Taking the world one wine at a time.
When was the last time you cooked with blood orange? Never? Yeah, I think I was in the same boat as you until last night, at least, I couldn’t remember the last time… Smokescreen is a new brand of wine that I’ve recently happened upon. I reviewed the Smokescreen Red Blend recently, and was so sizably impressed that I thought the Chardonnay was worth a shot. I have to admit, I’m a little uninspired…
Read More
Tartrate Crystals [Tar-trate] I’ve worked in restaurants my whole life and have encountered tartrates quite a bit. Before a wine is bottled to be sold, wineries usually employ a procedure called cold stabilization (which brings the wine down to a near freezing temperature) in order to remove these “wine diamonds” as they’re sometimes more fondly called. It’s worth noting that Potassium Bitartrate (to give tartrates their full name) is a natural byproduct of the…
Read More
Rudy Kurniawan was known as much for his palate as for his keen eye, fixed often on the highest of high-end wine bottles. His presence at wine auctions was constant, at events in Beverly Hills, and offerings at Sotheby’s in New York. His interest by itself was enough to drive prices at the top of the market. But on Thursday, in the culmination of persistent rumblings about the veracity of his products, Mr. Kurniawan, 35,…
Read More
Grape growers in California finally have something to cheer about—grape prices are going up. But what do those higher prices mean for consumers? Winery owners are trying to cut costs so they can keep prices low at a time when drinkers still want value. After nearly three years of sluggish sales and an oversupply of wine, vintners have cleared their cellars of older vintages and are looking to increase their grape purchases. But two small…
Read MoreThey essentially started as bootleggers that were barely old enough to drink. Brandon Allen, now 27, was working in construction and attending an occasional college class in San Luis Obispo. Bo Silliman, now 25, was studying premed at the University of Louisville in Kentucky in between throwing keggers. And 27-year-old Chip Forsythe, who didn’t have a whole lot to recommend him other than he was a decent wrestler, had somehow managed to get into Cal…
Read More
Grape 100% Cabernet Franc Facts A well-made Cabernet Franc is without a doubt one of my favorite wines; although very few wineries produce a pure varietal wine from this little-know Bordeaux grape, and it’s usually overshadowed in blends by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Pure expressions of Cab Franc are fairly difficult to find, but I can’t encourage you enough to try and seek out a bottle for yourself and let me know your thoughts!…
Read More
It’s no secret that Pinterest has taken the Internet by storm, with its veritable ocean of funny cat photos, inspiring haircuts, motivating quotes, and creative DIY projects for around the home. I have however started to question some of these “pins”. What I’d really like to know is if the majority of these “creative ideas” are actually tried and tested by the author? Or, are they just taking the piss, and copying and pasting together…
Read More
A wine expert’s “acute sense of taste” may mean that expert ratings and recommendations are irrelevant to wine consumers who were not born with the ability to discern small differences in a broad range of tastes, according to a team of international researchers. "What we found is that the fundamental taste ability of an expert is different," said John Hayes, assistant professor, food science, and director of Penn State’s sensory evaluation center. "And, if an…
Read More
It’s been a busy few weeks for Lady Gaga! First the announcement that she’s the first person to ever reach 20 million followers on Twitter, and now this! The pop icon was spotted in Sonoma County last week, and is allegedly interested in buying a property in the area with a view to making her own wine. “My favorite way to catch up with friends is to have wine and food nights. We cook together…
Read More
I feel the need to start by pointing-out that this was a pretty-special pairing. If you’ve never actually taken the time to prepare one of the recipes featured in these food and wine pairings, I suggest you start right here! I will say that I’ve never actually taken the time to marinade steaks overnight before. I’m pretty old-school when it comes to how I usually cook my steaks, namely; liberally coating them with garlic salt…
Read More