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Hanging Wine Glass Rack For Wine Lovers is for the wine lovers out there. This hanging glass rack is a wonderful accessory for the kitchen, basement bar or any other place where you keep your prized chardonnay and spirits. The rack is made of hammered steel and has a powdered finish to protect it against rust. Wine bottles [...]
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!)
I pruned the roses a few days ago, hence the slightly clichéd photo. . . This is a very pretty wine, though there is little that is unique or remarkable. Stems, freshly turned earth and rosewood, silken to begin before building in texture, shape and power. Very clean and correct, this is perhaps a little too proper.
Three grapes Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. All of which you can detect in the wine. Individually. Which is a criticism as the wine was not a 'sum of its parts'- disjointed, rambling, and unformed. Planning on it improving with age I doubt would help either.
But it has a saving. It was rather excellent with a salmon tart!
Review0.3 Wine Tasting Note: St Hallet Poacher's Blend, 2007, Barossa Valley, Australia. Stockist: Waitrose Price: £7.99 [More: Adegga / Snooth] Fresh, distinctive, disjointed. Joyous though when partnered with food - in this instance a warm Salmon Tart. The wines crispness cutting through the rich pastry, and matching the egg component face to face (eggs being a tricky when matched with wine). The Sauvignon component, of course, went well with the Salmon with the fuller Semillon revelling in the harmony with the herbs and the spinach. Alcohol 11.5%. Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 86/100 [3.25 out of 5]
The background to the blend is interesting - the wine is bottled just four months after vintage with the Semillon picked at three different ripeness levels. Part adds natural acidity (the Riesling and Sauvignon obviously not sufficient), the mid-pick supplies an 'herbaceous lift' in support of the Sauvignon and the fully ripe portion adds mouth-feel and richer grapefruit flavours. Their website fails to give details of the actual percentage components in the blend - anal I realise but something I find fascinating - which is a shame.
Vern Fisher of the Monterey County Herald came by one day and photographed us as we processed Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on the same day. Click here to see and hear the slideshow he put together. By the way— I’d have to get my arm twisted to do both whites and reds simultaneously here, because, well, you’ll see why…..but sometimes I’m reminded that Mother Nature is stronger than me, hee hee. Anyway, I’ve long admired Vern’s photographs in the paper, and I think he was able to capture what we do here on a very busy day.
The slideshow starts out at Chula Vina….the first photo is Henry Carrasco, owner of Chula Vina…the crew is shown harvesting the Chardonnay and Pinot that we subsequently are shown processing. Chula Vina is in Chualar Canyon, BTW, and it is one of my favorite beautiful places. Enjoy…
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.
Light and spicy, with clove and pepper overtones to the lime and green apple flavors, persisting on the lively finish. Drink now through 2010. 23,000 cases imported.
Mr Riggs is a brand that made a splash when it first appeared a few years ago but – as much sub-consciously as anything – I always thought it would hit and run pretty fast, and disappear after a few vintages. I say this even though the wines have generally been very good. And well packaged. And reasonably priced. Maybe it’s just me, but the brand name itself just seemed to have gimmick written all over it.
Or it did. Now it doesn't. It’s good to see that the brand is still alive and going strong. In terms of quality, the following wines are the strongest bunch I have seen under this label.
It may sound obvious to put a girl in blue jeans in an ad for wine (like, helLO, this is an advertisement for youths, duh), and therefore not that interesting, but for some reason it works. Sacre Bleu's frankly young-looking model, along with product placement at the hip Miami music venue The Fillmore, support of charitable organization Rock the Cause and funny winemaking videos from French Gustave (it's always nice to have a Frenchie in the mix), put the brand at the top of the wine-marketing-to-Millennials heap. Haven't tasted the wine yet, but seeing as it's coming from France's promising Languedoc, my bet is it's not half bad.
I wanted to let you all know that my Pinot Gris website (PinotGris.Biz) is up for sale. It is full of great, original wine content written by me. It also currently ranks highly with the major search engines:
#3 overall on Yahoo for Pinot Gris (search) #4 overall on MSN for Pinot Gris (search) Page Rank = 1 (Google)
I am asking $250 for the site, perhaps less to someone who just wanted the domain name. If I don't sell right away, I will continue to promote it.
Yes, I?m still here! Posting has taken a back seat to life and real deadlines lately (hi, Jim! hi, Eric!), but the resumption of a more regular pattern is on the horizon.
In the meantime, nibble on these tidbits:
The Center for Food Integrity reports that 60 percent of consumers are more concerned about food prices than they were a year ago. And the sales growth of private-label organically-produced foods is slowing, according to a recent study by the Nielsen Co.
Sales of craft beers continues to romp along at a double-digit pace, but a shortage of hops is almost certain to start pushing prices up. On the other hand, MillerCoors LLC has pulled the plug on Zima. In the unlikely event that you?re a fan of that particular beverage, existing stocks should be on shelves through December.
According to a recent story in Advertising Age (registration required), advances in product packaging technology have made it possible to offer animated product labels. Before too long, motion-activated store displays and even individual products may be audibly clamoring for your attention.
A panel of tasters assembled by the Dallas Morning News has sampled Wal-Mart?s $3 wines and pronounced them palatable. The non-vintage Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio and Merlot are made by The Wine Group, which also produces wines under the Franzia, Concannon, Glen Ellen, Mogen David and Corbett Canyon labels, among others. Wal-Mart?s wine is sold under the Oak Leaf label ? not nearly as imaginative as some of the tongue-in-cheek suggested names.
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…).
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 . 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)
Càspita! This is post 1001. I put up #1000 yesterday but I was on a bus or in a Starbucks so I didn't realize I'd passed that milestone. Wow. What sticktuitiveness or risible vanity, I'm not sure which. Both probably. It's taken a lot out of me at times to write this blog, as in late 2006 and almost all of 2007, annus horribilis # 7 of my life. See, this is what I looked like when I began mondosapore: Photo: Yours truly & an early fanThe first Wine Bloggers...
*What an unusual mix in terms of the international producers you represent?why Argentina, New Zealand and Japan?
- Not really if you consider that Argentina and Japan (Ginjo sake), and to some extent New Zealand, share the same common elements?there are great wines and sake being produced by highly talented winemakers and tojis (master brewers), and they are not getting recognized yet. The quality is already in the bottle?so why should these sell less or get less respect than wine from more obvious regions? We always say that we are really a ?national education company? since we usually explain more than we sell. Our job is to get people to taste these wines and premium sake, and the stuff inside the bottles takes care of the rest. At the heart of this idea is also the notion that in the end, it?s the people you work with who make the difference between mediocre and ?wow!?. We have been lucky, fortunate, and smart (maybe a little of each) to meet and represent some of the top talent in these regions:
Susana Balbo?Crios de Susana Balbo, Susana Balbo signature wines, Nosotros (with Pedro below)
Pedro Marchevsky ? BenMarco
Pepe Galante & Mariano di Paola ? mapema
Luis Reginato ? Luca, Tikal, La Posta
Roberto de la Mota - Mendel
Jose & Pepe Reginato ? Reginato sparkling wines
Guy Davis ? Davis Family Vineyards (Russian River, CA) and Gusto (NZ SB)
13 Master Brewers from all over Japan?each as talented as anyone we have met.
*As someone who deals so closely with Argentine producers, what types of obstacles, limitations and concerns have any of them expressed to you in terms of being able to export and promote their products abroad?
- Well, I want to stay out of trouble here since I travel to Argentina a lot, but let me just say that the Argentine government has historically been more of a hindrance than a help for wine exports. As an example, and hard to believe, they actually tax EXPORTS! Perhaps the bigger obstacle for Argentine wineries is that the economic and political situation is relatively unstable, and when you are in an industry that measures commitment and success over a decade or longer due to capital investment requirements, it is hard to deal with a system that usually looks out only 2-3 years at a time.
*In your eyes, what sets apart these Argentine producers you represent? What do their wines bring to the table of American wine consumers that large-yield, often conglomerate-backed wines simply cannot?
- I alluded to this a bit above when talking about who we represent and why. I think there are three main things that set our producers apart:
1) Our wineries are owned by and have Argentine winemakers who have lived in this unique climate and region for their entire lives. For us, that means that the wines that they make TASTE like Argentine wines, not like some random wine from somewhere in the world. And as talented as some of the flying/foreign winemakers are who are working in Mendoza, I have yet to taste a wine from them that thrills me the way our producers? wines do at the dinner table. And I taste everything from down there.
2) As good as they already are, they are still always trying to learn how to improve their wines, and in today?s wine world, that?s the only way you stay on top. It shows.
3) Obsessive attention to detail seems like an abused phrase, but in winemaking it is crucial and not as common as you would think. Our winemakers are also our close friends and in Argentina that is taken pretty seriously. They make sure that every step is done with the utmost care because they would never want to look their friends in the eye and say, ?uhh..I?m sorry but this wine is just ok because we weren?t really paying close attention when we made it.? Large wineries may be able to solve #1 above, but #2 and #3 are far harder to come by, and that?s probably as true in the US as it is in Argentina.
*Looking ahead?are there any regions Vine Connections is looking to expand its portfolio toward, and why?
- We made a strategic decision a few years ago that we would remain specialists in Argentine wine and Japanese sake. Some importers have gone in the opposite direction and are happy to sell one of everything from anywhere, but we?re just not built that way as people. We started as leaders in both of these categories and we feel the only way to stay out in front is to specialize. That?s why we spend almost a month per year in Mendoza and visit Japan for at least 2 weeks every year. It?s our own ?attention to detail? mantra, and we try to stick to it so that we can look our customers in they eye and say every time, ?This is really great Argentine wine and Ginjo sake?. Every time.
- Fortunately, we won?t be bored since there still plenty of regions and microclimates still left to discover in Argentina.
*Given the nature of the market here in the United States, what advice would you give to consumers who would like be aware of, as well as actually see, a dramatic increase in availability of premium Argentine wines such as those crafted by your producers?
- American consumers have helped their own cause a lot already by being very open to trying wines like Malbec, Bonarda, and Torrontes. I think they will help themselves even further by continuing to experiment with wines at many different prices, not just the ?great values? under $15. Nick and I firmly believe that well-made Argentine wines offer incredible value and over-deliver at all price points. A $12 wine is worth more like $16, and a $30 wine is worth more like $40 when compared to other wine regions of the world. And, of course, you can support quality-focused companies like Vine Connections by paying attention to the importer name or logo (like our compass) that appear on every bottle. As with other wine regions, a good wine importer can be your best friend when you haven?t tried a particular wine yet and would like some assurance that you are going to enjoy it?especially when spending more than $15 or so.
Portsmouth, NH- Portsmouth-based wine expert Carla Snow has opened registration for her new session of wine classes: Uncorked Level 2 Tuesdays November 11th to December 2nd 6:30 TO 8:30; Four weeks $195.00 This ...
Restaurant & Institutions magazine profiles 10 emerging restaurant chains to watch in a recent article, and first on their list is Indianapolis-based Yat?s.
Yat?s already made the transition to ?Indianapolis-based? when it opened its satellite locations in West Lafayette and Chicago?s Loop. The company plans to open nine more of its Cajun-Creole restaurants in Chicago, which would bring its total number of locations to 15.
Yat?s was founded in 2001 by Joe Vuskovich, who previously ran multiunit restaurants in New Orleans then operated a wholesale food company. The restaurants cater to young urban professionals and students with flavorful entrées priced in the $4.50 - $6.50 range.
It seems appropriate that the mythical figure of the phoenix should enter my imagination when searching for metaphors that could describe the variable fortunes of Verdejo throughout Spain's history. Wine production in general suffered during particularly crippling plague outbreaks, the Moorish Invasions, Reconquista, Wars of Succession and more recently under Franco, among several other trials. Not unlike the development and refinement of viticulture in Burgundy and the Rheingau, however, Verdejo cultivation in the Iberian Peninsula has distinct monastic roots. This is not by coincidence either, as the Castillian countryside, including the more important towns such as Segovia, Ávila and Valladolid gave Europe culturally transcendent figures such as Sts. Juan of the Cross and Teresa of Ávila.
Famous saints aside, the Sanz family has been involved extensively since the revitalization initiated in the region since the 1970?s and 1980?s, along the likes of larger houses such as Marqués de Riscal. Rueda wines, having achieved D.O. status around that time, in 1980, allow for Verdejo to be blended with other local and international white varietals. Sanz produces another (orange label) Con Class Rueda, which represents this type of blend, though I personally find the 100% Verdejo much more exciting and interesting.
I?m quite thrilled that consumers in export markets are now able to find stand-alone bottles of Castillian Verdejo from resurgent Spanish D.O.?s such as Rueda. Along with the producers? adoption of a more updated, state-of-the-art approach towards regional varieties that the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) people are striving to convey to foreign markets, I find it altogether more noteworthy to see the producers? attitudes themselves skewing towards their own tastes when it comes to the fork in the road that producing for said markets represents. The producer wonders: "What balance do we strike between what we believe regional, indigenous varieties such as Verdejo can achieve, and what North Americans or say, the Chinese and Japanese markets prefer in terms of taste and style?"
Argentines like myself are keenly aware of these issues, particularly when contemplating our neighbors from across the mountain range. The progressive viticultural methodologies and embrace of technology in and of themselves are assets that ultimately yield no rewards if utilized to please foreign sensibilities only. Heavy investment and updated production methods, in this case, however, have done well by Rueda producers?really well in fact. Wines like my pick for this week?s recommendation strike the balance needed to please all palates as well as embody the regional pride that has become a winning formula for many Italian and Portuguese producers (Vinho Regional and IGT appellation schemes, respectively). These artisan producers craft impressive wines where the regional varieties play center-stage roles, and more importantly, in which the style of the wine?s expression is crisp, delicious and sincere?pleasing to local and open-minded foreign palates alike.
My notes follow for the 2006 Con Class Verdejo Rueda D.O. by Sitios de Bodega:
This fine Rueda shows through as a clear lemon hue in the glass. The nose is pronounced and clean, staying true to the nature of this aromatic varietal, with green treefruit (green apple and pear), lively citrus, fresh grass, slight minerality, spice and floral hints. Don?t be fooled by the nose, this wine is from Castille and not Marlborough. Bearing in mind its aromatic profile, though, I?m not at all surprised that wines like this Verdejo are often blended with Sauvignon Blanc. Palate-wise, this one packs a serious amount of flavor into a pale, unassuming little transparent lemon appearance, with thick glycerin and ripe green apple slashed through with intense, lime-citrus acidity. The perfumey floral and grassy fumes here are not to be taken lightly, as they mimic an Altoids-like strength and shoot up behind the nasal passages and subsequently haunt the afterbreath. The lovely finish sticks around quite a bit, with added minerality, warm spice and a grassy angle of pear-green apple flavors lingering in the afterbreath. My last impression that I?d like to convey would be to think twice before pairing this beautiful, personality-packed Verdejo with a crab dish or some other white meat that doesn?t intrinsically hold up much in the way of concentrated flavor.
Monday blues? Here at Vin Vini Vino, we've got Monday Hangovers, a weekly dose of headaches, hangups and how-not-to's. Consider it your worst-case-scenario guide to wine. Grab an aspirin - we'll try not to yell.
OK, so this weekly feature hasn't been so weekly lately. Frankly, I haven't been all that snappy with the posts, either.
Like any passion (cross-stitch, anyone?), wine has a habit of getting lost in the shuffle when the stampede of daily life comes barreling through. We've been painting our office, landscaping, working, entertaining. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.
But how do you pick up with your passion once you find the time again?
How do you get inspired? How do you find the energy?
If wine is your cup of tea, er, juice, you go to the store. That's right, when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. Even if you have a cellar full of drinkable bottles, shelf browsing can be quality time. There's nothing like a few hundred brand new, shiny bottles lined up like soldiers to remind you that there's a world of wine out there - and that what you've tasted wouldn't fill a bucket.
Something to try at every turn. Single-varietal gamay, beerenauslese, pinot blanc from Sonoma, muscat, ripasso, Douro, Kongsgaard, vernaccia.
Very juicy, with fresh-cut plum and fig fruit flavors laced with violet, graphite and high-toned spice notes. Long, racy finish. Drink now through 2010. 11,000 cases made.
Laura Catena is hardly your average emergency room doc. The Argentine native - who came to the US with her professor dad to attend high school and wound up staying to attend Harvard for undergrad and then Stanford for medical school - "moonlights" from her job as an ER physician at UCSF by making wine, and on another continent at that. That's right, the married mother of three (yes, she has a nanny) successfully holds down TWO glamorous jobs and apparently has energy to burn, as I witnessed when I interviewed her in San Fran's homey Cole Valley several weeks ago. But besides her fascinating resume and seemingly boundless energy, I was most intrigued by Catena's commitment to making small batches of totally world-class wine from Mendoza's top low-yield, high-elevation vineyards. And though you may have heard more about her family's OTHER winery, Bodega Catena Zapata (considered by many the preeminent winery in all of Argentina), I predict her own label, Luca, has a bright future all its own.
Read on for an exclusive interview with Laura, including her ruminations on pursuing multiple careers, living on two continents, and generally being fabulous (okay, that last part is totally my conjecture, but I have to say she's impressive). Enjoy!
Emperador 06 tempranaillo ABV %13.5 Ribera del Guadiana D.O. $18 This stuff is pretty concentrated for tempranillo but not in a bad way at all, its also quite tanic, I get a bit of cherry and Licorice but the label says black berry, I think its full of shit, its not very acidic but it has enough to be food friendly, I don't think it has to long of an age potential maybe 5 years, I do really like this wine though it is made for a new world flavor but still has some back bone, as far a a sipper I think its great, and as far as a serious wine I think it has merit.
clouds came into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storms, but to add colour to my sunset sky - rabindranath tagore indian playwright, poet and essayist.
You can read a little more about me if you visit Rosella in Italy. She interviewed me about my foodies travel experiences.
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.
A pretty, floral Riesling, with a creamy texture and hints of lychee to the yellow peach and light mineral notes. Lively and clean, with a light smoky finish. Drink now through 2013. 5,000 cases made.
The quality of California Syrah continues to skyrocket, and its success is pulling along other Rhône Valley grape transplants, chief among them Grenache. As we've tasted through dozens of new Rhône-style reds in recent weeks, it's amazing how delicious so many of these infant wines are.
Tecnorati
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.
Vern Fisher of the Monterey County Herald came by one day and photographed us as we processed Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on the same day. Click 
It may sound obvious to put a girl in blue jeans in an ad for wine (like, helLO, this is an advertisement for youths, duh), and therefore not that interesting, but for some reason it works. 
Yes, I?m still here! Posting has taken a back seat to life and real deadlines lately (hi, Jim! hi, Eric!), but the resumption of a more regular pattern is on the horizon.
. 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.
Laura Catena is hardly your average emergency room doc. The Argentine native - who came to the US with her professor dad to attend high school and wound up staying to attend Harvard for undergrad and then Stanford for medical school - "moonlights" from her job as an ER physician at UCSF by making wine, and on another continent at that. That's right, the married mother of three (yes, she has a nanny) successfully holds down TWO glamorous jobs and apparently has energy to burn, as I witnessed when I interviewed her in San Fran's homey Cole Valley several weeks ago. But besides her fascinating resume and seemingly boundless energy, I was most intrigued by Catena's commitment to making small batches of totally world-class wine from Mendoza's top low-yield, high-elevation vineyards. And though you may have heard more about her family's OTHER winery, 