I really hate it when I discover a product that is significantly better than my old standard. Mostly because, in my experience, the new and better is always more expensive than the old and staid and comfortable. And this stuff is no different, so don’t get excited about the possibility Continue reading “Vya: A Great Vermouth”
Ridge 2002 Zinfandel Paso Robles
Wow. WOW. WOW!
Every once in a while, a wine is everything one expects. And, rarely, it is even more. Well, last night, Paul Draper made me a very happy man. He has been making Ridge wines for more than 40 years, and I have been drinking them for about 30 of those. He knows what he is doing, Continue reading “Ridge 2002 Zinfandel Paso Robles”
Turley 2002 Zinfandel Ueberroth Vineyard
I was a little concerned that this would be far down the hill, but it turned out to be a lovely, fruity, balanced wine that was a pleasure to drink with my sister-in-law’s Osso Bucco. The wine was surprisingly gentle, without any of the assertive spiciness that I have Continue reading “Turley 2002 Zinfandel Ueberroth Vineyard”
Kongsgaard 2005 Chardonnay
The relationship between quality and price in the wine world is tenuous at best. There are plenty of expensive wines that are merely stylistically different (or, for that matter, identical) than their much less expensive siblings. And in spite of my sometimes irrational Continue reading “Kongsgaard 2005 Chardonnay”
Peter Michael 2001 Belle Côte Chardonnay
There are very few age-worthy white wines made in California. This is one of them. But it tasted like crap, and I am more than a little irritated. This was our New Year’s Eve white, and I was expecting a mature, complex, creamy, buttery wine with some nice fruit and a bit of acid backbone. Continue reading “Peter Michael 2001 Belle Côte Chardonnay”
A New Year’s Eve Menu
As many of you can attest, this evening is amateur night. Don’t get me wrong; I am a big fan of pub crawls, blowout restaurant meals with too many bottles of wine, and of course the obligatory cocktails before dinner, hopefully at a bar that has a real bartender. Continue reading “A New Year’s Eve Menu”
Turley 2002 Zinfandel Dogtown Vineyard
“Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi again,” might be a very good thing, because this wine comes from a vineyard in the Central Valley of California, in that much maligned town of Lodi. If everything from Lodi is as good as this wine, I’m moving there. Continue reading “Turley 2002 Zinfandel Dogtown Vineyard”
What Is The Perfect Wine For Thanksgiving?
I was poking around Tommy:eats and found a comment — from Tommy, no less — that was absolutely spot-on. I tend to rant and rave about most things; I am opinionated in case you haven’t noticed by now. So I had to respond to what Tommy said, but really, he nailed it. Continue reading “What Is The Perfect Wine For Thanksgiving?”
And You Thought Those Wine Spectator Awards Were Worth Something?
I found this on Steven Bainbridge’s wine blog, and while I never took the restaurant wine list awards very seriously, I was surprised at just how ridiculous they really are. Just read it and laugh!
UPDATE 8/21/2008
A commenter, Floyd on the Couch, has found The Wine Spectator’s answer to this hoax. I still think the magazine blew it, but here is their response.
Cold And Red?
It is officially hot, and time for all of those wonderful summer drinks that go so well with sitting on the patio, doing absolutely nothing. The usual suspects (and I say that lovingly) are gin and tonics, margaritas, gimlets…and about a dozen other fun, hot-weather drinks. But they all have distilled spirits, and sometimes I feel like drinking something different. Yeah, yeah, what about Sangria? Well, what about it? I think that it is disgusting, a crime against nature, and there ought to be a law against it. Continue reading “Cold And Red?”