Though not normally known for Cabernet, Spain is producing all sorts of interesting wines right now. This 2007 Vega Sindoa is no exception. Priced around $12.99 (that is what I paid), one highly reputable critic compared this to Napa Cabernets at 2 or 3 times the price. So I’ve had a chance to taste it and my verdict is…
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No UPC, reflective labels, odd shape boxes, super-slick finish on your wine box… Come on! As a retailer, I’m going to ask kindly that you refrain from any of the above! …Read the rest of this article
No Gary V. did not invent the playoff beard!
The most important thing to remember about this wine is that it is not the Albarino that your friend, neighbor, wife, daughter or anyone else ever mentions in a casual “Hey, try this Albarino, they are really cool wines!” There is nothing wrong with Martin Codax or Burgans (also made by Martin Codax), they are great values and are the type of wines that you can casually encounter at your neighborhood grocery store. This, simply, is not. …Read the rest of this article
Thought the site needed a little overhaul. What do you think of the new site? What would you like to see? What needs to be changed? Otherwise, enjoy the new site! Cheers!
This isn’t the same tired question about a desert island (my answer may be a Riesling from Alsace). Don’t get me wrong, you quickly learn about a person’s palate by playing that game. But that’s not what I was interested in when I titled this post. I’m thinking importer…
If you could only drink the wines of one importer, for the rest of your life, which importer would you select? This leads to the next question…
If you knew nothing of the producers of 3 random bottles, all in the same price point and hailing from the same regions, whose name would you choose when you flip that bottle over?
Obviously it is not easy to compare Jorge Ordonez to Dalla Terra, but if you had to choose between a Spanish wine that said Eric Solomon or Jorge Ordonez, which would you choose?
While I respect the call and can appreciate the sentiment towards Beaujolais, an area that is summarily dismissed as inferior, I think Hardy may have missed the boat regarding the top wine of the region.
Link to Dirty South Wine Blog Article
I do appreciate the “easy” selection of the Mont (Cote) du Py, a beautiful and famous hillside vineyard, but half the fun of drinking a beaujolais is discovering what others often overlook (and getting drunk). Now I know what everyone is going to say, there is Fleurie on every street corner. I know you can walk to your corner gas station and pick up three different producers of Fleurie. But, only one has Peter Weygandt comparing Beaujolais to Romanee-Conti…
Pierre Chermette Fleurie “Les Garants” 2007
No chaptalization, indigenous yeast, no filtration, and usually they don’t even add sulfur. Natural, beautiful, classic wine. It simply may not get any better than this.
So with that, Sir Dirty South WIne Blog Man, I challenge thee to a Cru-Boo throw down. Whether it be in your hometown, downtown, or net-town (made that one up).
So last night a few folks gathered at a super secret location to continue our preparation for the Certified Wine Educator (CWE) exam, namely the blind tasting portion. Many people are familiar with the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) title and this is the next certification in the Society of Wine Educators. It does require to already be a CSW, so everyone participating is already a CSW or has plans to take the mostly academic multiple choice exam.
The CWE exam includes a multiple choice exam, an essay, a component tasting (varietal recognition), and a fault tasting. A few of us get together to practice and “study.” As usual, the wine starts flowing and the “studying” continues on throughout the night, usually off-topic as you may notice.
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Sitting in the shop today I was graced with the presence of one of my favorite reps. She had brought me, along with her boss, some new wines that had just gotten approved in Georgia. It would be interesting to see how I would have reacted to the wines if I had tried them blind, the labels were outrageous. But the funny thing is, they would sell and probably sell well. But when does it border on distasteful? While most of the labels are colorful and fun, one of the wines has a unique name that if pronounced in a certain way would not be appropriate for polite company.
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…by someone else. Gary V’s show is a fantastic little video blog that is one of the hottest internet sensations. This show, with Katie Lee Joel (Billy has a quick cameo in the background), is all about some domestic rose. Check it out!
I haven’t had any of the rose Gary tasted on this show, I’ll have to find them to try them out.
Obvious from the title, this one’s about that stuff. You know, the often misunderstood, under appreciated rock star? No, not that Pink, I’m talking about rose. And I apologize to you purists out there, I don’t know how to get accents on the letter.
Unfortunately, rose is put in the same category as the numerous disturbingly sweet concoctions of white zinfandel, white Merlot, white Cabernet, etc. Some of the most beautifully crafted wines in the world are pink, and if you lump them in with the above group of misfits, you’ll only be missing out!
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