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Washington Wine Report (Free subscription) | 11/10/2009
Back in the Rain City... As I write this, rain is falling in Seattle, and it was snowing on the way over Snoqualmie Pass this afternoon. Winter has arrived in the Pacific Northwest. Stops in the Walla Walla Valley yesterday included Gramercy , Trust , Chateau Rollat , Castillo de Feliciana , Reynvaan , and El Corazon . Gramercy Cellars was pouring wines in the Big Apple Wine Tasting Circus, a tent...
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@wedwardes - wine for spice etc. (Free subscription) | 11/09/2009
Tim Atkin in The Observer wonders: Why have alcohol levels crept up, and which wine regions offer lighter styles? Tim points out: Since I started writing about wine in the mid-1980s, alcohol levels have increased by 1.5% to 2% across the board. Why? Partly because growers pick later and are more selective in the vineyard, throwing away green bunches, but also because of climate change and the love...
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THIRSTY BIRD WINE BLOG (Free subscription) | 11/09/2009
‘Fiercely independent’ Yalumba, Australia’s oldest family-owned wine company, was showing a fabulous line up of the classic Aussie blend, Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz as well as single varietals at Waterstones, Piccadilly. Whites were also in the room with Viognier and Riesling excellent, plus a quartet of that long-neglected treasure, fortified Muscat, here taking on a tawny port cameo...
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Artisan Wine on a Budget (Free subscription) | 11/08/2009
This is an innovative blend designed for easy and early drinking: 30% Shiraz, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Grenache and 20% Mataro (Mourvedre). The color is dark, but there is no indication from the color or smell that the wine has had very much, if any, new oak treatment. The aromas blend nicely--Shiraz black fruit and spice, Cabernet blackcurrants, Grenache strawberries and nice hints of purple flowers...
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Repository of Useless Information (Free subscription) | 11/07/2009
I have for some time been quite fascinated by Las Alpujarras - largely because I haven't really been able to find out much about the area! Arabic Spain has for almost half a century been one of the passions of my Arabic teacher, and apparently some of that interest has been contagious. But still, even the etymology of the name "Alpujarra" (or Las Alpujarras or Alpuxarra) is uncertain. I think...
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blind tasting club (Free subscription) | 11/04/2009
White wines from Southern France aren't only light summer wines. Such as Rhône wines they can be aromatic and powerful, simply outstanding. So naturally I didn't hesitate to bring back 2 wines from Montpellier when I stopped there this summer, trusting the recommendations of a wineshop owner in the city. Finally I got the opportunity to open them. 2007 Les Mûriers, Mas Bruguière...
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WINE IN SWEDEN (Free subscription) | 11/03/2009
This wine is a blend of Shiraz, Grenache, and Mazuelo. Colour : Dark red, blue hues Aroma : Spicy, plums, cherries, rum Taste : Plums, raisins, sour cherry, acidic finish, rum Alcohol : 14% Price : 115 SEK Mark : C Website : Cellers Unio
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Australian Wine Review (Free subscription) | 11/03/2009
Woop Woop The Black Chook 'Free Range' Grenache Shiraz Viognier 2008 (South Australia) $18, Screwcap, 15.0% Made to sell. Made to make tons of everyday drinkers very happy with their purchase. Made to appeal to just about anyone who likes red wine to be rich soft & juicy. Arguably it's a critter wine, but its a very smart one, with standout packaging & a reasonably clever back label. Arguably...
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Grape Sense - A Glass Half Full (Free subscription) | 10/31/2009
There is no better way to enjoy great wine than with great food. Wine and food are such an important part of life in Old World countries like France and Italy. The concept is what Robert Mondavi talked about all of his life. I had to be in Cleveland this weekend for work and made my second-ever visit to Lola's in downtown. If that sounds vaguely familiar to you foodies that's because Lola's is owned...
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Benito's Wine Reviews (Free subscription) | 10/28/2009
The second installment of wines in this series comes from Pikes Vintners of South Australia. I was initially amused by the names of these wines, as the pike resembles our local alligator gar , a prehistoric monster that can grow to 10 feet/300 lbs. and take off your hand. OK, so maybe all the stories about injured fishermen are myths, but most folks I know will cut the line rather than take a chance...
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750 mL (Free subscription) | 10/28/2009
I swear I recognize your face. I always feel that way with grenache--whether the juicy, dusty red is from Spain, Australia, southern France, or here in Columbia Valley, where I now have suspicion to believe the ground is made of marrow bones and the spirit of some ancient, possibly Aztec, god of cocoa beans. I'm not so sure we're at a place yet to say what Washington wine means--not so much as
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WINE IN SWEDEN (Free subscription) | 10/27/2009
This wine is a blend of 50% Shiraz, 34% Grenache, and 16% Mourvedre. The Shiraz was sourced from vineyards in the Stockwell, Light Pass, Ebenezer and Marananga regions. The Grenache was sourced from old bush vines 50-60 years old from Stockwell, Light Pass and the Rowland Flat regions. The Mourvedre was sourced from old bush vines, the oldest over 100 years old, from the Light Pass and Angaston regions....
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The Gray Market Report (Free subscription) | 10/27/2009
Robert Parker is not what you think he is. The most common misconception of Parker -- the world's most powerful critic -- from both his acolytes and his detractors is that he always rates highest the biggest, most powerful wines on the table. I had the opportunity last week to taste wine with Parker for the third time, at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, and can say this is simply not...
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Great Food (Free subscription) | 10/26/2009
Kevin Ecock's Wine of the Week comes from the Languedoc region in the South of France. Chateau de Pennautier Cabardes is a fabulous blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cot (that's Malbec to the rest of us!), Grenache and Syrah... and it's available in Dunnes Stores so everyone can find it.
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Wino sapien (Free subscription) | 10/25/2009
Minervois, Languedoc, France. Grenache. 14.5%. Cork. Approx $A35. I went wine shopping last week and found this hidden amongst the expensive bottles at the back of the shop. I picked it up on spec, thinking it would be rustic and honest. It's quite delicious. A wine with a pretty nose and suntanned body. Vibrant and fresh to start, with boiled lollies and raspberry. By nights end it has a more herbal...
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