tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195600752009-11-25T11:39:41.543-05:00Bonum vinum laetificat cor hominisallanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.comBlogger489125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-2498929153389813662009-11-25T11:24:00.000-05:002009-11-25T11:24:00.409-05:00

Last year there were 2600 articles about which wine to pair with Thanksgiving, this year there are 3063. I like this article from the Cleveland Plain Dealer because it has the coolest picture. Whatever you choose, I hope you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-57840024084301843982009-11-24T22:31:00.003-05:002009-11-25T01:57:37.526-05:00

Chateau Giscours has been around since the 1300s. Initially, it served as a dungeon. The earliest record of it containing a vineyard was in 1552, when it was sold to Pierre de l'Horme for 1000 pounds. One of the neat things about the vineyard, shown below, is a display of the Chateau Giscours soil. The sign at the top of the display reads:Texture du sol Grand Poujeau Coupe sur 20 meters So,

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-71335926112825596242009-11-24T11:38:00.001-05:002009-11-24T18:33:36.621-05:00

This past weekend was a big weekend for new releases in Loudoun County. On Saturday, Doukenie Wintery released its Petit Verdot. The winemaker and vineyard manager, Sébastien Marquet, describes the wine as, "This wine is a 100%, 2007 Petit Verdot Estate coming from Doukénie's vineyard, and aged 23 months in French oak barrels (40%new)."The wine had a deep garnet color with good aromas of black

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-73720499159022019422009-11-23T23:08:00.002-05:002009-11-23T23:25:35.312-05:00

On Friday, Lori Corcoran released the 2008 Corcoran Malbec. I got invited to a private tasting between release parties to talk to Lori and try the wine. The wine is 95% Malbec, 2% Tannat and 3% Cabernet Franc. The Tannat is an unusual choice in blending with Malbec but it adds a spiciness to this wine that sets it apart from most Malbecs. The wine has strong chocolate and vanilla aromas and a

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-6610220529826490632009-11-22T12:02:00.003-05:002009-11-22T21:13:59.569-05:00

The Beaujolais Nouveau celebration at the French Embassy is always a lot of fun. This year it was sponsored by the French American Chamber of Commerce of Washington DC and featured the wine of Georges Duboeuf. My apologies for the poor pictures, the battery in my camera died so I had to use my cell phone. Tom Willcox has some great pictures of the event. In addition to good wine, the night

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-17147093746660367442009-11-21T14:42:00.002-05:002009-11-21T14:45:07.850-05:00

I like the magazine feel of The Pleasure of Bordeaux website, I do wish the magazine was available in the United States, but it is interesting to contrast the Bordeaux marketing campaign in the UK versus the US.

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-74435512620981476222009-11-20T06:59:00.003-05:002009-11-20T07:03:10.997-05:00

This is the video I mentioned the other day. Its 25 minutes, but worth watching. I think he is wrong on some points, but they do merit discussion.

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-71152801106482571872009-11-16T00:34:00.004-05:002009-11-16T01:29:49.840-05:00

Rebecca Gibb has an article in Decanter discussing a talk Gary Vaynerchuck gave last week at Winefuture basically saying winemakers should be more involved in social media. From the article:Gary Vaynerchuk, the relentless host of of US Wine Library TV, told the Winefuture conference in Rioja that wine producers are 'lazy', leaving retailers to talk to their consumers rather than doing it

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-43745459952651863372009-11-16T00:03:00.002-05:002009-11-16T00:24:26.844-05:00

The great people at the Hunters Run Wine Tasting Barn have set up their website. They even have a quote on the page from some random Virginia wine blogger....who will remain nameless :)

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-36243998104655181502009-11-14T02:54:00.002-05:002009-11-14T03:23:22.093-05:00

I've talked about the concept of terroir before. Terroir is a French term that describes how environmental factors -- such as climate, soil and methods of farming -- influence grapes and create a unique, regional, signature for different grapes. This translates to the same grape often producing very different wines depending on the region.Here is a fun little game. Below are pictures of three

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-60016458136210518022009-11-13T00:54:00.002-05:002009-11-13T01:28:50.932-05:00

Wine: 2006 Vampire Vineyards Cabernet SauvignonReview: Vampire Vineyards wines used to come from Romania, unfortunately, that is no longer the case. The wines are now sourced from two regions: Paso Robles and Vin de Pays. Obviously, this is primarily a gimmicky wine, but it is surprisingly good. It is a fruit forward wine, lots of berry, but not a lot of depth. It has very light tannins and

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-14712076044070746522009-11-12T00:30:00.005-05:002009-11-12T01:00:28.934-05:00

I've written about the Boxwood Tasting Room in Middleburg. Now Boxwood has opened Tasting Rooms in Reston Town Center and in Chevy Chase. I recently visited the one in Reston Town Center and had a great experience. The Tasting Room has a modern feel; it is sparsely decorated with lots of gray and black. I think this style works much better in Reston Town Center then it does in Middleburg.

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-26498497975923930542009-11-11T23:22:00.002-05:002009-11-12T00:23:44.068-05:00

I am familiar with wines from Virginia, Pennsylvania, California, and France and my posts generally reflect that interest. But, I love the opportunity to learn about different wine regions. That is why I was so excited when I got the link to Of Course Italy from Lamberto Livraghi.The site is an amazing resource for trip planning, and just gaining general knowledge about the often confusing

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-10302955371128380602009-11-10T21:58:00.003-05:002009-11-11T01:29:24.891-05:00

Most of the Chateaux I visited while I was in Bordeaux were ones that I was familiar with, but I also wanted to expand my horizons by trying new (left bank) Chateaux. Chateau d'Agassac was one of those. Chateau d'Agassac is one of the oldest properties in Bordeaux, dating back to the 13th century. It is also one of the few Chateau I visited that actually looks like a castle. It even has a

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-14506068476323004712009-11-10T06:38:00.004-05:002009-11-10T07:10:43.058-05:00

I went out to Casanel last year after they had just opened and had a great time. There was still a lot that Casey and Nelson wanted to do to the winery, so I thought it would be a good time for a follow up visit.The tasting room is completely finished, including the downstairs area, and it looks really nice. Both the tasting room and the adjacent patio are warm and inviting. Nelson is still

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-47936642438739137652009-11-07T15:37:00.006-05:002009-11-25T02:03:22.393-05:00

One of the biggest misconceptions people in the united States have about wines from Bordeaux is that they are too expensive for every day drinking; or simply too expensive in general. Certainly, there are expensive wines from Bordeaux, just as there are expensive wines from Napa, Sonoma and the rest of the world.But, the fact is, most Bordeaux wines are are very approachable in terms of taste

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-83107456321007014852009-11-05T00:21:00.003-05:002009-11-05T01:17:52.102-05:00

Panos Kakaviatos has an article in Decanter about supposed American disillusionment with Bordeaux Futures:Wine merchants will buy 2009 Bordeaux futures, but they say that previous vintages are unsold, the economy is uncertain, the exchange rate unfavourable – and they doubt Robert Parker can score it higher than 2008 anyway.Michael Glasby of the American retailer Premier Cru in California

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-9401063112242776662009-11-04T17:51:00.005-05:002009-11-05T09:17:59.680-05:00

Our local NBC affiliate has a good piece on the biodynamic wine process, specifically Montemaggiore (which makes a great Syrah). In Virginia, Chateau O'Brien produces all of their wines biodynamically, and they make some excellent red blends.Update: Randy has a very good post on organic/biodynamic wines.

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-53168004181627949762009-11-03T00:23:00.003-05:002009-11-03T01:05:29.720-05:00

Before coming out to Bordeaux I did a lot of prep work. In addition to contacting the Chateaux I wanted to visit, I also needed to get maps, plan routes, figure out places to stay and sites to see. I relied on a lot of tourism books and online information, all of which I will talk about at a later date. But, once I got out to Margaux the most helpful resource was La Maison du Vin de Margaux --

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-43366406651042754162009-11-02T07:05:00.003-05:002009-11-02T07:17:24.609-05:00

Hong Kong is one of the fastest growing markets for high end wine. While I was in Bordeaux I heard quite a few stories about the recent influx of tourists from China and Hong Kong and some of the Chateaux are no offering their websites in French, English and Chinese.So, it would make sense to open a winery in Hong Kong. The 8th Estate Winery is an urban winery, and the first one in Hong Kong.

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-6842268066623835052009-11-01T12:00:00.002-05:002009-11-01T12:29:11.286-05:00

Randy, at the Wine Whore Blog asks an interesting question: What would the world be like without Robert Parker?.There are two ways to interpret this question, each interpretation has a different answer.If the question is asking: what if Robert Parker retired today and no longer did wine reviews? Then I am not sure how much of an impact that would have. I think there would be a fracturing of

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-65256974574168147932009-10-30T00:51:00.003-04:002009-10-30T01:55:22.173-04:00

This is something that Doug at Fabbioli Cellars does every year and it is a lot of fun. Doug lets his customers come up with the blending for this Tre Sorelle. This year he broke us up into three teams of 4 people and he handed us a list of the wines available to use (I won't reproduce the list here). The list was broken down by varietal, vineyard, and how much was available. Our goal was to

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-30403174757533642922009-10-29T00:06:00.003-04:002009-10-29T01:24:41.150-04:00

For me, no visit to Bordeaux would be complete without a stop at Chateau Margaux. Chateau Margaux is the wine that started my love affair with Bordeaux and I try to treat myself to a bottle of it every year. While Chateau Brane Cantenac is my favorite Bordeaux, Chateau Margaux will always hold a special place in my heart.Chateau Margaux is the stuff of legend. The property has been around

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-57402320375857287742009-10-28T11:08:00.000-04:002009-10-28T11:08:00.307-04:00

Jane has a great post about The Wine Gallery, a new wine bar in Bordeaux.The Wine Gallery offers the chance to taste first and second growth wines without have to shell out hundreds of dollars for a bottle. Their current wine list includes: Latour 2006, Lafite Rothschild, Haut Bailly, Mouton Rothschild, Lynch Bages, Haut Brion, Palmer, and Margaux. That's an impressive by-the-glass list!Located

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560075.post-46865327182770632812009-10-28T02:34:00.000-04:002009-10-28T02:35:24.408-04:00

I've been wanting to try out the new wine bar at Cheesetique and finally got the opportunity with the wine club. The first thing you notice when you walk into Cheesetique is the impressive assortment of cheeses. The deli case at the front of the store has dozens of different types of cheeses and as you make your way toward the back where the bar is there is a Cheeses & Meat board with featured

allanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02927513261592031981noreply@blogger.com0