Kris Chislett

News April 28, 2012

Wine is the Same as Toilet Paper According to Costco’s Lead Wine Buyer.

News article taken from Eater.com  The lead wine buyer for Costco, Annette Alvarez-Peters seemed to have a little trouble discerning the difference between wine and toilet paper, on the CNBC show “The Costco Craze: Inside The Warehouse Giant,” which aired a couple of nights ago. Here’s what she had to say: Alvarez-Peters: “Is it more special than clothing, is it more special than televisions? I don’t think so.”CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla: “Certainly it’s different than toilet…

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Facts April 28, 2012

A Guide to Wine Faults – Sediment

Sediment That gritty-stuff resting at the bottom of some wine bottles shouldn’t really be viewed as a true wine fault. Let’s go back to science class for a minute: Sediment comes about when naturally occurring tannins in a wine polymerize (cling together), making them larger and therefore more visible. This is a good indication that the acids and flavors of a wine have started to change and mellow out a little more. For this reason…

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Facts, News April 26, 2012

Guinness Book of Wine World Records.

I started this “Guinness Book of Wine World Records” article over a year ago, saved it to my drafts, forgot about it and I’m just now getting around to posting it. Enjoy!   Most Wine Glasses Held in One Hand You know what they say about men with big hands! Well, in this case it means they can hold lots of wine glasses… The world record for the most wine glasses held in one hand…

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Pairings April 25, 2012

Domaine La Barroche Chateauneuf-du-Pape Paired with Pale Ale Beef Stew.

This isn’t exactly seasonally-inspired cuisine (since this is very much a winter-esque dish), but I’m not running a restaurant here, so get over it! :) Seriously though, a great amount of thought goes into these pairings (and indeed everything I put on this site). I want people to enjoy them, relate to them, read the whole-thing through to the end and possibly even make them in their in home. My rule-of-thumb is that if I…

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News April 24, 2012

Is the US Palate Changing?

The traditional gap between a US and Euro-palate is becoming less obvious, according to a French-guy named Louis-Fabrice Latour (you might of heard of him), head of Burgundy negociant and grower Maison Louis Latour. “The trade in the US has become much more English-oriented,” remarked Louis-Fabrice in an interview with The Drinks Business. However, he clarified this perceived shift in the US palate by adding: “It’s the trade I’m talking about, not the final consumers.”…

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Reviews April 23, 2012

Long Boat Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand.

    Grapes 100% Sauvignon Blanc   Facts Today I realized that this is the first New Zealand wine I’ve ever reviewed. Pretty crazy that it’s taken me this long, right? So what could have possibly caused this 2 year procrastination? Short-and-sweet, the sole reason is I’ve become bored of Southern Hemisphere Sauv Blancs and that I feel New Zealand has developed a reputation as “one trick pony” because of them. Most NZ SB’s taste…

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Facts April 22, 2012

Is it Necessary for Wineries to Give Full Disclosure on their Labels?

Winemaking has come to be romanticized as simply grapes, barrels, and time. But, not surprisingly, there’s a little-more to it than that! There’s chemistry, microbiology, additives, smoothing out the rough edges, tweaking flavors, clarifying, deepening the color, and doing everything else to meet the expectations of the wine drinking public.. This gap between public perception and reality has sparked a bit of a debate in the winemaking industry, and inspired a very few bold wineries…

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News April 22, 2012

Red Wine Wins in a White Wine Competition.

News article taken from Richmond Times Dispatch Something rather interesting happened recently at the Celebration of the Vine festival in Virginia. The red wine that took first place was Cooper Vineyards 2009 Petit Verdot. No huge surprises there. But what about the white winner? A white merlot! New Kent Winery’s White Merlot, to be precise. “This could be a first for a red grape,” New Kent winemaker Tom Payette said. To make a White Merlot, the…

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Reviews April 19, 2012

Simonnet Febvre Chablis, Burgundy, France.

Grapes 100% Chardonnay   Facts “Hang-on!!! Why doesn’t that bottle of Chablis have a handle?”Yup….. Carlo Rossi really screwed this one up for the French, didn’t he!?!? Even though his big-dirty-liter-jug-with-a-handle features the Chablis name, it’s about as far removed from “true” Chablis as you can get! So do me a favor, the next time you see this Californian imposter, you must only refer to it as CHAB-LIZ. Chablis is always white and always made…

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