A Wine for Tonight: 2008 Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha

Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won?t break your budget and is widely available? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so here is this week?s selection, the 2008 Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha from the Calatayud region [...]

A Wine for Tonight: 2008 Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WinePeeps/~3/TRwFCQgiNTc/

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Berlin Tasting in Copenhagen

Berlin Tasting in Copenhagen" might sound a little confusing? However the Berlin Tasting is a reference to a famous tasting held in Berlin the January 23. 2004. It was held by the Chilean wine producer Eduardo Chadwick from Errazuriz and he had invited 66 wine journalists from all over Europe to taste the best Chadwick wines from Chile against the supernames from Bordeaux and Tuscany. 16 wines were tasted from the vintages 2000 and 2001, among them 2000 Chateau Latour, 2000 Chateau Lafite and 2000 Chateau Margaux.

Source: http://www.wine4freaks.com/37/berlin-tasting-in-copenhagen/

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Alan Kerr?s Vintage?s May 14 Release ? Tasting Notes

2009 seems to have been very favourable in France as most regions are reporting stellar wines across the board. Once again it is Bordeaux?s best ever vintage, while wines in Burgundy are being heralded as excellent. The 2009 harvest in the Southern Rhône was early and offers much promise in the quality of the wines [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gangofpour/uncZ/~3/yh5X5NmctMQ/alan-kerr%e2%80%99s-vintages-may-14

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Field Notes from a Wine Life ? Headline Update Edition

Odds and ends from a life lived through the prism of the wine glass …

Deb Whiting / Red Newt Cellars

Over the last several years, life has been good for Red Newt Cellars in the Finger Lakes in upstate New York.  Dave Whiting’s wines have been winning an increasing and persistent amount of critical acclaim, including universally high praise for nearly his entire Riesling line-up in the current issue of Wine & Spirits magazine, and his wife and business partner, Deb Whiting, continued to astonish guests and earn high praise for her locally-focused, farm-to-table cuisine at her Red Newt Bistro, adjoining the winery. 

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When news spread on July 1st that Deb died in a car accident, my heart ached for Dave and their family.

I met them but once, eating and drinking as a guest at the Bistro in the spring of 2010.  That experience was enough, however, to turn me into a fan and an admirer.  Dave’s quirky charm and Deb’s friendly intensity made them an endearing pair and there’s no questioning the divine alchemy that occured when their wine and food were paired together.

Just two weeks ago, I ordered Red Newt Riesling for my Mom as a belated Mother’s Day gift.  You would do well to buy Red Newt Cellars wine, as well. 

People that achieve through dint of vision and hard work frequently turn to their work as solace from the wounds of tragedy.  No doubt, Dave will do the same.  I can think of no better tribute then for Riesling fans the country over to tune in and turn onto the labor of the Whiting’s love and buy some of their wine.  It’ll only take one purchase to turn you into a brand ambassador.

While you’re at it, pick up the the Verjooz, a playfully named rendition of the classic verjus—tart, unfermented grape juice that is wonderful whenever you might use vinegar – a fitting tribute to Deb who so wonderfully brought the joy of food together with wine.

My heartfelt condolences go out to Dave Whiting, their family and the extended Red Newt Cellars family in this time of grieving.

Domain Names

Many readers may have seen recent tech headlines about domain names.  It made the nightly news, garnering sufficient enough mainstream mindshare.

The crux of the situation is that anybody with $185,000 can apply to have their own domain name extension. Instead of having a .com they can have a .brandname

I covered this topic and its applicability to wine (or at least my idea of applicability) in late 2009.  If you missed that series of posts, you can find them here and here.

The Champagne Schooner

I covered the “Champagne Schooner” recently in this post.  It’s truly a fascinating story to follow in this day and age of news cycles that seemingly last eight hours.  The post-cap to my post is the fact that a new world record for an auction sale was set when the country of Åland auctioned off a found bottle of Veuve Cliquot for $43,630.

Geophagy

I’m starting a trend today and you can take part.  I’m now suggesting that Old World natural wine and “Terroirista’s” may have Geophagy and should be called, “Pica’s,” the term for eating non-food items.  Consider it a friendly alternative to Parker’s, “Anti-flavor wine elite.”

Who Buys Wine?

I’ve covered this on a number of occasions, but it’s always interesting reading.  Big brand marketers rely on Claritas Prizm demographic research to understand their target markets.  Wine marketing should begin with a market and build out and people, empirically, show their characteristics by where they live. 

Claritas breaks this down.

Want to have some real insight into you and your neighbors or that person you can’t get your arms around at work?  Do some Prizm segment research and search for demographic types by zip code.

Ed. Note:  I’m on vacation this week.  A bottle of 2007 Hunter III Sauvignon Blanc was materially impacted whilst writing this post.

Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/field_notes_from_a_wine_life_headline_update_edition/

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Tasting Report: Current Releases from Banshee Wines

Purchase a half-case or more of our wines and receive 1/2 off shipping with checkout code "750m37"

Although I'm not reading as much doom and gloom about the economic state of the wine industry lately, there seems to be no shortage of high quality juice looking to be liquidated by relabelers. There was a good story in the Sunday Globe about Boston-based 90+ Cellars. Another label that's gaining notoriety amongst my deal hound friends thanks to a push from highly regarded local retailers is Banshee Wines.

Banshee's goal is "to delivery distinctive wines that beat the pants off many costing twice as much." Their focus is on domestic reds - mostly Cabernet and Pinot Noir - made in a plush, approachable style. In their best efforts they succeed in finding an intersection between high quality, deliciousness, and affordability I seek out as a deal hound.

I wrote about the 2007 Banshee Cabernet Sauvignon previously - rating it 93/100 points and assigning it a "Value Alert" moniker.  I've recently tasted through more current releases from Banshee and although none rise to the level of the 2007, at least at this point in my opinion, I'm pleased with the pattern I'm seeing. They're putting some very good wine in the market at compelling prices.

Here are my notes:

2009 Banshee Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands
14.5% Alcohol
$27.50 Release Price


I read a lot of tasting notes saying how a wine really opened up after an hour our two. You're about to read another one of those.

I bought quite a bit of this wine so when I first opened it I was a little disappointed. It was a little tight, tart, and awkward. But after sipping on it over the course of an evening it really developed beautifully. The aromas and flavors get darker and and richer over time. Some slightly silty tannins in the background.

All in all I think it's great now and all indications are it would improve from just a little bottle age. Nothing crazy - just a year or two. If you want to drink it now, I'd recommend trying a sip, decanting or aerating, or saving a good portion of the bottle for the next night.

What was remaining in the bottle the 2nd day was very good which is unusual for a domestic Pinot Noir and a good indication this needs a little time. 

90/100 WWP: Outstanding 


2008 Banshee Cabernet Sauvignon
14.5% Alcohol
$35 Release Price

Medium to full bodied. Dusty blackberries on the nose. Satisfying velvety mouth feel. Some chalky tannins - a little grip. Some acidity. Quite smooth considering its youth. Might improve a little with 2 - 3 years of age but no reason to wait too long to open this one.

90/100 WWP: Outstanding


2009 Banshee Rickshaw Pinot Noir Sonoma County
14.6% Alcohol
$14 Release Price

If you can get past the label on their Rickshaw wines you're in for a treat.

This wine is nicely transparent visually but clings to the glass due to its 14.6% alcohol and resulting high viscosity. The nose lacks some markers that would otherwise tip its hand as being Pinot Noir when tasted blind, but in its place it there is ample round fruit and a hint of spice.

Really pleases with root beer flavors on the palate on top of supporting round fruit. Some acidity. Hard not to like this. 90 points if you're in the mood for a relaxing vacation in southern California, significantly lower if you'd rather be reading a book about Burgundy on a cold winter night. 

89/100 WWP: Very Good 


2009 Banshee Pinot Noir Sonoma County
14.4% Alcohol
$27.50 Release Price

So young it practically tastes unfinished to me. Won't open another bottle for a year.

Not Rated - will taste another bottle in a year.

Question of the Day: What do you think of Banshee Wines? What are some other relabeling operations you've been impressed with?


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/t_jf99sT_xc/tasting-report-current-releases-from.html

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A communication tool for the wine trade

I’ve been given the chance to test a new tool that could be of interest to those in the wine business, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer. The idea is to road test it in my daily work and family life and see how I get on, and the timing is very good, because we will [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/DYQtyqSjM24/

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The Big Fall and Big Rise of One Fine Grape

My first serious encounter with the Petite Sirah grape variety and the varietal wine that it is made into came when I was working public and media relations for historic Russian River Valley producer Foppiano Vineyards back in 1990. To...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FermentationTheDailyWineBlog/~3/H6yvA-wlHZM/the-big-fall-and-big-rise-of-one-fine-grape.html

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