TagCloud:
Wine Ebooks:
| | The Complete Grape Growers Guide. |  | | A Complete Guide For Growing Grapes. Converts Very Well At A Reasonable Price! Growing Grapes And Making Wine Is A Very Popular Topic Right Now.
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| | Fool-Proof Wine Values. | | | Learn How To Easily Find Wines Of $50 Quality For $10 Or Less. Impress Friends With Your Expanded Wine Knowledge. Eliminate Your Dependence On Wine Salespeople. And Take The Hassle Out Of Buying Wine.
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| | Making Wine From Home. | | | A Fun And Very Informative Book On Home Wine Making. The De Facto Standard For All Home Wine Enthusiasts With Recipes, Advice And Tricks.
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Blogs & Sites:
 Tecnorati
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| [01/01/1970, 02:00] | 2006 Burley Fox Shiraz | | | Tasted by glymps. Strong black berry on the nose with a slight hint of pepper. And not to be too sound too sound (VAY NER CHUK)-ish, I am tasting blackberry cereal bar with a hint of ground black pepper. Medium body and a short finish. Not too bad. 87 (87 pts.) - Tasted 5/16/2008. [FIND IT!] | | | |
| [07/17/2007, 18:12] | Gunman Crashes Party, Leaves with Wine | | | Christina Rowan of Washington DC thought quickly and calmly when a gunman crashed a backyard barbecue and held a gun to a 14-year-old girl's head. Moments later, the gunman left with a glass of wine and a smile. Read the whole story. From an AP newswire published on MSNBC WASHINGTON - Police on Capitol Hill are baffled by an attempted robbery that began with a handgun put to the head of a teenager and ended in a group hug. It started about midnight on June 16 when a group of friends was finishing a dinner of marinated steaks and jumbo... | | | |
| [05/12/2008, 05:34] | The Pendulum | |  "...one step remained. One step! One little, little step! Upon one such little step in the great staircase of human life how vast a sum of human happiness or misery depends! I thought of myself, then of Pompey, and then of the mysterious and inexplicable destiny which surrounded us... I thought of my many false steps which have been taken and may be taken again." ? Poe
Got time for a little navel gazing? 'Cause that?s where I'm going with this one.
25 years of carrying the torch for the Italian team. I feel like someone just pushed me in the ditch.
There are all kinds of wines for different tastes. I understand that. But I cannot tell how many times I have heard this line lately, and not just from Italians: ?We have embraced tradition with innovation.? Or this one: ?We are a traditional winery looking forward into the 21st century.? And this one: ?We are an old style winery utilizing technology to improve what we have learned from the past.? None of these statements makes any sense.
 Add to that the looming issue with Italian wines: Who can you trust?
When was the last time I had a Greco or a Fiano that really tasted like one? How many Verona IGT reds lately have I had that tasted more like a wine from the Maremma or Rutherford, than Valpolicella? When was the last time I had a Chianti that reflected the intentions of the land over the man? When did Mother Nature become la goomada? When did nurture become suffocate?
Did those starry-eyed post war kids with hopes and dreams become comfortable as they passed the keys to their Gucci-loafing children?
Well maybe not everyone, but the pendulum has swung out there. Way out. It cannot remain in an extreme position. It cannot be sustained. There is the issue of gravity. And balance.
 This whirlwind in Tuscany is finally reaching the shores of America. Already in New York and out West there is rumbling. Pushback. Wayback. The midsection of the US has been rabbit punched for eight grueling years and we need a moment. To pay our bills, to recalibrate. To gather some hope for ourselves.
April was the first month I have witnessed where I?ve seen downward trends in Italian wine sales. Things are slowing down. It?s not a sky-is-falling spiral, but it?s a gut check for anyone who is looking at the numbers.
 Let?s talk about wine. I was with a young one who lived in Southern Italy for four years and just returned home to Texas. We were tasting wine and she remarked about a winery in Campania, ?I don?t remember their white wine tasting so buttery and smooth and international.? I hadn?t thought about it, I was too busy plowing on through the year, when out of the mouth of babes came a truth. She was right. Last week, in New York, I was having dinner with an old friend and we were talking about the very same thing. ?Yeah, I talked to one of the owners and asked him how it was going. Do you know what his answer was? Our wines are very popular. Not, our wines are a reflection of our land. But, our wines are appealing.? Oh really?
I have tasted Montepulcianos from Abruzzo recently. Seems like a lot of people want to bring their wines to market. I have a long experience with Montepulciano and remember those brawny, sweaty, nutty, reds that when you tasted it knew it was from the hills above you. Now, many of them taste like they came off an assembly line.
 I was in Italy last month, tasting Barolo and Barbaresco. For what seem like hundreds of years now I have tasted Nebbiolo, what a rollercoaster ride! Sometimes the wines are a reflection of where they come from, in that unique way a wine is when it only has one area where it is comfortable growing. And then sometimes it seems like we are dealing with a perfume manufacturing mentality; crank out another flavor, give us something sexy for the camera, can you show us some skin? More toast. More velvet, more color, more money, more stuff. Less substance.
Who can you turn to? What can you trust in?
 Salespeople rattle about this wine and that wine like it is the latest laundry detergent or smart phone. What happened to the old gang who loved the camaraderie and the product? Sure there might be an incentive here or there, but what about the thrill of the game, not the urgent flavor of the moment? What about the soil? The vine? The grape?
 These wines are now like trophies, everything is a treasure, without the hunt. We want a pretty wife; we get the doctor to make her prettier. We want to be cool, we get a fast car. We want to sell, we quote a score.
 What about all those Italians in our veins and our DNA, looking out from generations past, what would they think of this moment?
I think we are at a crossroads and it is a crucial time for the wines of Italy and her relationship to the American market. Where's a good place to start? How about less marketing pesticide ? more plowing in the trenches of the heart.
There have been missteps. I hope for steps out of the darkness towards a future that swings back to authenticity and integrity.
Vintage photos by Vittorio | | | |
| [02/04/2008, 22:24] | For Love or Money | | Just read an very interesting essay that makes parallels between blogging and the open source movement in software. There was a discussion about a year ago in the wine blogosphere regarding professional versus amateur and what the distinction is. This essay points out some really interesting ideas relating to this topic is worth a read. In particular, I enjoy these passages: First this on that actually relates open-source to blogging Like open source, blogging is something people do themselves, for free, because they enjoy it. Like open source hackers, bloggers compete with people working for money, and often win. The method of ensuring quality is also the same: Darwinian. Companies ensure quality through rules to prevent employees from screwing up. But you don’t need that when the audience can communicate with one another. People just produce whatever they want; the good stuff spreads, and the bad gets ignored. And in both cases, feedback from the audience improves the best work.
Then there is the comments on amateurs versus professionals… There’s a name for people who work for the love of it: amateurs. The word now has such bad connotations that we forget its etymology, though it’s staring us in the face. "Amateur" was originally rather a complimentary word. But the thing to be in the twentieth century was professional, which amateurs, by definition, are not.
That’s why the business world was so surprised by one lesson from open source: that people working for love often surpass those working for money. Users don’t switch from Explorer to Firefox because they want to hack the source. They switch because it’s a better browser.
More great insights here… Actually, the fad is the word "blog," at least the way the print media now use it. What they mean by "blogger" is not someone who publishes in a weblog format, but anyone who publishes online. That’s going to become a problem as the Web becomes the default medium for publication. So I’d like to suggest an alternative word for someone who publishes online. How about "writer?"
Those in the print media who dismiss the writing online because of its low average quality are missing an important point: no one reads the average blog. In the old world of channels, it meant something to talk about average quality, because that’s what you were getting whether you liked it or not. But now you can read any writer you want. So the average quality of writing online isn’t what the print media are competing against. They’re competing against the best writing online. And, like Microsoft, they’re losing.
And finally, this passage is probably my favorite… The third big lesson we can learn from open source and blogging is that ideas can bubble up from the bottom, instead of flowing down from the top. Open source and blogging both work bottom-up: people make what they want, and the best stuff prevails.
Does this sound familiar? It’s the principle of a market economy. Ironically, though open source and blogs are done for free, those worlds resemble market economies, while most companies, for all their talk about the value of free markets, are run internally like communist states.
This essay really is worth a read. Its a couple years old by Paul Graham, an essayist, programmer, and programming language designer. Wine bloggers are a very powerful force especially when you consider that its driven pretty much by love of the community’s past time rather than money. And like open source, the job of following and documenting wine requires more than a single entity with several dozen people. Its going to take a cast of thousands with a shared passion and the best will naturally rise to the top. Enjoy the Wine Life!  | | | |
| [05/13/2008, 17:38] | A Peek Into My Cellar | |  CellarTracker, my preferred cellar management and tasting note program, has rolled out some fun new features that you may want to check out. Even if you are familiar with the program, you may not know that there are now ways to highlight posts made by your favorite tasting note authors, and allow friends to peek into your cellar.
To the right, you see a screen shot from Cellar Tracker, with the new featured areas highlighted with red indicators. I know it's a little small, but if you click on it you will enlarge it and be able to see how the new features appear on the home page.
Using the new features is simple. You can either search for a user in the search box on the upper left, entering their handle (mine is "drdebs") and using the pulldown menu to search for "users". This will take you to their profile page where you can indicate they are a favorite author or make them a "cellar buddy" so they can see the contents of your cellar. Or, if you are reading tasting notes and find an author who seems to share your palate, you can make them a favorite author simply by clicking on that option which appears for each tasting note in the database. Lots of bloggers and readers of GWU$20 are CellarTracker users, and it will be interesting to see how these features develop in the coming months.
By clicking on Buddies in the top menu bar, you will be given options on how to manage the people you've identified as friends and favorite authors. You can opt to only see tasting notes from these folks (although why you would do that don't ask me--the whole point of CellarTracker as far as I'm concerned is the enormous range of tasters), ignore tasters that you don't find helpful, and tweak the program in other ways.
I've started checking my buddies list and giving reciprocal favorite author stars and cellar access to people who indicate that they are readers, so if you want a peek into my cellar don't hesitate to indicate that you are interested on my profile so that I can do the same. | | | |
| [05/16/2008, 04:18] | Pork belly | |  This is from A year in my kitchen by Skye Gingell. There are a few minor modifications to the the quantities and if you have access to outdoor cooking facilities, I'd strongly recommend using them. I found the final part of the pork cooking very messy, though I suspect I used a little too much oil and did not dry the pork well enough. . .
Ingredients:
- 2kg of pork belly, skin on and bones in
- Spices - 2 cinnamon quills, 10 cloves, 3 star anise, 6 peppercorns, 1 chilli, 6 cloves of garlic (peeled), medium sized nob of ginger (peeled)
- Roots of three fresh coriander
- Half cup of soy sauce
- Third of a cup of Maple syrup
How?
This could well be called thrice cooked pork belly.
First place the pork belly in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil and then remove the pork and dispose of the water. Return the pork to the now cleaned pot and cover with water again. Now add the spices and the coriander and simmer for 2 hours. Remove the pork and set aside, remove the chilli and the ginger and dispose. To the liquid add the soy and Maple syrup and return to the boil and reduce (30-60 minutes, depending on the size of pot and amount of water added), creating a richly flavoured sauce. Slice the pork, and heat a generous splash of oil in a pan till very hot. Add the pork and fry each side for several minutes till golden and crisp.
Serve.
I served mine with steamed broccolini and rice. Top with a generous ladle of now reduced sauce.
Warning.
The final stage of cooking (the frying of the pork) is best done outside. There will be smoke and hot oil splattering everywhere.* Of course using less oil and drying the pork would reduce these problems.
Wine?
I opted for a pinot noir, with good acid and soft structure. It was quite suitable, though I suspect many other red wines (merlot, sangiovese etc) would have been very good as well.
* I have several burns to proves this. . . | | | |
| [05/15/2008, 15:41] | I'll have the Cabernet, accompanied by The Who | |  Music can have an effect on the way listeners perceive the qualities of the wines they are drinking, according to a study performed for Viña Montes by the Heriot-Watt University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
When a powerful piece of music is played, a wine such as Montes Alpha's Cabernet Sauvignon is perceived as being 60 percent richer and more robust than when there is no musical accompaniment, according to Professor Adrian North. "It is widely acknowledged within the scientific community that music affects behavior," said North, who conducted the research. "However, this is the first time it has been scientifically proven that music can affect perception in other senses, and change the way wine tastes."
The research by North's Department of Applied Psychology is based on the theory of cognitive priming. This postulates that when a particular style of music is heard, it stimulates or 'primes' specific areas in the brain. Subsequently, when wine is tasted, these areas of the brain are already active and prime the taster to judge the wine in a corresponding way. The effect is more pronounced with red wines than with white, the study finds.
Music is already used in the production of Montes wines, as monastic chants are played to maturing casks of wine in the winery's Feng Shui-optimized barrel room. The company is now looking into adding music recommendations to its back labels.
That Arbor Crest Merlot ?03 I had a couple of nights ago was particularly good ? or was it the London Symphony Orchestra's rendition of Dvorák's New World Symphony...? | | | |
| [05/13/2008, 20:08] | Music Changes Perception of Wine | | Chilean wine producer Montes, in association with Professor Adrian North of Heriot Watt University in Scotland, has determined that the style of music we listen to whilst drinking wine affects how that wine actually tastes. "For example, when powerful and heavy music such as rock is heard, wines such as Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon were perceived as tasting 60 per cent more powerful and heavy than when no music is heard. Similarly, when bold and fresh styles of music such as pop were heard, Montes Alpha Chardonnay was perceived as tasting 40 per cent more bold and fresh than when no music is heard.
In conclusion, it can be said that the style of music we listen to whilst drinking wine has a direct correlation on the taste of that wine. In the psychology field this is known as sensory priming.
Some previous music/wine research had noticeable buying pattern changes in supermarkets but this is the first time I have heard of music effecting taste directly. The research is an extension of Montes wine-making techniques. They apparently play continual Gregorian chants to their wine barrels, believing that the gentle vibrations of the chants aid the maturation and ageing of their wines. I have some samples of both the wines and the music used in the research coming to me next week; could be interesting!
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| [05/14/2008, 08:01] | Interview with the Ancients | |  I took a walk in a quiet place. In it, there were many souls from ancient times. They were from Greece and Italy, Sumeria and Egypt, Persia and Etruria. The voices were silent but the souls were coming through loud and clear, on a Friday afternoon on the eastern edge of Central Park.
I had just interviewed a gentleman about his life, his book and things Italian. But we didn?t quite make a connection. How could you do anything in 15 minutes, except perhaps to size each other up like two bulls in a ring? Not that it was that kind of encounter. I left feeling the need to reconnect with my roots, so I hopped on a subway and headed back a couple of thousand years, to interview the ancient ones.
 Q. What were the wines like when you were living?
A. They were dark and musky, and warm. They tasted a little like sour water sometimes and at other times sweet like rose petals.
Q. Who made the wine in your community?
A. We had families who passed the trade down from generation to generation. There were families, like in Chaldea, who had been working with the grape for hundreds of years.
Q. Who among you were the first to taste wine?
 The fellow in profile speaks
A. When we first tasted it, it came about by accident. One of the servants had left a vase of grapes lying around in a cool dark place and forgot about it. Several weeks later one of the porters was walking around and smelled this sweet odor. He had it brought up to the dining area and we all took bites out of this fruit we knew, but it tasted very different this time. And the juice in the bottom of the vase we all took sips of. This was something we had never experienced before. So we instructed the porters to pick more grapes and let them sit in the basement in the same manner. That was the first time we had seen it.
Q. How did the news of this travel?
A. Slowly at first, but after 400-500 years pretty much everybody in the known world had an idea of the transformative powers of the grape.
Q. And the merchants, how did they fit in?
A. At first, it was seen as a religious ritual, so the merchants stayed away. A tribe of women eventually wound their way through the empire, setting up trade with the Egyptians.
Q. Many times we hear that the Greeks brought wine culture to Italy. Who knows about that in this room?
 An Etruscan princess answers
A. We had already started with the grape before the Greeks arrived. We had been going on for several hundred years. What the Greeks did was to bring some new grape types with them, but not superior to the ones we had been cultivating for 500 years.
Q. It seems Ancient Romans loved wine. Poems were written about it, buildings and temples were erected in honor of the god of the grapes.
A. That all is true, but keep in mind we had very little to eat and drink. We were often sick and food went bad quickly. Wine kept, and it kept us well and our bellies full. And it made us happy.
Q. Did the grape have anything to do with the expansion of the Empire(s)?
A. Other than it went where man went? Of course when we conquered Gaul or the Huns or the Britons, we would plant vines and keep the local people collected and subdued. Wine had a part to play in the civilizing factor of the wild tribes.
Q. Last Question. If you were around today, what kind of wine would you like to see? What would you make?
 An older Roman answers
A. Listen, I would round up some of my soldiers and head to Toscanium and set that land straight. I?d bring them back to the Jovian roots and light a bloody fire under their feet. And by all the power of Jupiter, we?d bring them back to the flame of truth and all that is holy about the miracle the gods have sent down from the heavens in giving us grape with which to make this precious wine. Anyone caught disrespecting the gift of the gods would be crucified and struck down, their family sent into exile. To go against the Divine Immortals is the worst sin one could commit against the pantheon that rules our ancient souls.
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| [11/22/2006, 07:48] | Using Bargain Wines to Your Advantage | | Using bargain wines is often preferable for occasions when it would be unwise to to invest a large amount of money in expensive wine.
Do you really want to use top-notch red wine for making sangria or for serving up at parties, when friends have already had enough to drink? No, I didn't think so!
Drinking Bargain Wines
Blended wine is usually cheaper and a reasonable bet in terms of drinkability. As a general rule, Chilean blends are the cheapest option, although it's often worth paying that little bit extra for Australian blends. In fact, a number of Australian producers market two excellent blends at the lower end of the price spectrum, one white and one red. The red is a blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz and the white consists of semillon and chardonnay. Keep an eye out for these grape combinations, if you're after a bargain!
Another winner at the cheaper end of the market is Spanish Rioja (both red and white). As Rioja is usually less fruity than the previously mentioned blends it is generally better for serving with food, rather than drinking on its own.
Other Uses of Bargain Wines
Sangria
If you're making sangria, you need red quaffing wine - and lots of it. As sangria is made from red wine, sugar, fruit juice and spirits, the quality of the red wine becomes largely secondary. This is where boxed wines come into their own. Buy large boxes that are relatively cheap - no one will notice! Be sure to purchase reasonable quality fruit juice and don't go for the absolute cheapest wine as you may live to regret it, the following morning!
Large Parties and Receptions
When serving wine to a large party, cost is obviously important. As a rule, boxed whites are generally more palatable than boxed reds, so if want to trim costs, anywhere, buying cheaper white wine may be a safer option.
A great way to improve boxed red wine is to add a reasonable quality bottle of red wine. Provided that you choose the correct bottle of red, this can make an impressive difference to the taste. Of course, you do need some suitable decanters or serving carafes and a little patience to pull this one off, successfully.
Finally, choose your nibbles wisely. Plain potato chips will do little to help you disguise a poor wine. Instead opt for a selection of cheeses, as they will enhance the flavor of even the cheapest of wines.
About the author:
Since Neil Best first pondered the question, Who made the first wine anyway? he's been recording his findings at http://www.goodglug.comFind about your favorite wine regions, wine recipes, and speciality wines along with how it's made and how best to store it for maximum enjoyment
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| [01/10/2008, 09:24] | Celebrating the New Year with Sparkling Wines | | New Year?s and bubbles always seem to go together perfectly, and this season was no exception. So with a lazy Saturday between Christmas and New Year Eve, it was hardly a surprise to find sparkling wines featured at every in-house tasting on our re-stocking the liquor cabinet route. How could we refuse?
We?re both fans of Spanish Cavas for their ability to combine great taste with solid pricing, and the Lavit Brut Rosado we sampled first was no exception. Light  strawberry in colour, this sparkler was summer in a glass ? raspberries, strawberries, and just a hint of peach. Even though it was slightly over chilled for this tasting we instantly agreed it would be one to that would help solve the ?what actually goes with turkey dinner? dilemma. Good for pre-dinner sipping too.
The Sigura Viudas Brut Reserva that was next up is pretty much one of our standard stocker for its flexible nature and crisp taste. It?s also, according to Ian Farmiloe, the International Cellars rep pouring, BC?s largest selling Cava. Good for parties ? especially potluck where anything is likely to show up. ?So, is this one,  like ? you know ? real champagne?? To his credit, Ian managed to keep a semi-serious expression on his face as he explained the intricacies of the Champagne region to the rather portly lady wearing a combination of tartan plaid, plenty of zestful holiday bling, and sturdy black walking boots. We weren?t quite so diplomatic and had to suddenly develop an interest in the Italian wine section several rows over.
However, we did pop back for the Reserva Heredad. Perfect for when we want a bit more of a treat for less than $35, this Grand Reserve Cava has plenty of lemon-lime acidity and always makes a reliable, refreshing pour.
For a complete change of pace, we also  checked out two offerings from Gray Monk?s Odyssey series. Even our Scottish wanna-be would probably have hesitated to inquire about the authenticity of this ?Champagne.? Neither of us got the yeasty nose that we would have expected after being left for 16 months on the yeast, although there was plenty of big time buttery texture from the Chardonnay. We settled for this one as an
aperitif. The Rosé Brut had pleasing strawberry notes but didn?t hit either one of us as a ?rush out and buy? item. At $27 each, we took a pass on both these BC wines and headed back for a few more of the Cavas? with just a short detour through Champagne for some of ?the real stuff.?
THE WINES:
Lavit Brut Rosado
Winery: Sigura Viudas
Grapes: 80% Trepat, 10% Monastrell, 10% Garnacha
Price: $17
Brut Reserva
Winery: Sigura Viudas
Grapes: 50% Macabeo, 35% Parellada, 15% Xarel-lo
Price: $16
Reserva Heredad
Winery: Sigura Viudas
Grapes: 67% Macabeo, 33% Parellada
Price: $32
Odyssey White Brut
Winery: Gray Monk
Grapes: Riesling and Chardonnay
Price: $27
Odyssey Rosé Brut
Winery: Gray Monk
Grapes: Gamay Noir, Pinot Meunier
Price: $27 | | | |
| [05/13/2008, 19:08] | Brunello's Mess Worsens | | | You are going to see a lot less Brunello di Montalcino in the United States very soon if Italian authorities and wine producers don't get their act together. The Italian Embassy in Washington DC recently received notification from the US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) warning that, beginning on June 9, imports of Brunello di Montalcino to the United States will be blocked unless producers can guarantee that their wines are pure Sangiovese, as required by Italian wine law. | | | |
| [09/13/2007, 18:46] | Your Editor Takes a Shave | | | September 14th, 2007 is the Great Canadian Head Shave organized by the Terry Fox Foundation. In order to help raise awareness and much-needed funds for cancer research, Tidings editor-in-chief, Aldo Parise has decided to do his part. He will be... | | | |
| [05/05/2008, 03:43] | A Rewarding Plate of Antipasto | | 
A little weekend antipasto.
This is a snack we enjoyed when my son Chris was visiting last week. He worked hard on editing a photo for me for the LiveSTRONG With A Taste Of Yellow round up. I was really pleased with the final result and felt he deserved to be rewarded with some of his favourite foods. Visit on the 13th May to see how clever he is. | | | |
| [03/31/2008, 12:00] | Shadow Stevens and the Wines of Scott Paul | | 
Scott Paul Wines is a boutique winery dedicated to producing ultra-premium Pinot Noirs from the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Proprietor and winemaker, Scott Paul Wright, came to winemaking as a second career. For thirty years, he had a career in the radio and music industries. As a disc jockey, his handle was “Shadow Stevens” and those of you from the East Coast remember him well. His financial success in the music world allowed him to cellar and drink good wine from an early age. As the music business became more and more a corporate-driven industry, Scott lost interest in continuing in that field, and left to learn winemaking. Under the mentorship of Greg Le Follette and others, and taking inspiration from Burgundy, he developed his winemaking skills. After ten vintages in Oregon, he is now very comfortable with his career change. For more info on Scott Paul Wines: www.scottpaul.com Sponsor: The Beaches of South Walton: www.beachesofsouthwalton.com Click Below to Play the Show: | Show #195
(44:53 min 32 MB) | | | |
| [03/03/2007, 10:54] | Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 | |  I have been drinking quite a lot of 1996 Penfolds 407 recently and maybe that colours my impression of this wine, but I drank it young and loved it, and now I like it even better. An outstanding wine with plenty of years to go. I don’t taste wines blind generally and I don’t care to. I even read other people’s tasting notes before reviewing but I still manage to form my own opinion. I could give you a dozen reasons for not tasting blind and I am sure advocates of blind tasting could give me a dozen reasons why I should! Be that as it may I’ll stick to my guns for now. ‘That’s me in the corner.That’s me in the spotlight…I thought that I heard you laughing.’ I already know I am out of step with many on this wine but so be it.
Full red purple. Aromas of blackcurrant pastille, licorice, tobacco, dried herbs, mint and delicate spicy cedar vanilla oak. On the palate medium to full bodied with blackcurrant, tobacco, star anise, coffee and some gamey earthy flavours. Tight and compact with firm fine grained tannins and clean fresh acidity. Finishes dry and long with blackcurrant and tobacco flavours. A brilliant wine, one for the long haul, and one I am most certainly going to purchase for the cellar. | | | |
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"Like the always-chic little black dress, chocolate never goes out of style. Whether prepared in a winter-perfect souffle format, drizzled over ice cream during the summer months or tucked into a decadent truffle that's perfect any season, chocolate gets it right every time. Read on for tips on pairing wine with this timeless treat, as well as insights on some of the best spots to try your hand at wine and chocolate pairing in person...