from http://www.wineinvestor.com

Two months ago, before this website had its enforced hiatus, I visited the Bottle Shop of Spring Lake in New Jersey. I met with Thomas Murray III who is the President of this quintessentially family business. The charming Cynthia Murray, Thomas’ sister who covers marketing, was busy advising clients in the shop while I visited. The Bottle Shop was created by the Murray family in 1972. It has developed into a power-house of collectible and excellent drinking wines.

If Gary Vaynerchuk and WineLibrary is all about personality to drive its sales, the Bottle Shop focuses on quality and the personal service that this well-run family business symbolizes. A similarity with WineLibrary has been the move to the internet as a way of expanding the business. The Bottle Shop has just revamped its website, and it is now one of the best wine retail sites in the business.

Spring Lake is an affluent area on the beach at the North Jersey shore. Murray’s clients include vacation home owners from Massachusetts and New York. The clientele is wine savvy and interested in building collections. As a result the Bottle Shop provides Future offerings. For the 2005 Futures, Murray invested heavily in the different tranches and sold it all. He considered the 2005s a sure bet, with only the 2000s and the 1982s as comparable. Due to this investment, the Bottle Shop has been able to offer their Futures in significant quantities at some of the best prices in the country.

Bordeaux, according to Murray, is in a league of its own. Burgundies, in comparison, are difficult to source, low in volume, and have demanding clients. This knowledge has meant that the Bottle Shop has been directly sought out by the buyers from the new wine markets – Hong Kong and China. They are very focused in their buying – First Growth Bordeaux. Recently, since the 2000 vintage, Ausone has been particularly hot. Lafite is a well known darling of the East and the second labels of the First Growths are also selling well.

In other wines Murray sees in his sales a shift away from Australia and a move to high scoring Chilean / Argentinean wines and clean, crisp whites from all over. The 2004 Barolos and the top Super Tuscans are generating pockets of interest.

Murray is looking forward to the Fall, a strong selling season for his shop. Not all of the 2005s have arrived yet, and he sees no let up in the demand for them, with the complimentary sales that go along with them.

All in all the Bottle Shop is a class act, with great wines, at reasonable prices and great service.

In the footsteps of James Lipton and the Actors Studio, here are Thomas Murray’s answers to the highly amended Bernard Pivot questionnaire.

What was your first wine experience?
Remember my parents are in the business. I was given wine in a juice cup when I was ten years old. I didn’t like the taste. By the time I was nineteen I had acquired it.

What is your biggest wine turn-on?
Wines with pure, ripe fruit – not sweet. Wines that reflect their region.

What is your biggest wine turn-off?
Hot, roasted wines. Australia sometimes turn these out, and even Bordeaux occasionally.

What varietal / wine can you do without?
Gruner Veltliner. It has so-so flavor. I don’t get why these are so popular.

Which wine-site / wine-periodical are indispensable?
Wine Advocate. Parker has such an affect on the market.

What was your most sublime wine experience (bottle / event)?
Drinking a bottle of 1982 Leoville Las Cases at home with my wife, just enjoying the family, no pressure and no formal tasting.

What bottle would you most want to see in your cellar?
A range of Chateau Latour – 1990, 2003 and 2005. Having been at the Chateau and seen the wine-marking process gives these amazing wines another dimension.

What wine personality (past or present) would you like to have dinner with?
Jean-Pierre Mouiex, who was there at the start of the growth of Pomerol and was instrumental in it. I would love to hear tales of the early days. Pomerol is my favorite appellation. Jean-Pierre has two successful sons, Christian (who owns Dominus Estate and is president of the negociant house Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix) and Jean-François the administrator of Château Petrus.

When Bacchus, the god of wine, meets you at the Pearly Gates, what would you want to hear him say?
‘I’m afraid we only have Burgundies from the top vintages and the top producers’

How do I know how long to save a wine?

by Cynthia A. Murray

Aging wine definitely can be a tricky thing to figure out … here at the Bottle Shop, we are often asked about bottles of wine or Champagne that a consumer has ’saved’ for a special occassion and they are now wondering if the wine is still good.  We begin by asking them a series of questions, including how the bottle was stored, what the vintage is, and when & where did they acquire the bottle. From there, we can assess their individual situation.  This scenario usually does not end well, however, with us often saying at the end of the discussion, ‘You know what?  Just open the bottle this Tuesday night, drink it, and hopefully it’s still good.’  In the case of that cherished ‘old bottle of Dom Perignon’ that has been in the frig for 5 years, yikes.  Open it next Sunday morning with your bacon & eggs and cross your fingers that there are still bubbles in it.  They feel sad after these conversions, crying out, ‘But I saved it for sooooo… long.’  Yep.  Too long and not properly.

So, how do we prevent this from happening?  First of all, you must communicate with your wine merchant and/or do your own research about each wine you wish to save.  As you grow in your understanding & appreciation of wine, you will have a better ‘feel’ for how long to age a Bordeaux from France (5-20+ years depending on the estate), or a California Cabernet (lately it’s mostly open ‘em up and go, although 5-10 years works for most good producers), or an Italian white (do not age them!  they are best fresh and lively, so the year or so after the actual vintage), or Pinot Noir (if it’s from Burgundy and a good vintage, 5-15+ years, if it’s from California, usually open ‘em up & go).  So you get the idea.  These are general guidelines for you to follow which you can learn or ask your wine merchant.

Next, you must store the wine properly.  Ideally wine is stored at 55/56 degrees fahrenheit with good humidity.  This system can be perfected with a custom built wine cellar that has an electronic wine cooling unit (which has been installed by a professional), or with a wine storage unit (these can hold 100-400+ bottles and look like a small refrigerator).  If you are unable to do either of these things, you have other options.  My dad always kept our family’s special wines in the basement, in an adjoining room off to the side.  You do not want your wines next to the boiler.  But you do want them in a cool, slightly damp place where the temperature does not ever fluctuate drastically.  So even if your cellar is about 58/60 degrees fahrenheit all year long, it’s OK, because the temperature was steady and still cool enough.  If the same wine, for example, is stored at 56 degrees steadily for 5 years, versus a bottle of the same wine stored at 62 degrees, the latter will age (develop) more quickly than the former.  As you store wine in higher & higher temperatures, you run the risk of exposing the wine to heat shock, and this cannot be repaired by putting the wine into the proper environment.  Once the wine is ‘cooked’, it’s cooked.

If you do not have a basement in your home it will be difficult for you to store wines long-term in your home.  If you have that one special bottle or case, the only other thing we can suggest is for you to store it at the bottom of a dark closet where the temperature does not change.  Just leave it there until the wine has matured (make sure you know this ahead of time) and bring it out when it is ready and start drinking it.

Here are a few examples of wines for aging and their drinking frames.  2004 Leoville Barton from Saint Julien should be cellared until 2013 and drunk through 2025.  Pertamali Brunello 2001 should be held until 2009 and savoured until 2020.  And a beauty from Spain called Mauro Vendimia Seleccionada 2001 should be held cellared until 2010 and drunk through 2020.

How do I know what kind of wine to pair with my dinner?

by Cynthia A. Murray

I consider pairing food and wine to be a ‘practical’ art form.  And I believe that some people are better at it than others … but you can learn a few simple tricks & guidelines.  First of all, decide if you want to choose the food first, or the wine. This will help at home and in restaurants.  Often when I am out with friends, I wait for them to choose their dishes, before I decide which wine on the wine list will go with the most of the dishes chosen. Then, depending upon the number of people at the table, I may order 2 different bottles and then suggest to each person which wine matches their appetizer or entree more perfectly.

The other route is to choose the wine first, which also works really well at home, or at bring-your-own wine restaurants (which we have alot of here in Monmouth County).  If I am going to a Japanese restaurant, or eating sushi, I will choose accordingly, i.e. a dry or fruity Riesling, a nice Sparkling wine, a racy Sauvignon Blanc (especially from Loire Valley), or if my guests must have red with Japanese, I will opt for something big and juicy with very little tannin & oak – neither Cabernet Sauvignon nor Pinot Noir really go with Japanese food.  I have had better luck with fruity & spicy Rhone Valley reds or Spanish fruit bombs.

The next simple guideline to follow, is to buy wine from the region or country where the food comes from.  So, Italian wine with Italian food, French with French, American with American, Portughese with Brazilian, Spanish with Spanish, etc … you can take it farther and think about more specific regional characteristics.  For example, when I think of the South of France, I think of the foods & scents of Provence, such as Lavender, roasted tomatoes, olives and gentle spices.  Then I may choose a wonderful red wine from the neighboring region of the Rhone Valley, where the warm & lusty reds often have spicy scents, red berry fruit and olive complexities.  Or think of a Tuscan steak with roasted potatoes, and your mouth will water for a fine Brunello di Montalcino.  Or if you are eating fresh Pacific salmon, go for a gentle Oregon Pinot Noir.  You get the idea.

At the beginning as you are learning, ask your wine merchant for his/her opinion (that is, as long as they are dedicated to the art of pairing food and wine-not all of them are!  we happen to love it…).  There is nothing I like more than having a client tell me the evening’s menu and ask for my advice on what to pair with it.  It truly does make a difference in your meal, and your overall food & wine experience.  Enjoy!