Tag Archives: wine

Avignon (P1): Popes, Palaces, YMCAs, And Wine from Visan?

Posted on July 21, 2014 by waywardwine

123 days into our EU Austerity Drinking Tour takes us to the heart (or at least funny hat) of the Rhône Valley: Avignon: home to Popes and Châteauneuf-du-Pape: arguably France’s biggest red wine. We leave a very Roman Nîmes and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged avignon, Chateauneuf du Pape, EU Austerity, France, Rhône Valley, RHONE, Visan, wine | 3 Comments

Thirsty Thursday: Barbera, Mazzoni, Piemonte, Italy 2009

Posted on July 17, 2014 by waywardwine

Summer has hit us. Red wine is last thing I want to drink. Beer would fair better. But something needs drown out the AC on eco-mode. This Thirsty Thursday turns to that old favorite: Barbera. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged barbera, Franceschi, italy, mazzoni, piemonte, Terlato, Tuscany, wine | 2 Comments

Thirsty Thursday World Cup Wine: Berlucchi, Franciacorta, ’61 Brut Rosé

Posted on June 19, 2014 by waywardwine

Celebrate 2014’s already mad World Cup with bubbly. But not just any bubbly, Italy’s answer to Champagne: Franciacorta DOCG.

Betwixt Brescia and Lake Iseo, this designation tries to one up the French. Like Champagne, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are king (but with some Pinot Blanc and no Meunier). Like Champagne, each bottle undergoes secondary fermentation in cellars to fizz them up. 18 months are the minimum (compared to Champagne’s paltry 15, meanwhile Prosecco cuts corners in a massive tank). This bottle ferment means extra, integrated buzz and increased autolytic magic. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Brescia, bubbly, Champagne, Daniele de Rossi, DDR, Fifa, Franciacorta, italy, Lake Iseo, pinot blanc, Pirlo, wine, World Cup, World Cup 2014 | 4 Comments

Nîmes, France (P1): Romarin Cheese, Wine, and Roman Temples and Amphitheaters: EU Austerity Drinking Tour Day 120

Posted on June 16, 2014 by waywardwine

DAY 120. Our EU Austerity Drinking Tour returns to France, its wine, and fabulous cheese. Why?

Spain wore us out. It was beautiful yet challenging. So our combination of illness, poor Spanish, and budget tightwad-ery pushes us back into France. Now with a return flight, a handful of months remain to tap the rest of Europe’s drink. We leave Valencia for Nîmes:

But not before Barcelona. Worst of all Shakespearean tragedies, Spain had killed my iPod: home to wine notes and fuzzy photos. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Château Virgile, France, French cheese, iPod, Maison Carrée, Nimes, Romarin, travel, wine | 3 Comments

Horchata, Paella, Wine, and Architecture in Valencia, Spain

Posted on June 9, 2014 by waywardwine

After a hiatus, this Monday visits Day 115 of our EU Austerity Drinking Tour. A dull bus ride from Madrid deposits us near the coast in Valencia.

Our first hostel in weeks sits in Valencia’s ancient heart. Better still, it has a kitchen, which sends us shopping for groceries.

Along a narrow medieval street we find a garage door. Inside is Bodegas Baviera: a sliver of a wine shop wall-papered in bottles.

The thinning but hardly thin, grumpy Vicente, speaks no English but understands we want something native and cheap.

We grab a bottle of Valencia DO red, head back, and make our typical pasta. The bottle disappears immediately. It is such a grippy yet ripe, black-fruited, peppery blend that I run out again. Continue reading →