The 4th Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition invited 800 Eastern wineries from Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New...

• Lynfred Winery Seyval Blanc 2007, Southern Illinois
• Callaghan Vineyards 'Lisa's' 2006, Sonoita, Southeastern Arizona
• Galena Cellars 'Eric the Red' Marechal Foch 2006, Illinois
• Dos Cabezas Wineworks 'DC Red' Cabernet/Sangiovese/Grenache 2004, Cochise County, Southeastern Arizona
• Callaghan Vineyards 'Caitlin's' 2004, Sonoita, Southeastern Arizona
• Galena Cellars Frontenac 2006, Illinois

The Wine and Salad Problem - 03 August 2006

Matching Wine with Sushi - 23 February 2008

Wines for Easter Dinner - 28 February 2008

Refreshing Prosecco - 09 April 2008

Just thought I'd share a few of the keywords in searches that have lead viewers to The Wine Chicks:

Vomiting chicks

yuntrip

That's how I roll

Vin Diesel

italian hash

... and a disturbing number of image searches for Edie Brickell and Shaggy from Scooby Doo...

Read more this article in spanish

The web site for Philip Stein - purveyor of the new Wine Wand - claims that thanks to this nifty device "The full bouquet and taste of wine can be enjoyed within minutes, not hours." That's a bold statement, but one that can be tested on your very own at home, for the bargain price of just $325. That's right, that's the price of the Wine Wand, which Stein's site describes loftily as "a breakthrough device that uses natural energy to aerate wine, enhancing flavors and aroma almost instantly." Okaaaaay, so where's the catch?

With English wines now winning awards over and above some of their more established competitors and many international wine companies buying up acres of southern England now’s a very good time to find out what you might have been missing. 

If you feel a bit in the dark about what English wines have to offer English Wine Week from Saturday 26th May to Sunday 3rd June provides the perfect opportunity to find out more.  With events taking place throughout the country at vineyards, restaurants and local fairs there’s sure to be something in your area that will give you the opportunity to taste a drop or two or learn more about this emerging industry.

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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.

Terra Alta, meaning high ground, is a Spanish wine region situated in the south-western tip of Catalonia, where low mountains and valleys extend south to the border with the Teruel province. This is a geographically diverse region, but with two very prominent features: the eastern end of the province, which is layered with craggy mountainous terrain highlighted with peaks of the Espina, Pàndols and Cavalls mountain ranges rising between 600 and 1200 meters. The western side shows its rich rolling valleys filled with olive, almond and hazelnut orchards intermixed among expansive vineyards.

Additionally worth noting is that the western end of Terra Alta is the precursor to the Ebre Depression. I trust you have no idea what the Ebre Depression is? No worries, nor did I before this article. The Ebre Depression is an orographic barrier which acts as a solid wall, forbidding the Mediterranean air to flow through. The benefit of this natural barricade for vines is that it creates extreme climate conditions in both the summer and winter; in addition to a lack of rain. Limestone and clay, low in organic matter, allow for good aeration and drainage.

Historically, the road from Zaragoza to Totosa meandered its way directly through this region during Roman Times allowing for settlements, which in turn, let to the first planting of vineyards. Later, in the medieval times, it is suspected that the Knights of Templar also grew vines in Terra Alta, but as result of the long distance between the vines and local markets and the sea, they were most replaced with olive trees. However, in the 19th century, this upcoming wine region had gained fame for its ‘amber blanc’ oxidised wines, that was until phylloxera wiped them out, as it did the majority of vines throughout Europe. It wasn’t until the 1920’s through the 50’s when vines were replanted, and later exploited positively by cooperatives, many of which only began bottling in the last few decades. Consequently, it hasn’t been until last few years, that Terra Alta has slowly begun to obtain a name for itself as a high quality wine producing area, despite its natural predisposition to craft incredible wine.

Although not the first Terra Alta we’ve fallen in love with, the Mudèfer 2004 from Sat la Botera Vins was an great recommendation from our friend Juan Manuel at Neyras Vins. Located in the town of Batea, located approximately 50 km northwest of Tortosa, the winery grows Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah, among their indigenous varietals Samso, Garntaxa Blanca and Negra an Macabeu. The Mudèfer, however, is crafted only with 25-30 years old vines of Syrah, Samso and Garnatxa Negra, fermented at 20 degrees with continual remontage and aged for 20 months in both French and American oak, followed by an additional 4 to 6 months in barrel.

The wine itself was a breath of fresh air. Dark burgundy red in color with a brilliant light purple sheen, this wine bursts with dark cherry and boysenberry on the nose, supported by perfectly integrated notes of dark chocolate, eucalyptus and slate. The aroma was so tantalizing that I found myself tasting the wine before I even drew the glass to my lips. The intense flavors immediately awoke my senses, followed by a gentle wash of silky fine tannins and layers of rich black cherry, under a veil of green earth embodied in a medium long finish. This is a big wine, but a perfectly elegant wine, with great balance and structure.

In the early months of last year, in an interview with Tim Elliot from Winecast, Ryan voiced his interest in Terra Alta wines, sensing a promising future for this region. And although Terra Alta is still unknown to the majority of the world, if this wine is any indicator of what’s currently being produced, I truly hope that more people take note.

Have you tried a wine from Terra Alta, and if so, what is your prediction for the wines of this region?

Cheers,

Gabriella Opaz

• 2004 Altavins Terra Alta Ilercavonia
• Regional Profile - DO Penedès
• Rosa Mª Torres
• 2005 Hache, Bodegas Olvena
• Iberamerica Wine Tasting

Itching to try the latest flavor rage in wine coolers? It came to my attention recently that many people don?t know that wine coolers are simply flavored malt liquor. It surprises me even more that that info itself doesn?t seem to mean much to many people. What?s wrong with pina colada flavored malt liquor wine coolers? Well, nothing, unless you want to drink more than one or two. If you?re anything like me, more than one or two wine coolers will leave you with hangover symptoms later on that day or the next.

If you really want a strawberry daiquiri or pina colada, why not just buy the fixings to make those mixed drinks? Of course if you?re on a budget it?s probably better to just buy the wine coolers. But if you?re planning a big party or otherwise have a bigger drink budget, I strongly suggest making your own mixed drinks rather than buy a huge lot of wine coolers. Malt liquor is notorious for producing headaches and all the other hangover symptoms.

Mixed drinks don?t have to be all that expensive to make either. If you plan ahead a little you can decide on a few different mixed drinks to have on hand at your next party and save some money by using the same base liquor. For example, rum is a great liquor for fruity drinks. Pina coladas, daiquiris and many other drinks call for rum, so that?s a great standby as far as liquors for mixing go. And of course vodka is a good all round liquor that can make many types of less fruity drinks. So, a trip to the liquor store to purchase a bottle of vodka and a bottle of rum will yield all kinds of mixed drink options.

There are some excellent bartender and drink mixing websites out there that can help you make the most of your next mixed drinks occasion. There are even websites where you can input all the ingredients you have on hand and it will spit out a list of drinks that you can make. Webtender.com is just such a site. Go to http://www.webtender.com/cgi-bin/imbselect to input your available ingredients. Chances are you?ll be surprised to discover all the possible drink combinations using only the ingredients you have on hand.

Workers shouldn't count on lavish gift baskets or monogrammed cufflinks from their employers this holiday season.

Au Jardin Les Amis (”The Friends, In the Garden”) is situated in the tranquil Singapore Botanic Gardens, on the second level of an 1920s home. We were seated on a glass enclosed balcony with a relaxing view of the gardens. It is a wonderful setting and was a great place to spend some time on my last day in Singapore.

The service was attentive, professional and was invisible except when needed. The food was very good, it wasn’t innovative - but with clean, elegant and pleasing flavour profiles it was memorable for the taste and technique. I have read that this venue can have good and bad days, and I think this must have been a good day as everything seemed to go well.

Like Iggy’s, the price was more than fair - the meal consisted of an amuse bouche, an entree, consommé, main course, dessert, les mignardises and coffee and cost $52 AUD (including 7% GST and a mandatory 10% service charge) per person plus wine. I guess when every corner of the city has wonderful (and cheap) food, you have to be fair to stay alive.

The wine;

The wine list is extensive and full of very special bottles, as well as being generally well above my budget!

Donnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett 2006 (Nahe, Germany) - 8.5% alcohol -
Donnhoff is very quickly heading toward the top of my favourite Riesling producer list. This had aromas of sea salt, pears, tea leaves and mandarin. Delicate and long on the palate, there is some lovely fruit sweetness balanced by superb acidity. Lovely drinking now, but will age well over the next 10 years.
91/100

Bonneau Du Martray Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 1992 (Burgundy, France) 375ml - 13% alcohol -
Golden straw coloured. Butter, sesame, toast and honey aromas on the nose. Rich and creamy mouthfeel, with enough acid to keep the palate from being flabby. Very good length and texture. Drink now and over the next couple of years.
91/100

The food;

Prawn with Basil and Berry Foam with Apple juice

Cougette blossom stuffed with crab meat

Hon maguro with horseradish and roasted sesame dressing

Vine ripened tomato consomme with basil

Lightly smoked ocean trout with apple and fennel salad

Roasted flank steak and braised oxtail in red wine with seasonal vegetables

Kirsch parfait with cherry

Lychee jelly with lychee sorbet

Les mignardises with Coffee

Timed strategically to drop after the election and before the holidays (but on Veteran’s Day, a holiday itself!), today is the official release date of my new book, A Year of Wine: Perfect Pairings, Great Buys, and What to Sip for Each Season!

Instead of traversing the familiar terrain of regions or grape varieties, I forge a new path by plotting a seasonal arc for wine consumption. This ties in to the way that I enjoy wine, by emphasizing the context of how, where, when (and with what and with whom) we drink wines, as well as linking to the trend of seasonal cooking that is so prevalent today among professional chefs and home cooks. I’m glad that this theme resonated with so many of you in our previous discussion.

The book has short essays and hundreds of wine recommendations across the twelve months of the year. There should be something for wine lovers of all levels, newbie to full-on wine geek. There’s also some information for all seasons about wine style, wine service and how to actually find good wines near you. And twelve wine travel sections help you even change your context for maximum wine enjoyment.

Alex Eben Meyer contributed the great illustrations. Check out his excellent portfolio at his site!

And a total of thirteen sommeliers lent their thoughts to the volume. They include: Richard Betts (The Little Nell, Aspen, CO); Shayn Bjornholm MS (Washington Wine Commission); Thomas Carter (Blue Hill Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, NY); Belinda Chang (The Modern, NYC); Christie Dufault (Quince, SF); Erik Liedholm (Seastar, Seattle); Rajat Parr (Michael Mina Group, SF); Shelley Lindgren (A16 restaurant, SF); Roger Morlock (Park Avenue Seasons, NY); Virginia Philip, MS (The Breakers, Palm Beach); Tysan Pierce (The Herbfarm, Woodinville, WA); Juliette Pope (Gramercy Tavern, NYC).

So check out the book’s page over at Amazon (or Barnes and Noble or Powell’s if you prefer) and see what Kermit Lynch, Eric Arnold, David Lynch, and Bobby Abreu had to say on the back cover. Or ask for the hardcover at your local bookstore and check it out in print. And if you do get it, let us know what you think of it here!

Spelunking anyone? I feel like a spelunker when I where that headlamp. I’m filling the last barrels for the 2008 vintage in this photo. It certainly was a long one for us, and I’m glad it is over. Wine quality overall seems very good. The whites are delicate and fragrant, and the reds show good varietal character so far.

I know most folks think of harvest as grapes being harvested and received, but the real work for us goes far beyond receiving grapes.  It can be a very physically wearing time, and the end of it all is, frankly, welcome.  We can resume our normal lives and actually get the weekends off.  We aren’t off the hook entirely, though, as the wines and barrels need to be monitored.  We check for the progress of malo-lactic fermentation, check on any wines that may have gone to barrel slightly sweet, and monitor any increase in volatile fermentation.  Barrels also need to be topped, additions made, white wines stirred, and all the equipment needs to be cleaned, repaired if needed, and put away.
Here’s a photo from a few weeks ago that I like.This is a picture of a red fermentor after we have drained most of the wine and before we have started shoveling the skins out of the tank and into the presses. The open space underneath is a stainless steel filter which, among other things, helps us to drain the tank.