Janet Jackson January Jones Jennie Finch Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Gareis
Monday 30 April 2012
Wine & The Connected Consumer
Randall Grahm is one of the true characters of the American wine scene. A self-styled terroirist, intuitive branding genius and all around eccentric, Grahm has taken his Bonny Doon Vineyard on quite a ride over nearly the past 30 years. After setting out in 1983 to make great Pinot Noir in California, Grahm was drawn [...]
Wine & The Connected Consumer originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
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Christina Applegate Christina DaRe Christina Milian Christina Ricci Chyler Leigh
SEB, WEB AND SEB RED BULL RACING'S 2012 DRIVER LINE-UP
Red Bull Racing Thursday 5 January 2012 Red Bull Racing is pleased to confirm that Sébastien Buemi will continue his relationship with Red Bull as Red Bull Racing's test and reserve driver for 2012. The 23-year-old joins Sebastian Vettel and...
Source: http://www.motorsportsjournal.com/archives/2012/01/seb_web_and_seb_red_bull.php
Juan Jover Oswald Karch Narain Karthikeyan Ukyo Katayama Ken Kavanagh
The Art & Craft of Natural Wine
“… if you will make a man of the working creature, you cannot make a tool. Let him but begin to imagine, to think, to try to do anything worth doing: and the engine-turned precision is lost at once. Out comes all his roughness, all dullness, all his incapability; shame upon shame, failure upon failure; [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/UnY5bHBIPGk/
Blake Lively Blu Cantrell Bonnie Jill Laflin Bridget Moynahan Britney Spears
Wine-derful
Judges completed the first day of tasting the finest vintages the wine world has to offer at the 70th Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition. Stepping into the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts, where judging is taking place, the aroma is musky, flowery, fruity, nutty. Pretty powerful! Judges gather around round tables comparing [...]
Source: http://blogs.fairplex.com/blog/wine/?p=62
Gwen Stefani Halle Berry Hayden Panettiere Haylie Duff Heidi Klum
TasteCamp East: Voracious Wine Bloggers Taste Throughout the Finger Lakes
This past weekend, I was among a group of wine bloggers who participated in the 2nd TasteCamp East, this year in the Finger Lakes. The local wine industry is the inspiration for this blog and my business as I’ve mentioned to you before. I had nothing to do with the selection of our region as [...]
Hilarie Burton Hilary Duff Hilary Swank Isla Fisher Ivana Bozilovic
Social Media Quick Tip: Tag Your Favorite Wine Brands on Facebook
This is old news for some, but if you haven’t explored the status tagging feature (similar to photo tagging) on Facebook, take a few minutes and check it out. Status tagging can help your winery’s Facebook fan page to become more engaging and vibrant. Facebook users can type the “@” symbol before a Facebook fan [...]
Emma Heming Emma Stone Emma Watson Emmanuelle Chriqui Emmanuelle Vaugier
Wine labels done right, a discovery at VinCE
A couple weeks ago I found myself in Budapest for the VinCE wine event – An event that is more consumer focused than trade, but a place to discover new wines and meet new people. I have to admit that I rarely find myself discovering a wine label, or bottle design, at such events that [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/5R-0iGsvEkk/
Avril Lavigne Bali Rodriguez Bar Refaeli Beyoncé Bianca Kajlich
Caymus Wine Dinner Reveals Surprising Value Plays
Some of their more expensive wines were every bit as good as I hoped they'd be. And a couple of their more affordable wines showed absolutely spectacularly in an elegant setting.
Between the seminar and the dinner was a reception where Conundrum White was poured. According to Wagner, Conundrum was created to enjoy with Asian fusion cuisine. It's one of those wines that, I think, makes numerical ratings seem especially silly. Because either you like a slightly sweet fruity white wine or you don't. It's not a question of quality. It's a question of style. It carries a $24 release price and is readily available available at retail south of $20 thanks to 92,000 cases of the wine being made at last check (2007 vintage). They've recently introduced a Conundrum Red as well.
Wagner kicked off the evening by mentioning that Chef Daniel Bruce never makes the same dish twice for these wine dinners. The Boston Wine Festival runs from January to March and features some of the top wineries and the world. The Boston Harbor Hotel has these things down to a science. I thought the service was excellent.
Chardonnay
The first course was a Pan Roasted Cod Loin with a Georgia Sweet Pea and Chardonnay Sauce.
The 2010 Mer Soleil SILVER Unoaked Chardonnay was showing beautifully. Crisp and creamy. Beautiful. Chablis-like in style. Clean pineapple aromas and flavors. The wine ferments and is aged in cement tanks which they choose to denote with distinctive ceramic bottles. Very cool packaging and a tremendous effort, especially south of $20 retail. 91 points WWP: Outstanding
This was poured alongside the 2009 Mer Soleil Barrel-fermented Chardonnay which provided a chance to assess the affects of a varying oak regiment on the two Chardonnays. I normally like the creaminess some time in oak can provide Chardonnay but this one took on a bit of an untamed "feral" note that I wasn't crazy about. Underlying this, the two wines were quite similar but I definitely preferred the unoaked SILVER. 84 points WWP: Good
Pinot Noir
Next up was were the Pinot Noirs. Chef Bruce prepared a Flash Smoked Slow Roasted Long Island Duck Breast in a Tomato, Wild Mushroom, and Wild Leek Broth. It was a brilliant pairing.
It's hard to think of a more reliably delicious sub-$20 California Pinot Noir than Meiomi, and the 2010 Meiomi Pinot Noir is no exception. It's a pizza-night staple around our house, so seeing it "dressed up" in this setting was interesting. I'd previously assumed that Meiomi was a blend of the single vineyard Belle Glos wines. It's not. None of the fruit in Meiomi comes from Las Alturas, Clark & Telephone nor Taylor Lane. But it was showing so well. Bright, rich, and pure berry fruit. I love California Pinot Noir and after tasting a bunch of [outstanding] Cabernet Sauvignon this was a luscious return to comfort. 92/100 WWP: Outstanding
The Las Alturas is typically my favorite, so I was pleased to see them pouring the 2010 Belle Glos Las Alturas Pinot Noir. In line with prior vintages which so many of us have adored, it's got this distinctive slightly sweet spice note and tobacco leaf that blends beautifully with juicy fresh strawberry aromas and flavors. I thought this wine was outstanding as well, but to be honest I liked the Meiomi just as much. 92/100 WWP: Outstanding
A Family Winery
I was sitting next to Joe at the dinner so I got a chance to chat with him quite a bit. He's only 29 years old, but coming from a line of five generations of winemakers has clearly provided him with a wealth of knowledge he's putting to good work. He's got five (5!) kids of his own and, charmingly, stopped to take a picture to send home to his kids of a Lego man they'd sent with him with the audience in the background.
Belle Glos is named after Joe's 96 year old grandmother Lorna Belle Glos Wagner. Joe said she drinks "whatever she wants" but mostly Conundrum these days.
Joe's brother Charlie focuses on white wines for the family. They have two sisters who are increasingly getting into the business. Even though production levels have increased since their first publicly released vintage in 1972, it's still very much a family affair.
I asked him what other California Pinot Noir producers he'd recommend for folks who like the Belle Glos style. Three he mentioned included Pisoni, MacPhail, and Peter Michael Le Moulin Rouge. Check 'em out!
Cabernet Sauvignon
The main course was a Herb Rolled Char Grilled Prime Tenderloin with Bacon Tossed Marbled Potatoes, Baby Zuccini, and Spring Onions. Sorry, no picture. I must have enjoyed it before remembering to snap a photo!
It was served with two Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignons: 2005 and 2009. It was interesting to taste these wines from the earlier seminar again, from different bottles, and along with food. The 2009 settled down a bit when paired with food (I thought it was extremely fruit-forward at this point) and the 2005 was vibrant with the tenderloin. Gorgeous stuff.
Dessert
A Warm Nectarine Crostata with Honey Strawberry Coulis and Honey Ice Cream was paired with a 2004 Mer Soleil Late Harvest Viognier. It was a delicious end to the evening.
Conclusions and Recommendations
If there's one thing the wines in the Wagner line-up represent, it's the intersection of delicious, approachable, high quality wines. Their entry level wines provide an affordable window into their style of winemaking and their more expensive bottlings are often rewarding purchases.
The Meiomi Pinot Noir is hard to beat south of $20. And the Mer Soleil SILVER Unoaked Chardonnay is one I'll seek out again. Combined with the always-delicious Belle Glos Las Alturas Pinot Noir, these are some of my favorites value plays in the market.
The Boston Harbor Hotel does a tremendous job with these wine dinners. Check out the Boston Wine Festival next year when it comes around again.
Disclosure: Attendance on a complimentary blogger pass.
Coming up next on the WWP: Trip reports on Littorai and Kosta Browne. I'd love it if you SUBSCRIBED to be informed of new posts.
Heidi Montag Hilarie Burton Hilary Duff Hilary Swank Isla Fisher
If It's Not Natural Wine, It's Fake Wine
At the risk of beating on a horse that is live and well, I'm compelled to remake a few points about the Natural Wine Movement that very much need to be driven home. The movement, which some will say does...
Cinthia Moura Claudette Ortiz Coco Lee Connie Nielsen Cristina Dumitru
No one wants to watch wine movies
Ok, so I got your attention. I’m sure some of you came racing over here to tell me I’m wrong. Sideways, Mondovino, A Good Year, French Kiss, and more … so many good, and not so good, films that speak of wine. I’m not here to debate the quality and accuracy of the films, but [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/HF9GUQWJLkk/
Carla Campbell Carla Gugino Carmen Electra Carol Grow Carrie Underwood
Wine of the Month
The idea of a wine of the month has different meanings to different people. For my dad, that’s probably whatever box wine Costco has on sale. That’s fine, but not really my cup of tea if you know what I mean, no matter how much I like Bronco Wine Company or Franzia. For my wife [...]
Source: http://winewithmark.info/archives/673
Amber Brkich Amber Heard Amber Valletta America Ferrera Amerie
What 1% increase in spending will sell you more wine?
Ironically, the answer is probably not by increasing the quality of your wine. With the one exception, moving from a Parker (or other pointillistic) rating of 89 to 90, there is very little chance that you can find any benefit to a 1% increase in wine quality leading to a measured increase in wine sales. Yet [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/k6QZ4w5bZU4/
Bordeaux: the biggest joke in the wine world?
Something about the 2011 campaign told me that the Mea Culpas would come out this year – and I have a feeling I might be right. ‘We were arrogant,’ says Chateau Lafite MD Christophe Salin of last year’s wine pricing (and ‘timing’ – for which read ‘handling’). And I think we can expect more of [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/DxEIGs3ffr8/
Cat Power Catherine Bell Chandra West Charisma Carpenter Charli Baltimore
Natural Wine, Golfer Wines and other Gimmicks
The wine industry is not overly prone to using gimmicks to sell stuff. Yet, it does conjure its share. The most infamous gimmick was the "critter wines", a trend in gimmickry that looks, thankfully, to be done with. Still, there...
Danneel Harris Deanna Russo Denise Richards Desiree Dymond Diane Kruger
Rosberg: Tyre challenge great for F1
Nico Rosberg believes that the challenges being thrown at drivers by the current Formula 1 tyre situation is good news for the sport. The closeness of the field this year has increased the influence of the Pirelli rubber on cars' overall performance.
Narain Karthikeyan Ukyo Katayama Ken Kavanagh Rupert Keegan Eddie Keizan
A Wine for Tonight: 2010 Saviah Cellars The Jack 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 2010 Saviah Cellars The Jack Cabernet Sauvignon from the Columbia Valley [...]
A Wine for Tonight: 2010 Saviah Cellars The Jack 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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Cinthia Moura Claudette Ortiz Coco Lee Connie Nielsen Cristina Dumitru
PA Wine Lovers Bent Over--Over Direct Shipping of Wine
"Pennsylvania residents could have a little more liquor freedom, but only if they prefer American wine over the French, German or Australian varieties....'The people of Pennsylvania are really getting less than what they should be getting,” Farnese said, adding that...
Anna Faris Anna Friel Anna Kournikova Anna Paquin AnnaLynne McCord
New Wines from South Africa
We’ve been fans of wines from South Africa for a couple of decades, but it’s been more than a year since we’ve tried anything new. Happily, our friends at Vineyard Brands took care of that again by sending us several samples for our consideration not long ago, and as is usually the case, we found [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gangofpour/uncZ/~3/4ycAg6uutWM/new-wines-from-south-africa
Brittany Lee Brittany Murphy Brittany Snow Brittny Gastineau Brody Dalle
Will China’s Influence Lead To Lower Alcohol Wines?
There was a news item last week that got me started on a long-ish post about who really determines wine styles; critics, winemakers or consumers. Long post short, I think ultimately consumers determine wine styles but it takes a bit of time for the industry to respond. That’s what makes this Decanter story so interesting. [...]
Will China’s Influence Lead To Lower Alcohol Wines? originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
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Carmen Electra Carol Grow Carrie Underwood Cat Power Catherine Bell
Bytox Hangover Prevention Remedy: Might this thing actually work?
Not wanting to risk a raging hangover myself, and not wanting to share my tales of overconsumption, I reached out to my friend George Kaplan who agreed to test the Bytox patch in a controlled experiment and share his thoughts for our collective consideration. He happens to be an excellent drinker. And as you'll find below, an equally excellent writer.
Bytoxification
I must admit, I was more than a bit skeptical when a friend of mine approached me with the opportunity to test the latest hangover remedy, bytox™. I am usually leery of these remedies, but with a full slate of holiday parties looming on my calendar, I decided I could use any help I could get.
The Setup
Before setting out for the evening, I thoroughly read the bytox™ directions, and chose to ignore the warning to “Stay well hydrated”. Sound advice, yes, but a bit of a cheat, as anyone who stays well hydrated is unlikely to end up with a hangover anyway.
My evening’s consumption began at 7:00 with a solid meal at my favorite haunt, and ended at midnight. Per my custom, I mixed and matched and stuck to no pre-set pattern; the final tally was four Old Fashioneds (Old Overholt), three Gin & Tonics (Beefeater), and two bottles of Lone Star.
The Results
As you all can imagine, I wasn’t exactly at my best the next morning. I did get up around five o’clock to have a glass of water and gobble down 800 mg of ibuprofen, but that’s my usual morning-after-a-debacle procedure, and I wanted to stick to it. You know, this being scientific and all.
The bytox ™ did nothing at all to mitigate the day after lethargy, and I really fell off a cliff after two o’clock or so. But, skeptical though I was heading into this experiment, I must admit that the patch did help to alleviate some of the other, traditional “hangover” symptoms. The horrible metallic taste in my mouth was absent, as was the stabbing pain behind my eyes and the hollow feeling that one sometimes gets the morning after drinking too much whisky. I had only a small headache, and the day-after hangover fogginess was noticeably diminished.
The Recommendation
I would definitely use bytox ™ again. I don’t want to oversell this, of course; I was still banged up the next day, but I was able to function productively, rather than slumping senseless in a chair all day. What I did was excessive. If someone were to use this product because they usually have a little hangover after drinking a bottle of red wine the evening before, I’d hazard a guess that this handy patch would overcome the hangover altogether.
So there you have it. An impartial review of the Bytox Hangover Remedy.
For more information, and to request a sample Bytox patch for free ($1.50 shipping) visit:
http://bytox.com
Question of the Day: What do you think of the idea of a hangover prevention patch? What are some of your favorite hangover prevention tips?
Anne Marie Kortright April Scott Arielle Kebbel Ashanti Ashlee Simpson
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.
Source: http://blogs.fairplex.com/blog/wine/?p=110
Coco Lee Connie Nielsen Cristina Dumitru Daisy Fuentes Dania Ramirez
Kendall-Jackson Humanizes Their Brand
It’s rare when network TV and wine come together but when it does I take a look. I’m not a regular viewer of Undercover Boss but might be after this episode at Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates. New President Rick Tigner works at the bottom of this organization and learns a lot. And he does the right [...]
Kendall-Jackson Humanizes Their Brand originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
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Autumn Reeser Avril Lavigne Bali Rodriguez Bar Refaeli Beyoncé
Massachusetts wine shops worth seeking out
Massachusetts is a state coveted by wine retailers: with strong tech and finance as well as other industries, major research centers and the jet-set destinations of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, it’s fair to say there’s a large population interested in wine. However, the state is one of the hardest for retailers to ship wine into. [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/OtGEkQ_oP-U/
Autumn Reeser Avril Lavigne Bali Rodriguez Bar Refaeli Beyoncé
No one wants to watch wine movies
Ok, so I got your attention. I’m sure some of you came racing over here to tell me I’m wrong. Sideways, Mondovino, A Good Year, French Kiss, and more … so many good, and not so good, films that speak of wine. I’m not here to debate the quality and accuracy of the films, but [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/HF9GUQWJLkk/
Diora Baird Dita Von Teese Dominique Swain Donna Feldman Drea de Matteo
Elk Cove Wine Dinner at Sprigs Restaurant in Acton, MA
Sprigs Restaurant in Acton, MA is offering what appears to be a fantastic dinner featuring wines from Elk Cove Vineyard. $63 per person gets you a 5 course meal paired with wines from Elk Cove, many of which we don't see available at retail in Massachusetts.
I've found Elk Cove to be a reliable producer, vintage after vintage, of reasonably priced delicious Oregon Pinot Noir. Their wines always seem to deliver ample fruit while respectfully reflecting where they come from.
Click the menu image below to visit the Sprigs website and learn more.
Thanks to friend and reader A.L. for the heads up.
I've found Elk Cove to be a reliable producer, vintage after vintage, of reasonably priced delicious Oregon Pinot Noir. Their wines always seem to deliver ample fruit while respectfully reflecting where they come from.
Click the menu image below to visit the Sprigs website and learn more.
Thanks to friend and reader A.L. for the heads up.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/zt1sXE5RXfg/elk-cove-wine-dinner-at-sprigs.html
Izabella Scorupco Jaime King Jaime Pressly Jamie Chung Jamie Gunns
Jesus, pot wine, Bordeaux 11, Mosel bridge – sipped and spit
SIPPED: Jesus as store manager in the image above? LARGELY SPIT: Bordeaux 11 After pre-judging the Bordeaux 2011 vintage prior to tasting, Parker dials back the damning commentary writing in his report that it was “much better than I first thought,” likening it to 2008 and 2001. [DrinksBusiness.com] SIPPED, NOT SMOKED: Mike Steinberger answers the [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/ZcpsIFZe-SM/
Cindy Crawford Cindy Taylor Cinthia Moura Claudette Ortiz Coco Lee
Wine Clubs
I was asked earlier today to describe my wine clubs and what makes them different than all of our competitors. I talked some about our differing price points ($20, $50 and $100 per bottle) and how we refuse to include shipping in the prices charged for our wine clubs. Unlike many of our competitors we [...]
Source: http://winewithmark.info/archives/662
Elisabeth Röhm Elisha Cuthbert Eliza Dushku Emilie de Ravin Emma Heming
Wine LOLz from the Twitterverse
DrVino: Michel Rolland has an autobiography coming out? A magnum oakus, surely. CraigCamp: hear the Oxygen network picked up the rights and will turn it into a micro-series Wink Lorch: Bet it will appear late OlivierLandry: A very ripe comment on your part, good sir. #RollandPuns …I think we’ve extracted everything we could out of [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/VPjBAusVdgU/
Jessica Alba Jessica Biel Jessica Cauffiel Jessica Paré Justin Bieber
Sunday 29 April 2012
Aric Almirola, 2012 NSCS Capital City 400 Post-Race Recap
2012 NSCS 43 car (Aric Almirola) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCARAric Almirola No. 43 Smithfield/Helping Hungry Homes Ford Fusion Aric Almirola started the 400-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond International Raceway from the 11th position. Almirola finished the Capital City 400 as follows: 26th—Aric Almirola, No. 43 Smithfield/Helping Hungry Homes...more»
Dave Kennedy Loris Kessel Bruce Kessler Nicolas Kiesa Leo Kinnunen
A Writer Takes on Wine: The James Conaway Interview
Writer and author James Conaway helped me get my first job in the wine industry. It was his 1990 expose of the Napa wine industry, "Napa", that I wrote a review of and put in my portfolio to show potential...
Avril Lavigne Bali Rodriguez Bar Refaeli Beyoncé Bianca Kajlich
On Being an Enthusiast and Sharing Useful Information
An excellent blog post popped up in my Flipboard Google Reader feed this morning. It has nothing to do with wine but it was useful, interesting and made me think a lot about the things I write about here on this blog.
The post is about procuring new wheels and tires for a BMW by Chris Parente. The steps Chris went though researching, ordering, tracking, negotiating, receiving and assembling the order were very familiar to me. They're eerily similar to what we go through as wine deal hounds.
With the exception of installation, I do all of these things when I'm buying wine. Sure, there's the occasional impulse buy at a local wine shop or grocery store, but the bulk of my buying these days is online, in response to email offers, or winery direct. Like Chris with his interest in specific wheels and tires, once you've gone Wine Berserkers you want very specific wines.
What I liked about the post is that he gave specific examples of resources he used and how he went about the process. I can see my way to leveraging his techniques and having a more enjoyable experience by getting better products and service at the best possible prices. Coincidentally, if I had once sentence to describe the mission of this blog that would be it.
What got me thinking the most about his post, though, is the question of whether it's worth it. Or rather, whether I'm interested in getting into another high involvement hobby. You can tell how much time and research went into tires and wheels for one of his cars - imagine extending that across the entire enthusiast experience. You've got to want it and it's got to be a priority to do it well.
I spend hours each week thinking about wine. Reading articles, blogs, consulting and contributing to CellarTracker, looking for deals on wine-searcher.com. Buying it, drinking it, visiting wineries, attending events - writing about it.
When I need new tires or wheels I just got down to DirectTire and they take care of it. Similarly when I needed a new bike for our 7 year old recently. We just went to a couple shops nearby and bought what seemed to be a good fit for our needs. And maybe that's fine for the occasional purchase. Spend the time saved burning up the web for the best deal on healthier pursuits. Life in balance, right?
But I wouldn't mind being more savvy in more domains. And that's why I enjoy acquiring and sharing knowledge via blogs and social networks. Mainstream publications just don't cover this stuff in a way that's as focused on the consumer experience.
You can't go too deep into too many hobbies. But you can learn a little from someone who's deep in a topic and can share useful information. Chris does that and reading his post reminded me to try to do a little more of that here on this blog.
Check it his blog here: Work, Wine and Wheels
You can follow Chris on Twitter: @cparente
I'd love it if you SUBSCRIBED to The Wellesley Wine Press
PS This post was written on an iPad with Blogsy.
The post is about procuring new wheels and tires for a BMW by Chris Parente. The steps Chris went though researching, ordering, tracking, negotiating, receiving and assembling the order were very familiar to me. They're eerily similar to what we go through as wine deal hounds.
With the exception of installation, I do all of these things when I'm buying wine. Sure, there's the occasional impulse buy at a local wine shop or grocery store, but the bulk of my buying these days is online, in response to email offers, or winery direct. Like Chris with his interest in specific wheels and tires, once you've gone Wine Berserkers you want very specific wines.
What I liked about the post is that he gave specific examples of resources he used and how he went about the process. I can see my way to leveraging his techniques and having a more enjoyable experience by getting better products and service at the best possible prices. Coincidentally, if I had once sentence to describe the mission of this blog that would be it.
What got me thinking the most about his post, though, is the question of whether it's worth it. Or rather, whether I'm interested in getting into another high involvement hobby. You can tell how much time and research went into tires and wheels for one of his cars - imagine extending that across the entire enthusiast experience. You've got to want it and it's got to be a priority to do it well.
I spend hours each week thinking about wine. Reading articles, blogs, consulting and contributing to CellarTracker, looking for deals on wine-searcher.com. Buying it, drinking it, visiting wineries, attending events - writing about it.
When I need new tires or wheels I just got down to DirectTire and they take care of it. Similarly when I needed a new bike for our 7 year old recently. We just went to a couple shops nearby and bought what seemed to be a good fit for our needs. And maybe that's fine for the occasional purchase. Spend the time saved burning up the web for the best deal on healthier pursuits. Life in balance, right?
But I wouldn't mind being more savvy in more domains. And that's why I enjoy acquiring and sharing knowledge via blogs and social networks. Mainstream publications just don't cover this stuff in a way that's as focused on the consumer experience.
You can't go too deep into too many hobbies. But you can learn a little from someone who's deep in a topic and can share useful information. Chris does that and reading his post reminded me to try to do a little more of that here on this blog.
Check it his blog here: Work, Wine and Wheels
You can follow Chris on Twitter: @cparente
I'd love it if you SUBSCRIBED to The Wellesley Wine Press
PS This post was written on an iPad with Blogsy.
Danneel Harris Deanna Russo Denise Richards Desiree Dymond Diane Kruger
Tasting Report: 2009 Roar Pinot Noir
Garys', Rosella's, Pisoni... While exploring top California Pinot Noir producers you'll inevitably bump into a short list of vineyards that supply folks like Kosta Browne, Loring, Siduri, A.P. Vin, and Miner with grapes. When you dig a little deeper you'll find that Gary and Rosella Franscioni are the owners of these vineyards and they produce wine under their own label: Roar.The vineyards are within the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA in Monterey County California, which has become one of my favorite regions for Pinot Noir. The Russian River Valley, Anderson Valley, and the Sonoma Coast are up there too, but I'm really enjoying the bold fruit-forward Pinot Noirs from SLH.
The Franscionis have been farming in the area for over 100 years before getting into wine. They planted Rosella's Vineyard in 1996 then decided to make their own wine in 2001. It's amazing how quickly Pinot Noir quality has risen in California.
The name Roar comes from sound winds make as it tears through their vineyards. Roar recently released their Spring 2010 offer to folks on their mailing list. Their Pinots sell for $40-$50.
The winemaker here is Ed Kurtzman (Freeman, August West, and his own label Sandler) with consultation from Adam Lee (Siduri). They also make Syrah and recently added Chardonnay to their lineup.
Here are my thoughts on their 2009 appellation bottling.
2009 Roar Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir
994 Cases Produced
$40 Release Price
14.9% Alcohol
I had high hopes for this wine and it didn't disappoint. At all.
Opened it to help decide whether to buy their 2010's and I think I will. It's ready to go immediately upon opening but boy does it reveal more with time. Each sip was better than the one before it. Tremendous.
Started off as a very good/outstanding Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir but evolved into much more.
Brimming with incredibly ripe strawberries with supporting notes of dry kindling. Like imagine you're starting a campfire in the desert and you grab some mesquite and snap one open. Wow. But not doubt - the fruit dominates. It's just always followed up with enough savory complexity to keep it interesting.
Unfined and unfiltered, and it shows at times with slight siltiness throughout and occasional rogue sediment. The mouthfeel is silky smooth and in keeping with its category. Long finish. Tremendous wine. Carries its price tag ($40) and then some.
If it were an NFL running back it would be Barry Sanders - starts off looking like it's going to be just a solid effort and ends up breaking it wide open. So fun to watch it in action.
94/100 WWP: Outstanding
Based on this experience I'll be buying their 2010s and looking forward to trying more of their wines. You can find them around at retail, but you've got to look around.
Further Reading:
- To learn more and join their mailing list visit: RoarWines.com
- Tasting Report: 25 2009 California Pinot Noirs
- Critically Tasting Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir from Vinography
Aki Ross Alecia Elliott Alessandra Ambrosio Alexis Bledel Ali Campoverdi
Wine Clubs
I was asked earlier today to describe my wine clubs and what makes them different than all of our competitors. I talked some about our differing price points ($20, $50 and $100 per bottle) and how we refuse to include shipping in the prices charged for our wine clubs. Unlike many of our competitors we [...]
Source: http://winewithmark.info/archives/662
Zooey Deschanel Aaliyah Abbie Cornish Adriana Lima Adrianne Curry
Two from Mr. Ridge
I got a message recently from our good friend Christina Donley, Midwest Regional Sales Representative for Ridge Vineyards, telling me that she was in the neighborhood, wanted to check out Gomez at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit, and asking if I’d like to join her. I’ve been aware of this Brit band for some years, [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gangofpour/uncZ/~3/QZzo7s5Pp7U/two-from-mr-ridge
Giulianna Ramirez Grace Park Gretha Cavazzoni Gwen Stefani Halle Berry
What 1% increase in spending will sell you more wine?
Ironically, the answer is probably not by increasing the quality of your wine. With the one exception, moving from a Parker (or other pointillistic) rating of 89 to 90, there is very little chance that you can find any benefit to a 1% increase in wine quality leading to a measured increase in wine sales. Yet [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/k6QZ4w5bZU4/
Garcelle Beauvais Genelle Frenoy Georgianna Robertson Georgina Grenville Gina Carano
The Lifestyle of An A-List Wine Critic
A-List wine critics are the celebrities of the wine geek but we don’t get a chance to learn much about them. Just Google for interviews of Robert Parker or James Laube and you will see very little outside of promotional stuff. But Antonio Galloni of The Wine Advocate seems to be more open and has [...]
The Lifestyle of An A-List Wine Critic originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/r0JKYBK5oFQ/
Christina Ricci Chyler Leigh Ciara Cindy Crawford Cindy Taylor
Just 2 Weeks Until WBW 73
Just a friendly reminder that Wine Blogging Wednesday 73 is just two weeks away. Our host, The Corkdork, has asked us to revisit the wine that first got your attention to learn more about wine. This could be a carafe of rosé in Paris, Sassicaia 1988, a random bottle of Cahors or Inglenook Cask 1958. Or [...]
Just 2 Weeks Until WBW 73 originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/J8P_cO3_R3I/
Charlize Theron Chelsea Handler Cheryl Burke China Chow Chloë Sevigny
Aston Martin Dragon (!) 88 Limited Editions [Beijing Auto Show]
Just like many other automakers displaying at the Beijing auto show, Aston Martin has released a celebratory Year of the Dragon package called the Dragon 88 Limited Edition. This special version will be available for the DBS, Virage, and V8 Vantage S. Despite being adorned with dragons that are synonymous with power and strength in [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/5XIML70JmQw/
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr Carl Michael Edwards III William Clyde Elliott Jeffrey Michael Gordon Charles Robert Hamilton IV
Monticello Vineyards experiments with wine flavored cheese
At a Wine & Cheese festival in Carlsbad, Monticello Vineyard’s Stephen Corley approached them and indicated the winery might be interested in combining the Monticello wines with their Gouda cheeses. Monticello sent a case of their wines containing three varietals: Estate grown Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Continue reading
Emilie de Ravin Emma Heming Emma Stone Emma Watson Emmanuelle Chriqui
QPR: How is it calculated and what does it really mean?
Getting right to the point, a high QPR Rating here on Wine Peeps means that the wine has a great price compared to wines of similar quality [i.e. same Quality Rating] within the same varietal/type. But there’s much more to the story. When we started publishing QPRs for all the wines we reviewed, there weren’t [...]
QPR: How is it calculated and what does it really mean? 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/LgPg9d5-53M/
Danneel Harris Deanna Russo Denise Richards Desiree Dymond Diane Kruger
Wine Word of the Week: Clarification
This week’s Wine Word of the Week is clarification. Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine: Clarification is the winemaking operation which removes suspended and insoluble material from grape juice, or new wine, in which these solids are known as lees. …. Clarification can usually be accomplished naturally by simply holding the [...]
Wine Word of the Week: Clarification 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/e-vDW0a20O8/
Ashley Olsen Ashley Scott Ashley Tappin Ashley Tisdale Asia Argento
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