunch.

Housewrighter embeds with Blue Rock Vineyard

The 19th Century Farmhouse.

The Housewrighter has embedded with Blue Rock Vineyard for a 1 year exploration of an estate, its winery, and the people who manage them. Kenny Kahn is the magnanimous owner of Blue Rock, in the Alexander Valley. This, recently fashionable, enclave of excellent wine is showing up all over the press lately. Blue Rock is one of the reasons it is. The wines are excellent, but I am not here to write about wine flavors, organoleptic compounds, or scores from critics. I am here to talk about people, to share my observations living at the winery once a month, and to learn just what the hell goes on day-to-day during the winery year. It all starts with Kenny, a native of Memphis, and while his southern charm is evident, do not be mislead by the lilt of his voice when he describes his estate. Kenny is no bumpkin. He is cool, well-dressed in French berets, country denim, and possessing the savoir-faire to relate to kings and countrymen. He is clearly well-traveled and conscious of his presentation.  In the first 15 minutes of hanging out with him, it is apparent he owns the place, and not just in deed, but in show.

In October of last year I took his photo for a Wine Enthusiast article about the Alexander Valley. In minutes I, could feel the wheels turning, and within an hour, we were talking about collaborating. He was looking to grow his presence on the web and get new images of his gorgeous property. I explained, that I am a storyteller, first and foremost. I would be happy to work with him on new images, but the story would have to come from our interactions, my observations, and that the winery year would dictate the storylines. We quickly agreed to meet again on this subject, and shortly after Wine Enthusiast sent my images to print, Kenny Kahn called.

"Can you come up once a month, stay in the farmhouse, see what we do?" said Kenny, rather matter-of-factly. It took me about a second and a half to accept. I was in the wine industry for 16 years, but I have never worked in a winery, or experienced the inner workings of the winemaking operation. Blue Rock is no juggernaut in terms of size, yet it produces several thousand cases of wine,  and Kenny is the only full-time employee of the winery. No question that the man is a hard worker. The vineyards are another story, but not an altogether different one. The immigrant family that toils the earth for Blue Rock is an exceptional saga of its own, and I relish the opportunity to share it with you in the coming months. We agreed I would come up in January, and at least once a month from there.

I arrived at Blue Rock last week in a rented Dodge Ram 1500 with a Hemi. If I was going to live a winery life, once a month for a year, I needed a proper vehicle. Kenny greeted me in the middle of the one-way road  at the site of a broken-down tractor, getting a jump start. "That's how things go at a winery Michael, things break, they all cost a ton of money to fix, but if you don't fix them, you can't do the work." We jumped in the car (a winery appropriate Korean luxury sedan) with Laika (the ubiquitous, and immediately charming, winery dog), and headed to lunch, on a cool sunny day. We drove through the vineyards and Kenny explained some of the history of the area. We got serious tacos at a taqueria where we appeared to be the only gringos in the joint. "The place fills with vineyard workers every evening", said Kenny ripping into a bowl of outstanding and spicy salsa. He warned me the salsa had some kick, and being a native Texan, I devoured 2 to 3 chips before I allowed any heat to settle. If it was going to come, I wanted it to come hard. It did, I was sweaty, and sated.

From there we decided to drive back to Blue Rock through Dry Creek, land of Zinfandel. A farming community for a century or more, Dry Creek is now starting to show signs of powerful monied influences. All around Sonoma county there are new restaurants, lively markets, and folks clamoring for a life that simply got ignored, and left to the "locals" for a hundred years. Now, it's cool to go to wine country. Who needs a flight to Champagne, when there is so much incredible life to be lived right in the American backyard. Blue Rock is this backyard. French country in style, Memphis proud in hospitality, and decidedly American in its optimism. On our way up the stairs, back at the farmhouse, I could not help but notice the light from the carefully placed windows on the landing. The sun was setting low over the high hills in back of the estate, and it was shining a beam of warmth through the afternoon haze. I grabbed my Nikon and emphatically skipped down the stairs to see.

I had always heard that vineyards go dormant in the winter. There is nothing dormant about these lands. The mustard flowers, the essential insects, the birds, and the beautiful sunshine suggest something closer to a botanical orgy, than dormancy. I knew at that point in my day, I had made the right decision. I would tell the story of this place, and I would be better for doing it. Although I am not sure I still need the Ram truck.

Join me next week when we meet Kenny's neighbor and I sit in on the blending of the famous Blue Rock Vineyards, Baby Blue Wine.

The Italy Rules

The Gondolier

The Italy Rules are my set of guidelines for the first-time and infrequent Italy traveler. I have traveled to, lived, and worked in Italy frequently over the past 20 years. In this time I evolved from a curious tourist to hardened, salty, veteran of the trials, travails, and pitfalls, of one of the world's most visited countries. One usually dreams of Italy for years before finally setting their foot into the proverbial boot. The dream usually crashes in much less time. This post is really for the traveler who has not been deep into the Amazon or climbed to base camps in Nepal. This post is for those of you who enjoy modern conveniences, large bathrooms, and the amenities of a comfortable Western life. For the most part, I am you. I love my big bed, my central heat and air, and my very fast wi-fi connection. However, Italy is reason enough for me forego these luxuries for a few weeks or months out of every year.

One of my dearest friends is half American and half German. He is the model of organization and efficiency. He said to me just the other night that one of the reasons he loves Italy is because it is chaos. Yes, he loved the chaos, and if you have any hope of really embracing la vita Italiana you'd better be ready to embrace chaos as well. I am 100% confident there will be detractors of my post, and let them come. The information I am going to share with you here is well won. I have been down many paths of serious consternation in Italy and if you listen to me, you can likely avoid most of these, and perhaps even enjoy a bit the ones you cannot avoid.

Now, without further ado, I give you, The Italy Rules:

1. Do NOT Over-Schedule - Italians typically accomplish about 4 things per day in their lives and have a damn fine time getting from 1 to 4. Do not attempt to do more than the locals do and you will be happy. Here is what an exceptional first 2 days in Italy look like: (this is not a derogatory comment about Italians, it is praise for the art of good living)

Day 1 - Arrive in Rome - Meet your guide (you will be 100% happier than you can imagine if you hire a personal guide) Check  in Hotel or Apt -   (away from sites at least 10 min walk)- Have long lunch - see 1 site - have cocktails - eat dinner

Day 2 - have good coffee outside of hotel and nowhere near any sites - go to first site of day (perhaps the Vatican) - have very long lunch - go to another site (maybe the Borghese gallery) - walk around eating gelato at a few places  or get another coffee - rest for a bit - have cocktails (called aperitivo and usually includes little snacks and is best taken out on some street-side cafe but not in Piazza Navona, or Campo dei Fiori - go over to Monti and enjoy a glass of wine at one of the many little wine bars in that hood) - have an evening stroll in your finest travel threads - eat a wonderful dinner at around 9 PM - you won't starve if you had a proper aperitivo , and you won't look like British granny arriving too early.

2. Do NOT Over-Travel - You may think you can do all of Italy in 2 weeks, but you cannot. You may think you must see all you can because you may not come back again to Italy. If you rush from town to town, hang around tourists and touristy places, and eat shitty tourist food you may indeed not ever come back. Here is my itinerary suggestion for the first-time Italy traveler.

2 Weeks - if you can't go for two weeks, go somewhere else and save Italy for when you can make a real commitment. Italy requires commitment

Arrive Rome - follow above plan...Rome is 4 days at a minimum including arrival day so let's say 5 in total counting departure day

Florence - Now, I don't love Florence, but there are things that must be seen and frankly, if I say skip it, I will get more hate mail than I care to read. Take the train from Rome and spend 2 nights in Florence. Make sure  to book any museums, churches, and  touristic sites in advance. I have no time to give you links to all this, and half the fun of travel is planning to me, so Google how to do it, and do it. Waiting in line sucks no matter where you are. Waiting in line on an expensive Italian vacation is a hell that would make Dante cringe. Hit a couple of great sites in Florence on Day 2 then get yourself a car and drive to...

Wine Country! - Real Tuscany happens in the hills. I would take 2-3 days to do Chianti (Radda and Panzano) - Montalcino and Pienza - San Gimignano - spend 1 day exploring each of these options (do not rush and make sure to eat well)

Bologna/Parma - go here and eat all the classics like Ravioli, Tortellini, Prosciutto, Parmigiano, and Balsamic - great towns, easy to drive in and out, and not nearly the number of foreign tourists (1-2 days)

Venice - I really love things about Venice but you MUST stay away from the central tourist areas - you MUST go to the islands (take the early ferries so you can get back to Venice by 2PM lunch and avoid paying for expensive island food) See the sites as early as they open, then wander around enjoying your day while the hordes crowd around eating shitty ice cream and wearing horrible clothes. Eat lots of seafood, drink loads of wine in the wine bars everyday before dinner. Stare at the wonders of water travel before flying home.

This is in my opinion an aggressive itinerary. Any more stuff than this and you will hate it. If you plan to return to Italy then just do Rome 6 days Florence 2 Siena 2 - Tuscan Wine Country 4 :-)

10 Things to Know and Myths busted

1. Pizza in Rome is an anytime meal (lunch and snack hours best). Pizza south of Rome is generally eaten only at dinner as the ovens are not fired up until evening. There are some Rome pizzerias that serve only at night but those serve whole round pizzas. The tasty square kind served throughout the day by the slice are fun to mix and match. Order by weight and eat on the go.

2. You do not have to order every course in a restaurant. Order what you want to eat. Be adventurous. Look around you and order things you see on the tables. Pointing works if your Italian is non-existent.

3. Breakfast in Italy is not hearty unless you are staying at a nice hotel or agriturismo. If you love breakfast (like me) buy some meat and cheese at the store and shove it down before leaving your hotel each day. Then order coffee and a pastry like everyone else. (you need not order food to enjoy a great coffee if you prefer to skip the sweets)

4. Do everything you can to make sure your own telephone works in Italy. Set up an international plan on your phone and get lots of texts and data. Getting an Italian phone can be done, but visits to the phone store wastes a ton of time. Use your US phone and budget the extra $100 bucks it may add to your bill

5. Pack lightly - Italy is a small country with lots of small spaces. I can offer suggestions how to pack if you ask me directly. However, for this piece I will simply say if you bring too much to Italy, you will hate yourself, and old ladies on public transportation will hate you! My travel friends and I compete on who can bring the least shit on a trip. It's a worthy competition.

6 Hire Guides - expats, especially ones with blogs about food, wine, and life in Italy are wonderful. I can suggest guides for many regions and a little investment will go a long way to your overall success as a first-time Italy traveler.

7. Plan heavily but be flexible - Do your research and have contingencies if something sucks. If you hate Rome, leave early. If you love Radda in Chianti and want to stay an extra day..stay! An old friend always said "never leave a good party hoping the next one might be better" if the place you are is stealing your heart, then let it be stolen.

8. Cab drivers in Rome suck...really bad! use the buses, the metro, and the trains. Walk if you can and have time (and you should). If you must use a cab make sure and ask them the fare in advance...which also sucks. Driving in Rome is also pure unadulterated hell and should be avoided.

9. Italians are not circus animals and they do not want to do tricks for you. Don't ask them to twirl pizza, throw pasta against a wall, or sing some fucking folk song for your listening pleasure. Keeping this in mind, Italians can be entitled, lazy, and intentionally vague. The fact is that all people are people and generally, people prefer to do things in their own way. Respect this and yourself. Don't give or take shit.

9. Try not to dress badly, but you do not have to wear a dress or suit everywhere. Italians frequently wear ugly clothes and have bad hair like we do, they just have their own ways to do it. Hipster glasses are standard and t-shirts are common among many. However, looking like an extra from Duck Dynasty is not cool. Somewhere between Mad Men, Anderson Cooper, and Honey boo-boo should suffice.

10. Don't spit, put your feet on things, go barefoot in public (or really ever outside of the beach). Do not flip anyone off, or try to buy anyone's attention in any way at a bar, restaurant, or airport counter.

These are the Italy Rules and you must abide by them. No matter what, you will have moments that are so sublime they will hardly be done justice by your memories, just as you will have days that will just suck. Italy is slow. Italians are less and less hopeful of their country, and the monuments are starting to decay faster than they can be repaired. I believe in all of this that Italy will have its generational renaissance and will continue to be one of the finest collections of art, people, and culture on the planet.

I look forward to your comments.