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| | The Complete Grape Growers Guide. |  | | A Complete Guide For Growing Grapes. Converts Very Well At A Reasonable Price! Growing Grapes And Making Wine Is A Very Popular Topic Right Now.
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| | Fool-Proof Wine Values. | | | Learn How To Easily Find Wines Of $50 Quality For $10 Or Less. Impress Friends With Your Expanded Wine Knowledge. Eliminate Your Dependence On Wine Salespeople. And Take The Hassle Out Of Buying Wine.
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| [04/28/2008, 22:38] | Pasanau | | | For the first barbecue of the season last weekend I prepared some lamb chops and opened a bottle of La Morera de Montsant 2002, a Priorat D.O. by Cellers Pasanau. This turned out to be an excellent match. The bottle was offered to me by Joan Gómez Pallarès, the man at the keyboard of De Vinis Cibisque. We had met for a lunch in Barcelona during the Mobile World Congress last February. | | | |
| [07/16/2006, 19:30] | | | 
The good wines of the small big companies.
The Malbec 2004 Marguery Family
"FAMILY MARGUERY" elaborates his wines in the locality of Cross of Stone, Mendoza, into Republic Argentina .
"Exclusively we are compromised by the production of wines of high quality "enologica" by means of the use of the last technological advances and in limited items. Our grapes come from ancient vineyards strictly selected of the localities of Uco's Valley (Mendoza - Argentina) seeking to express the peculiar characteristics of every "terroirs", says Marguery.
This wineries of Argentina was founded in the 2000 year. " We look for wines of good concentration, complex and expressive, for it and consistent with our vision, we work in this respect from the vineyard. Everything there speaks about the care and the dedication that we have with our plants wineries. There helps us very much the height that they have on the level of the sea (1.100mts.), the desert conditions of the climate, the poverty of the soil, the thermal extent, that is to say all conditions that favor the ideal development of the Malbec ".
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| [04/17/2008, 01:17] | Intelligent Value from Argentina?s Cafayate Valley: 2007 Don Rodolfo Torrontés | |  As the weather gradually warms up, I?m pleased to be encountering more intelligent value Argentine wines from provinces outside of Mendoza. Produced by Viña Cornejo Costas, an estate with established history in the Argentine northwest, here?s another Torrontés beauty from the mineral-rich Cafayate Valley. This is a great recommendation that can stand up to spicy and Asian dishes, given that Argentina?s native Torrontés variety is intense in acidity and flavor, even if light on body. This wine reminds me again that Torrontés made in the Cafayate Valley could well be considered the benchmark for Argentine Torrontés. For being in the $10-$12 range, this Torrontés boasts a great deal more complexity and balance than some French and Italian varieties costing more have sadly failed to exhibit. Although I am a lifetime fan of European wines, I?d like to drink more intelligent value wines made by producers who don?t take me for granted due to some sense of entitlement. I sometimes worry about that and I?m not sure whether it?s that exactly or perhaps the fact that wine prices for Burgundy and Bordeaux are incredibly inflated, but I?m finding it more difficult than ever to put down $15 for a bottle of white wine from prestige regions that won?t underwhelm. Reflecting more upon possible Argentine wine import trends, I am really looking forward to seeing more wines from Argentina?s provinces outside of Mendoza given that producers are avoiding bulk production like the plague and still very much feel that they have everything to prove. For one, crafting wines in Salta isn?t exactly for the faint of heart?stony, sandy soils on steep Andean inclines and almost 360 days of sunlight. Wines produced in Salta don?t even account for a tenth of Argentine wines, and this especially underscores the fact that bulk producers have stayed away for some time. I?ve recently noticed lots of new and exciting things which I?ll report on later in terms of Argentine wine imports. Interestingly enough, these wines don?t exactly fit the typical ?Wines of Argentina Awards? formula for success (Bordeaux-style blends with Malbec playing a role to some degree). I am seeing more general Patagonia appellation Pinot Noir, Tempranillo from San Juan and now, more Torrontés producers from Salta stepping up to deliver. I have a feeling that things are looking up for smaller Argentine producers who may want to share their work with export markets such as the U.S., since an open-minded changing of the guard, taste-wise is afoot. For now, here?s my take on the don Rodolfo Torrontés: In the glass, it is a clear, pale lemon color. The nose is perfumey and stays true to the nature of the aromatic Torrontés variety?clean, pronounced floral aromas (elderflower dominating), stone fruit (apricot and peach), and lemon. The style is dry, with high acidity, light body and an impressive balance of flavors for the price point. The elderflower blossom aspect that dominates from the nose on through to one?s afterbreath really captivated me, as it?s one of my favorite scents/flavors in general. The acidity from the lemon zest is very refreshing and nicely accompanies the stone fruit flavors. The importer of the don Rodolfo wines is Cabernet Corporation, out of California. Check with them for distribution information if it doesn't seem to be available in your area.
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| [06/29/2007, 21:32] | Cheers! A toast to nine robust BC secrets | | | While British Columbia is fast-becoming known for its emerging wine regions ? the Okanagan Valley, Vancouver Island and Vancouver Lower Mainland ? only oenophile insiders know that many BC wineries have a secret weapon: they operate fabulous restaurants and bistros... | | | |
| [05/12/2008, 15:30] | Organic Wine Week, Part 1: Chardonnay | |  This week I'm focusing on a pair of organic wines to highlight the increasingly wide range of options consumers have if they want to drink wine that has been made with organic grapes.
There was a time when wines made with organic grapes were difficult to find, but that is certainly not true any more. In fact, you are probably drinking wine made with organic grapes and not even realizing it. One of the things that has struck me is that some wines don't identify themselves as using organic grapes on their labels.
One of the reasons for this may be that current regulations require that a wine labeled "Organic" must not only be made with organic grapes, there must be no added sulfites. Sulfites are added to wines to help stabilize them for shipping and storage, so it's pretty hard to find a wine that is "Organic." It's far more common to find a wine that is made "with organic grapes." If you look at the tiny type at the bottom of the Jeriko label, you will see that it indicates that organic grapes were used. Wines labeled in this fashion have been made with certified organic fruit, but do have sulfites added for stability. If you want to find out more about organic wine, visit the Organic Wine Company and read up on their notes regarding how wines are classified.
My latest recommendation for a white wine made with certified organic grapes is the 2005 Jeriko Estate Chardonnay. ($19.99, WineQ) Jeriko Estate now uses only certified, organically grown grapes in their wines, all of which are grown in vineyards in Mendocino County. This was a creamy chardonnay that gets its body from partial malolactic fermentation in oak, and its crispness from a majority of fermentation time spent in stainless steel tanks. It was a pleasant bright straw in color, and had aromas of summer orchard fruits like pear and apple, and some late summer hay. The flavors you will find in this wine are of apples and cream, with a faintly buttery aftertaste. All in all, I found this a nicely made example of a creamy, California Chardonnay with good QPR. It will appeal to anyone who likes a richer style of chardonnay, but one that is still fresh and crisp.
With a wine like this, there is nothing better (in my opinion) than oven-fried chicken and slaw. I like the recipe for buttermilk-dipped, pan-browned, and oven-fried chicken from Cooking Light which tastes every bit as decadent as the real thing but leads to only a fraction of the guilt afterwards. The creamy, tangy buttermilk and caramelized flour coating is a perfect pairing for a creamy Chardonnay like this one. And for the slaw, do yourself a favor and try this one with dried cherries, sweetly spicy pecans, apples, cabbage, and a vinegar-based dressing. I cheated and picked up a package of already sweet and spicy pecans from Trader Joe's, and only used green cabbage, by the way, and it was fine. The apples in the slaw really pick up the apple notes in the Chardonnay.
As I get older I'm finding I care more and more about the environment. I stopped drinking bottled water, I'm buying a hybrid car, and I'm eating more organic, locally produced food. It's a good thing to be able to extend this philosophy into my wine drinking, with such tasty results. | | | |
| [08/31/2006, 21:00] | New World vs. Old World | |  I'm in the mood for a throw-down. No more of this namby-pamby dancing around the ring.
A couple of weeks ago, I got slammed on the ropes for a comment I made about a post on Vinography. The winos over there are apparently pretty fond of their New World wines because, when I suggested that Old World wines might be suffering in the global marketplace because of what is simply an archaic (or nonexistent?) approach to marketing, damn. You'd have thought I said something about their mother.
"Absurd!" they said. "Wine that tastes like fruit, not boxes of cigars and pencil lead, appeals to US consumers," they proclaimed.
Hmmm.
I'm a U.S. consumer, and I'm a pretty even-handed gal. I like New World wines; I like Old World wines. I was trying to make a point about what I considered to be the glaring difference in the marketplace. I was trying to make that point independent of taste, because I tend to believe there's a place out there for both styles of wine.
But then I started to think about it, and I've decided, even-handed is for wusses.
I'm picking sides, and do you know why? It's not about technical quality. There are New World and Old World wines of technical brilliance. It's not about image. Image is surface; popularity comes and goes.
No, this is a matter of taste, and I'm coming down on the side of the Old World.
This is my battle cry for wines that taste like cigar boxes and dirt, seashells and truffles; for wines that taste like a location; for being able to tell the difference between chadonnays made 30 miles apart; for a wine that has structure without having an alcohol content of 15 percent; for a wine that isn't obvious; for a wine that doesn't cater to a soda-pop palate; for a wine that actually pairs well with food; for a wine that goes for elegance over brawn; for a wine that doesn't give it up on the first date - one that I've got to work for, one that tastes better the next day, one that could sit on the shelf and evolve for a couple of years, one with a little mystery.
Categories: wine, Old World, New World, flavor | | WorldWine Tags: wine, Old World, New World, flavor, | | | |
| [05/15/2008, 15:34] | RunRig, and More | | | 1 is one of the champions of Australian Shiraz, made from grand old vines in Barossa Valley in a modern style. It also incorporates a dollop of Viognier, an idea cadged from Côte-Rôtie, where co-fermenting with the white grape is common. It contributes to the wine's distinctive character. | | | |
| [02/22/2008, 09:29] | Lost New Years Notes | | Some notes taken at a New Years Eve event … in 2006 leading into 2007. Seppelt Salinger 1994
A slightly better bottle than the last one, this was fresher on the palate. On the nose there were aromas of creme brulee, toast, lime and a dab of oak. Still not amazingly complex on the palate, but the length is good and it is well balanced.
88/100 Moet et Chandon 1999
Green apples and grass on the nose. Very lean palate, acid stands out and this is very simple and short.
82/100 T’Gallant Moscato 2006
A pale salmon colour. Very light spritz. Strawberry, turkish delight and cherry on the nose. Palate has a medium level of sweetness, needs a touch more acid to be refreshing but it is still quite nice.
86/100 Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 1994
Honeyed nose with toast and lemon as well. There is an oily texture to the medium intensity palate. No rough edges, this was very nice drinking now.
91/100 Raymond Boulard Cuvee Reserve NV
Apples, some florals and some candy style raspberry notes. Crisp palate, medium length. No elements of great excitement but it is well made and enjoyable.
87/100 Best’s Great Western Chardonnay 1986
Grapefruit, honey and wet wool aromas. Incredibly youthful palate, it was fresh, balanced and long. Seemed as though it could live another 10 years as well.
90/100 Robert Groffier Les Amoureuses 1996
Brilliant, shifting, challenging nose of cherry, earth, violets, spice and fleeting notes of coffee beans. The palate is so delicate and wonderfully poised. the mouthfeel is beautiful with well integrated tannin and acid. Superb.
94/100 Charles Melton Sparkling Shiraz (disg. February 99)
Cola, chocolate and a strong horse stable component. The palate is almost sickly sweet. Worst bottle of this that I’ve had.
79/100 Orlando Lawson Shiraz 1991
Dark crimson colour. Sweetly fruited with a touch of mint. Nice intensity to the palate, it is bold without being over the top or losing focus. Very youthful, it will go another 5 years without any trouble and it wouldn’t surprise me if people were saying the same thing in 5 years.
89/100 J. Vidal-Fleury Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde 1998
From magnum. Lifted florals, pepper, five spice and red cherries. Savoury palate with good acidity and a medium length finish. Very good.
90/100 Domaine Michel Gros Vosne-Romanee Clos des Reas 1998
Deeply coloured. Very perfumed nose, with florals and light raspberry. Tannins are quite grippy at present, but contribute to the good structure. Well balanced acidity.
90/100 Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova Brunello 2001
Briary and tobacco aromas followed by vanilla, coconut and some floral characters. Quite aggressive tannins on the palate, but the length and structure are both excellent. Give this time and you will be rewarded.
91/100 Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Brut 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs 1998
Opened to drink at midnight. Corked. Happy new year.
NR/100 Pol Roger Brut 1998
Apples, yeast, toast and some smoke. Good length and balance, with medium flavour intensity. Will be nice to drink over the next 5 years.
89/100 Henschke Cyril Henschke 1994
DMS city with blackcurrant, tinned corn, blackberry and chocolate oaky aromas. Palate is alright, but the wine as a whole isn’t up to the standard of one had a year prior.
84/100 Chateau d’Yquem 1958
An incredibly generous gesture from a friend of Phil’s to bring this along to share. This has been open for a while, the nose was deeply scented and consisted of caramel, burnt sugar, orange peel and almond. Luscious mouthfeel, the acid struggling a little bit to keep pace. I was immensely glad to have gotten the chance to try this.
92/100 Veuve Fourny Blanc de Blancs 1er Cru Brut NV
Apples, cinnamon, honey and smoke. Dry on the good length palate, with racy acidity and great refreshment value.
88/100 | | | |
| [05/20/2008, 16:47] | FT Wine Investment - mature wines and more | |  A special section on Wine Investment hits newsstands in today’s Financial Times and the enlightened folks on the other side of the pond have put the full contents online. Huzzah!
Even if you aren’t that into wine as an investment, the section offers a lot of bang for the free buck. The lead article by Jancis Robinson is about Hong Kong as an emerging center for wine (as we discussed here with a focus on riesling) and I’d like to return later to some of the other issues raised in other pieces. For now, I thought the round-table with three American collectors, including the “Big Boy,” Rob Rosania (his Salon 1996 strategy we also already discussed), provided a quick observation worth noting. Older vintages are woefully undervalued is one sentiment that the collectors bring up. I have felt the same way since I bought a beautifully mature 1971 Giacomo Conterno Barolo last year for $300, which is a mere fraction of other collectible wines upon release today. Raymund Tuppatcsh, one of the collectors in the roundtable, says that’s going to change soon. “I think you are going to see a correction to the upside like you?ve never seen ? a tripling or quadrupling of prices over the next 18-24 months.” Yikes. Time to buy more wines from our birth years now? (image) | | | |
| [04/13/2008, 06:38] | 2004 MAN Vintners Shiraz also solid at less than $10 | |  Yes, that was basically the point of this quick weekend post. Over the past week I made the best attempt I could at finding all six single-variety wines that the South African producers released, and have only achieved partial success (3/6). Though not so entirely happy with one of the whites (sadly the only one I could track down), I return to the reds to find a very interesting Shiraz. A small clarification about how I view value wines though. Obviously, the MAN Shiraz is no Crozes-Hermitages, but that simply isn?t the objective with a value selection recommendation. It doesn?t make it better than say, a Northern Rhône Syrah that usually sells for more. Value selections like this one are unusually interesting for the price point. That shortsighted all-or-nothing approach people have the tendency to apply to so many things in life seems absurdly inappropriate even with wine. I thought about that today when I read the latest post over at The Pour, which somewhat deals with a new book on wine reminiscent of that 20/20 segment from 2005 which relegates the value of art and art criticism (good parallel with wine) to that of upper-brow contempt for the masses. How many certifiable idiots have you overheard in a hotel lobby asking trite questions that more or less resemble ?which one?s the best, Flemish art or Florentine art? The inanity of an exchange like this swiftly reveals the poverty of knowledge, or perhaps more crucial to the matter, lack of genuine appreciation which the participants must have for art. As someone who seriously studies literature and has a couple of degrees to back that up, I have always cringed at those book club type questions where two writers from completely different perspectives and time periods are given the old CNN Crossfire treatment, ?George Sand or Danielle Steele?? On a whole, more people would likely prefer Steele, who no doubt is an accomplished writer; her work could thus be considered better, right? No, no and no. As with artists or writers, let?s please leave wine out of that sort of thing.
At any rate, this Coastal Region Shiraz is all about straightforward flavors and food-accompanying functionality. I thought it a bit complex for the price point, with nice plum, berry, spice and smoke. Balance wasn?t too far off, with medium acidity, high body, medium-high tannin and solid fruit which stood up to the vegetal and spice flavors for three days after opening. An added bonus, considering most sub-$10 reds, was that the oak presence was never overwhelming. I?ll certainly consider the MAN Syrah and Pinotage again when looking for value-priced accompaniments to grilled meats and those ostrich burgers I have come to enjoy recently. | | | |
| [05/22/2008, 09:47] | 2004 Chateau du Rouet "Cuvee Belle Poule" Blanc, Cotes de Provence, France | |  I drink wine from as many different countries as I can, as often as I can. I firmly believe that the only way I keep learning anything as a wine lover will be through continued exploration.
There are times, though, when searching out new countries, grape varieties, and appellations just takes too much energy. At times like these, usually after a long week, I just want a nice meal and a good glass of wine to go with it. Like most people in these situations of part-exhaustion, I tend to stick to the predictable -- the least risky choice that is most likely to yield the most pleasurable result. So when I found myself dining alone the other night, and not wanting to think much about which white wine I wanted, I reached for a safety wine. I had never had it before, but I knew it was: white, a blend of different grapes, French, and it was from Provence. There aren't many sure bets in the wine world. There's a lot of crap out there to be sure. But if you're gonna order wine, sight unseen and untasted, I think it's pretty hard to go wrong with most of the wines in the Cotes de Provence. At least the ones that end up getting imported here. So there I was, sitting alone at the big communal table, watching the chefs do their thing from behind the pass. I was reading some notes I had taken from a meeting earlier in the day, and only barely noticed when the waitress put the glass down by my plate. I reached out between sentences and took a sip, and in the kind of moment that keeps me drinking wine, I was forced to pause, to savor, and to say a silent prayer of thanks for my luck at living a life in which I get to enjoy good things like this glass of wine. Don't get me wrong, this wine was not epiphany-creating-stuff-of-the-gods. It was just darn good, and it really hit the spot. The family that currently owns Chateau du Rouët purchased the property in 1840 with the intention of harvesting cork from the trees on the property, and selling some of the pine wood that was particularly in demand for shipbuilding at the nearby ports of the Mediterranean. The property encompassed more than 1000 acres of forest, as well as the grounds of a sizable manor that was erected by the new owners in 1880. Around 1920, a fire ravaged the estate, as well as some of the forest, and the current owner decided to plant a vineyard between the scrubby, fire prone hills and the forest of the estate. Though it was only a secondary consideration at the time, this began the history of wine cultivation at the estate. Today the descendants of the original three families that purchased the property farm approximately 170 acres of vineyards at the foot of a set of hills known as the Gorges de Pennafort that rise with their red volcanic rocks and ancient caves about 1500 feet above the property. The mostly sandstone terraced vineyards are wedged between the flatlands, the hills, and a swath of Mediterranean forest of cedar, bamboo, cork oaks, maritime pines, and even palm trees. The vineyards run mostly north to south to shelter the grapes from the fierce Mistral winds that whip over the hills at certain times of the year. These winds are not all bad, however. Combined with the warmer breezes off the Mediterranean, they combine to create the cool, dry climate that allows the Cotes de Provence to create wines of great personality. On the grounds of the winery sits a small chapel that is worthy of mention only because of the unusual doors which adorn its modest facade. These doors were taken from a sailing ship named the Le Belle Poule, which at one time was well known for one of its last voyages -- a trip it made to carry home the ashes of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1888, Lucien Savatier, who contributed greatly to the development of Chateau du Rouet's vineyards, as part of his duties to dismantle the ship, took the doors from the cabin that housed Bonaparte's ashes during the voyage and installed them on the chapel where they remain today. In memory of the ship (which adorns the label even today) the winery produces a red, a white and a rose wine, all called "Cuvee Belle Poule." The white wine is a blend of three grapes: Ugni Blanc (30%), Sémillon (20%) and Rolle (50%) from what the winery refers to as "old vines" but I'm not clear on just how old they are. 1250 cases are made.
Tasting Notes:
Pale gold in the glass, this wine has an appealing nose of pears, rainwater, and very faint melon aromas. In the mouth it is crisp, and light, and bouncy. Great acidity and mineral qualities underlie green melon and pear flavors that along with the chalky stone quality to the wine make it fantastically refreshing. Everything I want in a white wine with dinner.
Food Pairing:
I drank this with a lobster bisque the other night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Overall Score: 9 How Much?: $18 The 2004 may be tricky to find, but the 2005 and 2006 are readily available for purchase on the internet.
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| [05/16/2008, 18:28] | The Ongoing Roar | |  Alice Feiring....You GO!
I think it's great that the San Francisco Chronicle and the LA Times would give Alice a fairly large stage to bitch and moan about California wine not being to her tastes and the contention that a single, Maryland-based Palate is the reason for her California Discontent. Alice is in the midst of promoting her new book that takes the art of bitching and moaning into a book length format. Feiring's "The Battle for Wine and Love: or How I Saved the World from Parkerization" has a whimsical looking cover design that might just as easily be translated to a publishing effort on how pandas and tulips can save the world. But it seems behind the happy cover lies another approach: "Join her as she sets off on her one-woman crusade against the tyranny of homogenization, wine consultants, and, of course, the 100-point scoring system of a certain all-powerful wine writer." Just for the record there is no tyranny of Homogenization in the world of CA wine. There is only disappointment that most wines don't appeal to one's palate. It's also true that Alice's call for more "natural" winemaking and "natural" wines is really just a a reflection of her philosophy of life and not a critique of winemaking. It's highly doubtful she or most others could consistently identify wines that are made with and without "natural" winemaking techniques. Still, I love to see Alice, this artful writer, make a full frontal assault on those wineries and critics who like to drink and make wines that don't appeal to her. There is a passion here that transcends and makes secondary work of the disappointment that is at the heart of her recent screeds and editorials. It's good writing, it's controversial, it engages the reader and it demonstrates that the politics of preference is alive and well in the world of wine. As I read the good news today that the California Supreme Court overturned the law prohibiting same-sex marriage, I saw similarities between Feiring's position that California wine should be more subdued and natural and the opponents of the California Supreme Court ruling who believed marriage should be what it always was, between a man and a woman. Both Alice and the conservative, anti-gay camp believe there has been some brainwashing going on. But in the long run, both the opponents of same sex marriage and Alice will lose their battles. America is not, and never was, a place where traditions were forceful enough to squash the aspirations of those who choose to simply do what they want as long as it's not hurting anyone. The big, bold wines that Alice believes are imitations of what real wine should be will be with us forever and will continue to be made because California's climate allows this as does technology, and because other people like them. But she should take take heart. There will always be Cathy Corisons, Steve Edmunds, Stony Hills and many, many others who, if Alice wants to seek them out, will demonstrate that there is no winemaking region in the world more diverse in the style of wines it produces than California. UPDATE:
Nice review of Feiring's New Book at The Women's Wine Critic Blog.
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| [05/21/2008, 18:06] | CDP | | Last night while out with my girlfriend, I splurged (for us) and ordered a bottle of 2005 Louis Bernard Châteauneuf-du-Pape. I had never tried wines from the Rhone and had heard good things about them, and the fact the dinner itself was at a discount allowed me to spend more money on wine and have it come out the same.
The wine...was perfect. We had fondue, and the wine became a chameleon as it paired well with the cheddar cheese for the first course, the meats for the entree and the dark chocolate dessert. It brought out different things with each course and was just wonderful. It was creamy, yet fruity, and had some tannins left in it, but went well with all the things we were eating. I was immensely pleased (and more than a little buzzed from the 14% alchohol content) and thought I hit a home run in selecting the wine.
Now of course, I want more. I don't know where Louis Bernard is in the heirarchy of CDP, but does anyone else have reccomendations on other wines from the area? | | | |
| [01/01/1970, 02:00] | Ronn Wiegand Recommends: High-Caliber Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Wine (Nov 2006) | | | As we enter the holiday season, I thought it time to up the caliber of my wine recommendations, to put the focus on some truly outstanding wines, which are somewhat costlier than those I have recently recommended. For many, they are special occasion wines, and they can help make those occasions that much more special. | | | |
| [01/01/1970, 02:00] | Snorkel Michigan | | | Welcome to the new Wine X interactive digital format. By using multimedia, we can deliver a deeper, more enriched travel experience for those with DSL, Broadband or faster connections. If you have dial-up or a slower connection, we?ve streamlined the images for a faster download time. For those with DSL, Broadband or faster, please read the directions at the beginning of the article before starting. If followed, you?ll not only be rewarded with a totally new online experience, you?ll have a lot of fun participating as well. YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION For DSL, Broadband or faster connections click here. For Dial-Up and slower connections click here. |
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| [05/18/2008, 02:07] | Basic Wine and Cheese Pairings | | 
Wine and cheese are a classic combination, but there are so many different kinds of each, how do you know which ones will complement one another. It's easy if you follow a few basic rules:
Pair wine and cheese of the same region together. A good and simple rule is to pair items from the same part of the world together. A good example is Chianti and Parmesan.
Pair salty with sweet. A salty cheese goes best with a sweet wine. The classic example of this is Stilton with Port.
Pair creamy cheeses with tannic wines. Full-bodied red wines go best with creamy, soft-ripening cheese, such as Red Bordeaux with Brie.
Pair acid with acid. This may not be an obvious choice, but it's very good together. An example is Sauvignon Blanc with goat cheese.
Pair rich cheeses with bubbles. Champagne and other sparkling wines go well with rich cheeses, like the French port de salut or chevre.
(photo © istockphoto) See full article.
Related Entries:
Wine Party in Budapest - 02 September 2006 Wine & Cheese for a Cause - 04 May 2007 Food & Wine Pairings Made Simple - 04 October 2007 eWine Match Makes Pairing Wine and Food Easy - 07 March 2008 
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| [05/10/2008, 23:10] | Feiring's Fantasy: Alice Feiring Saves the World from Robert Parker | | | The font of the title is pleasantly wacky, and the title itself promises a dream-like escapade in which Feiring daydreams herself ?saving the world? and falling in love with a superhero winemaker. Not a bad concept. This is not a journalistic effort like other recently released wine books, To Cork or Not to Cork, The Billionaire?s Vinegar, First Big Crush, Wine and Philosophy. This is a personal essay on a personal point of view. The book is a small-format book?hardbound, 5 ½ ? by 8?, 158 pages exclusive of acknowledgments and index, and can easily be read in a few hours. In the introduction she says, ?I am hoping to intrigue those who want wines that truly have a story to tell. Once people experience these wines and winemakers, once they know that wine truly does have soul and character, it will be difficult for them to cozy up to wines made by the numbers and not from the heart.? I hope that this book fulfills her mission. Unfortunately . . . | | | |
| [05/20/2008, 04:25] | Old Moon (Old Vine) Zinfandel 2006 | | 
This wine was found at Trader Joes and sells for $6. It is purple with a raspberry bouquet and a sweet palate with raspberry fruit.
It is made in the very popular style that will appeal to most Americans. It is actually a pleasant guzzling kind of wine but don't get it thinking you're getting a Zin. It's just a fun, haphazard quaffer to enjoy a little on the kind side sitting on the porch waiting for dinner. Raise a glass. | | | |
| [04/14/2008, 23:39] | Cheese & Sauvignon Blanc | | | Well, I’ve had a crazy few weeks. March is usually a busy time pouring at events and visiting accounts. We’ve also spent a good deal of time preparing to bottle Sauvignon Blanc and finally doing it now. Then came April and my husband, son and I bought a house and have been dealing with moving and then moving again (long story). I also attended a short cheesemaking course…..Here’s a recap of all that is happened as I have been remiss in posting. Say Cheese, and then some….. I attended a cheesemaking course at Cal Poly at the beginning of this month. Learned a lot and had a great time, too (That had a lot to do with the company I was keeping, I’ll have you know—all good fun). I went down there with Marta Kraftzeck (longtime winemaker/viticulturi |
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