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[07/16/2006, 18:30]

ileach cask strength
The good wines of the small big companies.
The Malbec 2004 Marguery Family

"FAMILY MARGUERY" elaborates his wines in the locality of Cross of Stone, Mendoza, into Republic Argentina .

"Exclusively we are compromised by the production of wines of high quality "enologica" by means of the use of the last technological advances and in limited items. Our grapes come from ancient vineyards strictly selected of the localities of Uco's Valley (Mendoza - Argentina) seeking to express the peculiar characteristics of every "terroirs", says Marguery.

This wineries of Argentina was founded in the 2000 year. " We look for wines of good concentration, complex and expressive, for it and consistent with our vision, we work in this respect from the vineyard. Everything there speaks about the care and the dedication that we have with our plants wineries. There helps us very much the height that they have on the level of the sea (1.100mts.), the desert conditions of the climate, the poverty of the soil, the thermal extent, that is to say all conditions that favor the ideal development of the Malbec ".

Read more



[11/13/2008, 18:19]

BLEEARRGH

Found this on the clearance rack for $8. I just drank some with dinner. First glass, with a pasta & tomato sauce: started bland and finished odd. Second glass I drank without accompaniment; worse - actually gagged on the last swallow. In the morning I'll pour the rest down the drain.

[11/10/2007, 20:36]

Tikve? Alexandria Riesling

ileach cask strengthThis wine is characterized by a yellow-green colour, a fresh citrusy aroma with hints of honey and a complex flowery aftertaste. It’s a semi-dry riesling, dryer than the Slovenian rieslings (such as Laski Riesling for example), but sweeter than those found in Serbia. It is a nice wine to accompany a lighter meal.

This is one of the wines available in Belgrade restaurants in 0.2l bottles, so if you’re a driver among non-wine drinkers (meaning you can’t order a whole bottle of some fine wine) it’s a good chance you’ll be in a position to try it. Do so.

Rating: 6/10
Price: 250 RSD (3.5 euro)

Technorati Tags: , ,

WorldWine Tags: Macedonia Wine, Wine, Tikves,
[10/15/2008, 19:38]

2008 Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition

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

[10/10/2008, 21:14]

Cellar's Market: Fine Wine Investing On the Rise

It looks like the trend mentioned a few weeks back is still popular. Jennifer Waters (marketwatch.com) writes:

CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- On a hot, sunny Friday here in September only days after the first Monday market meltdown, two well-heeled wine buyers battled each other at a private auction for the privilege of shattering a world-record price for a single case of 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild.
 
A Chinese buyer who flew in from Beijing for the Hart Davis Hart Co. auction won with a final bid of $54,970 -- a whopping $4,580.83 a bottle. At its release in 1984, a single bottle would have sold for roughly $100. A case of 1990 Romanee-Conti Domaine de la Romanee-Conti that was released at about $500 a bottle sold for $179,250, or $14,937.50 each. A case of 2000 Chateau Petrus was bought for $57,360, or $4,780 a bottle. At its release, the price was $750 a bottle.
 
Such dramatic price appreciation is not the norm for wine investments, but it does underscore how lucrative and resilient investing in fine wine can be -- particularly so at a time when market volatility is deflating 401(k) accounts and retirement nest eggs, and low interest rates are choking returns on cash and other investments.

Full Story

Tags: , , , , , ,

T T
WorldWine Tags: melgab, wine, investment, ROI, auction, south-africa, South Africa,
[11/24/2007, 21:02]

WinEco Biserni Chardonnay Barrique 2006

oThis is another great wine from the WinEco winery (Podrum Radenkovi?) from Southern Serbia. It is a not-very-dry Chardonnay, without a strong nose, but with an exceptional balance of fruity and barrique aromas. It is easy going, with a full taste, definitely one of the wines to accompany your lighter meals. It’s barrique traces make it a great complement to slightly smoked fish or cheeses, but it’s also great on it’s own.

In general, Chardonnay is particularly suited for the barrique (oak aged) treatment. Chardonnay Barrique develops a pronounced cognac aroma and becomes a truly full-bodied wine - all hints of fruity flavours become very subdued.

Score 9/10
Price: 800 RSD (?10)
Retailer: Super Vero

[02/12/2006, 06:09]

Charles Shaw (Two-buck-chuck) Cabernet

When people find out that I enjoy cheap wine enough to devote a website to it, they usually ask me if I have been to Trader Joe’s. My response, until last week, has always been “No, not yet”.

Well, I finally caved and took a trip to Detroit, the nearest Trader Joe’s location for me here in Lansing. Ann Arbor might actually be closer, but as an MSU Spartan, I try to stay out of there.

o

I’d like to preface this review of Charles Shaw Cabernet with a synopsis of Trader Joe’s. If you have one near you, go there. If not for the wine, then for the thousands of food items that pack the small market. I spent 80 dollars, which sounds like a bit much especially for me. I ended up leaving with 2 cases of wine and enough food for a week. Fresh mozzarella, fresh gnocchi, fresh salsa (notice a pattern?), Guacamole chips, Trader Joe’s Marinara, soups, veggies…. I was in heaven. They have got all kinds of cheeses, breads, meats, micro-brewed beers, and their wine selection was out of this world. What a great store!

Trader Joe’s is the exclusive retailer of Charles Shaw Wines, better known to most as “Two-buck Chuck”. In California these wines sell for $1.99, which is just amazing. Here in Michigan, though, the price was $2.99.

Did we like it? Was it worth the trip?

Hell yes it was! For 3 dollars, I don’t think it could have been any better. The Cabernet was great. At first, I found it to be a little sweet, but looking back, I was actually enjoying the salsa with the wine, which probably wasn’t a great combination. Along with the Cab, I also purchased some of the Shiraz, Merlot, and Chardonnay (reviews coming soon).

Congrats to Two-Buck-Chuck and Trader Joe’s for achieving the highest rating available here on Cheap Wine Reviews. Hats off to you!

Rating: 10/10
Price: $2.99
Place of Purchase Trader Joe’s

[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.

[02/25/2008, 03:03]

Romance with 2002 Zinfandels

Okay, it was actually a few days before Valentine?s. But clearly our uncharacteristically small group of Vancouver American Wine Society members who had gathered to compare a horizontal flight of ten 2002 Zinfandels were jumping into the spirit of romance.

Here they come in the order we tasted, and although it would be fun, we can take no credit for the final ?heartfelt? evaluations of the ten offerings ? each was delivered from an appointed, if sometimes reluctant, spokesperson at a different table.

oWine #1: Paso Robles Westside from Peachy Canyon Winery
Thin, weak, and presenting surprisingly little fruit either on the nose or the palate. This wine is like a ghostly and somewhat disappointing lover. Neat tasting room though as seen at the right.

Wine #2: Alexander Valley Todd Brothers Ranch from Dashe Cellars
Made with 4% Petit Syrah, the general consensus was that this wine was approaching ? or perhaps even past ? its prime. Tannins were still a bit coarse, and there was definite sediment. This wine was ranked as a dark and sultry, if a bit over the top lover.

Wine #3: Sonoma Valley Rhinefarm Vineyard from Gundlach Bundschu Winery

Softer and with a better balance than the previous one, most people agreed this wine showed coffee, chocolate, and mint overtones. The finish was longer, smoother like a well-oiled lover ? apparently appealing as this wine was ranked Number One of the evening.

Wine #4: Amador County Grandpere from Renwood Winery
Made from old vines though from a newer winery (shown right), this wine was deemed somewhat austere. Oak on the nose buto light in fruit, this wine ? according to the table?s spokesperson ? would not be finding its way onto her table nor into her bedroom even on Valentine?s Day.

Wine #5: Dry Creek Valley from Chateau Souverain
Not offensive, merely flat and faded from time with not enough fruit remaining to be worth mentioning. This wine is one lover who simply doesn?t deliver ? even after midnight.

Wine #6: Dry Creek Valley from Foppiano Vineyards
Although we knew this vineyard specializes in ?affordable,? this vintage was rather like ostuffing your face full of penny candy in the general store. A fickle lover ? even on a one night stand, first he thought he loved her, then he didn?t, then he did.

Wine #7: Napa Valley from Napa Wine Company
Like a chameleon, this wine exhibited the most dramatic amount of change of any poured this evening and garnered second favourite in the process. On the palate cedar, tobacco, and barnyard. In bed, an almost schizoid lover ? but definitely one you?d happily suggest a roll in the hay with.

Wine #8: Napa Valley Old Vines from Fife Vineyards
Simple and somewhat nondescript but still comfortable, this wine is from old vines. Good for mindless quaffing on an open-air patio. A lover wearing nothing but flannel pajamas.

Wine #9: Napa Valley from Ravenswood Winery
Although this wine didn?t open as much as many of us had expected, it was ?no wimpy wine.? Brawny and well structured, a few people found a hint of cream soda. This one is a somewhat reticent lover but definitely well built lover ? perhaps even a redhead. (Note: these guys have a really fun website and a terrific sense of humour. Here?s an excerpt: At Ravenswood, othere?s no pinkie raising, Brie eating, wine spitting wimpiness. Oh no. At the home of No Wimpy Wines, you?ll get to taste mind blowing zinfandel, witty conversation with our behind-the-bar staff and, if you so choose, private or group tours of the winery aka Zinfomania Central.)

Wine #10: Napa Valley from Rutherford Ranch
Controversy swirled around this wine as it became clear there was an almost unbelievable amount of bottle variation between each of the three that were poured. Some felt theirs was corked, others said ?no, it?s just the style.? Was it a Madame wearing pancake make up and a feather boa or a great lover who hadn?t showered for a week? Few could agree.
[11/25/2006, 14:17]

o
Preparations for Christmas.

Santiago of Chile prepares itself to receive the Christmas.

While hurried wayfarers travel the Plaza of Weapon, a group of workers raised in nets, prepare a gigantic tree.

It will be finished in a few days more and be be almost so high as the centenary Cathedral, Satiago's former relic.
[07/17/2007, 17:43]

Advertise on the Women Wine Critics Board

Advertising on the Women Wine Critics Board ABOUT US This blog is compiled and edited by Mary Baker, co-owner of Dover Canyon Winery in Paso Robles, California. Mary has considerable experience in the California wine industry, and the blog is open to all writers who are passionate about wine. It is updated at least three times per month with guest articles and wine news. OUR READERSHIP The Women Wine Critics Board attracts an audience interested in fine wine, wine-related travel and wine appreciation experiences. As of June 2007, the number of unique visitors coming to the site on a monthly...
[10/07/2008, 14:10]

New Gmail feature helps prevent morning-after regrets

oGoogle has implemented a feature for its Gmail intended to help prevent people who have been drinking from sending email messages they later wish they hadn?t.

While many people who have had occasion to wish for such a thing envisioned a Breathalyzer-type hardware solution, Mail Goggles uses math. Once the feature is enabled, the user must correctly answer five simple math questions within a specified time in order to send a message. By default the feature only is active late on weekend nights, but can be adjusted in user preferences.

More information about Mail Goggles is available on Google?s Gmail Blog .
[11/24/2008, 16:16]

Chateau Leoville Barton 1995 wine review by (PB)

o
A weekend blow through to (NW's) place had us drinking through a few bottles from his "informed" cellar. (NW) of this blog, picked this up several years ago and laid it down. It comes from the St. Julien section of Bordeaux and is noted as a premier great growth year after year.

Even before raising the glass to my nose sweet fruit filled the air. Luden's wild cherry cough drops (a fond memory from kid-dom came to mind)

Nose is big cigar box aromas with touches of leather and of course cherries galore.

Palate--even at 13 years old, this wine still has some maturing to do with slightly chewy tannins, which lay out the cedar foundation with bright red fruit, plum.
(NW) paid around $50 this when he purchased it but you won't be able to touch it for that now. Raise a glass for sure!
[10/15/2008, 16:52]

Yat?s an emerging chain to watch, trade mag says

oRestaurant & 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.
[10/06/2008, 22:23]

Drink Local Wine

o


Celebrate Wine is pleased to be a part of a new wine-writing project called "Drink Local Wine." The site brings together wine journalists, sommeliers, bloggers, and other wine enthusiasts from 16 "non-west coast" states and Canada. The goal is to enforce the reality that North American wine is not just about California, Oregon, and Washington anymore.

At "Drink Local Wine," you'll find information about wines from Illinois, Maryland, Georgia, and Wisconsin...and, of course, my home state, Ohio. Be sure to take a look.

(image courtesy of Drink Local Wine) See full article.

Related Entries:

Robots Drink Wine - 05 August 2006

Vinturi Helps Wines to Breathe Faster, Taste Better! - 03 October 2007

Why wine (or the wine industry) is a scam... - 27 December 2007

Drink Red Wine - Live to 100 - 16 August 2008




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[06/20/2007, 22:05]

All Canadian, All the Time

Over May 13th, 14th and 15th 2007, thirty wine writers, sommeliers, and industry professionals from across Canada and the U.S. met in Windsor, Ontario to judge the 27th annual All Canadian Wine Championships. More than 850 wines were submitted from...
[11/07/2008, 15:19]

Maryland Wine Association Celebrates 25 Years

o

Maryland's wine and commercial grape industry members gathered on November 3, 2008 to celebrate the Maryland Wineries Association's 25th Anniversary, and to honor special guests.

Nearly 100 winery proprietors, commercial grape growers and guests enjoyed dinner, tasting each others' wines and talking about the progress the industry has made over the last 25 years.

o

Many of the founding members of the Wineries Association were on-hand to discuss the challenges they faced during the formative years of the industry. The industry's newcomers were treated to tastings from library wines from wineries present and past?including early bottlings of Catoctin Winery and Byrd Vineyards.

MWA Executive Director Kevin Atticks presented "Friend of the Industry" awards to four individuals and "The Gnarled Vine Award" to a couple who has had a major impact in the Maryland wine/grape industry.

MWA "Friend of the Industry" recipients
Steve McHenry, Maryland Agricultural & Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO): For developing vineyard installation and winery/vineyard equipment loans; for funding important industry projects.

Jack Steinmetz, Kent County Economic Development: For encouraging the growth of the industry in Kent Co.
For developing loan fund for county growers; for spearheading and organizing the development of a Vineyard Management Company study and workshops.

o

Hudson Cattell and Linda Jones McKee: For their service to the industry in the creation of Wine East Magazine and for their abundant enthusiasm for East Coast wine, and their faith in our ability to compete in the global wine market.

"The Gnarled Vine Award" Presented to Jack & Emily Johnston, Copernica Vineyard
This Gnarled Vine award honors a couple? a couple who has been at a driving force in developing our industry over the last 25 years. Although they are self-proclaimed ?behind the scenes? people, these two very individual people have been vital to the growth of the Maryland Wine Industry.

Together they grow about six acres of the state?s most acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. As eternal leaders in the Maryland Grape Growers Association, he manages and she edits the MGGA?s Grapevine quarterly newsletter.


They have been cornerstones of the wine appreciation movement, founding the Carroll County Chapter of the American Wine Society in 1980. They have managed the wine education program at the Maryland Wine Festival since its very beginning in 1984. The recipients of the Gnarled Vine award are Emily and Jack Johnston of Copernica Vineyard.

Woodhall Wine Cellars proprietor Al Copp raised a toast to MWA and to the wine and grape industry offering support for the industry's accomplishments and looking forward to many more years of prosperous growth.
[10/03/2008, 17:05]

The Cube (1969)

Created by Jim Henson, this made-for-tv movie broke new ground. It aired in 1969 on NBC?s Experiment in Television, a one-hour, commercial-free show that ran on Sunday afternoons and featured drama, comedy, and documentaries peppered with such personalities as Frank Langella, Nanette Fabray, Fritz Weaver, Bernadette Peters, Verna Bloom, Frank McHugh, Jack Gilford, Nancy Walker, David Steinberg, Mildred Dunnock, Donald Pleasance, Richard Briers, John Gielgud, George Plimpton, Christopher Plummer and Diana Rigg. Documentaries featured people like Marshall McLuhan, Frederico Fellini, Arthur Penn, Al Capp and the Beatles.

Set aside an hour and watch it....

[06/08/2008, 00:34]

Working on the Road

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.

Cheers, salud, and we'll catch up soon.

Francisco
[08/29/2006, 02:09]

o
Buenos Aires, wine and tango (1).

Almost a hundred of Argentine warehouses will expose your products in the biggest Fair of Wine of Latin America.

This event - Wines and Warehouses 2006 - removes to end for the sixth year in a row. It will be realized in the Fairground Land of La Rural, in Buenos Aires, between the 14th to September 16.

This meeting of the industry of the wine incites the interest not only of the consuming public, but specially of merchants and distributors, places and foreigners who have opportunity to analyze in an alone place the variety of Argentine wines, produced both by big companies and by the warehouses called "boutique".

In the last years the Argentina realized a deep review of your position on the international market of wines and, thanks to the joint effort of the local butlers, the positioning of the mark is fortifying country in the different markets. Provided that your wines expire with all the requirements of quality and being relied on, likewise, by two varietales celebrated, the malbec and the torrontés, the Argentina marks a difference and manages to differ from other countries producers.

Wines and Warehouses 2006 foresees the accomplishment of business Rounds, where the local producers will be able to make concrete economic agreements with buyers of the whole world.

Exhibitors' list:

Alta Vista - Bodegas La Riojana Coop.- Aristides - Lariviere Iturbe - Atilio Avena - Lavaque - Babco - Los Haroldos - Balbo Luigi Bosca - Barale Biurrun - Luis Segundo Correa - Bgas. Kaufman - Lurton - Bodega Altus - Morsella - Bodega NQN - Navarro Correas - Bodegas Borbore - Nesman - Bodegas La Guarda - Norton - Bodegas Lopez - Pcia. de San Juan - Bodegas Mayol - Porvenir de los Andes - Cavas de Santos - PR Argentina - Chacras del Sol - Putruele Hnos. - Chandon - R. J Viñedos - Clos de los Siete - Revista Club del Vino - Club del Vino - Dante Robino - Roca - Crotta - Ruca Malen - Del Fin del Mundo - Saenz Briones - Domingo Hnos - Sua - Don Cristobal - Telteca Winery - EAS - Tempus Alba - EAV - Terrazas de los Andes - El Rosal - Tittareli - Eral Bravo - Toso - Familia Nofal - Trapiche - Fantelli - Trivento - Fecovita - Valentin Bianchi - Finca el Retiro - Viña El Cerno - Finca Flichman - Viñas del Baron - Finca Las Moras - Viñas del Golf - Fincas Andinas - Vinecol - Flia. Schroeder - Wine 5 - Flia. Zuccardi - Xumek - Freixenet - Honda - Guime - YPF - Humberto Canale
[11/20/2008, 19:29]

Threshers 2008 Money Off Voucher

o
Seeing as there are 8 people viewing the older Threshers Voucher pages on Spittoon as I type I thought a quick post of the new money off voucher was in order.

I wasn't going to bother seeing as its been printed in various national newspapers and other websites and the focus of Spittoon has changed a little over the year... but here you go...

Download the 2008 40% Threshers Voucher here: 40ThresherOfferVoucher.pdf

o o o o o
o
[11/06/2008, 10:20]

Photo Atlas of Spain´s Wine Culture

o
At the time of the grape harvest, Wine Tourism Spain has launched its first Photo Atlas on Spain´s geography and wine culture.
The photo Atlas on winetourismspain.com thoroughly reflects Spain´s variety of vineyards and landscapes, the historical and architectural diversity of its wineries, as well as interesting aspects of wine culture. There are more than 300 photos organised in 6 albums: Landscapes, Cellars, Hard work, Wine Accessories, Close look at the vineyard and In-depth."

This Atlas has been put together thanks to the photos which have participated in the First National Competition of Wine Photography in Spain. The competition has been sponsored by the Institute of Touristic Promotion of Castille la Mancha, Haciendas de España, Bodegas Torremilanos, with the collaboration of Verema.com. It is one of the initiatives launched by winetourismspain.com to enable the public to discover the variety of Spain´s wine culture and geography.

The winners, chosen by a Jury made up of the different sponsors, are the following:

First prize: Nevada Tardía (Antonio Martínez Andía)
Second prize: Casi la luna (Raquel Benito Olarte)
Third prize: Tinajas en la Mancha (M Jesús Abad de Lucas)
Special prize: Castille la Mancha Camino del Hidalgo (Daniel Fernández Méndez)

Like many and several wine bloggers I love photography and find foreign travel particularily invigorating; from these galleries many photos are inspiring and evocative - Atraves de la Copa, Al Atardecer and Camino-del-Hidalgo.

o o o o o
o
[08/04/2008, 00:00]

Scottish drinks proposals criticised

The Scottish drinks industry has criticised government plans to restrict the availability of alcohol to cut misuse.
[11/07/2008, 19:39]

Is A New Wine Tax Hike Looming? (Wine Spectator)

No one wants his or her taxes raised. Yet given the enormity of the fiscal challenges that lie ahead for this country, is a new tax on wine in order? I don't think so, and certainly hope not. But in the past, anti-alcohol lobbies have eyed a tax increase on wine and spirits.
[10/06/2008, 11:00]

2008 Hospice du Rhône - The Syrah Shootout

Welcome to our video podcast 2008 Hospice Du Rhône Syrah Shootout - Video Show #44.

Click the Image Below to Play the Video:

o

Right Click Here to Download File

Imagine 45 bottles of Syrah, each one bagged and numbered just waiting for sensory evaluation. Now, imagine that these evaluations will come from the very winemakers who made these wines.

That’s right, 45 winemakers evaluating their own wine, while competing against the wines made by their colleagues. That’s the premise of the 2008 Hospice du Rhône’s Syrah Shootout, where the winner gets bragging rights - plus a terrific-looking (not so much) “Coat du Rhône” to wear home.

Join winemaker Rusell Bevan and he takes us through a guided tour of this great event.

For More Info on the Hospice Du Rhône: www.hospicedurhone.org

[10/12/2008, 10:54]

Why Wine Isn't Art?and Why That Matters

Brilliant article from the recent issue of Wine Spectator written by Matt Kramer (winespectator.com):

Recently I found myself in one of those wine wrangles that, truth to tell, I usually try to avoid. (Check out any wine chat board on the Internet if you've got a taste for this sort of thing.)
 
The wrangle was with, natch, a winemaker, while at a social event. It involved the winemaker's assertion that "fine wine is art." I pointed out, as modestly as I could, that there's no denying that nature surely doesn't make wine on its own, let alone fine wine (vinegar is more like it). I then went on to say that fine wine is, at best, a high craft both in the vineyard and the cellar.
 
Probably, if I had stopped there, the discussion would have proved amicable. But I took the matter one step further. (You're shocked, I know.) I submitted that saying that winemaking, and therefore its result, is "art" was self-aggrandizing. You can imagine how that was received.
 
Now, I admit that the self-aggrandizing bit was a low blow. Still, it's true. If winemakers can get you, me and, especially, their employers to see them as artists, you know what'll happen: Their salaries will rise, and producers, for their part, will start pricing wine as "art." And you know what that means.
 
So why isn't fine wine "art"? The answer is surprisingly simple. Art is creation; wine is amplification. The big difference between an artist and a winemaker is that an artist starts with a blank sheet while a winemaker works with the exact opposite. A grape arrives at the winery with all the parts included, a piñata stuffed with goodies, just waiting to be cracked open.
 
Is there a craft to doing that? You bet there is. But where an artist conceives of something out of the proverbial thin air, no winemaker anywhere in the world can do any such thing.
 
For example, when my wine heroine Lalou Bize-Leroy bought the former Domaine Noëllat in Vosne-Romanée and transformed it into Domaine Leroy, she did not create her magnificent wines from scratch. It was all right there in the hallowed ground and old vines of her newly acquired pieces of Richebourg and Romanée St.-Vivant. She didn't create something from nothing. Quite the opposite.
 
Fine wine is not creation. It is refinement. If it were otherwise, then everybody would be "creating" Lafite Rothschild or La Tâche or any other wine masterpiece of singular, irreproducible expression and high price. Counterfeiting aside, I don't see anybody doing that, do you?
 
They don't because they can't. That's precisely why fine wine is not art. It comes from all the forces that create a particularity of site. Great winemakers?which is to say, expert practitioners of winecraft?tease what they can from the sites that are available to them by planting the right grapevines, growing them astutely, harvesting the fruit at an ideal moment (a problematic issue today given some winemakers' and critics' preferences for ever greater ripeness) and handling the fermented juice in the cellar with deft control.
 
This is no small charge, and I, for one, do not seek to diminish it in any way. But art? Not a chance. The poet E.E. Cummings put his finger on it better than anyone else: "A world of made is not a world of born." Wine is no more a blank canvas than the Grand Canyon.
 
Why does this distinction matter? Because abstract though it is, if winemakers and, yes, wine lovers, see wine as art, then the essential connection between what a grape expresses from its site and what we expect is severed. If a winemaker is an "artist," then he or she, by artistic right, can and should modify the result to suit a personal vision separate from a "mere" expression of place.
 
However, if the finest winemaking is seen as a high craft, rather than art, the e