May 10th, 2008
Readers and drinkers, I can’t believe it. After almost two and a half years living in California, my mom and brother are coming to visit me! I just pressed the purchase button—since I’m their travel agent—and the transaction is complete. I’ll be seeing them in a little over a month. (Imagine me dancing a jig here.) That means I can show them where I work (Rosenblum Cellars), where I used to work (Thomas Fogarty) and a ton of wineries in between (not technically, but you know what I mean). Plus San Francisco, the Pacific Ocean, the mountains, and more. While my brother definitely wants to “drink some WINE,” I think he’s most excited about the fact that Charmed, one of his favorite tv shows, took place in SF. Maybe I can show him some of the spots featured in it. But we’ll definitely have lots of good food, and many bottles will be opened.
Happy early Mother’s Day!
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By Farley -- 0 comments
May 9th, 2008
We sampled the 2003 Domaine Serene Fleur de Lis Pinot Noir yesterday, and I have to say, it was one of the most unusual Pinots I’ve tasted in a while. The first sniff reminded me of something familiar, an alcoholic beverage other than wine. At first, I thought it was Scotch–maybe the peet–but I don’t drink Scotch. Then it hit me. A margarita with salt! Gail said she could see where I was coming from, as could Miguel, who brought the bottle. Sean said he was more in line with my first comparison. We also found cherry, pomegranate, and strawberry topping, then later cocoa and spice. The alcohol was 14.1%, and it did seem a little hot for a Pinot Noir, though that blew off after some time.
Image source: Farley Walker
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By Farley -- 0 comments
May 8th, 2008
My Society of Wine Educators study group has been moving along at a medium pace. Things like sickness and baby showers have been getting in the way. But we’re about to get back on track and address winemaking for still wine and sparkling production. Then the next class will be fortified wines. The study guide spends time on the different styles of Sherry, Port, Madeira, and several lesser-known wines.
We plan on tasting through a handful of fortifieds, and I’m wondering if anyone has suggestions on the most important ones to sample? Keeping in mind, we do have a budget…
I was thinking a couple different styles of Sherry: fino and oloroso. Port: tawny and ruby, which are both barrel-aged, and it would be nice to try a bottle-aged, but I’m scared vintage will be too expensive. Maybe Ryan and Gabriella can help here? For Madeira, I really have no idea where to start. Verdelho, Bual, Malmsey? And Marsala has only spent time in my food, not in my glass. The others seem less urgent: Malaga, Montilla, and Vins doux naturels.
Therefore, if we want to taste six or so, which ones do you think most important?
Image source: Farley Walker
Tags: fortified wine, Society of Wine Educators, wine study groupShare This
By Farley -- 3 comments
May 7th, 2008
Luckily, this month’s Wine Blogging Wenesday theme fit in nicely with my tasting group assignment. Old World Riesling, meet Alsace. Two for the price of one. However, when Tim from Winecast, our busy host (he just recapped Wine Book Club 2), does his round-up…he’ll find that my purchase is not one to recommend revisiting. In fact, our entire tasting, with the exception of the Muscat, was the most disappointing one we’ve had. So much so, that we decided to visit the Grand Crus of Alsace this week, in the hope of erasing some bad tastes from our mouths.
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Tags: 2004 Domaines Schlumberger Riesling, Alsace, Old World Riesling, Wine Blogging Wednesday 45Share This
By Farley -- 3 comments
May 6th, 2008
Last week BK and I had quite the wonderful meal. We had picked up a duo of really thick New York steaks, so he prepared one in the oven on a slow bake before searing it. Meanwhile, artichokes were boiling away, as were potatoes, waiting to be mashed. At the same time, I was opening a bottle of NV Patritti sparkling shiraz I had grabbed after work for $14 from Cost Plus World Market. I was thinking how bubbly is always great for a celebration, and it was the night of our actual anniversary, which I wrote about last week. This particular bottle of red bubbly was not the best I’ve had, but it was quite nice for the price. I immediately picked up notes of toffee and pecan, almost like a Heath bar. There were also cherry cordials, raspberry, and hints of coffee. But it was really the meal that took center stage.
Image source: Farley Walker
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By Farley -- 0 comments
May 5th, 2008
I know it’s a bit of a stretch, and if I have anything tonight it will probably be a margarita…
However. Don’t rule out wine for Mexican food. The one choice that might make you happy is sparkling wine. It’s versatile enough to go with most foods, including spicy and salty versions. And many bottles tend to have citrus notes which will go with the heavy use of lime in salsa, guacamole, etc. The bubbly in my picture is a Cremant de Limoux from France, but I would lean towards a Cava from Spain for Cinco de Mayo.
A) It’s inexpensive. B) Semi-spot-on for a Spanish-speaking country’s holiday. C) Goes well with orange juice, if you want to spruce up the flavors with a splash (or maybe even a bit of limeade).
Image source: Farley Walker
Tags: what to drink on Cinco de Mayo, wine with Mexican foodShare This
By Farley -- 0 comments
May 5th, 2008
When I closed my poll on Saturday, it was a relief to see that I was not the only one to spend too much money at wine shops, on wine clubs, and whatever other random bottles fill our racks and fridges. In fact, almost 50% (46%, to be exact) did as much. Wow. The next most popular spending habits tied equally between dining out, entertainment, and stuff for the kids. But, as I said earlier, my answer is going to change soon. Savings are about to take my biggest chunk, other than the basics, so that I can stop throwing money away on rent!
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By Farley -- 0 comments
May 2nd, 2008
I put up a poll a couple weeks ago, and I’m getting ready to close it. I was hoping to get a few more responses, first, though. Tell me how you spend your money! Is it on wine, dining out, savings, etc? (Mine used to be the first, but now it needs to be the last….)
Poll closes tomorrow: Saturday.
Other than the basics (housing, utilities, gasoline, etc), on what do you spend the most money?
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By Farley -- 0 comments
May 1st, 2008
A month or two ago I bought the 2006 Coral Mustang Tempranillo Rose’ from Wine Q for $14.99. I finally got around to opening it night before last. Sometimes a rose’ is just right for this back-and-forth weather we’re having these days. Warm, then cold, then cool, then hot. make up yer mind already! So with pink wines, you get the best of red and white wine in one glass. This particular Tempranillo version is from the Vista Creek Vineyards in Paso Robles. The color was a deep, dark pink, giving clues that this wouldn’t be timid, watery rendition. Instead, I found it to be full of cherry, raspberry, and strawberry rhubarb pie, along with notes of lemon blossom. It was crisp without being too tart and yummy with my spinach quesadilla and then by itself last night as an appertif.
For that price, I just added another bottle to my queue!
Tags: 2006 Coral Mustang Tempranillo Rose', Wine QShare This
By Farley -- 4 comments
April 30th, 2008
As I mentioned a couple posts ago, I’m finding it hard to concentrate on my writing these days. Part of that was this weekend, where we were celebrating BK’s birthday and our one-year anniversary, which is today. Sweet guy that he is, he suggested we replay our first date, which happened randomly on a Monday afternoon. He had the day off by chance and I was only working at Thomas Fogarty that evening, back when I picked up hours however I could. We convened in Half Moon Bay at La Nebbia Winery, which I wrote about here. But that was back when I was holding on to southern upbringing to not be negative. Let’s just say one visit was enough, and we decided to pass this time around.
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Tags: Barbara's Fishtrap, Half Moon Bay, La Nebbia WineryShare This
By Farley -- 4 comments
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