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Amber Dhara - Hindi Sony TV Serial April 21st to 24th Videos Online and Download Dhara - Hindi Sony TV Serial April 21st to 24th Videos Online and Download Amber Dhara is based on the life of conjoined twins named Amber and Dhara. The sisters share the vital organ liver who are conjoined at the hip. 20% of the liver is a part of Amber?s body and the remaining 80%, a part of Dhara?s body which rules out the possibility of a surgery being carried out to separate the twins without any fatality being involved in the process. The surgeon When Lata the twin?s mother, co
Sony?s ?Amber Dhara? inspired by Canadian twins By Subhash K. Jha, Mumbai, Apr 22: Rubbishing rumours that Sony TV?s ?Amber Dhara? program most the chronicle and tears of joint twins is borrowed from Jaya Bachchan?s endeavor ?Laali-Leela?, its fictive administrator Siddharth Tiwari says the rousing was a unify of river twins. ?My fictive relation Vikas man and I hadn?t modify heard of ?Laali-Leela? when we definite to attain ?Amber Dhara?. We went to wager the endeavor after we wrote the soap,? Tiwari told IANS. ?We did comprehensive inve
Amber Dhara might end soon Dhara might end soon Posted: April 3rd, 2008 by Kasturi Amber Dhara, the story on the first ever conjoined twins on television might end soon. Kashmira Irani and Sulagna Panigrahi may soon be free of each other. The Amber Dhara girls who could not be seen in public without each other need not worry as the conjoined twins saga may end soon.The buzz is that 25th April is the last day. When we spoke to Sanjay Upadhyay, Head of Fiction, Sony Entertainment Television, he denied the end news, b
Amber Dhara - Hindi Sony TV Serial March 31st to April 3rd Vidoes Dhara - Hindi Sony TV Serial March 31st to April 3rd Vidoes Amber Dhara is based on the life of conjoined twins named Amber and Dhara. The sisters share the vital organ liver who are conjoined at the hip. 20% of the liver is a part of Amber?s body and the remaining 80%, a part of Dhara?s body which rules out the possibility of a surgery being carried out to separate the twins without any fatality being involved in the process. The surgeon When Lata the twin?s mother, consults surgeon,
Amber Dhara - Hindi Sony TV Serial March 24th to March 27th Vidoes Dhara - Hindi Sony TV Serial March 24th to March 27th Vidoes Amber Dhara is based on the life of conjoined twins named Amber and Dhara. The sisters share the vital organ liver who are conjoined at the hip. 20% of the liver is a part of Amber?s body and the remaining 80%, a part of Dhara?s body which rules out the possibility of a surgery being carried out to separate the twins without any fatality being involved in the process. The surgeon When Lata the twin?s mother, consults surgeon
the channel are playing blame games channel are playing blame games Posted: March 6th, 2008 by Kasturi Apparently, while the channel?s programming team wanted to incorporate some changes in the story, the producers were adamant about having it their own way. In fact, the producers wanted to take over the story, scripting and casting of new characters entirely, without consulting the creative team of the channel. Amber Dhara?s sagging TRPs may lead to the most clichd twist in the tale - the separation of the twins. Off-screen,
Sudesh Berry play a grey role Berry play a grey role Posted: February 21st, 2008 by Kasturi We caught up with Sudesh for a frank tete tete on the show and his career. Sudesh Berry who made his mark in movies like Vansh and Ghayal, returns to TV as Amber and Dhara?s long lost father. Here is a chit-chat with the versatile actorGiven the relatively low TRPs of the saga of conjoined Amber Dhara, the creatives have decided to add some spice by introducing the long lost father of the twins. Renowned TV and film actor Sude
My Role in Amber Dhara? Role in Amber Dhara? Posted: February 5th, 2008 by Kasturi I play the role of Kunal who is visually challenged and a band leader. This is a very different character as I don?t walk with the stick. I also have a strong sixth sense. Besides that I do all the work that normal men can do. He is going to help Amber Dhara in achieving their dream. I am paired opposite Dhara as her love interest and may be in future I?ll get back my eyesight.I had done proper homework?I went to a blind school and i
What?s next? So I always used to say that India will eventually run out of ideas. Now, most of us know that Bollywood tends to copy Hollywood, but what happens when Hollywood is stuck in a trend of sequels and remakes? Well to some extent, India follows suit. With remakes such as Don (2006) and sequels like Dhoom 2 (2006), Bollywood has backed itself into a corner of creativity where the future is going to be very, very interesting. I mean, they?re making a sequel to Mr. India! C?mon now. This past year, w
AD - 25 December Writtern Update Dhara are talking in a room and saying that they need to gain respect, not pity from people and to achieve that, they need to start working. They start looking for work from the newspaper and call. They achieve nothing and Amber is sad and says that the saying "When one door closes, another door opens" doesn't apply to them. Just then, they receive a phone call from Mr. Khanna about a singing performance and Amber is happy. After the phone call, Mr. Khanna calls up Sonya and tells her t
Amber Dhara 19th Dec part 1 AmD19Dec.wmv part 2 p2amb.wmv part 3 amb3.wmv art 4 amb4.wmv
HELP!and new site am new here and a big fan of amber dhara but i need people to get me friends and if u want u can go on ww.india-forum.com
AD - 13 December Writtern Update repectionist confirms that there is no Mr.Narayan here. Amber asks her to confirm as she says that we just met him. Rep. again assures her that there is no Narayan. Dhara gets a shock and starts saying that how can he do that? He took our money and and said he's ready to do our Demo CD. Amber then understands everything and asks her to leave the place. They wont find that man here at all now. Dhara is yet in a shock and shouts that what about our money? Is this a joke?? Amber shouts back at
Amber Dhaara - 12 December Writtern Update r sitting on da sofa n amber says d now we shud quit our idea to amke a demo cd dhara says amber sorry cuz doing job was my idea n we faced so much suddenly akshat comes n says theres other ways too u take da money from me n make da cd to dat amber says we cant take ur money cuz its our struggle n life has given us another chance so we cant afford to loose it so akshat says fine take it as a loan when u become a big star repay it back with interest n smiles n amber denies door bell is heard n
Itching to try the latest flavor rage in wine coolers? It came to my attention recently that many people don?t know that wine coolers are simply flavored malt liquor. It surprises me even more that that info itself doesn?t seem to mean much to many people. What?s wrong with pina colada flavored malt liquor wine coolers? Well, nothing, unless you want to drink more than one or two. If you?re anything like me, more than one or two wine coolers will leave you with hangover symptoms later on that day or the next.
If you really want a strawberry daiquiri or pina colada, why not just buy the fixings to make those mixed drinks? Of course if you?re on a budget it?s probably better to just buy the wine coolers. But if you?re planning a big party or otherwise have a bigger drink budget, I strongly suggest making your own mixed drinks rather than buy a huge lot of wine coolers. Malt liquor is notorious for producing headaches and all the other hangover symptoms.
Mixed drinks don?t have to be all that expensive to make either. If you plan ahead a little you can decide on a few different mixed drinks to have on hand at your next party and save some money by using the same base liquor. For example, rum is a great liquor for fruity drinks. Pina coladas, daiquiris and many other drinks call for rum, so that?s a great standby as far as liquors for mixing go. And of course vodka is a good all round liquor that can make many types of less fruity drinks. So, a trip to the liquor store to purchase a bottle of vodka and a bottle of rum will yield all kinds of mixed drink options.
There are some excellent bartender and drink mixing websites out there that can help you make the most of your next mixed drinks occasion. There are even websites where you can input all the ingredients you have on hand and it will spit out a list of drinks that you can make. Webtender.com is just such a site. Go to http://www.webtender.com/cgi-bin/imbselect to input your available ingredients. Chances are you?ll be surprised to discover all the possible drink combinations using only the ingredients you have on hand.
What a great idea! Although it's been open for more than a year, I just learned of California's first chocolate tasting bar, Wine Country Chocolates. As befits a chocolatier in wine country, Wine Country Chocolates makes their own chocolates, many with wine as an ingredient. Offerings include such items as Cab-infused ganache truffles and wine bottle-shaped molded treats, all made without preservatives or additives. Patrons can also dip fresh fruit into a chocolate fountain. It just might be a reason to make a trip to California wine country (like I need a reason).
Wine Country Chocolates is located in Jack London Village shopping center, 14301 Arnold Dr., Glen Ellen, CA.
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This is a snack we enjoyed when my son Chris was visiting last week. He worked hard on editing a photo for me for the LiveSTRONG With A Taste Of Yellow round up. I was really pleased with the final result and felt he deserved to be rewarded with some of his favourite foods. Visit on the 13th May to see how clever he is.
Having smuggled, er, legally transported wine in my checked luggage across country borders many times, BottleWise is a ?D?OH, why didn?t I think of this first!? kinda thing.
My usual modus operandi for carrying wine in my suitcase is to double-bag the wine bottles in the finest grocery store plastic, twist-tie them twice for maximum liquid retention, then roll ?em up in a pair of jeans or sweatpants or heavy sweatshirt for optimum shock absorption. Except for one unfortunate casualty (I saw my suitcase drop off the belt from the plane?s baggage door onto the tarmac, after which the gorilla, er, baggage handler heaved it 10 feet into the cart transport), this method has worked flawlessly over the years.
With BottleWise, they?ve taken my proven method and spruced it up a bit. When opened, the bag houses two separate compartments, each compartment holds one 750ml bottle in an airtight plastic sleeve. When folded and secured, the bag measures approx 16? x 11? x 5?, which is about the equivalent of two bottles rolled up in a pair of XL sweatpants. (BTW ? I?m not an XL. I like my clothes baggy, okay!) According to the manufacturer, ?In case of breakage, the airtight sleeve(s) keeps wine from spilling into your suitcase and ruining your underthings.? (Hmm, pinot-scented panties? never mind.)
We wanted to test BottleWise appropriately, but with our limited travel budget (did I mention that we accept free press trips), we had to improvise. We filled each plastic sleeve with 750ml of water, then threw the bag abound a bit. Then, ?cause we were bored, we ?Myth Busted? its ass and threw it out of a second story window just to see what would happen. Nothing! It held perfectly.*
BottleWise also comes with a shoulder strap should you desire to wear it as a fashion accessory. There are two models: The Duo and the Duo Plus. Colors for the Duo range from black to, er, black. (Hey, it worked for Henry Ford.) If you order the Duo Plus, you get more color choices ? Burgundy and Cork. Cork?s a color? Who knew. Personally, I?m waiting for the screwcap color.
Costs: BottleWise Duo - $49 BottleWise Duo Plus - $59
A recent stopover in LA had me dining with the one and only Dr. Conti. I can safely say that reports of his demise are greatly exaggerated, and that there are still a few jewels left in the cellar. Quite a few. We were joined by the Burghound, always on the scent of the best [...]
2004 Riesling Little bit of briar, mango and some florals. Good punch to the palate and good length with just a bit of sweetness. 89/100
2004 Charcoal Joe Chardonnay Soft nose, some butter and spice. Very creamy mouthfeel with good flavour persistence and good structure. 89/100
2003 Jackson Barry Pinot Noir Powerful nose of spice, cherry and pepper. Bit soft and lacking character on the palate though. Lingers slightly but only lightly. 85/100
2004 Jackson Barry Pinot Noir Cherry and violet nose with a bit of earth. Palate shows better depth and intensity than the 2003 version. Very good. 88/100
Carrick
2006 Sauvignon Blanc Crisp nose with some mango and herbs. Palate has some texture to it and there is length and persistence. 88/100
2006 Riesling Musky, floral and perfume to the nice nose. Palate bursts with flavour. Nice length and structure. 90/100
2004 Chardonnay Big nose, meal, butter and some funky characters. Palate shows lots of intensity but not a lot of complexity. 87/100
2006 Pinot Gris Lychee, apple, limes on the nose. Crisp palate with a hint of fruit sweetness. Enjoyable. 89/100
2005 Unravelled Pinot Noir Red berries, rhubarb and spice. Light fruit driven palate. 86/100
2004 Pinot Noir Funky, spice and earthy nose. Palate suffers a bit from what seems like too much oak and also tastes a bit confected. 84/100
Wooing Tree
2006 Rose Pale pink. Some cherry to the nose. Palate is really lacking in any flavour except for some sweetness. 82/100
2005 Pinot Noir Full on nose, a bold style with blackberry and spice. Very intense fruit on the palate as well. Starts to look a bit like cool climate Shiraz rather than Pinot Noir. Good if that is the style you are looking for. 87/100
Desert Heart
2005 Pinot Noir Strawberry nose. Palate is soft and there isn’t much of interest. 86/100
2005 Spencer Block Pinot Noir Intense Cherry Ripe nose. Boisterous palate, too overblown for my taste with the oak and massive fruit concentration. 86/100
2002 Pinot Noir Tight nose, some sulphur characters and maybe some earth. Fine tannins on the palate. Too closed in to find much to enjoy right now. 86/100
Lamont
2005 Dry Riesling Minerals and gunflint. Palate is dry as promised, but boring. 85/100
2006 Classic Off-Dry Riesling Lychee and tropical fruit on the nose. Acid doesn’t carry the sweetness on the palate well enough and it finishes short. 83/100
2006 Pinot Gris The ultimate in bland. No carry to the palate. 81/100
2005 Pinot Gris Steely nose, some green characters. Palate is viscous, there is a bit of alcohol on the finish. 85/100
2005 Pinot Noir Elegant and restrained style but it doesn’t have the depth or interest on the palate for me. 86/100
2005 Pinot Noir Violets, spice and cherry to the nose. Palate is decent, clean and bright with some structure for aging over the next 5 years. 87/100
Kawarau
2006 Sauvignon Blanc Passionfruit and tropical fruit nose. The palate shines with intensity of flavour. Pretty good. 88/100
2006 Pinot Gris Lightly scented nose. Palate is soft and lacks anything to get excited over. 85/100
2004 Reserve Chardonnay Butter and spicy, nutty oak with some wild character. Good mouthfeel, round without being broad. Good for the style. 88/100
2004 Reserve Pinot Noir Earth and lots of dark cherry character. Savoury palate, with good tannins and structure. Needs some time to shine. 88/100
Quartz Reef
NV Chauvet Sparkling Oyster shells, apples and grape aromas. Palate is fresh but with 0 depth, really driven by acid alone. This doesn’t speak to me at all. 83/100
2002 Chauvet Sparkling Apple pie aromas on the nose. Palate is like apple juice. Length is disappointing. 83/100
2006 Pinot Gris Melon and musk. The palate is quite good, bright fruit but with some depth to it. 88/100
2005 Pinot Noir Perfumed violet nose with some bright fruit supporting. Palate is good as well, with some structure and interesting texture. 88/100
Chard Farm
2006 Rabbit Range Pinot Gris Bit of alcohol showing on the nose. Palate has fruit sweetness but isn’t very interesting. 86/100
2004 Closeburn Chardonnay Elegant nose with some straw and citrus. The palate is taut and very well structured. Balanced and clearly very good. 90/100
2005 Pinot Noir Pepper and spices with some black cherry character. Good balance on the palate. Quite nice. 88/100
2005 The Viper Pinot Noir Elegant, perfumed nose with rose petals, cherry, smoke and well integrated oak. Palate is delicious, savoury fruit with great length. A real stand out of the day. 92/100
Torr Estate
2006 Riesling Floral and kiwi fruited nose. Nice restraint to the palate, some residual sugar that is balanced nicely by the acid. Good length and intensity of flavour. 89/100
2005 Pinot Noir Dominated by stewy and medicinal aromas. A shame as the palate is quite nicely balanced. 85/100
Mount Edward
2006 Riesling Floral nose. Touch of sweetness to the palate. Not a lot of character. 86/100
2006 Drumlin Riesling Delicate nose, with minerals and steel, could be mistaken for German Riesling on the nose. Good flavour to the palate, the balance is spot on. The only downside is a slightly spritzy character, without that the rating would have been higher. 88/100
2004 Sauvignon Blanc Herbs and asparagus. Palate seems a bit flabby. 83/100
2004 Earths End Pinot Noir Sweet cherry nose. Confected character comes through on the palate. Lacks structure. 84/100
2004 Pinot Noir Tightly wound nose, seems ready but waiting to explode. Palate is nice, but a bit too linear. 87/100
Wild Earth
2006 Pinot Gris Good floral lift to the nose. Palate is too sweet with not enough acid. 84/100
2005 Riesling Nose doesn’t offer up much character. Palate has some residual sugar but it is well handled by the acid. A bit too simple to be better than nice. 86/100
2003 Blind Trail Pinot Noir Cherry and kirsch on the nose. Palate suffers from a serious lack of depth, though it is balanced otherwise. 86/100
2004 Pinot Noir Earth and funky, gamey characters on the nose. Good amount of fruit on the palate, but it feels linear and one dimensional. 86/100
Rockburn
2005 Sauvignon Blanc Herbal on the nose and palate. Good length, but the herbs dominate too much for my taste. 86/100
2005 Riesling Honeysuckle and other floral characters. Balanced palate with good length. Falls into the off-dry category I think. 88/100
2003 Chardonnay Honey and some noticeable but not over the top oak on the nose. Good length to the palate. A delicate style. 88/100
2003 Pinot Noir Floral, musk and spice aromas. Fruit drives the palate with a bit of oak providing support. Nice early drinking Pinot. 87/100
Cycling the Tour de France has been likened to running 20 marathons in 20 days. I?m pretty sure I couldn?t run one marathon in 20 days.
Yet there I was, under the blistering sun of Provence, slowly pedaling my way up one of the most dreaded, soul-crushing climbs of last year?s Tour: Mont Ventoux. What lured me to that beast of a hill was a longing to do more than just watch the Tour de France. I wanted to experience the Tour de France. I yearned to ride the very roads that, just hours later, would be chewed up by Lance Armstrong, Laurent Jalabert and Joseba Beloki. I wanted to white-knuckle it down the same hairpin turns, and be cheered on by the giddy spectators who?d camped out for days, waiting for that colorful tsunami of Spandex to speed by. Basically, I hungered for a taste of what the world?s most grueling sporting event really felt like.
That?s what landed me, my husband and 13 others on a Tour de France cycling trip with Backroads, an adventure travel company. The plan was to follow the last third of the three-week race as the riders whizzed their way past the lavender fields of Provence, up the mythical Alps and down the cobblestoned Champs-Elysées in Paris. Along the way, we?d stay in four-star hotels, consume obscene amounts of French fare and work off those calories by cycling 40 to 60 miles a day (except during the trip?s three rest days). We?d get to bike some of the most memorable segments of Tour de France routes. We?d also tackle short sections of last year?s course, a torturous 2,032-mile journey.
?How hard can this be?? I naively wondered as I sat on my couch, lazily thumbing through a Backroads catalog. ?It?s not like we?re doing the whole Tour. Just part of it.?
But that ?part? happened to be the part with the mountains. Big, colossal, mammoth mountains.
Even so, I saw this as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If the prognosticators were right, I?d be witnessing Lance Armstrong pedal his way into the history books, becoming the first American ever to win six Tours. I?d be right there, literally, on Armstrong?s road to victory. Mountains, shmountains, I reassured myself. I?m 34 years old; I take spinning classes. I?ll be just as good as anyone else on the Backroads trip.
I knew I miscalculated that last part as soon as I got a glimpse of the other Backroads travelers. Most of the men?s legs were shaved closer than mine. This meant there was either a disproportionate number of transvestites on the trip, or these were some serious cyclists. It turned out to be the latter, which meant my husband and I were destined to play the role of lanterne rouge, the red lantern that hangs from the back of a train. It?s Tour-speak for ?the slowpokes.?
But unlike the Tour, this was a vacation, not a competition. At least that?s what I kept telling myself as I crawled up Mont Ventoux, which I think is French for ?makes you curl up in a ball and cry for Mommy.? The 6,273-foot mountain juts out of the Provençal landscape like a giant tumor; and this tumor is anything but benign. Comedian and cycling aficionado Robin Williams summed it up this way: ?Even the mountain goats don?t like it.?
Ventoux is a relentlessly steep 13-mile climb to the barren, lunar-like summit, where exhausted British cyclist Tom Simpson keeled over and died during the 1967 Tour. As I started to wonder if the same fate might await me, a burly Frenchman with a moustache as big as my handlebars decided I needed a little pep talk.
?Allez! Allez!? he repeatedly shouted in my ear as I crept up the mountain in granny gear. My French friend was telling me to ?Go! Go!? which was what I wished he would do, since sweat was stinging my eyes, my legs felt like the beleaguered stage during ?Riverdance? and the last thing I wanted was a hairy cheerleader.
But his words pushed me on, if only to put a little more distance between me and his Burgundy-infused breath.
I?d hear the ?Allez! Allez!? refrain countless more times from the throngs of onlookers who?d staked out their spot on the mountain, waiting for the Tour to wheel by in a few hours. Folks like me were merely the warm-up act.
We all know the French are very good at some things (food) and not so good at others (war). But they?re extremely adept at the high art of tailgating. When they weren?t rooting on amateur cyclists like me, they killed time by sipping wine, nibbling on brie and baguettes, playing cards and painting riders? names on the street.
At my heady speed of 4 mph, I had ample time to witness all of these pre-race festivities. It became clear that, to the French, the Tour is much more than a sporting event. It, like Jerry Lewis, is a cultural phenomenon. Unlike Jerry, it?s easy to understand the Tour?s appeal. This is a race packed with more drama than a Jerry Springer show, and with at least as much potential for bloodshed. Catastrophic crashes. Drug raids. Cheating. Smack talking. Not to mention jaw-dropping displays of athleticism. It?s hard to imagine just how much pain these guys put themselves through until you?ve sampled some of it firsthand.
Mont Ventoux is a kick-in-the-teeth climb, even when you?re cycling it with fresh legs like we were. But the Tour racers had logged 120 miles that day before broaching the base of Ventoux. And they still managed to go up it faster than I went down it. How?s that for an ego-deflater?
It truly is a humbling experience to watch more than 150 Tour riders sail up the very road you just cycled. They make it look so easy. But your burning quads and aching back remind you that it?s not.
I thought cycling Ventoux would leave me too exhausted to cheer on the racers. But one glimpse of that Texan wearing the coveted yellow leader?s jersey had the effect of a dozen espressos. There he was. Lance Armstrong ? cancer survivor, cyclist extraordinaire ? about an arm?s length away from me, plowing up the very mountain that made my legs feel like overcooked fettuccine. Despite being chased by a pack of cyclists who wanted nothing more than to strip that golden jersey off his back and feed it to him in tiny pieces, he looked more serene than I do in a bubble bath.
Other racers gulped oxygen like frat boys chug beer. But Armstrong seemed to be barely breathing while he pumped his pedals like pistons. I knew I was watching an über-athlete in action. I had a front row seat at the Tour de Lance, and I?d earned it. At the top of my overworked lungs, I shouted the words I?d once heard from a wise, mustachioed Frenchman: ?Allez! Allez!?
Leelanau Cellars markets this unique spiced wine as Witches’ Brew around Halloween, but let me assure you that it is a great wine to have on hand throughout the winter. This wine has two labels, the Halloween one (Witches Brew) and the label for the rest of the year, simply named Leelanau Cellars Spiced Wine.
If you’re looking for something fun and unique to bring to a holiday party this year, this is your wine! This wine is best served heated! Simmer in a pot over low heat until it is warm (the temperature of a witches’ tongue, if you’re celebrating Halloween). This spiced wine should not be served with dinner, but rather as dessert, with some good, dark chocolate. I suppose it could also be good before dinner, while folks are still arriving to the party. It would make a great ice-breaker!
Witches Brew is obviously a sweet wine, with aromas of cinnamon and cloves. It has very different characteristics when heated vs. room temperature. Try both!
Rating: 9/10 — Truly unique! Price: $5.99 Where can I get it? Many places in Michigan carry this wine, especially around the holidays. I found it at Meijer. You could always visit the Leelanau Cellars north of Traverse City to stock up!
If you're not a subscriber to The Wine Front you don't get to see the reviews that are added to the site on most days. In the past seven days the following wines have been reviewed in the Subscriber Only section of this website.
All Saints Estate Chardonnay Viognier 2006 All Saints Estate Family Cellar Marsanne 2006 All Saints Estate Sangiovese Cabernet 2006 All Saints Estate Shiraz 2006 All Saints Estate Durif 2006 All Saints Estate Family Cellar Durif 2006 Aradon Rioja 2006 Casa Santos Lima Quinta Das Setencostas 2005 d'Arenberg Galvo Garage Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Petit Verdot 2006 Dog Point Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay 2006 Dog Point Vineyard Marlborough pinot Noir 2006 Dog Point Vineyard Marlborough Section 94 2006 Grapes of RossBarossaValley Black Rose Shiraz 2006 Grapes of Ross Barossa Valley Old Bush Vine Grenache 2006 Henry Pelle Menetou Salon 2006 Les Nuages Organic Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2006 LethbridgeGeelong Shiraz 2005 Longview Adelaide Hills Devils Elbow Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Maison Champy Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2005 MountHorrocksClareValley Shiraz 2005 Piana del Sole Salento Negroamaro 2004 Postcode 2320 Reserve Shiraz 2004 Postcode 2587 Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Punt Road Yarra Valley Shiraz 2005 Punt Road Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Rymill Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Scorpiiion Barossa Valley Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2006 Scorpiiion Barossa Valley Shiraz 2006 Scorpiiion Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 The Berrio Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Torbreck Barossa The Struie Shiraz 2006 Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 1995 Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 1996 Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 1997 Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 1999 Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 1998 Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 2001 Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 2002 Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 2003 Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 2004 Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 2005 Tramin Alto Adige Pinot Grigio 2006 Villa terlina Gradale Barbera d’Asti 2004 ($35) VoyagerEstateMargaretRiver Cabernet Merlot 2004
There are lots of things going on in my life these days. Very busy times. But for now, its a good busy…
My second daughter is due any week now (officially March 4th, but the last Dr visit said the baby was already 6 lbs and Kelly is petite so she won’t be in there too much longer…).
In my life I find I draw inspiration from many places. Usually my family and friends. A few weeks ago the wine community inspired me. I’m hatching an idea. I’ve spoken to a few of you about it and I’ll more than likely speak to a few more. But for now, I’ll use the pages of WLT to chronicle what I’m doing with my idea and its evolution.
Its amazing the what the meshing of a passion with a profession can accomplish. Its a powerful thing when that gets match with inspiration.
People want to have fun when they go out to dinner. Jorge Eduardo Castillo suggests some creative ways to provide his guests an unexpectedly fun experience.
FishEye Merlot caught my eye at the supermarket yesterday when trying to find a good cheap wine to pair with my pasta and chicken dinner.
Nice and fruity, I think the strongest aroma was plum. This wine was a good match to my dinner, and a good value for $5.89. I’d like to try their Cab one of these days.
This week I'm focusing on a pair of organic wines to highlight the increasingly wide range of options consumers have if they want to drink wine that has been made with organic grapes.
There was a time when wines made with organic grapes were difficult to find, but that is certainly not true any more. In fact, you are probably drinking wine made with organic grapes and not even realizing it. One of the things that has struck me is that some wines don't identify themselves as using organic grapes on their labels.
One of the reasons for this may be that current regulations require that a wine labeled "Organic" must not only be made with organic grapes, there must be no added sulfites. Sulfites are added to wines to help stabilize them for shipping and storage, so it's pretty hard to find a wine that is "Organic." It's far more common to find a wine that is made "with organic grapes." If you look at the tiny type at the bottom of the Jeriko label, you will see that it indicates that organic grapes were used. Wines labeled in this fashion have been made with certified organic fruit, but do have sulfites added for stability. If you want to find out more about organic wine, visit the Organic Wine Company and read up on their notes regarding how wines are classified.
My latest recommendation for a white wine made with certified organic grapes is the 2005 Jeriko Estate Chardonnay. ($19.99, WineQ) Jeriko Estate now uses only certified, organically grown grapes in their wines, all of which are grown in vineyards in Mendocino County. This was a creamy chardonnay that gets its body from partial malolactic fermentation in oak, and its crispness from a majority of fermentation time spent in stainless steel tanks. It was a pleasant bright straw in color, and had aromas of summer orchard fruits like pear and apple, and some late summer hay. The flavors you will find in this wine are of apples and cream, with a faintly buttery aftertaste. All in all, I found this a nicely made example of a creamy, California Chardonnay with good QPR. It will appeal to anyone who likes a richer style of chardonnay, but one that is still fresh and crisp.
With a wine like this, there is nothing better (in my opinion) than oven-fried chicken and slaw. I like the recipe for buttermilk-dipped, pan-browned, and oven-fried chicken from Cooking Light which tastes every bit as decadent as the real thing but leads to only a fraction of the guilt afterwards. The creamy, tangy buttermilk and caramelized flour coating is a perfect pairing for a creamy Chardonnay like this one. And for the slaw, do yourself a favor and try this one with dried cherries, sweetly spicy pecans, apples, cabbage, and a vinegar-based dressing. I cheated and picked up a package of already sweet and spicy pecans from Trader Joe's, and only used green cabbage, by the way, and it was fine. The apples in the slaw really pick up the apple notes in the Chardonnay.
As I get older I'm finding I care more and more about the environment. I stopped drinking bottled water, I'm buying a hybrid car, and I'm eating more organic, locally produced food. It's a good thing to be able to extend this philosophy into my wine drinking, with such tasty results.
Some short notes from a long, vaguely Italian themed lunch.
N.V. Laurent-Perrier Champagne Grand Siecle: Probably around 7-10 years bottle age and it shows on the nose with aromas of honey, citrus, quince paste and some sherry. Complex and with good presence on the palate, there is also acidity coming through strongly to keep things fresh. 91/100
2005 Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio: Appealing nose with straw, citrus peel, mango and white chocolate. Surprisingly persistent creamy flavour balanced nicely by restrained acidity. 89/100
2000 Isole e Olena Chardonnay Collezione de Marchi: Nutty old oak aromas, with some citrus as well. Clean flavours on the palate, it is a little bit straightforward but enjoyable regardless. 87/100
2000 Lake’s Folly Chardonnay: Initially there were some onion skin aromas but these lifted with time in the glass, there were only some butty and resin aromas underneath. Rounded mouthfeel, alcohol sticking out a bit on the finish. 82/100
1986 McWilliam’s Semillon Mount Pleasant Elizabeth: Typical aged Semillon aromas of honey, toast and lemon. Toasty flavour to the palate with excellent length. Balance is superb. This was at its peak and while not quite hitting the same highs as the Lovedale of the same year, it was delicious. 90/100
1995 Gérard Chavy & Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières: Blue cheese, oxidative notes and some old oak. A bit tired on the palate as well, you can see some quality there behind the tiredness and it actually lifted a little bit with some air time. 82/100
1993 La Pousse d’Or Santenay 1er Cru Clos Tavannes: The nose is quite open and giving with red cherry, forest and earth. A little bit thin on the palate, but it didn’t detract too much from the wine as a whole. Will probably improve with a few more years in bottle. 88/100
1986 Prunotto Barbaresco Montestefano: Smoke, cherry, rose petals and some bacon fat. The tannins and acid are still at the fore of the palate but it works and it is very nicely savoury and the texture is very good. 88/100
2006 Cape Mentelle Sangiovese: Blue bubblegum and black cherries on the nose. Sweetly fruited palate with some spice laid over the top. Very approachable and nicely drinkable. 88/100
1999 Isole e Olena Cepparello: Some earth and pepper to the nose, but otherwise quite bright and floral with some red berries as well. Nice balance to the palate, there is a rush of flavour along the length but it nev
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