These wines would pair very well with lobster … 2007 Dierberg Chardonnay (USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley) color: straw, med intensity nose: med intensity, very sweet butter, some golden apple palate: dry, acid is med+ tannin is low (oak?) body is med alc is est 13.5 finish is med+ Style note: Racy acidity [...]
Did you ever wonder what sort of wine to have with oysters? Not sure there are any clear rules, yet wouldn’t it be fun to try oysters, prepared in a multitude of ways, with many different wines? Recently, Oyster expert and James Beard Award-winning author Rowan Jacobsen, along with winemakers from Andre Lurton, Barone Fine, [...]
Fabulous event today at Landmark in the Time Warner Center! Landmark Australia Master Class 2011came to town, and the room was filled with some of the best sommeliers and wine writers in the city. Riesling and Pinot Noir was the focus of the event – six young Rieslings, and six Rieslings with age to [...]
Brian Freedman … great title for a panel on social media, yes? The panel was one of many fabulous seminars held at the Waldorf hotel in connection with Vino 2011 in New York, sponsored by the Italian Trade Commission. Moderator Tom Wark and a team of crack social media specialists spoke authenticity, the power of [...]
Anthony Giglio, also the official blogger at Vino 2011, is always a fun wine educator/entertainer and mesmerizing speaker. I attended the Prosecco seminar, which introduced the new quality wine laws and gave a sampling of Prosecco from many quality levels and price points.
Ugo Chiola Mr. Chiola, producer of Barolo and an incredibly delicious rose wine made from Nebbiolo grapes, was energetic and lively during the 10 – 2 session of producers looking for American distribution. His wines were incredibly crafted, yet his personal story is larger — he owns a spa and hotel adjacent to his winery, [...]
Daniele of … a few years back, I was blind tasting Italian wine and came across a delicious white I later discovered was Vernaccia di San Gimignano. This is an incredible wine made from grapes grown in the special soil of the area, and a deep golden color produced by compounds in the grape skins. [...]
So Bill Nesto MW lead the very popular seminar "Diversity of Lombardy" today. It was called ‘the ten faces of Italian wine’ and sure enough ten producers showed off their wines, all from the Lombardy region. Some of the grapes were obscure, but delicious. Other grapes, such as the Pinot Nero Oltrepo Pavese DOC "Pernice" [...]
John Gillespie, President of the Wine Market Council, gave a rousing talk about Millennials and Baby Boomers today at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. It was a fun and energizing talk, a slightly different spin from previous years. While Millennials are now posed to take over for the Boomers, it was revealed Boomers [...]
Curious to taste the "next generation" of Bordeaux? This Thursday, January 27th, La Soiree des Grands Crus will bring together 17 "next generation" Bordeaux estate owners in NYC to meet with wine enthusiasts and pour their wines. I am personally so excited because I stayed at many of the Chateaux on my various visits to [...]
Angelo Cotugno … so I spent my morning at the Waldorf meeting the different producers who were here looking for distributors. This 1- – 2 event was an exclusive tasting of cutting edge and traditional producers. I was drawn to Angelo’s table as he had three types (and price points) of Nero D’Avola – one [...]
“Have you tasted their Sauvignon Blanc? It rocks!” To be clear, we are speaking of the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from the Arkenstone Vineyards estate in Howell Mountain. And “rock” is the appropriate word, for even though this is a California Sauvignon Blanc, the minerality is incredible. “Limestone soil?” I ask owner Susan Krausz over [...]
It’s always fun when the Napa Vintners association comes to New York — the owners and winemakers take a break from pouring at consumer and press functions, and are able to relax a bit and talk about their wines. I first met Shirley Roy a few years ago at a trade event … and had [...]
2005 De Lorimier Mosaic (USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley) color: Opaque, purple, scintillating aroma: med+ intensity, very balanced and elegant nose of smooth black fruit, vanilla and sweet violet suggests oak treatment palate: dry, acid med tannin med body med alc 13.5 finish med + Style note: Extremely well balanced and delicious bordeaux blend [...]
…. so if you have seen a picture of me picking botrytized grapes in Tokaji (Hungary) and Sauternes (France) you now can imagine how different it its to pick frozen grapes in the middle of winter, in the midst of a blizzard! The grapes have a net around them to protect them from birds. [...]
Now last night was such a blast! After a fun day of tasting icewine at Inniskillin Winery in Niagra-on-the-Lake, the city was in full excitement to celebrate the Niagra Icewine Festival. A day of festivities (including the Guinness Book of World Records’ press event) culminated in the Red Hot and Ice Gala at the [...]
. … so I am in Canada to celebrate the Icewine festival. It is a picture perfect snowy day and my host is Inniskillin winery, who has one of the most quality wines in the region. Today the winery, located in Niagra-on-the-Lake, is covered in fresh snow. I am standing on the current site called [...]
… so tonight I tried the 2006 Sangiovese and Malbec from de Lorimier. The varietals had nothing in common save that they are produced by the same California winery in the Alexander Valley, so other than this, there was no real "comparison." I thought they were both excellent examples of the California take on [...]
Very exited to receive a case of de Lorimier’s new offerings … and really thrilled to see that among the goodies are two Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 from different vineyards. one is from Dry Creek Valley, Warm Springs Ranch, and the other is from the Alexander Valley, Crazy Creek Ranch. So without reading the notes [...]
This week I’ve tasted some excellent wines! 2006 Wilson Cabernet Sauvignon (USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley) color – purple, medium intensity, med trans nose: med+ intensity, spice, black berry, black currant, oak palate: dry acid med tannin med+ (full, rich) body med+ alc est 15 finish med+ On the palate: complexity, [...]
