by Jonathon Alsop
As I was packing recently to leave on a tour of the vineyards and wineries of the Rhine in Germany, I struggled to decide what shoes to bring. Sandals? No, not sandals, not to efficient, practical Germany, I thought; pack sensible shoes for Germany -- that sturdy hand-made Canadian pair -- and save the sexy man sandals for Spain, France or Italy. And then it hit me: my ideas about the people I was about to meet, the wines and the food, even down to the choices of what I was going to wear carried within them a distinction between sophisticated worldly Roman Europe -- Italy, France and Spain -- and Germania, the untamed eastern part of Europe the ancient Romans never managed to subdue. The Rhine is the geographical boundary between these two historical worlds, and the river represe...
by Ron Kapon
“Wine is the force of youth and the milk of old age” When Sir Edmund Hillary was asked why he decided to climb Mt. Everest, he said “Because it was there”. That was the raison d’etre for my recent South American sojourn. Plus the fact that there was only an hour difference in time between New York and Buenos Aires, eliminating jet lag. The last time I had been to Argentina and Chile was 1980 and boy has things changed. My three week trip took me through five countries, although only the first three will be discussed here. There were two oceans (think A&P), the widest river in the world (200 miles), and a steak dinner for four costs $70, with two bottles of wine. It gets warmer as you go north, not south (the toilets flow the other way also) and mi espanol es muy malo. I was ...
by Eve White
In ancient history, wine spread across Europe and the Middle East for thousands of years. Pharaohs and farmers, military men and monks perpetuated the flow, like a river that could not be stopped through the civilizations of the Old World. As history progressed, the boundaries and policies of the Old World became limiting for many people, and they set out seeking fortune, adventure and freedom. They grabbed their wine (because who would travel to a foreign land without it?), and embarked on the long journey across the waters bringing wine to the New World. The period from the 1500’s to 1700’s marked widespread exploration and conquest in the New World. European settlers who left their Old World homes to start anew were accustomed to wine, and often brought it with them as a staple. ...
by Tiffany
Next to an impromptu public speech, it's a common scenario that strikes fear into the heart of many: ordering from an extensive wine list. Red or white? New Zealand or Napa Valley? No one wants to make an improper choice and appear uncultured — especially in front of a group or a date they're trying to impress. But the wild new crop of wine bars sprouting up across the country is trying to change that elitist mentality. By combining affordable choices in an unpretentious setting, these establishments' focus on education — for both patrons and staff — and are fast becoming the new nightlife trend, following the cigar and martini bars of the previous decade. This follows on the heels of an increase in domestic grape production. In fact, the United States is now the third-larges...
by Subhash Arora
A few incomprehensible words from the New World of Harry Potter? Obviously not. Just a bit of info from what’s new in the New World of wines -India. Venky’s Hatcheries, the biggest poultry owners are merely extending their core business of dealing with health products, namely chicken into another health product- wine. Popularly known as the Venky’s group, one of the group companies, Balaji Entertainment (not to be confused with Balaji Telefilms producing the popular K-word TV serials) is getting into wine business. The company to be called Venky’s Rock has tied up with a South Australian Winery in McLaren Vale, near Adelaide, christened as Boar’s Rock. They plan to import primarily bulk, bottle and market it, primarily through restaurants and hotels. The announced JV also p...
by Madelyn Miller
A Toast to Elvis with Elvis By Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady All my slightly older cousins loved Elvis, but I was never a fan. Not until I tried Elvis Presley ALL SHOOK UP Special edition 2004 California Sauvignon Blanc. Once that cool wine touched my lips, I was a fan. A few sips, and I had the grove. The mellow feeling that made me want to dance. I wanted to Rock and Roll. The “All Shook Up” label is designed to tie-in to the Broadway musical of the same name, which “looks ready to be a big Broadway hit.” 2005 is expected to be the year of Elvis. With wine like this, I hope the beat goes on for a long, long time. The light aromas of peaches, lemons and limes washing over the pretty nose of this Sauvignon Blanc, make this is a wine that will encourage your tast...
by Madelyn Miller
A word from the Wise about Wine By Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady In my fantasy life I am organized. So I buy things that are considered organizers. I just bought a beautiful wine rack that reaches up to the ceiling and put all my wines in it. It looks neat. Professional. Organized. After all that work, I just could not mess up the symmetry of my extensive wine collection (based on the fact that it almost filled the big wine rack). So I asked my first guest to choose a wine. He was a good choice because he knows more about wine than I do (based on the fact that he drinks more than I do). He looked through my organized wine rack and quickly chose the Gloria Ferrer Casneros Pinot Noir 2002. I liked the guy. I liked the wine. So I decided to do a little more research. Did...
by Eve White
Wine is an integral part of history, documented for thousands of years in the daily lives of commoner and king, sinner and Savior and playing a leading role in art (Bacchus by Caravaggio), literature (Homer’s “Odyssey”), music (“Days of Wine & Roses”, Henry Mancini) and religion (Jesus’ miracle at Cana turning water into wine). So where did winemaking begin and how did it progress through centuries of politics, war and religion, beyond borders and countries, in spite of Emperors and conquerors? Persian fables say wine was discovered by a Princess who had lost favor with the King, so she tried to poison herself by eating spoiled grapes. Instead of dying, she became drunk, fell asleep and awoke to find she was no longer unhappy (imagine that!) and so she continued eating the...
by Jennifer Rosen
The following urgent story punctuated my normal flow of press releases that announce, at least a dozen times a day, that such and such a winery has just….released a wine! What WILL they think of next? Wineries, apparently, have been forced by competition to wake up and smell the marketing, a nasty business that Anheuser-Busch alone spends 10 times as much on as the entire wine industry does. While examining who their customers were, producers discovered who they weren’t: most of the country. In fact, 13% of people drink 89% of the wine, and 43% never lift a glass at all. This, the industry concluded, reflected fear, thus setting off a stampede to stupidity. Amid multiplying Wine Guides for Dummies, Morons, Cretins and Nit-wits, a menagerie of Grazing Bunnies, Drunken Anteate...
by Jamie Foster
Juice Jargon How to Talk About Wine By Stephen Reiss, Ph.D B&C Publishing 2005 $19.95 ISBN 0-09761237-0-3 There must be 30 books on the wine bookshelf and not many of them have laid out a way to easily start talking about wine quickly, confidently and competently. In my quest for the silver bullet and a book reminiscent of my first serious wine class I was delighted to hear about Juice Jargon. Juice Jargon, a wine book by Certified Wine Educator Stephen Reiss, is adapted from the world renowned Aspen Wine Program that he holds twice a year. The goal of the book is to teach people how to talk about wine quickly and competently. It is an excellent guide for beginners and a great reference for individuals who use words like “elegant”, “finesse” and “sophisticated” a b...