tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195600752010-02-08T15:30:28.212-05:00Bonum vinum laetificat cor hominisallanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.comBlogger568125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-67514262766305456542010-02-08T09:39:00.000-05:002010-02-08T09:40:26.979-05:00

If you have ever wanted to know more about how the most famous Champagne in the world is made, now you can. Richard Geoffroy, Chef de Cave at Dom Perignon has started his own blog.

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-51533820021078343002010-02-06T12:12:00.006-05:002010-02-06T14:44:04.494-05:00

Normally, I try not to post too many negative things about the Virginia wine industry. Its not that I worry about repercussions (after all, no one actually reads this blog except for comment spammers ;)), but as an emerging wine region Virginia is bound to have growing pains. In this case though, I think needs something needs to be said.I like the Virginia Wine Showcase. I think they put on a

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-91202988371620333002010-02-03T08:35:00.003-05:002010-02-03T10:44:46.909-05:00

I was in Dubai over the weekend and decided to use the opportunity to check out some of the local wine bars. The first one I went to was The Agency. Located along the Boulevard of The Emirates Towers The Agency is a real gem. They have a selection of several hundred wine, including more than 60 by the glass and a few featured exclusives.All of the major wine regions, both old and new world,

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-79507461754691146462010-02-03T07:30:00.003-05:002010-02-03T07:35:24.360-05:00

Blogger is apparently shedding their SFTP service, which is how this blog is published. At this point I am not sure how it is going to impact this blog, but it seems like a good time to initiate a redesign. I've maintained the same look and feel for over 4 years and I think it is time for something new.If you are a designer familiar with Blogger templates and would like some work e-mail at the

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-77166681887875695772010-01-27T11:04:00.000-05:002010-01-27T11:04:00.769-05:00

Looking for something fun to do this Saturday night? Corcoran Vineyards is hosting Corcoran Night at Lansdowne On the Potomac:For $39 you can get spicy and sweet tapas paired with 4 wines from Corcoran Vineyards. A representative from the vineyard will be on hand to discuss the pairings while you dine. Stay for a 3-course dinner for an additional $45/person. Price does not include wine, but

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-46367863006231077822010-01-27T06:47:00.004-05:002010-01-27T06:56:00.425-05:00

At the DC Sip & Twit last week I was lucky enough to run into Christopher Parker from New Horizon Wines and he was very excited about how well Virginia wines are doing in the UK. He mentioned several shops that are carrying them and he is seeing more awareness of them.The UK has a long history of infatuation with great wines, so this is exciting news! Christopher has graciously agreed to answer

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-71614569892761099972010-01-26T06:55:00.000-05:002010-01-26T06:55:00.532-05:00

This article has gotten a lot of attention on Twitter over the last couple of days. Specifically:How long has it been since you ordered a glass of wine in a restaurant and had your server bring the bottle to your table, pour a little for you to taste and then finish pouring your glass as you watched?If you think the practice is disappearing, you're right.For me, its been about 3 hours (I know

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-85405809699415313682010-01-25T14:45:00.000-05:002010-01-25T14:45:00.807-05:00

While naysayers like Gary Vaynerchuk are telling people to stay away from Bordeaux because it is overpriced, the Chinese are embracing and even accelerating their purchases. From the article:The 10-hour sale yesterday of more than 800 lots tallied HK$52.9 million, beating host Sotheby's own forecast of HK$40 million. Bidders at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel drank glasses of Louis Roederer Blanc de

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-40515226732813935782010-01-25T02:04:00.005-05:002010-01-25T10:50:30.624-05:00

Megan, who owns the TorreBarolo, in the Piedmont region of Italy, let me know about a contest she is running. Details are here, but the contest is pretty simple: become a fan of the property on Facebook between now and January 31st. On February 1st, she'll pick someone to win a 3 night stay at the property.The property is located in the Langhe Valley, which is famous for its Barolo and, based

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-2688878340903558312010-01-23T18:16:00.003-05:002010-01-24T16:39:32.531-05:00

Giramondo Wine Adventures hosted a "Sip and Twit" on Wednesday at the Whittemore House in DC. I was skeptical about the benefit that tweeting would add to the tasting event, and I am not sure my opinion changed much.The way the event worked was pretty simple. To participate, you either had to sign up at the WineTwits website, or you could simply add the hashtag #sptwdc to your Tweets. They had

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-64173619439859491952010-01-23T01:07:00.002-05:002010-01-23T01:50:53.951-05:00

If you are looking for something really fun to do today Sunset Hills, Loudoun Valley Vineyards and Doukenie are hosting the annual Route 9 Barrel Tasting.For $35 you get the opportunity to try some of the upcoming wines from all three wineries. More importantly, you get to meet with the winemakers and talk about their winemaking style and their insights into the vintages. Barrel tastings really

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-88884114074257037052010-01-21T22:43:00.004-05:002010-01-22T01:31:55.139-05:00

Maria, from Chateau Brane-Cantenac sent me a note about this event, hosted by Terre de Vins. Un week-end d'exception a Margaux an incredible weekend-ish getaway to Margaux! The trip starts off on Friday with lunch at Chateau Brane-Cantenac, followed by a tasting at Chateau Margaux. After the Margaux tasting, the next stop is Chateau Palmer for dinner. After dinner, guests will spend the night

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-50502777018085842002010-01-21T10:39:00.000-05:002010-01-21T10:39:00.051-05:00

First, congratulations to Naked Mountain for 35 years in the wine business, they are one of Virginia's oldest wineries.The Lasagna lunches at Naked Mountain are somewhat of a tradition in the wine club. The lasagna is amazing and lodge-like feel of the Naked Mountain tasting room is a perfect environment for a warm plate of lasagna and a bottle of wine.The big new release this year was the 2008

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-34130806964952711972010-01-21T00:19:00.003-05:002010-01-21T00:35:14.554-05:00

I went to the DC Sip and Twit event tonite, I'll have a full write up over the next couple of days, but I wanted to highlight the wines from Georgia (the country, not the state). The primary grape of Georgia is the Saperavi, it makes a dark wine that is extremely tannic and full bodied. There is a website that the winemakers of Georgia set up to tell people about their wines, Georgian Wine

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-29138065200898728822010-01-20T15:27:00.000-05:002010-01-20T15:27:00.371-05:00

According to Google there are three wine bars in Dubai: Agency Wine Bar, Cin Cin and Vintage.For some reason this fascinates me.

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-5513735728456616082010-01-20T10:10:00.000-05:002010-01-20T10:10:00.079-05:00

I am a sucker for unique marketing ideas, especially when they come from old-school companies and it does get much older than Chateau Palmer. Labelled a third growth in the 1855 Classification wine has been made on the Chateau Palmer property since the 1750s. It is one of the top wines from the Margaux region, and one of the few to have a Twitter account.They've set up a website called Palmer

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-35278177157653482382010-01-19T23:23:00.003-05:002010-01-20T00:59:36.120-05:00

As I mentioned previously, Paradise Springs Winery had its grand opening this weekend. I went out on Monday to visit them and sample the wines -- us bloggers lead a rough life :).The tasting room is in a restored cabin that dates back to the 1800s. There are actually two different tasting bars, one on the top floor and one in the basement which came in very handy, as they were very crowded.

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-30066536275489646962010-01-18T11:10:00.000-05:002010-01-18T11:10:00.139-05:00

I feel like a broken record with repeated articles on the value of Bordeaux wines. But, I think someone has to counteract the impression most most Americans seem to have that Bordeaux wines are overpriced.Will Lyons has an article in the WSJ about 2009 Bordeaux and what people are saying:One Bordeaux buyer quietly confided in me that when he visited the region a couple of months ago he was

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-75631265676630085452010-01-18T00:04:00.003-05:002010-01-18T00:48:15.281-05:00

Back in September I had to go to San Francisco for a couple of days. I got to spend one day in Sonoma and hit a couple of wineries while I was there.Deerfield Ranch Winery is located in Kenwood practically across the street from Kunde. Deerfield produces 21 different wines and their grapes are sourced from 17 different vineyards.The Deerfield Ranch Winery tasting room is absolutely beautiful.

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-50626511963872085962010-01-17T09:36:00.004-05:002010-01-17T10:47:56.760-05:00

Jennifer Breaux always does an outstanding job with the events at Breaux Vineyards and this weekend's Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical was no exception. This year we were able to taste the 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 vintages along with a special treat, their 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Rose -- directly from the fermenting tank.We started off with the 2008 and 2007 vintages, directly from the

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-71044297276803604882010-01-16T02:40:00.004-05:002010-01-17T23:18:00.673-05:00

Lindsay Morriss is a very good young writer based out of Bordeaux. She has an article on the Cork'd website about the cost of Classified Bordeaux wines. She makes some excellent point, most notably that most Bordeaux wines are actually quite affordable. But, the classified growths will always be more expensive because:However, looking ahead, basic supply and demand factors virtually guarantee

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-26261615914442899742010-01-15T00:57:00.002-05:002010-01-15T01:02:56.703-05:00

After a couple of false starts and some serious regulatory hurdles, the first winery is opening up in Fairfax County this weekend. Paradise Springs Winery is in Clifton Virginia and has been 20 years in the making.You can follow the grand opening festivities on Twitter. I won't make it out on Saturday, but I'll do my best to get out there this weekend and report to you all.

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-49525036179587366442010-01-14T11:44:00.000-05:002010-01-14T11:44:00.682-05:00

After my tour of the property, I was invited to have lunch at the Chateau. Keep in mind that (as I am sure you all are aware) I'm nobody. I am not a buyer and while I write about Bordeaux a lot on this site a good day for me is 100 visits, so I have no influence in the wine world whatsoever and yet Henri, Corinne and Maria took time out of their day to have lunch with me.This is one thing that

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-89684686756273693162010-01-11T19:22:00.004-05:002010-01-14T07:18:29.742-05:00

This is the first part of my last post about Chateau visits while I was in Bordeaux and the one that I am the most excited to write. Chateau Brane-Cantenac has long been one of my favorite wines. To me, it is the quintessential Bordeaux: complex and elegant, with well-structured tannins and a long finish. Plus, with most vintages in the $50-$70 range it is a wine that I can (and do) drink

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-1294954149590674142010-01-11T00:00:00.003-05:002010-01-11T00:04:10.105-05:00

Barbara at Seattle Wine Gal has an interesting post on the ethics of tweeting about wine received gratis from a producer. From the post:Is there a way of doing Social Media Marketing to it’s fullest extent without giving free products in exchange for online recognition? Is this ethical? Am I being bribed, or simply offered a great chance to taste wine and let other know what I think?She asks

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com1