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.
Earn $6.17 / Sale! %75 Commission! The Ultimate Resource For Anyone Who Wants To Learn How To Make Outstanding Wines & Spirits From Their Very Own Home!
Midweek - too tired after a day in the office and too hot after the commute to want to do too much in the kitchen; a dive into the supermarket to grab a bottle and something to throw on to a plate without too much fuss. The wine should be cheap - lacking in energy to think too much about the alcohol we are slurping.
For me that supermarket is Waitrose. The wine is a bottle of £4.99 South African white while the eye is drawn to a tortilla from the new Delicatezze range. Specifically Edamame Bean, Artichoke and Lemon Pesto Tortilla made from free range eggs, which appeared better value than other dishes in the same range; and more substantial too. Add a salad and a meal is made.
Taking little more than 15 minutes in the oven you might need to make use of the quick-chill machine to get the white to non-shelf, drinkable temperature.
Wine Tasting Note: Nederburg Chardonnay-Viognier, 2007, Western Cape, South Africa. Available from Waitrose for £4.99. Crisp and refreshing - a touch acidic perhaps but nicely rounded with peach, melon and floral notes. The Chardonnay has seen some barrel ageing, but the whole is lifted by the lemon floweriness of the Viognier. It's fine and fine summer-garden drinking. Alcohol 13.5%. Fine with the salad-tortilla combination; you don't afterall, want anything you have to think too much about.
Peter Liem is the second Wine & Spirits Magazine writer to take up blogging, beating his colleague Wolfgang Weber to the punch by a couple months. Peter's personal blog, Besotted Ramblings and Other Drivel, has a certain derogatory ring to it, but please don't let this fool you. Peter is W&S's Senior Correspondent based in Champagne, giving him a unique and insider perspective particularly on the European wine scene. I learned about Peter's Blog from Brooklyn Wine Guy who highly recommended it and I was not disappointed. Peter's Besotted Ramblings are likely the best source of information on the Champagne wine region and Champagne the product on the net. It's an education in the waiting. Peter was kind enough to agree to be Bloggerviewed.
1. When did you begin blogging and why? I started my blog in November of 2007, mostly because I was living halfway around the world from the majority of my friends, and it was an easy way to stay connected. It?s since grown into something beyond what I anticipated, and I find that I enjoy writing it.
2 In two sentences describe the focus of your wine blog. I?m fortunate in that I?m based in one of the most dynamic and intriguing wine regions in the world, constantly surrounded by wine, vineyards and winemakers, and my blog allows me to develop ideas about issues and random bits of information that I encounter from day to day. My goal is to keep it mostly about champagne, but as I travel fairly regularly, I also end up writing about other things that I happen to be drinking or eating at the time.
3. What sets your wine blog apart from the pack? You mean other than its babbling incoherence and child-like grasp of HTML? Seriously, I suppose that one unique element of my blog is that among people blogging in English about champagne, I?m one of the very few who actually live in the region, and among those I?m the only journalist, as far as I know (the rest are winemakers or connected with wineries). Both of these things shape my perspective in particular ways.
4. How would you characterize the growth in your readership since beginning your blog? It?s been shocking, really. Each week surpasses the previous one. I don?t look at my stats a lot, mostly because I use Blogger, which doesn?t have an internal stat counter. But whenever I do, I think, ?Damn, where did all these people come from? And don?t they have anything else better to do?? 5. Do you accept sample for review? Well, most of my tasting is done at wineries, so I suppose that tasting wine "sur place" constitutes accepting samples in some way. I don?t feel any sort of conflict of interest, since I?m not actually reviewing wine, nor do I feel compelled to write about something just because someone opened a fantastically expensive or rare bottle for me. The whole point of having a personal blog is so that I can write about whatever I want to write about.
6. What kind of wine rating/review system do you use and why? I don?t. At my day job I?m required to use the 100-point scale, which I like to think that I can wield competently as a professional. Personally, however, I don?t believe in numeric scoring, although I recognize the need for a system to communicate a concept of quality, if you?re going to be in the business of reviewing wine. Fortunately, my blog isn?t about reviewing wine, and it certainly isn?t about rating wine. It?s more about establishing a context in which to place the wines that I write about, creating a backdrop so that the reader is better empowered to assess these wines for himself or herself.
7. How do you fit the maintenance of your wine blog into your daily schedule? It?s a sort of mental exercise, usually in the morning. I don?t like spending much more than fifteen minutes on a post ? I?ll pick a sufficiently narrow topic and try to make myself write whatever I have to say within the allotted time. As I often spend much of my day writing other things, it?s a nice change of pace to write a short, focused post on something that I?m interested in.
8. Have you utilized any particular techniques to successfully market your blog? I?ve done absolutely nothing to market my blog. In fact, I think the only thing I?ve ever done that could remotely be considered marketing is registering on Technorati. I must be the worst self-promoter in the entire world.
9. In your view how, if at all, is blogging different than traditional wine writing for print? As others have said, a blog connects you with your readers in a much more immediate way than print journalism. For one thing, you can write much more frequently, and your writing is delivered instantaneously to your audience, which offers huge advantages. When I write for print, sometimes it won?t be read until several months later, which has an impact on both how you write and what you can write about. Also, one of the most valuable things about blogging is a direct interaction with your audience, via comments, e-mails and the like, and it?s very rewarding to exchange ideas in this manner.
10. Which other wine blogs do you read regularly? I browse whenever I can, generally around the blogs that I?ve linked to on my site. I like Brooklynguy?s well-written and down-to-earth Wine & Food Blog. Dr. Vino is always a fantastic source of information, and generally a hoot to read. Wolfgang Weber?s Spume is intelligent and entertaining, not always about wine but that?s a good thing. I also like Ray Isle?s blog at Food & Wine ? he?s the best writer I?ve ever worked with, as well as an all-around great guy.
11. Do you believe wine blogs have made any marked impact on the wine industry or wine culture? I can?t say that I see a big impact on the industry. On wine culture, I suppose that it gets more people engaged in a dialogue about wine, whether they?re reading or writing. I think that blogs still occupy a fringe element rather than the mainstream, but their presence and influence is only going to grow.
12. Vacation: Paris or the Caribbean? I would say Paris, except that I live close by and am there quite regularly, so it doesn?t feel like much of a vacation to me! I do love the city, though. For a proper vacation, I try to remove myself completely from Europe and North America, with Asia being a preferred continent to wander in.
13. Pet: Dog or Cat? Cats, unquestionably. They are by far the more civilized of the two. I?ve been in too many places in the world where I?ve had to carry a pocketful of rocks to fend off canine marauders. In Vietnam, however, I exacted my revenge upon the canine race when I ate dog prepared three different ways, including a boiled paw floating in soup, nails and all. It was a very Lance Henriksen in "Dead Man"sort of moment. 14. Airplane Reading: New Yorker or People? The New Yorker. In fact, it?s become something of a ritual for me ? when I fly I almost always have both the New Yorker and Wired in my bag. One of the things I love most about flying is that it frees me of all duties and obligations, and I have absolutely nothing to do but sit there and read a magazine.
15. Car: Prius or BMW? A Prius would be a blessing, with gas prices the way they are here in Europe. Although as my current vehicle is a Peugeot 206, I would be thrilled to drive either a Prius or a BMW. The French make many wonderful things, but automobiles are not exactly their strong suit.
16. Chablis or California Chardonnay? Chablis, without a doubt. I?m an old-world, old-school, cool-climate, rocks-and-minerals sort of guy. I guess I sort of have to be ? I live two hours <I>north</I> of Chablis. 17. Describe what you would have at your last meal? I would have Kouei Furukawa, the kaiseki-trained chef of Shokkan in Tokyo?s Shibuya district, make me a multi-course extravaganza from whatever he found at the market that morning. I?d bring a ton of champagne, of course, as well as an ample supply of sake, and try out all sorts of combinations with Furukawa-san?s exquisitely elegant and refined cuisine.
18. What is Heaven Like? Of course the champagne flows freely, and by some miracle it's all organically grown. The views are spectacular, rather like sitting out on the patio at the Ventana Inn in Big Sur. The chefs are Japanese, and the sommeliers probably are, too. And on the television, Arsenal is perpetually thrashing Manchester United, over and over again for the rest of eternity.
19. If you could invite 4 people dead or alive to your fantasy dinner party, who would they be and who would you have bring the wine? There are many famous people living and deceased whom I might choose, but I?d have to say that my group of friends in Portland, Oregon, who all have fabulous cellars and are all complete wine dorks, will always be my favorite dining companions. Unfortunately we hardly ever get to see each other these days. There are more than four of them, but so be it.
20. What advice would you give to someone considering starting a wine blog? Don?t use Blogger! Just kidding. I think it?s important to remember that while writing on the web allows you to be more casual and relaxed than writing in print, the rules of good writing still apply. Write with a purpose and keep your audience in mind. It doesn?t have to be Pulitzer Prize-worthy, but it ought to have a point ? writing ?I drank this last night and it was yummy? is not very useful to anybody, plus it?s boring.
2005 Merliance Is New Merlot From Collective By HOWARD G. GOLDBERG Published: May 11, 2008
When the Long Island Merlot Alliance was formed by five producers in 2005, the local wine industry debated its value. Since merlot had become established as the Island?s signature red ? today 38 of 43 producers make it ? an organization to promote it and to define quality standards was unnecessary, dissenting producers said.
Undeterred, the alliance ? Pellegrini, Raphael, Sherwood House, Shinn and Wölffer ? strives to make ?Long Island merlot? an internationally recognized brand. It has just released its second collectively composed merlot, the 2005 Merliance. (Its first venture, vintage-dated 2004, was released in 2006.)
The medium-bodied 2005 red ($35) is soft, richly fruity and reminiscent of macerated black and red berries; six months? further bottle aging will heighten its nuances. It?s a pleasing, but not spectacular, wine.
In producing the blend, each member selected two barrels from its cellars that the winemakers believed best represented its individual style as well as Long Island?s terroir, or grape-growing conditions. Calling 2005 an extraordinary vintage, Richard Olsen-Harbich, Raphael?s winemaker, said it was ?the driest growing season on Long Island in almost 60 years.?
He added, ?We had very mature, intense fruit at harvest, which is evident in the dark fruit flavors and ripe tannins found in the wine.?
Read the rest at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/11vinesli.html
Winslow welcomes winery By BILL DUHART ? Courier-Post Staff ? April 29, 2008
Larry Sharrott III, left, and Larry Sharrott Jr. pose for a portrait in the tasting room of Sharrott Winery, Tuesday, April 15, 2008 in Winslow. (Douglas M. Bovitt/Courier-Post)
WINSLOW ? For Pam Merkey, another wine-maker in the neighborhood was nothing to raise an eyebrow about.
"We all make wine around here," said Merkey, who lives on South Egg Harbor Road here in the Blue Anchor section of the township. "This is a very strong Italian community. We all visit each other's houses on Sundays to taste each other's wine."
But when the chance came for a relative to sell 34 acres of land that had been in her husband's family for generations to an upstart commercial wine operation, the family jumped at it.
"They could have sold that . . . and split it up but they didn't," said Merkey, 47, a residential development banker. "It got to stay what it is and that's a lot better than five houses out there."
That's the way Larry Sharrott III and his father Larry Sharrott Jr. feel about it. The Sharrott farm bucks a recent trend in a township shedding its farming identity for rapid residential growth. Residential land makes up 76 percent of the taxable property here, compared to only 5 percent for farms.
The Sharrotts, computer technicians by trade who have an affinity for distilling spirits, bought the land in 2003 for $175,000.
The winery offers 10 varieties of wine showcased in a 450-square-foot tasting bar atop a plateau with a patio overlooking the vineyard. The tasting bar is part of a 2,500-square-foot building that also houses the winemaking operation with grapes grown in the vineyard.
"We see ourselves as a bulkhead against development," said Sharrott Jr., 60, a retired computer executive. "They call this the Garden State but most of the gardens are turning into somebody's backyard."
"We're preserving open space and our farm is a new business for the township," added Sharrott III, 33, whose day job is at defense contractor Lockheed Martin.
The property, once an apple orchard, is zoned rural and restricted to one house per 10 acres of land, which officials said is not likely to change. But it had been vacant for several years.
"No question, it's something everyone welcomes," said Ed McGlinchey, township zoning officer and director of public works. "It's pretty obvious we had a big influx of single-family homes stretching back to the 1960s. Times were great for the residential building community."
But a sewer connection ban in the rapidly growing township has put a cap on new growth. Eighty-one percent of Winslow is in the environmentally protected Pinelands preserve. The Sharrott farm is in the Pinelands but farms are exempt from many of the restrictions.
"It takes a lot longer to get other types of businesses approved and its a lot more expensive," McGlinchey said. "We're not going to get a huge amount of taxes from the winery, but it keeps with the traditional character of the township."
Read the rest at: http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080429/NEWS01/804290373/1006/news01
Reach Bill Duhart at (856) 486-2576 or bduhart@courierpostonline.com
Grape expectations Wine makers hope trail will woo customers, boost marketing By Jessica Bair 5/9/2008 Central Penn Business Journal
(Franklin & Marshall College seniors, from left, Julie Stein, Carolyn Chen, Andrew Cantos and David Schaeffer sample wine served by sales associate Loraine Luizzo during a daytrip to Twin Brook Winery in Sadsbury Township, Lancaster County. The winery has increased business since it joined the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail in 2003. Photo/Amy Spangler)
The owners of a Lancaster County winery hope to attract more visitors and increase sales by collaborating with neighboring wineries.
Richard Carey and Linda Jones McKee, the owners of Tamanend Winery in Manheim Township, are developing a wine trail that they hope to launch within six months.
Carey said he plans to invite wineries in Lancaster and York counties to join the Red Rose Wine Trail.
"You have to have a compatible group of people that will do it," Carey said.
Tamanend Winery began in Carey's home in 2001. He relocated to Lancaster County from California, where he had been making wine professionally since 1977. In August, the winery moved into a larger production facility. The company's wine is made solely from grapes Carey buys.
Tamenend's wine is sold at its Red Rose Tasting Room, along King Street in Lancaster. The store also sells wine made by Allegro Vineyards and Moon Dancer Vineyard & Winery, both of York County.
"You could look at the store as being a wine trail where you don't have to travel to the winery," Carey said. "It's a good way to show off what we have all together."
Wine trails are helpful because of being able to work with other wineries to promote and cross-market their wines, he said.
"All the reasons for putting up with that is to get people to know about your wine," Carey said. "It's a fun thing to do. People then remember and come back because they had a good time."
The Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau made an effort to collectively promote the county's wineries in 2006, said Christopher Barrett, president and chief executive officer of the Lancaster County-based organization. The county's wineries were advertised together as a part of FlavorFest, which promoted Lancaster County as a culinary destination, he said.
"FlavorFest was an attempt to get them to band together a little bit more," Barrett said.
Tim Jobe does not think it is good that Lancaster County's wineries have yet to band together and create a wine trail. But he also said the problem may be that the wineries in the county are too far apart.
Jobe is one of three owners of the Twin Brook Winery in Sadsbury Township. It is about 30 miles from the next closest winery in Lancaster County, he said.
Twin Brook has been a part of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail since 2003. Six other wineries are a part of the trail, and Twin Brook is the only one from Lancaster County. Although it is more than 10 miles from the next winery on the trail, Twin Brook has seen increased business as a result of belonging to the trail, he said.
"It's been one of the best things that has happened to us as far as marketing goes," Jobe said. "I spend hardly anything on advertising. All my advertising comes from that."
At least 10 percent of Twin Brook's annual sales come from wine-trail travelers, Jobe said. The main event promoted by the Brandywine trail takes place in March, when business at the winery would normally be slow. Rather than seeing about 30 customers over a weekend, a couple hundred will pay a visit to the winery that month, Jobe said.
"Wine trails are a fantastic thing," Jobe said. "I would have never imagined it would be such a great business booster. It's really been a fabulous way to get people through."
-
Lancaster County wineries
Lancaster County Winery 799 Rawlinsville Road in Willow Street www.lancastercountywinery.com
Mount Hope Estate & Winery 2775 Lebanon Road in Manheim www.parenfaire.com
Many of us have no idea what Vinotherapy is. I for one, imagined myself sprawled out on a chez lounge in the middle of a dimly lit cellar. While my therapist listened attentively to my emotional rollercoaster ride of the day, she would compassionately nod her head while pouring my glass full of Gran Reserva held firmly in my own hand, a tissue to wipe away my tears held firm in the other. I then wondered if vinotherapy described a new magical wine that can cure all of my fears and frustrations. A wine so astounding that with little sip, I’d be healed, spending my newfound days with happy grin pasted on my face. Unfortunately, neither of my theories were accurate, however, I wasn’t far from the mark either.
Wine Therapy (Oenotherapy, Vino Terapia, … etc.) claims to take the health benefits of wine to a new level by slapping them on your face, rubbing them on your skin or reducing them to a pill format that you can swallow without having to swirl.
This is the crème de la crème luxury for wine lovers. It takes your adoration of wine to a whole new level as you both sip and bath in your favorite Cabernet Sauvignon, caress your baby smooth skin after a Chardonnay exfoliant or sigh in relaxation as grape pulp oil is delicately rubbed into your previously rigid muscles.
However, prior to this year, I was ignorant to such extravagances. I figured wine should ideally be aimed inside the mouth, rather than all over my body. But by the beginning of January, my education into the methods and philosophies of vinotherapy was fully underway when I received my first ever wine facial, right in the middle of Essencia do Vinho, a bustling wine fair in Oporto, Portugal. Imagine my face covered in a thick Merlot mask as hundreds of people pass by looking at me in both grotesque fear and jealousy. For those single female wine lovers out there, let me emphasis how guys just love seeing you cute woman with an inch of purple grape paste smeared all over your face. “Hey baby, what vintage is that your sporting?”
This was followed, not two weeks later, with a brief tour of Marques de Riscal’s vinotherapy spa. And sadly, although they had invited me for a treatment, our lunch went well past the time of my appointment. And although the food was worth the experience, I wasn’t happy that it interfered with a girl’s “must have” spa treatment. Even I was willing to pass up the restaurant’s chocolate souffle for a deep Tempranillo massage, but alas, it was just not meant to be.
Finally, my Vinotherapy education was topped off with a two hour session last month at the newest vinotherapy spa in Spain. Having been invited several times to visit both their hotel and spa, I finally took them up on their offer to enjoy an afternoon of pampering.
What is Vinotherapy? The theory behind wine therapy lies in the essence of the grape. The seeds, skin and leaves of the red grape contain antocyanosides, polyphenols and procyanidols, which have been proven to exert more antioxidants, or anti-free radicals, than that of Vitamin E. Consequently, it is said to aid in the vicious fight against aging, by restoring collagen and elastic fibers. Having seen some rather deep wrinkles near my eyes in the mirror as of recent, I?ve been hoping that the treatments I?ve received are still working their magic, even going to far to put just an extra drop or two of wine on those ?troubled? areas anytime I think of it. I’m taking bets that if I both consume and cover my entire body with wine, I?ll either age with grace and beauty, or I?ll become a raisin.
Is Vinotherapy Worth your Time and Money? If you’ve never tried vinotherapy in your life, go for it! It’s fun. It’s a good story. And hey, everyone needs a little gratuitous pampering every now and then. However, this assumes that you have 150 Euros burning in your back pocket to spend. While some of you would rather use that money for a holiday weekend in the country, a nice dinner, or a case of wine, there might be others who find vinotherapy the perfect compliment to a vacation getaway. If that just so happens to be you, here’s what I suggest you experience.
The Best and the Worst of Vinotherapy
Sign me up! Having received the gamut of vinotherapy offerings, I’d suggest you keep it to a facial. Why? Because of any part of your body that needs to fight against free radicals and pollution, it’s your face. Plus, it was the one treatment that I found myself lost in complete relaxation, while being sprayed with flower essences, containing the soluble part of the aromatic molecules, massaged with various muds, grape oils and exfoliants, allowing me to feel younger, fresher and simply, happy. My headaches disappeared, my shoulders relaxed, and I felt like a thousands euros, which is impressive when considering the value of the Euro right now
The other option I would suggest you try is the wine therapy bath. Now keep in mind that I have only bathed in reduced Cabernet Sauvignon must, and have never tried other common treatments used with Tempranillo or Merlot, but the experience was well worth its precursor to an hour long massage. Granted, I can’t promise that you wouldn’t get the exact same benefits from dumping a bottle of wine in your own bathtub, but who wants to clean up that mess later?!
Thanks, but no Thanks! What I wouldn’t suggest is the full body exfoliant. This is an all around a bad idea unless your body is one big callous. Simply put, it hurts! Trust me, there is nothing that my butt has sat on long enough to qualify sharp crushed pips being rubbed into this very sensitive area, nor does my chest need to be buffed and shined. If the message therapist kept to my feet and hands, I’d be a happy camper, but you just can’t convince me that pain equals relaxation. My mother tried to pull that on me every time I had to drink that horrid pink cough syrup saying, “Honey, no pain, no gain.” But I’m 32 now, and dammit, screw the pain!
Located in the heart of Marques de Riscals’ City of Wine in Rioja Alave, this spa is for the uber extravagant. From hot stone treatments using essential grape seed oil to a floral bath of white viura, your wish is their command. They have several packages available depending on how extensive you’d like your experience to be, ranging from a romantic couple massage to a full on 3 hour vinotherapy adventure. Well staffed and beautifully decorated, I trust you could spend an entire day finding excuses to hang out.
Located just south of Barcelona in DO Penedes, on a 16th-century estate at the foot of Montserrat mountain and surrounded by sweeping vineyards, this is an absolutely beautiful spa. Intimate, homey and familiar, you feel more as if you’re in someone’s home than a decked out spa. Offering Turkish baths, ayurvedic massages and of course, a wide range of vinotherapy treatments, I trust you won’t be disappointed. And one suggestion, stay at the hotel. Between the incredible and friendly staff and the wonderful food, you’ll thank me in the end.
So maybe you’re not a huge fan of traveling all the way to Spain for a treatment. A backup plan may be to get the same benefits from the intimacy of your own home. Aroms-Nature provides homemade vinotherapy products for sale. Simply check out their website, perusing through the mosaic of different fruit, plant and vegetable products to find exactly the treatment you’re looking for. Tab over to the contact page, and tell them what your looking for. Maybe not the most user-friendly method, but at least you can rest assured that your grapes are coming from one of the most renowned wine regions in the world.
Where have you gone to receive a vinotherapy treatment? Was it worth your time and money? Would you do it again?
While often referred to as a single "place" when it comes to wine, Napa is hardly a single monolithic growing region. Each of its 14 established AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) lays claim to a separate identity, characterized by geology, microclimate, and different histories of production.
The Oakville AVA has one of the most storied of such histories. It is home to the famed To Kalon Vineyard, purchased by H.W. Crabb in 1868, shortly after the installation of a railroad stop made the tiny village of Oakville spring to life. In 1876 Crabb's neighbor John Benson bottled his inaugural vintage of Far Niente wine just down the road.
By the year 1880 the Oakville area had 430 acres under production, and these would nearly triple to more than 1000 acres in the next 10 years and continue to grow until Prohibition turned off the spigot in the 1920's.
In 1965 Heitz Vineyards made the first vintage of Martha's Vineyard Cabernet, a wine that Robert Mondavi probably tasted around about the time he established his own winery a year later. Over the next thirty years, Oakville would gradually become home to some of the best wines on the planet. Acre for acre, the Oakville appellation may be the heaviest hitting single wine region in the western hemisphere. It is home to many of the highest scoring and highest priced wines in America, including Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle, and Dalla Valle, to name just a few.
Oakville is ground zero for Napa Cabernet, and with good reason. Year over year it produces some of the most tremendous wines in the valley. It's hard to say that one particular area of Napa truly produces the best Cabernet, but it's also hard to find someplace that has more claim to that title than the Oakville AVA.
Last week the Oakville Winegrowers Association put on its annual Taste of Oakville event, which gives members of the wine trade and the press an opportunity to sample wines from its members. This meant an opportunity to taste through a lot of excellent 2004 and 2005 Cabernets (as well as a few other reds and a few random whites), most of which I enjoyed greatly. There were a few wines at the tasting which I didn't get a chance to taste, as they had run out of wine by the time I got there, but the list below represents all but a few of the wines poured. The tasting took place on the upper level catwalks of the Robert Mondavi Winery surrounding their large oak fermentation tanks, which you can see in the photo.
WHITE WINES 2006 Flora Springs Winery & Vineyards Soliloquy White Blend. Score: 9. Cost: $25 2006 Cosentino Signature Winery Oakville Chardonnay. Score: 9. Cost: $30 2005 Kelham Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc. Score: 9. Cost: $30 2006 Oakville Ranch Chardonnay. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $48 2007 Swanson Rosato. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $18 2004 Teaderman Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $28 2007 Saddleback Cellars Pinot Blanc. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $24 2006 Robert Mondavi Winery Fume Blanc Reserve, "To Kalon Vineyard." Score: between 8 and 8.5. Cost:$20
Now that we've gotten those out of the way, let's move on to the main event, shall we?
RED WINES WITH A SCORE BETWEEN 9.5 and 10 2005 FUTO Red Blend. $250 2004 Harlan Estate Red Wine. $450?
RED WINES SCORING AROUND 9.5 2004 BOND "Vecina". $400? 2004 BOND "St. Eden". $400? 2004 Dalla Valle Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. $150 2004 Sophie's Rows Bordeaux Blend. $75 2005 Rudd Winery Oakville Estate Proprietary Red. $105
RED WINES WITH A SCORE BETWEEN 9 and 9.5 2004 Enzo Wines "Saunders Vineyard" Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon . $75 2002 Atalon "Beckstoffer Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon. $80 2006 Casa Nuestra Winery & Vineyards Tinto Classico - Old Vines Red Blend. $40 2005 Detert Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. $75 2004 Emilio's Terrace Cabernet Sauvignon. $50 2005 Flora Springs Winery & Vineyards "Holy Smoke" Cabernet Sauvignon. $85 2005 Gargiulo Vineyards 575 OVX Cabernet Sauvignon . $?? 2005 Gargiulo Vineyards 575 OVX G Major 7 Cabernet Sauvignon. $?? 2005 Nickel & Nickel "Martin Stelling Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon. $135 2004 Opus One Red Blend. $165 2005 Showket Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. $85 2005 Swanson Merlot. $38 2005 Tierra Roja Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. $110
*Wave* Hi! I'm just getting into the wonderful world of vino, and I can safely say that my experience is fairly limited. My fiance got me into wines, more specifically red wines. I've had my share of Merlots and Cabernets, but those always tended to have too strong of a finish for me (I do love me a good Merlot from Blackstone winery though...YUM.) More recently, however, we went out to dinner at the Tasting Room with some friends, and ordered a Speri Valpolicella ripasso. I was in HEAVEN. Not too sweet, with a light finish.
On the white side, I like 'em sweet...Gewurtztraminers and Rieslings. I had a Pinot Grigio once...too dry. Chardonnay is middle-of-the-road to me, and champagne is just NOMMY.
However, there is a point to all of my ramblings...this is my wine experience so far, and I have a dillemma. My Blackstone Merlot, for example, is described as having "rich fruit aromas, elegance, supple oak characters and soft tannins. With lifted dark cherry and berry aromas and a touch of spicy clove, this wine is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. The texture is ripe and soft in the mouth, with bright cherry fruit flavors and a soft, lingering finish." However, I don't taste ANY of that. My mouth goes "hmmm....strong, heavy with a mouthpuckery finish." I don't taste the "lifted dark cherry" or the "bright cherry". How, then, can I develop my palate? (Or is the wine description merely a longwinded way of saying "hey, this is a Merlot"?)
*Edit* I just realized I missed a "t" in the Tasting Room link...the Tasing Room sounds like a restaurant I'd want to avoid. ;)
Today, we're tasting another good wine to serve for all of those summer patio parties-the Little Black Dress Pinot Grigio. Little Black Dress Wines were introduced by Brown-Forman in 2006, the 80th anniversary of the Coco Chanel's little black dress. The collection includes a Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Merlot. Although marketed toward women, these wines are versatile and enjoyable for any wine lover.
The Pinot Grigio is a straw-colored wine, made of 84 percent Pinot Grigio grapes, 10 percent Chardonnay, and just a hint of Muscat and Vigonier. The wine is light and crisp with hints of green apples, pears, and peaches. The Muscat lends a spicy touch and the Viognier a fruity floral note.
Little Black Dress wines are available throughout the United States and Canada. The Pinot Grigio retails for $9.99.
Contents of this feed are a property of Creative Weblogging Limited and are protected by copyright laws. Violations will be prosecuted. Please email us if you'd like to use this feed for non-commercial activities at feeds - at - creative-weblogging.com.
Today, we're tasting another good wine to serve for all of those summer patio parties-the Little Black Dress Pinot Grigio. Little Black Dress Wines were introduced by Brown-Forman in 2006, the 80th anniversary of the Coco Chanel's little black dress. The collection includes a Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Merlot. Although marketed toward women, these wines are versatile and enjoyable for any wine lover.
The Pinot Grigio is a straw-colored wine, made of 84 percent Pinot Grigio grapes, 10 percent Chardonnay, and just a hint of Muscat and Vigonier. The wine is light and crisp with hints of green apples, pears, and peaches. The Muscat lends a spicy touch and the Viognier a fruity floral note.
Little Black Dress wines are available throughout the United States and Canada. The Pinot Grigio retails for $9.99.
Contents of this feed are a property of Creative Weblogging Limited and are protected by copyright laws. Violations will be prosecuted. Please email us if you'd like to use this feed for non-commercial activities at feeds - at - creative-weblogging.com.
Just in case? you were wondering; Matt Kramer (winespectator.com) writes:
You've probably been in this situation yourself. You're the one choosing the wines for a dinner with friends. You look at the menu and perform the usual mental matchups about what goes with what. But then, much more subtly?even furtively?you also do a mental matchup about which wines go with, ahem, the guests.
If you're a lover of Italian wines, especially traditional-style? versions, you might find yourself in this situation more often than most.
This subject is not much discussed because it makes you feel like, sound like, or realize that you actually are, a snob. Nevertheless, most people who know their way around wine pay as much attention to the "who's drinking" as to the "which dish."
This lesson is often first (painfully) learned at the family Thanksgiving table. You trot out some of the treasures you've been hoarding for that special moment. Big? mistake. Emergency wards are filled with wine lovers traumatized by watching guests guzzle their prized bottles like elephants at a watering hole.
I thought about this when deciding recently which wines to bring to a high-end Italian restaurant. A good host, by definition, wants his or her guests to feel comfortable. Our guests were, thankfully, wine lovers. However, that's not the same as wine savvy. No crime there, of course. But when the time came to reach for Barolo or even Barbera, my hand hovered over those bottles and then, Ouija board-like, moved to red Burgundy and California Pinot Noir.
Now, maybe it was timidity on my part. Perhaps I've lost my belief in the redemptive, even transformative, power of fine wine?never mind the grape variety? or region?. Surely a traditional Barolo can move not merely the uninitiated but even the unreceptive, especially when served with the right food.
I used to think so. Ask any of my long-suffering friends who have been subjected to my evangelical enthusiasm for, say, Gattinara. Or Recioto? della Valpolicella. Or more bizarrely yet, the caramel-colored, sediment?-rich delights of Italy's new-wave/old-way whites, fermented with skin contact?, from Radikon, Massa Vecchia, Castello? di Lispida or Josko Gravner, among others.
But now I find myself hesitating. I've come to the conclusion that really characterful wines?none more so than traditionally made Italian wines?often require a certain receptivity, maybe even a little study. That you can't just spring upon an unsuspecting, not-especially-interested-in-Italian-wines guest the magnificently traditional likes of, say, Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo or even the easier to understand but still true-to-its-old-school Brunello di Montalcino from Tenuta? Il Poggione.
This flies in the face of today's wine democratization?a belief that anybody should be able to understand, without any fuss, any wine put in front of them. And if they don't, well then, it's the wine's fault, not theirs.
This, of course, is why so many Italian reds today are so modernistic, slathered with the creamy? vanilla? toastiness of new French oak??, miscegenated with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah and practically hot-waxed to a tannin?-free smoothness. Do they sell? They sure do. They're easy to understand, familiar-tasting, and?here it comes?you can serve them to anybody.
Do these wines represent the best of Italy? For me, they do not. But they are ambassadors of Italian wines, and for that reason alone they're worthwhile. Italian wines at their best?the reds especially?are different from all others. And this difference, which lies at the very root of Italian wine greatness, is not an instantly seductive one.
The taste? of France is rich and smooth? in the mouth (think foie gras) while that of Italy?classically anyway?is about a slight, mouthwatering bitterness (think Campari). It's easy to see why France's seductive model has become universal, including in Italy. The rigors of traditional Barolo, Brunello, Barbera and Aglianico, among others, are formidable and not immediately come-hither.
So that's why I stayed my hand in choosing the traditional Italian reds I've come to love when deciding what to serve my guests. They're not instantly likable (the wines, not the guests). Of course, I could have chosen modern-style Italian reds, wines that I know are made for just this very easygoingness. You can use instant polenta? these days, too.
Maybe I didn't give my guests enough credit. Or maybe?just maybe?it's fair to say that some people just aren't ready for some wines. Is that snobbish? Or is it a fair reality?
If you're not a subscriber to The Wine Front you don't get to see the reviews that are added to the site on most days. In the past seven days the following wines have been reviewed in the Subscriber Only section of this website.
Tecnorati
Wine Tasting Note: Nederburg Chardonnay-Viognier, 2007, Western Cape, South Africa.
Peter Liem is the second 
