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Women Wine Writers on the Web has an interesting library of links to women's wine newsletters, blogs, books and more. Definitely a recommended stop. To find wines you're reading about at a shop near you, try WineSearcher. This free service will show you which stores have your target wine in stock, along with the price and ordering options. (A paid upgrade provides even more information.) Don't have the time to read wine blogs? But you'd like to stay on top of the hottest wine news? Wine Life Today features the hottest wine blog posts on the internet. Most of the referrals come from other wine bloggers, so when they toast an article, you know it's good stuff, and worth reading. Interestingly, it's always the oddball stuff that wine bloggers enjoy . . . so don't expect to find the usual wine reviews and commentary. Looking to upgrade your wine notes from lined school paper to something a little more . . . elegant and efficient? We recommend CellarTracker. This free online site lets you store your wine purchases, tasting notes, and more. Additional features let you see fellow members' tasting notes. And creator/owner Eric White is very open to feedback and suggestions.
OK, so I’m trying to insure that the Wine Bloggers’ Conference in Sonoma has good, solid Wi-Fi access. I’ve spent a decade and a half in the networking industry and the last 8 years designing wireless products so when I setup a conference for 160+ BLOGGERS, i.e. many many laptops in the same room, I have my concerns because of the physical limitations of Wi-Fi.
So the hotel hooks me up with the contact information for their service provider (the Wi-Fi is outsourced which is typical for a hotel). I send him a message stating exactly my concerns and pointing out that I’ve setup many tradeshow demos as well as conference networks that got hammered by a techie conference. Here is the email that he sends back to me (understand, I am the hotel’s customer and I am selling out their hotel for this weekend and giving them untold exposure through media the whole weekend). Is it me or is this dude kinda of a douche?
Dear Sirs-
There are a total of 19 APs interspersed throughout the hotel, not including extra devices occasionally set up by catering. Depending on the unit, they?ll support from 12-36 users on the wireless (multiple internals). This has been the design at the Flamingo since its initial design and installation, almost as if we knew what we were doing?
Please inform the users that the codes will be bound to the MAC address of the NIC they use at the time of connection and entry of the code. They cannot switch computers and use the same code. The time in contiguous and not broken up to when they are using the connection, ie: 3 hrs ? 9 hrs of 15 minute usage periods.
Also, be aware that the total bandwidth for the Hotel Guests use is 6mb/3mb. Therefore, this should not be a time for these ?HEAVY internet users? to download all the Richard Simmons or Jane Fonda videos as this type of abuse will naturally hinder the enjoyable experience that such a convention should foster, human dialogue and contact.
I hope that you enjoy your stay at the Flamingo and that all elements of your convention are a total success.
JJ
Maybe its me, I don’t know…
Updated: The hotel worked on the service provider to create a parallel network in the main conference area that will be supported by additional APs on non-adjacent channels and they committed to having staff on hand throughout the entire conference should this network shit the bed. I feel better about the chances of success.
Marking the first anniversary of the 24 hour drinking licence laws, a 'rescue remedy' called Dink has been released.
It is supposed to mitigate the ill-effects of binge-drinking with ingredients that mop up free radicals produced by the liver when it is processing alcohol. It is also cheap and readily available.
It is being marketed to "people who like to get merry". Presumably because they feel it is unwise to market it to people who like to get smashed out of their skulls every Friday night and throw up partially digested burgers on street corners. I think we know who it is actually aimed at.
I must admit that my first thought was "great idea", sounds so useful. But while I'm no Catholic I do think the pain of hang-overs is justly deserved and should reflect any excess. The sparkle generated by a few drinks with friends too easily degenerates into boorishness and incapacity beyond a certain point. There are very few elegant drunks.
And aren't we supposed to be cutting down binge drinking, as a society? We need a cultural shift that comes collectively - social evolution if you like, of the kind we've seen with smoking, drink driving and wearing seat belts.
Most Friday-nighters, though by no means all, are young people with their whole lives ahead of them and of course there is a natural protective urge to want them to stay healthy. The price that many of them pay for their excesses can be heart-breaking. Blaming them as being responsible for their own actions is ridiculous if the message they absorb is that getting really drunk and doing stupid things is clever and/or funny.
And now we are giving them the tools to avoid hangovers. I like drinking and sometimes I drink more than I should, but I also know that my body hates it when I do. It's a natural defense mechanism to show us our limits and should not be overlooked as a preventative.
If we no longer have any medical consequences we will push our bodies over the limit as a matter of course. But often the real trauma of binge drinking is the wider physical and emotional damage caused by violence, bravado, promiscuity or recklessness . Can we develop a pill for that too?
I've thought long and hard about this one, but it's time to shut up shop here at The Wine Chicks.
As you all know, I simply don't have the time any longer to post stuff - that's been more than obvious. I also have been focusing so much on certain wines that I rarely taste outside of my own portfolio. And the last thing I want to do is make this site an extension of my day job. I've wanted to keep this open but since I'm pressed for time, I too often just post about a tasting/wine dinner/IPO wine with which I was involved. The quality of my writing has certain suffered and I don't want to keep posting crappy blips just for the sake of posting crappy blips.
So, let's ring in a Chick-free New Year! Who knows? Maybe I'll resurface elsewhere in the not-too-distant future...
It's a great site that lists wine events for just about any state, country or region. Plus, they send out a Weekly Newsletter called The Juicewhich will notify you of upcoming events in your area.
2003 Lignier-Michelot, Morey St.Denis Vieilles Vignes Medium-plus colour. The nose is forward, maybe a hint porty and certainly very ripe but generally the fruit talks of pinot. Ripe, plenty of concentration and very well mannered tannin. The understated acidity provides good balance and just enough freshness. It’s riper than I prefer, [...]
It doesn?t seem like eight years has passed since we entered the new millennium in 2001, but it has. It was the beginning of a very difficult time; my wife Liz passed away in Feb 2001, the political process started to change and the world changed with it. September 11 showed up on the world?s doorstep, and many of us have been taking it one day at a time, hoping for better days to come.
As I was jogging this evening by the high school, a speaker announced over the stadium address system, that there were refreshments in the concession stand. He described the available items: candy, popcorn, hotdogs, and then he said three little words, ?for your pleasure.? It sounded like a throwback in time when things were so much simpler and in its uncomplicated message I thought back over the last 40 years and what some of our cinematic dreamers and Italian wine visionaries thought the world would be like in 2001. And while it sure wasn?t all that they projected in the movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, it sure has been a heck of a trip. So, at this time I?d like to jump into the WABAC machine, back to 2001 and see what wines I would have predicted for the past, here in the safety of the future. Of course the wines are from the Italian trail, and beyond.
Ever since the time I attempted to simultaneously sell a Tuscan Novello and a Vernaccia di Serrapatrona, that would have been about this time in 1984, I have wondered why Italian wines chose me. Not just me, but for some of the hard stuff, I sure have had my share of those assignments. Driving around with a delivery van full of baby Sangiovese alongside a quirky, dry, foamy red wine made by a madman in the hills of the Marche. What was I thinking then? Even now it sounds bizarre. Don Quixote, only this time we weren?t looking for windmills. We were looking for space stations for these special travelers. And in honor of those two wines, in the 2001 of our little story here, we have an homage: Novello Di Ascoli, a modern wine about reincarbonation.
Chianti: 2001 was a little project that went beyond Chianti 2000. I?m not sure if people realize the first Italian in space was Sangiovese. A little known experiment resulted in growing and harvesting the grapes aboard the International space station. Limited release, only about 20 cases, hydroponically grown. It was intended to test the ideas of extra-terroirestrial winegrowing. It is an amazing red wine, without the pull of gravity and ratings. No, only the influence of the astro-agronomist-winemaker, an American of Italian descent. It challenges the limitations of the Italian wine trail that we terrestrials put on it. Buckminster Fuller said, ?Whatever nature lets you do is natural.? I wish all of you could have tried it with me. But alas, a quick trip to Washington D.C., some time ago, was the only opportunity any of us will have. But there will be more. Watch for a sparkling wine to come, made in zero gravity, called Zero-Zero. No dirt on their space-boots, but lots of ardent advances orbiting above us.
Down in the Cilento National Park, there is a colony of Italians who speak Esperanto. They escaped the area around Vesuvius many years ago and decided to leave behind their dialect. But they took their grapes with them and started making a red wine for the new millennium, to coalesce their past with their future. It is a cult wine on the islands around Naples and further south. I have only seen and had it once, from a private cellar in Panarea. The wine reminded me of the reds made by Galardi. I have heard people say they have traded two bottles of Le Pin for one bottle of ?Vulkano? Campania Ruga. I have tried both wines. I would say two bottles of Le Pin for one from the Esperantani?s is a fair deal.
About 11 years ago, in a place near Colfiorito, there was a terrible earthquake. When they got to digging out some of the buildings, rescue workers found a lab book from a vineyardist, describing a project code-named ?Il Grifi?. The project, like its name, had as its goal to combine three grapes to make a new wine. Here the vineyardist had been researching, via recombinant DNA, the creation of a wine that had as its parents, Sangiovese, Sagrantino and Montepulciano. And yes, for many years in Umbria and the Marche, winemakers have blended these grapes together to make various wines. William Sylvester, who starred in the Stanley Kubrick film, had made a film in Italy and was fascinated with this area and with wine. So he funded this little known experimentalist. Italy loves to resuscitate ancient things: statues, grapes, legends. In this case, as we headed back to 2001, we discovered that the wine had finally been made, in minute quantities. An amazing wine, combining the ephemeral verve of Sangiovese, the tannic and alcoholic power of the Sagrantino and the lubriciousness of the Montepulciano. Joy upon joy, an almost perfect wine in time for the new age. But alas, only one year was made and only 1113 bottles. They were mostly served at an autumn Sagra in Colfiorito for the special red potato named after the area, which makes the most wonderful base for the local gnocchi. The wine disappeared into memory, along with the best gnocchi I had ever had. The wine? Sangrapulciano.
Two wines, Navicella and Passeggiata, were ?good soul? efforts to make right the promise to reach the moon before the end of the decade. In the Italian?s efforts, though, it managed to arrive about 30 years later. End of decade, end of century, end of millennium, hey it?s only time, no?
Navicella was the wine intended for the first course, something from the aquaculture tanks. Passeggiata was created for the second stage, more experimental than the first wine. It was a sci-fi way of twinning tradition (Navicella) with innovation (Passeggiata) and for those who experienced the wine, I've been told it was a magical. Again, this was eight years ago when the Italians were embracing the next big thing. Now we are earthbound again, arguing this time over tradition vs. innovation. There are a few of these wines available on the auction circuits. A large enological school in Northeastern Italy was in incubating site for these wines. The Lega Nord, and a then unknown party operative, put an end to it. That little known operative would someday, in the future, join with Berlusconi and attempt to influence events in a larger and more important wine producing region, with near cataclysmic results.
Out last find caused a little flap among the retro-futurists in the room. Paraspruzzi was proposed to bridge the workers in the fields, those who tromp through the primal slime in their waders, with the elevated shapers of fashion. Originally the marketers wanted to call it ?Chiaccerone?. Another on the board wanted to name it ?Lo Scroccone?. But it was felt that normal wine lovers wouldn?t know how to pronounce it. Not that Paraspruzzi is that easy, but it sounded like the celebrity photographers who were known to frequent all the ?in? places looking for those same nine beautiful people to snap up.
This was actually one of the most successful of the wines; it had a run of three vintages. Later as it was being packaged to sell to one of the large Euro-spirit-lux corporations, there were a string of lawsuits. As it turned out, everyone spent more on lawyers than the plan could ever return in ten years, so the project was jettisoned. A real shame, because the wine had a bona fide grip on the cognoscenti of the Italian wine industry. The bloggers never found out about it, this was buried deep in Puglia under the cover of an ancient Masseria. The remaining wine fetches a pretty Euro.
There lies my time and space odyssey of 2001, following the wines of the future back to the past. Submitted for your pleasure.
As you may have noticed, Enotheque has been missing some updates for some time now. At the moment, I'm on the road at a very challenging but rewarding consulting job. The days are long and the nights seem all too short, resting only in brief moments before it's time to attend to the task at hand again.
I'll bring back some good posts with recommendations, interesting regions, values and interviews soon enough. For the time being, enjoy the other subscriptions of your Google Reader, since nobody is ever truly caught up with it anyway.
Pam Anderson and Kid Rock (aka Bob Ritchie) were engaged last week in St Tropez and decided to also marry there this past weekend in a yacht off of the coast of France. And boy does it only get better. Here are some pictures of Pammy pie a few days before her wedding looking rough and making *ahem* remarks about the upcoming nuptials.
Okey Dokey then Pam. I sincerely hope you were kidding, otherwise you are an absolute idiot. Note to self - Veils purchased from Prescilla's look HIDEOUS!!
Unfortunately, it just keeps getting better. Here are pictures of the bride and groom just after saying their vows. Wanna know what millionaires in the entertainment industry drink after getting married in St. Tropez on a million dollar yacht? Well, tried and true - American all the way through - Kid Rock drinks Corona. Wait..Corona??? I guess when you are in France you don't have to honor your exclusive contract with Coors. At least he represents with a stunning (or stunningly retarded) American flag belt buckle made from rare blue diamonds along with red rubies on a titanium buckle. (The gift is rumored to be from Pam as his wedding present). Our precious Pammie pie is slugging....er...drinking Veuve Cliquot. In fact, they drank during the entire ceremony. I really think that the captains hat just makes the bridal bikini don't you??
In case you were wondering what to do for a gift for the couple....
Kid Rock instructed his fans to purchase their gifts at one of his favorite chain stores. "Yes, I'm marrying the girl of my dreams," he wrote on his Web site. "We are registered at Wal-Mart. Thanks for the support!" It's true too. I actually searched for the link today and found it. Here it is...
Adding things to beer is the new hype these days. Sparks, for example, is adding a caffeine type mixture to their beer so why not add green tea to a beer? Wha?? Yep, it seems that the folks at BluCreek Brewery are launching their newest beer called Zen IPA.
BluCreek describes its Zen IPA as an "English-style India Pale Ale created with a mouth-watering blend of fresh Chinook, Cascade and Centennial hops infused carefully with an invigorating all-natural Green Tea." BluCreek has also made beers produced from blueberries and ginseng in the past. I'm not so sure about a green tea beer but hey, to each his own.
A positive spin on Global Warming
The icecaps around the Arctic Circle are melting partly because of global warming. So in the philosophy of "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade" the brewers at Inuit Microbrewery are making a new beer produced from glacial arctic water called Icecap Pale Ale and Brown Ale.
A brewery in Greenland is producing beer using water melted from the ice cap of the vast Arctic island. The brewers claim that the water is at least 2,000 years old and free of minerals and pollutants. It is claimed that the Greenland beer, officially launched in Copenhagen on Monday, has a softer, cleaner taste than other beers, because of the ice cap water.
Alternative closures (screw caps and synthetic corks) are on a lot of bottles these days. The one complaint that I hear from customers though, is that they miss the romance of hearing the cork come out of the bottle. It's that little "pop" that I miss is what they often say. Well, an ingeniuos company in Australia has come up with "Zorks". It's an alternative closure that actually produces that "pop" sound when it comes out of the bottle. It is even designed to act as a stopper when you put it back in the bottle. As far as I am concerened, this is one cool closure.
ZORK - the revolutionary wine closure that seals like a screw cap and pops like a cork.
But the best part is the " How to Zork movie". Check out the dudes unbuttoned shirt and cuffs and listen to the sweet B rate porn music in the background. LOL! You must check it out. Great product....horrible advertising.
Thanks Laurie for sending me the link on this one.
1999 Harlan Estates The Maiden
I pulled this wine out for Andi as a going away present (although she's not really going away) and when we first opened it we were underwhelmed. I gotta tell you...when you spend well over $100 for a wine, the last word you want to consider is underwhelming. So, we saved it and I tasted it again in little sips Saturday and Sunday. By Saturday it was a lot better and by Sunday it was extraordinary. It was ripe and lush with heavy cedar notes. The palate was all blackberry and mulberry with a tinge of medicinal floating around. The finish was long and exposed its oak aging but not in an unpleasant way. I let several people try this wine and the adjective that I heard multiple times was "explosive". I must agree. When you get this wine in your mouth you have to seriously try to concentrate to get all of the little flavors that keep gliding across your taste buds.
Would I pay that much again for it? Probably - but only if it was a good vintage and only if I promise myself not to open it before it's ready. I mean...it's Harlan for goodness sakes. Everybody probably wants to drive a Lamborghini - Is the price worth the car - probably not... but at least you can say you drove one right?
You may have noticed the posts on weird days and I am really trying to get a handle on things. I may not even have access to a computer next week so please hang in there. Once things are settled in the new jobby-job I'll be back to my regular self. Cheers!
2006 F et D Clair, Santenay Medium cherry-red colour. A very nice width of high-toned fruit on the nose, slowly it takes on a clear red berry complexion. Good depth and a furry texture on the palate. The acidity is nicely balanced and the medium-weight flavours last very well. A six-pack [...]
Sitting in front of the computer preparing to sum up my experience at the European Wine Blogger Conference, I literally feel speechless. Are there words for my emotions, my feeling of warmth and excitement for what’s occurred, along with a touch of sadness and depression I’ve been feeling now that the conference is over? It’s like using an instant camera with the intention of capturing the breadth and beauty of the Grand Canyon. Unless you were there, feeling the hot canyon winds come across the 1,218,375 acres that dip down an average of 4,000 feet deep; smell the rich evergreen and sandalwood aromas in the air; or touch the blazing hot iron soils which kick up fine, red dust under your feet, pictures nor words can never fully describe your experience.
On one hand, I feel a warmth in my heart that has lasted for four days, and I expect it will last well into the future. To see 40+ people from all over the world come together and bond in literally, moments flat, was something we wish would happen among nations everyday. From Friday to Sunday, voices were always raised, bubbling with curiosity and excitement; because how often do you get to speak with someone who blogs in another language as to their perceptions, desires, hopes and fears about wine blogging? For me, not often enough. Instead, I am typically caught in a whirlpool of voices from my own culture, an incestuous conversation that circles around the same view point over and over again. But to have so many different ideas as to what wine blogging is, what we need to do to better our profession, how we can solve our problems, and where we can find solutions was beyond a breath of fresh air, was astonishing! And although we never came to any solid conclusions, we did solidify trust among us, breaking down both cultural and language barriers that hinder our communication to form a cohesive and passionate group willing to continue the conversation well into the future.
Just to give you an idea of the depth of conversation we were able to share, I had a great discussion during dinner on Saturday night with David Cray from Carleton University in Canada on how he can blog about his research on the structure and organization of wine bloggers, allowing us to see step-by-step what has worked and what hasn’t worked in his research. All six wine producers from Portugal, France, Germany and Italy chatted about how they are interested in both tasting and blogging about each others wines to emphasis the fact that even wineries drink other peoples wines. With Justine Keeling, a winery owner out of Tuscany, spoke of her genuine desire to have wineries speak honestly and openly about the daily experiences in the vineyards, rather than promoting only the positive events. Giampiero Nadali offered us some wonderful and innovative ideas on using hedonistic, rather than traditional, tasting notes. And Thomas Lippert offered up his insight on how wine bloggers can increase their credibility by separating themselves from spam and wine aggregators. Granted, this is only a tiny percent of the conversations that were dissected and debated, but it at least gives you a general notion of how receptive many people were in sharing their thoughts. We’ll be going into more detail in the coming days regarding many of these topics.
Oddly, despite these incredible feelings regarding the conference, I am also going through post conference depression (PCD). When I went to drop off our gigantic van filled to the hilt in leftover wine (no complaints, mind you), I literally broke down in tears in front of the Hertz attendant. Among a cloud of exhaustion and excitement, I felt an enormous sense of loss. I wanted my 40+ new friends back. I wanted to have the ability to call someone up and go out for a drink. I missed their kindness, their positive attitudes and the hours upon hours of belly aches I had from laughing nonstop. Look, I’m tearing up again!
I’ll stop before I get my cast wet, but please know that we couldn’t have done this without your belief in us and your willingness to come hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to La Rioja.
Saludos,
Gabriella Opaz
Here are a few pics from Ryan’s camera of what happened, enjoy!
The first bottle I tasted was spoilt by a strong balsamic vinegar character so I asked for another. No such problems here - it’s a beauty. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (66%) Petit Verdot (18%) Malbec (14%) and Merlot (2%) from the Montgomery Brothers Vineyard at Ellensbrook and the Glenmore and Bantry Bay Vineyards at [...]
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.
This is a monster. Powerful nose, powerful palate and powerful dark ruby colour. Which I like at times but something is not quite in balance here. There is a pungent, smoky quality that is burning my senses and I'm picking up too much sulpher which I believe I'm sensitive to. Some black fruit coming through, nice firm tannins and a bitter finish.
Perhaps this is evidence that noting the vintage of a wine is incredibly important when choosing your wine - because the 2006 does not shine for me and I would probably only give it 2 or 3 stars at a push. It's a bomb and after half a glass I was ready to move on.
This Thursday--TODAY Nov.20-- marks the annual, world wide release day of Beaujolais Nouveau. It is a celebratory affair in Beaujolais when a very simple wine made from Gamay grapes is released having barely enough time to ferment. It is merely weeks old from the time of harvest to the time of release.
Typically B. Nouveau is simple, fruity guzzling wine at its simple best. Brimming with strawberry and/or raspberry highlights it is wine made to drink immediately and in fact in all likelihood will have gone by if you hold it until this time next year.
So find yourself a couple different bottles from different producers and compare. You can expect to pay around $10-$12 a bottle so raise a glass! (I JUST bought a bottle of Duboeuf and it cost me $9. If you would, let us know what you think of the particular Nouveau you slog down! Watch for the review of the one I just bought later on this evening and raise a glass!
Dubbed the "first lady of wine" by one Robert Parker, Heidi Peterson Barrett makes damn good wine (think Screaming Eagle) in Napa, and now you can listen to her talk about how she decides what and when to harvest in this video just posted by one of her winery clients, Fantesca. Filmed on October 2, Heidi discusses not only Fantesca's harvest but that of the region as a whole, so it's a nice 3-minute primer on what's happening in the vineyards in and around Napa about this time. Personally, I was super lucky to meet Heidi earlier this year in Napa at a fantastic gathering of women in wine, and if you click the link to "read more" you can check out a pic of the two of us. Not my best pic - but then again, that hardly matters when one is so close to Ms. Hallowedness of Wine. Cheers!
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.
Two weeks ago a team of American researchers promised what the New York Times story called "guilt-free gluttony" through resveratrol, a component found in red wine.
Now, in a scientific detente, French researchers are doing them one better: cardiovascular-improving sloth. To wit:
"Resveratrol makes you look like a trained athlete without the training," said Dr. Johan Auwerx of the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch, France who led the study. [Read full story]
This is going to be serious competition for the ab toning belt.
We all know that red wine can cause pinot envy. So only four deadly sins to go! What will resveratrol create next? Humble pride? Gentle anger? Generous greed? Platonic lust?!?
Related: "Lose weight on a red wine diet"--with video of lab mice! [Daily Telegraph]
Tecnorati
It doesn?t seem like eight years has passed since we entered the new millennium in 2001, but it has. It was the beginning of a very difficult time; my wife Liz passed away in Feb 2001, the political process started to change and the world changed with it. September 11 showed up on the world?s doorstep, and many of us have been taking it one day at a time, hoping for better days to come.
Ever since the time I attempted to simultaneously sell a Tuscan Novello and a Vernaccia di Serrapatrona, that would have been about this time in 1984, I have wondered why Italian wines chose me. Not just me, but for some of the hard stuff, I sure have had my share of those assignments. Driving around with a delivery van full of baby Sangiovese alongside a quirky, dry, foamy red wine made by a madman in the hills of the Marche. What was I thinking then? Even now it sounds bizarre. Don Quixote, only this time we weren?t looking for windmills. We were looking for space stations for these special travelers. And in honor of those two wines, in the 2001 of our little story here, we have an homage: Novello Di Ascoli, a modern wine about 
Chianti: 2001 was a little project that went beyond Chianti 2000. I?m not sure if people realize the first Italian in space was Sangiovese. A little known experiment resulted in growing and harvesting the grapes aboard the International space station. Limited release, only about 20 cases, hydroponically grown. It was intended to test the ideas of extra-terroirestrial winegrowing. It is an amazing red wine, without the pull of gravity and ratings. No, only the influence of the astro-agronomist-winemaker, an American of Italian descent. It challenges the limitations of the Italian wine trail that we terrestrials put on it. Buckminster Fuller said, ?Whatever nature lets you do is natural.? I wish all of you could have tried it with me. But alas, a quick trip to Washington D.C., some time ago, was the only opportunity any of us will have. But there will be more. Watch for a sparkling wine to come, made in zero gravity, called Zero-Zero. No dirt on their space-boots, but lots of ardent advances orbiting above us.
Down in the Cilento National Park, there is a colony of Italians who speak Esperanto. They escaped the area around Vesuvius many years ago and decided to leave behind their dialect. But they took their grapes with them and started making a red wine for the new millennium, to coalesce their past with their future. It is a cult wine on the islands around Naples and further south. I have only seen and had it once, from a private cellar in Panarea. The wine reminded me of the reds made by Galardi. I have heard people say they have traded two bottles of Le Pin for one bottle of ?Vulkano? Campania Ruga. I have tried both wines. I would say two bottles of Le Pin for one from the Esperantani?s is a fair deal.
About 11 years ago, in a place near Colfiorito, there was a terrible earthquake. When they got to digging out some of the buildings, rescue workers found a lab book from a vineyardist, describing a project code-named ?Il Grifi?. The project, like its name, had as its goal to combine three grapes to make a new wine. Here the vineyardist had been researching, via recombinant DNA, the creation of a wine that had as its parents, Sangiovese, Sagrantino and Montepulciano. And yes, for many years in Umbria and the Marche, winemakers have blended these grapes together to make various wines. William Sylvester, who starred in the Stanley Kubrick film, had made a film in Italy and was fascinated with this area and with wine. So he funded this little known experimentalist. Italy loves to resuscitate ancient things: statues, grapes, legends. In this case, as we headed back to 2001, we discovered that the wine had finally been made, in minute quantities. An amazing wine, combining the ephemeral verve of Sangiovese, the tannic and alcoholic power of the Sagrantino and the lubriciousness of the Montepulciano. Joy upon joy, an almost perfect wine in time for the new age. But alas, only one year was made and only 1113 bottles. They were mostly served at an autumn Sagra in Colfiorito for the special red potato named after the area, which makes the most wonderful base for the local gnocchi. The wine disappeared into memory, along with the best gnocchi I had ever had. The wine? Sangrapulciano.
Two wines, Navicella and Passeggiata, were ?good soul? efforts to make right the promise to reach the moon before the end of the decade. In the Italian?s efforts, though, it managed to arrive about 30 years later. End of decade, end of century, end of millennium, hey it?s only time, no?
Navicella was the wine intended for the first course, something from the aquaculture tanks. Passeggiata was created for the second stage, more experimental than the first wine. It was a sci-fi way of twinning tradition (Navicella) with innovation (Passeggiata) and for those who experienced the wine, I've been told it was a magical. Again, this was eight years ago when the Italians were embracing the next big thing. Now we are earthbound again, arguing this time over tradition vs. innovation. There are a few of these wines available on the auction circuits. A large enological school in Northeastern Italy was in incubating site for these wines. The Lega Nord, and a then unknown party operative, put an end to it. That little known operative would someday, in the future, join with Berlusconi and attempt to influence events in a larger and more important wine producing region, with near cataclysmic results.
Out last find caused a little flap among the retro-futurists in the room. Paraspruzzi was proposed to bridge the workers in the fields, those who tromp through the primal slime in their waders, with the elevated shapers of fashion. Originally the marketers wanted to call it ?Chiaccerone?. Another on the board wanted to name it ?Lo Scroccone?. But it was felt that normal wine lovers wouldn?t know how to pronounce it. Not that Paraspruzzi is that easy, but it sounded like the celebrity photographers who were known to frequent all the ?in? places looking for those same nine beautiful people to snap up.
