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[11/07/2008, 06:06]
Three Cheers For a Wine Democracy | | I've always privately believed that if everyone just drank a bit more wine, the world would be a better place. Who knows if that's really true, but apparently it's quite likely that if everyone drank more wine, the world would be more democratic. According to analysis by Jon Bonné, Wine Editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, Obama was elected by The Wine Vote. What's that, you ask? Wine drinking liberal elitists? Guilty as charged. But get this little statistic: Amount of wine produced in states that McCain won: 4.3 Million Gallons Amount of wine produced in states that Obama won: 773 Million Gallons Percentage of wine produced in America that comes from states that Obama carried: 98.6 Harper's Index eat your heart out. The whole thing makes me giggle. And while Obama is a big beer lover, it's clear that the White House wine cellar will get a lot more attention starting in January than it has for the last eight years. Check out Jon's blog post. | | | |
[11/06/2008, 00:06]
Red states, failed merger, global wine - sipped and spit | |  SPIT: red states
With more states turning blue, a reader writes in to say that it will be even harder to do a red state-blue state article again now that Virginia and Colorado are blue. Indeed! Texas, over to you?
SPIT: global wine mergers
The purchase of Napa’s Chateau Montelena by the Reybier group (Cos d’Estournel), hailed in July by Robert Parker as “one of the biggest stories in my 30 years in the wine field,” has now been canceled. [PR newswire] SPIT: global wine
John Mariani has a sip of the Andeluna Grand Reserve Pasionado, a $50 red from Mendoza, and calls it “an explosion of high-alcohol, grapey, oaky flavors that seemed to epitomize all that is wrong with what has been called the globalization of wine.” [Bloomberg] SIPPED: Making drinks instead of ordering them
At least one person from the world of finance has stopped thinking about structured equity products and is now thinking about Purple Hooters at the New York Bartending School in Manhattan. [Bloomberg] | | | |
[07/26/2008, 10:53]
Mid-Week Dinner | | A few wines earlier this week at Atelier in Newtown. Vilmart C?ur de Cuvée 1997.
Light straw colour with a fine bead. Lemon, pear, brine and earth on the nose. There is subtle fruit sweetness balanced with excellent acidity on the palate. Long and intense, this is an excellent wine and one of the better 97s I’ve tasted.
92/100 Domaine Servin Les Blanchots 2000
Corked.
NR/100 Louis Michel et Fils Grenouilles 2000.
Behind the huge amount of sulfur was pear, marmalade and peaches. The palate is medium weight but very simple.
84/100 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne 1999.
Nutty, pineapple, tropical fruit, lemon rind and subtle oak aromas. A ripe, expansive palate without being too overbearing. Acid is good enough to focus the palate. Long length.
91/100 Marquis d’Angerville Clos des Ducs 1999.
Earth, cherry, blood and chocolate aromas on the nose. Firm palate, with some sweet fruit in the background, the acid structure is a highlight. Powerful and very impressive. Starting to come around to drinking well.
92/100 Sylvie Esmonin Clos St. Jacques 2001
Rich, lifted nose of raspberry, cherry and a touch of earth and chocolate. The palate is more restrained than the nose but is still tightly wound and full of power. Good potential to improve from here.
91/100 Château de Beaucastel rouge 1990
A lot of complexity on the nose with smoke and smoked meats, cherry, spice, cedar and a fair bit of funky brett. Good intensity to the palate, but the brett affects the length of the finish. I would have rated this 2-3 points higher if the brett hadn’t affected the palate so much.
92/100 Dalla Valle Maya (Napa) 2000
Bold nose, with blueberry, chocolate, vanilla, autumn leaves and grassy characters from the Cabernet Franc. Very intense and youthful on the palate with good length and the ripeness is never out of balance. Primary, but surprisingly approachable and I think it will be at its best over the next 5 years.
93/100 Dr. Loosen Ürziger Wurzgarten Auslese 1995
Lemon, spice, floral notes and light honey aromas comprise the nose. The palate is excellent with light sweetness and refreshing acidity. Great balance and lingering length.
89/100 Claude Cazals Clos Cazals 1997.
Green apple, honey and pear on the nose. The palate is awkward, it is almost both bitterly acidic and broad at the same time. Good, but I had this two and a half years ago and much preferred it then.
87/100 | | | |
[11/23/2008, 10:39]
So much to eat, so little time. . . | |  It's been a wetter and milder than normal November, which perhaps accounts for the large number of snails in my garden. I've ceased my campaign of chemical warfare and decided coexistence and photography is the best approach. . . | | | |
[11/19/2007, 17:58]
The Search Continues | | 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... | | | |
[08/09/2006, 04:23]
Tuesday, August 8, 2006 | | NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Unfortunately, at my new job we have dial-up (effing historic) so the blogging thing will be very irregular. I promise to have a post tomorrow night though, so look out. As soon as I can get back to the regular schedule I will. Be patient my lambs....
On other accounts, the new job is great (obviously I'm not far enough in to have any probs...) and I am feeling very fulfilled. More deets tomorrow.
Cheers!
Mel | | | |
[10/31/2008, 14:13]
Save the pumpkins! Alternative Jack-o-lanterns examined | |  Every year, millions of pumpkin-Americans are gouged with knives and subjected to having their innards scooped as they are crafted into Halloween Jack-o-lanterns. After their one big night, they?re eaten by squirrels, unceremoniously discarded, or splattered on the roadways. Those that escape the annual slaughter are allowed to live for another month until, if they are fortunate enough to be selected, they realize a pumpkin?s ultimate calling: being transformed into a delicious pie.
Pumpkins haven?t always played the role of Jack-o-lanterns. Long before the tradition came to North America, European Celts carved faces out of hollowed-out turnips and rutabagas and used them as lanterns to fend off malevolent spirits. The name is most commonly attributed to the legend of an Irish farmer called Stingy Jack who tricked the devil a couple of times and was cursed to wander the night forever with only a turnip lit with a candle as his only light. Jack-o-lanterns made the leap across the pond to the United States in the middle to late 19th century, and since pumpkins were plentiful, bigger and easier to carve, they got the job.
But a group of British, um, researchers has determined that a wide variety of fruits and vegetables can be pressed into service in the absence of or in addition to a pumpkin. They experimented with a pepper, a mango, an eggplant, an apple, a watermelon, a pineapple, a rutabaga and a butternut squash, as well as a control pumpkin. The fruit scoopings were utilized to make tropical rum smoothies, with no apparent adverse effect on the results of the experiment. The whole project was documented on a just-launched blog .
There must be something around here that would accommodate a candle ? I wonder if there?s still a cucumber in the fridge...?
The OCD Diet: Eating foods that rhyme
Here?s another apparently successful British experiment: The OCD Diet. Created and chronicled by b3ta denizen Oucheh (also known as Kate), this diet doesn?t require any calorie counting, carb avoidance, or any of those other tiresome details. All one needs to do is combine foods that rhyme ? beans and sardines, for example, or (shudder) Lamb?s Heart Treacle Tart. It seems to be effective ? Kate lost three pounds in five days. (And no wonder!) | | | |
[11/09/2008, 14:56]
Art Hunt and Hunt Country Wines | | 
I am sure you are tired of me cooing over Hunt Country Vineyards. Since the mid-1980s, when I first discovered them at Union Square Park, in New York City, I have been fascinated by them. But my admiration for them comes from my respect for their improved quality over the years, and their incredible growth, both of which are a great example of what one can accomplish in east coast wine.
At the Goold's Apple Fest I had the opportunity to chat with Art, but a few days later my lap top crashed, and my photos and videos were seemingly lost. Now recovered, I have the photos, but not the video. And I can file my report.
I tasted several of their red wines, and was very, very impressed.
Meritage 2006 - A blend of Cab Sav, Cab Frabc, and Merlot. Aged 14 months in French oak, flavors. Very nice!
Merlot 2006 - Beautiful hints of vanilla has strong cherry and pepper. Very, very nice!
Alchemy - A combination of Franc, Cab Sav, and Noiret. Big black cherry flavors. Some hint of spice. Not too much oak. Very nice. A great food wine.
Here's a picture of Art and Donna Pinell, also of Hunt Country.
These are wonderful reds. Art and Hunt Country are hoping to lay to rest the myth that the Finger Lakes should stick to Reisling....and these reds definitively prove fine red wines can be made in the Finger Lakes region too! | | | |
[12/04/2007, 12:57]
Mo' Betty Blues | | Despite the kazillion posts of tastings these days, it's not something I get to do nearly as often as I like. Sure, I do a lot of in-store tastings where I pour a couple of my wines to innocent by-standers, but a full-on tasting with some sort of reason to it is somewhat rare. It's for that reason that I get so! stoked! when one comes along. Betty's, one of my favorite restaurants in Buffalo, is looking to expand their wine program. I spoke with Carroll, the owner, a few weeks ago about a staff training to go through their entire list and explain the differences between grapes and styles and what foods to pair them with. This was a pretty monumental task; everything they have is by-the-glass, and they have about 20 or so wines to get through. This may not sound like a lot, but since the staff was bent on not spitting, you can see the potential for mayhem. Anyway, I was over there last night and the chef prepared nibbles to go with the tasting. Predictably, the room got exponentially louder as we made our way through, but hopefully it was a good exercise to taste them all side-by-side, if for no other reason than to taste how awesome Sauvignon Blanc and goat cheese are together. Oh, and I got a free t-shirt. I'm easily bought. | | | |
[11/06/2006, 22:00]
Mongrain Glass Fancy Wine Glasses | | Mongrain Glass makes beautiful and fancy wine glasses. James Mongrain is the artist behind this beauty. The thing that impresses me most about James Mongrain is that he has worked with Dale Chihuly since the late 1990?s. Dale Chihuly is a world class glass artist. I looked through the Mongrain Glass website at the pictures of fancy wine glasses. The white glass goblets were magnificent, as were the chartreuse and yellow. I looked further at the Solid Series and there were more fancy wine glasses in blue, pink and the prettiest black glass I?ve ever seen. James Mongrain and Mongrain Glass have so many fancy wine glasses for sale. It is important to keep in mind that each of the pieces is handmade and one-of-a-kind. If you want to order any of the Mongrain Glass fancy wine glasses, you need to e-mail or call with your order. Mongrain Glass has a series of fancy wine glasses called the Creature Series. These are so beautiful. The stems of the fancy wine glasses are creatures like swans and sea horses. There is one design in particular, that has a frosted look to it. There are even dainty flowers around the base of these fancy wine glasses. The Modern Venetians line of Mongrain Glass fancy wine glasses are very sophisticated in appearance. The glass detail work brings lace to mind because of its intricacy. I would have a very hard time trying to choose which line of Morain Glass fancy wine glasses I wanted. I actually like them all. In addition to fancy wine glasses, Morain Glass makes commissioned pieces of art. Some of the pieces pictured in the gallery on their website were very large. There are no prices listed on this website, but these look like they cost many thousands of dollars. Fancy wine glasses really do seem to be a small part of what Morain Glass does in their studio. I found a picture of a piece of art entitle Vortex. Vortex is described as a 7-foot stainless-steel slice of sensuality. The foundation of this piece of art is set in steel and a collection of glass forms illuminate neon light from within. The union of glass and steel in this piece of art is somewhat of a contrast, both in form and idea. Glass and steel are two distinct elements that have been joined so intimately it?s as if they are one. | | | |
[09/27/2008, 23:54]
The Road to the "Wine House" | | 
In the spirit of the upcoming Presidential election, one Washington DC restaurant, OYA Restaurant and Lounge, is pitting Arizona wines (from Senator McCain's home state) against those from Illinois (Senator Obama's home state). Neither state is well known for its wine industry, but according to the restaurant's Director of Wine Marketing & Sommelier, Andrew Stover, "Illinois has over 70 wineries and has been producing wine since the late 1700s. Arizona's wine industry is on a much smaller scale with close to 30 wineries."
The featured wines include: - 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
According to Stover, the Lynfred Seyval Blanc has slightly outsold the Arizona wines during the summer, but fall could usher in a preference for the red wines of Arizona. The promotion will continue through the election in November.
Oya Restaurant and Lounge is located in Washington's Penn Quarter neighborhood. They serve an innovative menu that combines Asian ingredients with French technique.
(state maps courtesy of the US Census Bureau) See full article.
Related Entries:
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
Contents of this feed are a property of Creative Weblogging Limited and are protected by copyright laws. Violations will be prosecuted. Please email us if you'd like to use this feed for non-commercial activities at feeds - at - creative-weblogging.com.
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[10/09/2008, 12:31]
Cruising Southeast Asia | | | by Martin Field Just back from a cruise on the good ship Superstar Gemini. We sailed from Singapore to Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong. All meals were included in the cruise price, drinks were not. Cuisine was European with the occasional Asian dish. Vegetarian options were limited. In the Ocean Palace restaurant you dined semi-formally, with waiter service, table linen and all. The restaurant has a ludicrous rule that men may not wear shorts or sandals to dinner(we are in the tropics during monsoon you should know). Women wear what they like. The ship's other restaurant, the Mariners? Buffet, is more casual and the food is self-served, er, from a buffet. | | | |
[10/26/2008, 20:42]
Domaine des Bosquets Gigondas 2001 | |  A big, full-bodied, expansively-flavored, traditionally made Gigondas is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, and 10% Mourvedre. Abundant herbes of Provence, heady, peppery notes are accompanied by sweet kirsch liqueur, plum, and fig characteristics. Dense, medium-bodied, and ripe. Nice, pure, plum-cherry finish.
Based at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail , its vines rising up the south west facing slopes, the Domaine des Bosquets encompasses 26 hectares at the heart of the appellation of Gigondas. This is one of the wines produced by the Brechet family Score: 9/10
Price: ?18
Retailer: Somewhere in Marseille Technorati Tags: gigondas, grenache, mourvedre, provence | | WorldWine Tags: gigondas, grenache, mourvedre, provence, | | | |
[10/09/2008, 12:20]
Vale Bailey Carrodus | | | by Martin Field Readers familiar with Yarra Yering wines will be saddened to hear of the passing of winery founder, Dr Bailey Carrodus, after a short illness, on 19 September 2008. A personal reminiscence I knew Bailey fleetingly in the late '70s and early '80s. He was a loveable if sometimes irascible character with an incisive mind. His wines were highly individual and did not always suit the prevailing palates of the day. Despite the critics, Bailey created his own unmistakable style and gained a wide international market. Strange that we were friendly. When we first met, (I was brash) I shared my considered opinion that some of his '70s wines were a tad too acidic. I got the inimitable Carrodus look... | | | |
[09/27/2008, 23:54]
The Road to the "Wine House" | |
In the spirit of the upcoming Presidential election, one Washington DC restaurant, OYA Restaurant and Lounge, is pitting Arizona wines (from Senator McCain's home state) against those from Illinois (Senator Obama's home state). Neither state is well known for its wine industry, but according to the restaurant's Director of Wine Marketing & Sommelier, Andrew Stover, "Illinois has over 70 wineries and has been producing wine since the late 1700s. Arizona's wine industry is on a much smaller scale with close to 30 wineries."
The featured wines include: - 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
According to Stover, the Lynfred Seyval Blanc has slightly outsold the Arizona wines during the summer, but fall could usher in a preference for the red wines of Arizona. The promotion will continue through the election in November.
Oya Restaurant and Lounge is located in Washington's Penn Quarter neighborhood. They serve an innovative menu that combines Asian ingredients with French technique.
(state maps courtesy of the US Census Bureau) See full article.
Related Entries:
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
Contents of this feed are a property of Creative Weblogging Limited and are protected by copyright laws. Violations will be prosecuted. Please email us if you'd like to use this feed for non-commercial activities at feeds - at - creative-weblogging.com.
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[10/06/2008, 08:11]
Thailand: Over the top | | Thailand has a much greater wine presence than India. This shouldn't surprise anyone that has visited both countries. Thailand in general is a very modern country, at least around Bangkok and the seaside communities. India is a country struggling to move into the 21st century.
Tourism is a huge driving force in this modernity, and in the proliferation of wine. The Thai locals may not be buying up the $20 bottles of Australian and Chilean wines in the grocery stores, but the European and North American visitors certainly are.
A dozen years ago, after my visit to China, I remarked that one of the things that had to happen before wine was well received in Asia was to start adopting screw tops. This was before the current craze. Many wines now do sport screw tops, in no small measure because the technology of closures has greatly improved.
I bring this up because it is not just the locals that don't own cork screws. Tourists may not have them either. I overheard a couple in a posh wine store asking for bottles with twist offs because they had no way to remove a cork.
There are many reasons to adopt screw tops, chief among them being the danger of cork taint. This interchange points out the most practical of all reasons for screw tops. Ease of use. Keep it Simple Stupid applies everywhere, especially when it comes to packaging and marketing. Make it easy for people to open wine, and you make it easier for them to buy it.
Thailand has a laid back attitude that is perfect for wine lovers, assuming they have a way to get to their favorite quaff. Personally I never travel anywhere without a corkscrew (and a few backups) but for the more occasional wine lover, being able to twist and enjoy is a pleasure. | | | |
[09/29/2006, 20:51]
Short pours | | It's official. Millennials are a major force in wine. Why we needed a study to tell us this, I'm not sure. We millennials are hip, sophisticated and reliably swayed by marketing. Sigh. At least we have the good sense to like wine.
Who doesn't like SPAM with their greens? Vineyard Spam Salad.
Quotable: "Connoisseur, n. A specialist who knows everything about something and nothing about anything else." - Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
 Caberiffic: Delectus 2001 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Stanton Vineyard Oakville ($50). Tobacco, mushroom, black cherry, plum. Decant, my friends, decant.
Splurge worthy: Philip Togni Vineyard 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (online prices vary widely, between $80 and $150). Blackberry, dusty chocolate, plum, great acid on the back end.
Tags: wine, marketing, quotes, cabernet sauvignon, recipes | | WorldWine Tags: wine, marketing, quotes, cabernet sauvignon, recipes, | | | |
[07/06/2007, 17:15]
Tennessee Hypocrisy | | | As many of you know, one of the rallying cries of the anti-wine-shipping crowd has been "Protect Our Minors!" | | | |
[11/18/2007, 13:34]
UnScrew This | | The much-promised, overly hyped Riesling Review has now arrived (brought to you by Mylanta) Jill, Yulia, P-Cat, and myself (Jay) converged at Boozer Headquarters (my place) last Wednesday for the Riesling blind tasting. P-Cat's writing a column for a local newspaper and needed to taste through a bunch so we decided to make it A Thing. We each got a bottle from a different geographic locale, figuring the areas that needed representation were Germany, Alsace, Austria, New York, and Australia (don't blame me for the last one, ok?) AND, since we live the malt liquor lifestyle, we tasted them blind, each bottle wrapped lovingly in two layers of plastic bags. Ghetto super star, that is what we are. Here are my rather lame notes: Wine #1: Apricot, honeysuckle, rose petals on the nose; palate is lime, tangerine - stones, touch of cream, but thin. Wine #2: SULPHER! Yikes, burned my nose hairs. V pale in glass. Diesel, swampy nose. Palate of bitter green orange, lemon zest, pink grapefruit. Long finish due to acidity. Wine #3: Light, aromatic greens - fresh, sweet grass, white flowers, honeydew. Melon-apricot palate with stone minerality and balanced acidity. Yum. Wine #4: Diesel, wet stones. Sweet apricot, honey. Wine #5: Swamp water. Grape-lemon pucker candy. Sour Patch kids. Yuck. We no like. Results: 1: Paul Blanck 05 from Alsace (score 1 for me!) 2: Grosset 05 from Australia (upset of the CENTURY, folks!) 3: Domaine Wachau 06 from Austria (amazing value - our favorite, hands down, at only $12.99) 4: Fritz Haag 05 Kabinett from Germany (which we all guessed because of the residual - oops, sorry, forgot it was supposed to be a dry Riesling tasting..) 5: Red Newt Cellars 06 Reserve from NY State (surprising only in that is sucked so badly for the money - tasting like bad NYState wine, so I guessed this one immedately...) It was interesting too in that every wine except the Red Newt was screw cap. Go figure. Still not a huge fan of Riesling, especially since I tasted all these the night before some serious food poisoning that had me leaving pieces of myself roadside throughout the state for the next two days and I can't help but link the two incedents. Screwed indeed. | | | |
[10/31/2008, 01:57]
louis latour 2005 gevrey-chambertin | | | I don’t often buy wines from Maison Latour, and whilst I’ve had so-so bottles from them, it has more been due to lack of local availability than quality reasons. Now I’ve found a relatively close merchant, so two or three bottles might appear over the next days. 2005 Louis Latour, Gevrey-Chambertin Medium-plus colour. The [...] | | | |
[07/28/2006, 20:18]
Friday, July 28, 2006 | | Big News!
Okay, I was trying to keep this one under wraps but it seems a few people have already found out and, well what better place to announce it than here right?
As of August 7th I will be back at the Wine Warehouse full time drinking for my living. I am very excited and can't wait to get back in the game.
Also
My friend Andi got a new job at the O'Henry Hotel and I wish her mucho success in all of her endeavors. I will miss her.
Cheers to my new job!
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[11/07/2008, 20:19]
Remembering an Aussie Icon With Wine (Wine Spectator) | | | Shortly after 1 died Sept. 19 at 78, I got a message from Gavin Speight, his U.S. importer. He said that he would like to celebrate Carrodus' life by dipping into his own personal cellar to open a few of the iconoclastic winemaker's older 1 bottles. Earlier this week I met Speight, who imports some of Australia's finest and most venerable artisanal wines, at Cavallo Point, the new resort near Sausalito. | | | |
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