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Thursday, February 28th, 2008 | Wine biz | 2 Comments

The other day I was flipping through the Winter 2008 Wine Enthusiast catalog. I admired the gorgeous wine coolers disguised as furniture and longed to have one in my home. I enjoyed reading descriptions of various, curious wine gadgets and pricy Riedel glassware. But naturally, as a wine industry professional, I couldn’t help but notice what bottles of wine they chose to include in the photos of wine refrigerators and “Wine For Later” sets. I took note: Opus One, Frei Brothers, Louis M. Martini, DaVinci, Dancing Bull, Gallo, Sebeka… Hey wait, I said to myself, I sense a trend here. All of those wines are distributed by Empire Merchants here in the New York area (where Wine Enthusiast is located as well).

Now, not every single wine displayed in this edition of the catalog is from Empire. On page 31, there are six bottles of Petrus, and those are distributed by BNP Distributing. There were several bottles whose labels could not be completely made out, so I can’t even make guesses about those. But I do find it rather amusing for Empire wines to be so prominently featured, as you can see in the photo (that’s page 53 by the way). I doubt the average wine consumer who gets the catalog at home would take notice, but you can bet that the retailers take note. I certainly did. And I couldn’t help but wonder if that was a paid placement.

They’ve probably been doing this forever and I’ve just never noticed but… I found it interesting.

Wine Book Club: Vino Italiano

Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 | Books, Italy | 3 Comments

I’m going to confess something: I did not read Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy by Joseph Bastianich and David Lynch from cover to cover. In fact I can’t even say with 100% certainty that I read all the material in this book. But I looked over most of it. I enjoyed the recipes and marked a few that I’d like to try. I found it to be very helpful when drinking Italian wines (and lately they seem to be appearing on my dinner table quite often). It is great to be able to quickly look up a region when you’re drinking a bottle of wine that was produced there.

This is a very comprehensive guide that does a good job of delivering information without being terribly dry. The presentation is lovely. Each chapter has photos, maps, wine descriptions (red, white, sparkling, and sweet), production statistics, and recipes that pair well with wines of that region. There are also anecdotes that add a personal dimension to the dearth of information contained between the two covers.

Shortly after I purchased the book, I was able to put it to use while searching for a wine from Friuli-Venezia Giulia for Wine Blogging Wednesday #41. I don’t know a lot about Italian wines, so I appreciated the quick geography lesson and learned a little about what wines are produced in Friuli. A few weeks later I found myself looking up some information on wines from Veneto. And I referred to the Piedmont section when we had the bottle of Rosa Regale a couple weeks ago. It’s quickly proving its worth. Perhaps in the next few weeks I’ll choose a recipe from the book and write about how it turns out.

I would consider this book a must-have for anyone who is really into Italian wines, or anyone who just wants to learn more about Italy’s wine culture. It’s not a book that is meant to be read from cover to cover, but the information it contains is very helpful. It’s easy enough to skip around the book reading the chapters that you find most interesting or relevant to what you are drinking. Indeed, a worthy addition to your collection of food and wine books.

Thanks to David McDuff of McDuff’s Food & Wine Trail for hosting this very first installment of the Wine Blogger’s Book Club. Be sure to head over and read his take on the book as well as leave a comment pointing to your review if you’ve participated.

2000 Rudd Napa Valley Jericho Canyon Vineyard

Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 | California, Meritage | 1 Comment

I hope you didn’t miss the 9th annual Open That Bottle Night, which was last Saturday (February 23, 2008). There were a few bottles in the running, but ultimately we choose to open up a bottle of 2000 Rudd Napa Valley Jericho Canyon Vineyard ($99.99). Rudd is located in Oakville, and the Jericho Canyon Vineyard is is located on the eastern slope of the Vaca Mountains at the northern end of Napa Valley. The wine is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. It was aged for 18 months in French oak (50% new oak), is 14.5% alcohol, and 2,500 cases were produced.

Now, you’d think that with a wine like this (with a hefty price tag, no less), I would have gone all out to prepare a meal that would really be special. But you know what? I didn’t. It was a pretty regular Saturday at our house, and in my opinion, one of the things that Open That Bottle Night sets out to do is to give people permission to just enjoy wine and not stress over pairing it with the perfect food, or make it out to be a big deal. It’s about having fun and integrating great wine into your everyday life. With that said, I’ll let you know that we ended up drinking the Rudd with Quarter Pounders with cheese and French fries (while watching the last two episodes of Veronica Mars, Season 2). But before we sunk our teeth into our juicy burgers, we gave the wine the proper attention it deserved. After all, I’d been staring at this bottle for quite some time and was so excited to finally be drinking it.

The color was a bright, bloody red that was just gorgeous in the glass. From the first sniff you can tell that this wine was produced in what I would consider a fairly traditional Bordeaux-style. We did not decant the bottle, but I would suggest it. We took some time to swirl the wine, bringing out aromas of dark fruit in addition to the woodiness that dominated the nose. The wine had some vegetal flavors, some earthiness, and a bit of cherry. The tannins were well-integrated, but still obvious. The finish wasn’t terribly long; I’d call it medium. I think this wine can sit for a few more years. (Lucky for us, we have a few more bottles!) I think with a little more time, the wine will become even more well-rounded. But that’s not to say it isn’t drinking lovely now — it absolutely is and we enjoyed every last drop.

Upon my first taste I immediately thought that the wine would go well with some kind of fatty meat like lamb or duck. The tannins would balance it out nicely. So in reality, our choice of greasy fast-food burgers wasn’t so far off! Next time we open this bottle I will undoubtedly prepare a proper dinner that will show off this wine the way it deserves.

Staten Island Wine Country

Thursday, February 21st, 2008 | New York, Wine News | No Comments

Watch out, Long Island! Before long, you might not be the only show in town when it comes to southern New York state wine country. Staten Island is hot on your heels. According to an article in the NY Daily News, the borough is getting its own vineyard. While some people often compare the wines of Long Island to those of France (particularly Bordeaux), the plans are for the wine from Staten Island to have a Tuscan twist, reflective of the Italian-American population living there. Thirty-eight percent of people living on Staten Island have a little Italian in their blood.

The 2-acre Tuscan Garden Vineyard Project will be planted on a Snug Harbor hilltop by spring 2009, officials said yesterday.

“We’ll be creating, I’m sure, a serious wine,” declared winemaker Piergiorgio Castellani Jr., co-owner of Italy’s Castellani Wines. The Italian winery, near Pisa - as in leaning tower of - produces 18 million bottles of wine annually.

Castellani estimated the 2,000-vine organic plot planned for the Staten Island Botanical Garden will produce as much as 7,000 bottles a year. The vineyard is to complement the Tuscan Garden Villa at the botanic garden.

The wine that will be produced will not be sold at wine shops. The project leaders are hoping that it will be served at government functions. It seems that this venture really is part of a larger rebranding of Staten Island, which many people unfortunately associate only with the Fresh Kills landfill. Hopefully the project will be successful and the vineyard will draw tourists to the area.

Beer Hat? Meet Wine Bra.

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008 | Wine Gadgets | 1 Comment

I’m sure you’re familiar with the beer hat. You know — the hat that has a place for two cans of beer to sit, and tubes that extend from the cans to your mouth. (Like this.) For years, wine had been neglected in the beverage-in-garment revolution… until now. A British company has invented a bra called the Wine Rack™. The sports bra contains a special polyurethane bladder that holds up to 750ml of wine. A tube is attatched to the bra so that one can sip wine discreetly, on the go. Apparently customers have experienced best results with sweet red wines. White wines, however, are not suggested for use because they will warm up too quickly.

As if being able to covertly sip your vino while at the park isn’t enough, the WineRack also increases cup size by two cups. Who needs a Miracle Bra? This revolutionary new product retails for $29.95, but apparently the brassiere has been so popular that it is currently sold out. You can, however, sign up to receive an e-mail when it is back in stock.

Fascinating stuff.

Nominations Open for Wine Blog Awards

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 | Wine Blogs | No Comments

Awards. Some people put a lot of stock in them, others don’t feel that they mean much of anything. Neverthless, communities love honoring their own, and this is certainly true when it comes to blogs. In fact, the time-honored tradition of blog awards started years before most people knew what the heck a “blog” was — Diarist.net started awarding “Best of…” awards for online journals back in 1999.

Wine blogs are becoming increasingly popular and over on his blog, Fermentation, Tom Wark has announced the open nominations period for the 2008 American wine blog awards. There are a variety of awards including Best Wine Blog, Best Wine Blog Writing, Best Single Subject Wine Blog, Best Wine Review Blog, Best Wine Business Blogging, Best Winery Blog, Best Wine Podcast or Video Blog, and Best Wine Blog Graphics.

The American Wine Blog Awards will accept nominations in eight categories until February 27 when a panel of judges will narrow down the nominated blogs to four in each category. The finalists will then be voted on by the public as well as by a judging panel to determine the winners. If you feel strongly about your favorite wine blogs, be sure to nominate them!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Thursday, February 14th, 2008 | Brachetto, Italy, Piedmont, Sparkling Wine | 3 Comments

If Valentine’s Day isn’t a perfect occasion to drink something sparkling, or pink, or both, I don’t know what is. Sure, some people grumble about it being a “Hallmark holiday” but personally I think it can be a fun day. There’s no reason to take it so seriously, is there? An excuse to enjoy a nice meal and pop open a bottle of wine with my sweetie sounds good to me!

We’re delaying our dinner out until the weekend, but instead we’ll be having a little wine and chocolate tonight. My pick? No surprise I guess, if you’ve read me for any length of time: Banfi Rosa Regale. This delicious, semi-dry Italian sparkling wine pairs with chocolate like nobody’s business. The delicious flavors of raspberry and rose petals will make you swoon. It is made from Brachetto grapes grown near Piedmont, Italy, and clocks in at a mere 7% alcohol, so this is a great choice for people who want to enjoy bubbly, but without high alcohol content.

One of my favorite wine industry professionals, Andrea Immer, tasted it on an episode of her Fine Living show, “Simply Wine.” You can view the video here.

I’ve seen the price of Rosa Regale range quite a bit, from as low as $17, to as much as $27 per bottle, so it really will depend on your location. Half-bottles of this wine are readily available, as well. I think that Banfi Rosa Regale is a sweet ending to a romantic meal. I know it’s one of my favorites.

WBW #42: Just Seven Words (Drew’s Wine)

Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 | Italy, Pinot Grigio, White Wine, Wine Blogging Wednesday, Wines Under $20 | 1 Comment

As Carol mentioned, we decided to take a tag-team approach for this, my first official Wine Blogging Wednesday contribution. I decided to take on one of the more popular mass-market Italian whites.

2006 Cavit Pinot Grigio
“If you like adding ice, try me”

WBW #42: Just Seven Words (Carol’s Wine)

Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 | Chianti, Italy, Red Wine, Wine Blogging Wednesday, Wines Under $20 | 1 Comment

This month Andrew Barrow of Spittoon challenged us to describe an Italian wine in just seven words. After going all out for last month’s Friuli which was a challenge to find (and a bit pricey), Drew and I decided to each taste a cheap, readily available Italian wine — one red, one white — and have some fun. Based on a coin toss, I get to post mine first! Here goes:

Wine: 2006 Opici Chianti
Description: Not a bad ten dollar candle holder.

Cheers!

Cooking for the Cure Fundraiser

Monday, February 11th, 2008 | Hudson Valley, Local Events | No Comments

If you live in Northern Dutchess County, chances are you have at least heard of Taste Budd’s cafe in Red Hook, NY. They serve a variety of tasty desserts, sandwiches, and beverages. It’s a great place to get a bite to eat and catch up with a friend. If you want to learn a little about pastry making (specifically tarts) from Chef Dan Budd himself, you will not want to miss out on a great event supporting a great cause:

Having loss his sister to a brain tumor in 2000 Chef Dan Budd of Taste Budd’s Cafe has gathered some great chefs to share thier sercrets in support of fund raising for The National Brain Tumor Foundation.

When: Feb 24th, 2008 6:00-9:30PM (Online price $30 or $38 at the door.)
Where: Taste Budd’s Chocolate & Coffee Cafe, 40 W Market St., Red Hook, NY 12571
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Dessert Reception: Taste Budd’s delicious desserts and freshly brewed coffees

Chef Demonstrations:
– Elegant hor de oeuvres by Culinary Institute of America Chef Dan Turgeon
– Decorative and Delicious Breads by Master Baker Richard Coppedge and Hawthorn Valley Farm Baker David DeCesare
– The Art of Tarts by Taste Budd’s Chef/Owner Dan Budd.

If you can’t attend the event but are interested in contributing, you can do so via the Taste Budd’s Web site.