Sips & Swallows From

Around The Wine World

I’d like to take a brief look at some of the more noteworthy happenings in the world of wine that you may have missed on your local news.

1. The burst of popularity for Pinot Noir has resulted in two predictable results.

First, many of the most popular Pinot Noirs have sold out of their current vintages. Because the availability of the wine is based on the supply of grapes, it will take a couple of vintages for the supply of Pinot Noir to catch up with the demand.

In the meantime, do not be afraid to try a Pinot Noir from a different winery. One of the most enjoyable aspects of wine is the incredible diversity of flavors found in different bottles.

Second, you can probably expect to pay a little more for that bottle of Pinot Noir. Economics 101 teaches us that increased demand often results in rising prices.

2. The recent Supreme Court decision on the interstate shipment of wine applied only to the states of New York and Michigan. How this ruling will affect Connecticut and wine sales in general is still an open question.

It was certainly a defeat for the status quo of wine sales having to go through a distributor and a retailer before arriving on the wine drinker’s table, however.

3. I have recently had the pleasure of tasting quite a few tasty and inexpensive wines from Spain. Many new wine regions in Spain have begun exporting wines to the United States at very attractive prices.

The regions of Toro, Calatayud, Rueda and Jumilla, as well as the grapes called Garnacha, Monastrell and Verdejo are names that should be remembered. The wines are perfect for summer barbecues.

4. More and more wines are appearing with screw caps. Baby boomers who have always equated screw caps with cheap, sweet wine will have to change their perceptions.

The closure on the top of the bottle has little to do with the quality of the wine in the bottle.

Recently Tasted & Recommended: 2004 Las Brisas.

This is a Spanish white blend of Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc that delivers bright fruit flavors.

(Newtown resident and wine enthusiast Steve Small is the general manager at Yankee Wine & Spirits on Queen Street.)