TagCloud:


Link to us:



  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.
The Complete Grape Growers Guide.  pdf wine ebook
 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.
Fool-Proof Wine Values.  pdf wine ebook
 Build Your Own Wine Cellar.
How To Build Your Own Home Wine Cellar To Store Your Wine In Optimum Condition ... 100% Guaranteed.
Build Your Own Wine Cellar.  pdf wine ebook
 Secret Wine Making Recipes.
First Time Revealed: Discover Now Secrets Of Perfect Self Made Wines.
Secret Wine Making Recipes.  pdf wine ebook
 Make Wines & Spirits From The Comfort Of Your Own Home.
Earn $6.17 / Sale! %75 Commission! The Ultimate Resource For Anyone Who Wants To Learn How To Make Outstanding Wines & Spirits From Their Very Own Home!
Make Wines & Spirits From The Comfort Of Your Own Home.  pdf wine ebook
 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.
Making Wine From Home.  pdf wine ebook
 Tips And Secrets To Making Great Wine.
Learn How To Make Great-tasting, Crystal-clear Wine At Home!
Tips And Secrets To Making Great Wine.  pdf wine ebook


ChateauOnline-Europes leading online wine merchant

  Blogs & Sites:


Tecnorati


 






worldwine
worldwine




[03/17/2008, 05:54]

Wines reviewed in the past week ...

color hue wine measurementIf you're not a subscriber to The Wine Front you don't get to see the reviews that are added to the site on most days. In the past seven days the following wines have been reviewed in the Subscriber Only section of this website.

All Saints Estate Chardonnay Viognier 2006
All Saints Estate Family Cellar Marsanne 2006

All Saints Estate Sangiovese Cabernet 2006
All Saints Estate Shiraz 2006
All Saints Estate Durif 2006
All Saints Estate Family Cellar Durif 2006
Aradon Rioja 2006

Casa Santos Lima Quinta Das Setencostas 2005
d'Arenberg Galvo Garage Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Petit Verdot 2006

Dog Point Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay 2006
Dog Point Vineyard Marlborough pinot Noir 2006
Dog Point Vineyard
Marlborough Section 94 2006
Grapes of
Ross Barossa Valley Black Rose Shiraz 2006
Grapes of Ross Barossa Valley Old Bush Vine Grenache 2006 
Henry Pelle Menetou Salon 2006
Les Nuages Organic Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Lethbridge
Geelong Shiraz 2005
Longview Adelaide Hills Devils Elbow Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Maison Champy Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2005
Mount
Horrocks Clare Valley Shiraz 2005
Piana
del Sole Salento Negroamaro 2004
Postcode 2320 Reserve Shiraz 2004
Postcode 2587 Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Punt Road Yarra Valley Shiraz 2005
Punt Road Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Rymill Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Scorpiiion Barossa Valley Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2006
Scorpiiion Barossa Valley Shiraz 2006
Scorpiiion Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
The Berrio Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Torbreck Barossa The Struie Shiraz 2006

Torbreck Run Rig
Shiraz 1995
Torbreck Run Rig
Shiraz 1996
Torbreck Run Rig
Shiraz 1997
Torbreck Run Rig
Shiraz 1999
Torbreck Run Rig
Shiraz 1998
Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 2001
Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 2002

Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 2003
Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 2004
Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz 2005
Tramin Alto
Adige Pinot Grigio 2006
Villa terlina Gradale Barbera d’Asti 2004 ($35)
Voyager
Estate Margaret River Cabernet Merlot 2004

For subscription details to The Wine Front click here.



[10/17/2008, 22:13]

Copia Struggles Continue

Copia opened in the midst of an economic downturn during the dot-com meltdown and just after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
color hue wine measurement
New director seeks creative route to solvency at Napa center

Now, seven years later, the institution seems to remain jinxed, and after many stabs at success, it is considering steps as drastic as filing for bankruptcy to escape its crushing debt.

[11/23/2008, 17:56]

Charles Sturt University Chardonnay 2007

color hue wine measurementOrange, NSW, Australia. Chardonnay. 13.5%. Approx $A13.

I've consumed a handful of cheaper wines this weekend, and whilst the 2005 Wyndam Bin 555 Shiraz was quite good, this puts them all to shame.

Charles Sturt University (home to Australia's leading wine school) sounds like a progressive and interesting place to study. This incredibly cheap but delightful chardonnay is compellingly direct and brisk. Pale with a flash of green, this is pert and laden with stonefruit and crisp acidity.

Very good.
91.
Now.

technorati tags:
WorldWine Tags: wine,
[06/03/2008, 07:56]

Billy Kwong?s

My first time at this restaurant in Sydney.

I thought the food was of a high standard with good use of fresh ingredients and I felt like it was good value for the money (ended up around $75 a head for food, corkage and tip). We needed to take care with some of the dishes and the spice clashing with the wines (the Hokkien noodles especially!) but it was manageable. We had the table for 6-8 people that you can book, any more than 6 people and I think it would have been too squished.

The food was as follows:

Steamed Prawn Wontons with Organic Brown Rice Vinegar Dressing
Steamed Scallop Wontons with Sichuan Chilli Oil
Homestyle Fried Biodynamic Eggs with Organic Soy & Homemade XO
Sung Choi Bao of Free-Range ‘Kurobuta’ Pork, Ginger & Mushrooms

Crispy-Skin Duck
White-Cooked Free-Range Chicken with Shoyu Organic Soy, Chilli & Coriander
Red-Braised Pork Belly served with Fennel & Leek
Dry-Fried Organic Hokkien Noodles with Homemade XO Sauce
Dry-Fried Green Beans with Organic Miso Paste & Garlic

Organic Steamed and Fried Rice

The wines were;

1995 Jacquesson Signature Grand Vin:
The nose is bready, with lemons and green apples coming through. Youthful and taut on the palate with lemony acid at the fore. Very good, and it should get better as it unwinds over the next 7-10+ years.
90/100

2002 Marcel Deiss Altenberg de Bergheim GC Alsace:
Nutty, orange peel, peach, smoke and floral notes. Richly fruited with opulent weight. Balanced palate, with the acidity holding up to the residual sugar and fruit sweetness. Finishes long and clean. Was a superb match with the slightly spicy Asian food being consumed.
94/100

1996 Zind Humbrecht Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos St Urbain:
Light citrus, minerals and a touch of candy on the nose. The palate is incredibly austere. The length is good, but with the acid dominating the palate, it was not very enjoyable.
85/100

2000 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne:
Cashew nuts, smoke, graphite and chalky aromas comprise the nose. Lovely richness to the fruit on the palate. Balanced, long and very, very tasty. This is a beautiful wine that will only get better as it develops over the next 8-10 years.
93/100

2000 Fourrier Clos St Jacques:
Earth and game meat aromas on the nose. Nicely balanced and textured on the palate. Seems to be in a pretty approachable place at the moment, although it is lacking some depth.
90/100

2004 Dugat-Py Charmes Chambertin:
Forward, interesting nose of green beans, tobacco leaf, spice, blackcurrant and cherry aromas. The palate shows some green, slightly under ripe tannins. Good length, but the green elements distract from the experience.
88/100

2006 Hillcrest Reserve Pinot Noir:
Cherry, floral, earth and spice aromas on the nose. Excellent layers and balance to the palate. Sweet fruit provides good weight and the tannins and acid provide great structure. A wine of obviously high quality and I think it will develop well in the bottle over the next 5-10 years.
92/100

1986 Chateau L’Eglise Clinet:
Savoury aromas of game, smoke and tobacco - with some time the aromas became more bretty and animal like and a bit overpowering. Palate was smooth, medium bodied and well resolved. Best on pouring, the brett coming forward was a shame but it was still quite nice overall.
89/100

1997 Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino Riserva:
Complex nose of floral notes with tar, liquorice, blackcurrant and cherry. Well structured and balanced palate, with the bold, deep set fruit balanced well with the medium intensity tannins and well integrated acidity. Delicious.
92/100

NV Campbells Merchant Prince Rare Muscat:
Maple syrup, caramel, coconut, brown sugar and raisin aromas on the complex, layered nose. Palate is superb - balanced, complex, delicious and brilliantly long. Technically and tactically world class.
97/100

[03/21/2008, 03:59]

Small New Zealand Wineries Part 1

Te Whare Ra ( "Tee Faree Ra" is supposed to mean house in the Sun in Maori) is based in Marlborough New Zealand. This is on the south Island in the town of Renwick which is host to quite a few wineries including Cloudy Bay, Montana etc...

Established in 1979, this small boutique winery probably has some of the oldest vines in the area. In 2003, the husband and wife team of Jason & Anna Flowerday took the helm and have significantly upgraded various aspects of the winery. Although offering a Pinot Noir, IMHO they are a white wine producer with offerings mainly from Sauvignon Blanc, Reisling, Gerwurztraminer and Chardonnay. It's their aromatic wines which to me show their stuff here. Current size of the vineyards ~9 hectares with many coming from the older vines planted in 1979 ( almost 30 years ago) - I was told the Gerwurztraminer. Fruit is basically hand sorted and picked - now we are talking.

Cutting to the chase, my favorite wines from their lineup would be the "Toru" bottling and their Gerwurztraminer.

The "Toru" is a blend of several aromatic grape varietals consiting of Riesling, Gerwurztraminer and Pinot Gris. While tasting this wine, images of a picnic & grilled seafood keep popping up - probably my mind telling me that's where I should be with this. 89 points

The 2007 Gerwurztraminer to me is a standout here. The concentration and flavor in here just screams of old vines and low yields. The typical Lychee notes were present although not overpowering, minerals, hints of sweetness from the fruit with 22g/l of residual sugar - nice finish ( the wine was still going strong after being opened more than 24 hours). The best thing to compare this to would be an Alsatian Gewurtz VT. 92+ points

These guys deserve some room in your cellar.
[05/26/2006, 11:36]

Wine Woot - One Week, One Wine

What am I doing around 1:00 am EST almost every night? Checking woot.com for the latest woot item, of course!
Being a computer/tech junkie, I am always finding random good deals on woot. Now, they have made my life complete, with Wine Woot.
i

Every week they will be featuring a single deal on wine. Take it or leave it, but when they are out of stock, you are out of luck. If this turns out anything like the regular Woot.com, a good deal will be sold out in minutes.

The wine deal they have up there right now looks pretty good: St. Supéry 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Sampler. Seeing as how these would fit the Cheap Wine Reviews rule of 15 bucks or less, I might give this wine a try.

[06/02/2008, 23:11]

Wine Tasting: Bonhams Pre-Auction in San Francisco

Another excellent tasting, with Chateau de Beaucastel's 1989 CdP standing clearly above the rest of the wines.
[04/12/2007, 18:44]

Wine rip off Britain

How many times have you bought a wine based on a promotional price?  Or bought multiple wines you didn’t really want because of a three for two type offer?  We may be all falling for “artificial promotions” that are anything but a good deal. 

According to a fascinating article in The Guardian, brought to our attention by regular Bottletalker Wine-Scribbler, up to 80% of sales of some wine brands are generated through “half price” offers that are anything but genuine.

There are some good quotes in the article from wine industry insiders confirming that what have long been speculated to be dubious “offers” are exactly that and give no real value to the wine drinker at all.

 Read more for the full story.

[11/18/2007, 18:18]

Selling My Soul

i The Saleschick of the Year Award has been awarded to me.

And here's why: At a tasting in a southern suburb of Buffalo yesterday, I sold over a case of a 2005 Altesse.

You read right: Altesse.

I began each pour with the caveat of "I have to warn you, this is a weird one.." I went on to describe the odd almond/cheese/metallic notes that make it a partner for fondue and therefore gravy. I know, the two have NOTHING in common, but it worked, and I honestly do think it would pair well. One woman even bought four bottles, putting back the Chardonnay she was going to serve at Thanksgiving.

iIn a search for a photo of Altesse to go with this blurb, I re-found one of my favorite sites: The Wine Info Site. In addition to having photos of some supremely esoteric varietals (y'all can find those Hungarian grapes there, if you guys are reading this!), The Wine Info Site is apparently out of The Netherlands and the English translations are sometimes hilarious. Case in point: Altesse is a full-bodied grape variety with plenty of taste, for white wine. It is grown in the Savoie, France. This grape is also called Roussette and produces strong wines with a pleasant dosis of acidity and a herbal taste with a touch of mineral.

I do totally agree about the herbal taste with minerality, but what the schmeck is a 'dosis'? Is that the Latin plural of 'dose'? And I adore that Altesse has plenty of taste "for white wine."

[01/13/2008, 13:36]

Kopaonik Restaurants

Kopaonik is the largest Serbian ski resort. It is a popular place for domestic skiers and is becoming increasingly popular with foreign visitors. Although “Kopaonik” is actually a large mountain, the term usually refers to the area around the “Grand” hotel and the apartment complex “Sun?ani Vrhovi”. The area is small but contains quite a few hotels and private houses. It’s self contained, with shops, banks, a post office, etc. Apart from the restaurants in hotels, there are a few good restaurants around. In this article I’ll write about the restaurants I’ve visited this year, it might help you make the right choice (I didn’t have any tips at all…).

i

Etno club “Sunce”

This restaurant is located at the end of a quiet cool-de-sac, in the woods, a 5 minute walk from the Grand hotel. It looks very small from the outside, but it’s quite a spacious place. The atmosphere is great, fairly traditional, with two open fire places, a mixture of smaller and larger tables, a nice blend of loudness and privacy. The music wasn’t great, but that’s the easiest thing to change i . The food was excellent and so was the service. They offer mainly Serbian dishes, if you’re not sure what to choose from the menu, the waiters will help you with their recommendations, you can trust them. The wine list includes wines from some of the better Serbian cellars, such as Radovanovi? and Aleksandrovi? (Topola). Go for Aleksandrovi?’s red or white Triumph, they are some of the best wines Serbia has to offer. Overall, it’s a great place, I’ll be back.

Food quality 5/5
Atmosphere 5/5
Service: 5/5
Price 3/5 (moderate, but excellent value)
Wine list 3/5 (Radovanovi?, Aleksandrovi?)

Na?a ku?a

This place reminds me of modern pubs-restaurants in Ireland. It has a large bar area in the center, with large tables around, a couple of two seater tables in the corner for some extra privacy and a cosy open fire in the front. Both the interior of the restaurant and the furniture are made of light coloured wood, and there are stripes of small red lights throughout. There’s also a big video beam that mainly shows snow scenes during the day. It is a place frequented by the younger crowd and is open quite late into the nigth (until 3am). They have a small but well-chosen menu (which is also extremely well designed) and it’s obvious they put a lot of effort to make it a bit different from other restaurants in the vicinty. The chef is excellent, and the food is great, so give “Na?a Ku?a” a try if you get tired from the Serbian cousine and are looking for some European tastes. It is one of the more expensive restaurants, with a full dinner for two with a bottle of wine and a dessert producing a bill of around 50 euros. The wine choice is not great, but they do have a few wines apart from the regular choice, we recommend the wines from the Terra Lazarica range.

Food quality 5/5
Atmosphere 4/5 (nice mix of modern and traditional, younger crowd)
Service: 4/5
Price 2/5 (expensive)
Wine list 2/5

Etno ku?a Studenica

If you’re on a lower budget looking for good quality Serbian food you should visit the etno restaurant Studenica. Pick one of the two tables on the far left to avoid looking at the interior of the kitchen and to avoid the local crowd on the right side. The place is clean, the food was great and the waiter was top-notch, but the problem with this place is that it has too much light, it is visited by the local crowd and generally the level of privacy is quite low.

Food quality 4/5
Atmosphere 2/5
Service: 4/5
Price 4/5 (relatively cheap, good value)
Wine list 1/5

Zvrk

This is a very popular restaurant located at the center of ski activities (the “baby slope”, ski lifts Karaman Greben and Pan?i?ev Vrh), just besides the Grand hotel. The restaurant has two levels, the upper one being more packed and colorful, the lower one containing a large center-located open fire place. This fire creates a very tempting smell outside the restaurant, which is the main reason you probably won’t resist getting into it. In general, it’s not a bad place, but there are much better choices around…

Food quality: 2/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Price: 3/5
Wine list: 1/5 (just the very basic Serbian wines)

Technorati Tags: , , ,

WorldWine Tags: Kopaonik, Serbia, Serbian Cousine, Restaurants Serbia,
[01/01/2009, 18:44]

Raise a glass to the WCB's fourth anniversary!

January 6th, 2005 was my first post to this new blog. Below is how it all started if interested. The popularity of our blog has surprised us. We try to stick to reviewing wine without a bunch of yada yada although I am the worst offender for what may be too much yada yada. It's just that the supreme enjoyment of wine is not merely what is in the bottle but whole experience of fellowship surrounding the event. And what is amazing is that you can have an "event" as mundane as a 3:00 snack, but add a bottle of wine, and it becomes an ocassion! I will resolve to temper my yada yada's without losing the experience. Raise a glass with us to a new year and we hope you visit us and leave comments--often.

How it all started:
It was 1979 and I was putting my time in at a hospital laboratory as a medical technologist. Someone brought in a magazine subtitled ?The magazine for physicians at leisure.? On my breaks I would page through it because it had some really nice photos of far away places in gorgeous spots of the world. In one issue there was a feature titled, ?The Ten Best Wines in America for under $10.?

Wine had intrigued me yet my exposure to the fruit of the vine had pretty much been relegated to the annual Thanksgiving sip my parents would serve of?sit down?Mogen- David wine. Even as a kid, I thought it had more in common with cough syrup than a drinkable beverage. That exposure is probably why I was much more a Guinness Stout kind of guy if anything at all.

Still, the mythical stories of the guy who could sit down with a glass of fermented grape juice in front of him and tell you the place it was made, the year it was made and the particular type of grape or grapes fascinated me. So, ?What made a good wine, a good wine??

Even I could afford a $10 bottle of wine every now and then so if the ones in the magazine represented the best in the country, I wanted to know what they tasted like and began to hunt down everyone I could. That was it; I was hooked. I joined a wine club called ?Les Amis Du Vin? which means ?Friends of the Vine? which entitled me to the wine of the month at a local dealer which meant I could get one bottle of the month?s selection for half price. That was the beginning of a lifetime pursuit of what has been an absolutely inexhaustible quest to understand wine. Do not misunderstand though, I am NOT a connoisseur but I do know a good wine from a mediocre wine from a bad wine. And I know a great value when I find one which these days abound! Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Chile are producing wines not by the hundreds or thousands of cases but by the hundreds of thousands of cases. With that kind of volume, phenomenal bargains are all over the place!

So if you are serious about pursuing wine beyond a bottle here and there, you have to subscribe to the Wine Spectator magazine. It will cost you $45 a year but is worth every penny. And will save you ten times that in a year by helping you to avoid over-priced and over-hyped wines. Their rating system is irrespective of a wine?s cost so when you see a wine that rates an 88 out of 100 scale and it costs $8 and then another wine that rates an 86 which cost $55; the savings are obvious. Til next time--
[12/17/2008, 03:17]

Sexy New Winery Dubuts In the Snow

R
Those of us living here know it's been positively FREEZING the past few days in San Francisco, but little did we know it's actually been SNOWING in wine country. Check out these pics of soon-to-be-opened, Gold-LEED certified winery (word has it it'll be the only one in Cali), Cade. A new venture from the PlumpJack Group (Go Gavin & fam!), Cade is slated to open its eco-friendly doors to invitation-only guests beginning in March 2009. Their PR team sent me these snaps of snow that fell on the gorgeous winery earlier today, and I just had to share. Clearly, the Juan Carlos Fernandez/Lail Group-designed facility - which is being billed as "one of the architectural showplaces of Northern California's wine country" by PlumpJack's PR machine - is a stunner. Can't wait to check it out myself - albeit in better weather.

Click "continue reading" for another snap.


[09/03/2008, 21:06]

Exciting Announcement - The DeLong Iberian Wine Map - with help from Catavino

R

Since day one, I’ve wanted a map of the wine regions of Spain and Portugal. Seems like a simple request, and if I couldn’t have one of Iberia, at least you would think that there would be one of Spain and another of Portugal. You would think. You would also be wrong, sort of. Announcement

Interestingly, there are no good maps of the peninsula we call Iberia, or at least as it relates to wine. Wines of Spain, the bureaucratic agency in charge of promoting Spanish wine, does have an outdated map, but you can’t get a copy of it. I had a prominent tour guide friend of mine once ask to buy a few copies to give to her clients, all of which were on wine tours, and she was told it was not possible. Hence, I’m not sure why they made it. We had to steal a few copies from a regional government’s office, and while we use them occasionally, in truth, they are worthless.

That said, Portugal is no better, and I have yet to find a map that accurately sums up the many nuances in a very confusing set of regional wine laws. And considering that there is little consensus among differing governmental maps, it is clear that one concise and accurate map was desperately in need to be created.

Enter the DeLong wine company, creator of such treasures as the Wine Varietal Table. Having encountered way too many inaccurate regional wine maps around the world, Steve decided to fix the problem by making his own map. Smart guy! The best part for us is that he asked us to help him out. Now, we can’t claim much in the way of contributions to this map, but we did make sure he included some important landmarks and we worked with him to make some editorial decisions on how to handle certain place names and regional identities. I asked him a few questions about how this map came about:

Why did you choose to start with Iberia?

We started with Iberia for three main reasons: 1. It’s the most dynamic (and constantly changing!) area in the wine world - but you already knew that! 2. There wasn’t a good map available (for France there are a few) 3. It’s a great looking land mass.

Which regions are next on your list?

We’re working on France and Germany right now, which will be available early next year. Then on to Italy, and finally, the New World!

What makes this map different from other wine region maps?

The one very simple thing that distinguishes these wine maps from others is that the wine regions don’t stop at the border. In reality, the wine regions reflect the regional differences that underlie the country borders. Catalunya and the Basque Country, which both overlap France and Spain, are just two examples.

Hence, this is just the start of a much bigger plan to cover the planet with quality wine resources - something that is SORELY needed! We hope that this first map is a resource that we can not only learn from, but can also use when reading about Catavino’s adventures throughout Spain and Portugal.

And best of all, if you click here and buy the Iberian wine map through the Catavino website, a small portion of the sale will come back to us - something we would appreciate! Also, if you are in Spain and want to see this in Spanish, please let us know. We are considering translating it into Spanish and Portuguese if we find enough interest. Also, if you have a wine shop and would like either English or Spanish versions of this map, just send us a note at map(at)Catavino(dot)net, and we’ll tell you about additional opportunities to buy larger quantities.

We’re very excited about this and feel VERY privileged to have Iberia be the first map of the series, a testament to the importance of this rich and exciting wine region. We hope that if Iberian Wine interests you at all, you’ll pick one up and let us know what you think.

Cheers,

Ryan Opaz

R

All content protected by a Creative Commons License2005-2008. Catavino.net.

Similar Posts:
R R R R R R R R
R
[10/14/2008, 03:58]

A Day At The Polo

It might rain..............but it didn't.
R
Let's start with Pol Roger........
R
Tools for polo players
R
There are photographers with big lenses to capture the action
R
You'll need a string of polo ponies
R
They come in all colours
R 


R
with strong legs.....
R
.....and pretty ankles
R
You'll need boots..............
R
.............and somewhere to sit
R
You'll need staff..........
R
............and some one to hold your mallet...
R
......and to bring you a fresh horse between chukkas
R
If you are lucky you'll get a groom with a beautiful smile.
R
Changing horses between chukkas...
R
...but sorry no champagne for you, just water.
R R 

Girls play polo too

R

A little action on the field....

R
....and up close
R
...and winners
R
Let's not forget the WAGs
R
And finally at the end of the play the horses get a shower.
R
And one more  'cos they are both so pretty

R

[08/02/2006, 19:21]

Wednesday, August 2, 2006

Heaven, I?m in heaven

So, when Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston split, he had to sell his Frank-Gehry designed wine cellar. But, he?s not moping around.

R It's rumored that the movie star, who was adept at stomping people in Fight Club and Troy, could soon be stomping grapes, thereby putting him among the ranks of celebrities with their names on wine labels.

Pitt stayed in a village in the Piedmont (Italy that is) and visited 2 different wineries that were for sale.

Monica Tavella, spokeswoman for the Fontanafredda estate in Piedmont, told the newspaper that Pitt stayed there after the Winter Olympics and expressed interest in the art of winemaking and viticulture.

Holy Jesus. Brad Pitt and super exclusive cult Barolos?? Shhhh?. I need a moment to myself.

Okay, let's move on............

A Votre Sante

In France when you want to ?cheers? you say A Votre Sante which translates ?to your health.? Over the past 5 years we have heard a lot about compounds in red wine which are beneficial to your health, specifically resveratrol. Studies have shown that moderate consumption of red wine can reduce the likelihood of a heart attack. But check out the other things they are testing it for look at how good it actually is. Also, in the quote below MDWD refers to a moderate daily wine drinker.
While our doctors and government don't recommend wine, British health officials routinely do. A growing mound of studies, reflecting sources such as the American Heart Association and The New England Journal of Medicine, confirms wine to be precisely the potent and nutritious medicine our ancestors assumed it was. Besides the magic in polyphenols, which you could get from grape juice, and in alcohol, which you could get from gin, wine adds up to more than the sum of its parts.
In contrast with bingers and abstainers, as well as beer and spirits drinkers, moderate daily wine drinkers (MDWDs) are better-educated and earn more. Their higher cognitive skills propel them through the Alzheimer's years with a 50 percent lower risk of dementia, one reason they're half as likely to end up in nursing homes even though they live longer, succumbing to cardiovascular diseases at half the rate of abstainers and heavy drinkers.
Since moderate daily wine raises "good" cholesterol and reduces inflammation and clotting, MDWDs recover better from heart attacks and surgery and have a lower risk of stroke. They also have a 30 percent lower rate of Type 2 diabetes.
Both red and white wine pack powerful, cancer-fighting antioxidants. Incidence of endometrial cancer is 83 percent lower in female MDWDs. Wine with meals halves your risk of colorectal cancer. Wine even eases blood-vessel constriction in smokers, while its polyphenols alleviate certain lung diseases.
MDWDs get fewer colds with lighter symptoms. Their bones are denser, and they have nicer teeth, due to wine compounds that zap gum-disease bacteria.
But wouldn't all that alcohol play havoc with your liver and kidneys? Nope. In fact, MDWDs have 30 percent lower risk of kidney dysfunction, and liver disease decreases as wine consumption rises.
MDWDs have narrower waists and half the obesity rate of bingers and abstainers. Mysteriously, adding wine to a diet appears to melt pounds. It could be antioxidants and flavanoids speeding the breakdown of fat. It couldn't hurt that red wine, at 1.37 grams per liter, provides 8.5 percent of recommended daily fiber. It might have to do with metabolism or pleasure centers, which might explain why wine also helps with anorexia.

Craziness. Not only are wine drinkers cooler, more educated, and more successful, we?re also tons healthier. Now, drink up!


English Lit, Geometry, and Vinology?

R How cool is this? In Australia high school students can actually take a class to teach them how to make wine. The rules are that they cannot taste or drink wine at any point in time during the class, nor can they attend events where their wines are tasted out (bummer). But they actually get to go through the process from start to finish of making their own wine. Even cooler is that the school has now gotten their proper licenses so that they can sell and market the wine to the public. At my school the electives were art, French, and agriculture class.

Viticulture started at the school in 2000 with the planting of 450 vines on four old sand tennis courts, comprising 215 durif vines, 175 shiraz vines and 70 viognier vines.
The course, designed for year 11 and 12 students, was developed by the Wine Industrial National Education Training and Advisory Council and is competency skills-based with students achieving an Australian Qualification Framework Certificate I in Food Processing (wine).
Mr Adamson said students worked in the school vineyard and then did placements at local vineyards.
Wine is stored in barrels at the school and bottled at Cofield?s.
Mr Adamson said the proceeds from the sale of the wine would be used for further equipment for the course.R

He said the course had plenty of success stories to day with graduates doing well in the field.
One is former student, David Whyte, now assistant winemaker at Cofield?s.
?David is our technical adviser and I take samples to him for advice when we make our wine,? Mr Adamson said.
?Now he?s the teacher and I?m the student.?

Um, is it just me or do they look like something more than just "student and teacher"? Cool concept, gay picture.

I, for one, think that it is incredibly important and hip as hell to be teaching these kids a craft that they can take into the real world and be successful with. I wish they would do that more in American school systems. If there was such thing as a mini-homebrew kit for toddlers I know that my husband would have already bought one for my son. Hmmm? maybe we can just send him to school in Australia. Ha!



Anheuser Busch? new seasonal beers?
The latest trend in beer drinking in America has been that drinkers are opting for hand crafted, more flavorful beers from micro-breweries. With that, Anheuser-Busch? market share has decreased so we knew it wouldn?t be long before they tried to up the ante.

Budweiser. Michelob. Natural Ice. Busch.

What do these beers all have in common? They are all brewed by Anheuser-Busch and are beers most craft beer drinkers would not think of imbibing unless there was absolutely nothing else available.

I?d go for water first.
R
But Anheuser-Busch, at least on a small scale, is trying to change the minds of craft beer drinkers.

They have released Demon?s Hop Yard IPA, brewed in the company?s Portsmouth, N.H., brewery and only sold in New England on tap.

McGualey said, "These are just a fun way to let people take a peek inside what our company is doing. It?s all about consumers today. I think consumers are looking for products like these."

I don?t know about you guys but the tap handle alone is frightening. I can?t imagine what the beer is like. I mean on one hand I?m glad that they are paying attention enough to know they need to step up their game, but on the other hand, my opinion of their company is so innately flawed that I probably won?t even try their new seasonals. Oh, BTW the new seasonals are the Jack?s Pumpkin Spice Ale, the Winter?s Bourbon Cask Ale, the Spring Heat Spiced Wheat and the Beach Bum Blonde Ale. If any of you get to try them email me with info. I am super curious about them.



Today is hump day and I am on coast until I get outta here. My last day is tomorrow s