Archive for the ‘Wine Musings’ Category
I have read in any number of articles that supposedly 10% of all wine is corked. Simply put, corked means that the wine is no longer at its best and may even be out and out undrinkable. As you know, I have had a lot of wine in my day. I probably would have fingers and certainly toes left over for the number of bottles of wine I considered corked. Again, being only anenthusiastic amateur, my palate may not be sophisticated enough. However, I think this number maybe a little overstated, but it is still a problem.
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Recently received the note below:
“have recently been trolling snooth and corkd and came upon your site i love it and it’s very informative so thank you my question is regarding vintages and types of wine i notice that this is a big deal in ratings are their any simple pointers you could give me as a newbie about vintages and cabernets/chardonnays with regard to country and region it would be much appreciated thanks! – shamsi”
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Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. Chocolate treats are often a significant part of the festivities. Those of us that love wine are facing the annual problem of what wine to pair with our chocolate. If you are looking for one definitive answer here – think again. In the Wine Witch’s opinion this is one of the trickier matches to pull off well.
New Year – Old Recession. What does the Wine Witch see in the year ahead?
1. Prices will continue to drop from first growth Brodeaux to bargain New World varieties. Supposedly the economy is improving, but nobody’s feeling it in their pocket books yet. If you have the means, this might be the time to snatch up some age worthy wines.
As you probably know wine and liquor laws are largely the responsibility of the individual states. No offense to my friends in the Keystone state, but Pennsylvania is extremely regulated in this area. The powers in Harrisburg determine what can be sold and at what price. Imagine my surprise when I read that Pennsylvania is soon to embark on an experiment with wine kiosks.
Our dear friends, Stu and Karen, sent us these thoughts to ponder.
To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine…
And those who don’t and are always
seen with a bottle of water in their hand.
I came across a few interesting wine based tidbits while trolling the internet. Thought I would share them with you.
* Electronic Wine Taster - the Barcelona Institute of Microelectronics has invented an electronic wine taster. This gadget has six sensors on a microchip to mimic the six types of taste receptors on the tongue. Talk about taking the romance out of wine! Not sure that the world has been eagerly aniticpating this one.
If you are any sort of wino, it is probably old news that the 2005 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was named Wine Spectator’s #1 wine of the year. What you may not know is this choice has generated a lot of debate . A lot of it is along the lines of how could Wine Spectator select such a pedestrian wine. It must be because Columbia Crest is one of their largest advertisers.
‘Tis the season to drink a lot of wine. For those of you new to the pleasures of the grape, you may find yourself in a situation where your fellow revelers are discussing the merits of the wine at hand. You’re loving what you are tasting, but you would like to contribute more than “I like it” to the conversation. Here are some basic things to think about.
The Wine Witch has been meaning to write about this for some time. I have picked up a few tips on how to save on wine when dining out. The first is pretty obvious. Scout out places that are BYOB or bring your own to a restaurant that serves wine. Yes, you can do this and you should not get a dirty look for doing so. What the restaurant can do is charge you a corkage fee ($10-20) to cover their overhead for the glassware, etc.. I have heard that Charlie Palmer who used to charge $30, has waived the fee altogether in these difficult times.
In case you are not familar with the Slurpee, the home in question would be 7-Eleven. For the price of two Slurpees you may soon be able to pick up a bottle of their private label, Yosemite Road. That’s $3.99 – a bottle – for a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Chardonnay.
Gotta confess – I am betwix and between on this topic. Intellectually I understand the almost desparate need for a greener world – but decent wine in cardboard boxes? Here’s some facts.
The manufacture of glass bottles consumes natural resources and contributes to greenhouse gases. Additionally the process produces nitrogen oxide, sufur dioxide, and tiny particles that can damage the lungs. Sounds nasty.
Hand to God, the Wine Witch is not making this one up. Vince McMahon who is the owner of the WWE believe he owns the rights to the term “Smackdown”. It seems that the Philadelphia School of Wine had the temerity to host an event titled “Sommelier Smackdown”. Mr McMahon is taking them to court to cease and desist.
