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The first of two vintages from the same producer are up for review today, the Old Mill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2004. The recommended retail price is $24, however it can be picked up for $20 at Squashedgrape.
Dark crimson in colour, vibrant blackberry aromas are supported by tobacco and dusty earth lurking beneath. There is plenty of chewy tannin, bold dark fruits and spicy oak on a full bodied palate.
Overall I found the tannins too overt for drinking young, however it has the structure and balance to age gracefully over the medium term.
Score: 88/100 Price: $24 Closure: Screwcap Alcohol: 14.5% Other Opinions:Torbwine, Wine Without Wank Would I buy this wine? I prefer the 2005 Cabernet from the same producer
I don't follow horse racing, but each year I find the Kentucky Derby an excellent opportunity to mix up a few mint juleps and toast a tradition. This year I used the Ridgemont Reserve 1792 Small Batch Bourbon, aged to smoothness for eight years. Much better on its own, but there's nothing wrong with using a couple of shots for this classic Southern cocktail. I just put the Bourbon, simple syrup, and torn mint leaves in a martini shaker with some ice, shake heavily, and then strain over ice cubes. Some club soda or sparkling water helps make it lighter and more refreshing on a hot day.
For dinner I was craving pork chops, which I haven't made in a while. I took a pair of 1½" thick bone-in chops and brined them for a few hours in apple juice, salt, peppercorns, star anise, and mustard seed. They were then dried and stuffed with a mixture of cornbread, apple, garlic, and dried figs. A bit of dry rub, a sear on the skillet, and then finished in the oven to a pleasant medium. Served simply with fresh fruit and a steamed artichoke. Side note: The Girlfriend loves artichokes, and today I bought one that had a foot-long stem on it. It turned out to be the best one I've ever cooked. Looks like it helps preserve the freshness, and it can double as a blunt weapon.
Pork and apples begs for Riesling, so I tried the 2006 S.A. Prüm Essence, a good bargain at $11. Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region, pure Riesling, 11% abv. Good fruit aromas and flavors (apple and pear), with good tartness. Lovely little mineral qualities. It's dry but not bland, and was pleasantly crisp. Excellent match for the meal.
*What an unusual mix in terms of the international producers you represent?why Argentina, New Zealand and Japan?
- Not really if you consider that Argentina and Japan (Ginjo sake), and to some extent New Zealand, share the same common elements?there are great wines and sake being produced by highly talented winemakers and tojis (master brewers), and they are not getting recognized yet. The quality is already in the bottle?so why should these sell less or get less respect than wine from more obvious regions? We always say that we are really a ?national education company? since we usually explain more than we sell. Our job is to get people to taste these wines and premium sake, and the stuff inside the bottles takes care of the rest. At the heart of this idea is also the notion that in the end, it?s the people you work with who make the difference between mediocre and ?wow!?. We have been lucky, fortunate, and smart (maybe a little of each) to meet and represent some of the top talent in these regions:
Susana Balbo?Crios de Susana Balbo, Susana Balbo signature wines, Nosotros (with Pedro below)
Pedro Marchevsky ? BenMarco
Pepe Galante & Mariano di Paola ? mapema
Luis Reginato ? Luca, Tikal, La Posta
Roberto de la Mota - Mendel
Jose & Pepe Reginato ? Reginato sparkling wines
Guy Davis ? Davis Family Vineyards (Russian River, CA) and Gusto (NZ SB)
13 Master Brewers from all over Japan?each as talented as anyone we have met.
*As someone who deals so closely with Argentine producers, what types of obstacles, limitations and concerns have any of them expressed to you in terms of being able to export and promote their products abroad?
- Well, I want to stay out of trouble here since I travel to Argentina a lot, but let me just say that the Argentine government has historically been more of a hindrance than a help for wine exports. As an example, and hard to believe, they actually tax EXPORTS! Perhaps the bigger obstacle for Argentine wineries is that the economic and political situation is relatively unstable, and when you are in an industry that measures commitment and success over a decade or longer due to capital investment requirements, it is hard to deal with a system that usually looks out only 2-3 years at a time.
*In your eyes, what sets apart these Argentine producers you represent? What do their wines bring to the table of American wine consumers that large-yield, often conglomerate-backed wines simply cannot?
- I alluded to this a bit above when talking about who we represent and why. I think there are three main things that set our producers apart:
1) Our wineries are owned by and have Argentine winemakers who have lived in this unique climate and region for their entire lives. For us, that means that the wines that they make TASTE like Argentine wines, not like some random wine from somewhere in the world. And as talented as some of the flying/foreign winemakers are who are working in Mendoza, I have yet to taste a wine from them that thrills me the way our producers? wines do at the dinner table. And I taste everything from down there.
2) As good as they already are, they are still always trying to learn how to improve their wines, and in today?s wine world, that?s the only way you stay on top. It shows.
3) Obsessive attention to detail seems like an abused phrase, but in winemaking it is crucial and not as common as you would think. Our winemakers are also our close friends and in Argentina that is taken pretty seriously. They make sure that every step is done with the utmost care because they would never want to look their friends in the eye and say, ?uhh..I?m sorry but this wine is just ok because we weren?t really paying close attention when we made it.? Large wineries may be able to solve #1 above, but #2 and #3 are far harder to come by, and that?s probably as true in the US as it is in Argentina.
*Looking ahead?are there any regions Vine Connections is looking to expand its portfolio toward, and why?
- We made a strategic decision a few years ago that we would remain specialists in Argentine wine and Japanese sake. Some importers have gone in the opposite direction and are happy to sell one of everything from anywhere, but we?re just not built that way as people. We started as leaders in both of these categories and we feel the only way to stay out in front is to specialize. That?s why we spend almost a month per year in Mendoza and visit Japan for at least 2 weeks every year. It?s our own ?attention to detail? mantra, and we try to stick to it so that we can look our customers in they eye and say every time, ?This is really great Argentine wine and Ginjo sake?. Every time.
- Fortunately, we won?t be bored since there still plenty of regions and microclimates still left to discover in Argentina.
*Given the nature of the market here in the United States, what advice would you give to consumers who would like be aware of, as well as actually see, a dramatic increase in availability of premium Argentine wines such as those crafted by your producers?
- American consumers have helped their own cause a lot already by being very open to trying wines like Malbec, Bonarda, and Torrontes. I think they will help themselves even further by continuing to experiment with wines at many different prices, not just the ?great values? under $15. Nick and I firmly believe that well-made Argentine wines offer incredible value and over-deliver at all price points. A $12 wine is worth more like $16, and a $30 wine is worth more like $40 when compared to other wine regions of the world. And, of course, you can support quality-focused companies like Vine Connections by paying attention to the importer name or logo (like our compass) that appear on every bottle. As with other wine regions, a good wine importer can be your best friend when you haven?t tried a particular wine yet and would like some assurance that you are going to enjoy it?especially when spending more than $15 or so.
Light gold in color, with chamomile and lemon character on the nose. Full-bodied, with medium acidity and flavors of dried apple and pear. Drink now. 50,000 cases made.
I get a lot of press releases but don’t often publish them here as I don’t usually find an angle to blog about. But a release this morning by the Center for Wine Origins and Office of Champagne caught my eye for it’s use of a YouTube video:
As a longtime wine lover, I agree with the objectives of this group in protecting their place names but I wonder if the average American consumer really would understand the group’s message. Would consumers buy less Andre or Korbel if those producers were forced to remove the word “champagne” from their labels? Are consumers of American “sherry” or “port” really looking for the real deal from Spain or Portugal?
I doubt it.
Back when American producers were using European place names to label their wine blends there was a clear point of difference between a Napa Valley “burgundy” and Pinot Noir from the French region. Now there is less difference in the bottle outside of a handful of the finest vineyards.
So is this distinction still relevant in today’s market or is it just semantics?
A16 tops the list of the best wine bars in San Francisco. The owner-sommelier Shelley Lindgren?s wine list is focused on Southern Italian varietals. This wine list is an integral part of the A16 experience and what makes it the best of the wine bars in San Francisco.
Andalu on 16th Street is another one of San Francisco?s finest wine bars. They are awesome because they offer small plates with big flavors. This is one of the San Francisco wine bars that has an approachable wine list and offers 35 wines by the glass. The crowd there is mixed and energetic.
Wine bars don?t usually come as good, or as small, as Bacchus on Hyde Street. Bacchus has knowledgeable bartenders that make innovative saké cocktails and they pour over 50 wines that range in price from under $10 a glass to more than $200 a bottle. The signature drink at Bacchus is their sake-version of the mojito.
Cav is one of the wine bars in San Francisco that takes itself extremely seriously. Cav has a well-chosen wine list of over 300 international wines. Some of the wines on the list are offered by a taste, or the glass. The chef has crafted unique takes on lots of dishes and Cav actually offers a cheese course that is served at the proper temperature and is on par with some of the finer restaurants in San Francisco.
Wine bars like Piccolo on Fillmore street handpick the wines on their wine lists. Piccolo is one of the wine bars that choose limited availability and small production wines. They prefer to concentrate on Italian wines. The owner of Piccolo has wonderful antipasti on his menu. There is fierce competition between wine bars to have the most excellent food to accompany their spirits.
Varnish Fine Art is both an art gallery and one of the top wine bars in San Francisco. The atmosphere at Varnish Fine Art is comfortable and it draws a post-work crowd for beer or wine during happy hour. The wine list at Varnish Fine Art is well chosen and features a number of delicious fine wines, as well as soju and saké cocktails.
Years ago I used to make a lot of homemade bread. During high school and for a few years afterwards, I made all kinds of loaves: traditional baguettes, artisan European breads, sourdough, crazy experimental loaves, gargantuan Russian bread cooked in a full 5 qt. Dutch oven, and whatever else struck my fancy. It wasn't uncommon for me to keep half a dozen different flours on hand at any given time. At some point I moved on to other things, and great local bakeries have filled the need for the odder kinds of bread.
A brief mention of Mario Batali's Otto mentioned a pizza technique I'd been wanting to try. His restaurant starts pizza on a griddle and finishes it in the oven. I've read of similar ideas using a cast-iron skillet, and that's what I tried.
Making the dough was easy even though it had been forever. Recipe? We don't need no stinkin' recipe! Flour, water, salt, yeast, a dash of sugar. Allowed to rise twice, etc. While the dough was doing its thing I took some Muir Glen canned tomatoes, spiced them up a bit and reduced it all down for the sauce. The cooking method requires a bit more detail. (I've got an electric oven, so with gas this will be a bit different.)
I moved a rack of the oven to the top position and turned the broiler on, leaving the door shut. The big cast iron skillet was allowed to heat on medium high until all the metal was hot. I formed the crust into a rough disc as thin as possible (about 1/8" thick on my example but with more refined dough you can go even thinner--just cook it less). Lay out your mise en place, making sure to have everything ready. Put the pets in another room, turn off the smoke alarm, and prepare to sweat.
I spooned a bit of the homemade sauce on the dough, just enough to get the flavor and some nice chunks of tomato. Too much will make it soggy. I topped it with cut fresh mozzarella balls and a little Sriracha sauce. Dash of sea salt and pepper. I scattered a little cornmeal in the cast iron skillet and immediately slid the pizza into the skillet. Just a couple of minutes until the bottom is crispy and is flecked with a few black marks. Before the bottom burns, slide it out of the skillet (don't burn yourself) onto a plate or pizza peel. Then slide it directly onto the rack of the oven directly under the broiler. Cook until desired level of bubbling/browning/etc. For me it only took another couple of minutes.
While prep and everything took a while, the actual cooking time on the pictured pizza was less than five minutes. Five hot and busy minutes, but quick nonetheless. I threw some fresh basil and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on top and enjoyed it mere seconds after this photo was taken. Great pizza. Light and crispy, full-flavored, and the crust had those little charred spots that do wonders for the taste.
I will warn you that the potential for screwing this up is great. Don't take your eyes off the pie at any stage of the process and be prepared for some smoke. But if you're willing to bear the heat as temperatures rise here in the South, then go for it.
This one is not exactly a small winery and definitely a bit more flashy than many others. Woollaston Estates was formed in 2000 - with some creative passion. You can see that in the design of the winery building itself as well as the myriad pieces of art and sculptures around. This one is worth going to just to check out the architecture. While I cannot say that I was impressed with most of their offerings - one did stand out to me and that was their Pinot Noir. Vines are still young but there is a balance here which I find lacking in many others. This is one of the better Pinot if not the best I tried on this trip.
Looking at a design of their winery it seems to be designed around letting gravity lead the flow through the winemaking process . This can only mean it was designed around the careful handling of Pinot Noir. To me, you can taste a big difference in quality between the Pinot and their other wines. It was as if the other wines were intended for bulk sale in order to finance the winery and perfecting the Pinot.
2007 Nelson Pinot Noir. Black cherries, some depth might be due to clay soil with "good/smooth" tannins and a decent finish. 89 points
I'd heard about Bern?s Steakhouse from a few people, so when I was in St. Petersburg last week I made it a point to go across the bridge to Tampa and try the place out. Here's the executive summary: If you're a wine enthusiast, you should definitely give the place a try.
"Over the top" is the phrase that kept coming to mind, from the decor (which I've heard described more than once as "19th century New Orleans brothel"), to the management of their food sources, to the 172-page wine list. Bern's boasts an impressive collection of awards from the Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, and other magazines, and it's easy to see why.
The restaurant started in 1954 in one small space in a strip mall. As the steakhouse became more and more successful it took over all the other spaces in the mall, and the original location is now just one of several dining rooms. A second story was also added, as well as a huge kitchen space.
After dinner (I'll get to that in a moment), diners have the option of touring the kitchen and wine cellar, and if you're a wine or food geek you should definitely do that. If you do, you'll see the computerized command center; the humongous charcoal grill that can accommodate up to 200 steaks at once; the areas where they bake their own bread; their onion ring production system; and where they raise the sprouts that they put on their salads (from seeds imported from England). At the top of the stairs to the wine cellar is the wines by the glass station, where one busy bartender pours from a selection of around 150 different wines.
Then it's down into the cellar, which isn't fancy but is nonetheless impressive. There are about 100,000 bottles down there and 8,600 different selections, ranging in price from about $20 to $10,000 and in age from centuries-old vintages to quite recent. Bern's backup inventory, which totals somewhere around 500,000, is stored in three different nearby warehouses.
My two dinner companions had mostly gone along to humor me, so I ended up ordering a Martini (regular Bombay Gin, straight up with olives and three drops of vermouth from the eyedropper our waiter carried) and two reds from the by-the-glass list. I chose a Pčre Anselme Crozes-Hermitage 1978 ($6.50) and a l?Aventure Optimus 2005 ($16.50) to accompany my aged, one-inch-thick Porterhouse, and both wines, while very different, were quite good. The ?78 was medium-bodied and had plenty of fruit still, but paled in comparison to the Optimus, which was huge, rich and satisfying, and an excellent match for the steak. I spent a good, long time with my nose in the glass, inhaling its wonderful bouquet.
I wish I could say that I was as blown away by the food as I was by the Optimus, but it was just a steak. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but it wasn't exceptional, either; I can make a better one at home. Still, it was a very nice meal, and not outrageously priced ? my steak was $52.48, and came with French onion soup, a salad, baked potato, onion rings and a medley of vegetables raised at Bern's own organic farm. We didn't have dessert, but if we had we would have gone upstairs to the Harry Waugh Room to select from 39 different desserts and who knows how many dessert wines and after-dinner drinks.
Would I go again? You bet I would, and I'd recommend the experience to any wine lover. Just go with the expectation that wine is the star and food is the accompaniment, rather than the other way around.
With the warm weather heading this way, a few words about white wines from Italy. Where I live, the next five months will be warm and warmer. Red wine can just be too heavy, as a daily regimen. Vegetables are coming to the table; lighter foods are appearing as well. I am turning to white wines.
A few lately have come across the table.
Marco de Bartoli Grappoli del Grillo This wine appeared on the table right before a dish of pesce crudo with grapefruit and wild greens. This Sicilian Grillo, from one of the great Marsala producers, is a bouquet of freshness. I was parched when this wine was poured into my glass, and I was blessed with a benediction of flavors, hinting at ?someday when I grow up I?m gonna be a Marsala.? Not a chance, this wine has famous grandparents, but it?s a thong and flip flop sandal set wine.
Bruno Giacosa Arneis ?I?m going to order this wine because I don?t get Arneis.? was what my colleague at lunch confessed. What he meant, he elaborated, was that there is no defining style for this variety. I agree. I've had the Ceretto and the Pio Cesare recently in Piedmont and they were polar opposites. The Giacosa entry matched up well with fare served recently at the Landmarc in Tribeca. We had it with a fois gras terrine, followed by a grilled half chicken with mashed chickpeas and arugula. The wine is a sexy-delicate quaff, but paired with food it slipped into something a little more comfortable. Not just a one-night-stand kind of wine, more of a long-weekend fling. Very nice with the food, and on a wine list priced slightly above retail to encourage experimentation.
Falesco Est! Est!! Est!!! Coming off a recent death march of a road trip, I headed straight from the airport to a reception. The last thing I wanted to do was drink wine. Water was what I needed and lots of it. But there was this little tray of white wine being passed around and I couldn?t be the speaker at a wine event only drinking water. I was pleasantly surprised when this wine splashed onto my palate. I wasn?t expecting much substance, what I got was a lingering memory of a delicate, understated wine with a striking aroma of sweet lilies. The flavor was a brisk jump into a fresh stream of nectarines and unripe green apples, sweet and tart not sinking to the bottom, floating down the course in an inner tube of contentment.
All Hail Texas Grapegrowers If you want something else, a shameless plug for the trials and tribulations of extreme winemaking in Texas. Kim Pierce has written a fascinating article about a place that makes me want to go and see what they're are doing up in the High Plains, 4,000 feet above sea level. Check it out.
And, as they say in the Bronx, ?Chin-tann? y'all. I'm heading to the Met.
That's the combination Sweet WillYum's owner and baker Sue Kershner suggests for a quiet evening. Personally, I think Uncle Eric's Granola Biscotti would go just as well with a mellow wine. What would you pair with Will's Chocolate Chip Cookies? Or Chocolate Peppermint Dr. Patti's? Visit www.SweetWillYums.com today to order your ...
I have always loved the packaging on Xanadu wines. That ambiguous golden dragon that looks like a knarly old vine really appeals to me. This is a blend of 73% Margaret River and 27% Frankland River shiraz. Dragon is a recent addition to the Xanadu range. It sits above the Secession and below the Estate in the portfolio.
Aromas of crushed boysenberry, cherry jam, spice, meat, pepper and toasty vanilla oak. On the palate medium bodied with fresh fruits of the forest, pepper, spice and meaty toasty oak. Dry quite assertive tannins and very fresh acidity. Good flavours but suffers from some hardness.
Tue Feb 22nd, 2005, New York City Super Tuscan & Other Great Wines of Italy Tuesday, February 22, 2005 New York City The top producers of Super Tuscan will personally present their best Super Tuscan wines and a large selection of other great Tuscan Wines at the fifth edition of this special wine tasting .
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Marlborough, New Zealand. 13.6%. Screwcap. Source: restaurant wine list.
My mild aversion to Sauvignon blanc, was easily overcome by the words Clos Henri. I've read much, but till today tried none of the wine. It's a lovely story and a compelling marketing tag. A Frenchman from Sancerre, and a well regarded line of wine makers, in New Zealand making Sauvignon.
The wine itself is very interesting and quite apart from what you would normally associate with Marlborough. Whilst clearly pungent, wild and varietal, it has a different accent, with pear to complement the grass and gooseberry. Textured and ever so slightly oily, this is satisfying, brisk and full of nuance.
If you ever wanted an object lesson in the "Blinders On" mentality that results when a state controls and restricts consumers' access to wine, all you have to do is read THIS STORY in the Salt Lake City Tribune on ordering wine direct through the state run system that turned into a 5 month odyssey of frustration and surrealism.
The report begins by noting that Utahans often order one of the tens of thousands of wines the Utah state system doesn't list in inventory from on-line sources then have it shipped to Wyoming, where they go pick it up and drive it back home. Yes, this is illegal, but it turns out it's really the Utahans only choice is they want to access wine that the good Utah government regulators don't choose to bring into the state.
But no worries. This illegal activity isn't necessary: "Under Utah law, consumers may special order wine, liquor or heavy beer that isn't one of the 4,000-plus offerings on the state's listing, says John Freeman, DABC operations director."
The reporter did just this. He wanted to get his hands on two bottles of Quivera Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley.
He ordered it through the state in November 2007. He got it in May 2008. You've got to read this story.
The really ugly part is that were rational wine shipping laws in place in Utah, the reporter could have ordered his wine from any of more than 20 different on-line wine merchants and had it shipped to him within 3 or 4 days of ordering it.
I'm not one of those Small Government, Conservative kind a guys. But when you read this sort of thing you really start to understand where those folks are coming from when they claim that if you want something screwed up and as inefficient as possible, just give it over to the government to do.
The scientific method is a great tool for examining assumptions. You postulate a theory, you develop a way to test your hypothesis and then you analyze the data. Eventually you publish your findings in a peer review journal. Then it is rinse and repeat.
In the world of wine the requisite experimentation that is the crux of scientific study can take a long time. A very long time in the case of vineyards. To observe a change in a vineyard often takes decades, and in the case of vineyard to well aged wine, a lifetime may easily pass.
This leads to many theories being put into practice before they have been tested. The real world is the laboratory of wine. It is easy to understand why one might be hesitant to experiment in their vineyard, a vineyard that may be the sole source of one?s livelihood.
The result are beliefs that remain in place without a great deal of study or scientific foundation to back them up. This was the subject of a speech given recently at the American Society of Enology and Viticulture conference by UC Davis? Michael Anderson. The title ?Busting Wine Myths? neatly sums up one of my own reoccurring themes. If you are so inclined, the link above makes a good read.
Anderson and others at the conference cited various well held beliefs as being facetious. They included the theory of removing fruit from the vine to help increase the concentration of flavor in the remaining berries, as well as checking assumptions regarding long held irrigation practices.
Myths persist in any field, but the mystique surrounding wine helps to perpetuate and maintain dogmatic points of view. Few are immune from this practice. I have seen my own convictions fall prey when tested. I have every reason to assume there are others yet to be toppled.
What is the lesson to be learned? That believing is easier than knowing, to be sure, but more than that it is important to remember that everyone gets it wrong now and then. Conventional wisdom changes with fashion and embraces fads, but empirical evidence stands the test of, well.. testing.
Monolithic wine beliefs seem to be overturned with each new vintage. New data, new experiments, and better testing models help us understand wine in a way not possible just a decade earlier. As this trend continues, and as technology continues to solve problems, I fully expect wine to become more consistent and of higher general quality.
I am not sure that the high end of quality will ever budge, a great wine is a great wine by any standard. What we will continue to see is the bar being raised on the low end. Bulk wines may someday be better than what was bought as special occasion wine a generation ago.
Through it all a few voices cry out warnings. ?Beware that we do not lose site of ?place? in wine, terroir is what makes wine special.? Listen to the voices, it is variety that makes wine fun. Most of all, as always, listen to your own voice and drink what you enjoy. Busting myths make for great TV and we pundits love how it makes us sound when we espouse on the latest discovery, but it is, always has been, and always will be, just about the juice.
Ports vary in color, taste, and complexity based on the grapes used to produce them and the material used in the aging process. Among the most commonly found types of port are:
Tawny Port - Tawny port is made from red wine grapes, aged in wood. A reserve tawny is one that has been aged at least seven years. Tawny ports are usually light yellow in color and have a slightly "nutty" taste. Tawny ports made from a single vintage are called "colheitas" and indicate the vintage year on the bottle.
Ruby Port - Just as the name indicates, ruby ports are deep red in color. These are the least expensive ports and are made with red wine grapes and aged in stainless steel to preserve the color. Generally, ruby ports are aged from three to five years.
Vintage Port - The finest kind of port wine, vintage port comes from a single year's grape production. Not every year is declared a vintage year in Portugal and, as with fine Bordeaux or Burgundy wines, some years' growing conditions create a better product. Vintage ports are aged a maximum of 2 1/2 years before bottling.
LBV Port - LBV or "Late Bottle Vintage" ports were originally crafted to be vintage ports. However, due to lack of demand or other factors, they are left in the barrel longer than allowed for a vintage port. Generally, LBV ports are lighter in color and texture than the vintage cousins.
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Our brains work in mysterious ways. Ever since I got my Fusebox wine blending kit from Crushpad Wine, all I think of when I think of the beautiful box of wine designed to create a custom blending experience is the notoriously sexual and metaphorical “The Who” song, Squeezebox. This, all told, is somewhat apt because if the Fusebox were not an inanimate object, I would want to make love to it.
I had the opportunity to join Indianapolis wine blogging pal Mark of winecanine.com and Renee, the doyenne of the Indianapolis food blogging scene from her outpost at Feed Me / Drink Me, along with a few other notables, including a wine distributor, on Saturday night. Couched in conviviality was the desire to put the Fusebox to work.
If you are interested in the Cliffs Notes version, I will simply say this—the Fusebox is incredibly well executed and an absolute smash for a party. At $120 bucks, it is well worth the money. In addition, the wine, six bottles of 375 ml blending varieties, is very, very good individually, let along as the sum of the parts. On top of that, the wine distributor in attendance wanted to distribute the Fusebox and Mark from winecanine.com, who works part-time at the best wine shop in Central Indiana, said the storeowner thought he could move an easy 150 units at the holidays. The Fusebox has my unequivocal Good Grape endorsement.
If that is not enough, Alder from Vinography is represented in the Fusebox with his Wine Aroma cards. It felt like a karmic match with the wine blogger representation. Though, as a sidebar, I will admit that I chuckled to myself at the end of the night, much drunken wine later, when I read “peeling willow bark” as a scent component on the wine aroma card from Alder. Ahem … note to Alder: stay away from your wife’s high-end, wacky-scented body lotion, my friend.
What transcends the Fusebox from the merely interesting to the compelling is both the organization and the quality of the wine. It is primarily comprised of six 375 ml bottles of blending wine including Cabernet Sauvignon (two bottles), Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc that top to bottom are of excellent quality.
The kit also contains a mystery wine for some palate testing and all of the accouterments necessary to blend to your heart’s content—graduated cylinder, pipettes (mini wine-thief’s) and some schwag like a corkscrew and some evaluatio
Tecnorati
The first of two vintages from the same producer are up for review today, the Old Mill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2004. The recommended retail price is $24, however it can be picked up for $20 at 
I'd heard about 
With the warm weather heading this way, a few words about white wines from Italy. 
A few lately have come across the table..jpg "palmina-winery-organic")
I have always loved the packaging on Xanadu wines. That ambiguous golden dragon that looks like a knarly old vine really appeals to me. This is a blend of 73% Margaret River and 27% Frankland River shiraz. Dragon is a recent addition to the Xanadu range. It sits above the Secession and below the Estate in the portfolio. 
