Every Monday, discover new wines, regions, and ways to understand this fermenting sea.
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Munching Vidal Blanc on Keuka Lake, New York
Tag Archives: Oak
Graves Open Doors 3: Château Caillivet in Bordeaux
Today continues our exploration of Graves: Bordeaux’s diverse, left-bank, value region that struggles in the shadow of famed and pricier Haut-Médoc. A white van has toured us around the village of Langon, visiting its wineries for free (this is an EU Austerity Drinking Tour after all).
We leave “Château” la Croix’s rustic charm. A new driver asks for our next winery. The local girls say something. I blankly agree. But my wife’s glare cuts me down.
“They don’t like you”, she growls. “I know. But it doesn’t really matter which winery we go to.” “Yes, but you choose one, they don’t want us around”. “Fine”. Angry, tipsy, and both of us sick and stuffy we continue to whisper/fight. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chateau Caillivet, Château la Croix, France, Haut-Médoc, Langon, Medoc, merlot, Oak, wine
5 Comments
A FOODLESS WINE FEAST OF PENFOLDS #MWWC5
No greater feast of wine befits this Monthly Wine Writing Challenge (MWWC5):
It is 7:48 am. I should be in bed. Instead, work has me walking into a conference room. No one told me why. My waxen eyes fall on some bottles:
“Hmm, eight Penfolds for breakfast. Nothing like big, Australian reds instead of waffles. Sorry liver.”
But beyond this glass regiment, at the table’s end, sits a decanter and a bottle.
Grange. Bin 95. 2008.
Oh yes.
But before Penfolds’ big turkey, an hour of lecture drags on like the NFL Pre-Game Show: informative but missing the point of turkey day. Finally, the feast begins with “appetizers”: Continue reading
Posted in EMPTIED BOTTLES, Red, Syrah
Tagged 2008, Australia, Bin 407, Bin 707, Bin 95, Cabernet Sauvignon, Corn Bread, cranberry sauce, gluhwein, Grange, NFL, NFL pregame show, Oak, Penfold, Penfolds, rwt, Shiraz, South Australia, St Henri, Syrah, Thanksgiving, turkey, wine, Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator
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ENTRÉE PARIS 4: La Fête des Régions: EU Austerity Drinking Tour #43
Our EU Austerity Drinking Adventure continues today in search of a feast. Paris is constantly awash with events. We stumble onto La Fête des Régions: the biggest fair of regional food in France. Terroir-tastic Batman! Since it was right next to Stalingrad Metro, we gave ourselves permission to drink and eat…everything. Continue reading
Posted in Paris, WINERIES WANDERED
Tagged Alsace, Beer, Bière Blonde, Burgundy, Côtes du Couches, chardonnay, Chateau de Couches, Château la Boissière, DURAS, EU Austerity Drinking Adventure, European Union, France, Gallia, La Fête des Régions, La Semaine du Goût, Muscadet, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Muscadet Sur Lie, Oak, Oak (wine), Paris, pinot noir, riesling, Terrior, Théo Meyer, wine
5 Comments
Cruz de Alba, Tempranillo, Crianza, Ribera del Duero, Spain 2008
APPEARANCE: Inky purple, paper thin clear rim, noticeable legs. AROMAS: Bold aromas of candied violet, black berry jam on burnt toast, orange zest, equal parts French and American oak lend a cigar and coconut face off. PALATE: Dry and dusty, … Continue reading
Posted in EMPTIED BOTTLES, Red, Tempranillo
Tagged 2008, Aroma of wine, Crianza, Cruz de Alba, Oak, Ribera del Duero, Spain, Spanish wine, Tempranillo, wine, Wine tasting descriptors
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Chardonnay, Hamilton Russell, Walker Bay, South Africa 2008
Chardonnay still brings this to most minds: Butter. Cloying, yellow richness in a glass. But is it the grape’s fault? Once alcoholic fermentation is finished, winemakers can add lactic acid bacteria (e.g. Oenococcus oeni, and Lactobacillus and Pediococcus species) to … Continue reading
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