Bring up the subject of human cloning, and prepare yourself for a spirited ethics debate.
But when the topic turns to grapevine cloning, the mood can become downright romantic. Matching the right clone to the right vineyard site can make all the difference between a vintner’s ability to craft a world-class wine, and the introduction of the next iteration of “2-Buck Chuck.”
It was just a sidebar, taking up about a third of a page, in the May issue of Food and Wine magazine. But the headline caught my attention: “Wineries Worth a Pilgrimage.”
The author recommended four estates on two continents: Movia in western Slovenia, Chateau Musar in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, Tasca D’Almerita in Sicily, and Chateau Cos D’Estournel in Bordeaux. The attractions range from “a mad genius winemaker” to “one of Bordeaux’s greatest Cabernet-based reds.”
If you attend weddings, bridal showers, baby showers or cocktail parties, you are well familiar with the cocktail napkin.
Typically 5 square inches in size, they can add a classy touch to any special occasion. Pure white is the “color” of choice for most wedding receptions, and any number of solid colors may be used for other “life” events.
A wine blogger must make a great many sacrifices in the course of carrying out his/her duties. For this wine blogger, a major sacrifice will be made this weekend...beginning this evening, as a matter of act...when I am compelled to attend the 10th annual Jazz on the Vine event.
What is Jazz on the Vine? It’s two days of music performed by such renowned artists as Euge Groove (real name: Steven Eugene Grove), Peter White (real name: Peter White) and a host of others generally clumped into the radio format known as “smooth jazz.” The Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake, Wis., is the host.
It was known as Copia, and its official name also including the verbiage: “The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts.”
Napa Valley wine icon Robert Mondavi put up a million dollars in seed money to get the project going, and the center opened in November of 2001.
NEWS: In yet another sign of increasing demand for quality wine grapes, Gallo Vineyards has quietly purchased approximately 377 acres of vineyard land in Monterey County for a record $18 million, according to public records.
SOURCE: Wine Business
VIEWS: Industry observers tell Wine Lines
Many of the questions we get from blog readers concern food and wine pairing. It’s a welcome trend that more and more people seem to be interested in having the best dining experience possible by matching up the “right” wine with the “right” dish.
Here’s a question that recently was posed: “Two of our favorite things to eat are ham and olives, but we haven’t had much success pairing them up with wine. Do you have any suggestions?”
If you love oysters, you may have found that pairing them with wine can be somewhat challenging.
"Not many wines work with oysters," said Lane Hoss, Vice President of Marketing for Anthony's Restaurants, in a press release. "That is why we are thankful to have this competition. Oysters are popular. We wait for the results every year."
One month ago, in the interest of preparation, we brought you this food-and-wine pairing idea and recipe for Cinco de Mayo.
So if you plan to mark that occasion tomorrow, you should be all set.
On the other hand, if your Saturday party plans are more focused on the Kentucky Derby, then you may have some shopping to do...because no Southern-focused celebration is complete without Benedictine Spread.
Healthy rivers and other waterways contribute to healthy environments. Healthy environments contribute not only to healthy people, but also healthy winegrapes. And healthy winegrapes are necessary for the production of high-quality wines.
So it was good to learn yesterday that work is moving forward on the Napa River’s restoration project. It’s a project that wouldn’t be possible without the cooperation of numerous wineries, including the three mentioned in yesterday’s press release—Cakebread, Laird, and Nickel & Nickel.
Vinesse specializes in helping wine lovers discover interesting wines. By sharing limited-production gems that generally don’t appear on the shelves of local stores, Vinesse has grown to become one of the largest and most respected wine club companies in the U.S.
From our base in Southern California, Vinesse cultivates relationships with some of the most respected winemakers in the world. These relationships are critical to supplying each of our ten wine clubs with exceptional wines from amazing boutique wineries.
In addition to sharing exceptional wine gems with our dedicated circle of members, Vinesse also offers wine collections, wine accessories and individual wine sales to wine lovers across the U.S.
