You are currently browsing the monthly archive for December 2006.
If you are looking for the best sparkling wine picks to bring in the New Year – 2007 you are looking to the wrong guy for advice… I have never been a fan of the sparklers or champagne. However, I did do my part and put together some others opinions for you to thumb through and hopefully you will find the information you need.
I found an article by Laurie Daniel in the San Jose Mercury News that I found to be informative and listed the bottles by price range… Read More
Another blogger, Tom Wark, loves the bubbles! Here’s what he had to say in “The Sparkling Wine Post.”
From my home away from home, The Oregonian gives you sparklers on a budget.
Dr. Vino helps you with opening your New Year’s bottle and gives you some picks as well… Read More
There’s no shortage of articles about sparkling wine this time of year. If you want the commercial ratings the magazine are on the shelves. I hope the few articles here give you a good start to finding the perfect bottle to pop on New Years Eve.
Cheers!
I am off work this week and have to say I’m enjoying the indoors and a fire crackling in the background. It’s a gloomy rainy day today in the Sonoma and Napa Valleys and I’m glad I am looking at it through double-paned windows.
The Wine Country is very interesting in the winter. North of the San Francisco bay we get the heaviest of the rain and suffer through the occasional flood. For those of us that commute between the two valleys this time of year can be trying.
For those not familiar with the the roads that run between the two valleys the important thing to note is the feeder creeks that occasionally overflow and flood, can make a drive between the valleys a challenge. However, despite the challenge, I can’t think of a better bad commute.
I’m one of the lucky few who see nothing but rolling hills and vineyards from the time I leave my house until the time I get to work 40 minutes later. Sure, there is still the occasional dairy farm but for the most part it’s the braided hills woven tightly with vines.
This time of year is the most barren for the vineyards. The vines are dormant but not yet pruned so the vines appear to be reaching out and stretching after having been relieved of carrying the last seasons fruit. It’s a quiet beauty after the excitement of crush and foreshadows the mustard weed that is about to blanket the hills and begin the traditional mustard season and festival.
Although tourism is important for this area it really is a nice time for the locals to get out and taste the new releases with the winemakers. It really is a “long-time-past” experience to be able to sit down with the winemakers and listen to them tell you the story of the last years harvest and discuss the complexities of the new releases and hear the passion that is their art.
Winter is a wonderful time in the Wine Country. The slow pace makes it an ideal time to visit, the hotels are offering great rates and if you call ahead you can even line up some time with the winemakers.
Cheers!
As is tradition at our home – Christmas dinner is a slow roasted Prime Rib. The roast is encrusted in rock salt with a mix of crushed pepper and just a hint of tarragon and while cooking it literally bastes itself in with it’s own fats and is true to the term “greasy meat.” If you are serving a pork shoulder roast, goose or duck this holiday these all qualify for the greasy meat category.
As the title suggests I can’t think of anything better than a big bold Cabernet Sauvignon to go with the roast I am preparing. This varietal is a perfect compliment to these type of meats that are very strong in their own flavor and ask for the perfect partnering wine with the same qualities.
In the past I have stayed with an old standard, the Beaulieu Vineyard – 
Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (http://www.bvwines.com). I was a member of their wine club some years ago and have had a decent selection of past vintages but have since run low. This wine is still an excellent choice but I recommend getting a vintage that has aged a good 6-8 years to soften the tannins. Retail price at the winery can go from $85.00 – $100.00+ per bottle but I have found it cheaper at various wine shops.
For those of you who have never paid that kind of money for a wine, remember that I am pairing this with a seven -pound Prime Rib at $6.99 per pound. I’ll spend that kind of moolah on a wine if it’s going with a $50 roast.
That said, I have selected a much less expensive and younger bottle for my table this year. A 2004 Chiarello Family Vineyards Bambino Cab.
There are a couple reason I chose this wine over others. Reason one… This is the second release Cab for this vineyard and I really enjoyed the first vintage. Secondly, I’ve had the opportunity to listen to Chef Micheal Chiarello (http://www.napastyle.com) describe his wines and he stays away from the traditional descriptions opting to weave the wines with a story and personality. How could I not buy it?
I can verbatim this wine’s description from the winery website http://www.chiarellovineyards.com but I’ll describe it in my own words as Michael might, (he said, as not to offend the Chef)…
It’s a young wine with a lot of curiosity. It will trick you into believing that the initial flavors will carry through to the end but will stop you along the way and show you another path to another region of the Napa Valley. It will grow up to be a fine young man with a stern look and a soft demeanor. And, at $35.00 this is a good match for my $50.00 roast any way I slice it.
Cheers!
There’s something about a holiday that falls on a Monday that just begs for the excuse to drink before noon. Spoken like a true lush, I know.
In my neighborhood the family across the street distributes pitchers of Gin Fizz to all the other homes up and down the street at 10AM. Not only is this a cool tradition it also means I don’t have to come up with the excuse to get “merry” on Christmas Day before noon, my neighbor does it for me.
Needless to say, an hour-and-a-half later I’m a touch Fizzizled. It makes the fact that I’m not at work and that my kids are off playing with their new-found gadgets with a smile even more enjoyable.
Tonight is Prime Rib and a bold red wine… Greasy Meat and Big Reds, I might have to write about that when I pick out the wine later.
Merry Christmas all~
Cheers!
Tis the day before Christmas, family will be here tonight. I’m making sure all my good wine is all out of site.
Am I wine Scrooge? No. I’m just protecting my investment in the wine I like to selectively share. Not everyone that drinks wine has it cellared or stored, but most of us have a special bottle that we have been saving for a special occasion and that occasion may not be during the holidays.
The reason I personally go through this ritual is because I have friends that, despite their best intentions and efforts, don’t get that after eggnog and rum, beer, brandy and all the other holiday libations that a $100 bottle of wine is not a chaser. I wouldn’t hesitate to share that bottle of wine with them on any other occasion but I have $10 bottles of wine for this occasion.
This is one of those times when you can call me a snob and I would not be bothered in the least. Just know if you are one of my friends and you are reading this post… I found a better hiding place this year and got a better lock!
Go ahead and hide the good stuff.
Have a great Christmas Eve and…
Cheers!
I am currently coming off the worst cold I think I have ever had. For a wine guy this is a bad thing on many levels.
Not only is this the time of year when people gift me wine it’s also the time of year when I like to bring out my best holds of the year to share with others. If you are a subscriber to the “swirl, sniff, sip” protocol, a cold or even a stuffy nose can alter the wine experience dramatically.
My suggestion to get you through this dilema is to stick with the wines you know. If you have a favorite and need to bring wine to a function stick with one you know you like. Even if you can’t smell it or taste it you can rest easy knowing it’s still something you would like without nasal congestion and phlegm.
If you get wine as a gift and your snotter is plugged up, save it for later. A cold can last a couple weeks, a good wine will wait for you to clear your sinuses.
Cheers!
Every year as the holiday season approaches I get a call from my mom asking what I think would be a good wine to give as a gift and also serve at our annual holiday feast.
Having been around my mom my entire life, I know what she likes in a wine and what she doesn’t. Each year the challenge is to find a wine that she will like and still be able to pass that wine along to others as a gift. My mom is not a “reds” drinker by nature, still, I keep trying to get her away from the sweeter whites and the blush wines that she so adores. This year I found the wine.
Folie a Deux – Menage a Trois
I know, it sounds like some kinky French thing but don’t let the name fool you, this is a wonderful red table wine and it’s very well priced.
The wine is a blend of three varietals, Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, (thus the Menage a Trois). As standalone varieties you would expect spice, berries and tannins to make you pucker a bit. As a blend your tastebuds and palate have a party.
The best way to describe this wine is to say it’s fruity and jammy from beginning to end. From the time you sniff this wine you know it’s fruit forward. The aromas in the nose beg you to taste the wine and when you do you’ll immediately get the rasberry and blackberry flavors and the hint of spice from the bolder reds. To my surprise this wine is very silky, not something I would have expected from a Zinfandel or a Cabernet, but the blend is such that you never get that “dry wine” feel from the tannins.
The wine is priced right at $12 a bottle on the winery’s web site http://www.folieadeux.com but I have found it in my local supermarket for as little as $7.99.
Because it’s a red wine I would pair it with grilled meats but this is soft enough to go well with your holiday meal of roasted turkey or ham.
Cheers!
