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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The Greeks called Italy Oenotria - the land of wine. A large, colourful wine map of Italy hangs on my study wall. I've been exploring the viticultural tastes and textures of Italy from Abruzzo, Piedmont and Tuscany to Sardinia, Sicily and Venice. Melgab, an Italian father-and-son company, import a wide range of fine wines and grappa? of origin from Argentina, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain to South Africa.
Treat your taste? buds to a range of new flavours? in classic Italian varieties such as Barbera, Chianti, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Trebbiano. The dry?, fruity?, minerality of Lamberti Santepietre Pinot Grigio or the fine, fruity bubbles of Teresa Rizzi Prosecco, the vino? spumante? of Veneto will take you all the way to Harry's Bar in Venice. I loved the herbal? quality of Medici Sangiovese Rubicone from Emilia, the main grape of the great Chianti Classico? wines. Last but not least, try the intense?, robust ruby red Montepulciano d'Abruzzo with its evocative forest fruit and liquorice flavours.
Watch out for Melgab's Italian wines in wine stores at R60-R85.
I discovered the seductive delights of limoncello? this summer - a traditional Italian liqueur? made from steeping the juiciest, fresh lemon peels in alcohol?. Commonly called limoncello in Tuscany, this zesty digestif is made in family cellars in the region? from age-old recipes. The rinds from lemons? freshly picked in the orchards are steeped in alcohol until they reach a perfect infusion of colour, flavour and zest. Made by A&G Distillery, Limonello is sold in an elegant frosted glass bottle in South Africa. Drink frozen, on the rocks or drizzle over ice cream? and fruit salad?.
A&G Limonello costs R86 per 500ml. Visit www.melgab.co.za for more information.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - From the heart of Silicon Valley and California ' s famous winemaking regions comes Winepod - the world ' s first personal winery that combines technology, art and science to empower wine ...
Oh well… whilst we await the final assessment of the 2007 (a difficult year perhaps), the Bordelais are hoping that Bacchus might at least come to their aid in the rugby world cup. Take a look at their invocations at our new site drinksvideo.com. By the way the opening passage is in French but you [...]
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.
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With the huge popularity gain for wine in the past five years, one could wonder if a recession in the wine industry is looming.
Much depends on factors in the grand scheme of things. The once-booming housing industry created much wealth for a lot of Americans, but a recent downturn in home sales has created a large-scale semi-panic in the mortgage and banking industry. The stock markets have been shaken by the idea that mortgage companies are virtually disappearing overnight. This has put into question the stability of the biggest banks, and what their exposure to these smaller (defunct) companies has been.
The wine industry is based much on excess wealth. Wine is seen by many, not as an essential, but as a luxury item that would be cut out of a budget if tough times arose. A recent look at distribution and retail inventory levels showed a large glut, sometimes in excess of 200 days worth of stock.
The ever-popular Pinot Noir seems to be immune to this kind of chatter, however. Spurned to new heights of acceptance by the movie Sideways, the "heartbreak grape" seems to be an indespensible red... a must for any cellar or pantry. The next couple of years will be crucial to the industry at the retail and restaurant level.
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.
2005 Merliance Is New Merlot From Collective By HOWARD G. GOLDBERG Published: May 11, 2008
When the Long Island Merlot Alliance was formed by five producers in 2005, the local wine industry debated its value. Since merlot had become established as the Island?s signature red ? today 38 of 43 producers make it ? an organization to promote it and to define quality standards was unnecessary, dissenting producers said.
Undeterred, the alliance ? Pellegrini, Raphael, Sherwood House, Shinn and Wölffer ? strives to make ?Long Island merlot? an internationally recognized brand. It has just released its second collectively composed merlot, the 2005 Merliance. (Its first venture, vintage-dated 2004, was released in 2006.)
The medium-bodied 2005 red ($35) is soft, richly fruity and reminiscent of macerated black and red berries; six months? further bottle aging will heighten its nuances. It?s a pleasing, but not spectacular, wine.
In producing the blend, each member selected two barrels from its cellars that the winemakers believed best represented its individual style as well as Long Island?s terroir, or grape-growing conditions. Calling 2005 an extraordinary vintage, Richard Olsen-Harbich, Raphael?s winemaker, said it was ?the driest growing season on Long Island in almost 60 years.?
He added, ?We had very mature, intense fruit at harvest, which is evident in the dark fruit flavors and ripe tannins found in the wine.?
Read the rest at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/11vinesli.html
'An onsite accident occurred at Wirra Wirra yesterday following the collapse of a fermenting tower at our winery in McLaren Vale. A number of fermenters, tanks and a presses have been damaged, resulting in some loss to our 2008 vintage.
'We are currently working closely with the authorities and SafeWork SA to assess the full extent of the damage.
'We’d like to extend our thanks to all the emergency services whose quick action and professionalism were outstanding. Our thoughts are with our young cellar hand who is currently in a serious, yet stable condition at Flinders Medical Centre. We are pleased to hear that he is making positive progress.
'While it is difficult to determine at this time the full extent of wine lost, it is significantly less than has been reported. Some of the wine in tank may still be salvageable, while offers of fruit from growers to offset the loss have been coming in thick and fast. Whilst the loss of wine is important to our business, clearly the safety and welfare of our staff is of greatest priority at this time.
'Workplace safety for all our staff is of paramount importance at Wirra Wirra, and we are thankful no more serious injuries were sustained.
'We’d also like to extend our thanks to the winemaking community of McLaren Vale and our neighbouring districts who have rallied round with offers of help and well wishes; we have been extremely touched by their support and generosity.
Trott produced the first vintage of Church Block back in 1972 “with a little help from his friends”. It looks like history will repeat itself in 2008.'
BREAKING NEWS: 3.13PM AEST March 6 2008
McLaren Vale winery, Wirra Wirra, earlier today suffered considerable damage to its winery when a number of 45,000 litre fermenters collapsed, causing damage to some tanks and presses, and a significant loss of vintage 2008 must and wine.
One cellar hand sustained minor injuries, however no serious injuries have been reported.
The winery has temporarily been shut down, and staff are working with officials to ascertain the full extent of the damage.
Wirra Wirra is unable to determine when the winery will be up and running again.
September 14th, 2007 is the Great Canadian Head Shave organized by the Terry Fox Foundation. In order to help raise awareness and much-needed funds for cancer research, Tidings editor-in-chief, Aldo Parise has decided to do his part. He will be...
2004 Bass Phillip “Estate” Chardonnay: Cloudy light golden colour. Oatmeal, nutty characters, soap and citrus peel on the nose. Rich and round palate with acidity that seems a little bit prickly. I think it was better than I’ve made it sound, but I can’t muster a whole lot of enthusiasm for it. 87/100
2007 Primo Estate “d’Elena” Pinot Grigio: Very pale colour. Banana and tropical fruits (mostly pineapple) aromas. Texturally interesting, but there is also a bit of alcohol heat on the palate that I found distracting. 85/100
1997 Paringa “Estate” Pinot Noir: Dark ruby colour, a little bit murky as well I thought. Cherry, raspberry, stalks and damp soil. The acid is sticking out, but I thought the rest of the flavour on the palate carried well. May have looked a bit better a couple of years ago. 87/100
1986 Domaine Jacques-Frederic Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses: Light red, with some orange tints around the rim. Yeasty and baked aromas on opening, we feared that it may be dead. We moved on to another wine to give this some time to see what happened and the recovery was pleasing. After around 60 minutes there were some earthy, dusty aromas coming through. Then another look after 90 minutes showed some spice, cherry and perfume like aromas. Palate never shed its dominant tannin, but it was quite drinkable anyway. It didn’t hit any great heights, but the recovery was remarkable and it ended up a nice drink. 87/100
1996 Domaine Bart Bonnes Mares Grand Cru: Medium purple coloured. Nose was very shy throughout the time we spent with it - there were fleeting scents of dark cherry, mocha, rose petal and some other floral notes. The palate is lovely though, it is quite youthful but layered, balanced and very long. Plenty of potential in this wine over the next 10 years. 91/100
1977 Graham Vintage Port: (375ml) Light crimson colour. Earth, spice, roast nuts and mint on the nose. There is a pleasing brown sugar style flavour to the palate, but it is noticeably lacking in depth. Not really what I expected in terms of richness and complexity, would like to know how it looked on following nights. 88/100
My golf coach recently confirmed what I think I already knew: "Tom, you've got to get out of your head."
Translation: my proclivity to live in my head and to think too much interrupts my need to execute really well a body-driven activity on the golf course.
Thinking about my coach's advice with regard to golfing, I realized that I'm going to have to work very hard to accommodate him, because I've always found much more pleasure in intellectualizing what I do than simply doing.
Wine and drinking is a perfect example. I can't stand the idea of simply drinking a glass of wine and just letting it flow down my throat, letting the droplets fall where they may without thought. I NEED to think about what I'm doing.
Even today as I heard reports about the coming warm weather later this week and into the weekend, I immediately began thinking about drinking Pastis by the pool. But it's not enough that I think about that pleasurable moment in the future, note that I'm looking forward to it and move on until I pour my Pernod on Saturday. No, Tom needs to think about the what this coming Pernod Moment means, what it reminds him of, what it says about the changing seasons, how best to enjoy that coming moment. And I'm not talking practical considerations. I need to think about what it means.
It's a nasty affliction I have, this over thinking things, because it clearly prevents me from becoming a more accomplished Golfer. But I think it's only a case of being a nasty affliction where physical activity is concerned, not where drinking is concerned.
If you don't think about your wine (or drink) when you drink it, then it merely becomes and alcohol delivery vehicle. When you think about the drink, at least you have the opportunity to be a contemplative drunk, if not more.
But it's really the traditions that have grown up around the production of wine and wine's incorporation into local cultures that have made it the heady, intellectual libation it is today for many. Wine can be a cultural translation tool that happens to also make one wobbly. Any Culture, remember, is an entirely mental construct that starts with language, is grounded to territory and is at its best when translated for those who reside outside of it. All this happens in the mind. Wine is a near perfect translation tool.
It seems to me that to simply gulp the stuff is to negate the higher purpose that wine can serve. This notion might appeal to some as placing wine on a pedestal too high. I can see that view. But I can't accept it. The fact that wine provides a marvelous springboard to contemplating people, places, dirt, history and taste makes it particularly worthy of being on a pedestal.
Now, my golf swing is another thing entirely. No pedestal for it. No explaining its often absurd lines either. Perhaps if I can learn to leave my head behind as I swing a club, it will create more room inside there for indulging in the pleasures of the mind where wine is concerned.
Due to the unusually cool summer, and the recent rainfall, Oregon's Willamette Valley wine producers are nervously biting their nails, dreading a harvest with grapes that are not fully ripened. Without the proper heat units, the grapes will not reach full maturity, although they may look fully ripe. The cooler weather will likely mean that harvests in Oregon will be delayed as much as they can be, without pushing the grapes over the edge.
Look for the next two weeks to be crucial to the '07 harvest.
If you happen to dwell in the land of hard copy, check out the current issue of Salt Lake Magazine. Whilst neglecting Basic Juice in cyberspace, I have been nurturing it in the world of print. Alas, I am still struggling to multitask.
For those who eschew paper, have a look at the extended, 'Author's Cut' of the article below the fold.
This I Sip Chances are you?ve read many a wine article wherein the author recommends a particular bottle or two. What exactly does one do with such recommendations? Do you accept them on blind faith, dutifully seek out said bottles and schlep them home? Of course you do! We all do. Everyone trusts and accepts expert opinions on all manner of topics ? movies, restaurants, music and, of course, wine. However, there comes a time when one realizes that expert opinions on matters of taste, are essentially just that ? opinions. For example, recall the last time you sat through a painfully bad, critic-recommended film and thought, ?I?ll never follow that guy?s advice again.? Experts and critics may know more about their specialty than you, but your tastes may be dramatically different. Taste, particularly when it comes to wine, is exceedingly personal. An expert may guide you in a general direction, but the final arbiter of taste, is you and your palate. The take home message is this: It pays to know a wine critic?s palate before plunking down 10/20/30 bucks for a bottle you may very well despise.
Over the coming months, I will recommend hundreds of wines in this space. Some you will adore, others may be consigned to the dubious category of ?cooking wine.? However, I will always do my best to explain what I like about a particular wine. I will open my mouth - as it were - and attempt to expose every nook and cranny of my wine palate. I don?t expect readers to employ oeno-faith and blindly follow my recommendations. Rather, at some point, I hope our tastes connect and a wine idea put forth in this column, yields exciting discovery and fond memories. So, in lieu of a personal introduction, allow me to introduce my wine palate, in two parts. This, I sip ? the whites.
It?s An Acquired Taste ? Everyone has that one beloved specialty food that makes others cringe (Think: Kipper snacks, Brussels sprouts or Vienna sausages). ?It?s an acquired taste.? You say. I love dry Sherry. It?s wonderfully weird wine ? slightly nutty, aggressively tangy, delightfully funky and very much an acquired taste. My favorite Sherry combo is utterly simple: An Amontillado Sherry (Lustau Los Arcos Amontillado, $18) with oven-roasted almonds is a fiesta of out-of-the-ordinary flavors. If you?re the type who relishes the challenge of acquiring tastes, give Sherry a try. Cheap and Cheerful - Let?s face it; acquiring taste is demanding work. Occasionally, I long for something uncomplicated. Wine doesn?t need to be complicated. There are plenty of good, simple wines. When I would rather sip than ponder, I go for budget-priced Austrian Grüner Veltliner (Berger Grüner Veltliner 2005, $12). This wine is simple, refreshing and exceedingly flexible with food. Budget Grüner compliments almost any entrée exiting the oven or flying off the stovetop. Cheap and cheerful wines like this don?t catalyze any epiphanies. Rather, they cause one simply to remark, ?That?s good.? I?m Feeling Naughty ? Admit it. Every so often you yearn to do something off-the-wall - something naughty. Of course, following through on such impulses can lead to a heap of trouble. When I yearn for naughtiness, I grab a bottle of decadent Alsatian Gewurztraminer (Domaine Weinbach Cuvee Laurence, $40). Gewurz-based wine has a tendency to grab one?s schnozz and hypnotize with scents of lychee, apricot, mango and honeysuckle. The talented vintners in Alsace often introduce a layer of naughty to this decadent wine by incorporating a small portion of overripe grapes into the cuvée. The result is wine with an added scent dimension best described as earthy (or dirty). The indulgence doesn?t end here. These wines possess a very thick & cheek-coating mouthfeel. Indeed, drinking such wine feels a little bit naughty. Try Gewurztraminer with salmon sashimi and commit an indulgent act of gastronomy.
Other White Palate Pleasers
Acquiring That Taste: Aveleda Vinho Verde NV, $8; Lopez de Heredia Vina Gravonia Crianza 1995, $25; Feudo Arancio Grillo Sicilia 2005, $9
Cheap and Cheerful: Saint M Riesling 2005, $10; Segura de Viudas Brut Cava, $9; Santa Julia Torrontes 2006, $7
Naughty, Naughty: Kalin Cellars Chardonnay Cuvee LD 1995, $33; Twisted Oak Viognier, $26; Pine Ridge Chenin Viognier 2006, $12 Coming in Part II, I introduce a few of my preferred, palate-pleasing red wines.
The Reds coming in Part 2 Business in the Front, Party in the Back
I Lost 2 Pounds! Let?s Gain it Back
My Imaginary Smoking Jacket
Comments/Questions: Email Beau at beau@basicjuice.com Find more wine ideas at basicjuice.blogs.com
Big news in the steep Douro Valley! Symington Family Estates, owners of internationally renowned Port brands Dow?s, Graham?s, and Warre?s is converting their three Vilariça valley vineyards entirely to organic farming. Quinta do Atayde, Quinta de Assares and Quinta da Canada, consisting in total of 146 hectares, or 361 acres, will gain their official “organic” certification in two years time. However, an organic Altano red wine has already been made from the 7 ha fully certified as organic at the Quinta de Assares vineyard in 2007 that is currently in barrel and will be released later this year.
Having read this press release yesterday, what perplexed me was why these 146 hectares were chosen to be organic in their 900 ha. portfolio? What makes the Vilariça valley different? Like any successful business, the valley was chosen on the basis of location. As opposed to their vineyards banking the main Douro valley, the Vilariça valley enjoys colder winters and drier summers, in addition to schistous soils which allow for optimal draining. Couple this with an ideal pH range and balanced mineral nutrition in the soil that naturally produces low-yielding fruit, and you’ve got yourself a perfect spot for organic farming, or so Symington hopes.
Another interesting factoid to note is that Touriga Nacional accounts for only 3% of the total vineyards planted in the Douro Valley. 3%! Considering that this is one of the main grapes in your basic port blend, that statistic is a little shocking. And of that 3%, Symington can boast that Vilariça valley is organically growing 31% of all Touriga Nacional in the Douro. Not a bad marketing angle!
For the record, Touriga Francesa is the most widely planted grape in the Douro Valley.
That said, will this effect my buying patterns? When considering the global climate change, will I buy more Symington wines as a result of their “green” stance? Honestly, it depends on the quality of the wine. When the Altano is released, and I discover that it is a good bottle, of course I’ll endorse it. But if it’s not a good bottle of wine at a decent price, just because it’s an organic wine, doesn’t mean I’m going to suggest that you run out and buy it.
Are you swayed by Symington’s green efforts? When perusing your local wine shop, would you choose the organic versus the non-organic if quality and price are equal? Both Tom Wark and Catavino want to know
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.
Here is a wine style you don’t see every day: An off-dry Rose made from Touriga grapes that originate from Portugal, where they are traditionally used to make vintage port. The wine in question? Old Mill Estate Rosé 2007.
Vibrant flamingo red/pink, this Rose exhibits subtle cranberry and strawberry aromas. Cranberry flavours continue onto the palate, which is initially dry and savoury but finishes with a hint of sweetness. Simple and refreshing.
Overall its a good little Rose, I feel it would show its best with appropriate food that would allow the savoury style of the wine to shine through.
Score: 87/100 Price: $18 Closure: Screwcap Alcohol: 12% Other Opinions:Winorama, Wine Without Wank Would I buy this wine? I would probably pick up a bottle of Turkey Flat or Charles Melton Rose instead.
Pax Mahle has been making some of the most interesting and complex Syrah in California for nearly a decade now. Although he makes other Rhone varietals, Syrah is his focus with several vineyard designated offerings each year. In tasting 2005 Pax Syrah from the barrel last year, I was impressed with the range of aromas and flavors he brings out with distinct wines even made from within the same vineyard.
All Pax Syrah have a similar thread running through them: they are big. Some are fruit bombs, others super concentrated and structured for aging and some are masterpieces of balance even at 15-16% alcohol. When I asked Pax about his process, he pointed to the traditional techniques of France’s Burgundy region where whole-cluster fermentation and the minimum of cellar treatment was the norm at the finest vineyards for centuries. Somehow, Pax has taken these Old World techniques and combined them with aggressive crop management in the vineyard to produce stunning wines.
The Syrah from Griffin’s Lair in the Sonoma Coast AVA is one of the most massive wines in the lineup with very concentrated fruit along with firm tannins. Although this wine is quite enjoyable right now, I would suggest at least another 5 years of cellaring before you will fully comprehend all the nuances this wine brings to the table.
I enjoyed this Syrah last night paired with traditional Steak Frit at a restaurant in San Francisco. I shared this bottle with Alan Baker who longtime listeners of the podcast will remember from Winecast 51 where we tasted Pax Cellars Walker Vine Hill Syrah. Over the 90 minutes we enjoyed this wine it evolved quite a bit but I would imagine even more aromas would have been present on day two. If you open a bottle now, decanting is highly recommended.
Pax Cellars, Syrah, Griffin’s Lair, Sonoma Coast 2004 ($70) - Very dark purple-black in color with massive aromas of blackberry, meats, fennel, green olive, chaparral, leather and baking spices. Huge, mouth-filling blackberry fruit flavors with cracked black pepper finishing with firm, but fine-grained, tannins. The finish lingers for nearly a minute making this one of the most stunning wines I’ve tasted from Pax Cellars to date. This wine will continue to improve for at least another decade in the cellar.
Tecnorati
My golf coach recently confirmed what I think I already knew: 
Here is a wine style you don’t see every day: An off-dry Rose made from Touriga grapes that originate from Portugal, where they are traditionally used to make vintage port. The wine in question? Old Mill Estate Rosé 2007.
