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Wine Ebooks:
| | The Complete Grape Growers Guide. |  | | A Complete Guide For Growing Grapes. Converts Very Well At A Reasonable Price! Growing Grapes And Making Wine Is A Very Popular Topic Right Now.
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| | Fool-Proof Wine Values. | | | Learn How To Easily Find Wines Of $50 Quality For $10 Or Less. Impress Friends With Your Expanded Wine Knowledge. Eliminate Your Dependence On Wine Salespeople. And Take The Hassle Out Of Buying Wine.
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| | Making Wine From Home. | | | A Fun And Very Informative Book On Home Wine Making. The De Facto Standard For All Home Wine Enthusiasts With Recipes, Advice And Tricks.
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[11/11/2008, 16:35]
One Glass a Time: Sweet! (Wine Spectator) | | | 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. | | | |
[09/22/2008, 05:25]
India: So who is drinking what? | | There is definitely wine in India, but who exactly is drinking it? I have tasted pretty much all of the local, at least grape, wine I can find, which was pretty easy, as that is a population of about three producers. I ran across fruit wines being sold up in the foothills of the Himalayans, but I didn't have a chance to try it, and I don't usually count it as wine, at least for the scope of this blog.
The most amazing thing about wine, at least this far from Delhi (I am up north in the large city of Chandigarh) is people's perceptions of it. They, at least the locals I have met, do not know exactly what wine is. They assume it is a sort of whiskey, and a high priced one at that.
When I had a chance to share wine with them they were delighted with the taste, although to be fair I started them off with a slightly sweet white. This is a beginner wine for many people, and it was well received here, and went nicely with the local foods.
People here drink whiskey, and they drink it with nibbles before a meal. Drinking wine with the dinner was not something they had ever thought of doing. In fact drinking wine at all was something they had not thought of doing.
Almost every block there is a store that sells liquor and beer, and while the signs say they have wine, none actually do. Only a few stores carry wine at all, and their selection is very small.
That is not surprising given that most of the people in India I have met have no idea what wine is. The few restaurants that have wine listed have "both kinds" red and white, and nothing more descriptive than that.
The wines made in India are not bad, but they are very expensive. In a country where a hair cut cost $1.50 a $12 bottle of wine is an investment that few consider worth the risk.
It is changing. The ultra rich are drinking the big name labels, as they always do. The middle classes are ordering Dominos pizzas in their Levi jeans over their cell phones, and sooner or later they are going to start equating wine with their lifestyles.
Once India gets a taste for wine, watch out, there is a huge potential market here, if you are very, very patient, or very, very proactive. | | | |
[07/17/2008, 13:25]
More Godello | | How could I omit the two intelligent value Godello picks? I chose these two because they convey distinct interpretations of the variety, in spite of the two D.O.?s not being terribly far apart. Taste them together to see the immense differences evident in each Godello within what would amount to a short bus ride from Bierzo to Valdeorras. It?s quite hard to argue that neighboring wine regions cultivating the same variety aren?t little miracles, with this sentiment growing even more potent for the wine lover within single vineyards with many producers, though that?s another topic altogether.
Enjoy this, one of many examples of all new things Spanish that will slowly become more prevalent in the U.S. market over the coming six months or so?Godello.
Before I forget, speaking of the next wave of imports from Spain, if you haven?t been paying attention to Telmo Rodríguez in the past few years, I would try his Godello and watch this video. Aside from being a fascinating Spanish entrepreneur, he exudes passion for well-crafted, regional wines. The video is eight minutes in length, though for some reason, it winds up being 3 and change. Nevertheless, listen to Mr. Rodríguez introducing his wines on a recent visit to Toronto?s Lifford Wine Agency. In essence, he is responsible for affordable little masterpieces from various Spanish D.O.?s. His progressive outlook in terms of production methods is matched by an ability to reinvigorate production of traditional varieties in the regions where he owns vineyards. This in turn, yields intelligent value wines from various Spanish D.O.?s that much like Susana Balbo?s wines in Argentina, seem to be produced in a manner which never sacrifices regional character for novelty or the wrong type of market's tastes. What with how things are going nowadays in the wine business, what a refreshing point of view!
Los vinos:
2007 Pilgrim Godello Bierzo D.O.
This wine is clean, pale straw and unassuming at first sight. The nose is vibrant, driven by wild flowers, citrus, treefruit and stone minerality. Complex mouthfeel, with a crisp, racy shot of acidity (pink grapefruit), alongside rich treefruit and distinctive mineral notes.
This wine is produced by Viñedos Agribergidum in Bierzo, located at the westernmost outpost of León bordering Galicia. The Godello vines are an average of 40 years old, with the variety purposely farmed to very low yields.
Imported by Beacon Wine Company.
2005 Gaba do Xil Godello Valdeorras D.O.
A really nice pale gold in the glass. The nose is clean and pronounced, with perfumey floral element, lush green pear, peaches, honeydew melon and touch of sweet spice. Complex but never overwhelming medium-bodied white with great balance of ripe fruit flavors and medium citrus acidity. Love the soft spice undertones that follow the lovely fruit into the aftertaste.
Imported by Tempranillo, Inc. | | | |
[07/17/2008, 13:25]
More Godello | | How could I omit the two intelligent value Godello picks? I chose these two because they convey distinct interpretations of the variety, in spite of the two D.O.?s not being terribly far apart. Taste them together to see the immense differences evident in each Godello within what would amount to a short bus ride from Bierzo to Valdeorras. It?s quite hard to argue that neighboring wine regions cultivating the same variety aren?t little miracles, with this sentiment growing even more potent for the wine lover within single vineyards with many producers, though that?s another topic altogether.
Enjoy this, one of many examples of all new things Spanish that will slowly become more prevalent in the U.S. market over the coming six months or so?Godello.
Before I forget, speaking of the next wave of imports from Spain, if you haven?t been paying attention to Telmo Rodríguez in the past few years, I would try his Godello and watch this video. Aside from being a fascinating Spanish entrepreneur, he exudes passion for well-crafted, regional wines. The video is eight minutes in length, though for some reason, it winds up being 3 and change. Nevertheless, listen to Mr. Rodríguez introducing his wines on a recent visit to Toronto?s Lifford Wine Agency. In essence, he is responsible for affordable little masterpieces from various Spanish D.O.?s. His progressive outlook in terms of production methods is matched by an ability to reinvigorate production of traditional varieties in the regions where he owns vineyards. This in turn, yields intelligent value wines from various Spanish D.O.?s that much like Susana Balbo?s wines in Argentina, seem to be produced in a manner which never sacrifices regional character for novelty or the wrong type of market's tastes. What with how things are going nowadays in the wine business, what a refreshing point of view!
Los vinos:
2007 Pilgrim Godello Bierzo D.O.
This wine is clean, pale straw and unassuming at first sight. The nose is vibrant, driven by wild flowers, citrus, treefruit and stone minerality. Complex mouthfeel, with a crisp, racy shot of acidity (pink grapefruit), alongside rich treefruit and distinctive mineral notes.
This wine is produced by Viñedos Agribergidum in Bierzo, located at the westernmost outpost of León bordering Galicia. The Godello vines are an average of 40 years old, with the variety purposely farmed to very low yields.
Imported by Beacon Wine Company.
2005 Gaba do Xil Godello Valdeorras D.O.
A really nice pale gold in the glass. The nose is clean and pronounced, with perfumey floral element, lush green pear, peaches, honeydew melon and touch of sweet spice. Complex but never overwhelming medium-bodied white with great balance of ripe fruit flavors and medium citrus acidity. Love the soft spice undertones that follow the lovely fruit into the aftertaste.
Imported by Tempranillo, Inc. | | | |
[12/20/2007, 09:54]
World Exclusive: The Goose Wines | | 
The Goose wines
Retief Goosen has started his own brand of wine, called Fine Wines by the Goose. The farm, interestingly enough called Ganzekraal is located in the Upper Langkloof, not far from Goosen's house in George. Winemaker Morne Jonker is very positive about the brand, with the flagship wine 'The Expression' being a 50% Shiraz - 50% Cabernet blend retailing for about R270 a bottle, with only 1 000 cases of the wine currently on the market.
Jonker describes the Expression as ?an elegant wine, well-balanced wine?.
?Our acids are high ? we don't over-tannin our wines with wood tannins ? and we use 20% new barrels, 80% second, third and fourth fills which gives it that nice classical feel. The wine, in fact, tastes older than what it is.?
Having been produced in the Langkloof ? a cool climate wine region where the average temperature is 17 degrees ? the ripening process is prolonged, resulting in smaller, more concentrated berries.
The Expression is distributed by NMK and Global Brands, and stocked by Caroline Fine Wines at the Cape Town Waterfront.
Brendan Barratt, a good friend of mine and the Assistant Editor of Compleat Golfer magazine (www.compleatgolfer.co.za) caught up with 'The Goose' at the recent SAA Open in Pearl Valley and asked him about his new range of wines.
How did you get into winemaking? Were you always interested in wine?
Well you know, I sort of really got into wine let's say 15 years ago, drinking wine with my wife ? she always liked the Chardonays, so I started drinking it and then I became more interested while travelling around the world. You just about eat in a restaurant every night when you play around the world so I just became interested in ordering different wines off the menu and started really getting interested in all the different flavours. About two years ago I said to a good friend of mine, Werner (Roux ? of Lagoon Bay Golf Estate), Let's get into the wine. And he said, 'Well, I know this guy who makes very good wines, just across the mountain here in George'. So we went to go see Morne (Jonker), and Morne was very interested in getting involved, and that's how we started the brand. So far it's been going fairly well and we have only really been running it now since May last year, and we know the wine is good.
How involved are you in terms of hand-on winemaking?
Well I am not there actually picking the grapes! That's for sure, but I am drinking it! But I have been on the farm a few times and we have invested a lot into the farm to upgrade and plant some more grapes. I was quite involved in the selection of the actual bottle itself and the labelling, they were pretty much my idea.
You're following in the footsteps of some fine winemaking golfers, Ernie, Arnie...
Well yeah, just about every second golfer now has a wine farm, isn't it? We are obviously big drinkers! But it's more of an interest than really a business thing and if it does happen to make it, it's great ? and so far it is doing well. And we know we've got a good brand.
Do have have any particular wine preferences?
I love this combination that Morne has made, the Cabernet-Shiraz and the Sauvignon Blanc we are bottling in February, so my wife is more of the white wine drinker. I like both, purely depending on what I am eating and how I feel.
In terms of marketing the brand, can we expect to see 'Goose Wines' on your shirt sleeve any time soon?
Well, I have Grey Goose, which is unfortunately a French-American vodka, but that's something I will definitely start looking at, doing some sort of branding somewhere on my golf bag. At the moment we have been doing quite a bit of marketing and we were at the wine show in London a few months ago, so we are slowly building up our customers. We are doing well, we are exporting a little bit to England, Ireland, Singapore and China. We are looking forward to the East, once we get China then it is going to be our biggest market for exporting.
To contact Morne - call : 082 653 6800 ; e-mail : morne@thegoosewines.com or for more information log onto www.thegoosewines.com
(Thanks must go to Brendan for providing The Cru with this exclusive interview with "The Goose" - let's hope we see him win another 'Major' soon!)
Cru Master
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[07/18/2007, 14:00]
Cool Links, Newsletters, Blogs and More | | | 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. | | | |
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Price: 11.77 EUR
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As Seen on Ellens 12 Days of Giveaways & Good Morning America The pocket-size electronic talking Wine Master offers a sleek and slim design easy control panel and over 10 000 wine and spirits reviews ratings and suggested retail prices at your fingertips. The newest version of the Wine Master is the most essential wine tool you can own. Bring along with you to wine shops and restaurants and never make another wine buying mistake again. Requires 2-AAA batteries (not included). Over 10 000 wine and spirits reviews ratings (100 pt. scale) and suggested retail prices from Wine Enthusiast Magazine Food and wine pairing guide Digital display screen with back-light and compressed text functions Talking navigation with on/off Type Varietal Winery or Vintage search option Handsome non-zipper black case Wine Master is a mighty wizard that gives you mastery over the most serious wine shop clerks and sommeliers. Brushed aluminum with chrome accents. The Wine Enthusiast 2008 Wine Buying Guide is also available. Size: 4-3/4'H x 3'W NOTE: The information included in the Wine Master is based on the reviews and ratings conducted by The Wine Enthusiast Magazine. For the 2008 edition we added 10 425 reviews. Therefore if you look at a review of a 2002 Caymus in 2007 and in 2008 the review will be the same. Since we cannot review all the wines produced in a year some wines may not appear with a newer year review which does not mean that the wine is discontinued but just that particular vintage (year) was not reviewed.
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Aerates wine faster with an extra-wide base. The Riedel Ultra Wine Decanter offers a modern design in crystal while creating maximum breathing room for your wine. Made of 24% lead crystal the wine decanter has a broad base that allows the wine to aerate and release flavors and aromas which enhance the attributes of your wine. Decanting wines (particularly old wines) just before serving ensures clarity and true color while preventing any sediments from interfering with the wine-drinking experience. Decanting young wines gives it a chance to open up and tame overpowering tannins and fruit flavors. Pair the Riedel Ultra Wine Decanter with our large wine decanter glass stopper. Size: 8-3/8'H 45-3/8 oz.
Price: 194.95 USD
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Style Squared! 14K white gold is adorned with glittering white Diamonds in a very contemporary cube design. The Diamonds are round in shape, SI2 clarity, H-I color and weigh .50 Carat Total Weight. This ring measures approximately 3/8 inch in width (at the widest point) and is available in sizes 6, 7 and 8. Wear as a stand-alone band, a wedding band or create your unique look with the stackable ring style. See our complete collection of stackable rings in our Stackable Rings Department. The 14K Yellow Gold version, number (DI-R-721-13) and 14K Rose (pink) Gold version, number (DI-R-719-13) are also available.
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