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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Essential Etiquette Fundamentals Vol 2 Wine Selection and Etiquette Essential Etiquette Fundamentals Vol 2 Wine Selection and Etiquette Wine 101: The Best Wine Book for Beginners What is the secret to learning about wine? Buy a straightforward reference, use it, and go to a restaurant to apply your newly acquired knowledge. Organized in six easy, enjoyable lessons, the Food Scholar Wine Selection & Etiquette CD includes all the practical information you need, including information on wine terms, pairing wine with food, tasting, and ordering wine in a
Wine clubs are the place for wine lovers June Beezy Wine lovers are now taking their game to the next level by starting wine clubs - A place where true wine lovers unite and all they do is drink and discuss. When it comes to drinking, wine is considered the most healthiest. Even science recommends occasional wine helps the heart. There is a wine for every budget and all of them taste great and come up with their own unique flavor. Aft
Bartending 101: Five Steps To Double Your Tips Jim Hofman If you?re a bartender, even the most successful of bartenders, it?s likely you?re seeing a few less customers give today?s economic climate. If this unfortunate reality is eroding your tips, it?s time to take charge. Here are five tried and true steps to double your tips: Double Your Tips Strategy #1: Attract A Bit Of Attention If your establishment gives y
COCHE-DURY - Meursault "Rougeots" 1999 Bid: 1 bottle deMeursault "Rougeot" 1999domaine Coche-DuryOn does not field Coche-Dury, world famous and absolute reference white wines of Burgundy. The "Rougeot" is the teacher's favorite wine, wine perfect for finger touch and taste buds exceptional white wine. The year 1999 vintage is a beautiful, perfect to drink now. Good bids to all 13 ° prohibited sales to minors 81,00 EUR (11 Bids) End Date: Sunday nov.-09-2008 17:30:00 CET Bid now | Add to watch list
Wine Marketing & Sales: Success Strategies for a Saturated Market: Liz Thach, Janeen Olsen, Paul Wagner Editorial Reviews Review A must have for anyone who is interested in developing successful strategies to compete in the New World wine marketplace. ?Gina Gallo, E&J Gallo Winery This book does an excellent job in describing the complex (and basic)wine business principles such as marketing, strategy, finance and social responsibility. ?Robert Mondavi, Robert Mondavi Winery Product Description 2007 Gourmand Award winner for BEST INTERNATIONAL WINE BOOK FOR PROFESSIONALS, this comprehensiv
Wine Label Collecting - The Secret to Successfully Removing Labels Drinking wine is one of those luxuries that can quickly become a full blown habit. The more you get into it, the more you will want to document your wine experiences. Keeping a journal of your wine experiences is a common step, but so is wine label collecting. What is wine label collecting? Well, it is a simple way to document the vintages you have tried. After finishing the bottle, you typically remove the label and put it into your wine journal. A good journal, such as a Nomad Wine Journal,
PETRUS 1945 ( Rothschild Margaux Yquem Lafite ) 103,00 EUR (13 Enchères) Fin: dimanche oct.-26-2008 19:51:17 CET Enchérir | Ajouter à la liste d'Affaires à suivre AMAZING!! 1 bottle of Chateau Petrus 1945BOUTEILLE STATE IN EXCELLENT AS WINE NEUVEUN WHOSE NAME IS NO LONGER FAIREBien believed that not classified, like all the wines of Pomerol, Petrus is the most famous but also the most prestigious of all lesvins. The legend began in the late 19th century. The family Arnaud estpropriétaire the field, and Petrus already enjoys a reputatio
EXCEPTIONNEL 1 Bottle DE CHATEAU PETRUS 1971!!!!!!!! 201,00 EUR (4 Enchères) Fin: mardi oct.-28-2008 21:18:00 CET Enchérir | Ajouter à la liste d'Affaires à suivre AMAZING!! 1 bottle of Chateau Petrus 1971BOUTEILLE STATE IN EXCELLENT AS WINE NEUVEUN WHOSE NAME IS NO LONGER FAIREBien believed that not classified, like all the wines of Pomerol, Petrus is the most famous but also the most prestigious of all lesvins. The legend began in the late 19th century. The family Arnaud estpropriétaire the field, and Petrus already enjoys a reputation Qu
Links for 2008-10-10 NBC Edits SNL Bailout Skit Following Legal Concerns Over ?People Who Should Be Shot? Chyron Interesting. This is one of the reasons you should be watching SNL live, because the archives have this editted out. Revisionist history wins the day. Dynamic Periodic Table Just because it?s awesome. Dutchess Wine Trail - Discover the Premium Wineries of the Hudson Valley Our local wine trail Storm King Art Center Giant Art on 1000 acres of beautiful land Viscount Wines & Liquor Wine tasti
Saving Dinner Saving Dinner: The Menus, Recipes, and Shopping Lists to Bring Your Family Back to the Table By Leanne Ely Buy new: $14.95 $10.17 58 used and new from $4.09 Certified nutritionist Leanne Ely has a simple philosophy: ?Make it and they will come.? Dinner, that is. Take-out, opening a can, or microwave fare shouldn?t pass for a nice, healthy meal?and nothing can replace a family?s time together. Believe it or not, preparing dinner can be a stress-free endeavor. Even your time in the superma
Soul & Soil - Perspectives on Conscious Living Soul, soil and society is a holistic trinity proposed by Satish Kumar as reference points for examining the issues that affect us all as we move forward into our new millennium. The soul is the vessel for the old personaldevelopment trinity of mind, body and spirit. The individual soul is also a component of a collective soul, and a world soul. Society is the large and small scale interactions and collaborations where we put our declared principals to the test of action. It is the soul in acti
Daily del.icio.us for September 15th through September 19th Google Co-Founder Has Genetic Code Linked to Parkinson?s - NYTimes.com - Sergey Brin, a Google co-founder, said Thursday that he has a gene mutation that increases his likelihood of contracting Parkinson?s disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that can impair speech, movement and other functions Ext JS - Ext GWT 1.1 Released - We are pleased to announce the release of Ext GWT 1.1. This release is packed full of new features and components. Ext GWT 1.1 is a recommended u
Paperback Books for Students in Trappe Trappe Book Center, a national wholesale supplier, specializes in literacy needs for the school community. Their warehouse is stocked with paperback books, book sets, content centered books and much more! Whether you are the reading, media or curriculum specialist in your school or district, Trappe Book Center is the place to find the best paperback books for students. Contact them today and find out how you can save on your favorite titles and new releases. If you can?t find what you need, th
The Italian Food and Wine Festival Scheduled at Belmar - MarketWatch Italian Food and Wine Festival Scheduled at Belmar - MarketWatch September 8th, 2008 The Italian Food and Wine Festival Scheduled at BelmarMarketWatch?- 4 hours agoJustin Wadstein, four-time world champion pizza acrobat, will throw dough lying on his back, spin it with his feet and even stand on a ball blindfolded ? Continued here: The Italian Food and Wine Festival Scheduled at Belmar - MarketWatch Tags: advertising, but-not-housing-rebound, company-info, copyright, dubai, festiv
Stock a Green Fridge! As seen in Food& Wine Magazine a Green Fridge! As seen in Food& Wine Magazine ?Go green? is something you hear in daily conversation?now here is an eco-friendly product for your refrigerator, first mentioned in Food&Wine, August 2008. And of course available at Southport Grocery. ... Postd in Food And Wine Magazine (Wine) on September 5, 2008 Tags: wine, food, complete, reference, news
Friendly Staff Will Help You Get the Books You Need Trappe Book Center, a national wholesale supplier, specializes in literacy needs for the school community. Their warehouse is stocked with paperback books, book sets, content centered books and much more! Whether you are the reading, media or curriculum specialist in your school or district, Trappe Book Center is the place to find the best paperback books for students. Contact them today and find out how you can save on your favorite titles and new releases. If you can?t find what you need, th
The Cookthink Questionnaire: Jaden Hair Cookthink Questionnaire: Jaden Hair July 28th, 2008 A member of our Cookthinktank, Jaden is a food columnist and cooking instructor who does frequent live cooking segments on her local ABC News morning show. Her first book, ?Steamy Kitchen?s Modern Asian,? will be published in 2009 by ? More here: The Cookthink Questionnaire: Jaden Hair Tags: archives, books, categories, cookthinktank, events, friends, holiday, music, personal, pizza, propaganda, recent-posts, recipes, reference, reso
Wine 1-Cent Shipping Coupon code Wine 1-Cent Shipping Coupon code 16 July, 2008 Category : Food, Gifts & Flowers 1-Cent Shipping on purchases of $99 or more exp 7/18/08 Coupon Code: FRENCH1CENT wine.com
Two Vast and Trunkless Legs of Topping Stand in the Dessert upon my dessert topping, and despair! Well, only because it was so tasty. I took the leftover sangria, added a tad more cranberry wine and some Splenda baking mix, and boiled it for what seemed like eternity. It tasted awesome over ice cream. And now Mark Bittman is trying to steal my dessert topping thunder with his own ice cream topping. I'll have you know that his recipe does not involve local Virginia fruit wines, so it is not as good.
Ridge Via kota1974_jp Ridge?s history begins in 1885, when Osea Perrone, a doctor and prominent member of San Francisco?s Italian community, bought 180 acres near the top of Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He planted vineyards and constructed a winery of redwood and native limestone in time to produce the first vintage of Monte Bello in 1892. The historic building now serves as the Ridge production facility. Though Ridge began as a Cabernet winery, by the mid-60s it had produce
Today marks the start of the American Wine Blogger Conference. Joel Vincent, the unstoppable force behind the 2000+ member Open Wine Consortium, has taken it upon himself to create a 3 day Wine Blogger Conference to gather retailers, wineries, tradesman and wine bloggers alike to discuss the current issues surrounding the world of wine blogging. After having survived our own event, it’s strange how we look back at the first day of the European Wine Bloggers Conference and feel the same excitement, trepidation, joy and anxiety as we assume Joel is feeling now. There are no guarantees that an event will go smoothly, but the beauty of the AWBC is that it will be bringing together people who have already formed a relationship online, and who will now finally be able to put a face to the name. Honestly, the experience is amazing, and we can only wish Joel and all of the organizers the absolute best in making this conference everything they hope it to be.
GOOD LUCK and enjoy the ride! There really is something powerful about meeting with your virtual friends in an environment full of good food and wine. Our hats off to all the bloggers in attendance, and we can’t wait to hear all about it!
Iberian Map
Onto other news, Catavino is excited to be officially distributing the Delong Iberian Wine Map out of our small home in Terrassa, Spain. This was done to help reduce shipping costs from the USA, and for now, we’re only shipping to EU countries, though feel free to contact us if you live outside of the EU, and we’ll see what we can do! Having spent the better part of Monday going from wine retailer to wine retailer, the responses have been incredible. From “wow, this is really impressive” to “I had no idea there was a Vino de Pago there!”, it is a great reference to hang on your wall as you follow our adventures through our articles. If you live in the EU, order the Iberian Wine Map now! Supply’s are limited, or at least until we order more!
Wine of the Week
Some of you know Ryan was in La Rioja last week. He had a great time and posted a series of fun 12 second videos as they crawled for Tapas on Calle Laurel. He also had the pleasure of staying with Robert McIntosh and his lovely family, drinking a lot of fun wines! One particular wine literally shocked him, reinforcing one of the many reasons why he loves Spain. The 1998 White Wine (yes 1998) Gravonia from Bodegas Todonia, which they enjoyed at lunch time in the beautiful town of Briones, ran them a whopping 12.70 euros!!!!! No really, it did! That’s a 10yr old white from one of the most important wineries in Spain, and to top it all, it tasted like a 50euro Burgundy. Rich and full bodied with a huge amount of acidity, this wine was a wine Ryan could drink to no end. An hour later, after the wine warmed a touch, it was even better, with creamy touches and lemon balm notes. They ate it with suckling pig, and while the waitress opted to point out that it was white and not red, so that the foreigners wouldn’t be surprised, Ryan was pleased to see the acidity and richness of the wine paired wonderfully with the rich pig.
It’s a 100% Viura from their own vineyards, aged in barrels for 4 years, racked twice per year and fined with fresh egg whites. Labeled as a Crianza, it is only a Crianza in terms of what Todonia defines Crianza. If you want a value and great wine when ordering in Spain, you really can’t do wrong with Todonia wines. That said, this one is a treat, so definately seek it out!
Cheers and Have a Great Weekend!
Ryan and Gabriella Opaz
PS from Ryan: On a final note, I did return to Monvinic. If you read my last report, you can tell that weren’t impressed. Granted if you like a place that is highly designed, and chic, it?s right for you. That said, I went back to visit after receiving a comment on Catavino from one of the sommeliers apologizing for the service we received. I only stopped into talk and did not stay for a drink, but was privy to more information about the project.
Monvinic is funded by a wine lover with money. The aim is to build a monument, and center, to wine that allows one to simply enjoy a glass or become a member. Members can enter the wine library, which is indexed and searchable, containing a wide range of wine literature and leading wine rags. I love the idea, and I understand the yearly fee, though I would like to see this part opened up to the public in some way. If you really want to spread the word about wine then these tools would naturally do a lot of good in the hands of an amateur wine lover who is not willing/able to pay the annual fee, or even someone traveling through who just wants to quickly reference something. Maybe they can create a 5 day pass at some point or a limited membership? I know that it would appeal to me, since I read Parker about once a year, and don’t particularly need a monthly subscription!
To be honest, it?s a very nice place, and Isabelle the French sommelier who showed me around is a passionate woman with an open mind. I will go back, but it will take time for it to grow on me. Having been open since July, they are still working out the kinks. They are unique in that they have an amazing collection of wine, and a policy of buying wine at auction that has spent little time on the road. Hence, they don?t buy French wines in New York or South African wines in London. They figure that would be too much travel for such treasures. Then again, they do buy wine in New York and it does travel to Spain, so take it for what it?s worth.
One last point which is very important for all wineries, restaurants and retailers to take notice of: a sommelier from Monvinic actually took the time to comment on our site. Not only that, but they took the time to leave an apology, publicly, that not only led to me to revisit their business, but also gave me a deep understanding of what the internet can do for them. My article was somewhat harsh, but they played ball, as it were, and joined in. I want to compliment them for this and to thank them, otherwise, I might not have taken the time to give them a second chance.
I have a lot more to say about Monvinic, and we?ll see how often we return. Maybe in te future, I’ll take some wine geeks there for a dinner, as I have a feeling this is exactly what this restaurant was made for.
The New Orleans favorite Sazerac is considered by some to be the first cocktail ever invented. The original was made with cognac and absinthe, and the modern version is usually made with rye whiskey and Herbsaint, an absinthe substitute produced in the US.
I balanced tradition and personal preference with my application of this recipe. I used two shots of Sazerac Rye and three dashes of Peychaud's Bitters (both now made in Kentucky), along with a few drops of French Pastis Henri Bardouin and a bit of sugar to sweeten it all. I felt the pastis substitution would provide the necessary anise/herbal kick. (I've had real German and Czech absinthe; I still prefer pastis.) Everything was stirred together in a chilled tumbler, and a slice of lemon peel was tossed in for garnish (not pictured).
Rye is a little more peppery and spicy than normal whiskey, and Peychaud's Bitters are closer to cherry cough syrup than Angostura Bitters. While all of this sounds a little strange, the cocktail really did come together well. I felt it worked better with a couple of ice cubes in it, and that allowed you to savor it properly over a half hour.
Last month at the Illuminati estate in Abruzzo, I had lunch with my people. No, they weren?t Sicilian or Calabrese cousins. They weren?t my co-workers or clients meeting me in Italy. It was much more visceral than that, almost tribal in the connection. I was invited to have lunch with a wine sales team, guys who sell to wine shops and restaurants in Rome.
Over the years I've had many meals at Illuminati. In the early days we had meals on the second floor of the old house, sometimes outside. If it was cold we?d invade the dining room. As the winery grew and the Illuminati family redesigned the old stable on the main floor, we settled into the space they called the Luperia, a space with a kitchen and an open hearth. And a larger dining room. Many great memories exist in this room, but I had never sat down to eat with my own regiment. And during those years, friend and cellar master, Agostino, has opened many a bottle for us to enjoy. We?ve grown into the job together.
I was really excited about this meal. I was prepared to pick the brains of rookie and veteran alike. Who would know better the travails of selling wine than a salesman from Rome? What kind of kickbacks did the Roman restaurateur demand? How did one go about getting control of the wine list or selling a wine from Abruzzo to a Sardegnan? I was hoping for all mysteries to be revealed.
Dino Illuminati, the patriarch of the estate, motioned for me to sit next to him. Lunch is serious business for Dino and he didn?t want anyone to get too near him with idle chat. He wants to eat and drink first. I know the drill. When Dino and I sit down we both go after food and wine pretty well much in the same way. Except Dino has a capacity that I will never be able to match.
One of the older veterans sat across from me. He reminded me of one of the salesmen back home. This gent had a peaceful air about him, he was the elder statesman; he grew up in Amatrice in northern Lazio.
I asked him how his route was. Was it competitive? Cutthroat? Was it hard to collect money? Did you get resistance with all the new wines coming out? What about the prejudices of owners from one region against the wines of another region (i.e. Piedmont vs. Tuscan). I was surprised to be reminded that they don?t go around tasting wine, sampling as we call it. Now they just carry their list, with maybe some Gambero Rosso review (very big in Rome) and the price list. Pretty cut and dry. Rome was a city that was prepared for all comers, and has been this way for hundreds if not thousands of years. Anything goes.
I was looking for their ?hook?. How did they catch the big fish? Figuring Rome would be like NY or LA or Houston, there was always the particular technique that worked for the peculiarity of the particular city.
He was a thoughtful guy. And we were starting to drink pretty well by then. The big slurpy purple stuff they make in Abruzzo that they call ?Montepulciano in purezza.? All the while the young salesmen would come over to him and bear hug him or jostle him around. You could tell these guys liked working with each other; there was camaraderie among them.
?Alfonso, what really works best is the rapport we build with our customers. Trust, time and relationship.? Ah, the ?R? word. So the secret was, there is no secret; daily treading, pressing the flesh, and being reliable. Showing up. Building trust. Just like almost everywhere else.
Look at these people. They?re having fun. They?re enjoying their lives. They?re enjoying each other.
I told some stupid story, trying to be funny, about a sales experience here in The States, but I don?t think the experience translated so well to their frame of reference. No matter, platters of grilled lamb, sausage and pork were pulling up to the table and we soon were diverted to the main course.
Dino, me and Spinelli, back in 1985
The Luperia is a wellspring for me. I come back here to re-connect with those souls who are manifestations of the timeless energy that travels through the vine. Daniele Spinelli was one of the early winemakers I came to admire. I loved hanging out with him. When we would sit down to eat, as the night progressed, and as we went into red wine, the stuff he made, his head, shaped appropriately like a grape, would turn redder and redder. My Italian would get better and he would bestow his bodhisattva-blessing on me as a way to replenish me for another year. And send me back out to the outer regions to spread the word. It worked. And we came back every year or so, like pilgrims.
Luigi, me, Stefano and Claudio
Now, Dino isn?t so hands on. Spinelli passed away in 1992. But the next generation is upon us and there are more of them. As it is in the streets of Rome, so it is in the vineyards of Abruzzo. This is something that has been happening for hundreds of years and will continue, hopefully, for many hundreds more.
After lunch we went outside for espresso and cigars and fresh air, what a combo, eh? The sales crew had to get back to Rome. It was only three hours we?d had to sit down and break bread, but in that time I felt like a huge gift had been dropped in my lap; An afternoon with my selling tribe; with the young ones, the veterans, the crazy ones, the calm ones. Its not a closed brotherhood but it is a deep connection, to capture what is growing right out there in the land and transform it to wine and take it to Rome and NY and Austin and try and share with all those folks in those places these amazing miracles in bottles. Not just wine, but the lives, of Spinelli and Spinozzi and Illuminati and you and me and anyone that wants in on this.
This is the joy of selling. This is why I am on the wine trail in Italy and anywhere else the road takes me.
Thumbs up from a couple of Romans? I'll take that as a good sign.
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 expectation changes subtly yet substantively. Where art presumes a blank slate upon which a personal vision necessarily is writ large, the notion of craft is more deferential. Like great parenting, it's a guardianship of something already largely complete. The goal is refinement and amplification of what's inherent. Think of what happens when parents do otherwise.
So it is with wine. All sorts of technological deconstruction and reconstruction now occurs in many wineries today, especially ones creating high-end?or at least high-priced?wines. They see themselves as artists and would like to convince you of same. If they can, well, you know how distorted the results can be?and who pays.
Matt Kramer has contributed regularly to Wine Spectator since 1985.
It seems obvious on reflection but it remains an important distinction to make, especially given the widespread labeling of wine making as an art form, particularly in wine marketing circles.
Google 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 .
This is the kind of cross diversification I can relate to! Kerin O'Keefe (decanter.com) writes:
Italian coffee giant Illy has just acquired the 90ha Mastrojanni estate? in the Montalcino hamlet of Castelnuovo dell'Abate.
Founded in 1975 by Gabriele and Antonio Mastrojanni, the estate has 24 ha under vine and an overall production of 80,000 bottles a year.
Until now Mastrojanni has been a family-owned firm?, and is known for its classic Brunellos, particularly its single vineyard? Brunello, Schiena d'Asino.
Managing Director and winemaker? Andrea Machetti, who is to remain in charge of day-to-day operations under Illy, has been with Mastrojanni since 1992.
'The Illy family members obviously love wine and are known for their good taste?. Though they will make some investments in the business, the house style? won't change and we will continue to focus on making outstanding Brunello from Sangiovese,' Machetti told decanter.com.
The Illy family, based in Trieste, which bought controlling shares in chocolate? company Domori in 2006 as well as in French tea firm Dammann Frères in 2007, is not new to the wine business.
Francesco Illy, one of the four grandchildren of the firm's founder, already owns a young estate in Montalcino, Podere Le Ripi. Riccardo Illy, president of the holding group said, 'Everyone in my family has a passion for wine, and with this acquisition, we have realised one of our dreams.'
In the spirit of the upcoming Presidential election, one Washington DC restaurant, OYA Restaurant and Lounge, is pitting Arizona wines (from Senator McCain's home state) against those from Illinois (Senator Obama's home state). Neither state is well known for its wine industry, but according to the restaurant's Director of Wine Marketing & Sommelier, Andrew Stover, "Illinois has over 70 wineries and has been producing wine since the late 1700s. Arizona's wine industry is on a much smaller scale with close to 30 wineries."
According to Stover, the Lynfred Seyval Blanc has slightly outsold the Arizona wines during the summer, but fall could usher in a preference for the red wines of Arizona. The promotion will continue through the election in November.
Oya Restaurant and Lounge is located in Washington's Penn Quarter neighborhood. They serve an innovative menu that combines Asian ingredients with French technique.
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In the spirit of the upcoming Presidential election, one Washington DC restaurant, OYA Restaurant and Lounge, is pitting Arizona wines (from Senator McCain's home state) against those from Illinois (Senator Obama's home state). Neither state is well known for its wine industry, but according to the restaurant's Director of Wine Marketing & Sommelier, Andrew Stover, "Illinois has over 70 wineries and has been producing wine since the late 1700s. Arizona's wine industry is on a much smaller scale with close to 30 wineries."
According to Stover, the Lynfred Seyval Blanc has slightly outsold the Arizona wines during the summer, but fall could usher in a preference for the red wines of Arizona. The promotion will continue through the election in November.
Oya Restaurant and Lounge is located in Washington's Penn Quarter neighborhood. They serve an innovative menu that combines Asian ingredients with French technique.
Contents of this feed are a property of Creative Weblogging Limited and are protected by copyright laws. Violations will be prosecuted. Please email us if you'd like to use this feed for non-commercial activities at feeds - at - creative-weblogging.com.
I got to try a new grape variety today, Misket Varnenski. One of the down sides of traveling is that I have limited research resources with me. As far as I can tell this is a recent crossing of the widely planted white Bulgarian grape Dimiat and the ever popular Riesling.
The name certainly evokes Muscat, and the Varnenski either suggests or literally means "From Varna" (one of the famous beach towns of Bulgaria) but the wine I tried had nothing in common with the venerable Muscat grape. In fact it had nothing in common with Riesling for that matter. Perhaps it takes after Dimiat, I will have to search out a few examples and see for myself.
The wine I tried was from one of my favorite producers, so while there may well be better examples, I had high hopes. There was nothing wrong with the wine, there just was nothing special about it either.
I have an expression I use when I am speaking into my tape recording at wine tastings. It is designed to keep the winemakers or representatives from knowing exactly what I am saying. The term is NVNV and it stands for "no vice, no virtue."
That sums up this wine, and likely the grape from which it hails, perfectly.
It is not a bad little wine, it just has no real character. It tastes exactly like white wine, and save for a hint of dust in the nose and aftertaste has almost no specific flavors that I can find.
Why would a wine industry embrace such a grape? The usual, it grows well, it makes consistent wines, and it is probably cost efficient.
At least one technical report I found on the wine referred to its pleasant muscat like quality. I think the name fooled them into finding something that isn't there, or they had a far different example than the one I tried.
Am I bashing the grape? Not at all, it really is pleasant and that is saying more than a lot of other varieties can boast.
I have also read references to a red variety of Misket, I will keep my eyes open for it. Muscat also can be found in dark varieties, although as I said Muscat doesn't seem to be related to this grape variety (unless Dimiat is related to Muscat). They may well just be using the similar sounding name for marketing purposes.
If anyone has more information on this variety or Dimiat for that matter, please drop me a note or leave a comment.
How do you keep up to date with the wine world these days? I’ve found out what works for me although I still suffer from information overload some times. My interests are as follows ?
current hot topics such as closures, global warming, harvest expectations and so on
recommendations on wines to try and buy
educational material especially anything that helps me towards my WSET Diploma
I’ve found the following sources really help me
Harpers magazine. I wish I could afford their annual subscription but it’s just too much. However I subscribe to their daily bulletins via Google’s reader and this really works for me. I see a couple of lines summarising news items when I’m on the computer at home or work and I can always click the link to go their web site if i wish to read more
an unusual source of news items is South African Wines. They send out regular emails which summarise the key stories from around the world by directing you towards the various publications, web sites, blogs etc which have something interesting and relevant
there is no substitute for a monthly magazine which is good for those train journeys commuting to work. Decanter and Wine and Spirit are my favourites. I was working in the US last summer and enjoyed Wine Spectator and thought about taking out a subscription but the cost including mailing back to the UK was prohibitive
I love reading other people’s blogs. People like Jamie Goode and Andrew Jefford talk about people they have met, wines they have drunk and places they have visited. The problem with blogs is that there are so many (and yes I have one also) that it’s possible to subscribe to too many of them using Google’s reader that information overload soon takes over.
Podcasts are great for car journeys if you put them on a CD or train journeys if you play them on your phone. I’ve learned a lot from some of the podcasts from Grape Radio
For bedtime reading or sitting in a chair (with a glass of something nice of course) there is no substitute for the hard stuff ie: books. You can’t go wrong with a copy of the Oxford Companion to Wine by your side. I also try to look up every wine I try in at least one reference book such as the World Atlas of Wine, Wine by the Label or Oz Clark’s pocket wine book. These often give the context for the wine leaving the label to give the detail (unless of course it’s French!).
I may occasionally suffer from information overload but I do learn a whole lot of interesting stuff about wine which vastly increases my enjoyment of the stuff.
2005 Ponzi Pinot Noir The 2005 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley offers toasty cherry and strawberry aromas leading to a medium-bodied, structured wine with spicy flavors and a slightly tannic finish. Drink this tasty Pinot Noir over the next 4-6 years. Ponzi Vineyards began in 1974 making them one of Oregon?s pioneers. Dick and Nancy Ponzi, the founders, remain very much involved although winemaking duties were turned over to daughter Luisa in 1993. In addition to remaining a reference point for Oregon Pinot Noir, the winery fashions excellent wines from Italian varietals including Arneis and Dolcetto in honor of their heritage. Not yet released. Tel. (503) 628-1227; www.ponziwines.com Rating: 89
Tecnorati
Last month at the Illuminati estate in Abruzzo, I had lunch with my people. No, they weren?t Sicilian or Calabrese cousins. They weren?t my co-workers or clients meeting me in Italy. It was much more visceral than that, almost tribal in the connection. I was invited to have lunch with a wine sales team, guys who sell to wine shops and restaurants in Rome.
Over the years I've had many meals at Illuminati. In the early days we had meals on the second floor of the old house, sometimes outside. If it was cold we?d invade the dining room. As the winery grew and the Illuminati family redesigned the old stable on the main floor, we settled into the space they called the Luperia, a space with a kitchen and an open hearth. And a larger dining room. Many great memories exist in this room, but I had never sat down to eat with my own regiment. And during those years, friend and cellar master, Agostino, has opened many a bottle for us to enjoy. We?ve grown into the job together.
I was really excited about this meal. I was prepared to pick the brains of rookie and veteran alike. Who would know better the travails of selling wine than a salesman from Rome? What kind of kickbacks did the Roman restaurateur demand? How did one go about getting control of the wine list or selling a wine from Abruzzo to a Sardegnan? I was hoping for all mysteries to be revealed.
Dino Illuminati, the patriarch of the estate, motioned for me to sit next to him. Lunch is serious business for Dino and he didn?t want anyone to get too near him with idle chat. He wants to eat and drink first. I know the drill. When Dino and I sit down we both go after food and wine pretty well much in the same way. Except Dino has a capacity that I will never be able to match.
One of the older veterans sat across from me. He reminded me of one of the salesmen back home. This gent had a peaceful air about him, he was the elder statesman; he grew up in Amatrice in northern Lazio.
I asked him how his route was. Was it competitive? Cutthroat? Was it hard to collect money? Did you get resistance with all the new wines coming out? What about the prejudices of owners from one region against the wines of another region (i.e. Piedmont vs. Tuscan). I was surprised to be reminded that they don?t go around tasting wine, sampling as we call it. Now they just carry their list, with maybe some Gambero Rosso review (very big in Rome) and the price list. Pretty cut and dry. Rome was a city that was prepared for all comers, and has been this way for hundreds if not thousands of years. Anything goes.
He was a thoughtful guy. And we were starting to drink pretty well by then. The big slurpy purple stuff they make in Abruzzo that they call ?Montepulciano in purezza.? All the while the young salesmen would come over to him and bear hug him or jostle him around. You could tell these guys liked working with each other; there was camaraderie among them.
?Alfonso, what really works best is the rapport we build with our customers. Trust, time and relationship.? Ah, the ?R? word. So the secret was, there is no secret; daily treading, pressing the flesh, and being reliable. Showing up. Building trust. Just like almost everywhere else.
Look at these people. They?re having fun. They?re enjoying their lives. They?re enjoying each other.
I told some stupid story, trying to be funny, about a sales experience here in The States, but I don?t think the experience translated so well to their frame of reference. No matter, platters of grilled lamb, sausage and pork were pulling up to the table and we soon were diverted to the main course.
After lunch we went outside for espresso and cigars and fresh air, what a combo, eh? The sales crew had to get back to Rome. It was only three hours we?d had to sit down and break bread, but in that time I felt like a huge gift had been dropped in my lap; An afternoon with my selling tribe; with the young ones, the veterans, the crazy ones, the calm ones. Its not a closed brotherhood but it is a deep connection, to capture what is growing right out there in the land and transform it to wine and take it to Rome and NY and Austin and try and share with all those folks in those places these amazing miracles in bottles. Not just wine, but the lives, of Spinelli and Spinozzi and Illuminati and you and me and anyone that wants in on this.
Google 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. 
