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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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| | 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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[11/17/2008, 16:39]
Let them sip Hillside Select, KJ, Thanksgiving, dogs- sipped and spit | | SIPPED: too much
As G-20 leaders met in Washington this weekend while the economic world burns, they sipped Shafer Hillside Select 2003, a $250 Napa cab (find this wine). This raised the hackles of bloggers at CNN (perhaps because they could only find it for $500?). The era of the teatotaler-in-chief is soon over! (Thanks, Arthur!)  SPIT: too little
An eagle eyed publicist at Kendall-Jackson spotted a mention of their Chardonnay in an interview the Obamas did with People magazine. The maker of this supermarket staple then sent “a few congratulatory cases of the brand” to the Obamas, care of the Democratic National Committee. Celebrate a historic victory such as his with a $12 chardonnay? But what did Shafer send them?
SPIT: Sauvignon blanc
NYT restaurant critic Frank Bruni goes public about his dislike of Sauvignon Blanc as he tasted one from California, “he offered a grimace and a cry of anguish.” And what did his colleagues do to him after that. Why, laugh at him. Get the full story and their wine picks for turkey day in Eric Asimov’s column. SPIT: 2008 Hospice de Beaune
The climate, both meteorological and economic, put a damper on the annual charity auction for barrels of red Burgundy. [Reuters] SPIT: celebrity wine
Michael Vick’s 22 dogs will appear on a new wine line called “Vicktory Dogs.” A portion of the proceeds benefit the shelter in Utah where the dogs now reside. [ESPN] | | | |
[11/17/2008, 11:44]
Discussing The Global Economic Crisis Over $300 Wine | | This really tickles my funny bone. Deidre Woollard (luxist.com) writes: 
We may all be cutting back, but at the the White House dinner Friday night for foreign leaders to discuss the global financial crisis, the meal was anything but spare.
The menu for around 24 global leaders gathered in the White House State Dining Room included, according to the AP, fruitwood-smoked quail? with quince gastrique; quinoa risotto?; thyme?-roasted rack of lamb?; tomato?, fennel? and eggplant? fondue?; a salad? course of endive?, baked Brie and walnuts?; and a pear torte. What's raising some eyebrows though is one of the wine selections, the Shafer Cabernet Hillside Select 2003, which runs for around $300 a bottle, if you can find it. This wine was served with the main course will more modest wines such as the Landmark Chardonnay Damaris Reserve? 2006 (around $40 a bottle, served with the appetizer) and the Chandon Étoile Rosé? sparkling wine? (about $30 a bottle, served with dessert) rounded out the rest of the meal.
The President pays for his own groceries in the White House but state dinners such as this one are paid for with taxpayer dollars. It is perhaps some comfort in this case? that at least two of those attending: President Bush and French President Nicolas Sarkozy are said to be teetotalers. Others in attendance included Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd; Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper; Chinese President Hu Jintao; German Chancellor Angela Merkel; and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
» Full Story Tags: melgab, wine, white house, opulent, dinner, south-africa, South Africa | | WorldWine Tags: melgab, wine, white house, opulent, dinner, south-africa, South Africa, | | | |
[11/15/2008, 07:17]
Thailand: Winemaking in the Tropics - Granmonte | | Impeccably maintained vineyards. A sprawling estate complete with world class dining, and stunning gardens. Tasting rooms that are bright and airy, and large enough for bus loads of visitors. This is an image that would not be out of place at a top flight California wine producer, or even a First Growth French Chateau, but I am describing Granmonte, one of Thailand's most impressive wine destinations.
Visooth Lohitnavy envisioned creating a grand estate among the jungle clad granite cliffs in the Asoke Valley of the Khao Yai region of Thailand, and he has made it all come to pass. With determination, and evidently no small sum of money, he has created a jewel where you least expect to find one.
Planted primarily to Syrah and Chenin Blanc with a few rows of Cabernet Sauvignon to experiment with, the vineyards of Granmonte are text book examples of modernity. Employing the Smart Vineyard System, data about the vineyards can be accessed from anywhere in the world.
This is especially important for the next generation of the Lohitnavy family as daughter Nikki studies enology in Australia while monitoring the family vineyards and sending her father regular directions for field adjustments based on real time data.
So just how well does all of this attention to detail pay off? I was quite impressed with their their efforts, but the even harder to impress International panel of judges at the 2008 Syrah du Monde blind tasted their Primavera Syrah and awarded it with a Silver Medal.
Tasting the wines of Granmonte is only half of the fun. Visiting the estate affords you the opportunity to enjoy the exquisite VinCotto restaurant. My tenderloin of Australian beet with French Foie Gras would have been amazing anywhere, but set among the lush tropical foliage of the Thai countryside it was a revelation. Keeping with the family theme, Visooth's wife Sakuna is responsible for the wide range of flavors the restaurant has to offer.
The delights of the restaurant are available to go at the tasting room, with a selection of Sakuna's sauces and preserves sold along side the fine selection of wines. Enjoy a sip of Chenin Blanc, then walk the grounds and admire the lotus pond before settling in for a fine meal at the restaurant and a bottle of their award winning Syrah.
Just two hours from Bangkok, Granmonte is well worth the trip. For more information on visiting Granmonte the next time you are in Thailand, or to learn more about the estate and its ever evolving plans, visit their web site at http://www.granmonte.com/. Tell them I sent you. | | | |
[11/13/2008, 06:35]
Thailand: Winemaking in the Tropics -Siam Winery | | Siam Winery is no tiny concern. With 1.2 million liters of tank capacity for fine wine, and twice that for the profitable wine cooler venture, they are the big boys in the region. Their 72 acres of grapes are spread over several locations, including one parcel that is actually planted among canals.
The image of a boat paddling through the Floating Vineyards is only slightly upstaged by the shot of the elephants in the vineyards at Hua Hin Hills. This is certainly not any wine country most of us are used to. Don't be fooled by the tourist friendly visage, this is a serious wine concern, making serious wine.
Kathrin Puff is the winemaker, and an incredibly capable one at that. Hailing from Germany she spent years in Italy before coming to take the reins here in Thailand. Her approach is to take the best of technology without going overboard, and the best of the organic approach, without being limited.
The Floating Vineyards are the source of the local vinifera varieties Mlaga Blanc and Red Pokdum. Their Chenin Blanc, Colombard and Syrah are sourced from the slopes of the Hua Hin Hills Vineyards, which is ever expanding.
Hua Hin Hills has issues with high water tables due to their proximity to the jungle covered mountains, so they have had to dig down 15 meters and place water barriers and add shale and other stones for drainage. This huge effort has been well rewarded by decent quality fruit from surprisingly young vines. The quality can only go up as the average age of the vines increases.
Housed in an industrial facility the winery is not at all impressive from the outside, but the interior more than makes up for that. The barrel room is well maintained and there are plans in the works to double its size.
Kathrin is a fan of micro-oxigynation so the lower level wines are not penalized by failing to get a chance to develop secondary aromas through barrel aging. The Monsoon Valley wines show the care and crafting you would expect from a small hands on winery, so the sight of the sprawling tank rooms might catch you off guard.
The scale of the fine wine production is nothing in comparison to the wine cooler facility. Here bottles whip by at blinding speed, 24/7 being filled, labeled and packed for the never ending demand for these "starter" wines. The commercial success of the coolers ensures that there is the needed capital for expanding and improving the fine wine division.
This fiscal planning is not only evident in their diversification, but also through their distribution. Not only is Monsoon Valley one of the most prominent Thai wines in stores and restaurants, they have their own retail outlet here in the high end resort of Hua Hin. This tiny shop in an upscale mall allows visitors to taste and buy the wines in the comfort of a beach town, without having to trek into the countryside or halfway to Bangkok.
But if treking is your thing the Hua Hin Hills facility will welcome you with their modern tasting room and dining facilities and tours are even available for the main winery. More information can be found at http://www.monsoonvalleywine.com/. | | | |
[11/12/2008, 07:50]
The Truth About American Wine Drinking | | Looks like a piece of news slipped by me a couple of months ago. Every year I look forward to a report, which more than any other single piece of news, speaks the truth about the state of wine in America. Restaurant Wine magazine commissions and publishes a report every year on the top 100 wines and top 100 wine brands sold in restaurants around the country, from family diners to fine dining restaurants. Based on the simple measure of how many cases of each wine were sold at these restaurants, we get a picture of the most important person in America when it comes to wine: the average American wine consumer. And why is this person so important? Because they are the bread and butter of the wine industry. They are the fuel for the wine engine. They are the bottom 95%, so to speak, whose spending habits make (or break) the market and who make up the pool of wine drinkers from which true wine lovers slowly graduate to more expensive wines and esoteric habits like...reading wine blogs. I like knowing what the rest of America drinks when it comes to wine. Here at Vinography, here in San Francisco, here in my group of friends, I live in a bubble of unreality when it comes to wine. In this bubble, $40 bottles of really good wine are a steal and most everyone I hang out with knows how to pronounce Viognier ("vee-own-yay"). But that doesn't represent wine drinking America any more than San Francisco represents the political tenor of the rest of the country. This is what wine drinkers in America drink: 1 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay USA
2 Beringer Vineyards White Zinfandel USA
3 Cavit Pinot Grigio Italy
4 Sutter Home White Zinfandel USA
5 Inglenook Chablis USA
6 Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio Italy
7 Yellow Tail Chardonnay Australia
8 Copperidge Chardonnay USA
9 Yellow Tail Shiraz Australia
10 Franzia Winetaps Vintner Select White Zinfandel USA Those are the top 10 wines consumed by Americans (by volume) in 2007. And here are the top 10 wine brands sold in American restaurants in 2007: 1 Beringer Vineyards, Foster's Wine Estates Americas
2 Kendall-Jackson, USA, Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates
3 Franzia Winetaps, USA, The Wine Group
4 Yellow Tail, Australia, W.J. Deutsch & Sons, Ltd.
5 Sutter Home, USA, Trinchero Family Estates
6 Inglenook, USA, The Wine Group
7 Copperidge, USA, E. & J. Gallo Winery
8 Cavit, Italy, Palm Bay Imports
9 Woodbridge, USA, VineOne (Constellation)
10 Foxhorn Vineyards, USA, The Wine Group For me and for the wine lovers that I hang out with (and no doubt the folks that read this blog) these are somewhat sobering lists, if only because for most of us, these are wines we generally don't, and wouldn't, consume given the choice. The average retail price of these wines is well below $8 per bottle, and the last time I asked you readers what you spend on average per bottle it was somewhere around $20. And some of you probably didn't think that you were all that sophisticated when it came to wine, did you? Notice how the top 10 wines only includes a single red wine? If you're a Cabernet drinker you're a member of the wine elite. And I'm only partially kidding. Here are some additional interesting facts about this year's list: - White Zinfandel sales are down 15%
- Chardonnay was more popular than Pinot Grigio for the first time
- Pinot Noir sales were up (again) by 89%
- Merlot sales were down (again) by 9%
- Sauvignon Blanc and Sangiovese wines appeared for the first time on the top 100 list (bravo!) So what to make of all this? I take a number of things away from this list every year. The first is appreciation for how lucky I am to be able to drink the quality of wine that I do regularly. The second is humility -- a reminder that while I may not choose to drink them, these wines, the companies that make them, and the people that drink them are what really make the wine world go 'round. And finally, I always finish my perusal of these numbers with hope. The amount of wine America drinks continues to go up, and slowly, but surely, the diversity of that wine continues to expand. And that means that we're making progress.
Read more details on the annual Restaurant Wine report.
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[11/11/2008, 16:35]
One Glass a Time: Sweet! (Wine Spectator) | | | I have been traveling in the past week with a dining partner who can not drink much. Rather than ordering a whole bottle, which would inevitably require leaving some behind so I could drive back to the hotel safely, I have been choosing several different wines by the glass over the course of the meals. | | | |
[10/29/2008, 10:51]
Thailand: First Food Thoughts | | Dining in Thailand has been hit or miss for us. We are currently staying in a beach resort about 2 hours south of Bangkok, and it is not exactly cosmopolitan, despite this being the beach residence of the royal family (who probably don't get out to the local eateries much).
Before we left Bangkok we did have a fun meal at the impressive (and very expensive) Siam Paragon Mall. We ate at the Another Hound by Greyhound Cafe. The original Greyhound Cafe being at the Emporium Mall. It was a fun selection of updated versions of street food, with a passable wine list. Not cheap, but innovative and surprisingly good for a shopping mall.
Here in Hua Hin, the beach community that is our home for two more months, we have mostly visited local restaurants, which are a dime a dozen. Every few feet there is another establishment, ranging from a push cart to a 100 seat sit down restaurant. The quality of the food has nothing to do with how impressive the place looks, and we have found that even highly rated restaurants have constancy issues.
Thai food seems to be a fusion of neighboring India, China and Indonesian influences. At least as it is has been served to us, it seems to fail to live up to any of those origins. Some of the finest food I have ever had were in China, India and Indonesia, but don't judge those cuisines by their watered down American counterparts. To visit these lands is to be thrust into a culinary adventure.
France has long been my favorite destination for food, a bias no doubt propelled by the fact I have classic French chef training. On this year long trip I have made a point of cooking, no matter how meager our kitchen logistics may be, and my dinners almost always rival any restaurant's.
So it was with great expectation that we visited the Brasserie de Paris here in Hua Hin, Thailand. The modest restaurant is beach side with great views of the lighted fishing boats in the dark harbor. The food was good, and we enjoyed ourselves, but it was not our night for wine. The slim pickings on the wine list were pared down further by "finished" labels covering almost all of the red wine choices. Our first selection was greeted by a verbal "finished" and we had to settle for what would never have been my choice if only the list were fully available.
They had no Thai wines on their list, and after having tasted my first Thai offering, I am not altogether surprised.
Such is just one of the many problems with trying to run an upscale French restaurant at the beach, hours from the nearest city with its suppliers. For all of that we still managed to have a very nice savory style of Foie Gras (as opposed to the common practice of preparing it with a fruit sauce). Everything was perfectly nice, but the au gratin potatoes were especially memorable. Considering the challenges they faced, the Brasserie pulled of a feast that would be impossible for lesser restauranteurs.
We still have several months to explore, and even if we only eat out once a week or less, there is ample opportunity to find another gem, and when we do, you will read about it here. | | | |
[09/24/2008, 10:15]
Aglianico: An Italian Name Worth Practicing | | Eric Asimov (nytimes.com) writes: ALL right, class, summer vacation is long gone and school is well under way, but I?m forced to interrupt our curriculum for a quick review session.
Why is this? Because it?s come to my attention that a crucial word in the lexicon of Italian wines has fallen by the wayside.
That word is aglianico, which, just to be clear, is pronounced ah-lee-YAHN-ee-koh, and which is the name of the leading red grape of southern Italy.
Yet the entire category of aglianico wines seems to pass unnoticed by most people, which is a shame because they have so much pleasure to offer.
...
For years, the aglianico torch was largely carried by two producers, Mastroberardino in Campania, best known for its Radici from the Taurasi zone, and Paternoster in Basilicata, which has long made exemplary aglianicos from the volcanic soils of Mount Vulture (pronounced VOOL-too-reh). Now, dozens of producers export their wines to the United States. Sadly, we couldn?t find wines from some of the top producers, like Paternoster, Antonio Caggiano and Galardi, which makes Terra di Lavoro, as close as an aglianico wine comes to cult status.
» Full Story -
Aglianico
Radici Taurasi Riserva DOCG
Tags: melgab, wine, aglianico, campania, italy, south-africa, South Africa | | WorldWine Tags: melgab, wine, aglianico, campania, italy, south-africa, South Africa, | | | |
[09/10/2008, 17:52]
Catavino Does NOT Sell Wine?and A Very Biased Wine Review | |  Time to clear a few things up here at Catavino.net. This past week, we have received some emails that need to be addressed, and we think the only place to do it is here on our site. Lately, we’ve been receiving some odd emails. Evidently, there is a rumor circulating that Catavino is a winery/bodega. You see, this week I’ve received at least 5 emails from different countries, including the USA, asking to represent our wines in restaurants, export markets and country wide in the case of Canada. Being a couple of wine writers without a winery, nor with any connection to the wine making process, I’m not sure where this idea has come from. I have to say we’re quite flattered, though a bit befuddled. Is there something on our site that leads people to think we make wine? Do other wine bloggers find themselves being solicited in such a way? Inquiring minds want to know!
Trust us, we would love to make a wine. In fact, we tried to once, but with mixed results. We will try again, and if you are a winery who wants to help us in this project, we’re all ears. We’d love to put out a Catavino Garnacha Blanca, or Catavino Touriga Nacional, but sadly, they don’t exist. However, we’ll be sure to scream it from the rooftops if we and when we do create a Catavino wine. What we do do is work with wineries to use the internet more effectively. Currently, we have 4 clients, and we are interested in helping a few more, but we are getting picky. If you are, or you know, a winery that understands how the wine world is changing and that old ideas might not apply, give us a ring. My number is: +34 656 433 063, call me, llamame, liga-me, or send us an email: cvm@catavino.net, we’re listening! 
So Now For Some Wine…But Let’s Not Talk About Iberia For A Moment A completely biased and non-professional review is coming up. Why? Amy Lillard, and her blog, have been in my feed reader for almost as long as I’ve known what a feed is. Tom Wark has lauded them as one of the top winery blogs, and I have to agree with his approval. The level of frankness and honesty on this site is mind blowing and if you are a winery who wants to start a blog, you would not be doing poorly if you copied Amy’s model and style. Because of her writing, I felt like a close friend even before I had the chance to meet her at the EWBC 2008. The only element that was missing from our relationship was her wine. I wanted to try the wine but with its lack of distribution in Spain, I just had to wait. The winery and the blog’s name are La Gramiere.  Fortunately, the harvest did not keep Amy from visiting us in Logrono at the EWBC2008, giving me the chance to finally taste the wine behind the blog. Thus, this critique is tainted by the relationship I have with both her and her writing. Having followed the ups and downs for so long on her blog, I feel connected to what she is doing, and I feel like I hold a small stake in her adventure. This is proof as to why wineries should blog!
How is the wine? In one word, great! We miss French wine, seeing that Spain has none for sale, or at least very little. This is a wine after my own heart, a Rhone wine that is not from the Rhone (see full story here). It is full of the spice and terroir that I love, but with a lighter, less obvious way about it. After my first taste, where I was grateful that it didn’t suck (a fear I had considering my high expectations), I was quickly told that the wine was around 15%; something that both turned me off and at the same time surprised me. Similar to my notes on Monday, discussing how 100% new oak shouldn’t always be associated as a bad trait, you cannot say that high alcohol is always bad either. This wine is balanced and pleasant, and has a long life ahead of itself. I have to recommend it: number one, if you trust me and my palate, and number two, if you like to look at wine from new perspectives. This is a winner, not to mention organic. And if you ask Amy her thoughts on organic wine…well, let’s just say that you might want to pour a tall glass and grab a seat, because it will be awhile before she finishes. Sorry that I can’t be more objective, but I feel that as I become closer to wineries who blog, the less I can allow myself not to be their cheerleaders. On the other hand if I try to separate myself from my love for this wine and look at it completely objectively, I still have to say I think it is a very well made, interesting wine. La Gramiere is making great wine, and they are telling the story as they do it. For me this is what wine should be about, good juice, good people, and lot’s of stories! Cheers,
Ryan Opaz Similar Posts: | | | |
[02/15/2008, 11:26]
Small Plates, Perfect Wines | |  Small Plates, Perfect Wines, a new cookbook from Andrews McMeel Publishing, featuring mouthwatering recipes and wine pairing tips, is now on bookstore shelves and available to order online.
Meze, tapas, antipasti, antojitos–no matter what you call them, small plates offer big flavor, and this is a style of dining and entertaining that has taken the country by storm. Searching out those small dishes with big flavors, Wine Country cookbook author Lori Lyn Narlock presents more than 50 recipes by Kendall-Jackson Executive Chef Justin Wangler and the Culinary Team, with assistance from Lou Rex, Jackson Family Wines Director of Special Events. Wine tips are provided by Kendall-Jackson Winemaster Randy Ullom. The book is divided into chapters on salads, vegetables, meat, seafood, and desserts, with each delicious recipe paired with one or two wines. The wine information is presented in a conversational fashion, and includes the basics of pairing wine with food. Each recipe has been beautifully captured by photographer Dan Mills, with pages exquisitely produced by graphic designer Jennifer Barry. Small Plates, Perfect Wines is colorful, festive and informational, making it the perfect gift for wine and food lovers, and anyone who loves to entertain. Small Plates, Perfect Wines is available from Amazon.co.uk £5.99 and Amazon.com $12.71 | | | |
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Hot on the heels of the sensational success of the 'World's Greatest Book Of Useless Information', the Official Useless Information Society bring you another essential compendium of everything you never needed but always wanted to know., Reference ; Curiosities & Wonders, The Best Book of Useless Information Ever
Price: 11.77 EUR
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As Seen on Ellens 12 Days of Giveaways & Good Morning America The pocket-size electronic talking Wine Master offers a sleek and slim design easy control panel and over 10 000 wine and spirits reviews ratings and suggested retail prices at your fingertips. The newest version of the Wine Master is the most essential wine tool you can own. Bring along with you to wine shops and restaurants and never make another wine buying mistake again. Requires 2-AAA batteries (not included). Over 10 000 wine and spirits reviews ratings (100 pt. scale) and suggested retail prices from Wine Enthusiast Magazine Food and wine pairing guide Digital display screen with back-light and compressed text functions Talking navigation with on/off Type Varietal Winery or Vintage search option Handsome non-zipper black case Wine Master is a mighty wizard that gives you mastery over the most serious wine shop clerks and sommeliers. Brushed aluminum with chrome accents. The Wine Enthusiast 2008 Wine Buying Guide is also available. Size: 4-3/4'H x 3'W NOTE: The information included in the Wine Master is based on the reviews and ratings conducted by The Wine Enthusiast Magazine. For the 2008 edition we added 10 425 reviews. Therefore if you look at a review of a 2002 Caymus in 2007 and in 2008 the review will be the same. Since we cannot review all the wines produced in a year some wines may not appear with a newer year review which does not mean that the wine is discontinued but just that particular vintage (year) was not reviewed.
Price: 39.95 USD
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General Information Product Name: Radeon HD 2600XT Graphics Card Package Type: Retail Product Model: HD 2600XT Manufacturer: Sapphire, Inc Manufacturer Website Address: www.sapphiretech.com Manufacturer Part Number: 100220L Product Type: Graphics Card Technical Information API Support: DirectX 10.0 OpenGL 2.0 Graphics Resolution: 2048 x 1536 Analog Maximum 2560 x 1600 Dual Link DVI Maximum Monitor Support: 2 Shader Model: 4.0 RAMDAC: Dual 400MHz Platform Support: PC HDCP Support: Yes Signaling Type: Digital Analog Host Interface: PCI Express x16 Video Features: *ATI Avivo HD Video and Display Platform *Avivo Video Post Processor Multi-GPU Technology: CrossFire Processor & Chipset Processor Speed: 800MHz Stream |
