PHOTO OF THE WEEK: The Northern Hemisphere 2016 harvest is in full swing.
Winemakers are monitoring the maturation of the grapes and checking for sugar
and acidity.
Some pick based upon the sugar level.
Some consider the acid levels and like to pick before the acidity drops too low.
In California winemakers cannot add sugar to the juice if the must (the
unfermented juice is called "must") lacks the desired level of
sweetness. They can, though, make adjustments to the level of
acidity. And many winemakers do this.
But sugar and acidity are not the entire story.
Having a crop level which provides flavorful grapes is, or should be, the goal.
Unfortunately, many vineyards are cultivated for quantity at the expense of
quality.
You'll always hear "winemaking starts in the vineyard."
And though this is a tired bromide, it is true.
Grapes devoid of character cannot make a profound wine.
And if a wine is not of good quality, we don't want it.
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We tasted quite a range of wines this week.
One Napa winemaker, pouring his wine at a trade tasting, proudly crowed that his
Chardonnay "is made in a Burgundian style."
It's 14.7% alcohol on the label, so it could be even higher than 15%!
We cannot think of any Burgundies clocking it at that octane level.
The critics all love it, apparently, and they do describe it as being
reminiscent of Grand Cru White Burgundies.
Ha!
Our SF tasting group evaluated Grenache wines this week...We found a nifty
bottle from Washington's Yakima Valley, so that may be in the shop soon.
Also found a lovely example of Vermentino from Sardegna and that is in stock.
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There are some good bottles open in our wine tasting room. The list has been
updated, so stop by and check it out.
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Had a nice
mention in the Wall Street Journal story about wine store signage: CLICK
HERE
*******************
Did you see the article in the local newspaper, by the way? CLICK
HERE.
"Quality first" is our mantra. As professional wine scouts, we navigate the vast ocean of
offerings to find exceptional wines and exceptional values. We look
for good wines which have "soul." Given that so many
consumers are willing to settle for mainstream, mass-produced wines, our
selections often come from off-the-beaten path locales and, we suppose,
are not for everyone. But if you have taste for good wines, stop by
the shop! They start at about five bucks and go up from there. We take the guess-work out of buying wine. By the way, the four of us here are not "on commission."
Some stores offer incentives for the sales staff. We work for you!
SOME
PEOPLE KNOW THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING AND THE VALUE OF NOTHING We are
dinosaurs in the wine business. Weimax has been open since 1961
and Gerald has been in the business long enough to remember when young,
upstart wineries such as Caymus and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars opened
their doors and charged all of $3.75 a bottle for Napa Cabernet!
If you buy wine because it has a cute label or was given a 90-point
score by someone, we're probably not your wine outlet.
If you think you're really getting a deal buying a second bottle of some
over-priced plonk for a nickel, we're probably not your wine outlet.
If you're impressed by a huge selection featuring hundreds of
factory-made wines of mediocre quality, we're probably not your wine
outlet.
If you think you're really getting a deal at the grocery store with
inflated prices on their wine to give you a hefty percentage discount,
we're probably not your wine outlet.
On the other hand...
If you like wines made by the winemaker and not marketing department
geniuses, we have some interesting bottlings for you.
If you're looking for wines which "taste more expensive" than
they cost, we have many discoveries to share with you.
If you're interested in broadening your enological horizons, stop by and
have a chat!
If you're a fan of wines "made for adult" palates, please
visit us...
This site is a "work in progress." It is updated regularly.
We are wine lovers and write this for wine lovers.
We offer a large selection of wines for
tasting
Monday through Saturday in The Tasting Room. We also
organize formal, blind-tasting comparisons. There is a growing archive of
tasting results, so you might check that out while you're viewing this site. Click
Here To Take A Peek of the Tasting Results
Those
of legal drinking age are welcome to peruse this site.
We
Taste Before Buying.
We do not purchase wines on the
basis of favorable reviews by various publications.
If you're looking for numerical scores of wines, you won't find them
here.
Unlike about 98% of Wine Shop sites, we write our own copy based on
personal opinion and first-palate tastings. This is a
Parker-Free and Wine Spectator-Free Zone.
We hope this site will encourage you to
stop by our shop and peruse the incredible selection of wines in store.
We make every effort to assure the accuracy of availability and pricing, but as
we are only human....
SHIPPING
AVAILABLE
ALONG THE WEST COAST.
$9 for the Box (12 bottles) , $23 for UPS. $5
handling per box for gift orders.
No Shipments to Utah, Massachusetts or New Jersey, please.
Additional Fine Print:
Non-California residents are responsible for determining whether they may
lawfully import alcoholic beverages into their state. We make no representation
relative to your right to import wine or spirits into your state. Each state has
its own rules about alcoholic beverages. Better check before calling us with an
order.
We are not responsible for shipments damaged due to weather. Next day air
or 2nd Day Air shipments are routinely handled with more care, so you may wish
to request those services.
We are not responsible for the weather (like, duh!), so shipments to places with
extreme temperatures are a risk. We will not assume that risk.
FREE
TASTE
PICHON LALANDE'S
RESERVE DE LA COMTESSE 2012
Today's "Secret Words"
are "MAY ELIANE."
May Eliane de Lenquesaing ran Pichon Lalande for several decades and
made some stellar wines. Today the estate is owned by the Roederer
Champagne company and some vintages are extraordinary.
Gerald ranked the 2012 Reserve de la Comtesse as his first place wine in
a recent blind-tasting of 2012 Bordeaux.
Mention May's name when you stop by and we'll pour you a sip of the
2012 Reserve de la Comtesse.
Small
Print: One free taste per household...one free taste of a
particular wine per person.
You must be 21+ years of age.
HEY! We were listed amongst Food & Wine Magazine's 125
"Favorites" in the October 2003 Issue.
Thanks, Food & Wine!
For: General Information, Comments, Queries, etc.,
Contact the Chief Cook & Bottle Washer, Web-Mister & Wine Meister. gerald@weimax.com
WEIMAX WINES & SPIRITS
1178 Broadway
Burlingame CA 94010
We built this site
ourselves using Microsoft's Front Page.
We "upgraded" to a new Microsoft program called Expressions...big
mistake!
While FrontPage was intended for novices, the new program is
intended for "experts" and programmers. Most "experts"
we know
view Microsoft with derision, much like wine drinkers look downCCCCCCCCA
their noses at Gallo.
Now we know why.
We have been informed that
Netscape's Navigator doesn't present this format quite exactly as it is
intended. Sorry about that. We have also noticed it appears
differently on our browser than it appears as we've built it! Go figure...
"UNCLE BOB" GORMAN 1937-2012
Bob was in reasonably good shape in his later years.
In 2012 he had a bout of Bells Palsy in late Spring...
In early November he had a "dizzy spell" but said the hospital tests
were all fine.
Two weeks later he apparently suffered a stroke or seizure and ended up in the
hospital.
A series of further setbacks ensued and Bob passed away on Thanksgiving Day of
2012.
He was a bon vivant, world traveler and gourmand.
He appreciated art and photography, was a mushroom hunter and good cook and genial
host.
Bob wrote a book on California wine in the 1970s, a series of nice essays on
various varietals, with commentary on various wines and various food affinities.
Bob was especially proud that his book had been panned by The Wine Spectator,
while garnering good reviews from Gourmet Magazine's wine guru, Gerald Asher.
Julia Child also had been a fan of Bob's book, apparently.
He is greatly missed by Weimax regulars and his colleagues behind the counter in
the shop.
******
Jon Bonne, of the San Francisco Chronicle, wrote a nice article on
"old" wine books.
The March 2014 article featured a photo of a bunch of Jon's favorites, topped by
Bob's tome.
"Quality first" is our mantra.
TO
INQUIRE ABOUT A WINE: