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[Fotos] Melina Pitra se destapa en Hombre de Marzo Melina Pitra empezo su carrera como modelo a los 20 años. En el 2006, los domingos por la madrugada esta rubia conducía Planeta Moda por América. Siempre se dedicó al modelaje en sus momentos libres, empezó la carrera de Administración de Empresas pero tuvo que dejar porque le empezó a ir bien en el mundo de la moda. Melina arrasa con todo. De Yapa la Revista Hombre nos regala a Luciana Bianchi, mostrando su mejor perfil. Me he cruzado con Luciana en el Barrio de Belgrano mas de una vez y es
Adabel Guerrero - Maxim - Marzo 2008 la oportunidad de ver a Adabel Guerrero en persona y les aseguro que se parte de lo buena que esta. Ademas de terner un magnifico cuerpo es una de las que mejores aptitudes tiene para las tablas y las luces del teatro. Esta chica se las trae, y si se mantiene alejada de los escandalos va a tener un buen futuro a pesar de que lo vamos a lamentar, por que preferimos una porneta escandalosa, o no? Las fotos son gentileza de FMFA que todos los meses nos provee a este blog y a miles de pagin
[Foto] Melina Pitra y su OGT en Hombre de Marzo Melina Pitra sabemos muy poco, casi nada. Tiene un perfil muy bajo, pero un Alto OGT. Es de lo mejor que ha dado la Revista Hombre ultimamente. Ya habiamos visto a Melina en Hombre de Septiembre del 2007, pero nunca esta de mas volver a verla. Al pinchar en la imagen vas a verla en tamaño natural. No veia nada tan lindo desde Dallys Ferreira. Importante hachazo, no?
This cool combo of fine wines and classic jazz is one of Toronto?s premier events. Energy Savings Group Wine, Whisky & All That Jazz is set for Wed., June 20 at the Liberty Grand. Recapture the golden age of jazz...
The judges have narrowed the field down to three finalists. To the Juice Crew members: Please vote for your favorite label by sending a message to me by 5 December. I will tally up the votes and announce the winning design shortly thereafter. Thanks to all the contestants!
While often referred to as a single "place" when it comes to wine, Napa is hardly a single monolithic growing region. Each of its 14 established AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) lays claim to a separate identity, characterized by geology, microclimate, and different histories of production.
The Oakville AVA has one of the most storied of such histories. It is home to the famed To Kalon Vineyard, purchased by H.W. Crabb in 1868, shortly after the installation of a railroad stop made the tiny village of Oakville spring to life. In 1876 Crabb's neighbor John Benson bottled his inaugural vintage of Far Niente wine just down the road.
By the year 1880 the Oakville area had 430 acres under production, and these would nearly triple to more than 1000 acres in the next 10 years and continue to grow until Prohibition turned off the spigot in the 1920's.
In 1965 Heitz Vineyards made the first vintage of Martha's Vineyard Cabernet, a wine that Robert Mondavi probably tasted around about the time he established his own winery a year later. Over the next thirty years, Oakville would gradually become home to some of the best wines on the planet. Acre for acre, the Oakville appellation may be the heaviest hitting single wine region in the western hemisphere. It is home to many of the highest scoring and highest priced wines in America, including Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle, and Dalla Valle, to name just a few.
Oakville is ground zero for Napa Cabernet, and with good reason. Year over year it produces some of the most tremendous wines in the valley. It's hard to say that one particular area of Napa truly produces the best Cabernet, but it's also hard to find someplace that has more claim to that title than the Oakville AVA.
Last week the Oakville Winegrowers Association put on its annual Taste of Oakville event, which gives members of the wine trade and the press an opportunity to sample wines from its members. This meant an opportunity to taste through a lot of excellent 2004 and 2005 Cabernets (as well as a few other reds and a few random whites), most of which I enjoyed greatly. There were a few wines at the tasting which I didn't get a chance to taste, as they had run out of wine by the time I got there, but the list below represents all but a few of the wines poured. The tasting took place on the upper level catwalks of the Robert Mondavi Winery surrounding their large oak fermentation tanks, which you can see in the photo.
WHITE WINES 2006 Flora Springs Winery & Vineyards Soliloquy White Blend. Score: 9. Cost: $25 2006 Cosentino Signature Winery Oakville Chardonnay. Score: 9. Cost: $30 2005 Kelham Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc. Score: 9. Cost: $30 2006 Oakville Ranch Chardonnay. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $48 2007 Swanson Rosato. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $18 2004 Teaderman Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $28 2007 Saddleback Cellars Pinot Blanc. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $24 2006 Robert Mondavi Winery Fume Blanc Reserve, "To Kalon Vineyard." Score: between 8 and 8.5. Cost:$20
Now that we've gotten those out of the way, let's move on to the main event, shall we?
RED WINES WITH A SCORE BETWEEN 9.5 and 10 2005 FUTO Red Blend. $250 2004 Harlan Estate Red Wine. $450?
RED WINES SCORING AROUND 9.5 2004 BOND "Vecina". $400? 2004 BOND "St. Eden". $400? 2004 Dalla Valle Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. $150 2004 Sophie's Rows Bordeaux Blend. $75 2005 Rudd Winery Oakville Estate Proprietary Red. $105
RED WINES WITH A SCORE BETWEEN 9 and 9.5 2004 Enzo Wines "Saunders Vineyard" Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon . $75 2002 Atalon "Beckstoffer Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon. $80 2006 Casa Nuestra Winery & Vineyards Tinto Classico - Old Vines Red Blend. $40 2005 Detert Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. $75 2004 Emilio's Terrace Cabernet Sauvignon. $50 2005 Flora Springs Winery & Vineyards "Holy Smoke" Cabernet Sauvignon. $85 2005 Gargiulo Vineyards 575 OVX Cabernet Sauvignon . $?? 2005 Gargiulo Vineyards 575 OVX G Major 7 Cabernet Sauvignon. $?? 2005 Nickel & Nickel "Martin Stelling Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon. $135 2004 Opus One Red Blend. $165 2005 Showket Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. $85 2005 Swanson Merlot. $38 2005 Tierra Roja Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. $110
For lack of better phraseology, it must be a pain in the arse when your livelihood is pinned on one opinion. If New York restarantuers think they have it bad with the New York Times dining section, imagine having all of midtown or Greenwich Village predicated on the penstroke.
BORDEAUX (AFP) — Influential US wine critic Robert Parker has drawn long faces in Bordeaux, handing out a series of low scores, and telling buyers not to bother with the 2007 vintage unless chateaux owners cut prices substantially.
“There is unquestionably little need to buy these wines as futures, unless dramatic price reductions occur. I don’t expect that to happen,” said Parker in his annual vintage review, titled “2007 Bordeaux: Who Will Buy Them and at What Price?”
This is from Stonewell in the sub-region of Marananga. The winemaker is Barossa superstar Troy Kalleske and the executive producers are brothers Pierre and Bert Werden. The name JaJa is an acronym derived from the names of their four children - Jake, Andrew, Jordan and Alana. Bert has had another kiddy called Tara since so maybe they should call future releases JaJaTa…which sounds a bit like a cracker and could be wholly appropriate based on the quality of this first release.
Aromas of blackberry, plum, raspberry, aniseed and meaty malty coffee oak with just a suggestion of fresh mint. On the palate full bodied and packed with an array of lush blackberry, dark cherry and raspberry fruit backed with savoury meaty toasty oak. Beautiful ripe textural tannins here. The mouthfeel is outstanding. Finishes long with blackberry/raspberry and toasty espresso flavours. This is a classic Barossa shiraz offering deep yet vibrant fruit and altogether too much value for money.
The James Beard Foundation Awards are the nation?s preeminent honors for culinary professionals. More than 60 awards are given out each year in the categories of cookbooks, restaurants and chefs, design and graphics, broadcast media, journalism, and achievement. Nominees and award winners are selected by their industry peers, with more than 600 culinary professionals involved in the voting process.
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Whilst in Bordeaux I took the time to speak to Thierry Manoncourt at Chateau Figeac to ask him about his life and how things have changed during his stewardship of the estate since the 1940s - he will be ninety in September this year. The interview will be podcast in the near future (in [...]
This Bordeaux Cotes De Bourg wine is another 05 value. It has a black cherry hue with tight fruit of black cherry and some raspberry notes with minerals and steel.
In the mouth this wine is sweet with some tannic structure, bready notes but needs to open. With breathing it is a tad hot but nice flavors and body with good structure and a good food wine. Buy this wine and two more to lay down for another year and reap the rewards. All this for only $14 so raise a glass to a great vintage!
by Martin Field Nuts are a favourite accompaniment to wine. They are delicious when served with bubbly and other aperitifs and a plate of nuts and dried fruit is obligatory when savouring a vintage port after dinner. But did you ever notice that in any bowl of mixed nuts, in shell or not, certain varieties are always eaten in exactly the same order of preference?
In terms of export trends, it seem as though higher-end Argentine Malbec/Cab types of blends imported to the North American and UK markets have garnered better consumer reception than single varieties.Don?t get me wrong, I have enjoyed many of these and will continue to do so, though recently I must confess that I?ve been feeling a bit bored.This is precisely when I need to turn to a winemaker who can think outside the box and take me somewhere different than the usual Cab/Malbec blends.Who could I turn to?
Susana helped me think outside the box?Susana Balbo, that is.One of Argentina?s premier winemakers, her Syrah-Bonarda blend is one of various compelling examples of her brilliance.It?s an intelligent value steal and as a bonus, it is meant to be consumed more or less young.Argentine Syrah as a whole doesn?t get all of the credit that it deserves?combined with the second most planted red, Bonarda, you get this beauty, with meaty tannins and lots of dark fruit/red fruit complexity.My favorite aspect of this one revolved around the irresistible, concentrated plum, cherry and black raspberry flavors, with the Bonarda contributing the nice red berry acidity.The oak and warm spices are a great, subtle backbone that won?t overwhelm with one of those cheap death-by-vanilla finishes.As with a great deal of grapes harvested from the Andean foothills (elev. about 2300ft), both components of this 50/50 blend were hand-harvested from vines in Mendoza?s Rivadavia department that are on average, 40 years old.
What a wonderful blend to try with grilled meats now that the weather is improving.Yet another excellent example that shows what finesse Mendoza blends can have without Malbec involvement.
Susana Balbo?s Crios wines are made available by Vine Connections, the premier boutique Argentine wine importer out of San Francisco.If you?re having trouble finding it in your area, try Wine-Searcher or the importers themselves.
Some notes taken at a New Years Eve event … in 2006 leading into 2007.
Seppelt Salinger 1994 A slightly better bottle than the last one, this was fresher on the palate. On the nose there were aromas of creme brulee, toast, lime and a dab of oak. Still not amazingly complex on the palate, but the length is good and it is well balanced. 88/100
Moet et Chandon 1999 Green apples and grass on the nose. Very lean palate, acid stands out and this is very simple and short. 82/100
T’Gallant Moscato 2006 A pale salmon colour. Very light spritz. Strawberry, turkish delight and cherry on the nose. Palate has a medium level of sweetness, needs a touch more acid to be refreshing but it is still quite nice. 86/100
Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 1994 Honeyed nose with toast and lemon as well. There is an oily texture to the medium intensity palate. No rough edges, this was very nice drinking now. 91/100
Raymond Boulard Cuvee Reserve NV Apples, some florals and some candy style raspberry notes. Crisp palate, medium length. No elements of great excitement but it is well made and enjoyable. 87/100
Best’s Great Western Chardonnay 1986 Grapefruit, honey and wet wool aromas. Incredibly youthful palate, it was fresh, balanced and long. Seemed as though it could live another 10 years as well. 90/100
Robert Groffier Les Amoureuses 1996 Brilliant, shifting, challenging nose of cherry, earth, violets, spice and fleeting notes of coffee beans. The palate is so delicate and wonderfully poised. the mouthfeel is beautiful with well integrated tannin and acid. Superb. 94/100
Charles Melton Sparkling Shiraz (disg. February 99) Cola, chocolate and a strong horse stable component. The palate is almost sickly sweet. Worst bottle of this that I’ve had. 79/100
Orlando Lawson Shiraz 1991 Dark crimson colour. Sweetly fruited with a touch of mint. Nice intensity to the palate, it is bold without being over the top or losing focus. Very youthful, it will go another 5 years without any trouble and it wouldn’t surprise me if people were saying the same thing in 5 years. 89/100
J. Vidal-Fleury Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde 1998 From magnum. Lifted florals, pepper, five spice and red cherries. Savoury palate with good acidity and a medium length finish. Very good. 90/100
Domaine Michel Gros Vosne-Romanee Clos des Reas 1998 Deeply coloured. Very perfumed nose, with florals and light raspberry. Tannins are quite grippy at present, but contribute to the good structure. Well balanced acidity. 90/100
Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova Brunello 2001 Briary and tobacco aromas followed by vanilla, coconut and some floral characters. Quite aggressive tannins on the palate, but the length and structure are both excellent. Give this time and you will be rewarded. 91/100
Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Brut 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs 1998 Opened to drink at midnight. Corked. Happy new year. NR/100
Pol Roger Brut 1998 Apples, yeast, toast and some smoke. Good length and balance, with medium flavour intensity. Will be nice to drink over the next 5 years. 89/100
Henschke Cyril Henschke 1994 DMS city with blackcurrant, tinned corn, blackberry and chocolate oaky aromas. Palate is alright, but the wine as a whole isn’t up to the standard of one had a year prior. 84/100
Chateau d’Yquem 1958 An incredibly generous gesture from a friend of Phil’s to bring this along to share. This has been open for a while, the nose was deeply scented and consisted of caramel, burnt sugar, orange peel and almond. Luscious mouthfeel, the acid struggling a little bit to keep pace. I was immensely glad to have gotten the chance to try this. 92/100
Veuve Fourny Blanc de Blancs 1er Cru Brut NV Apples, cinnamon, honey and smoke. Dry on the good length palate, with racy acidity and great refreshment value. 88/100
For $11 you should be trying any and all 05 Bordeaux you find; many of them will be bargains.
This one is a pretty plum purple with a wowing bouquet of sweet fruit that if I was blind folded I would say it was a rose with sweet fruity strawberry and cherry aromas.
Palate has some structure with forthright tannins and skimpy fruit that is a bit hollow with charcoals notes. This is just light bodied, easy to drink but is weird since it is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet yet tastes like a Beaujolais Cru. It is an easy drinking wine but very weird for Bordeaux. Let this one pass.
This was the third masterclass I attended at this event.
The five wines were served blind, with the only information provided that they were Shiraz and each was from a different region. Wines were revealed at the end of the tasting.
Wirra Wirra Woodhenge Shiraz 2004 Crimson colour. Perfumed with violets, and rich chocolate and vanilla oak. The palate is bold as well, lots of big, ripe fruit depth. Thought that this may be Barossa but it turned out to be McLaren Vale. 88/100
Tin Shed Shiraz Melting Pot 2004 Inky black colour. Chocolate, cassis, raspberry jam and some prunes. Palate is jammy and very ripe with some spice in the background. Guessed at Heathcote but was way off as it is from the Eden Valley. 85/100
Rymill Shiraz 2002 Deep colour. Nose is dreadful, barnyard, medicinal and raw meats. Palate is a bit better but not by much. Guessed Coonawarra correctly. 78/100
Cheviot Bridge Pyrenees Shiraz 2003 Crimson coloured. Spice, violets, red berries and a hint of oak on the nose. Smooth, well balanced palate. A pleasant, drinkable wine. Figured on cool climate so I thought it may be Yarra Valley, but I was wrong. 87/100
Bimbadgen Shiraz 2005 Burgundy coloured. Nose is fairly subdued, some spice and earth. Palate carries across the spice and earth characters. Medium bodied, decent length, just not very exciting. Correctly picked it as Hunter Valley. 86/100
Back to red wines, at last, many of you must think, now that we are fully into autumn, with winter on its way. I have provided here a range of reds, from several regions, wine types and various prices.
I had never heard of Sylvan Springs until a bottle of their “Hard Yards” Shiraz 2005 arrived for tasting last week. The wine has won a gold medal at an LA wine show and is listed in Winestates top 40 wines under $15.
Although little closed at first, dark plum and blackberry aromas emerged over the next hour. The full flavoured Shiraz fruit is supported by a little fine tannin and spice, finishing dry with some lingering cocoa and oak.
Sylvan Springs have managed to produce a well balanced Shiraz with decent length and enough complexity to keep even a snobbish drinker entertained, just don’t let them know about the price - as little as $10 per bottle if buying a case.
Score: 88/100 Price: $15 Closure: Screwcap Alcohol: 14.5% Other Opinions:Sylvan Springs, Torbwine, Winewaves Would I buy this wine? Yes, a good midweek quaffer.
[05/06/2006, 06:55]
GREAT GOLD MEDAL FOR CHILEAN WINES. In order to reaffirm its prestige, Chile gained 9 Great Gold Medal by its wines. These distinctions were gained in the "Concours Mondial de Bruxelles" finalized in Lisbon the 23 of April.
These great prizes corresponded all to wines of the Carmenere variety. The Carmenere has its sanctuary in Chile indeed. An historical event: in the middle of century XIX the phylloxera attacked the Old World and she destroyed the vineyards. An agriculturist came to Chile from France and helped to develop the Carmenere. That man of Bachelet last name also turned out to be the first ancestor in Chile of Michelle Bachelet, president of the country today .
Now, by the excellence of his carmenere, received Great Gold Medal: Aresti Chile Wine (Valley of Curico), two for Casa Silva Ltda. (Valley of Colchagua), Siegel S.A. (Valley of Colchagua), Misiones de Rengo (Valley of Rapel), Santa Helena S.A. (Valley of Colchagua), Casa Tamaya S.A. (Valley of Limari), Ventisquero (Valley of Maipo) and Viu Manent (Valley of Colchagua).
We present here the detail of some of these good wines.
ARESTI RESERVA CARMENERE 2004 - ARESTI CHILE WINE LTDA.(Curico Valley) - Great Gold Medal Deep colour. In nose opened fragances are outlined of spice as cinnamon, vanilla and cocoa as well as fragances of fruits of berry and cassis. Highlighting the fruit for on the fragances of wood. It fills well the mouth with a sweet touch proving to be balanced with good persistence. More information in the web.
SELECCION CARMENERE - SANTA HELENA S.A. (Colchagua Valley) - Great Gold Medal Deep ruby red in colour. On the nose, ripe red fruit aromas combine with spice and chocolate notes. Strong volume and structure. On the palate , with sweet tannins, red fruits aromas combine with spice and vanilla notes. Good final persistence. More information in the web.
MISIONES DE RENGO RESERVA CARMENERE - MISIONES DE RENGO S.A. (Rapel Valley) - Great Gold Medal Deep colour. Intense, with notes of the spice, as the black pepper and the cinnamon. We find also black fruit as the plum accompanied of exquisite aromas of black chocolate and coffee. Young, soft, fresh wine. Mature and long tannins. Notes of spice interlace harmoniously with notes of smoke and candy. End agreeable and pleasant taste. More information in the web.
The warm days of summer are almost upon us - time to break out the white wine. Versatile as an aperitif and food-friendly, Sauvignon Blanc is as varied in style and complexity as are completely different ... via Well Fed Network
Do readers really care about active yeasts and secondary fermentation? Or do they long to understand wine's seductions, and its otherworldly sense of place? Do they care about a region's production, or would they rather hear how a glass of juice resembles a curvy redhead, and why it makes them feel the way it does? You know, drunk.
This is among Natalie MacLean's first points in Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass. A descendent of Celtic alcohol-lovers and livers, MacLean, a sommelier, writes first and foremost from a sensual place, dispelling many commonly held myths about wine writers: she doesn't spit a whole lot, and she loves the buzz just as much as she loves obsessing over the grape. The book is entertaining, informative and ideally suited for someone who has a working knowledge of wine.
From her first visits to Domaine de la Romanee-Conti and Domaine Leflaive to her honest appraisal of biodynamics in Burgundy - she's on the fence - MacLean's observations are cerebral and spot-on, and her language both beguiling and accessible: "Some wines will always taste like a lost argument or a long embrace." The book lacks an index, but is part-travelogue, part-memoir. You learn as she learns.
From Burgundy, MacLean leads us to the cellars of Champagne, winning points with readers who might not be familiar with the grande dames who have kept that region running. We meet Gerard Liger-Belair, a professor of bubby at the University of Liger-Belair before taking off for the land of Zinfandel, and MacLean's internship with Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyards.
It's hard to decide if it's MacLean's colorful prose, pop wine sensibility or portraitures of winerati that make her book so readable. The latter is definitely the case when it comes to Grahm, who, through MacLean's eyes, comes across very much like one of the wild-eyed Ralph Steadman drawings that grace his bottles. In other words, spot-on.
The book quiets down a bit when MacLean gets practical. She pulls a nine to five at two wine stores - The Jug Shop in San Francisco and Discovery Wines in New York City - and even does sommelier duty at Le Baccara in Quebec (yes, she drips). She shows you how to throw a tasting party.
She takes on Georg Riedel and Robert Parker and devotes too much of the book's denouement, sacrificing her flow, in my opinion, to wine auction number-crunching, but makes up for it by ending on a lavish dinner with Jay McInerney, the 1980s cocaine-novelist-turned wine writer, who tells her: "Wine makes me more thoughtful. I always want to taste the next thing so it slows me down; I pace myself. Wine saved me from rehab."
And MacLean saved us from another predictable wine book.
Natalie MacLean, Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass, Bloomsbury 2007, $10.17 (Paperback).
Jessica Yadegaran is a wine writer for the Bay Area News Group and wine educator. Read her blog at www.ibabuzz.com/corkheads or visit her Web site at theswirlgirl.com.
Usually when people give a bottle of wine as a gift, it’s in one of those pricier velvet-style gift bags that get lost before it can get reused, or those metallic ones. The folks at Random House are offering a new, unique alternative and, best of all, if won’t break the bank.
These Wine Lovers Gift Tags run $13 for a pack of 50, and come in various shapes and sizes and even include the ribbon for tying it to the wine bottle. They might just add a little bit of humorous conversation to the next party to boot.
This fall, I’ll have the good fortune to return to Chicago. No, I won’t be contender on Top Chef though I do hope to eat in some of the city’s great restaurants or BYOBs.
Both of the trips will be anchored by classes at the University of Chicago’s Graham School. On September 6, I’ll lead a Saturday afternoon seminar called “France and America: Wine Politics and a Tasting Showdown.” We will talk about themes from my upcoming book, Wine Politics, and then have a wildly fun, blind and competitive tasting of wines from the two countries. The wine budget for these events is good and in the past we have had some excellent mature wines in a variety of sizes. All participants will receive a signed copy of the book as part of the enrollment. Details and registration.
On December 6, we’ll be talking and tasting holiday wines in another Saturday seminar. This time the discussion will be centered around my second wine book, “A Year of Wine,” which will be published in November by Simon & Schuster. As with the September event, the wines will be fun and participants will receive a signed copy of this book too. Details and registration.
Although this may seem like eons from now, apparently we get a nicer room if signups are strong early. So sign up!
Winslow welcomes winery By BILL DUHART ? Courier-Post Staff ? April 29, 2008
Larry Sharrott III, left, and Larry Sharrott Jr. pose for a portrait in the tasting room of Sharrott Winery, Tuesday, April 15, 2008 in Winslow. (Douglas M. Bovitt/Courier-Post)
WINSLOW ? For Pam Merkey, another wine-maker in the neighborhood was nothing to raise an eyebrow about.
"We all make wine around here," said Merkey, who lives on South Egg Harbor Road here in the Blue Anchor section of the township. "This is a very strong Italian community. We all visit each other's houses on Sundays to taste each other's wine."
But when the chance came for a relative to sell 34 acres of land that had been in her husband's family for generations to an upstart commercial wine operation, the family jumped at it.
"They could have sold that . . . and split it up but they didn't," said Merkey, 47, a residential development banker. "It got to stay what it is and that's a lot better than five houses out there."
That's the way Larry Sharrott III and his father Larry Sharrott Jr. feel about it. The Sharrott farm bucks a recent trend in a township shedding its farming identity for rapid residential growth. Residential land makes up 76 percent of the taxable property here, compared to only 5 percent for farms.
The Sharrotts, computer technicians by trade who have an affinity for distilling spirits, bought the land in 2003 for $175,000.
The winery offers 10 varieties of wine showcased in a 450-square-foot tasting bar atop a plateau with a patio overlooking the vineyard. The tasting bar is part of a 2,500-square-foot building that also houses the winemaking operation with grapes grown in the vineyard.
"We see ourselves as a bulkhead against development," said Sharrott Jr., 60, a retired computer executive. "They call this the Garden State but most of the gardens are turning into somebody's backyard."
"We're preserving open space and our farm is a new business for the township," added Sharrott III, 33, whose day job is at defense contractor Lockheed Martin.
The property, once an apple orchard, is zoned rural and restricted to one house per 10 acres of land, which officials said is not likely to change. But it had been vacant for several years.
"No question, it's something everyone welcomes," said Ed McGlinchey, township zoning officer and director of public works. "It's pretty obvious we had a big influx of single-family homes stretching back to the 1960s. Times were great for the residential building community."
But a sewer connection ban in the rapidly growing township has put a cap on new growth. Eighty-one percent of Winslow is in the environmentally protected Pinelands preserve. The Sharrott farm is in the Pinelands but farms are exempt from many of the restrictions.
"It takes a lot longer to get other types of businesses approved and its a lot more expensive," McGlinchey said. "We're not going to get a huge amount of taxes from the winery, but it keeps with the traditional character of the township."
Read the rest at: http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080429/NEWS01/804290373/1006/news01
Reach Bill Duhart at (856) 486-2576 or bduhart@courierpostonline.com
This was originally going to be one of those quick and dirty reviews. Two Argentinean wines, a snack provided by Chef Tim (that would be Tim Ellison, one of our favourite local sommeliers and co-founder of the BC Wine Appreciation Society), followed by a fast dash through the Cambie Liquor store to stock up on a few winter staples like Cognac and Champagne. Oh well, things change.
Uncharacteristically for a Saturday, there was plenty of parking ? must be something to do with the snow. Vancouver + Snow = Mass Panic.
Tim and I do our usual three-kiss-on-the-cheek greeting ? that?s right cheek to right cheek, left to left, and right to right in case you?ve ever wondered. The beef he?s carving with Melissa Popp from Hills Foods smells wonderful and the Chim
Tecnorati
This is from Stonewell in the sub-region of Marananga. The winemaker is Barossa superstar Troy Kalleske and the executive producers are brothers Pierre and Bert Werden. The name JaJa is an acronym derived from the names of their four children - Jake, Andrew, Jordan and Alana. Bert has had another kiddy called Tara since so maybe they should call future releases JaJaTa…which sounds a bit like a cracker and could be wholly appropriate based on the quality of this first release.
I had never heard of Sylvan Springs until a bottle of their “Hard Yards” Shiraz 2005 arrived for tasting last week. The wine has won a gold medal at an LA wine show and is listed in Winestates top 40 wines under $15.
Bruxelles" finalized in Lisbon the 23 of April.
Usually when people give a bottle of wine as a gift, it’s in one of those pricier velvet-style gift bags that get lost before it can get reused, or those metallic ones. The folks at Random House are offering a new, unique alternative and, best of all, if won’t break the bank.
This fall, I’ll have the good fortune to return to Chicago. No, I won’t be contender on Top Chef though I do hope to eat in some of the city’s great restaurants or 
