Source: http://la.eater.com/archives/2011/10/25/serafina_restaurant_group_wants_to_open_in_la_too.php
Monday, 31 October 2011
A Wine for Tonight: 2009 Jacob?s Creek Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won?t break your budget and is widely available? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so here is this week?s selection, the 2009 Jacob’s Creek Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon from the Coonawarra region [...]
A Wine for Tonight: 2009 Jacob’s Creek Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.
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Poll: How much do you tip for wine service?
A friend and I were talking about this - I thought I'd put it up here for discussion and a poll.
You and a friend are out at a restaurant. Let's say it's just a regular restuarant - not a wine bar. You order $100 worth of food and a $100 bottle of wine. The service is good. Solid. How much do you tip? Specifically - do you tip differently for wine service than food service in a restuarant?
Does it depend on the quality of the wine service? If they pour your $100 prize into cheap little water glasses on the table vs. presenting large clean high quality stemware does it make a difference?
How about if it's BYOB? You bring the wine and to justify the (say) $25 corkage fee you bring a really nice one. $100 retail. It would be $250+ if it were on the wine list at the restaurant. Do you pay more for someone to pour your own expensive wine than if it was a $10 bottle?
Tell us what you think. Answer the poll below and if you'd like to describe why leave a comment below.
Thanks for your thoughts!
(if you're viewing this blog post via email or in a feed reader and the poll doesn't appear try viewing this page directly in a web browser)
You and a friend are out at a restaurant. Let's say it's just a regular restuarant - not a wine bar. You order $100 worth of food and a $100 bottle of wine. The service is good. Solid. How much do you tip? Specifically - do you tip differently for wine service than food service in a restuarant?
Does it depend on the quality of the wine service? If they pour your $100 prize into cheap little water glasses on the table vs. presenting large clean high quality stemware does it make a difference?
How about if it's BYOB? You bring the wine and to justify the (say) $25 corkage fee you bring a really nice one. $100 retail. It would be $250+ if it were on the wine list at the restaurant. Do you pay more for someone to pour your own expensive wine than if it was a $10 bottle?
Tell us what you think. Answer the poll below and if you'd like to describe why leave a comment below.
Thanks for your thoughts!
(if you're viewing this blog post via email or in a feed reader and the poll doesn't appear try viewing this page directly in a web browser)
Alan Kerr?s Vintage?s October 15th Release ? Tasting Notes
Thanks to one of my colleagues switching classes with me, I was able to get to London and taste a little of what we, the wine loving public, can expect to find on the shelves this Saturday and two weeks down the road. Although the focus this release is on some very good wines from [...]
Branding Tip: Gravatar
A big part of branding is consistency: making sure that when you leave comments and links around �the web, you do it in a way that creates a trail of similar information. When we consult new wineries who want to get online, we tell them to make a special folder that they keep on their [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/SPW0Km-y_xw/
Helicopter drying, Penn?s stores, sexy V&E ? sipped & spit
SPIT: carbon footprint Forget the mode of transport or the weight of the glass bottles; my co-author neglected this in our calculation of wine’s carbon footprint: grape drying by helicopter in Napa! [NPR] SIPPED: watching grapes grow Viticulture & Enology is one of the sexiest majors at Cornell. Well, with the helicopter blow driers, why [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/GpPi94bR_8s/
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Washington Wine Lovers: Vote ?Yes? on I-1183
As Yogi Berra once said, it?s d�j� vu all over again. About a year ago, I wrote a similar post recommending a ?yes? vote on I-1100. Now we have I-1183 on the ballot, and some of you are asking for our thoughts and recommendation again. While the two initiatives have a similar primary objective of [...]
Washington Wine Lovers: Vote ?Yes? on I-1183 was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WinePeeps/~3/ohO54tc0968/
Wine Word of the Week: Vineyard designated
This week?s Wine Word of the Week is vineyard designated. Official definition from Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst?s The New Wine Lover?s Companion: Vineyard designated is a term indicating that a wine is made with grapes from the specific vineyard named on a wine?s label. In the United States, a vineyard name on a [...]
Wine Word of the Week: Vineyard designated was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WinePeeps/~3/8BuMNvGGMnE/
On Self-Actualizing Wine Interest, Purple Pages, the Kindle Fire and Gutenberg
While it has been cited that we’re living in a “Golden Age” of wine writing, what is interesting to me these days is NOT the subject of wine writing.
My interest is in a broader understanding of the consumption of the wine writer’s output – self-identified wine interest by consumers who are seeking out wine information. This is a seismic shift more important than the vagaries of who writes what, where, when and for how much.
Something much bigger and amorphous is at work.
It used to be that people self-identified by their job or some other affiliation that produced recognition from others, a status-marker of sorts—“I work for IBM, I have two kids and we’re Protestant.”
However, nowadays, people, principally online (which is moving center stage in our life), are self-identifying by their personal interests which, often times, diverges greatly from their profession and their family situation.
Look at Twitter profiles or a body of status updates from somebody on Facebook. People are no longer duotone and defined by work and family. They’re multi-layered and complex and defined by their interests. The modern day self-description goes something like this: “Passionate about wine and travel. I build furniture, follow the San Francisco Giants, and work in a non-profit by day. I also volunteer to ensure clean water for sub-Saharan Africans. Dad to two wonderful kids”
In diamond-cutting terms, it’s more Peruzzi than table cut and it seems we’re all on a journey to be the most interesting man person in the world.
This kaleidoscopic advancement in sense-of-self is a very important development because, on an individual level, we tend to project externally how we see ourselves in the mirror. By stating publicly online that we’re a wine enthusiast, a foodie, a jazz lover, who does dog rescue and loves college football with a fascination for all things digital, it’s like writing down a goal. A goal written down means something to most people and people are likely to actuate their activities around it, even if aspirationally.
This is a very subtle point and I hope I’m conveying it faithfully: Societally, we’re changing how we view ourselves, we are stating how we view ourselves and consequently we’re more likely to pursue knowledge around those interests because we’ve put it out there.
In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we’re all self-actualizing.
So, when it comes to wine writing, while I’m very happy for Alder Yarrow’s assignment in writing a monthly column for Jancis Robinson’s Purple Pages, I also tend to look at it within a much broader context because there will be more Alder Yarrow Horatio Alger-like stories in the years to come.
More to the point however, and within a bigger picture, what Alder writes now and in the future on his own site or at Jancis’ site is likely going to be viewed by an increasingly larger audience who, based on the aforementioned self-actualization, have become more inclined to seek a wide-range of information that supports a myriad of personal interests, including wine.
This online growth in information-seeking is, indeed, a very good thing particularly for the wine business who is caught up in a focus on Gen. Y, when the more important point is that there is a mass of people of all ages who have increasingly ready access to information online that allows them to easily pierce the veil of wine. And, the implications for that for shouldn’t be understated because the view of the wine world is likely to be altered to be much more inclusive of all types of viewpoints – think the streets of New York instead of Pottery Barn.
The Kindle Fire tablet by Amazon.com may represent the next step in this evolution, driving the potentiality of mass on-the-move content delivery. No, it’s not as important as the printing press or any other God Complex hyperbole that is assigned to Steve Jobs, but it’s an important step forward nonetheless.
Where laptop computers are functional machines designed to execute work, and tablets (like the iPad) are a lightweight, portable device that act as a multi-functional hybrid between a smartphone and a laptop, here comes the Kindle Fire which is a device designed almost exclusively for content consumption, all kinds of content – blogs, digital magazines, digital books, videos, music, etc.
The Kindle Fire, to me, is a device that enhances the trend we’re seeing in the increased complexity of how we define ourselves because here’s a device that lets users pursue content around their interests anytime, anywhere and it’s reasonably affordable at $199, at least half the cost of other tablets on the market.
For example purposes, let’s say I have an interest in German Riesling, but I don’t really want to buy another paper-based book because I already have a stack of 14 books at my bedside that I haven’t read (or, perhaps, I don’t buy that many books, period). Likewise, it isn’t convenient for me to read a book on my laptop because, well, that’s not really a form factor that works for me because I’m already hunched over my laptop for 12 hours a day. In addition, I don’t want to print out a 150 page pdf because that’s paper I have to carry around. Previously, with all of the aforementioned caveats, I would have let a deep dive into knowing more about German Riesling be a fleeting thought—an opportunity that would lay fallow.
Ah, but the Kindle Fire will let me consume this German Riesling content in a nice, portable, convenient, lightweight manner that is designed to do expressly that. I’m now looking forward to pouring through Terry Theise’s 2011 German Riesling catalog and reading part II of Mosel Fine Wines 2010 vintage report.
All of this distills down to an essential takeaway: When Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press with movable type, the tangible output was the ability to have ready access to print books. However, the bigger impact was the spread of knowledge which led to the Renaissance period which inalterably changed the culture of the world.
That’s where I think we’re at now, particularly with wine and the spread of information. The conversation can be about who is writing and where they come from, but the conversation with far greater impact is what the end game is for this mass adoption of personal nuance lived out loud.
In simpler terms, the wine writer, like Descartes in the Renaissance era, had a great, lasting influence, but the Renaissance period was much bigger than Descartes.
The key for the wine business in this seismic shift in wine affiliation and the pursuit of information thereof is to decide whether they want to support the status quo and perpetuate business as usual or open themselves to all kinds of thought.
Wine writers already are and so are the consumers seeking out this information.
A $6.99 Cali Cab Franc from Trader Joe's: Lightning in a Bottle?
"I've come to never expect greatness from a Cab Franc, and this one's no exception."
-Miles in Sideways
-Miles in Sideways
I stopped in at Trader Joe's the other day to see if they had any new interesting wines. The Gypsy and Lost Sonnet were long gone but they still had some Cocobon. I spotted a new wine in an interesting looking bottle - the 2010 Lazy Bones Paso Robles Cabernet Franc.
I've been doing a lot of LIFO drinking lately - last bottle in is the first out. I've got about 250 bottles on hand here but like cable television it sometimes seems like I'm not in the mood for any of them. Maybe that's because I'm thinking of new releases to write about here on the blog. Maybe it's because I'm looking for juicy delicious daily drinkers.
Who knows for sure, but I was interested in this Lazy Bones Cab Franc for two reasons:
First, I remember trying a Chimney Rock Napa Cab Franc about 10 years ago and really liking it. I also liked McKenzie-Mueller's Cab Franc, but both were kind of pricey ($30-$50 if I recall correctly). I liked the idea of revisiting this grape at the $6.99 price point.
Second, I remembered the line in Sideways quoted above where Miles expresses his lack of enthusiasm for Cab Franc. It's not as famous as his line about Merlot but given that he says it when in a Santa Ynez tasting room (I think it's Kalyra) I thought tasting this affordable Cab Franc from not-too-far-away Paso Robles would be interesting.
Along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere, Cabernet Franc is one of the six Bordeaux grape varieties. It's primarily a blending grape but most successfully produced as a single varietal wine in Chinon from France's Loire Valley. We also see it produced in the northeastern United States a bit. When it struggles it's because of overly vegetal aromas and/or extreme barnyard funk. When it's done well it can be beautiful.
What a build-up, right? I may have found lightning in a bottle! Unfortunately, the Lazy Bones was hard to get through. A single glass dumper-outer.
2010 Lazy Bones Cabernet Franc
$6.99
13.6% Alcohol
This stuff is pretty awful. Stewy aromas with a watery transparent mid-palate. Even worse the second day. Avoid.
62/100 WWP: Not Recommended
That's not to say you can't find a great bottle of wine at Trader Joe's. Here's one I found for $5.99 I've been enjoying again and again. It even stood up under a stopper over the course of three nights. It displays characteristics I more readily associate with wines costing $30 and up. It's from Italy and it's readily available. I think the 2009 has come around and is drinking nicely. Check it out.
Question of the Day: Any recent discoveries in your local Trader Joe's?
It?s Time For Radical Simplification of Old World Wine Labeling
I’m a traditionalist but also a realist. And I think now is the time to shake up the centuries old wine labeling and classification systems that have stood as a barrier to selling many Old World wines to American consumers. Case in point is Germany where a tradition of bad Middle Ages typography continues on [...]
It’s Time For Radical Simplification of Old World Wine Labeling originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
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Saturday, 29 October 2011
Washington Wine Lovers: Vote ?Yes? on I-1183
As Yogi Berra once said, it?s d�j� vu all over again. About a year ago, I wrote a similar post recommending a ?yes? vote on I-1100. Now we have I-1183 on the ballot, and some of you are asking for our thoughts and recommendation again. While the two initiatives have a similar primary objective of [...]
Washington Wine Lovers: Vote ?Yes? on I-1183 was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WinePeeps/~3/ohO54tc0968/
Wine Event Announces Winners
The winners of the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition were announced June 10 at a media roll-out in Los Angeles. Find the winners here.
Weekend wines: open thread and some picks
Sometimes you can seek solace in wine. Our town was shaken by an unthinkable tragedy this week. Right now, all I want from wine is to act as a bit of a balm. So here are a few wines that I brought some joy to my NYU class this week. We opened with the Roederer [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/VItImxVv_4E/
Field Notes from a Wine Life ? Story Edition
Odds and ends from a life lived through the prism of the wine glass…
Words aren’t enough
I give to thee…the worst wine ad of all-time and that’s without delving into the ponderous name of the wine or, why, inexplicably, the back of the laptop in the photo has a big sticker for Ass Kisser ales…
…In the main visual, three people are huddled around the boss giving him “Ass Kisser” wine…Isn’t the point of being a brown-noser to do it subtly? Who randomly gifts their boss right before their employee review?
Even if you view this ad as schlocky hipster irony, it’s still bad and makes you wonder if the advertising sales guy at Wine Enthusiast couldn’t do a solid for his client and suggest creative that, well, actually makes sense.
Or, maybe being horrible was the plan – like a movie that becomes a cult hit a decade hence…so bad that it becomes a lofty ideal for bad, enjoying a following because of its campy nature.
Bad Week for Eric Asimov?
On both Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, Eric Asimov, the New York Times chief wine critic was taken to task for different reasons by Matt Kramer at Winespectator.com and Steve Heimoff at his blog of the same name.
This is interesting because wine writers of a certain stature very carefully call their shots amongst their peers.
Normally the shots are fired up (Parker) or down (bloggers), but usually never sideways amongst writers in the same strata.
To watch Asimov, as seemingly decent of a guy as you’ll find, called onto the rug by two notable wine writers, to me, speaks to something much bigger.
With Parker stepping aside and Antonio Galloni receiving glancing admiration for hitting a stand-up triple by dint of his current position at the Wine Advocate, at the same time that the wheat and chaff are separating with wine bloggers, somebody has to step into the fray as a public foil for other wine writers to target.
Unwittingly, it might be Asimov for reasons entirely opposite of Parker’s hegemony. Asimov’s palate for wine seems food-friendly and balanced; he takes an egalitarian approach to wine for the people without pretense and he doesn’t score wines.
In other words, Asimov is bizarro Superman to Parker’s swashbuckling empiricism and, perhaps, even a greater danger to the Ivory Tower of legacy wine media than the mere jealousy that passed for poking at Parker.
Just a thought…
It’s all about the story
The wine business has always been excellent at storytelling. Virtually every winery has their origin story and that of their dirt down pat, even if not very compelling.
So, it is with interest that I’ve been watching Facebook’s recent changes keeping in mind that founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has emphasized emotional resonance, narrative and storytelling – factors that extend well beyond consumers using Facebook to “Tell the story of their life,” as Zuckerberg noted. This will be inclusive of the brands that use Facebook for engagement, as well.
I was further intrigued after reading parallel news reports that Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), is singing the same song.
He notes in an article in Advertising Age, “Technology innovations are irrelevant to the future of advertising and marketing unless a more fundamental activity is understood, honored and advanced: the craft of storytelling.”
A quick Google search for “Mark Zuckerberg F8 Keynote” and “Randall Rothenberg MIXX Keynote” will yield a number of stories all occurring in September. There’s no question about Facebook’s influence and the IAB is the thought-leader for digital advertising. Between the two of them, they present an imposing shadow of influence on digital marketing.
If I were a winery with an understanding that digital marketing is a tsunami of change that is important, I might start revisiting my winery story for some fine-tuning…
Two books that I recommend to bone-up on the elements of good business storytelling are: The Story Factor and Made to Stick.
On Sweet Wines
In an article this week from the San Francisco Chronicle called “Beginner drinkers get a crush on sweet red wines,” E.&J. Gallo VP of Marketing, Stephanie Gallo, noted: “There is a major shift going on in the U.S. wine drinking culture. First, we noticed that regional sweet red blends were doing particularly well in Indiana, Texas and North Carolina. Second, our consumers were asking if we produced a sweet red wine after tasting our Moscato at events.”
Good Grape readers had the scoop on this months ago when I wrote:
How Sweet it is – The Growing Sweet Wine Trend in early October, 2010
And
Move over Moscato and Make Way for Sweet Reds in February of this year
Just saying…
Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/field_notes_from_a_wine_life_story_edition/
The Time Traveler's Guide to Wine
I'm been thinking a lot about Time Travel of late. I've determined that it isn't possible. But a curious mind's best reaction to "it isn't possible" really must be "the next best thing". Having what I like to think of...
Where in the wine world are we?
Site reader Damien sent in this photo from his travels suggesting that we could play our favorite game, “where in the wine world are we?” So, take a gander at the photo to the right and hit the comments with your thoughts as to where the reader was. The first to guess right, wins a [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/X0GKXrTGfQ0/
St. Clement Staglin Stag\\\'s Leap Stags\\\' Leap Santa Barbara
Friday, 28 October 2011
Challenging Wine Pairing: Beef Bulgogi and Kimchi
Each month when I post about one of our challenging wine pairing meals, I ask for suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future. On several occasions, we have received requests to try Korean cuisine. While I had never prepared any Korean dishes, I decided to give it a try. While [...]
Challenging Wine Pairing: Beef Bulgogi and Kimchi was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WinePeeps/~3/Yof42lUOMT8/
Cuv�e MJ: pot wine is the ?open secret? of wine country?!?
Gourmet, even though it’s not even in print any more, obviously has been on different winery tours than I have! To wit: In wine country, pot-infused wines are the open secrets that present themselves in unmarked bottles at the end of winemaker dinners and very VIP tours (it bears mentioning that most winemakers are cagey [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/htxPZxYbLY0/
Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc Riesling Chenin Blanc Pinot Grigio
The Gentle Caress of Steve Jobs and Wine
When I heard the news that Steve Jobs, 56 (56!!), had died I was in the process of syncing my Apple iPhone to my Apple iTunes account via my Apple iMac, while uploading Apple Pages, Keynote and Numbers software to...
Petite Sirah Celebrates 50 Years As A Varietal
I have been on this planet for a shade longer than a half century since my birthday this past November. But there is a wine variety that I think is underrated that has also just turned the big 5-0 as a varietal, Petite Sirah. I even included this grape in a rough draft of my [...]
Petite Sirah Celebrates 50 Years As A Varietal originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/HZJtR-3PI_M/
Washington Wine Lovers: Vote ?Yes? on I-1183
As Yogi Berra once said, it?s d�j� vu all over again. About a year ago, I wrote a similar post recommending a ?yes? vote on I-1100. Now we have I-1183 on the ballot, and some of you are asking for our thoughts and recommendation again. While the two initiatives have a similar primary objective of [...]
Washington Wine Lovers: Vote ?Yes? on I-1183 was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WinePeeps/~3/ohO54tc0968/
Alan Kerr?s Vintage?s July 9 Release ? Tasting Notes
It?s that time of the year again when the LCBO boffins come out full tilt with the critically acclaimed big boys, otherwise known as the ?Top Marks 90+ Wines?. Vintages has assembled a few liquid treats from around the wine world that have been blessed and highly touted by some of the most influential wine [...]
Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc Riesling Chenin Blanc Pinot Grigio
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Yeoman wine, harvest festival, more brainwashing, advice ? sipped & spit
SIPPED: snappy advice GQ.com has a fun list of 25 wine tips that may run counter to expectations (cool photos too). If you like your tips in book form, I mentioned many of these items in Dr. Vino’s guide, A Year of Wine. SIPPED: Yeoman wine James Conaway, who wrote Napa a couple of decades [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/1bHxjQMc7DE/
Cuv�e MJ: pot wine is the ?open secret? of wine country?!?
Gourmet, even though it’s not even in print any more, obviously has been on different winery tours than I have! To wit: In wine country, pot-infused wines are the open secrets that present themselves in unmarked bottles at the end of winemaker dinners and very VIP tours (it bears mentioning that most winemakers are cagey [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/htxPZxYbLY0/
Value Alert: 2007 Betts & Scholl Grenache "The O.G"
What impressed me most about Jobs was his ability to innovate in so many domains and across so many unique products. His ability to give people a sense of childlike wonder made people feel like with technology - anything is possible.
Rest in peace, Steve. You are and will be missed.
Ever since I tasted this wine at the 2011 Wine Spectator Grand Tour in Boston (review) I've had an eye out for it. After tasting through some amazing but drying wines at the event from Bordeaux and Barolo, Mike O'Connell Jr from Upper Falls Liquors suggested I check out the 2006 Betts & Scholl "The O.G." Grenache. His recommendation was on the money.
I know what you're thinking...a $29 "value" from Australia? Why spend more than $10 in the region for a 90 point wine? Right?
There are so many ultra-ripe fruit bombs and otherwise high priced stewy disasters coming out of the region - it makes me hesitant to plop down more than $15/btl. However, this wine breaks the mold for what I've come to know from Australian, which has been mostly Shiraz.
Betts & Scholl is a unique producer. I wasn't aware until doing some research that they're not necessarily Australian producers. They're a partnership between US-based Master Sommelier Richard Betts and collector Dennis Scholl. Betts described their 2001 bottling as a "warm climate analogy of Pinot Noir" on Wine Library TV in 2007. I totally get that.
In addition to Australia, they produce other red and white wines from California and France ranging from $29-$79. The O.G. stands for "Original Grenche" (I was thinking Original Gangster) but they also make a $49 Australian Grenche called "The Cronique". If you get the sense these guys listened to a lot of rap music in the early 90s you might be right. Word has it they named it The Cronique because it was hard to stop drinking and Andre Young (Dr. Dre) was one of the first customers to pick up a case. Interesting stuff.
Here are my notes on the 2007 Barossa Grenache:
2007 Betts & Scholl The O.G. Grenache Barossa Valley
$29 Release Price
14.5% Alcohol
1,300 Cases Produced
As light as a domestic Pinot Noir visually, but it packs a flavorful punch. Raspberries and strawberries atop vegetal notes aromatically. Surprisingly dense on the palate given its visual transparency. Flavors of sweet spice (cinnamon?), black cherries, and just a touch of heat (14.5% alcohol). Quite luscious. I like it. I really like it.
92/100 WWP: Oustanding
CellarTracker
Wine-Searcher
Winery website
Highly recommended viewing:
Richard Betts on Wine Library TV (vintage! Back from 2007)
Purchased at The Urban Grape in Chestnut Hill, MA.
Tasting Report: 2009 Failla Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir
We were able to track some down before things got too out of hand and I'm pleased to report the wine delivered. Kind of like when Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green said the Bears "are who we thought they were" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDAq5tyfk9E). Well, maybe not just like that but the point I'm trying to make is I had high expectations and the wine delivered in a big way.
Here are my notes...
2009 Failla Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir
$45 Release Price
13.9% Alcohol
550 Cases Produced
Another one of these California Pinot Noirs that charms with it's fruit-forward aromatics and ultimately satisfies for how clean and free of "off" notes it is. Pure. Something for everyone I think, with aromas of tart cherries, orange oil, and soft leather. Well balanced. Silky smooth on the palate with a beautiful finish without any strange aftertastes. Fantastic stuff.
Cellar Tracker
Wine-Searcher
93/100 WWP: Outstadning
Bottom Line
It might be hard to find this particular bottling but I'd definitely be interested in seeking out other Pinot Noirs from Failla. Especially the 2009s.
Check 'em out:
Failla Website
@faillawines
I'm compiling some thoughts and tasting notes for 2008 Oregon Pinot Noir (what the heck happened to that vintage?) and 2009 California Pinot Noir. Especially if you're interested in domestic Pinot Noir I'd love it if you subscribed to the site so we can keep in touch.
Question of the Day: Have you tasted Failla's wines? What did you think? What have you heard?
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Tasting Report: 2009 Failla Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir
We were able to track some down before things got too out of hand and I'm pleased to report the wine delivered. Kind of like when Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green said the Bears "are who we thought they were" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDAq5tyfk9E). Well, maybe not just like that but the point I'm trying to make is I had high expectations and the wine delivered in a big way.
Here are my notes...
2009 Failla Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir
$45 Release Price
13.9% Alcohol
550 Cases Produced
Another one of these California Pinot Noirs that charms with it's fruit-forward aromatics and ultimately satisfies for how clean and free of "off" notes it is. Pure. Something for everyone I think, with aromas of tart cherries, orange oil, and soft leather. Well balanced. Silky smooth on the palate with a beautiful finish without any strange aftertastes. Fantastic stuff.
Cellar Tracker
Wine-Searcher
93/100 WWP: Outstadning
Bottom Line
It might be hard to find this particular bottling but I'd definitely be interested in seeking out other Pinot Noirs from Failla. Especially the 2009s.
Check 'em out:
Failla Website
@faillawines
I'm compiling some thoughts and tasting notes for 2008 Oregon Pinot Noir (what the heck happened to that vintage?) and 2009 California Pinot Noir. Especially if you're interested in domestic Pinot Noir I'd love it if you subscribed to the site so we can keep in touch.
Question of the Day: Have you tasted Failla's wines? What did you think? What have you heard?
Stag\\\'s Leap Stags\\\' Leap Santa Barbara Shafer Shafer Firebreak
Another Wine.com Deal: $30 for $60
Zulily - who offers "Daily Deals for Moms, Babies, and Kids" is offering this deal:
$30 for $60 from Wine.com
Sale ends 6/20 at 6am pdt
Keep in mind - as with previous Wine.com vouchers offered by group buying/deal sites the voucher cannot be used towards shipping. The first bottle usually costs around $12 to ship which diminishes the 50% off nature of the offer. But it's still a good deal I think - even with Wine.com's often higher-than-average prices. Especially if you've signed up for their Steward Ship shipping program.
Happy Father's Day!
PS The $35 for $70 from Eversave is active through the end of the day on Father's Day. Check that one out too if you missed it the first time around.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/KP_Al1CT6lE/another-winecom-deal-30-for-60.html
The Perfect Wine ?App?
One of my favorite podcasts is NPR‘s Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me. Wait Wait is a weekly new’s quiz show, based out of Chicago, that invites various guests to answer a series of satirical questions. This past week,�Ev Williams of Twitter�was invited onto the show as a guest, and he echoed a comment I happened [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/G6Ekl4oQQqw/
Talking about influence, elitism and wine
On a highly unusual day in London recently I was lucky enough to be interviewed twice on similar topics – the coming together of wine, blogging and some measure of influence. This blog, in large part thanks to its longevity but also some very active and loyal followers, regularly appears on lists of “top wine [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/onS0Fhb3w2s/
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
A community of wine lovers and friends at the EWBC
“My nerves were getting to me. After all, I had no formal wine training, no valuable old bottles to bring, and was just wearing jeans in this incredibly chic venue! … Equipped with spit buckets galore, people start rushing around like some sort of speed dating game with bottles in hand. I realized I had [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/CCtwqGNe_L8/
Reminder: WBW 71 Is This Week!
It seems like is was just a few days ago that I announced the next edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday but it has been nearly 3 weeks. So just a friendly reminder that WBW 71, “Rhones Not From The Rh�ne,” is in just two days. And it’s easy to participate; just pick up a wine [...]
Reminder: WBW 71 Is This Week! originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/P5Lljfs40TQ/
More Wine.com 50% Off Deals (this time excluding Masschusetts)
At least a couple more Wine.com 50% off vouchers are currently active.
One comes from the lesser-known site Bloomspot and offers $30 for $60
Another comes from BuyWithMe and offers $35 for $70
As with other offers Wine.com has run, shipping is not included so keep that in mind when considering the offer.
Also worth noting is the list of excluded states: OK, GA, IN, KY, MD, ME, TN, UT and MA. It appears Massachusetts has been newly added to the list of excluded states which is peculiar because Wine.com can ship to Massachusetts otherwise. They're one of the few (if not the only) national retailer who has secured a Massachusetts retailers license which enables them to ship to Massachusetts residents. All the wine they sell to Massachusetts must be purchased through Massachusetts wholesalers.
The fact that MA is excluded from these offers is therefore interesting and may be related to the Massachusetts ABCC cracking down on alcohol deals. The ABCC is of the opinion that retailers may not use coupons to sell alcohol:
(click to enlarge -or- see the Fines/Misc Information tab on the MA ABCC's site for more information)
Bottom Line: These deals may present an opportunity to snag a nice bottle of wine on the cheap, but make sure to read the fine print before proceeding.
One comes from the lesser-known site Bloomspot and offers $30 for $60
Another comes from BuyWithMe and offers $35 for $70
As with other offers Wine.com has run, shipping is not included so keep that in mind when considering the offer.
Also worth noting is the list of excluded states: OK, GA, IN, KY, MD, ME, TN, UT and MA. It appears Massachusetts has been newly added to the list of excluded states which is peculiar because Wine.com can ship to Massachusetts otherwise. They're one of the few (if not the only) national retailer who has secured a Massachusetts retailers license which enables them to ship to Massachusetts residents. All the wine they sell to Massachusetts must be purchased through Massachusetts wholesalers.
The fact that MA is excluded from these offers is therefore interesting and may be related to the Massachusetts ABCC cracking down on alcohol deals. The ABCC is of the opinion that retailers may not use coupons to sell alcohol:
Bottom Line: These deals may present an opportunity to snag a nice bottle of wine on the cheap, but make sure to read the fine print before proceeding.
Monday, 24 October 2011
2007 Sauternes & Barsac
Here you find the ratings of the 2007 Sauternes and Barsac wines from Robert Parker, Decanter and Wine Spectator:
Sauternes & Barsac
Decanter
Wine Advocate
WineSpectator
Price
Chateau d’Yquem
***** 19
96 - 98
97 - 100
Chateau Guiraud
**** 17,5
92 - 94
91 - 94
Chateau La Tour Blanche
**** 18
86 - 88
90 - 93
Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey
**** 18
91 - 93
91 - 94
Chateau de Rayne-Vigneau
***** 19
91 - 93
92 - 95
Chateau [...]
Sauternes & Barsac
Decanter
Wine Advocate
WineSpectator
Price
Chateau d’Yquem
***** 19
96 - 98
97 - 100
Chateau Guiraud
**** 17,5
92 - 94
91 - 94
Chateau La Tour Blanche
**** 18
86 - 88
90 - 93
Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey
**** 18
91 - 93
91 - 94
Chateau de Rayne-Vigneau
***** 19
91 - 93
92 - 95
Chateau [...]
Source: http://www.wine4freaks.com/41/2007-sauternes-barsac/
The Lost Symbol, Quantum Mechanics and How Randall Grahm helped me Reconcile Biodynamics
By a country mile as the crow flies over a buried cow horn on the vernal equinox, Biodynamics is the subject I’m most interested in amongst a myriad of conversational issues that compete against each other in the wine business. Yet, I’ve never been able to square with Biodynamics – the benefits or the bunkum – until now.
When Stu Smith of Smith-Madrone winery and author of the blog Biodynamics is a Hoax said in a recent interview, “It’s a fight between religion and science. There’s no question about it. The people that are mostly Biodynamic supporters are post-modernist skeptics of science” I paused and took it in. Yet, I was also confused about the boundary lines that he drew.
We live in a complicated world. It seems too tidy to draw boxes and say that BioD detractors are pragmatic and progressive in matters of viticulture who resent the piety of Biodynamic practitioners whilst the BioD folks shrug their shoulders when asked how Biodynamics works, eschewing modern day viticultural practice, gazing at a moon chart.
Meanwhile, as we’re noodling on these neat assignments, let’s also throw in secondary dubiousness with Demeter as the arbiter of standards (and depositor of checks), mix in the Biodynamic father Rudolf Steiner as an alleged charlatan and add a dash of societal convention that relies on burden of proof for outcomes.
With this heady stew, we now have perfect assignments along with swirling sub-issues that force the interplay of capitalism, spirituality, philosophy and science that is nearly impossible to reconcile amongst even the most reasonable people.
Harrumph.
The problem-solver in me needs to transcend partisan Biodynamic views. The facilitator in me wants to find common ground.
I want to know the truth about Biodynamics. Not necessarily THE TRUTH, but my own truth, a personal reconciliation even if it is: “There’s a lot in life we don’t understand and this is one of them.”
I’m okay with living in the space between so long as I’ve assigned value to the black of, “It’s a hoax” and the white of, “It’s religion.”
Why? Because unlike Smith’s assertion, there has to be more to Biodynamics than accepting the use of BioD practices as an article of faith.
Likewise, Biodynamics can’t be debunked as an article of faith, counter to science. If so, it presumes that the base of our collective human knowledge is at an end point. We know everything there is to know and so Biodynamics doesn’t fit because it’s not rooted with a base of empirical proof.
So, what if Biodynamics is neither religion nor science, but rather a hybrid of the two that isn’t fully understood?
After all, by its very definition, Biodynamics relates to: the study of the effects of dynamic processes, such as motion or acceleration, on living organisms.
That’s what I’ve been exploring. Undoubtedly, it’s not leading me to THE TRUTH, but it is leading me to a truth different than, “science” “hoax” and “religion.”
Katherine Cole’s new book Voodoo Vintners (see review) does an exceptional job of framing Biodynamics in a balanced manner, yet there’s one chapter that I found sticking with me long after finishing the book.
In Chapter Four titled, “Science … or Sci-Fi” Cole explores the emerging scientific realm of quantum mechanics – the idea that our bodies, minds and physical environment are a symbiotic elements of energy that interact and that our consciousness, our thoughts, can impact our world. Specifically, she cites a book called, The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe by Lynne McTaggert.
The framework for Cole’s mention is the notion of “intention” in the vineyard. The idea that, as she notes and deftly discredits in the paragraph, “The belief is that the preparations aren’t merely herbal treatments for plants; they’re carriers of the farmers’ intentions, which have been swirled into them through the powerful act of stirring. While it isn’t a requirement for Demeter certification, intention is that little bit of witchcraft that separates the most committed practitioners from the unbelievers.”
Yet, what energy forces and “intention” distills down to is not a rejection of science, but an embrace of the most cutting edge of science.
Randall Grahm, the founder of Bonny Doon Vineyard, is quoted from his blog in the book noting, “The world of wine exists in a non-Euclidean space, and certainly partakes of the quantum universe; there are great discontinuities in what we know or imagine we know.”
With that, I made a mental note to pick-up, The Field.
Later, I read Ideal Wine by David Darlington, which covers some of the some topical area with more insight into the scientific quantum mechanics link and Biodynamics, including Steiner’s founding of the philosophical area of anthroposophy, a pre-cursor philosophy to the more scientifically-rooted, legitimized quantum mechanics.
After I purchased The Field, I noted that it had a cover blurb that said, “The author and science featured in The Lost Symbol.”
The Lost Symbol is author Dan Brown’s follow-up after the wildly successful book, The DaVinci Code.
By now I’m deep into the proverbial rabbit’s hole. The Lost Symbol is a mediocre story, but an incredible mix of historical insight, cutting edge new science in quantum mechanics and its relation to modern day man’s role in seeking spirituality. And, unlike the DaVinci Code that took some liberties with the line between fact and fiction, Brown is quick to point out in the preface of The Lost Symbol that, “All rituals, science, artwork, and monuments in this novel are real.”
And Brown does, in fact, lean on the ideas in The Field and McTaggert’s subsequent book called, The Intention Experiment whilst the cottage industry of “decoding” The Lost Symbol books gives validation to the basis for the ideas presented.
For the two people that have read this far, all of this is pretty heady stuff and not easily explainable, which might partly account for the obfuscation in Biodynamics and wine. You have to be really, really intellectually curious to spend the time, but here’s where I’m at and here’s my recommendation if you want to follow a similar path:
Biodynamics isn’t about science vs. religion or “post-modernist skeptics of science” as Smith put it. The entire conversation is wrong. It IS about science that isn’t fully understood – quantum mechanics. In fact, there’s a growing body of evidence that science and religion are one and the same. This may be pseudoscience to some, but, regardless, the wine and Biodynamics conversation needs to be about whether you believe in the cutting edge of science or whether you need empirical proof in the here and now. Talking about anything else is bloviating with half-truths from ideological positions.
Further, anybody interested in wine and trying to understand Biodynamics from a wine perspective is wasting their time by reading about Biodynamics through the lense of the agricultural practices. Don’t spend any time on Nicolas Joly, or Monty Waldin, or any of the leaders in the field. You’ll never get past the weird preparations and the attempt at the explanation thereof.
Instead, any attempt at understanding Biodynamics needs to come through a view of the emerging science side. Get a notebook to take notes. Read The Lost Symbol first. Then, read a decoding book about The Lost Symbol. This acts as an accessible introduction to a number of ideas. Again, the ideas and facts are real, the story is fiction. From there, read The Field and skim The Intention Experiment. Then read Voodoo Vintners and Ideal Wine.
Once this has been completed, fill in the gaps with internet research on Steiner and some of his history with Theosophy and later Anthroposophy and then wade into Google and Amazon.com searching for, “Quantum physics, God, Consciousness.” Balance all of this with some quick searching on metaphysics to understand the delta and overlap between science, religion and philosophy.
If, after having done this, you haven’t completely confused the shit out of yourself, you’ll have gained a new enlightenment the least of which will be akin to Oliver Wendall Holmes quote, “Once the mind has been stretched by a new idea, it will never again return to its original size.”
As I mentioned earlier, when seeking a truth, I’m okay with “There’s a lot in life we don’t understand and this is one of them” and that’s where I come down on Biodynamics, but the conversation must not be framed in black and white terms. Everybody around Biodynamics – the proponents and the detractors are operating in the gray and there is no one particular truth, but, and this is a big but, we might not be too far away from a deeper understanding.
A Partial Journey in Exploring Biodynamics:
Other stuff to read:
The science behind The Lost Symbol
Space photo credit: Wired.com
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