On Second Thought, Maybe Not

Okay, I might have to withdraw my suggestion from yesterday. Looking at the Amazon reviews it appears that this system works great for 6-10 months then stops cooling. I had the same problem with a Cuisinart model I bought for storing white wines.

Even the large wine cooler I purchased only keeps wines about 4-5 degrees cooler than the house temperature at this point.

I don't know if the problem is that these things are poorly designed, or if they are meant to be placed in cool areas, like a completely underground basement.

When we were in Seattle, we went on a tour of a candy factory. One of the cools things was a wine rack set up using clay tubes:



There is a company in Ohio that specializes in making clay tubes for wine. I am thinking about trying to find something like that locally and using that to make a new wine holder. My understanding is that the clay helps to keep the wine at a stable temperature. Not perfect, but it might work.

On the other hand, I really like the wine coolers. Does anyone have a recommendation for a wine cooler that lasts longer than a few months. Even if it is a small one that I can use to store the wines I want to preserve.

Wine Cooler Deal

Target has a great deal on an Emerson Wine Cooler only $59.00 for an 8 bottle holder.

Carbon Footprint of Wine

My least favorite Thanksgiving wine article is this one:

These differences in emissions factors mean that distance isn't always the key factor in determining which wine has the lowest footprint for a given location. If you live in San Francisco, you can get your wine from the many California vineyards; but if you live in New York, it may be more environmentally friendly to buy wine sent by container ship from Bordeaux to a port in New Jersey than to buy American with a wine from Napa Valley, which would be trucked across the country.

A wine shipped straight from Bordeaux would have to be trucked to Columbus, Ohio, before it matched the greenhouse gas impact of a Napa Valley wine trucked to the same point. This is known as the breakeven point between the two wines, and Colman and Päster actually calculated a "green line" down the middle of the United States that marks the point at which a shipped wine and trucked wine would have the same carbon footprint..

Why does this dichotomy have to exist? As we all know, there are great wines grown in New York, if you are serious about the carbon footprint of your wine, why not drink locally made wines? Don't get me wrong, you all know I love a good Bordeaux and think everyone should have a couple around.

But, if you are going to be serious about minimizing the carbon footprint of your wine you have to include the idea of drinking local wines and you have to take into account the sustainability practices of the vineyard/winery. Otherwise you are just engaging in a practice designed to make you feel better, not have a real impact.

Thanksgiving Wine

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without 2605 articles about what wine to serve with Thanksgiving dinner.

My favorite article this time around is this one which advocates for Beaujolais Nouveau:

All of our experts seem to be amateur drunks, so we consulted professional wine pushers for the skinny on the best bottles to buy as gifts. The word of the day is Beaujolais, a young wine released yearly just before Thanksgiving. Jai Jai Greenfield of Harlem Vintage says they always try to include Beaujolais in their Thanksgiving Six Pack, a collection of wines designed to take you from the arrival of the first guests to dessert and beyond. Dan Weber of Williamsburg's UVA Wines recommends Terres Dorees L'Ancien Beaujolais Villes Vignes ($18), explaining, "It's a relatively light-bodied red, with strong accents of dark cherry fruit and a good acidity that, after all that food, cuts through. People will find it compelling."

Whatever wine you choose, I hope you and your family have a great Thanksgiving!

Wine Auctions in Decline

Decanter has an article on how the economy is affecting wine auctions:

Normally, 80 to 100% of lots are sold, but recent revenues have fallen substantially and lot prices in three New York City auctions suggest the onset of a buyer's market.

At NYWines/Christie's, on 25 October only 67% of 641 lots were sold, bringing in US$595,476; the pre-sale low estimate was $979,000.

I know it is a much smaller scale, but I am noticing the same trend on the wines I follow on WineBid. Bottles of Bordeaux that were in the $100 range last year are now selling for $50-$60. You can even pick up a 1982 Chateau Marguax for under $600 (still too rich for my blood, but getting closer) even the much ballyhooed 2005 Chateau Margaux is selling for under $1000.

Sunset Hills Winery Redux

I posted about my visit to Sunset Hills Winery a few posts back. This was prior to their official opening last week.

As you can see the work done in the tasting room over the last month or so is simply phenomenal and the opening was a huge success.

Beaujolais Not-so-Nouveau

Speaking of Beaujolais Nouveau, the DC chapter of the French Wine Society is hosting a Beaujolais Not-so-Nouveau Festival Happy Hour tonight. It looks like fun, I won't be there, but if you go drink a glass for me!

Happy Beaujolais Nouveau

Happy Beaujolais Nouveau, make sure you drink a toast to good cheap wine!

Review: 2002 Chateau Magdelaine

Wine: Chateau Magdelaine 2002 Bordeaux



Review: My Bordeaux tastes tend to run toward the Margaux region, but there are standouts from other regions and Chateau Magdelaine is one of them. Chateau Magdelaine is part of the Saint Emilion region, the oldest in Bordeaux. It is considered a Premier Grands Crus Classés B (which is pretty good ;)).

Surprisingly, the 2002 was still a little young. I took a sip before putting the wine in a decanter and I was taken aback by the tannins. After decanting for an hour, the wine really opened up. There were flavors of vanilla and black cherry and it had a rich full-bodied taste. The tannins remained strong, which gave it a lingering palette.

Price: $65

Grade: 95

And, because I am a big dork, here is the wine on its matching wine tray:

Charles Curtis on Wine and Food Pairing

Over at Petrossian they have an interview with Charles Curtis about wine and food pairing. Its a quick read and worth checking out, but the I think the best line is toward the end of the interview:

If you are a sommelier, you think of a dish: what is the dominant element in that dish, and what type of wine does that relate to, and of that, what looks really good on the list in front of you.

Review: 2004 Brane-Cantenac

Wine: Brane-Cantenac 2004 Bordeaux



Review: The Brane-Cantenac Bordeaux is one of my favorite wines, so I am surprised I have only done one other review of it. This is a wine that has steadily improved over the years, and unfortunately, the price has increased in accordance with its quality.

This vintage has a typical Bordeaux feel to it. It was a ruby color with aromas of plum and vanilla. The oak really comes through in this wine, giving it a complex feel and a lingering palette. It is definately a wine to be savored and lingered over.

Price: $59

Grade: 95

Wine Trays

I was going through some old posts and realized I never followed up on this one. it took about 6 weeks, but I got them and they are really great, I use them almost daily:



I chose Chateau Siran and Chateau Magdelaine, two wineries that I really like.

Also, some really good news, if you would like to order the caosters, you can do so from a store in the US and save a good bit on shipping.

Sunset Hills Winery

I went with the wine club to Sunset Hills Winery back in September and really enjoyed it. Sunset Hills has the distinction of being the only winery in Virginia to sponsor a race car (at least that I know of).

They also have a great tasting room, it is a 130 year old barn that was restored using Amish workers -- and the craftsmanship is amazing. The pictures below are from before the tasting room was completed -- but you can see how great the finished product will be.

As for their wines, the standout was a the Petite Verdot, yet another Virginia winery has turned this blending grape into an excellent standalone wine. The Petite Verdot is 80% Petite Verdot and 20% Cabernet Franc. It has deep rich color and a plum taste, the Cabernet Franc adds a touch of spice to the wine and the 18 months in oak have smoothed it out a little.

And, if you are excited about the winery, you are in luck. They are having their grand opening this weekend (occasionally, my procrastination pays off). They are really worth the look.

Black Bordeaux Bathroom

I recently redid my main floor bathroom. I've been sticking with a wine theme for any room that I have repainted. So the color for the bathroom? Black Bordeaux.

So...uhh..I'm a top 100 wine blogger? I'll hve to take two month hiatuses more often :).

A friend of mine celebrated her birthday at Notaviva Vineyards. Stephen and Shannon have done a great job building first rate tasting room, the pictures below don't do it justice. They've also done a great job with their wines.

The tasting at Notaviva includes wines from several local wineries as well as their own. There were two wines that were exceptional. The Vivace Viognier and the Cantabile Cabernet Franc. The Vivace is a crisp wine that had hints of pears and grapefruit. Light and breezy, a good summer wine.

The Cantabile is dark, rich Cabernet Franc. It has aromas of tobacco and a peppery kick to it. The 2007 is still a little young, but I am sure it will age well.

I got a press release for Wine Wipes the other day, and I have to admit I am intrigued. But, the commercial is uhh...

What I would be mostly interested in is whether or not the flavor really does not interfere with the wine. I ordered a tin and I will let you all know.

I was reminded that there is one more Alaska wine post I need to make.

While we were in Skaqway, we came across this display for Denali Winery at the Alaska Liquor Store. The juice is sourced from grapes in Washington, but the wines are made in Anchorage..including a pretty cool presenatation of a traditional ice wine.

Unfortunately, you can only get the wines in Alaska.

People are often curious about how long a wine can be aged. While there are some general guidelines, the answer often depends on the winemaker and the winemaking process. Wine Aging attempts to make finding this information easier.

I've added this blog to the Facebook blog network. If you have a Facebook account, I would appreciate it if you could click the link to the right and verify that I won this blog -- or something like that (not sure how this whole thing works).