Taking the world one wine at a time.
This TREMENDOUS news (tongue firmly in cheek) resolves an issue which arose last year, when Blossom Hill’s White Zinfandel and White Grenache were impounded by authorities in Italy, where the wines are bottled. The brand was forced to relabel the wines as Zinfandel Rosé and Grenache Rosé. The Blossom Hill brand reported that its parent company Diageo and the Wine & Spirit Trade Association have since been working with the EU to resolve the dispute….
Read More
Every car in France will have to be equipped with a breathalyzer from the spring of 2012. The announcement was made by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The new plan will force every driver to have a breathalyzer kit in their cars so they can check their alcohol level before driving. A kit costs just €1.50 to €2 ($2 to $2.70). Anyone caught without a kit will face a €17 ($23) fine.
Read More
Meritage has to be one of the most misunderstood and mispronounced wine words in the world. With that being said, let’s get the pronunciation out of the way first: “MARE-eh-tidge” is correct, and “MARE-eh-targe” is not. First trademarked in 1988, the term Meritage is given to American blended wines that use the traditional grapes of the Bordeaux region of France. The word was chosen from more than 6,000 entries in an international contest. Meritage combines…
Read More
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, once said that "wine is the noblest cordial of nature". He did take a harsher view toward distilled beverages such as brandy and whisky, proclaiming that distillers who sold indiscriminately to anyone were nothing more than poisoners and murderers accursed by God. Way to choose your battles!
Read More
Grape Syrah 65%, Mourvedre 32%, Viognier 3% – often referred to as a “Rhone-blend”. Facts Boekenhoutskloof, pronounced book-n-howeds-kloof, has always been one of my favorite wineries to say! Established in 1776, Boekenhoutskloof means "ravine of the Boekenhout". A Boekenhout is an indigenous South African tree generally prized for furniture making. Syrah brings the power, spice and dark fruit, Mourvedre brings red fruit and earthy notes, and Viognier (white grape) mellows the wine out and…
Read More
No doubt it’s extremely difficult for any business to maintain a constant stream of engaging content on Facebook, Twitter, and all the rest of it; but it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of posting the saaaaaaame old stuff. It’s often suggested that if you can’t post daily, or at least every-other-day, you have no place having a social media presence, at least when it comes to business. I would like to counter…
Read More
(click image for larger view)
Read More
Charlie Trotter’s Closing in Chicago Charlie Trotter plans to close his famous Chicago restaurant in August, 25 years after it opened in a Lincoln Park townhouse and quickly became a national destination. Trotter, 52, has said that he would close the 120-seat restaurant that bears his name to travel and go to school, after being accepted to graduate programs at schools in Chicago and California to study philosophy and political theory Charlie Trotter’s has a…
Read More
Grape 100% Nebbiolo [neh-bee-oh-low] Facts La Spinetta was founded in 1977 by Giuseppe and Lidia Rivetti. They’re big on the idea that the best wines are made in the vineyard, rather than in the winery, and take as minimal of a interventionist approach as possible toward all their wines. Each bottle of La Spinetta bears a pencil drawing of a rhino, and there’s a very good reason for that! Historically, the rhinoceros has always…
Read More
REEEEEPOST!!! This is another post that never made it over to the website from when I had it redesigned over a year ago. I promise I’ll keep posts of this nature (i.e. low in substance, high in humor) few and far between! It’s just a little fun… In case you’ve been under a rock, here’s a quick summary of what Jersey Shore is all about: Jersey Shore is a reality television series on MTV that…
Read More
Lately I’ve started realizing that my wine knowledge has been slipping. How could that possibly happen? Well, I did just turn 31, so maybe dementia could be setting in early; but personally I think the truth is that I just don’t seem to use what I had drilled into me from the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Society of Wine Educators. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not knocking these fine institutions…well maybe…
Read More