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.
| | | |
| | 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.
| | | |
| | 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.
| | | |
Blogs & Sites:
 Tecnorati
|
|
| [08/09/2006, 02:03] | Leelanau Cellars Autumn Harvest | | | 
Another summer is quickly coming to an end, and I hope everyone got a chance to visit their favorite local vineyard for a tour or a wine tasting. The highlight of my summer is always being able to visit the northern Michigan wineries. This summer, I got a chance to go up to the Leelanau Peninsula several times, and each time was memorable. Leelanau Cellars is, by far, my favorite place to visit up north, especially because of the tasting experience. You don’t feel limited of how many wines you can taste, and the staff working the tasting room are VERY knowledgeable and friendly. I left with about 16 bottles of wine the last time I visited! If you are looking for some odd fruit wines, this is the place to go. The wine:
I shared a bottle with my new roommates in Grand Rapids. All three of us loved it. Matt: “Delicious with chips and dip”
Casey: “It would be a good winter wine. Surprisingly smooth!” I enjoyed this 5 dollar bottle of wine with a thin-crust pizza and it was great. The wine was rich, and had a lot of flavor. I could taste the typical hints of cherry that most Michigan wines boast. Summary: Great job, Leelanau Cellars! I look forward to coming back next year!
Rating: 9/10 - Excellent!
Price: 5 bucks
Winery Information: Leelanau Cellars
Leelanau Wine Cellars
12683 E. Tatch Rd
(County Rd. 626)
Omena, MI 49674
(231) 386-5201 | | | |
| [05/17/2008, 05:43] | Alice's book party | | | The joint was packed. A lot of copies of the book were sold. I bought two AT FULL RETAIL, one of which will go to a friend in Italy. Herself signed them! The wine flowed and flowed in teeny weeny glasses. I couldn't reach the food. Too many people to knock down, some of them very big. Like Joe Dressner. Alice was radiant and a little overwhelmed, I think. People were clamoring for books to be autographed. Sometimes love brings too much pressure. I asked her when the book was... | | | |
| [01/01/2008, 05:36] | Good Living Show: Australian Regional Shiraz Masterclass | | This was the third masterclass I attended at this event. The five wines were served blind, with the only information provided that they were Shiraz and each was from a different region. Wines were revealed at the end of the tasting. Wirra Wirra Woodhenge Shiraz 2004
Crimson colour. Perfumed with violets, and rich chocolate and vanilla oak. The palate is bold as well, lots of big, ripe fruit depth. Thought that this may be Barossa but it turned out to be McLaren Vale.
88/100 Tin Shed Shiraz Melting Pot 2004
Inky black colour. Chocolate, cassis, raspberry jam and some prunes. Palate is jammy and very ripe with some spice in the background. Guessed at Heathcote but was way off as it is from the Eden Valley.
85/100 Rymill Shiraz 2002
Deep colour. Nose is dreadful, barnyard, medicinal and raw meats. Palate is a bit better but not by much. Guessed Coonawarra correctly.
78/100 Cheviot Bridge Pyrenees Shiraz 2003
Crimson coloured. Spice, violets, red berries and a hint of oak on the nose. Smooth, well balanced palate. A pleasant, drinkable wine. Figured on cool climate so I thought it may be Yarra Valley, but I was wrong.
87/100 Bimbadgen Shiraz 2005
Burgundy coloured. Nose is fairly subdued, some spice and earth. Palate carries across the spice and earth characters. Medium bodied, decent length, just not very exciting. Correctly picked it as Hunter Valley.
86/100 | | | |
| [04/30/2008, 04:48] | Chateau De Beauregard-DuCourt 2005 wine review by (PB) | | 
For $11 you should be trying any and all 05 Bordeaux you find; many of them will be bargains.
This one is a pretty plum purple with a wowing bouquet of sweet fruit that if I was blind folded I would say it was a rose with sweet fruity strawberry and cherry aromas.
Palate has some structure with forthright tannins and skimpy fruit that is a bit hollow with charcoals notes. This is just light bodied, easy to drink but is weird since it is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet yet tastes like a Beaujolais Cru. It is an easy drinking wine but very weird for Bordeaux.
Let this one pass. | | | |
| [01/01/1970, 02:00] | Laced Libations | |  New Ventures in Vodka |
| Where wine coolers captivated the 80s and microbrews burgeoned in the 90s, vodka is bringing verve and variety to drinking in the new millennium. Strawberry vodka, chocolate vodka, orange, cinnamon and key lime vodkas? Sidle up to any bar in any city and you'll see a sick display of distinct new tastes nestled on the shelf among the Ketel and Grey Goose, ready to splash into an updated Cosmo, Betelgeuse or Tootsie Roll Martini. Trendy as these specialty vodkas may seem, spice- and herb-infused vodkas have been sating drinkers since the spirit first cracked the ice on frozen Russian and Polish faces several hundred years ago. Back then, flavoring wasn't intended for variety. It was necessary to take the edge off the primitive mash, the intense, harsh taste of which could make even the swarthiest drinker breathe fire. Later, the ability to craft flavored concoctions became the mark of a skillful distiller. Among those who elevated the practice to an art were the Russians and Poles, who've long marketed dozens of flavored vodkas. Among the most unusual brands in Russia are Okhotnichya or "Hunter's" vodka (flavored with a mix of ginger, cloves, lemon peel, coffee, anise and other herbs and spices, then blended with sugar and a touch of a wine similar to white port) and Zubrovka (vodka flavored with bison grass, an aromatic grass which is the cud of choice for herds of the rare European bison). Flavored vodkas were slow to reach the mass U.S. market, however. Americans first became hooked on "the white spirit" after World War II, lured by the convenient fact that it had "no taste and no smell" (and could therefore be consumed on the sly). And for decades the classic vodka martini or vodka-tonic suited drinkers just fine. It wasn't until the cocktail craze of the late 90s that the current frenzy for vodka variety took off. Luckily, there are plenty of quality distillers out there to satisfy demand. Among the first to tempt our palates with readily available flavored vodkas were Absolut and Stolichnaya. Absolut entered this niche market in 1986 with its Peppar, an aromatic, complex and spicy vodka that gets its kick from the spicy components in the capsicum pepper family and from fresh green jalapeņo pepper. They later added Absolut Citron, Kurant and Mandarin. The newest twist to the Absolut line? Absolut Vanilia, which has a rich, robust and complex taste of vanilla, with notes of butterscotch and hints of dark chocolate. Its scheduled release is this spring. Stoli was also an early marketer of laced libations, luring many drinkers to the pleasures of flavored vodkas with its Vodka Razberi (made with ripe raspberries), Vodka Vanilla (with the pure essence of Madagascan and Indonesian vanilla beans) and Vodka Zinamon (infused with the zip of cinnamon). The success of the Absolut and Stoli creations gave rise to a new generation of cocktail concoctions and inspired other distillers to create fresh and unexpected varieties. Among those most likely to turn up at your local watering hole are the infusions of Charbay, which uses fresh fruit to create blood orange, ruby red grapefruit and key lime vodkas; Burnett's, which offers sour apple (great in an Appletini), coconut, raspberry, orange, citrus and vanilla; the artistically designed Vincent Van Gogh Vodkas, whose varieties include Chocolate, Oranje, Vanilla, Raspberry, Wild Appel and Citroen; and OP, a 70- proof Swedish vodka flavored with ginger, orange and peach, and spiced with anise, fennel and caraway. A newcomer to the flavored vodka scene is Hangar One, a small, quality distiller that uses real fruit and "rare and expensive" ingredients to produce its Buddha's Hand Citron, Kaffir Lime and Mandarin Blossom vodkas. Luscious straight up, these fruit-laced spirits can also be the inspiration for cocktails to die for. Should a Cosmo with Burnett's Blood Orange Vodka or a Sunflower Martini with Vincent Van Gogh's Raspberry seem too traditional, frighten your drinking companions by ordering up a shot of Blavod, a smooth-tasting vodka colored black by the catcchu herb. While it looks like The Dark Prince's drink of choice, Blavod is surprisingly refreshing in a Black Bull (ice, Red Bull and Blavod) or a Sundance (ice, blue curacoa, soda water and Blavod). Another far-out blend is Feigling, a fig-infused vodka that comes in a little bottle from Germany. Served straight or with a little tonic and a twist, Feigling is a unique taste and sure to throw a little variety into your drinking repertoire. If you?re lucky enough to find them, don't pass up a chance to try the Polish Wisent, flavored with a species of bison grass that grows only in the Bialowieska Forest (acknowledged to be the last primeval forest left in Europe), or the Ukrainian Soomska Horobynova (flavored with ashberry) and Soomska Horilka Pryhodko (flavored with St. John's Wort, Buffalo Grass, coriander and lemon). So your local bar thinks Absolut Kurant is the cutting-edge of flavors? You can still experiment with new ventures in vodka. Roll up your sleeves and concoct your own unique libations. Begin with a quality vodka. While "quality" is in the taste buds of the drinker, general wisdom holds that you?ll get better results and suffer fewer day-after side effects if you stick to a bottle in the $20-and-up range. Purchase anything under seven bucks to use in your infusion and you'll waste culinary effort as well as brain cells. Recipe for Infusion The process by which vodkas are flavored is called infusion. This is a fancy word for mixing stuff with vodka and letting it soak. Unless otherwise directed by a recipe, infuse your vodkas at room temperature. Freezing the flavored vodkas after infusion, however, will ensure the best taste. The easiest way to flavor vodka is with fresh fruit, which both soaks up and flavors the spirit. Just mix vodka in equal portions with ripe, washed and coarsely chopped fruit (peaches, pineapples or strawberries are common favorites). Place the mixture in a glass canning jar, and let the concoction sit for several days. Strain before serving, or leave in a few fruit chunks for munching. This method will work with any fruit, including fresh and sun-dried tomatoes as well as chili peppers. In short, if you can dream it and drink it, you can infuse it. If you want to venture beyond fruit, give these traditional and not-so-traditional infusion recipes a try. Vodka lovers will find these concoctions delectable on their own (plain or with a garnish), but they can also be used to breathe new life into a favorite old cocktail.
Recipes (Note: For all recipes use 1 pint of plain vodka and infuse at room temperature for 24 hours. Then strain.) Anise Vodka: Licorice-laced vodka was a favorite of Peter the Great, so it's got to be good enough for us. Soak 2 t whole anise seed. Serve chilled. Apricot Vodka: Infuse 12 apricot kernels. Serve chilled. Cherry Vodka: Crush 36 cherry pits (or thereabouts). Coriander Vodka: Use 2 t coriander seed, slightly crushed. Garlic-and-Dill Vodka: Infuse 1 clove garlic, slightly crushed, 1 sprig fresh dill and 3 white peppercorns. Leave a little dill in the vodka, if you're so inclined. Herb Vodka: Infuse a few sprigs of a favorite herb, such as tarragon or basil. Leave a small bit of herb in the vodka, if you choose. Saffron Vodka: Use 1/4 t saffron threads. Tea Vodka: Infuse 4 t black tea leaves (fruit-scented is a nice touch). Buffalo Grass Vodka/Zubrovka: Use 8 blades of buffalo grass. One blade of grass may be left in the vodka after straining for a little woodland feel. So next time you order a cocktail, check out the new flavors lining up behind the bar. Flavored vodkas may just be a trend, but they're bound to snare some converts. Bison grass and anise seed aside, 145 million vodka-loving Russians can't be wrong. |
| | | |
| [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! ShareThis  | | | |
| [01/01/1970, 02:00] | Italian Wine & Food Gala | | Thu Feb 24th, 2005, New York City
Italian Wine & Food Gala Thursday, Februrary 24, 2005 New York City The Italian Wine & Food Gala, to be held from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m., will showcase more than 60 producers and over 400 of Italy's premium wines and will offer a panoramic view of Italy's diverse wine regions and a rare opportunity to discuss wines with the experts who produce them. | | | |
| [05/12/2008, 18:55] | Interview with Ed Lehrman of Vine Connections: Second Installment | | 
*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. | | | |
| [02/02/2008, 02:14] | What inspires you? | |  There are lots of things going on in my life these days. Very busy times. But for now, its a good busy…
My second daughter is due any week now (officially March 4th, but the last Dr visit said the baby was already 6 lbs and Kelly is petite so she won’t be in there too much longer…). In my life I find I draw inspiration from many places. Usually my family and friends. A few weeks ago the wine community inspired me. I’m hatching an idea. I’ve spoken to a few of you about it and I’ll more than likely speak to a few more. But for now, I’ll use the pages of WLT to chronicle what I’m doing with my idea and its evolution. Its amazing the what the meshing of a passion with a profession can accomplish. Its a powerful thing when that gets match with inspiration. I have an idea… ShareThis  | | | |
| [05/12/2008, 21:12] | Creating Value for the Wine Industry | | I’m in the process of closing down Wine Life Today the social bookmarking service and making it into my personal blog so that I can dedicate my time to creating real change and real value for the entire wine industry. WLT is a two year old project that had a decent amount of success and even generated some advertising revenue which is cool. But I never intended it to be a revenue source as much as it was a learning experience. I LOVE the wine community and I spend tremendous amounts of time creating and learning from my creations/experiences. So I always thought that creating things for the wine world would be the best of all worlds - I could meet more and more people in the wine world all while having my creative outlet. Recently, OpenWine Consortium, a brainchild of mine that was inspired by the need of some industry friends I met through my other creations (this blog and WLT), has emerged as an unmitigated success. With really no marketing whatsoever, it has garnered attention across all corners of the world, been written up in Wines & Vines magazine, signed up nearly 1000 members in less than three months, and really become something I can spend GOBS of time working on. Its special, it fills a need that the industry has, and most of all, its something I’m very proud of but believe it can be so much more. I believe OpenWine Consortium is 10 times more useful at 1000 then it was at 100 in terms of affecting change in the industry. Real business connections are being made, value is being created through the exchange of expertise and advice, and new ideas are being spawned just through the interaction. Guess what…I also believe that is OWC were 10,000 people is would be 100 times more useful and would create 100 time the value it does today. So I’m setting a goal for myself and the OWC community. The industry needs this site to be at 10,000 members from every corner of the globe to make it an invaluable place to be on the Internet if you are in the wine trade. This goal is SOOOO doable its rediculous. There are tens of thousand of wine brands and just an un-Godly number of service businesses that work with those brands and ALL the employees/owners/proprietors of all these businesses can benefit from the OWC community - the interaction, the community, the technology exchange. So that is my goal today. I’m very proud that we’ve gained 1000 members. But I’m going to dedicate the time and effort needed to really move the needle in the industry and I hope others in the community who see the value will do the same. I’ll start with something simple - a Logo that others can get behind. Some good friends have put time into creating a logo and I"ll get it out there soon. Look for the preview here. What are some other things I can do? Partnerships with others in the trade, training to properly use OWC as a tool for trade associations, implementing the changes that the membership wants to see on the network. Me and about 1000 of my industry friends should be able to make a difference so lets see where this takes us! Cheers! (almost makes me want to say "To infinity and beyond!"…but I’ll refrain) ShareThis  | | | |
| [05/19/2008, 15:30] | Wine Blogging Wednesday #46: Rhone Whites | | I'll be your host for Wine Blogging Wednesday #46, the June 2008 edition of the online tasting event started by Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours. June marks the beginning of summer, and we will all be looking for white wines to carry us through the warm evenings. Some of the best options for summer white wines are made with one or more of the classic Rhone grape varieties: Bourbolenc, Clairette Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains, Picardin, Picpoul, Roussanne, Ugni Blanc, and Viognier. Wines made with these grapes tend to be aromatic, and can often rival your summer garden in terms of lush floral and fruity fragrances. At the same time, however, the wines can be crisp and refreshing, especially if there is some Picpoul in the mix. And Rhone white grapes are perfect partners for fish, chicken, salads, and all of the vegetables that are beginning to flood into your local Farmer's Market.
 Often Rhone grapes come in blended bottles of Marsanne and Roussanne, or some other combination, and blends are fine for WBW #46. Today, white Rhone grapes are planted throughout the world and I'm not fussy about where your wine comes from--I just want you to get out there and try some of these versatile, flavorful grapes. And, if you taste wines from more than one region (say one from Paso Robles and one from the Cotes du Rhone), you'll get top billing in the roundup. (image of Grenache Blanc from the Rhone Valley Wine website).
I hope that even if you have never participated in Wine Blogging Wednesday before you will join me in drinking a white wine made with one or more Rhone grape varieties in June. Then, on or before Wednesday, June 11 write about your tasting experience(s) and post them on your blog, on the Wine Blogging Wednesday community site, or in the comments here at Good Wine Under $20. Don't have a blog or are feeling shy? Email me your notes, and I'll include them in the roundup.
Just so that I don't leave anyone out, please drop me a line at goodwineunder20 (at) gmail.com with a link to your post after you make it, send me a message on Twitter with the link, or just plunk it in the comments here or on my June 11 post.
If you're not familiar with white wines made with grapes from the Rhone region, here are a few online resources to help you out:
The Rhone Rangers' list of white varieties, with descriptions of the flavors and aromas you can expect from each.
The Rhone Valley Wine website has descriptions of the French growing region and excellent maps.
Patrick Comiskey's excellent article from the August 2007 Bon Appetit magazine about why Rhone whites are the perfect wines for summer.
Enjoy exploring the expanding world of Rhone whites, and I look forward to reading all your tasting notes and food pairing ideas in June.
And if you're in the Los Angeles area, check your calendar to see if you can attend the Rhone Rangers tasting on June 4, 2008 from 6:30-8:30 pm. Forty-three wineries specializing in Rhone varieties will be there pouring wine at Raleigh Studios--so you may get to see a celeb or two. The cost is $60/person, and more details can be found here. You'll have a lot of tasting notes to share for WBW #46, that's for sure. | | | |
| [11/28/2006, 09:36] | Resveratrol now promises cardiovascular sloth | |  Two weeks ago a team of American researchers promised what the New York Times story called "guilt-free gluttony" through resveratrol, a component found in red wine. Now, in a scientific detente, French researchers are doing them one better: cardiovascular-improving sloth. To wit: "Resveratrol makes you look like a trained athlete without the training," said Dr. Johan Auwerx of the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch, France who led the study. [Read full story] This is going to be serious competition for the ab toning belt. We all know that red wine can cause pinot envy. So only four deadly sins to go! What will resveratrol create next? Humble pride? Gentle anger? Generous greed? Platonic lust?!? Related: "Lose weight on a red wine diet"--with video of lab mice! [ Daily Telegraph]  tags: wine | resveratrol | sloth | | WorldWine Tags: wine, resveratrol, sloth, | | | |
| [08/28/2006, 00:12] | I heart wine | |  I don't heart gimmicks (and neither does the Chef), which is why we let the Il Cuore 2000 Rosso Classico (about $11) sit in our cellar for the last year without a second thought.
You see, there's a big heart on the label and a quote to go with it: "A heart can only be held by a heart the fairest setting of the loveliest jewel." Yeck.
The bottle was a present from a friend about the time of our wedding and it came with a disclaimer: "It was a cheapie; I got it for the heart." In other words, appreciate it for the sentiment, not the quality. And we intended to.
In fact, I'm not sure we ever planned to open it, but I'm glad we did. The blend of carignane, zinfandel, grenache, sangiovese and charbono from Mendocino County has an Old World sensibility, plum and cherry fruit, and a well-integrated (13.6 percent) alcohol.
It was a lovely discovery, and I heart surprises.
Categories: wine, Califonia wine | | WorldWine Tags: wine, Califonia wine, | | | |
| [08/09/2006, 02:03] | Leelanau Cellars Autumn Harvest | | |
Another summer is quickly coming to an end, and I hope everyone got a chance to visit their favorite local vineyard for a tour or a wine tasting. The highlight of my summer is always being able to visit the northern Michigan wineries. This summer, I got a chance to go up to the Leelanau Peninsula several times, and each time was memorable. Leelanau Cellars is, by far, my favorite place to visit up north, especially because of the tasting experience. You don’t feel limited of how many wines you can taste, and the staff working the tasting room are VERY knowledgeable and friendly. I left with about 16 bottles of wine the last time I visited! If you are looking for some odd fruit wines, this is the place to go. The wine:
I shared a bottle with my new roommates in Grand Rapids. All three of us loved it. Matt: “Delicious with chips and dip”
Casey: “It would be a good winter wine. Surprisingly smooth!” I enjoyed this 5 dollar bottle of wine with a thin-crust pizza and it was great. The wine was rich, and had a lot of flavor. I could taste the typical hints of cherry that most Michigan wines boast. Summary: Great job, Leelanau Cellars! I look forward to coming back next year!
Rating: 9/10 - Excellent!
Price: 5 bucks
Winery Information: Leelanau Cellars
Leelanau Wine Cellars
12683 E. Tatch Rd
(County Rd. 626)
Omena, MI 49674
(231) 386-5201 | | | |
| [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. | | | |
|
