Taking the world one wine at a time.
It seems that we have a small “underground wine revolution” on our hands, ladies and gentlemen! A handful of wineries in California have taken up the challenge to take White Zinfandel out of the depths of wine-obscurity, and restore it to its former glory…actually…it never had glory in the first place…but I think you catch my drift… Montevina in California’s Amador County is one of the wineries who has picked up the “pink gauntlet.” Winemaker…
Read More
There’s no doubt that White Zin has tainted most peoples’ perception of “pink wines,” and if you’re one of those people, I’d like to reassure you that there’s a whole category of wine out there which awaits your discovery….and it’s not all sweet! The other hindrance to the success of roses is that, that whole “masculinity-thing” (if you’re a guy…obviously)! In other words, if you don’t feel comfortable wearing pink clothing, chances are you probably…
Read More
News article taken from Richmond Times Dispatch Something rather interesting happened recently at the Celebration of the Vine festival in Virginia. The red wine that took first place was Cooper Vineyards 2009 Petit Verdot. No huge surprises there. But what about the white winner? A white merlot! New Kent Winery’s White Merlot, to be precise. “This could be a first for a red grape,” New Kent winemaker Tom Payette said. To make a White Merlot, the…
Read More
This TREMENDOUS news (tongue firmly in cheek) resolves an issue which arose last year, when Blossom Hill’s White Zinfandel and White Grenache were impounded by authorities in Italy, where the wines are bottled. The brand was forced to relabel the wines as Zinfandel Rosé and Grenache Rosé. The Blossom Hill brand reported that its parent company Diageo and the Wine & Spirit Trade Association have since been working with the EU to resolve the dispute….
Read More
REEEEEPOST!!! This is another post that never made it over to the website from when I had it redesigned over a year ago. I promise I’ll keep posts of this nature (i.e. low in substance, high in humor) few and far between! It’s just a little fun… In case you’ve been under a rock, here’s a quick summary of what Jersey Shore is all about: Jersey Shore is a reality television series on MTV that…
Read More
The story goes that the history of White Zinfandel began by accident at the Sutter Home Winery. When a tank of Zinfandel didn’t ferment as dry as expected, winemaker Bob Trinchero decided to create a blush wine, and they began selling it out of their tasting room – it became an instant success amongst people with no taste buds everywhere. Just kidding! We know we’ve all had it at one time or another!
Read More
#5 Poor Glassware Anyone who knows me knows that I remain very down-to-earth when it comes to wine. With that being said, if I’m out at a restaurant (normally the inexpensive kind); and I see they are using some kind of crappy generic Costco-style wine glasses, I’m going to forego the wine and stick with beer. I don’t for one second believe a restaurant should carry a different wine glass for every single style of…
Read More
#10 Poor Lighting What could be viewed as a seemingly minor point, but I personally like to be able to appreciate the color of a wine before tasting it! The color of a wine can give away a lot of clues to its age, possible grape, and other keys elements such as fining or filtration. If the room is too dark, you are left, well, left in the dark as to all these elements!…
Read More
This post is another feature from Gary Vaynerchuk’s Daily Grape wine newsletter. 2009 Azur Rose Syrah, California Varietal: 90% Syrah, 10% Semillon Gary’s explanation of the wine: With spring in full-effect, it’s getting to be rosé season. Ladies, this will go great with all those outfits. And guys, don’t be afraid of the pink stuff! On a more serious note, there’s so much more out there than just that sweet, White Zin your Grandma used…
Read More