Melissa and Dan

Dan Berger selections are the focus today on California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger, with Melissa Galliani special guest. Melissa was also on the show on this episode just about a couple of months ago, on Nov. 1, 2024.

Joy Sterling from Iron Horse Vineyards was due to be our guest today but at the last minute she was not available. Instead, we have a table of Dan Berger’s selections, including one from Iron Horse, for tasting and discussion. Melissa Galliani (Wine Country Radio General Manager) is also in the studio today.

Dan’s cellar wine is a 2017 St. Andrews Chardonnay which brings up the subject of the currently depressed wine market. Dan offers some reasons for it, including the plethora of other beverages that are available for drinkers. One of them is RTD which means ready-to-drink cocktails in a can.

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This Chardonnay is from Wakefield, in Clare Valley, Australia. It has a little bit of toasted hazelnut flavors, along with fruit flavors that are still strong, apple and pineapple. Wakefield also makes a Shiraz and a dry Riesling that Dan likes.

Australia consumes a lot of wine, although they are working under some restrictions on total alcohol. The Australian consumer cares about flavor profiles, which are stronger when alcohol is lower. The driving laws in Australia are also quite strict. If you can keep the alcohol below 14% you can pay 50 cents per gallon less in taxes.

The next tasting is a much y0unger wine, a 2023 Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. “Whoa! This is a whole different ball game!” says Steve. This comes from Marlborough. It has an “unbelievable” nose. It’s a little sweet but has plenty of acid. It comes from a property that Gallo purchased in New Zealand about 20 years ago.

We have seen lots of wine coming from New Zealand in the last few years, including lots of Sauvignon Blancs. Dan’s opinion is that their cold climate Pinot Noirs are the most interesting wines coming from there and they are also some of the most popular wines in the country.