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| World Wine Weather |
Send Chile Some Real Help - Orders for More Wine!Published 2010-03-03 11:54:10 | By The Wine Thief Chile has a much
stronger government infrastructure and was considerably more prepared, so even
with a monster 8.8 earthquake, they are doing, well... better than
Haiti and international help appears to be on board. The Chilean wine
industry was hit hard, losing hundreds of thousands of liters in broken
tanks, etc. Fortunately it seems that overall wine
losses are under 15% of their yearly output and although that's enough
for a nasty smack down, it does open a wonderful way for us to help. Let's give their wine biz and national economy a nice jolt of U.S. marketing power, ... GO OUT AND BUY SOME CHILEAN WINE TONIGHT! Its not hard to find good Chilean wine even at your supermarket and certainly your favorite wine seller can make numerous suggestions. So grab those Nikes you never wear, locate a drop off near you by checking the Soles4Souls website, and head for the wine store. ![]() |
Helping Out Chile with Some Proactive Economic ActionPublished 2010-03-03 11:07:31 | By The Wine Thief![]() LOS VASCOS 2007 RESERVE CABERNET $12.99 (from Chile!)
![]() Support Chile's economy, Drink wine. That's my kind of politics! |
Wine of the Day from Down Argentina Way!Published 2010-03-02 02:18:33 | By The Wine Thief
His wine bell rang when Tikal's 2007 Patriota, the Argentinean cult
winery's old vine blend of their native Bonarda and Malbec showed up. The 2007 is just a terrific, giving, plush, balanced bottle of red wine that
had everything in its right place. And they dropped the price!
Previous year's offerings sold for $20 or more, but now it's a measly $16 a bottle, making it one of the
best value reds we've tasted in the last 12 months! Needless to say, a
real no-brainer... WA 92 |
Three Bottles of Wine AND Have $$$ Left for Stinky Cheese!Published 2010-02-24 09:20:58 | By The Wine ThiefThree Wines... All $10 or less and they are really good. Apothic Red - $9. Okay, here's the deal, the folks that make this are GALLO, BUT you don't have to tell your snobby friends. Parker called it, ”one of the greatest bargains I have ever tasted from California. ... it is a blend of 45% Syrah, 44% Zinfandel, 9% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon that comes from primarily Lodi as well as Sonoma, the Central Coast, and Napa. A hedonist’s dream, this fruit-bomb exhibits loads of berry fruit, pepper, and spice, silky tannins, and an attractive mouth feel.” Rocinante 2006 Syrah - $9. This beauty first came in the door at $35 a bottle. Bad timing. Lots and lots of $35 bottles coming out of Northern California. Hard to sell with all that competition, so they did the next best thing, lowered the price so we all could enjoy it. Probably work out to be best marketing move yet. Get known, then charge $35. Aguijon de Abeja 2008 - $9. What? Pardon me? What's that? WELL, it's really good. It's Malbec. Plump and easy to drink, pretty friendly for its youth... A sensational value. The name? It means Bee Sting in Spanish. Must be a local thing as there's no pain in this engaging red. ![]() Now, let's go get some cheese! |
The Wine Thief Recommends....Published 2010-02-11 02:14:19 | By The Wine Thief
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Talk to Me of Mendocino... Organically Please.Published 2010-01-28 08:54:11 | By The Wine Thief![]() If you've never traveled past the Sonoma/Napa areas, you owe yourself a couple more days on that get-a-way to make it to the Mendocino area. Cruising up 101, past Healdsburg, you'll come to State Highway 128, hang a left, and soon you'll see the vineyards of Yorkville Cellars, home to a little slice of Bordeaux. They specialize in growing and producing wines from eight of the main varietals of that famous French region, including Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. Did I mention the free tasting? That alone is a rare winery treat, but not the only feature you'll enjoy. Family wineries are always my favorite as you meet the folks whose craft and passion are in the wines produced. If getting up to Northern California is on the list but not happening quick enough, check your local wine dealer or visit the Yorkville Cellars website to order and try their award winning wines. Reasonably priced under $30. |
Union des Grand Crus de BordeauxPublished 2010-01-28 06:17:35 | By The Wine Thief My tongue is purple, streaked with Sauternes gold. Did L.A. seem just a little more sophisticated yesterday? Might have been the hundred or so French winemakers and chateau owners that descended here for the annual tasting for buyers by the Union of Gran Crus de Bordeaux.On the 5th floor Annex of the Renaissance Hotel more than 75 chateaus shared their 2007 vintage offerings. From across the Bordeaux region, wines from Pessac-Leognan, St. Emilion Grand Cru, Pomerol, Listrac Medoc, Moulis-en-Medoc, Haut-Medoc, Medoc, Margaux, St. Julien, Pauillac, St. Estephe, plus makers of Sauternes & Barsac, were poured. Hundreds of buyers from west gathered, among them all the major wine retailers such as the Wine Exchange, plus Costco, K&L, Traders Joes, all had their reps present. Following our "Wine Geeks of Paradise" hosts, Kyle Meyer and Tristen Beamon with cameras in hand, we did our best to taste them all. The 2007's in general had a challenging year weather-wise, but the Bordeaux-lese have managed to take what they harvested and create some very nice wines across the board. The Sauternes are especially worth trying. My fav among several there is a lovely Sauterne from Chateau Coutet... balanced, sweet with orange. A super value. Enjoy as the 2007's will be lower in price than previous years, and there are some gems. |
Wine & Tech Geeks Unite!Published 2010-01-15 11:29:15 | By The Wine Thief Yes, it is what you think it is. Somewhere in China, a guy at a USB factory sits around with catalogs of everything else they make in China and figures out what they could stick a thumb drive into and sell to Americans.The possibilities seem endless. Just look around your desk. Paper clip puller USB, magnifying glass USB, Mini-beer can USB. Shot glass USB. Cigarette/cigar/hand-rolled Lighter USB. (That one for sure is already available.) ![]() I'm however waiting for one that implants in my finger and acts like the Alien Hair connector in Avatar. Let me set the scene. It's not too far in the future and you're in a bar. (Pray the have bars in the future.) You meet a person. "May I buy you a drink?" She says yes. Hour later... "Would you like to hook up... finger to finger?" YIKES! Don't forget to activate your personal firewall to separate your libido from your Id. Until then you can just pull this cork out and show it off. Good luck. Available at http://www.geekstuff4u.com/cork-usb-memory.html ![]() |
Wine of the Day - #50 on the TOP 100 ListPublished 2010-01-15 01:57:00 | By The Wine ThiefLanding smack-dab in the middle of Wine Spectator's TOP 100 is not a bad spot. (Any where in the 100 is not a bad spot.)![]() |
Attention All Amatuer Wine Scientists -Time to ExperimentPublished 2009-12-16 04:49:41 | By The Wine Thief
The researchers gave their subjects a bottle of Reisling, and asked them to drink it in rooms with different lighting. It was perceived to be one and a half times sweeter in a room with red light, than in a room with green or white light. And its fruitiness was more highly rated in red light. Drinkers in a red or blue lit room also said they would pay more for the drink. But connoisseurs are warned to be wary of unscrupulous bar owners who try to pass off cheap plonk in trendy lit bars. Dr Daniel Oberfeld-Twistel, of Mainz University,
said, 'We already know that the colour of a drink can influence the way
we taste it. We wanted to see whether background lighting made a
difference as well.' He believes it is all to do with how colours
influence mood. (MarieClaire.co.uk) I have a picture in my head of Dr. Twistel, sitting in his laboratory drinking wine with his head wrapped with strands of red Christmas lights. Scientists get paid to do this research? Where do I apply? This may explain why every time I stroll down certain streets in Amsterdam with a glass of wine, it always tastes great. Weird eh? |
Wine of the Day - 95pt only $59.99Published 2009-12-15 11:25:46 | By The Wine Thief La Croix St. Georges 2005 PomerolYou read it right. We're featuring the 95 Point 2005 La Croix St. Georges, one of Pomerol's top wines in this spectacular vintage at the insane price of $59.99! It's been hard to find any top drawer Pomerol for under $100 among the highly touted 2005's, and we thought our previous offer over a year ago was a pretty great deal at $89.99. But we found a nice chunk of wine in the hands of a motivated seller and, as the French say, voilà. Located in the high rent district
neighboring 'big-dog' estates like Le Pin and Vieux Chateau Certan,
this gem of a property is owned by the young, innovative superstar
Jean-Philippe Janoueix, who along with winemaking guru Michel Rolland,
has put this chateau on the map. In fact, it's easy to say the wines
from this 'petite' estate have now reached that 'elite' status both in
reputation and taste... and it has the scores to prove it! You don't
have to be a rocket scientist to know this is a once-in-a-lifetime buy
on this stunning and rare (only 1200 cases produced) wine. Don't miss
out...$59.99 for a 95 pointer. Purchase from Winex |
The Booze News Just Keeps Getting BetterPublished 2009-12-14 04:25:08 | By The Wine Thief
It contains polyphenol antioxidants, which are believed to reduce the effects of cell-damaging free radicals in the body. In particular, these antioxidants slow down the removal of nitric oxide from the blood, lowering blood pressure and therefore reducing the risk of heart problems and strokes. Dr Spencer told a Sunday newspaper: "We have found that a couple of glasses a day has a beneficial effect on the walls of blood vessels – which suggests champagne has the potential to reduce strokes and heart disease. "It is very exciting news." And the benefits are not limited to alcoholic drinks. Dr Spencer has also found high levels of the antioxidant in cocoa beans meaning a mug of hot cocoa before bedtime is just as good, but, as he points out, "it doesn't seem as much fun somehow". Cheaper champagne alternatives such as cava and Prosecco have also been found to contain the antioxidants. The research was undertaken following a question mark over polyphenol levels in champagne. The antioxidant was known to be present in red wine and absent from white wine, but as champagne contains both red and white grapes there was uncertainty over polyphenol levels. Champagne is made from a mixture of two black grape varieties, pinot noir and pinot meunier, and one white grape variety, chardonnay. reported by Amy Willis - Telegraph.uk.com
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Wine Gadget Review - Badges? Who says I need Badges?Published 2009-12-10 10:19:20 | By The Wine Thief![]() These "badges" have a little Velcro dot on the back, stick it's counterpart on the top of the bottle. Comes with the disc cards for all pertinent info, plus a thingies for bottle bottoms if you've got a couple of a neck-in-first selections. Makes my Holiday Gifts for Wine Lovers List. $21.95 from WineBadge.com ![]() |
Dim the Lights for Slide show - Bordeaux Harvest 2009Published 2009-12-07 09:24:55 | By The Wine Thieffor the Wine Geeks in Paradise TV pilot, I'd pull my little digital camera out and catch what was going on. ![]() From the Wine Advocate: "From a 6-acre parcel of the Fombrauge vineyard, this blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc is another 2008 that came in with higher natural alcohol (14%) than in 2005. Yields were 15-20 hectoliters per hectare, and the wine ranks alongside the brilliance of the 2000 and 2005. An inky/purple color is followed by aromas of graphite, blackberry liqueur, blueberries, crushed rocks, and floral undertones. It offers sensational fruit, beautiful purity, a massive texture, remarkable delineation, but an elegant style because of the fresh acids. Unfortunately, there are fewer than 400 cases of this superb wine. It should evolve for 20 years" ![]() This vineyard was several miles from the actual winery, just to the south of St. Emilion. Crews from the Bordeaux area were made up of young men and women who might have been students or winery workers. (Apparently the low hanging pant/show the underwear fad has reached Europe. Nice boxers.) ![]() Interestingly, the further from a major metropolitan area such as Bordeaux, you see a difference in the work force. Out in the Medoc, it was a much more interesting mix of locals and itinerant folks that follow the work. ![]() It was warm, high 70's and humid. The fruit was hanging heavy and ready to pick. Really delicious when picked and pop into your mouth straight from the vine. If memory serves, these are Merlot grapes. ![]() From the vineyard, next stop the sorting tent. At the far end a worker puts grapes into the right and left channel, and as they move along and the leafs and stems are separated and tossed into the middle, leaving the berries free from any thing but berry. ![]() The overall atmosphere was just short of serious. Small chatter, but an attention to the task foremost. A crew boss continually walked the line over seeing activities. ![]() When the boxes were about half filled of just grapes, they were pulled and set on the back of a refrigerated truck just feet from the sorting tent. ![]() The grapes then were mixed with pebble-sized pieces of dry ice and poured into barrels which had a stain-less steel ring opening which they sealed as the barrel was full. ![]() This direct-to-barrel for initial maceration is being practiced in numerous situations we visited across Bordeaux and the Medoc for small single vineyard wines. This day will be part of one of the shows be created for Wine Geeks in Paradise with Kyle Meyer and Tristen Beamon, wine experts from the Wine Exchange, Orange County, California. |
View from the Wine Thief TonguePublished 2009-12-04 03:07:52 | By The Wine Thief![]() imagine a slow stream of velvet fruit that just keeps getting more interesting and delicious. Decanted 2 hours and in the glass over an hours time, it continued to develop new fruit characters. Incredibly balanced to where the 16.6% alcohol simply carried it with no trace of over exertion. Truly delightful. Gone too soon. Tempted to open the one other bottle I had, but better to have a little patience. The reward will be worth it. Thanks Justin. |
Wine Gadget Review - Attention All You Lazy BastardsPublished 2009-12-01 04:25:42 | By The Wine Thief![]() More or less, it's a pour device with coils hidden inside some kind of material that one assumes holds "coldness" and withdraws heat when the wine is poured through it. Hmmm...let's see. Who could use this thing? Oh, got it. You're single, it's late and the flight attendant down the hall shows up with a room temp bottle of her/his favorite chardonnay. You've got an early meeting so no time to make small talk waiting for the bottle to cool in the ice bucket, just whip this little gadget out of the freezer and you're on the way. Brilliant! For the rest of us, I say spend that $35 bucks on a great bottle of your favorite white, have it in the fridge already and when the fantasy of the flight attendant pops into your head ... just pull cork and pour. (Who needs that flight attendant hanging around all the time anyway?) The Ravi Wine Cooler is available from our Amazon store, just search "Ravi" ![]() |
Winex.com - Wine of the DayPublished 2009-11-30 04:26:35 | By The Wine Thief
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Wine Gadget Review - "Is Being Cool Worth $50 Bucks?"Published 2009-11-13 09:22:59 | By The Wine Thief In the freezer are those frozen $50 "wine cooling spoons" your last girlfriend got you before you broke up. YES! The night is saved. In this scenario, the $50 may end up being well worth it. Depends on whether you have a breakfast companion next morning. (Skybar Wine Chill Drops
$49.50. Set includes 2 Chill Drops and 2 stands packaged in an attractive gift box from Frontgate.) However since I'm more a pragmatic wino, I think planning ahead is the answer. That $50 could buy a heck of nice bottle of white or red wine. And isn't there something just as practical laying around your kitchen or garage? ![]() Here's my take on the idea. Just grab the ol' whisk, wash off the handle, stick in the freezer. When needed add a couple of ice cubes for affect and presto! Chilled wine and conversation starter. Either they'll think you're wacky or incredibly resourceful. But hey, you've got fifty bucks in your pocket, so who cares? Cheers! ![]() |
Wine of the Day - more Pinot Noir (Yummy red to you)Published 2009-11-12 02:54:52 | By The Wine Thief![]() SCHINDLER PINOT NOIR $34.99 The 2008 Oregon Pinots are going to be a real treat for true lovers of the grape. Our early tastings show the wines to have this effortless red fruit that acts as the perfect conveyor of terroir for these very specific sites. Sineann's biodynamically farmed Schindler Vineyard offering is an early candidate for one of our favorites from this very pure vintage. Structured, Burgundian (oh no, the "B" word!), it's a wine that struts its complexity and deceptive power with ease. Not too heavy (tannins are plentiful but ripe and velvety), not too light (good color, punchy fruit), just...well...perfect... $34.99 and worth it. Available from Winex. ![]() |
Breaking News ---- WINE CONQUERS DEATH!!!Published 2009-11-12 02:49:45 | By The Wine Thief![]() This weeks report from WS mentions some "scientific" words new to me anyway and these words are worth a ton in "influence leverage" points. Anthocyanidins? Quercetin? Bioavailability? Love them. Drop them into a story about epidemiological studies of cardiovascular pharmacology by some researcher with a cool geek/science-y name like Dipak Das from the Connecticut School of Medicine and you've got me believing. Whoa, I'm tired just reading all those multi-syllabic terms. (Hey, isn't that one too?) Other stories in the side bar are "Resveratrol Shows Anti-Viral Abilities", "Does grape juice provide the same health benefits as red wine?", "Red Wine Gets Healthier, Theoretically" and "Recent Research Bolsters Red Wine Compounds Health-Potential. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Something just gives me the willies with all "selling" of this story. Cynic? Me? Heck no...I'm filling the tub with Two Buck and taking a good soak. (If you have an empty barrel, fill that, the oak couldn't hurt.) ![]() (Wine) God Bless the Wine Spectator! |
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La Croix St. Georges 2005 Pomerol














In the freezer are those frozen $50 "wine cooling spoons" your last girlfriend got you before you broke up. YES! The night is saved.


