Wine Thread

NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
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If anyone likes a good syrah, Costco has the Robert Hall for $11, and I'd recommend it highly.

Much better balanced than most Aussies, and more wine for the $$ versus most French Rhones.

It has been the unofficial "daily drinker of the year" for 2007 at the SCHB household.

-SCHB
 
With Bordeaux, What a Difference a Year Makes

Bordeaux gone mad: $8,000 and more for a case of wine! The headlines made even the mainstream media last year as futures prices for the great 2005 Bordeaux vintage brought sad news for wine lovers. The wines of France's top-ranked chateaux, already expensive, had appreciated so strongly that they had become international luxury items, out of reach of the average buyer.

So what's a Bordeaux lover to do? Simple: Continue to drink Bordeaux -- with a few adjustments.

"I think 95 percent of Bordeaux is affordable," says Michael Sands, vice president of Washington wine merchant Calvert Woodley in Van Ness, "but the focus, understandably, is on the big names."

 
Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!

Mmmm, fresh wine…

Here’s an excerpt from the snarky slate article on beaujolais:

“Why it was decided to make the region's humblest juice—a wine mainly borne of its worst vineyards, a wine barely removed from the fermentation vat, a wine that is nothing more than pleasantly tart barroom swill—its international standard bearer is a question that will undoubtedly puzzle marketing students for generations to come.”
 
LOL: But, of course, snobbery is one of the engines driving the wine market, and the Nouveau craze, with its populist appeal, had the effect of making Beaujolais an object of disdain among the sophisticates, ever determined to stay two steps ahead of the riffraff.
 
Wine may calm inflammation in blood vessels

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Adding to evidence that a little wine can do a heart good, a new study suggests that women who drink moderate amounts may have less inflammation in their blood vessels.

Spanish researchers found that after four weeks of drinking two glasses of wine per day, women showed lower levels of certain inflammatory substances in their blood. The findings, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggest a mechanism by which wine -- particularly red wine -- may protect the heart.

Numerous studies have found that wine drinkers tend to have lower rates of heart disease than teetotalers do. Research also suggests that higher levels of "good" HDL cholesterol may be one reason, though not a full explanation of the benefit.
 
I looked around for some Chateau d`Yquem and look what I found. Good old Costco.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11196180&whse

Once upon a time someone paid 1.5 million for all the wines this place made from the 1880`s to present. Like 135 Years. Sauterns store for ever and are my favorite for desert.
 
Rare Wine Auctioned

"A rare collection of wine once belonging to Russian Tsar Nicolas II has gone under the hammer at International auction house Bonhams.

The wine comes from the Massandra winery in Crimea which was built in 1897 primarily to produce high quality wine for the Tsar and his family. The Romanov's spent summers at their Palace `Lavadia' near Yalta. Now the auctioneers Bonhams sold a number of bottles from the collection which were once stored in specially built tunnels under the Crimean mountains. "

http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=71721&videoChannel=2
 
The only type of wine I enjoy is pinot noir sans vanilla flavours. Of course, that’s not to say I won't drink other wines...after a few glasses I'll be happy to sip something heavier, aka more full-bodied.

My favorite pinot noir is Paraiso from Monterey. Every time I visit a friend's house for dinner or go so some kind of function, I bring a bottle and everyone enjoys it thoroughly. $16 at costco and its always in stock. Its very light and aromatic.

My second favorite pinot noir is 2003 York Mountain. I found it while wine tasting in Paso Robles on a trip up the central coast to Monterey and San Francisco. The wine is dark and spicy, yum! York Mountain's wine tasting room is a dumpy portable trailer with a door that slaps you on the way in--a far cry from the fancy tasting rooms of Edna Valley or Leticia Vinyards. Last spring they had two tastings, one of which consisted of nothing but pinot noirs. Needless to say I was beside myself as I am normally disappointed at the complete omission of pinot noirs on most tasting lists. The host was energetic, down to earth, and delightful and I have to say it was one of the more memorable wine tasting experiences. I bought two bottles for $8. I wish I would have bought two cases, but I was on a tight vacation budget!

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Miles (trying to explain to Maya why he is so into pinot noir): "It's a hard grape to grow. As you know. Right? It's, uh, it's thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It's, you know, it's not a survivor like cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and thrive even when it's neglected. No, pinot needs constant care and attention. You know? And, in fact, it can only grow in these really specific, little tucked-away corners of the world. And only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand pinot's potential can then coax it into its fullest expression."

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The best Pinot Noir I've had is a toss up between Santa Barbara County, specifically Santa Rita Hills district, and the Russian River Valley up north.
 
Taste of success: Breaking the wine glass ceiling

As more people drink wine, executives ensure they know enough to impress...

While wine education isn't new, it might be becoming more essential for business people.

Wine consumption has risen each year for the past 14 years, said Kevin Zraly, wine educator and author of book, "Windows on the World Complete Wine Course." This year, the United States overtook Italy in total wine consumption, he said; in three years, the United States is expected to consume more wine than France, Zraly added.

Sweet... I don't care if you like wine or not, but anything we can beat France at is cool.

As another indication of how interest in wine is rising, Zraly's book, first published in 1985, is expected to have its best year in terms of sales in 2007, he said.

In short, more people in the United States are beginning to know a little something about wine, and as they develop some sophistication in their palates, those in the business world are wise to know a little more than the average drinker, he said.

And knowing how to navigate a wine list can help someone subtly rise to a position of power at a dining table, said Eddie Osterland, a master sommelier who speaks to groups about entertaining with food and wine.

Most people "duck and weave and head-fake and go to the bathroom, and women look in their purses" when the wine list arrives at the table, he said.

"You need to take the position of power," he said. When those at the table are asked "'who would like to see the wine list,' you want to be the one to jump up and say 'I'll take that.'"

Why would I need someone to train me how to do this, when I already do it?

Also, while small tasting portions are poured at these events, they do add up. Not only will you retain less if you imbibe excessively, but you also risk impairing your judgment while around co-workers and bosses -- an office party no-no, whatever the event's format.

The best part is knowing someone will break this rule. And, it always leads to some great stories come Monday.
 
"The best part is knowing someone will break this rule. And, it always leads to some great stories come Monday"

This is why people need to put their cameras away.
 
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