…. so now we are having beer (!) waiting for our 7pm dinner and what a fabulous day we have had at the Palais Coburg, viewing multi-million dollar wine cellars and meeting the celebrities of the wine world. The champagne meet and greet led to a presentation in which we learned “insider secrets” from Gerard [...]
Fun to meet fellow participants. Myself and three other MW students all women.
So now I am waiting for a fellow MW student and we will walk to the Palais Coburg together.
Dr. Josef Schuller, first Master of Wine in Austria So excited! I am here in Vienna, and in just a few hours will take part in an educational program: Fine and Rare Wine Specialist duriing a week-long session in Vienna featuring presentations by the world’s most respected wine authorities, including Gerard Basset MW, Anthony Hanson [...]
So very interesting to hear the colorful stories of people who sought out a winery, nursed it to fruition, and are now making a success of their wine. Franco-American couple Michael and Hélène Fenouille purchased the1646-dated Chateau La Gatte in 2004, and renovated it into a B & B and winery. Today Helene came to [...]
Wine lovers in New York are gearing up for the The 151st Wine Auction of the Hospices de Beaune will take place November 20, 2011 in Beaune. Last night (Monday, October 24th, 2011) I attended a tasting at Christie’s, the auction house, of some of the wines that will be offered — you can see [...]
Fabulous tasting at Aureole in NYC today … Palm Bay had a special tasting event featuring Col d’Orcia, Jean-Luc Colombo, Mazzei, Planeta, and Santa Rita. The private room was full of Manhattan’s trade and media aristocracy, including Robin Kelley O’Connor, and some fabulous wines such as the Col d’Orcia Poggio al Vento Brunello di [...]
Bob Iantosca, Executive Winemaker “We went to California for wine instead of gold!” said Freixenet CE0 Pedro Ferrer, here with his wife Begonia and other key executives in New York to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Gloria Ferrer sparkling wine brand from Sonoma. The Ferrer family Cava (sparkling wine), Freixenet, began in Sant Sadurni [...]
An absolutely fabulous, one of a kind event at today’s Wine Media Guild lunch, as member sponsor Mark Golodetz arranged for three fabulous speakers from three fabulous Pauillac Chateaux to share stories of their estates, and of course their wine. The venue, a private room at Felidia in New York City, where outside the large [...]
“Where’s our wine?” Excited delegates of the 2011 European Wine Bloggers conference happily piled into the luxurious ballroom of the Hotel Vittoria friday night, blackberries and cameras and ipods and even laptops in hand, greeting old friends and presenting their wine. Above is the gorgeous wooden case of the Fratelli Berlucci wine we brought [...]
Andrea Leon “It was a very emotional harvest,” explains petite Andrea Leon Iriarte, winemaker and communications manager for Lapostolle winery in Chile, describing the vintage of 2010. Yet the Sauvignon Blanc, with just a hint of semillion, was crisp and delicious, as was the Carmenere. A small and select group of journalists are listening to [...]
Alfredo Del Rio “So interesting to see the difference between the 04 and the 03!” exclaims a guest, tasting the two vintages of Campo Viejo Reserva side by side. Both are delicious, yet the 04 — though younger — has a certain elegance and refinement that goes hand in hand with the vintage. “It was [...]
When you think of sparkling wine, what comes to mind? Champagne with its limestone soils? California sparklers with their bright sunny flavors? How about sipping a sparkler from an ancient land, with vines grown on a site filled with concentric circles. Archeologists believe this area was used as an ancient calendar and that the alignments [...]
Grapes in Ch Suduiraut’s Press Decanter magazine just reported that Chateau Suduiraut is launching a Sauternes for younger drinkers Les Lions de Suduiraut, which makes its debut this month, is described as a ‘classic Sauternes’ is produced the same way as it’s “elder” counterpart yet is said to be ‘fresher, fruitier and more vibrant’. The [...]
Very excited to visit Brescia, Italy for the wine blogger’s conference! I have been reading a lot about Bellavista and hope to visit the winery. While i have not had every Franciacorta wine, the ones I have enjoyed from this DOCG appelation have been the equal of Champagne in terms of finesse and elegance. [...]
…. So a great presentation today by Marnie Old, who gave a talk for Wines from Spain “Great Match” at the Metropolitan Pavillion about Cava. Marnie is a fabulous presenter whose enthusiasm for Cava came out loud and clear. The tasting room on the 4th floor of the Metropolitan Pavillion was beautifully set-up with well [...]
Michel Laroche of Domaine LaRoche So what is it about the ‘cork vs. screwcap’ controversy that is so fascinating? Perhaps it is because we are still in the process of discovering if screwcap is really the answer to preserving the quality of wine. Right now, it is a heated subject in the trade with different [...]
Twelve historical producers of Amarone visited Manhattan for a tutored tasting that was literally ‘standing room only.” They included Allegrini, Begali, Brigadara, Masi, Musella, Nicolis, Speri, Tedeschi, Tenuta Sant’ Antonio, Tomassi, Venturini, and Zenato. These “families” have created the association “Amarone Families” to combine their wealth of tradition with craftsmanship and standards in wine [...]
The 2010 Finger Lakes harvest was the warmest growing season in nearly forty years and the wettest since 1973, resulting in a good vintage overall yet a varied style with a general slant toward lower acid, intense fruit, and ripeness. Riesling grows well in the cool climate and varied soils of the Finger Lakes as [...]
