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Notable Quotable

Is that a Rubber Chicken?
My rubber chicken came to work with us today, and hopefully had a good time. He got a little bored on our 40+ minute commute into the city and tried to drive, but Matt was having none of that.Now, I'm not sure how many of you have ever walked the streets of a major city carrying a rubber,…

Impossible food-wine pairings: fish tacos!
A couple of nights ago I had one of the storied dishes of Napa Valley. And no, Thomas Keller, I' m talking about the fish tacos at Taylor' s Refresher, a roadside joint in St. Helena! The horrendously bad cameraphone pic does not to the food justice but it is a piece of grilled mahi mahi,…

REthinkCompliance is Here to Help
As with any new website, when we released www.rethinkcompliance.com to our Inertia clients last Friday, we knew there would be questions about what it will do and how to use the site. Many of our clients have already responded to our announcement by registering for the site by using the Signup link…

Consumers lose in alcohol "control states"
I m on a family ski vacation in Utah, which is one of the most restrictive of the 18 alcoholic beverage control states. A control state is where the state maintains a monopoly over the retailing and/or wholesaling of some or...

Wine Chick Wednesday: Sour Grapes
By Jamie Gabrini, Special Columnist I’m sick of wine. I don’t quite know how this happened, but it’s true. At some point during the past year, I lost interest in wine and – quite frankly – don’t give a fig...

This blog came THIS close to a mention in the NYer, WSJ!
This excellent New Yorker article examines the phenomenon of measuring carbon emissions. The author, Michael Spector, mentions the study on the carbon footprint of wine that I wrote with Pablo Paster. And we were THIS close to a mention! Roll the tape: Last year, a study of the carbon cost of the…

A Wee Bit of Bottle Age
It's really amazing the difference a few months can make. Here are a few Loire Valley '05s that I enjoyed when I first tasted them, but that I really loved when drinking them recently. In each case, about 6 months passed between tastes. I always liked the Loire '05s, but this is…

The Open Wine Consortium
I've never really had the time or inclination to get involved in all those social network sites; facebook et al leave me more than a little non-plussed and apathetic. The stories and rumours surrounding a social network dedicated to the wine scene have final been realised with the launch of The…

Sicily Makes White Wine, Too
When you think Sicily you might think of big, brawny red wines that go along with ample bowls of pasta with red sauce. This side of Sicilian wine and food is well known--but Sicily makes white wine, too. The island off the toe of Italy's boot is known for its volcanic soil, and its rich whites…

2004 Vintage Bordeaux, A Timing Thing - Episode #414
We are going with Intense Friday instead of laid back Friday because I think there is a real opportunity to learn and exploit a huge oppertunity and I want to make sure all the Vayniacs out there have a chance to score! Having trouble viewing this video? Try the Quicktime version. Comments on this…

What Wine Goes Well With Birthday Cake. WLTV Turns 2 Today. - Episode #412
Gary Vaynerchuk' s little tiny wine show turns 2 today and it makes Gary Ponder what wine goes well with birthday cake? Having trouble viewing this video? Try the Quicktime version. Comments on this episode(20) Leave a comment HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WLTV! Looking forward to the Terrible Twos by…

Notable Quotable January 2008

* How to Remove Wine Stains:From Port Saturated Luggage

* Wine Blogging Wednesday News
All sorts of news regarding our monthly tasting adventure - Wine Blogging Wednesday. First up, there's a logo contest. You can win all sorts of great wine-related prizes that are being lined up as I type. So if you're a...

* When Words Get in the Way of Wine
An interesting discussion broke out on Twitter a week or so ago among a band of wine bloggers. The topic was wine jargon--which terms did you use, which did you hate, which didn't make any sense to you. It was an interesting exchange, all the more so to me because I realized all over again that words--the currency of the wine writer--often get in the way of the wine we are trying to write about when we pick up a ...

* Rubber Chickens - The Rules!
I know what you're thinking: Rubber Chickens should run free! (And we agree, which is why we have established the Rubber Chicken National Forest.) But El Bloggo Torcido readers can be quite devious at times, so we need to spell...

* Links for 2008-01-28 [del.icio.us]
Help Out With a Great Wine Story: Kids amp; Wine Do you parents let your small children, say 4, 5, 6, 7-years old taste wine? Is it a proper, even healthy, thing to do? If you do, is there a fear in the back of your mind that the agents of the state will break down your door and make an example of you?

* Are families who enjoy wine together more recession-proof than those who don’t?
History, it is said, teaches us that when times are hard, people don' t particularly choose to drink less. Often, we drink more. Factor in our desire to celebrate the good times with the alcoholic beverage of our choice, and it' s easy to see why beer, wine, and spirits appear recession-proof: there' s always a good market [...]

* Some Montepulciano
The wine was a 2004 La Valentina Montepulciano D'Abruzzo (Sheesh, these Italian varietals are often a mouthful!). It clocked in at 13.5% alcohol by volume, had a real cork closure, and cost around $13 at MV Wine and Spirit in Madison, CT.An unforgiving nose on this one. Some barnyard funk (not in a good way) when I opened the bottle that eventually blew off, but underneath that, there was not much there. Maybe some spice, oak, and currants. In the ...

* Chicken Soup for the Wine Book Lover’s Soul

* Culinary Travel Becomes Popular
I ve often posted news about food and wine excursions and these culinary-focussed vacations are becoming increasingly popular. According to a 2006 study from the Travel Industry Association, about one in 10 American travelers reported that food or wine were a major factor in choosing their destinations for vacations. From MSNBC.com : The culinary travel experience includes everything from visiting a farmers market, sampling artisan products, attending a food or wine festival, going wine, beer or cheese tasting, or driving ...

* Rubber Chicken Photos and Videos
Being guidelines, legal mumbo jumbo, and stuff... 1. Let's get the mumbo jumbo out of the way first... by sending your photos and/or videos to Twisted Oak, you agree to let us publish them on our web sites and publish...

* News, Notes & Dusty Bottle Items

* Announcing: Wine Blogging Wednesday Logo Contest
The trusty Wine Blogging Wednesday logo that you see here has served us well. It's been plastered all over the blogosphere, appearing on participant sites, host blogs and over on WineBloggingWednesday.org. But, as everyone's favorite virtual wine tasting event enters...

* Good Grape Turns 14 in Dog Years

* 4th Annual Long Island Real Ale Festival: Mild Preview
By Donavan Hall, Beer Columnist Last year I attended the Long Island Real Ale Festival with my beer writer hat on. This year, I'll be there as a brewer. On January 6, my brewing buddy, Mike Voigt, and I mashed-in...

* Announcing "Take Your Rubber Chicken To Work Week"
OK, today it isn't about wine - it's about chickens. Rubber chickens to be exact! During the week of February 4-10, 2008, we are asking everyone to pick a day and take your rubber chicken to work! And while you...

* Twisted Logic
By Jamie Gabrini, Special Columnist Please note: the rather forceful opinions of Jay are in no way, shape, or form, a reflection of Lenn’s, or of any other contributor on this site. Indeed, they often wish she’d get off the...

* So Far, I Stink at the Wine Splurge
Just like you, I have my limits on what I'll spend on a bottle of wine. When I'm buying a case of wine for everyday drinking purposes, the average cost per bottle is about $15. And I've gotten really good at buying wine at this price point - BrooklynLady and I drink really good wine on an everyday basis. My mistakes have been at the splurge price point, which for me is wine over $50. Why $50? Remember, I'm not ...

* WBW 42 - Just Seven Words
One show in BBC Six Music (a digital only station that I listen to all the time) has a fun little text message section where you describe what you did last night in 7 words. Amazing how inventive some people are and how much you can imply and impart in just seven words. Can you see where this is heading? Before I go further I should just say that I have no idea if this will work. I've not tried ...

* The Sweet Hereafter
By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Escarpment Correspondent One of the coolest parts about living in an area with a burgeoning wine region has to be the fact that you get to literally watch history unfold. Of course, some history takes place...

* Something Twisted This Way Comes
The wine for the night was a 2005 Twisted Oak Sierra Foothills %@#$!. I purchased the wine in a club shipment from WineQ for $23.99(with free shipping!). It's a Rhone style blend made of 58% Roussanne and 42% Marsanne. The wine clocked in at 14.1% alcohol by volume and had a real cork closure. Many more Twisted things will be showing up at the Wannabe Wino house in the near future, as I was a very good Wino this year ...

* Rock Hollow Sextet - $44.99
Winemakers like those at Rock Hollow are experts at a lot of things. They understand what it takes to coax first-rate fruit from the California Central Coast soil. They know how to use a combination of stainless steel and oak fermentation to produce a bright, rich Chardonnay. They’re privy to the kind of oenic arcana that bestows the power to produce superlative reds like this Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. But they’re not too good at predicting the future. They thought ...

* Domaine547
I've been meaning to do this review for quite a while, and have been really remiss in not getting it up sooner. Several months ago, Jill of Domaine547 contacted me and asked if I would like to receive a blogger sample pack for review. I accepted her kind offer and shortly thereafter a box with 3 bottles of wine, cute Domaine547 coasters, a newsletter, and descriptions of the wines arrived at my doorstep. I've reviewed two of those wines, the ...

* Bedell Cellars Set to Release New Red Blend, Musee
Remember Bedell Cellars' Cupola, their flagship red blend? Well, they haven't made it recently, apparently deciding to discontinue the product line. Instead, they've released a new high-end blend with their 2005 Musée, price at $65, making iti their most expensive...

* Newport Seafood & Wine Festival
It might be wintertime, but there are still plenty of wines events going on around the country to keep you busy! One in particular is the Newport Seafood t thin of a better way to spend a mid-winter weekend! Here are the details: Newport Seafood & Wine Festival - February 22, 23 and 24 at Rogue Ales Warehouse, 2320 OSU Drive, Newport, Oregon Wines from over 70 wineries from around the northwest, including the Noble Estate Vineyard, Chateau Benoit, Sake ...

* The 60 Second Taster
I' ve now been a wine professional for over thirty years. Before I got in the wine making side of the business I was a wine distributor for almost twenty years. The low point of that experience was more-often-than-not the presentations to retailers. You' d take samples of wines from small estates, where the producers sweated every day over their vines and wines passionately trying to make the best wines they could, and present them to the buyers. Often you ...

* Glorious new year’s challenges
This new year seems to be roaring out of the starting gate! With all that' s been going on in my life since the first of January, I' m finding myself hard-pressed to keep up with the blogging here on Winehiker Witiculture. California Wine Hikes, now in its third season, is selling tours at its fastest rate [...]

* Teaching Your Children About Wine
Eat, drink, and be merry Originally uploaded by jwlphotography Every Friday night during my suburban Philadelphian childhood my parents ate dinner by themselves, shockingly late (by an 8 year old's standards) at 9:30 pm, at a table lit with candles. Food that my brother and I would not tolerate was prepared for these meals, and the house often smelled of exotic Indian spices, unfathomably slippery entrees like Coquilles St. Jacques, and homemade split pea soup. On the Friday closest to ...

* Resveratrol Could Treat Diabetes
Resveratrol. Is there anything it can t do? It sure seems to be the wonder compound of the century, helping with a variety of medical conditions. The latest of these is diabetes. Decanter reports that the Massachusetts-based drug company, Sirtris Pharmaceuticals has found that a reformulated version of resveratrol improved the body s ability to break down sugar: In trials Sirtris s SRT501 drug was showed that those taking resveratrol improved their score on an oral glucose tolerance test, which ...

* WBW #41-White Friuli Wines
Jack and Joanne of Fork and Bottle are our kind hosts for this edition of WBW, the brainchild of Lenn of Lenndevours. The task they set us to for this month was to find a white wine from Friuli, any white we wanted. Though they suggested that we spend $18 or above or else we might be disappointed in the wine we chose.This was a difficult assignment for me. I checked our usual local haunts and had not luck. Three ...

* Random Ramblings of a Weary Winemaker: Last 2007 Installment
And She’ll Have Fun, Fun, Fun ‘Til Her Daddy Takes the Ripple Away - Sat. Dec. 8, 2007 Sweet fortified wines like Night Train, Ripple and Thunderbird were the backbone of the California wine industry from repeal up into the 1960’s. Whether all grape like Port or Muscatel, or flavored like Ripple, these wines were the beverage of choice for budget minded alcoholics, aka winos. The sugar helped it go down easily and provided some energy, and wine was the ...

* Wine 2.O

* Back to ‘School’
I think there are a few more slots available for the first wine seminar this Wednesday at 6:30. Call 510-995-4100 if you' re interested in the Zinfandel History and Tasting or the next one Component Analysis on January 30. I' ll update on the other classes as they get closer. Alameda wine classes, Rosenblum wine [...]

* Tumasonis Cellars is Born
So last year I made some (6 cases to be precise) un-oaked cabernet franc at Raphael out in Peconic. I had "my" own row of vines that I didn't spend as much time caring for as I had hoped, but...

* We have a Wine Chick now...one of the originals
If you've been dipping your toe in the wine blogging pool for very long knows "The Wine Chicks,"one of the most irreverent wine blogs around. You may have also noticed that The Wine Chicks seem to have flown the coop...

* Helix Three-Pack Plus One - $59.99
Ah, the rare and exquisite quadruple helix! Four bottles! Three wines! Together, they can unlock some of the most intriguing riddles that face humankind. Riddles like: Hey, how’s that ‘05 Cabernet Sauvignon taste? Alright, maybe that’s not so much a riddle as just a question. Regardless, this wine.woot three-pack-plus-one is just what you’ll need to discover the answer. Here’s a hint: With its subtle whiffs of vanilla and sprinkles of oak spice, the Cab-Sav is a woot launch wine to ...

* Collecting goals: How much wine is enough?
If you re a wine collector, have you ever given any thought to the number of bottles you need to be satisfied with your cellar? Many wine collectors that I meet buy wine without really planning their purchases or balancing...

* Long Island Wine Needs a Book. And I'm the Man to Write it.
I've been toying with the idea of writing a book about Long Island wine for some time. But, between buying a house a couple years back, having a baby, etc. I just haven't had the time. Okay, who am I...

* Wine Book Club: Book 1
There is a LOT to learn about wine. Sometimes I freak out about it and wonder if I can ever learn enough, and at the speed I need to learn it. (I feel the same about technology at times as...

* Galloping into the Sunset: The Iron Horse Inn
We've had a rash of closings lately. We suddenly lost the Encore Bistros in early December. At the end of the month, One Restaurant in Mason sadly closed. Now, we lose the Iron Horse Inn in Glendale. In every Cincinnati...

* Protero Feedback
An email from Rosemary Baldasso was in the in-box this morning. Who she? Only one of the proud owners of Protero Wines that I reviewed on Monday! Love it when retailers or producers take the trouble to comment on a scribble. It would seem that sadly the importer of their wines in the UK abruptly closed-shop recently (hence perhaps the marvellous offer from Cooden Cellars on the two wines - they 'normally' retail at £17.99 a bottle) so the wines ...

* Does Social Media Work For Wine?
A fair question posed by Josh at Pinotblogger today reacting to yesterday' s news that Stormhoek' s UK partner, Orbital, has closed. How could this happen to a wine brand that has grown so quickly in sales while spending so little on marketing? The retail wine business is cruel and unforgiving. And it' s worse in the UK. For those not [...]

* I Remember When...
I remember when it was easy to buy two of my favorite beverages, Champagne and Cognac. A few decades ago you could hardly go wrong with either no matter the brand available. They were the perfect start and finish to any evening. The big brands were the best brands and wines like Veuve Clicquot Brut and spirits like Remy Martin were liquids to be contemplated, not just quaffed. Today these labels are more suitable for cocktails than snifters or flutes ...

* Have the Winery to Yourself
Or almost, anyway. After a mind-boggling December, January is starting off very slowly. While this is not such good news for me and the rest of the crew, it is good news for you, the Rosenblum fans out there. Typically our least busy month, January is the perfect time to come visit the [...]

* Coming Soon: Brickhouse by the Juice Crew
And the winning design is: All the Juice Crew-ers should expect to receive their cases in the very near future.

* I can't believe it's not Stelvin!
There are those who cling to the 'romance' and 'tradition' of popping the cork prior to imbibing. Then there are those who think such 'romance' and 'tradition' are ridiculous if these totems potentially mean stinking, spoiled wine. Both camps have...

* Wine in the New Year
As I've said before I'm not too big on resolutions. I rarely keep to them, and never feel accomplished. I, however, did set some "plans" last year, with the encouragement of Dr. Debs who had asked what our wine resolutions were. And again this year, she has the same question.Looking back on last year, I set some general goals, which were to buy a house and go to Oktoberfest. We got the house, which then sort of got in the ...

* Press Credentials for Wine Tastings
Do you think a blogger like me would qualify for press credentials at a wine tasting event? I would love to attend the DC International Wine and Food Festival, but am unsure if I would be considered "press."You can find the press policy here.Anyone have any thoughts?

* Falling Asleep To...
Normally it is the Archers on the BBC's Listen Again to which I fall asleep too. Tonight though an audio/podcast from WineCast is playing - although I hasten to add that I'm listening to it and not falling asleep! Basically a chat between some of the top wine bloggers - Dr. Debs, the Catavino duo (Gabriella & Ryan), Alder... it has been on my 'must listen too' list since its posting on the 19th of December. A little America-focused, understandably, ...

* The Wine Book Club: the First Edition
In the spirit of the New Year, a group of bloggers decided to start an online Wine Book Club. Many of us want to read more--hands up if you've got a stack of books sitting on your bedside table with an inch of dust on them--and anyone reading this blog probably wants to learn more about wine. So let's give it a go in 2008 and actually read some wine books together. (potential logo for the Wine Book Club to ...

* Wine Writer Hits Free Agency. Is Wine Spectator Interested?

* I’ve Decided To Write A Book
Right after I posted my goals for the year yesterday, I went to a local bookstore to see what I could find with the gift card I received on Christmas. After browsing the bargain books and business sections, I found myself looking over wine books. I really haven' t shopped for wine books since I get [...]

* One less bottle of Grange...
The worst that has happened to me is loosing some shampoo and arguing whether toothpaste is a liquid or not - but you have to empathise with this guys pain... News.com.au A Melbourne brewery executive was on the verge of tears when he had to smash two bottles of Australia's best-known wine at Melbourne Airport. Neil Grant, southern region general manager with Foster's Australia, ran foul of the tough air security rules as he was about to board an Emirates ...

* New year, new world, new camaraderie
Image source: Twitter.com Earlier today, while working on my upcoming presentation, I kept a running tab on my internationally-scattered group of Twitter friends, one of whom, Carol Bancroft of Celebrate Wine, realized she hadn' t updated her blogroll* to include a number of her wine-blogging Twitter friends. She offered to add whomever she had heretofore omitted to [...]