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Clean and fruity, with apple and toffee character and a hint of papaya. Full-bodied, with good fruit and a lively finish. Catarratto and Chardonnay. Drink now. 20,000 cases made.
For an in-depth look at starting up your very own vineyard, check out Vineyard Owner. It's still a work in progress, but it currently sports some nice articles on Disease and Pest Management, and Climate factors.
WINE GRAPE TASK FORCE created by Agriculture & Markets Commissioner Patrick Hooker is making some real headway in identifying key issues and obstacles facing the New York grape and wine industry. Orchestrated by Deputy Commissioner Jackie Czub and chaired by Kareem Massoud, the task force meetings have often involved direct discussions with representatives of other state agencies like the Department of Environment Conservation, Empire State Development Corporation, the State Liquor Authority, and the Department of Transportation. Yesterday we met with the Law Review Commission, which is taking a comprehensive look at New York ?s antiquated and counterproductive Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) law, as well as SLA regulations. The bottom line is that the State of New York (especially Agriculture & Markets) has been a great partner with our industry for decades, helping us grow and contribute ever more to the state economy; but there are certain areas like the ABC/SLA complexities that are hurting the state economy because they are preventing the true potential growth of our industry. The task force is scheduled to make final recommendations to Commissioner Hooker in early September prior to the grape harvest. - from Jim Tresize
Marlborough, New Zealand. 13.6%. Screwcap. Source: restaurant wine list.
My mild aversion to Sauvignon blanc, was easily overcome by the words Clos Henri. I've read much, but till today tried none of the wine. It's a lovely story and a compelling marketing tag. A Frenchman from Sancerre, and a well regarded line of wine makers, in New Zealand making Sauvignon.
The wine itself is very interesting and quite apart from what you would normally associate with Marlborough. Whilst clearly pungent, wild and varietal, it has a different accent, with pear to complement the grass and gooseberry. Textured and ever so slightly oily, this is satisfying, brisk and full of nuance.
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
Kalimna has always been a favourite of mine. I even persist in calling it Kalimna (R) which is now apparently is a trademark! Now that is comes with a stylish embossed screwcap the urge to buy and cellar is even stronger. That being said the last vintage I stashed away was the 1998…but this is certainly a contender..although the outstanding 407 may consume the Penfolds budget for this year. That being said (again), I have not tasted the 389 as yet….that is a job for tomorrow.
Aromas of blackberry, raspberry, plum, chocolate and meaty charry vanilla oak. On the palate rich and slightly cakey with blackberry, plum, chocolate and spicy vanilla oak. It is soft and supple with plenty of rich dry chocolatey tannins and lots of flavour. Finishes with chocolate and plum flavours. A very good but perhaps not a great Kalimna.
This multiply reviewed wine is always a super value and a great quaff. It has an intense deep black cherry color with vegetal aromas with rich dark berries.
Palate is a rich, big, juicy Cab. that is a blockbuster wine with big dark fruit that's bready and delicious finishing with subtle chocolate. What a bargain at $15
Do readers really care about active yeasts and secondary fermentation? Or do they long to understand wine's seductions, and its otherworldly sense of place? Do they care about a region's production, or would they rather hear how a glass of juice resembles a curvy redhead, and why it makes them feel the way it does? You know, drunk.
This is among Natalie MacLean's first points in Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass. A descendent of Celtic alcohol-lovers and livers, MacLean, a sommelier, writes first and foremost from a sensual place, dispelling many commonly held myths about wine writers: she doesn't spit a whole lot, and she loves the buzz just as much as she loves obsessing over the grape. The book is entertaining, informative and ideally suited for someone who has a working knowledge of wine.
From her first visits to Domaine de la Romanee-Conti and Domaine Leflaive to her honest appraisal of biodynamics in Burgundy - she's on the fence - MacLean's observations are cerebral and spot-on, and her language both beguiling and accessible: "Some wines will always taste like a lost argument or a long embrace." The book lacks an index, but is part-travelogue, part-memoir. You learn as she learns.
From Burgundy, MacLean leads us to the cellars of Champagne, winning points with readers who might not be familiar with the grande dames who have kept that region running. We meet Gerard Liger-Belair, a professor of bubby at the University of Liger-Belair before taking off for the land of Zinfandel, and MacLean's internship with Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyards.
It's hard to decide if it's MacLean's colorful prose, pop wine sensibility or portraitures of winerati that make her book so readable. The latter is definitely the case when it comes to Grahm, who, through MacLean's eyes, comes across very much like one of the wild-eyed Ralph Steadman drawings that grace his bottles. In other words, spot-on.
The book quiets down a bit when MacLean gets practical. She pulls a nine to five at two wine stores - The Jug Shop in San Francisco and Discovery Wines in New York City - and even does sommelier duty at Le Baccara in Quebec (yes, she drips). She shows you how to throw a tasting party.
She takes on Georg Riedel and Robert Parker and devotes too much of the book's denouement, sacrificing her flow, in my opinion, to wine auction number-crunching, but makes up for it by ending on a lavish dinner with Jay McInerney, the 1980s cocaine-novelist-turned wine writer, who tells her: "Wine makes me more thoughtful. I always want to taste the next thing so it slows me down; I pace myself. Wine saved me from rehab."
And MacLean saved us from another predictable wine book.
Natalie MacLean, Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass, Bloomsbury 2007, $10.17 (Paperback).
Jessica Yadegaran is a wine writer for the Bay Area News Group and wine educator. Read her blog at www.ibabuzz.com/corkheads or visit her Web site at theswirlgirl.com.
More gewurtz. The good news is that this is an excellent wine. The bad news is that it is sold out. I thought I would review it anyway because it is worth reviewing and you might spot it on a restaurant list somewhere or other. This is barrel femented in old French oak and left on lees for an extended period. All very interesting and artisanal.
Aromas of lychee, ginger marmalade, musk and roses. On the palate a lighter more delicate style with flavours of ruby red grapefruit, peach, lychee, ginger and spice. Distinctly dry chalky texture. Not a big fat impact wine like many but rather more subtle, spicy and lean. Finishes with spicy grapefruit flavours. A food style with style.
Today, I have a treat for myself. I need a treat. It’s been one of those weeks that leaves you wondering why you even bother going to bed, since you’ll be up at back at work the minute you wake up again. Recently, my days have started to feel drawn out and full of ups and downs, and to be honest, I really didn’t want to participate in this month’s Wine Blog Wednesday even though the theme, Old World Reisling, is something I truly adore. I just don’t have the energy, but then I decided to change my attitude to become a little more relaxed and calm.
The reason I love Old World Reisling is for one simple reason, or rather one particular man, Terry Theise. If you’re not familiar with his name, please stop reading and go to his page at Skurnik Wines. Download all of his wine catalogs and start reading veraciously. I can wait. In fact, if you don’t make it back here, I excuse you, because these catalogs are too good to be true.
To be honest, I’m not much of a writer, nor am I much of a reader. And because I love them both, we call this a conundrum. I write here, and I read there, and I sometimes find myself feeling a little empty. Maybe it’s the content, the subjects or both. I’m not really sure, but when I went looking for information on one of my Reislings today, I found Terry.
Mind you, if it weren’t for this man, I wouldn’t be appreciating these bottles of wine right now. It would be equivalent to using the 100 point system and not knowing who Robert Parker is. So, I quickly downloaded his catalog where I thought I might find reference to my German Reisling, but suddenly, I was lost. Lost in his words, wit and wisdom. Terry’s catalogs, whether you like wine or not, are a must read for his frankness, honesty, word play, and humor. If you don’t love German Reisling, well, you may change your mind when you read Terry’s words.
To start his report, he always places his manifesto at the top, before you get to the meat of the report. Theise Mannifesto
Beauty is more important than impact.
Harmony is more important than intensity.
The whole of any wine must always be more than the sum of its parts.
Distinctiveness is more important than conventional prettiness.
Soul is more important than any thing, and soul is expressed as a trinity of family, soil and artisanality.
This is a manifesto that I can get behind! Drinking Iberian wine everyday, I often forget how much I love the world of wine and not anyone region. These words are timeless, and in my opinion, great advice for anyone just getting into wine. Live by these words and you can’t go wrong.
But this post is not about Terry Theise, but rather Old World Reisling. Today, we have 2 wines in front of us, one from the heralded 2003 vintage in Germany, an Auslese from one of the premier wine makers in Terry’s collection. I bought this wine as a future at a tasting in Minneapolis back when I still sold wine. A guided tasting with one of the sharpest palates I’ve ever been with, Terry showed us that despite “Crazy-ass heat” one could still make a Reisling full of nuance and character. In truth, I can’t tell you why I bought this one versus the many others that were in my price range at the time. I was relatively new to German wines, and excited to explore a region that seems totally frightening when you look at the complicated labels. But on this particular night, I learned that I had to at least try and dig through the odd characters, strange accents, and unpronounceable names to get at the heart of these treats. And consequently, I fell in love.
Today I sit in a Reisling wasteland. I’ve tried Reisling from around Spain, and I believe that I’ve even had a Portuguese Reisling once. But I wouldn’t recommend them. Nonetheless, I’m here to taste, so you don’t have to. Therefore, to balance the pie a bit, I’m also about to open a 2007 dry Reisling from down the road, a Penedes treat that has never offended me, though that is not much of an endorsement either.
From the moment I open the Sumarroca 2007 from the Penedes, I’m instantly happy and sad. Happy that it’s still fresh and lively. Sad, because there is not much to it. Reisling, I’m afraid, is not meant for Iberia. It loses its soul. The land of the Toro, and the feisty Spanish persona, is not a home for something with a delicate nature. Spain is land of bold wines with bright flavors and complex traits, and for me, I want something more subtle when I drink Reisling. The Sumarroca is easy to drink, simple and a great example of muscat, or a simple summer white blend. From their site (annoying flash, don’t bother visiting it):
Entirely produced from grapes grown in the Sumarroca Estate, only the best 50% from the first juice (free-run) of these carefully selected Muscat varieties has been used for this wine. Fermentation took place during 3 weeks under strict temperature control at 15º C in stainless steel tanks. It has been gently filtered and stabilized at a low temperature before bottling.
Reisling was never meant to be 100% dry, or at least not very often. Alsace is an exception, however, and the sugar makes a big difference. Now I know that some of you are saying, “I don’t like sweet wines”! To you, I say, “give me a break”! Put down your dry Coca-Cola and listen. Sweet is good. Sweet is nice. And just like in dry wines, if the wine is NOT balanced, than it will taste bad. Mogan David tastes horrid, because it’s like drinking syrup! Good Reisling doesn’t have this problem, due to its high acidity. I’ve served very sweet Reislings to friends who have quickly responded, “what a nice dry wine this is”. 50 grams of sugar dry! The acidity balanced the wine, whereby keeping your tongue from becoming a syrup slick. Ok rant done…Now on to what has made my afternoon pleasant.
Joh.Jos. Christoffel, 2003 ÜRZIGER WÜRZGARTEN Auslese***, that’s a mouthfull! Let me preface the next few lines with this, I love Spanish and Portuguese wine, but I needed this. This is a pure stroke of bright light through my Tempranillo stained tongue. New flavors, aromas and textures, dance though my mind, and I feel handicapped describing the wine before me. Because I am so tied up in Iberia, I almost forgot why I loved wine, diversity. In my glass sits some of the most gorgeous honey flavors with minerals, petrol, fruits and flowers, exotic and rare. Here are Terry’s own notes from his report on this wine.
2003 Ürziger Würzgarten Reisling Auslese*** ++ “This is always from the same parcel, and it cannot produce more than forty hectoliters per hectare,” says Hans-Leo. “We’ve had at least Spätlese from this site in every vintage except 1991. I could make these wines heavier, but it goes against my philosophies. The day I can’t make wines like these any more is the day I’ll pack it in.” It’s down below, to the right of the sundial, in case you want to locate it. This 2003 has the extra note, the Grand Cru flavor, now glazed with the finest botrytis maltiness. As always what amazes here is the density and delicacy, and here, in 2003, the siren-song of minerality. SOS: 3 (between ten and thirty years)
I’m glad I wrote this!! I’m glad I opened this treasure before it’s time (I wanted to wait 5 more years), and I’m glad I still have 2/3’s of a bottle left for dinner tonight. Although, I’m not sure I want to drink this with the meal. It is perfect for some many dishes, as its balance would complement more treats than you might expect. But no, I think I’ll grab the bottle, sit up on my roof, watch the sun set over Montserrat, and let my mind drift. That’s what wine is for. Thanks Terry!
Cheers,
Ryan Opaz
Ryan
2003 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Reisling Auslese *** - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (5/7/2008) Still showing a bit of spritz on this lightly golden wine. The nose though is mature, with deep honey tones, light petrol notes, hidden nuts and fruits. Really a complex nose that I think will develop nicely into the night. In the mouth though this is a lush treat. with a racy acidity, that cuts though a high buy non-cloying sweetness. Incredible…really fun to taste as complex flavors seem to develop in my mouth, and shift from one flavor to another. Think of flesh fruits, on a bed a gravel with a floral honey lightly drizzled over the top. Light mustiness like darkened honey comb, lingers around the edges of my mouth as I revel at this wines elegance and beauty. Perfect balance. 5/5
Gabriella
2003 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Reisling Auslese *** - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (5/7/2008) Light golden yellow in color with tiny bubbles that lay dormant, only occasionally springing to the surface of the wine. On the nose, the wine shows its age and maturity with rich honey, cooked peaches, ripe pear and a touch of petro right on the end. The bouquet is reserved, graceful and classy. In the mouth the wine has a beautiful spritz, alive with acidity, zest and life, perfectly balancing the sugar. Incredibly rich and round mouthfeel that covers the entire palate before it gently slides off leaving a lovely yellow floral and honey flavor. I’ve had some lovely whites in my lifetime, but this is incredible. Perfectly integrated, well balanced and overall, an unbelievably good wine! 5/5
Ryan
2007 Sumarroca Reisling Penedès - Spain, Catalunya, Penedès (5/7/2008) Light golden in color this wine has a nice simple nose of white flowers, melon, and honey. Really clean and straight forward, while in the mouth a medium acidity balances this fully dry wine, whose fruit is one again simple and straight forward. Nectarine, minerals, and honey notes mingle in and out. Not bad for a summer sipper, though not inspiring either. 3/5
Gabriella
2007 Sumarroca Reisling Penedès - Spain, Catalunya, Penedès (5/7/2008) Light golden in color with a slightly green tinge, showing a lovely and expressive white floral bouquet, bolstered by aromas of white peaches, honey, lychee and a slight barnyard aromas. In the mouth, the wine is slightly off balanced, as the racy acidity shows shows a tartness that is quite frankly, a little unpleasant. Full and round in the mouth with a medium body and a nice gentle finish. Candy mandarin and honey on palate, with hints of orange peach and gravel. Paired with a fresh pasta salad with garden picked cherry tomatoes, however, I think this would be a nice wine. 3.5/5
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.
Lenn picked George Taber's relatively new book, To Cork or Not to Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle for the June meeting. (available from amazon.com for $17.16 plus shipping) Taber is well-known among wine fanatics for his book on the famous 1976 France vs. Napa tasting known as the Judgment of Paris. Taber is a talented story-teller, so I am looking forward to seeing what he does with the far less dramatic issue of wine closures.
Lenn gives the full details about the online meeting on his blog, but in brief you have until June 24 to read the book, and then post your reaction to it on Facebook (where we have 103 members who have joined the club), Shelfari, the Wine Book Club site, or even on your very own blog. I'm sure that Lenn wouldn't mind if you put some remarks in the comments section of his post, either.
Just when you're starting to forget that there is a meeting of the Wine Book Club, you can depend on Richard the Passionate Foodie to remind you about it. He's our "Spin the Bottle" reviewer for the end of May/beginning of June. Keep your eyes peeled for his review of a wine book that touches on a subject near and dear to his heart. Hopefully his efforts will inspire you to discover where you left your copy of To Cork or Not to Cork (is it in the car? behind the sofa? by the pool?). Thanks to Lenn and Richard, and I hope that if you have a blog of your own you will help to publicize the event.
Sake is a Japanese alcoholic beverage, made from a series of fermentations using steamed rice. The process removes the millet and the protein from the rice, leaving the starch-similar to how beer is made from grain. Over time, the starch is converted to sugar naturally and a little yeast, called koji, is added in later stages of the fermentation, which acts to create alcohol out of the sugar. At the end of the process, the liquid is filtered to remove any millet or other particles. The resulting product is clear and about 15 percent alcohol. Sake has been made in Japan for over 6800 years.
Types of Sake There are two kinds of sake: junmai (with no alcohol added) and honjozo (with alcohol added during the fermentation process). Over 80 percent of the sake made in Japan is honjozo sake. Within those broad classifications, there are different grades of sake:
Futsu - economy sake
Ginjo - premium sake
Daiginjo - ultra-premium sake
How to Drink Sake Futsu (ordinary) sake is warmed for drinking. (Ginjo and Daiginjo are served chilled.) Traditionally, sake is poured from a stoneware carafe, called a tokkuri (pictured above). Warm the sake in the tokkuri by placing it in a partially-filled pan of boiling water. (Don't overheat the sake; it should be warm-a little over body temperate, not hot.)
To serve the sake, pour it from the tokkuri into individual sake cups, called ochoko. It is proper sake etiquette to hold your cup while the sake is being poured. Inhale the sake's aroma gently before sipping. Sake is meant for sipping, not throwing back like a shot of whiskey.
Storing Sake Sake does not improve with age, like fine wines or Scotch whiskey. Instead, buy sake with a recent bottling date. Once open, a bottle of sake should be kept in a cool, dark place (such as the refrigerator), as the liquid is sensitive to heat and light. A bottle, stored properly should last around a year.
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Of course, it would be no surprise to assert that Argentina has come a considerably long way over the last decade in terms of the depth that its wine producers are capable of achieving.The manner in which this process has and continues to take place, however, has less to do with the factors that used to be paramount (foreign buyouts) and more with the industry exporting a different image of itself altogether.This phenomenon alongside other compelling developments in recent times have precipitated what I believe to be a pivotal changing of the guard when it comes to the style of Argentine wines that American consumers are welcoming more and more.
Artisan-made Argentine wine producers are no longer lost in the wilderness, playing second fiddle in terms of international exports, to say, the larger, industrial-style producers or Mendoza wine operations funded with foreign money.Argentina?s bout with hyperinflation in the early 1980?s, the kind that made my family sell their business and book it towards the United States, as well as the government?s mismanagement of the World Bank and IMF-instigated crises of the 1990?s were devastating for the export aspirations of Argentine families with a winemaking tradition.Like many American fruit farmers getting undercut and essentially obliterated by Dole, Sunkist and the like, the nature of wine production during times of turbulence in Argentina has made it difficult for these producers to stay afloat; and so, like vultures, the 1980?s and 1990?s saw foreign capital descend upon Mendoza in the form of large multinational drinks corporations and others who scooped up the winemaking patrimony of many financially pressed families.
For quite some time now, these types of wine operations have made drinking the wine of my native country while abroad in the US a sadly confusing affair to say the least.Here I was, drinking these wines which had labels reading ?Mendoza? or ?Cuyo,? so they were certifiably real, but made in styles which weren?t even in the ballpark as far as what I knew I liked to drink.Did Argentine wines change, and thus, Argentine tastes, or was something being kept from those of us who live in North America?Some very successful investors and qualified winemakers from highly prestigious European wineries became involved with their pet projects in Mendoza, but to me, something just did not sit right.I felt a bit heartbroken that as a wine lover, the wines of my native country available for export reflected something I didn?t like?far from it in fact, something I couldn?t even relate to in any meaningful way.
Those darker days, however, seem to be coming to an end as the tide of taste gradually begins to favor Argentine winemakers that provide innovation, quality, exceptional value, and at last, the types of wines that bring a little piece of home back to my dinner table.I feel that a newly found sense of openness and curiosity in the American wine consumer is taking hold.From the wider availability of all sorts of Argentine wines I?ve noticed to the stimulating conversations I?ve had with people here about Argentina?s winemaking heritage and how it is increasingly reflected?things are moving in a direction I am liking more and more.Someone, however, from the point of view of imports to the US, has to be at the forefront of this revolution.For my next post, I?ll be presenting my interview with a major player in building long-term relationships with artisan Mendoza producers and in turn, striving to make authentically Argentine wines more of a staple than an oddity in the US market.
"In most films, the cast is comprised of seasoned actors who possess a vibrant screen presence and innate ability to charm the audience. But for a handful of movies in which wine itself plays a major role, we might as well add "mouthwatering" to the list of qualities a cast may claim. Encompassing major motion pictures, documentaries and even a mockumentary, our list of top films for wine lovers covers lots of territory - affording viewers plenty to digest when it comes to wine and the silver screen..."
List includes
Sideways * Mondovino * From Ground to Glass * French Kiss * A Good Year * Corked * A Walk In the Clouds * Bottle Shock * The First Emporer * The Jefferson Bottles
Tecnorati
Kalimna has always been a favourite of mine. I even persist in calling it Kalimna (R) which is now apparently is a trademark! Now that is comes with a stylish embossed screwcap the urge to buy and cellar is even stronger. That being said the last vintage I stashed away was the 1998…but this is certainly a contender..although the outstanding 407 may consume the Penfolds budget for this year. That being said (again), I have not tasted the 389 as yet….that is a job for tomorrow.
More gewurtz. The good news is that this is an excellent wine. The bad news is that it is sold out. I thought I would review it anyway because it is worth reviewing and you might spot it on a restaurant list somewhere or other. This is barrel femented in old French oak and left on lees for an extended period. All very interesting and artisanal.
"In most films, the cast is comprised of seasoned actors who possess a vibrant screen presence and innate ability to charm the audience. But for a handful of movies in which wine itself plays a major role, we might as well add "mouthwatering" to the list of qualities a cast may claim. Encompassing major motion pictures, documentaries and even a mockumentary, our list of top films for wine lovers covers lots of territory - affording viewers plenty to digest when it comes to wine and the silver screen..."