Vitiblog

Source : Fermentation: The Daily Wine Blog

Recently Hillary Clinton strolled into a Fort Wayne, Indiana bar and proceeded to very publicly throw back a shot of whiskey and chase it with a beer.  Call me a political cynic but I'd take even money on the proposition that there was a fairly substantial discussion on the bus with her advisers prior to arriving at the bar as to whether or not the presidential candidate should drink [..]

Source : Good Wine Under $20

After our recent Wine Book Club foray into Bordeaux, I thought you might be in the mood to buy some wine from the region to stash away in your cellars and closets for drinking in three to five more years.If you are looking for some good value in Bordeaux, then you should check out the list of 100 affordable wines that was selected in a blind tasting by a jury that included Chanterelle Master Sommelier Roger Dagorn, Binny's Fine Wine Buyer Barbara Hermann, and author Leslie Sbrocco [..]

Source : Catavino - Spanish Wine, Portuguese wine and more!

Many of us have no idea what Vinotherapy is? I for one, imagined myself sprawled out on a chez lounge in the middle of a dimly lit cellar. While my therapist listened attentively to my emotional rollercoaster ride of the day, she would compassionately nod her head while pouring my glass full of Gran Reserva held firmly in my own hand, a tissue to wipe away my tears held firm in the other [..]

Source : Rouge-Bleu

Dear wine lovers,

On our way back from New York, our dear vines had just started to bloom. After 5 expected heavy rains and they are now really growing fast and our future grapes which will give birth to the 2008 vintage are already here.

Before that, I had just finished to scratch the soil which permitted a better draining and elimination of the first load of weeds which are now composting inside the soil, permitting the microbian life to develop and making our vine roots happy. And it looks like not only the roots are happy in our little vineyard (image a little blurry but it is actually a good thing as I don't want to want to get in trouble) [..]

Source : Vinography

I'd like to point you readers to an interesting post by Clark Smith, at his GrapeCrafter blog, about Natural Winemaking (yes, capitalized) and the role of yeasts in the winemaking process.

Clark spent some time recently at a wine industry event where panelists and the audience discussed the definition of what Natural Winemaking actually is. It comes as no surprise to me that the group couldn't achieve consensus around a concept that remains, as far as I am concerned, a broken metaphor (vinegar is natural, wine requires technological intervention) [..]

Source : Mondosapore [EN, IT]

There is a light rain. I hate rain. Rain makes me feel sad. Still, I am hearing the rain and the lively sounds of Naples on my covered terrace at the Excelsior Hotel. Just below the top floor, so I have a good view of the Castello dell'Uovo and the entire bay [..]

Source : Good Wine Under $20

There are two Montepulcianos in Italy: one is an appellation, the other is a grape. Today, I'm reviewing a wine from Le Marche that's made with that other, grapey Montepulciano. It is a delicious and affordable wine that would be perfect with any traditional Italian trattoria fare from grilled meats to pizza and pasta [..]

Source : Grape Radio

Welcome to our video podcast of the A Walk Through the Cellars - Taittinger - Video Show #31. Click the Image Below to Play the Video:

Click Here to Download File The roots of Taittinger date back to 1734, when Champagne merchant Jacques Fourneaux established his company. The business prospered through the 19th century, ultimately Fourneaux-Forest merged with the Taittinger family, who retained control. Join us as we accompany Cellarmaster Loic Dupont through the famous Taittinger cellars, located in Reims on the site of Gallo-Roman chalk mines dug during the 4th century, and enlarged in the 13th century by the Saint Nicaise Abbey monks to provide storage for the Champagne wines which they traded in [..]

Source : Vinography

While often referred to as a single "place" when it comes to wine, Napa is hardly a single monolithic growing region. Each of its 14 established AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) lays claim to a separate identity, characterized by geology, microclimate, and different histories of production [..]

Source : Sparkling Personality Champagne Blog

Meeting No: 25

Date: April 17th, 2008.

Theme: Chambolle Musigny, Meursault, Premier Cru.

Present: Sir David of Kardinia, Sir Philip of Travelle, Sir Ian of Palatte, Sir Samuel of Pontifico, Sir Leon of Romanee, Sir Ralph of Plenty, Sir Thomas of Stocks, Sir Philip of Oporto, Sir Philip of Politico, Sir Paul of Rousseau.

Food:

First Course – Chevre goats cheese royale tart, sweet and sour glazed beetroot, roasted shallot ‘soubise’ sauce. Second Course – Pork kakuni: master stock braised pork belly, zucchini, crushed soya bean and shiso paper cannelloni. Third Course – Seared wagyu skirt steak, potato mash with parmesan, ratatouille of Mediterranean vegetables, chicken liver parfait. Fourth Course – Five-spiced quince custard crumble, rhubarb sorbet.

Excellent food again, although some thought that the combination was too rich and requested that next time we might start with a lighter fish dish and build to a rich main course.

Wines: (In addition to the group ranking, I give the highest and lowest ranking the wine achieved, together with those who ranked it as such; you get some idea of how much we can differ in our appreciation.

2000 Drappier Grande Sendree Brut Champagne (PM): Light yellow. Fine, fresh, yeasty nose. Palate with good weight, acidity and aftertaste, a little sweet. Lovely mouthful, drinking well. 1. 2005 Meursault Les Charmes (Bouzereau) (PA): Pale yellow. Fine, young, spicy nose, elegant. Palate very youthful, fine, bit citrusy, good acidity and balance. Very good wine with a fine future. Ranked 3rd. High – 1st (PM, PhS); Low – eq 8th (SC); 2. 2000 Meursault Porozot (Jobard) (PS): Fairly coloured. Soft, but still unstructured, nose. Palate softish, nice acidity, rather undefined initially but comes up somewhat to show weight and structure. Overall, however, rather flat. Ranked 10th. High – 8th (PM, IB); Low – 10th (RG, LC, PA, PS, SC) (I had thought that Jobard had avoided the plague which has afflicted White Burgundy in recent years causing premature aging, but this wine looks like another candidate [..]

Source : Wine Camp Blog

Chateauneuf du Pape domaines Chante Cigale and Barroche on Unidentifed Appellation.

Source : Domaine de Lagrézette

By Alain Dominique Perrin

I’m often asked, even today, whether my passion for wine and viticulture is influenced by my taste for Art. I do not honestly think so.

I love art, that is obvious: I always need art all around me. When I find myself surrounded by walls without art, I’m bored to death and ill at ease. Working inside the house of Cartier taught me extreme refinement, excellence, the search for perfection. So, when I’m making wine, I want to make a fine wine, not a supermarket wine. But the approach is different. Wine is not, and must never become, an exclusive, luxury item. When I talk about our wine, I am first talking about the passion that we put into making it. There is love in working and cultivating the vines, in finding the best assemblages and in waiting to share the fruit of our labor. But if I had to find a link with art and if I had to compare my wine to a work of art, I would choose one of César’s compression works, for its strength, force and density.

Our wines are masculine. They have body and a strong personality, just like the works of Cesar. He was like a brother, my best friend, and wine is inseparable from friendship.

Speaking of Cesar, this note gives me the chance to announce that an exhibition revolving around his work will be held in the near future at the Fondation Cartier… Dear friends and readers of this blog, don’t miss this retrospective, which I await impatiently. All the more so as it is being staged by the great architect, Jean Nouvel.