by Christopher J Davies
Beer and wine drinkers don't usually overlap. Wine enthusiasts are prone to swishing their glasses before taking a deep sniff and sipping their vino. Wine enthusiasts can detect hundreds if not thousand's of scents in their wine and taste distinct flavors from the aging of the wine in oak barrels. To be frank, most serious wine enthusiasts that I know only drink beer in the heat of the summer, and only a handful will attend beer-pairing dinners. All of that could change if these wine enthusiasts had a chance to try Colorado's newest beer: Stranahans Well Built E.S.B., an Extra Special Bitter beer aged for three months in Stranahan¹s whiskey barrels. The new beer is made by Breckenridge Brewery located in Denver, down the street from Stranahans Distillery. “We are flattered that Str...
by Brenda Cranmer, Csw
The Muga family has been making wines for centuries in Rioja, Spain. Their current facility, in Barrio de La Estacion of Haro, is over two centuries old and houses over 14,000 barrels of French, American, Hungarian, Russian and a small amount of Spanish oak. Their wines are oak fermented, oak stored and oak aged. They even do their own cooperage.The vineyards are located at the foot of Montes Obarenses in Rioja Alta where they enjoy a combination of Mediterranean, Atlantic and Continental climates. Muga owns 620 acres of vine here, and controls another 370 that are predominantly clay and limestone soils. The grapes grown are Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo (Carignan), Graciano, Viura (Macabeo) and Malvasia. In addition to their renowned reds, they produce a white and a rose. The May ...
by Maureen Mcfadden
Affirmations come in many shapes and sizes. For the vintner, medals from well-known oenophiles, like those at the San Francisco Chronicle, make the difference for their wines by reaching a larger audience. Christian Garvin, Oreana’s owner/winemaker, is delighted to have received a Gold Medal from the Chronicle’s judging panel for his 2008 release of Tilly, which is a blend of 60% Sangiovese and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, often called “Super Tuscan” by Italian winemakers in the traditional Italian style. Tilly was created by Garvin to honor his Italian grandmother Matilda ‘Tilly’ Maglio, who passed away from Alzheimer’s in 2007. Garvin designated 10% of all sales from this wine to go to the California Central Coast Alzheimer's Association. Silver Medals were awarded to Oreana...
by Vera Czerny
The family has been receiving rewards for their wine already back in 1888 and 1892 at international exhibitions. Since 1930, when they moved to Uruguay, the Carrau family leads the way in producing the top quality wines. For Francisco, the most important commitment is to respect nature and honor more than 250 years of wisdom generated by his ancestors in the art of winemaking. When he says that, it doesn't sound like a cliché. His family now owns approximately 35 hectares of vineyards (the oldest of family’s vineyards is planted with 90 years old plants of Nebbiolo of Vilasar), another of their single vineyards (where their signature Tannat Grand Reserva called AMAT comes from), is considered the highest altitude vineyard in Uruguay. Why is Tannat so special? This red grape is ver...
by Ron Kapon
Oregon has produced wine since the Oregon Territory was established in the 1840s, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that the industry came alive when California winemakers opened several vineyards in the state. There is a lot of space available for vineyards because of the state’s land use laws limiting land from being turned into homes and businesses. The Judgment of Paris tasting in 1976 had California wines beating out their French counterparts, thus validating the California wine industry. In 1979 Eyrie Vineyards entered its 1975 Pinot Noir in the Wine Olympics and took second place behind a 1959 Drouhin wine, gaining international recognition for Oregon wines. Robert Drouhin, who had been visiting Oregon since the 1960s, purchased an Oregon property in 1988 and named it Domaine Drouhi...
by Ron Barker, Cigarvolante Llc
Sans Soucy Vineyards and Winery is located on what used to be an old tobacco farm. Owners Paul and Jackie Anctil continue to use some of the old out buildings to age their wines and in a recent visit Paul spoke of maintaining tobacco plants on the farm until it was no longer economically feasible to do so. We soon found a common interest in the synergy between wine and cigars and, beyond that, between grapes and tobacco.Virginia is the home of both the American tobacco industry and American wine industry as Thomas Jefferson was its first vintner. Paul and Jackie keep the tobacco heritage alive at Sans Soucy in their maintenance of the historic buildings, and the tobacco heritage of their farm. It was from this passion that the idea of The Virginia Wine and Cigar Trail was formed with Sans ...
by David Gaier
1. Wine should always be served in a clean, dry, spotless glass with no lint. If you get a dirty glass, send it back. Dirty glasses aren’t fun to drink from, and soap film gives a nasty taste; it also kills Champagne bubbles.2. Speaking of glasses, the type and size of glass matters. If you’re in a family-style Italian restaurant or “old fashioned” Spanish or Portuguese place, you might find yourself drinking out of short, cylindrical tumblers. That’s culturally appropriate, but only for inexpensive table or house wine. For anything else, even at a casual dining place, the glass should be at least 12 or 13 ounce size, with a slight tulip-shape flare. Try to avoid drinking out of the typical, tiny (6 oz.) wine glass that’s far too prevalent in casual dining restaurants and pubs...
by Vera Czerny
Years back, I was once running a horse riding place. I loved horses but didn’t know much about them. I learned on the way and surrounded myself with experts, yet I still had to know what I was doing.Once we went for a buying trip. I had my head trainer with me (because who am I to pick a horse that would be good for competitions?). At the same time, I couldn’t let him see that I, his boss, didn’t really have a clue.So I was watching horses, as they were presented to us, and suffered. I pretended I was looking with expertise, but in reality, I was secretly watching my trainer’s face to get a hint. All those horses were nice, but how do I tell which one could be exceptional?I will never forget the AHA moment when suddenly, after many horses that didn’t catch my attention at all, t...
by Carol A. Wilcox
When looking for romantic date ideas, Arizona wines can play an important role, especially on Valentine’s Day. And while most people might reach for a California, Italian, or French wine to celebrate Valentine’s, Arizona has several exciting wines that are worth taking a look at for a day or evening of romance. Here are our top 8 picks for romantic wines from Arizona Wine Country:2007 Raspberry Sparkling Wine ($24.00) – Begin your romantic Arizona wine celebration with this sparkling wine from Jerome Winery (www.jeromewinery.com). This subtle sparkler has hints of raspberry. The label features a vintage photo of family members Franz and Dina Thumser at their 1902 wedding. This sparkling wine is a perfect beginning to toast a night of romance or a Valentine’s Day wedding (or en...
by Brenda Cranmer, Csw
Chateauneuf-du-Pape, a Southern Rhone AOC, translates to “new castle of the Pope.” History tells us that the second Pope to call Avignon home after the Papal Palace was moved from Rome fell in love with the place and built a summer home there. It is just as easy to fall in love with their wines, and it was no different for me at the tasting of the Alain Junguenet Selection of the 2010 vintage held Monday, January 16, 2012 at Benny’s Chop House in Chicago.Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines are authorized to use up to 13 different varieties in production to apply the AOC. The three dominating names are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. Grenache is used for its berry fruit flavor, Syrah for its color and tannin, and Mourvedre for added tannin (structure) and acidity. The wines are full bodied ...
