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Yes…and no. So beware over-fancification of your martini basic and don’t get too cute. Concerning the Olive in this issue of the Seattle Weekly Can’t blame a girl for trying.
Upgraded to 96-100 points Parker: "This offering has been controversial as its price increase ranged between 300-400%, but this is a great terroir, and since the remarkable winemaking team of Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt took over in 2002, Larcis Ducasse is finally showing its true colors. Located near Pavie, it possesses undeniable potential as demonstrated by the profound 2005. A 3,000-case blend of 78% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon fashioned from yields of 27 hectoliters per hectare, it underwent all of the standard garagiste winemaking techniques. It is not surprising that just about all the famous estates in this neighborhood on the Cote Pavie, including Pavie and Troplong-Mondot, did unbelievably well in 2005. A dark, dense purple color is followed by an extraordinary perfume of roasted herbs, espresso, tapenade, creme de cassis, and sweet kirsch. It is a wine of sheer opulence, extravagant richness, sweet tannin, and an amazingly layered texture as well as length. A blockbuster with superb elegance, finesse, and precision, it represents an exceptional achievement. Kudos to everyone involved for turning out this modern day legend. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2030."
From the days when North Americans had to face that difficult decision in choosing between two beers -- each marketed under a vast array of labels, natch -- came the odd habit of drinking one type of beer year round. Didn't matter whether it was 90 degrees in the shade or 10 degrees below sans wind chill -- ice-cold, light-flavored lager became our choice.
Well, guess what folks? We don't have to do that anymore!
The last 15 or so years of what most beer geeks have christened "the craft beer renaissance" have left us with a multitude of brews suited for every season and every occasion. With spring on top of us and summer just around the corner, it's worth looking at brews that make the best sense for the approaching hot months. They should be light but flavourful, refreshing but satisfying, cold and quenching but with more character than colored water.
Think two words: Wheat Beer.
In all of its American, Belgian and German incarnations, wheat beer is developing a fast-growing reputation in North America as a summer beer. And deservedly so. On a hot summer day, after having mowed the lawn or played a sweaty 18 holes, there aren't many pleasures that compare to a nice cold pint of well-made wheat.
But before you start thinking that wheat beer's just normal stuff brewed with wheat instead of barley, you should know that the grain is only part of what makes a wheat beer. In fact, typically only about a third to a half of the grain used in a wheat beer is wheat. The rest is usually good old malted barley. What's more, not all wheat beers are created equal. Not by a long shot.
There are three major styles of wheat beer: German hefeweizen, Belgian white beer and American wheat ale -- and two minor styles -- Belgian lambic and German Berliner weisse -- each different from one other and distinctive in character.
Hefeweizen/Weissbier -- Known by confusingly similar names ("weizen" means wheat, "weisse" means white), this style of wheat beer was once brewed only in southern Germany. Today, however, good weizens are brewed everywhere, from the United States to Japan to Holland to New Zealand.
Weizens are usually light to medium gold in color, seriously effervescent and often quite cloudy. The beer's haze is normal, a result of being bottle-conditioned or redosed with yeast before bottling. If you don't want the cloudiness -- and the B vitamins that go with it -- look for a filtered weizen designated "kristal." Otherwise, watch for the prefix "hefe" (as in hefeweizen), which means yeast.
The key to a good weizen is using a special family of yeasts that'll produce a variety of spicy and fruity aromas and flavors in the beer. Depending on the particular strain of this yeast, these brews can be clovey, peppery, banana-like or even bubblegummy. And while those may not sound like qualities you'd appreciate, in the right quantities and proportions they can make a bottle of wheat a truly beautiful thing.
White Beer -- Belgians are the innovators of the beer world. You've heard of the German Reinheitsgebot -- the Bavarian law that limits beer's ingredients to water, hops, malt and yeast? Well, the Belgians take a somewhat contrary position, incorporating almost everything but the proverbial kitchen sink in their brews.
White beer, also known as wit or biere blanche, is no exception. These beers are often spiced with coriander, orange peel and "secret ingredients" known only to the brewer. It's also made with a very healthy proportion of unmalted wheat -- as much as 50 percent of the total grain used -- which gives white beer a light and consummately refreshing flavor.
With spice and bitter orange in the brew, it should come as no surprise that these elements dominate both the aroma and taste of a white beer. The raw wheat also adds a level of tanginess, making the overall character crisp and invigorating, arguably positioning it as the ultimate brew for breakfast. Well, okay, maybe brunch.
White beers to look for: Hoegaarden White, Celis White, Blanche de Chambly, Blanche de Bruges.
American Wheat Ale -- Many North American breweries, particularly those that brew ales exclusively, use this style as their "starter" beer, designed to lure lager drinkers into the craft beer camp. In this role, the lightness and lack of bold character serves the American wheat style well.
American wheat ales will usually be lager-like in color and have a particularly grainy aroma. Since they're supposed to appeal to Bud and Miller drinkers, these wheat ales generally won't have a huge amount of character (think of a beer version of white zin) but may show notes of citrus or a small amount of spiciness. This is what many call the "thinking man's lawnmower beer."
American wheat ales to look for: Abita Wheat, Sierra Nevada Wheat, Grasshopper Wheat.
Lambic -- Back to those wacky Belgians. This time, instead of seasoning the wheat beer, they allow it to be fermented by wild, airborne yeasts. It's a completely unpredictable process that results in a tart, sometimes puckeringly sour brew. To provide some consistency, lambic brewers age the beer in wood for one to three years before blending it into a bottle-conditioned beer called gueuze. Or they'll add fruit to make kriek (cherry) or framboise (raspberry) beers.
Unless sweetened during bottling (which many are), lambics are definitely challenging beers. If your first reaction is to spit it out, you're not alone. But once you get used to the tartness, you'll soon find that they're filled with incredible complexity, wonderful flavors and astounding character.
Berliner Weisse -- Napoleon referred to this beer as "the Champagne of the north," and his wine analogy had its validity. Berliner weisse is fermented with yeast and select lactic cultures -- a process not entirely dissimilar to the malolactic fermentation employed in making some chardonnays. The result is a low-alcohol beer with significant, but soft, acidity.
Perhaps the most refreshing of all wheat beers, the Berliner can still have a slight bite (although the acidity is more likely to be tasted as a quenching dryness in most modern examples). And with a typical alcohol content of only 2.5 to 3 percent by volume, you've got little chance of it creeping up on you as you slake your thirst.
Berliner weisse beers to look for: Berliner Kindl Weisse, Schultheiss Berliner Weisse.
A Dozen Reasons to Drink Wheat Beer
Food:
Fruit salad -- weizen Scrambled eggs with freshly ground pepper -- white beer Grilled bratwurst and dunkelweizen -- dark weizen Creamy pasta salad with sweet red pepper -- weizen Steamed mussels -- white beer or gueuze Grilled whitefish -- Berliner weisse
Occasions:
Moderate heat, moderate activity -- cold weizen A sunny day, a picnic brunch -- white beer Hot, hot, hot weather -- cold, cold, cold Berliner weisse A Sunday softball game -- cold American wheat ale Waiting for the coals to heat up on the barbecue -- gueuze A romantic spot on a warm, rainy afternoon -- two champagne flutes of Belgian framboise
Little kids go through a phase where they need to put everything in their mouth. I wonder what it says about me that I'm pretty much stuck there? I really enjoy trying out new wines and sakes, especially those that are well off the beaten path.
So when Beau Timkin, the owner of True Sake in San Francisco handed me this bottle and said "check this out" I couldn't resist. After all, it was the sake equivalent of....well.....(if you'll excuse what may be a somewhat obscure (to you) Japanese animation reference) Howl's Moving Castle.
This sake is:
1. Nigori - an unfiltered sake
2. Junmai Daiginjo -- the highest grade of sake, where the rice kernels have been polished to less than 55% of their original volume.
3. Nama sake -- unpastuerized, designed to be drunk very soon after production, much like Beaujolais
Can you understand my fascination? Even if you've never seen the phantasmagorical animation movie referenced above perhaps you can understand what a strange beast this sake would be.
Many people who enjoy sake even occasionally are familiar with the cloudy nigori sakes, as they are somewhat trendy and likely to be offered in most sushi restaurants that aspire to have anything more than just the standard hot sake on the menu. Nigori sakes are cloudy because minute rice particles (think flour particles) that are normally filtered out of the sake are left in. These bits of starch both make the sake milky white, as well as add a slight sweetness to the liquid because they contain sugars.
Most nigori sakes are considered to be somewhat rustic, harkening back to the beginnings of sake when, in fact, all sake was nigori sake, since no one bothered to (or had the technology to) filter it in the early days of sake brewing. Consequently nigori sakes do not tend to be premium sakes, which is to say that they are most often made from rice that has not been polished to the level required for premium sake.
So to see a Junmai Daiginjo nigori sake is quite unusual, both because it means that the brewer has gone to quite an expense to deliberately produce such a sake, and that the brewer is confident that such a sake merits such treatment, as the rice sediments that are left in nigori sake tend, on the whole, to mask some of the more delicate flavors and aromas that a junmai daiginjo sake has been made to possess.
Nama sake or namazake is the sake world's equivalent of Beaujolais Nouveau, or perhaps more accurately, fresh raw milk, which is unfortunately illegal in the US. Unpastuerized by heat, namazake has a different character that is cherished by die-hard sake fans as more rustic and "authentic" than commercial releases that go through the pasteurization and stabilization process.
And sparkling sake? Well, what can I say. Sparkling sake is just a oddball phenomenon. It has been made here and there by various producers over the last decade, but not with any regularity, nor with any real commercial strategy. It is perhaps best characterized as one big experiment.
If there is any brewery that isn't afraid of experimenting, it's the Tsuki no Katsura brewery in the Fushimi district of Kyoto in western Japan. One of the oldest and most regal of breweries in the area, it is single-handedly responsible for the fact that nigori sake even exists today as a commercial product.
As I mentioned, originally all sake was effectively nigori, as it went unfiltered. But sometime before the 19th century, many makers began to press their sake through mesh bags to filter out the sediment. When the "rules" for how to make sake were written in the 1800's and it became regulated by the government, filtering (or more accurately, pressing, as there is most often a final filtration after pressing) became part of the required regimen, and nigori sake effectively became illegal. One of the primary reasons for this was that the filtering process was when the government levied its taxes on sake makers. For perhaps understandable reasons, the government wasn't too keen on the idea of skipping that step for aesthetic reasons.
But nigori sake wasn't forgotten, and after decades of tireless lobbying, Tsuki no Katsura managed to convince the government to allow them to make nigori sake. How did they manage to get around at least two hundred years of precedent for pressing sake through a filter to remove solids? Well, in the end they didn't. They were still forced to filter their sake, but they convinced the government to let them use a filter that had holes in it about the size of golf balls. Apparently it took a couple of years of changing their production process so the government ministry that oversees sake brewing would approve, but eventually they did, paving the way for all modern nigori sake.
Today, Tsuki no Katsura is one of the largest producers of nigori sake in Japan, and is apparently breaking new ground by moving into the sparkling sake world as well. They also produce a range of standard sakes which are rumored to be decent as well.
Full disclosure: I received this sake as a press sample.
Tasting Notes: Cloudy white to the point of being chunky, with a medium-strong effervescence, this sake has a yeasty nose with scents of bubblegum and malted milk. In the mouth it has a thick presence on the palate and about as much carbonation as some soft drinks. The flavors are cool and rainy, with a distinct flavor of wet paper, a light floral element, and a finish that is beer like with hints of yeast. I'm not sure if my sense of the beer-like flavor was influenced by the carbonation or not. Overall this is not a sake that does a lot for me, but it was a fascinating drinking experience and one worth trying just on principle, especially for those who are interested in sake.
Food Pairing: Nigori sakes normally reward pairings with slightly more substantial foods than their lighter, more delicate filtered brethren. I'm not confident about it, but I might try pairing this sake with tonkatsu, the traditional breaded and fried Japanese pork cutlet.
Overall Score: 8/8.5
How Much?: $20 for 300ml bottle
This sake is not available for sale on the internet. You can give Beau a call if you're interested: 415.355.9555
Dear Dr. Gott: Just thought I would share something I recently discovered that may be a help to your postmenopausal readers who are bothered by night sweats and hot flashes. via Monterey County Herald
Some wines from indigenous varieties, recommended by Angela Lloyd
When wine statistics are trotted out, Italy always arrives somewhere at the top of the global list: third in area under vine (849 000 hectares? in 2004), second in wine produced (5 300 000 000 litres) and per capita consumption (46.50 litres). Another figure that would also leave many other countries in its wake is the number of indigenous grape varieties in this land of the long boot.
Of course, the ubiquitous international quintet of cabernet, merlot, shiraz, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc? are also found in Italian vineyards, but the country's real strength lies in its lesser known varieties, many producing wines of great individuality and distinction.
Such varietal? diversity is as much due to Italy's geography as its history. Wine grapes are grown from 47º North, near the Swiss and Austrian borders and close to the Alps, all the way to 37º South, on the sun scorched island of Sicily, in climates both continental and Mediterranean. Historically, the Greeks, the mysterious Etruscans and of course the Romans themselves have all helped to develop the varietal mix.
The good news is that the Italians have now realised the worth of these grapes, from both quality and marketing points of view and much more is being done to promote the wines made from them.
Fortunately for South Africans, there are several good examples available here. Before recounting a few I tasted recently courtesy of importers Stefano Gabba and his son, Lorenzo, who run Melgab International, a word on the Italian system of naming the origin of its wines.
The DOC? ? Denominazione di Origine Controllata? ? system is modelled on the French Appellation? Contrôlée. This set of regulations covers such aspects as viticulture?, winemaking and labelling. As with the French AOC?, place names rather than grape names often appear on the label, the variety or varieties being implicit in such place name.
Less confusing is the Italian culture of enjoying wine with food, thus their focus is on creating food friendly rather than show winning wines.
The following quartet is a small representation of worthwhile examples of the lesser known Italian varieties available here.
Cantina? Lunae Bosoni Colli di Luni Vermentino 2006 12%R95.19 The Colli di Luni is a DOC on the Ligurian coast just to the east of Genoa. Both white and red grapes? are grown there; the whites based on vermentino with up to 10% other white grapes. This example has presence without showiness in its firm?, fresh structure?, good flavour intensity?, without being overtly fruity?, and dry? finish?. As its coastal situation suggests, vermentino and seafood are natural partners.
La Giustiniana Gavi di Gavi DOCG? Lugarara 2006R99.75 The 'G' in DOCG stands for Garantita, its purpose to identify the finest Italian wines ? 'guarantee' as opposed to merely 'control'. If it has gained credibility in the few number of DOCG's awarded, some have been seriously questioned, but overall it does confer an image of quality where awarded. The town and DOCG of Gavi are on hilly slopes in south east Piedmont, just to the north of the Ligurian coast. Cortese, the only grape permitted, was originally used as a base wine for Asti Spumante?. As a solo act, under the Gavi di Gavi nomenclature, it rose to fame in the 1960s, in the process becoming Italy's most expensive dry white wine. Burton Anderson's Wine Atlas of Italy describes the it as having a 'clearly refined scent and acutely dry flavour with pronounced acidity? countered by a vague sensation of fruit.' Elegant La Giustiniana's fragrance combines flowers and herbs; its fine, mineral? acidity lends a lightness of touch, and it does indeed end bone dry, and has just 12% alcohol?. Again, it is the ideal partner for Mediterranean's seafood bounty.
Damilano Barbera d'Alba 2006R118 The red barbera is known in South Africa, mainly from the version produced by Durbanville winery?, Altydgedacht, although now it also features on the lists of another two or three cellars. It enjoys much greater popularity in Italy, where it was the third most planted red variety in 2000. It is best associated with Piedmont, where it comes second only to nebbiolo in terms of quality. Characteristically high in acid and low in tannin?, the black cherry/berry fruit is fresh and succulent, spiced by the pointed acid. The Damilano family, whose barbera vines are between 30 and 50 years old, follow a traditional style?, aging the wine in older, large wood, which focuses on the wine's mouthwatering qualities and leaves it ready to be opened now. This is a delicious example that should go well with any spicy or rich dishes where the richness will benefit from the wine's cutting fruity acids.
Mastroberadino Radici Taurasi Riserva? DOCG 2000R269.04 Some of my favourite Italian wines come from the great red grape of Campania, aglianico (a corruption of Ellenico, the Italian word for Hellenic). Its worth is acknowledged beyond provincial borders: the 2003 version of this example of it has recently been voted one Italy's 50 greatest wines, as selected by 19 global authorities on Italian wine. A remarkable achievement, given the Mastroberadino family was the only producer to market an aglianico until the early 1990s, but they have been in the forefront of championing Campanian varieties for ten generations. Two important features account for aglianico's success in Campania: the volcanic soils (Vesuvius is a favourite tourist destination), and the vicinity of Taurasi, which lies around 500 metres above sea level on the elevated spine that runs down the centre of the country. Aglianico is an imposing wine, especially in its youth when it is noted for its fine, if ferocious, tannins, a feature which can see it age for decades. This Radici ? single vineyard? ? remains youthfully stern, its characteristic fresh acid backbone focusing and lengthening the deep scents and savoury flavours? of plums?, tobacco and bitter chocolate?. Despite its current austerity, a game dish or mature hard cheese should show off its great potential. With the Rand weakening, it also offers value for money. Patience will be well rewarded!
Prices quoted are wholesale, including VAT. If you find these available retail, expect to pay 30+% more. Click here for the Melgab website.
Firstly I'm having further problems with my blog which go back to the previous problems I had. Up until this morning everything was working, then Typepad went down and when Typepad came back up my blog decided to be silly. So you may have problems assessing a page and you will have a problem leaving a comment. If you remove the words "my weblog/" from the browser bar comments will work.
I hope to sort it out soon. It couldn't have happened at a worse time.
We have one more participant to A Taste Of Yellow.....and that brings us to a nice round number of 180. From Chuck in San Francisco at Sunday Nite Dinner the 180th entry is Spicy Corn Salad. Sorry no photo at this point.
Well it has been a few weeks since my last entry and although I could tell you all about the Rhône and Burgundy en primeur campaigns, the New Wave Spanish wines I've been trying, or the South African Reds to match the last entry of South African Whites that my father has been religiously clicking on to, only to discover nothing of what his daughter has been up to in the Big Smoke, I won't.
I am very tempted to tell you about having to pay an Australian, let's say friend, in wine for a lost - no, thoroughly thrashed - bet over the Ashes (this was his first return to England since that sorry episode). A fairly painful experience for both wallet and liver BUT let's move on to the future.
Wine Relief is upon us www.rednoseday.com/partners/wine-relief/ and there are several different bottles widely available to buy from which retailers are donating some of the profit to Comic Relief. How easy is it to open a bottle of wine and make a difference?
For my part I have been enthusiastically working my way through the offerings and on March 3rd, this Saturday in fact, I will be a guest panellist on the Virtual Wine online tasting of the 6 best on offer. The team at Virtual Wine have also studiously tasted and deliberated to come up with the finalists which will be tasted by a select (!) panel live from 7.30 pm.
The idea is that you at home can order the taster packs of 6 wines from Virtual Wine (10% still going to Comic Relief) or buy them from the various retailers, and taste the wines at the same time. You can then send belligerent, loving or simply drunken messages to us via email and your concerns will be addressed immediately. What a laugh...
So get some friends round, you must have some, put on some nibbles and sharpen your tongues. Take a look here www.virtualwine.co.uk to download instructions and tasting notes.
These people like wine and have a laugh with it, their contribution to the cork vs screwcap debate was to race bottles down river to see which was fastest, the loser then wrestled the winner to the ground in an unscripted, but thrilling, finale.
I understand that many rave about Riesling being the epitome of fine wine making. These people see the poise, quality, long life and expression of terrior while not overshadowing the grapes inherent characteristics, as representing the very best of the classic grapes.
Me? I don't give a monkeys. Dessert wines aside, I just don't like the grape.
I would rather not drink something akin to kerosene (aged Riesling) and when young most taste of little more than lime-splashed sugar water. Some of the mineral and lime Australian dry Rieslings I do enjoy; it might just come down to the European versions (generally) being low in alcohol. This is a bit strange as the weighty wines, often with an inkling of sweetness (thinking Pinot Gris, New World Chard's) are just what I enjoy. Alternatively high acidity as found in New Zealand Sauvignons is another characteristic of Riesling; love the former; ignore the latter. OK, so I WILL drink Rieslings; I just wish I was drinking something else, that's all.
In the spirit of Wine Blogging Wednesday a bottle of German Riesling found its way into the fridge. The Riesling range in Waitrose was rather impressive. Ranging in price from £6.99 up to £15.99 I do wonder how many they actually sell. Good to see a distinct lack of those Germanic scripted labels put down as one of the main reasons for disappointing sales of German wine over the last few years.
Wine Tasting Note: Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling Spätlese, 2002, Rheingau, Germany. From Waitrose for £9.99. Rather a surprise in the quality here - nicely judged acidity balanced with a under-ripe pear and lime flavoured lightly sweet palate. Honey on the nose. Fresh crisp acidity and no noticeable kerosene from a wine still young from the 2002 vintage. Alcohol 8%.
The Dr Wegeler estate was founded in 1882 and is now run by the 4th generation of the same family.
Scribblings Rating - 86/100 [3.25 out of 5]
The picture is a little dark (taken late in the evening) but highlights the wines (and sweeter Rieslings in general) affinity with spicy food. The dish is Chili Beef Ramen from the Wagamama Cookbook one of favourite 'oriental' cookbooks. A white wine with beef! Almost as radical as me drinking a German Riesling!
Hmm. I wonder if anyone even bothers to stop by any more, even if it's just to note my conspicuous absence.
Lots going on, folks.
Thanks to all who wished the Chef and me well last month on the anniversary of our wedding.
On a similar note, best wishes to Scott and Jill on their nuptials last weekend. Such a beautiful party.
And, of course, there's the wine goings on. Much to do here in Northeast Ohio, especially this weekend. If you felt let down by the Tribe's oh-so-typical performance this year, you can return to Jacobs Field in Cleveland this weekend, Nov. 2-4, for a much happier occasion. It's the Heinen's/WVIZ World Series of Wine , a perennial joy for wine novices and aficionados alike. It really doesn't get much better than the grand tastings ($70-$75 a person; purchase tickets in advance). More than 400 wines, 100-plus producers, stellar munchies, unparalleled people watching. You'll find lots of opportunities to speak with winery and distributor representatives to get the real dirt on what you're tasting.
It's hard not to over imbibe with so many wines to try, so take a cab or a limo or book a hotel room. Some downtown Cleveland hotels are offering packages specifically for the occasion.
This is easily the biggest wine event of the year for Northeast Ohio. Oh, and it benefits public broadcasting, as if you needed another reason to go.
There have never been better Chardonnays on the market. I have been tasting dozens of them, and have these to recommend, most from the excellent 2004 vintage, and most from California. These are all excellent values, and, better still, none are over $30.
Rocket Science 2004 Proprietary Red $45 Wine Label says: “Son, your 21 years old. It’s time you learned the art of wine tasting.” “I already know how you taste wine,” replied the sure young man. “This wine has an inky, purple hue with a sensational purity, flavors of a blackberry liqueur with a creme de cassis intensity and [...]
[07/16/2006, 19:30]
The good wines of the small big companies. The Malbec 2004 Marguery Family
"FAMILY MARGUERY" elaborates his wines in the locality of Cross of Stone, Mendoza, into Republic Argentina .
"Exclusively we are compromised by the production of wines of high quality "enologica" by means of the use of the last technological advances and in limited items. Our grapes come from ancient vineyards strictly selected of the localities of Uco's Valley (Mendoza - Argentina) seeking to express the peculiar characteristics of every "terroirs", says Marguery.
This wineries of Argentina was founded in the 2000 year. " We look for wines of good concentration, complex and expressive, for it and consistent with our vision, we work in this respect from the vineyard. Everything there speaks about the care and the dedication that we have with our plants wineries. There helps us very much the height that they have on the level of the sea (1.100mts.), the desert conditions of the climate, the poverty of the soil, the thermal extent, that is to say all conditions that favor the ideal development of the Malbec ".
When you're gazing at endless rows of wine and you have no clue what to buy, here some generalized tips that can help weed out the crap and allow you to make an educated guess:
1) Don't buy any wine that has dust on it. Chances are there is a reason it hasn't moved. It is either a horrible wine or its a terrible value.
2) If you only see a couple bottles of a particular wine left on the shelf, it may be worth trying. This could be an indication that people are buying it up like crazy and you just happened to walk in at the right time.
3) Read the back label for helpful flavor guides. Smart wineries include descriptions and food pairings. Those that don't have any indicators are anyone's guess as to how it will taste.
Hopefully these easy-to-remember tips will help those in need. Be smart. Use common sense. Don't blindly buy another bottle of vino without making at LEAST an educated guess. Cheers!
It's a great site that lists wine events for just about any state, country or region. Plus, they send out a Weekly Newsletter called The Juicewhich will notify you of upcoming events in your area.
Enjoyed this new article at DivineCaroline about women's physiology vis a vis that of men and how this impacts our ability to compete with guys in, oh say, a drinking contest. The results aren't in our favor (sorry, ladies) unless you happen to be a very buff woman paired off to compete with a fat guy of roughly your same height. Here's a brief excerpt from the piece, and link to check out the rest:
"Winning a drinking contest, or just being able to gauge how many drinks you can have while still remaining vertical, depends on numerous factors, including regularity of drink, that day's food and sleep intake, and genetics. But based just on gender...,
It's a pleasure to try a well-made wine at such an affordable price. The 2005 Veramonte Primus is from the Casablanca Valley of Chile. Great blend of 17% Carménère, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 51% Merlot. 14.5% abv, $20. I'm glad to see Carménère in there, the famous "lost grape of Bordeaux" that's worked so well in Chile. I love trying these grapes that France mostly orphaned but that have found success in South America. The story of Argentine Malbec is well known, but I'm still waiting for Uruguayan Tannat to become the next breakout star.
This is the 10th anniversary vintage of Primus, developed by noted Chilean winemaker Agustin Huneeus. Glancing over the reviews it appears to have steadily improved over the years.
I decanted the wine for an hour before serving. I don't always do this but at times it adds a nice touch to the ceremony of wine consumption. Lovely green bell pepper and tomato leaf aroma. On the palate, spicy, good fruit, touches of plums and cherries. Closer to a French Bordeaux than a California Meritage.
Argentine wines are not as well-known in North America as those of Chile, but the areas just below the Andes Mountains, such as Mendoza and San Juan, produce excellent, red wines, including Syrah, Pinot Noir, and Malbec, a red wine grape that is at its best when grown in Argentine soil.
Tecnorati
Little kids go through a phase where they need to put everything in their mouth. I wonder what it says about me that I'm pretty much stuck there? I really enjoy trying out new wines and sakes, especially those that are well off the beaten path.
Wine Tasting Note: Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling Spätlese, 2002, Rheingau, Germany.
one of favourite 'oriental' cookbooks. A white wine with beef! Almost as radical as me drinking a German Riesling!
Enjoyed this new article at 