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Wine Ebooks:
| | The Complete Grape Growers Guide. |  | | A Complete Guide For Growing Grapes. Converts Very Well At A Reasonable Price! Growing Grapes And Making Wine Is A Very Popular Topic Right Now.
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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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| | Making Wine From Home. | | | A Fun And Very Informative Book On Home Wine Making. The De Facto Standard For All Home Wine Enthusiasts With Recipes, Advice And Tricks.
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Blogs & Sites:
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[07/03/2008, 17:00]
If only... | |
Boozers rejoice - it's the USB wine tap! Download your favourite wine and have it dispensed from a free usb port!
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/07/03/wine_usb_tap/
The French taking the piss about the amount of pointless usb peripherals.
If only it was true though! Just download a fine vintage and have a glass from the nearest usb port? | | | |
[01/07/2009, 01:01]
Mount Pleasant Rosehill Shiraz 2004 | | |  I held out much hope for the Mount Pleasant Rosehill Shiraz 2004 after the overripe and tarry number from the previous year. Sadly I cannot help but feel that once again, you would be better off with a $12 Philip Shiraz instead.
Inviting aromas of cherries, blackcurrant, nutmeg and clove. The robust palate is filled with rich dark fruits and berries, chocolate, pepper and cedar oak. Definitely full bodied, not overly “huntery” and a touch warm on the finish. This is a wine that belies the vintage, since most Hunter Shiraz from 2004 is far leaner and “classically hunter” in style. Although better than the previous year, I am left yearning for the Rosehill wines of 2000 and 2001. Score: 88/100
Price: $30
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 15%
Would I buy this wine again?
No, pick up some OP&OH Shiraz from 2003 instead  | | | |
[11/07/2008, 00:47]
Announcing Twitter Taste Live 5: Cameron Hughes | |  I’ve been involved with Twitter Taste Live since the second tasting and will be participating again next time when the theme is “Bloggers Take Over.” In past tastings wineries have presented a selection of wines and wine lovers from around the world then posted their thoughts on Twitter while tasting the same wines simultaneously. But the next time out each wine blogger will be able to pick their wine(s) and give you the chance to pick them up and taste along with us on November 15th.
Consistent with my theme of Wines For Recessionary Times, I will be tasting two wines from Cameron Hughes, one of my favorite purveyors of extreme value wine. I have selected Lot 92 2004 Margaret River Chardonnay and Lot 36 2005 Rutherford Cabernet for the tasting. The Chardonnay is available for just $14 at the Cameron Hughes online store but Lot 36 is only available in Costco or Sam’s Club stores (I paid $12.88 today for Lot 36 at Sam’s). So pick up one or both of these wines, friend me up on Twitter and taste along with me on November 15th. I’ll be posting a follow-up with the approximate time of the tasting next week and, of course, tweet about this too. I hope you will join me or at least follow along on Twitter Search using the hash tag #ttl. 
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[03/24/2008, 18:43]
Wine Tasting: Rhone Rangers 2008 | | | The 2008 Rhone Rangers tasting in San Francisco was quiet this year. There were some good wines here, with Copain's wines standing out. | | | |
[11/27/2008, 11:08]
Clos Clare Watervale Riesling 2008 | | | Clos Clare has changed hands and is now run by Tom and Sam Barry. Its riesling has long since been the estate?s strong point. You need a subscription to The Wine Front to see this part of the post | | | |
[06/29/2008, 23:27]
A short notice to those in the UK | | If you need to stock up on wine, Tesco start their Wine festival from Monday, 25% off all wine when you buy any 6 bottles or more. Includes champagne, vermouth, port, sherry and boxed wine too.
I'd expect their competitors to start similar deals in the coming weeks too.
I know i'll be stocking up! | | | |
[11/13/2008, 18:01]
OTT Fass 4 Grüner veltliner 2007 | |  Weingut Bernard OTT. Wagram, Austria. 12.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A40.
One of the most notable things about this wine (besides the harmless tartrate crystals), is the lovely texture. Though a dry wine of 12.5%, this feels more voluptuous. It's silky and essence like and there is an impression of weight and flesh, without heaviness. It is zippy and spice laden with plenty of grip and length.
Very good - excellent.
93.
Now - 2012+
technorati tags: wine, | | WorldWine Tags: wine, | | | |
[07/16/2008, 03:04]
| | Training
Diageo Chile sponsors a program to train waiters and waitresses
This initiative, which comes from Diageo ? one of the most important multinationals in the elaboration and distribution of alcoholic drinks ? will take place in Santiago de Chile. It aims at unemployed young people with limited economic resources, who are trained for free in order to place them in the job market and prepare them for a profession linked to the field of gastronomy
In the year 2007, 17 youths were trained, who are already working in bars, hotels and pubs.
"We take care of finding places for our graduates to practice, and we also work with them. This year 30 people have already registered for the training program. We are focused on professionalizing the Bartender Career so that our graduates have an extra tool to acquire work proficiency in the tourism and entertainment industry. The challenge for the coming years is to get younger people to participate in this initiative, and that it be considered a social program supported by the state,? says Chistophe Beau, commercial manager of Diageo Chile.
The training program, which starts on July 14 and lasts 4 months, enables students to study English and learn about cocktails preparation and serving, customer service and conflict handling, hygiene and food manipulation; and they are specially instructed in the responsible intake of alcohol.
Unlike last year, INCAP Training has prepared a curricular mesh so that students can take courses on enology, drinks preparation and presentation, and techniques on how to handle bottles in a bar. Another difference with respect to last year is that the exigency level in English was raised. The requisites to have access to this training program include: being an unemployed young adult with limited economic resources and have the fourth secondary school year completed.
"This initiative give students the opportunity to improve their quality of life and have better opportunities in the job market,? says Hernán Larraín, commercial manager of INACAP Training.
INACAP, the Technological University of Chile, is a well-known Technical Training Organism (OTEC) that uses the benefits offered by the Chilean State to promote formation programs, with funds that come from 1% deductible from company taxes.
The Chilean Republic has become a main protagonist in the generation of social changes. This is achieved through encouraging the development and acquisition of new knowledge, in order to improve the quality of life.
REB
Read this article in the following languages:
Français
Spanish | | | |
[08/30/2008, 21:24]
Drink for the Cure | | 
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Fat Bastard wines are doing their part to cure this disease by donating 25 cents for every bottle sold in restaurants and retail stores, up to $75,000. This is the sixth year the company has run this program and to date, they have donated more than $250,000 to breast cancer research.
During October, Fat Bastard wines will be easy to spot on the shelf. They'll have a pink ribbon necker with an attached pin for consumers to wear. Fat Bastard's wine collection includes Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Rose, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
(photo © istockphoto) See full article.
Related Entries:
You Don't Have to Be a Woman to Support Breast Cancer Reasearch. It's As Easy As Buying a Cake! - 06 September 2007 Think PINK During OCT Breast Cancer Awareness Month - 04 October 2007 Pink October: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month - 02 October 2007 Attention Women: Change the Statistic! - 09 October 2007
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[12/25/2008, 17:27]
Menu For Hope Campaign Extended with New Prizes! | |  Merry Christmas to all! Today was supposed to be the final day of A Menu For Hope, our annual charity raffle, but it has really picked up some steam in the last few days so we're extending it through the end of the year! A number of new prizes in all regions have been added. So go find some fabulous prizes and bid on them:
You can find wine related prizes here on Vinography. Prizes from Europe *including* the UK at Ms.Adventures in Italy Prizes from US: West Coast at Matt Bites Prizes from US: East Coast at Steamy Kitchen Prizes from Canada at Hooked on Heat Prizes from Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand at Tomato And of course you can browse through the master list of prizes at Chez Pim. We're hoping that the momentum we've seen recently (we quickly went from about $15k a couple of days ago to, at last count, $40k and change) will continue as we try to get somewhere close to the $90k we raised last year. It will be tough in this economic climate, but you folks have surprised us many times before with your generosity and your ability to help us spread the word. There are still a ton of wine prizes that have only one or two raffle tickets purchased for them so far, meaning your $10 donation to the hungry children of Lesotho could easily get you something awesome. And don't forget that some people won some of the big, popular prizes last year with just a single ticket -- the winner of last year's Meadowood vacation (valued at around $3500) won with just a single raffle ticket. Please spread the word, the holiday cheer, and the spirit of giving. And thank you so much for your support.
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[01/31/2006, 05:21]
Purple Moon Shiraz 2004 | | | I picked up a nice bottle of good cheap wine: Purple Moon Shiraz from Trader Joe’s. This wine, made in Manteca California, was a pretty typical Shiraz with an atypical price tag. For only $3.99, this turned out to be one of many fantastic selections I made at Trader Joe’s. 
I enjoyed this Shiraz with some Trader Joe’s Mild Fresh Salsa… boy! What a match! It was dark plum in color and lots of fruit, the “dry Shiraz” fans that sampled this wine with me loved it. I enjoyed it at a perfect 54 degrees F, so that may have enhanced my enjoyment of this cheap wine.
Now, when I usually write a post I research it on the internet. Aside from some web-spam, this cheap wine didn’t show up at all. Well, I feel this wine deserves some more publicity, so here it is! Would buy again, without doubt. Stay tuned for my full tribute to Trader Joe’s (and Charles Shaw AKA Two-Buck Chuck)! Has anyone else tried this? Has anyone been able to get it from places other than Trader Joe’s?
Rating: 8/10
Price: $3.99
Place of purchase: Trader Joe’s | | | |
[10/20/2006, 11:51]
Four cheeses and a White | | Sainsburys Taste the Difference Sancerre 2004 £8.54 has a round, fruity, open nose with a touch of minerality and a clean freshness. The good, underlying fruit with its tantalising honeycomb edges was somewhat hidden by the very high acidity on the palate. So I thought perhaps what it needed was some cheese to round it out... First up Organic Wensleydale. This crumbly white is more texture than flavour but did fill out the wine and brought forward the fruit -peachy aromatics. The lightness of the almost cottage cheese texture really complemented the delicacy of the wine. There was a hint of a salty tang too. Then Woolsery, http://www.woolserycheese.co.uk , this is a medium hard goat's cheese from Dorset and is so tasty. It was the best in combination with the wine too. The slightly salty creaminess perfectly cut the acidity of the wine down to size. The cheese had a decent level of acidity to it as well. It was grassy and had a goaty note but was not overly pungent. Great stuff. Next up Vintage Gouda, the label didn't give a year or age though - perhaps this is cheese parlance that someone can enlightenment me about? This had a wonderful flavour, nutty, earthy, hay aromas, very fruity in fact. It is a dense and creamy cheese which cancelled out the acidity in the wine altogether and made it seem almost flabby! Not quite right together. Finally Doux de Montagne, very like a Spanish Manchego with its subtle flavour and rubbery texture. It tasted slightly soured too but in a good way. The wine overwhelmed this cheese though and it had very little impact when tasted together. | | | |
[10/02/2007, 23:36]
Local Events Website | | If you've got a moment, check out Local Wine Events.
It's a great site that lists wine events for just about any state, country or region. Plus, they send out a Weekly Newsletter called The Juice which will notify you of upcoming events in your area. | | | |
[02/16/2008, 18:17]
Rocket Science 2004 | | | Rocket Science 2004 Proprietary Red $45 Wine Label says: “Son, your 21 years old. It’s time you learned the art of wine tasting.” “I already know how you taste wine,” replied the sure young man. “This wine has an inky, purple hue with a sensational purity, flavors of a blackberry liqueur with a creme de cassis intensity and [...] | | | |
[08/01/2006, 17:48]
Tuesday, August 1, 2006 | | 
Mr. & Mrs. Pammy Pie
Pam Anderson and Kid Rock (aka Bob Ritchie) were engaged last week in St Tropez and decided to also marry there this past weekend in a yacht off of the coast of France. And boy does it only get better. Here are some pictures of Pammy pie a few days before her wedding looking rough and making *ahem* remarks about the upcoming nuptials.
One reporter asked how she's coping with nervousness before the big event.
"I have two words for you. Cham-pagne," she said. http://channels.netscape.ca/entertainment/article.adp?id=20060726210409990006
Okey Dokey then Pam. I sincerely hope you were kidding, otherwise you are an absolute idiot.
Note to self - Veils purchased from Prescilla's look HIDEOUS!!
Unfortunately, it just keeps getting better. Here are pictures of the bride and groom just after saying their vows. Wanna know what millionaires in the entertainment industry drink after getting married in St. Tropez on a million dollar yacht? Well, tried and true - American all the way through - Kid Rock drinks Corona. 
Wait..Corona??? I guess when you are in France you don't have to honor your exclusive contract with Coors. At least he represents with a stunning (or stunningly retarded) American flag belt buckle made from rare blue diamonds along with red rubies on a titanium buckle. (The gift is rumored to be from Pam as his wedding present). Our precious Pammie pie is slugging....er...drinking Veuve Cliquot. In fact, they drank during the entire ceremony. I really think that the captains hat just makes the bridal bikini don't you??
In case you were wondering what to do for a gift for the couple....
Kid Rock instructed his fans to purchase their gifts at one of his favorite chain stores. "Yes, I'm marrying the girl of my dreams," he wrote on his Web site. "We are registered at Wal-Mart. Thanks for the support!"
It's true too. I actually searched for the link today and found it. Here it is...
http://www.walmart.com/giftregistry/gr_detail.do?registryId=26772116707
Your moment of Zen
Adding things to beer is the new hype these days. Sparks, for example, is adding a caffeine type mixture to their beer so why not add green tea to a beer? Wha??
Yep, it seems that the folks at BluCreek Brewery are launching their newest beer called Zen IPA.
BluCreek describes its Zen IPA as an "English-style India Pale Ale created with a mouth-watering blend of fresh Chinook, Cascade and Centennial hops infused carefully with an invigorating all-natural Green Tea."
BluCreek has also made beers produced from blueberries and ginseng in the past. I'm not so sure about a green tea beer but hey, to each his own.
A positive spin on Global Warming
 The icecaps around the Arctic Circle are melting partly because of global warming. So in the philosophy of "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade" the brewers at Inuit Microbrewery are making a new beer produced from glacial arctic water called Icecap Pale Ale and Brown Ale.
A brewery in Greenland is producing beer using water melted from the ice cap of the vast Arctic island.
The brewers claim that the water is at least 2,000 years old and free of minerals and pollutants.
It is claimed that the Greenland beer, officially launched in Copenhagen on Monday, has a softer, cleaner taste than other beers, because of the ice cap water.
Right now the beer will only be offered in Danish countries but they plan on expanding into Germany and America within a year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5234194.stm
Zorks!
Alternative closures (screw caps and synthetic corks) are on a lot of bottles these days. The one complaint that I hear from customers though, is that they miss the romance of hearing the cork come out of the bottle. It's that little "pop" that I miss is what they often say. Well, an ingeniuos company in Australia has come up with "Zorks". It's an alternative closure that actually produces that "pop" sound when it comes out of the bottle. It is even designed to act as a stopper when you put it back in the bottle. As far as I am concerened, this is one cool closure.
ZORK - the revolutionary wine closure that seals like a screw cap and pops like a cork.
http://www.zork.com.au/index.html#
But the best part is the " How to Zork movie". Check out the dudes unbuttoned shirt and cuffs and listen to the sweet B rate porn music in the background. LOL! You must check it out. Great product....horrible advertising.
Thanks Laurie for sending me the link on this one.
1999 Harlan Estates The Maiden
I pulled this wine out for Andi as a going away present (although she's not really going away) and when we first opened it we were underwhelmed. I gotta tell 
you...when you spend well over $100 for a wine, the last word you want to consider is underwhelming. So, we saved it and I tasted it again in little sips Saturday and Sunday. By Saturday it was a lot better and by Sunday it was extraordinary. It was ripe and lush with heavy cedar notes. The palate was all blackberry and mulberry with a tinge of medicinal floating around. The finish was long and exposed its oak aging but not in an unpleasant way. I let several people try this wine and the adjective that I heard multiple times was "explosive". I must agree. When you get this wine in your mouth you have to seriously try to concentrate to get all of the little flavors that keep gliding across your taste buds.
Would I pay that much again for it? Probably - but only if it was a good vintage and only if I promise myself not to open it before it's ready. I mean...it's Harlan for goodness sakes. Everybody probably wants to drive a Lamborghini - Is the price worth the car - probably not... but at least you can say you drove one right?
You may have noticed the posts on weird days and I am really trying to get a handle on things. I may not even have access to a computer next week so please hang in there. Once things are settled in the new jobby-job I'll be back to my regular self.
Cheers! | | | |
[05/23/2007, 11:32]
International Wine Challenge Medals announced | | Yesterday saw the announcement of the medal winners for the International Wine Challenge. This year 9,358 wines were judged from 35 different countries, by 400 judges. The judges came from 19 different countries and included 33 Masters of Wine. 260 Gold medals were awarded, 1,129 wines won Silver medals and 1,839 wines won Bronze medals. The top 3 medal winning nations remain the same as last year ? France, Australia and Italy. France scooped the most medals with a total tally of 635. English wines continue to show improved form with 21 medals in 2007 up from 16 last year. Of the UK Supermarkets Tesco stocks most medal winning wines whilst Sainsbury?s can claim the most Golds. Waitrose own-label wines won 3 Silver and 5 Bronze medals. Here at Bottletalk HQ we’ll be sure to be trying a few of these award winners and letting you know what we think on the site. | | | |
[12/22/2007, 20:22]
Four Vines The Peasant 2005 | | | Four VinesThe Peasant 2005 $36 Wine Label says: Temprance, like chastity, is its own punishment. 40% Mourvedre, 32% Syrah, 17% Grenache, 7% Counoise, 4% Tannat Rabbi Tuchman says: This Paso Robles wine gets SIX thumbs up from our dinner group. This is not a subtle wine. The descriptors going around the table were “full bodied” and “sharp.” We also [...] | | | |
[10/10/2008, 23:00]
Weekend Words - Sunset | | 
clouds came into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storms, but to add colour to my sunset sky - rabindranath tagore indian playwright, poet and essayist. You can read a little more about me if you visit Rosella in Italy. She interviewed me about my foodies travel experiences. | | | |
[03/11/2008, 16:37]
Spanish Garnacha: A Steal of a Deal | | I keep bumping into the guy. First in the Bordeaux section, a couple of minutes later we?re both cruising through the Sauvignon Blancs of New Zealand. I head for Piedmont, and there he is ? again. We smile at each other over Cognac, one of those ?okay, this is either too weird or too funny? sort of smiles. But it?s not till we simultaneously hit Spain that we actually strike up a conversation.
Clearly, this man has a fairly upscale taste in wines. Not that I was actually checking out his purchases? much. I guess I just ?happened? to notice some of the bottles. Since he obviously likes all the same wine regions Frank and I do, I wanted to see if he chose anything we hadn?t tried. Not much under $40 will find its way to his table. So when I see him piling bottles of $9.95 Castillo de Monseran Garnacha from Spain into the now groaning basket, I can?t help myself ? I have to ask.
?One of the best deals going,? he tells me. Then he actually winks at me ? it?s a cute wink too. ?Just don?t tell too many people about it ? all the more for us.? A good natured laugh and he?s gone. What the heck, at the price, if it?s awful, I figure it will pour down the drain more easily than some of the pricier stuff that?s been know to suffer the same fate. I snag a bottle.
A couple of days later I?ve got a spicy chicken stir fry on the go, a quiet evening with just my book ahead, and uh-oh ? no Riesling to go with dinner. In fact, there?s nothing that seems to go with the food. I manage to catch Frank just before he goes into his meeting. ?Am I absolutely crazy or do you think the Garnacha might work??
Initially Frank?s not impressed, but after some deliberation, we decide it will probably be a more or less acceptable though not stellar pairing. With 12.5% alcohol, it?s at least not going to totally burn out the taste buds when it hits the chili spices on the chicken. I cross my fingers, open the bottle, and hope for the best. The kitchen sink is within arms reach.
The initial nose is surprising. Exotic spices ? cloves, allspice, cinnamon. There?s a whisper of anise and leather too, kind of like John Wayne strolling through the kitchen chewing on a licorice Twist. Later coffee and cocoa appear introducing a not unpleasant grittiness like riding through the desert.
 And it worked with the chicken too ? as expected, not stellar, but not half bad. There was a complementary nature to the spices and just enough of fruitiness in the meat?s marinade to work with the wine. Alas, Tenderland Meats on Granville Island where I buy it aren?t parting with the secrets of all the seasonings they use, but they did confirm there?s allspice, cilantro, and sweet green chili peppers. I?m betting there might be a hint of papaya in there somewhere too.
Hopefully, one day I?ll run into the gentleman with the cute wink. I?d like to tell him he was right, this wine is a steal of a deal. And I wonder if he knows it also goes fabulously well with the chocolate Hedgehog from Purdy?s Chocolates that I had after dinner ? that pairing is almost stellar. Sorry, Frank, I guess it slipped my mind to tell you about the Hedgehog.
The Wine: Castillo de Monseran Garnacha 2006 ($9.95) - if you find their website, please let us know because we couldn't
The Food: Chicken Chili Stir Fry from Tenderland Meats
The Chocolate: Hedgehogs from Purdy?s Chocolates
The Scoop: One of the best under $10 values going | | | |
[10/01/2008, 12:27]
Coffee Giant Illy Buys Mastrojanni in Brunello | | This is the kind of cross diversification I can relate to! Kerin O'Keefe (decanter.com) writes: Italian coffee giant Illy has just acquired the 90ha Mastrojanni estate? in the Montalcino hamlet of Castelnuovo dell'Abate.
Founded in 1975 by Gabriele and Antonio Mastrojanni, the estate has 24 ha under vine and an overall production of 80,000 bottles a year.
Until now Mastrojanni has been a family-owned firm?, and is known for its classic Brunellos, particularly its single vineyard? Brunello, Schiena d'Asino.
Managing Director and winemaker? Andrea Machetti, who is to remain in charge of day-to-day operations under Illy, has been with Mastrojanni since 1992.
'The Illy family members obviously love wine and are known for their good taste?. Though they will make some investments in the business, the house style? won't change and we will continue to focus on making outstanding Brunello from Sangiovese,' Machetti told decanter.com.
The Illy family, based in Trieste, which bought controlling shares in chocolate? company Domori in 2006 as well as in French tea firm Dammann Frères in 2007, is not new to the wine business.
Francesco Illy, one of the four grandchildren of the firm's founder, already owns a young estate in Montalcino, Podere Le Ripi. Riccardo Illy, president of the holding group said, 'Everyone in my family has a passion for wine, and with this acquisition, we have realised one of our dreams.'
» Full Story Tags: melgab, wine, brunello, montalcino, illy, italian, south-africa, South Africa | | WorldWine Tags: melgab, wine, brunello, montalcino, illy, italian, south-africa, South Africa, | | | |
[11/03/2008, 18:38]
Point of Purchase: Chicken Thighs | | | Because timz is hard and thighs iz cheap? And now is not the time to be a breast man. Ode to Chicken Thighs in this week?s release of TableMatters.com | | | |
[11/07/2008, 19:39]
Is A New Wine Tax Hike Looming? (Wine Spectator) | | | No one wants his or her taxes raised. Yet given the enormity of the fiscal challenges that lie ahead for this country, is a new tax on wine in order? I don't think so, and certainly hope not. But in the past, anti-alcohol lobbies have eyed a tax increase on wine and spirits. | | | |
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