Sunday, May 31st, 2009
The heat of the lentils is making me wince in pain, and even the rice elicits a silent pant from my mouth. Madina restaurant, home of the “seasonal” health department shutdown, is testing my limits for spicy food.
Chono’s Carmenere is soothing me though with berries so ripe that they are almost oozing their inner sugars onto my fingers before I eat them. The resulting metaphoric mess is massaging my palate as the food heats it (beyond pain I can enjoy… but will continue happily in the name of keeping you lovely blog readers filled with wine adventures!). I totally lost the “green peppercorn” part of the flavor profile with this food, but I did get the chocolate and the nearly jammy nose just as much as before.
The “ripeness” doctorine works out tonight… wine’s flavors should be of the RIPEST varieties (almost so ripe it is going rotten) if it’s going to pair with spicy food. If you taste a berry, it should be an almost mushily ripe berry. If you taste a pear, it should be approaching softness. If you taste an orange, it should be almost handsoap level over-the-top in its aroma.
Tannins may not help the situation, but it’s the “ripeness” of the fruit flavors of the wine that will make or break the experience.
Carmenere, Wine Pairings | No Comments
Friday, May 29th, 2009
Maplethorpe Thornberry (a good friend and professor of literature at Trinity College in Cambridge) happens to be a big wine lover, and after a few emails we got him to conduct an interview about Chateauneuf-du-Pape with Nigel Dawson, another British wine lover and (former) member of The Who. Click here to watch it!
A few of our favorite Chateauneuf-du-Pape producers:
Chateau Mont-Thabor
Chateau Beaucastel
Clos du Mont-Olivet
France, Grenache/Garnacha/Cannonau, New World, Old World, Syrah, Wine Reviews, Wine Videos | No Comments
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
We travel to Corbieres, a little region in the south of France, to taste a wine with a big reputation for “funky elegance.” Click here to watch the Corbieres video.
Wines tasted: Cuvee Alice from Ollieux Romanis 2006
France, Old World, Wine Videos | No Comments
Sunday, May 24th, 2009
Click here to watch a review of Chalk Hill Winery’s four best bottles: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. 
When I fall in love, I fall in love hard, and I’ve fallen completely in love with Chalk Hill Winery. Maybe it’s just because Jordan Fiorentini is the most passionate, exuberant winemaker I’ve ever met, but Chalk Hill is the one California winery that wine snobs and wine newbies can adore.
Both fruit and earth drive these wines. Each bottle is a product of both the California sunshine and the winery’s 60 different terroirs. Every bottle is shipped ready-to-drink; the winemaker’s goal is to make sure that the wine leaves her winery ready for you to enjoy. Pop these bottles over the next two years and impress your family, your friends, and your palate.
Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Chardonnay, Merlot, New World, Wine Reviews, Wine Videos | No Comments
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
Watch the new video!
What’s an old Austrian grape jumping down to Italy and hanging out in France? Watch a video about a great grape that even wine geeks forget about, Sylvaner! Wine tasted: Kofererhof Sylvaner 2007 (click to watch)!
Kofererhof Sylvaner makes me smile!
Alto Adige, Italy, Old World, Sylvaner, T.B. Ackerson Wines, Wine Videos | No Comments