Wine

Sub Regional Series. Wilyabrup, in this case. Made by Cliff The Biff Royle with cheese.

Source: Dallas Morning News May 22, 2013 By Rebecca Murphy Powers, Columbia Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 When Oklahoman Bill Powers saw eastern Washington in the late 1950s, he must have felt right at home. On the west side of the massive Cascade Mountain range, Seattle’s famous gray skies and lots of rain are the norm. But the east side is high desert — dry, with hot summers. In 1982, Powers and his son Greg planted their Badger Mountain Vineyard. They started converting their farming practices to organic and were certified in 1990. In addition to making wines from their estate grapes, they work with grape growers throughout the state to create well-priced, high-value wines. This Columbia Valley cabernet is a lot of wine for the money. It’s got plenty of plump and effusive blackberry, blueberry and black currant fruit, with an inkling of dried herbs. It’s medium-bodied with plenty of snappy acidity, finishing with dusty tannins. Serve it with barbecued ribs or a grilled steak.

Please consider voting for steveheimoff.com for Best Overall Wine Blog. You can click here, then push the red “VOTE” button and scroll down. Voting is only open through this Friday. Thanks. * * * Loathe as I am the wander into the blood alcohol limit debate, I’m making an exception this time, to come out against the proposal to lower the drunken driving threshold to .05, down from its current .08. The idea is being floated by the National Transportation Safety Board, an independent agency of the U.S. government established in 1967 within the Department of Transportation. The NTSB plays an important part in keeping this country’s transportation infrastructure safe; for instance, it investigates airline and rail accidents. So I hope the government keeps them well-funded. It’s just that, this time, they’re wrong. The .08 limit was signed into law in by President Bill Clinton, who at the time called it “the biggest step to toughen drunk driving laws and reduce alcohol-related crashes since the national minimum drinking age was established a generation ago.” The law’s passing exemplified the growing power of Mothers Against Drunk Driving in the power halls of Washington, D.C., throughout the late 1990s. I have always had mixed feelings about any laws that curtail people’s freedom of behavior. Of course, we need a criminal code to keep people’s worst instincts from running amok, and there are many curtailments on human activities that are needed in order to protect the greater good and safety of our communities. The problem always is in defining precisely where the line should be drawn between freedom and government restriction. The recreational use of pot is a good example. I suppose the .08 limit made sense. It seems to have worked: traffic fatalities in this country caused by drunk drivers are down since then. In 1999, they numbered 15,786; by 2011, that number had fallen to 9,878, a significant reduction. (Although it’s also possible that other factors, such as safer cars and increased driver awareness, contributed to the decline.) So why not go this next step and lower the limit to .05? Couple reasons. For one, different people react differently to alcohol in the blood. There’s no question that alcohol, taken to excess, impairs driving ability, but it also seems obvious that millions of people have a drink or two and drive everyday, with no harmful results. A perfectly good, safe driver could find himself in jail simply for drinking a beer or two with lunch. Another reason I’m against the proposal is because I don’t like laws that nobody obeys, with no consequences of punishment. I don’t like HOV lanes because single drivers abuse them all the time, with little fear of getting stopped by the Highway Patrol. This disregard of laws makes laws less esteemed among the public, and when a nation disregards and disrespects its own laws, it’s on some kind of slippery slope. So why criminalize a behavior (moderate drinking and driving) that tens of millions of Americans are going to completely ignore anyway? It just makes a mockery of the concept of “law.” Moreover, the tests that measure blood alcohol are notoriously inaccurate. What if the machine says I’m .051 when I’m actually .049? How do I defend myself? Finally, why stop at .05? Why not come up with a law that prohibits any trace of alcohol in the blood, regardless of how low it is? If any drinking at all constitutes risk, then we should outlaw drinking and driving, period. I should add that I, personally, never drink and drive. I haven’t since 2001. Not even a half-glass of wine or beer. I simply can’t afford the price that a DUI or collision would cost me, financially, legally and reputationally. Whenever I’m out drinking, I’m with someone else who’s doing the driving, or I walk or take the subway. (It does get to be an inconvenience!) I understand the impulse to try and prevent all the death and injury we can. But I do think we need to draw the line someplace in our efforts to

A dearth of reviews for this producer on The Wine Front. Only a lonely 2003 Chardonnay, way back in 2006, from me.

The Pinot masters at Ponzi sent this wine to us to put up our thoughts so here goes: classic light watermelon hue with aromas of bright cinnamony cherry brimming with sweet spice notes.Palate--vibrant, zippy cherry juice with cranberry back bitters and spicy red fruit with a cherry smoke finish.Ponzi defined Oregon Pinot and if I'm not mistaken was the Wine Spectator's #1 wine of the year in the not too distant past. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong...)This is NO scheme, but the real deal; a good Pinot will run you $35 which is not cheap but if you compare this to Burgundy it's practically a steal so raise a glass!--A Review from The Wine Cask Blog. Creative Commons: Attribution - ShareAlike 2.5 applies

We asked Ferran Centelles , our new Spanish specialist, to begin by surveying the state of wine in Spain today. Twenty years ago Spanish people used to drink an average of 32 litres of wine per capita and the Spanish market was experiencing a huge revolution towards quality. Recognised.

I visited Hedonism Wines for the first time today. You can see a report, mostly pictorial, on my visit here. Some thoughts: It is an amazing retail space. Beautifully planned and perfectly executed. It’s a bit like a museum of wine, where a wine lover can gain a good deal of pleasure from just wandering around and looking at all the amazing bottles. But I can see why some object. There’s a focus on the rich and famous of the wine world, which isn’t always in strict correlation with what’s interesting and worthwhile in the wine world. And I don’t much care for prestige wines. However, there are interesting, well chosen wines here. I didn’t search extensively, but I came across a really good Portuguese selection, and the South African whites were brilliantly chosen, with current knowledge and not just a reliance on old classics. Yes there is a Sine Qua Non room. But while I don’t like the wine style, I admire the packaging and brand cohesion here. The room is remarkable. There’s also a Penfolds room. Grange is an ‘icon’, but it’s not the most interesting, compelling Aussie wine out there. The marketing, though, is spot on. The wine is good enough. We just have to look on and gasp at the prices Penfolds are getting for this wine. Yes, this is a retail outlet that is irrelevant to most wine drinkers. But isn’t it GREAT that wine has this sort of bling factor. Wine is pappable. It’s ‘A’ list celebrity. How cool is that? I think that Hedonism Wines is great for wine overall. Of course, I don’t think many of the celebrity wines are worth the money, and that you can have much more fun elsewhere. But many people buying celebrity bottles aren’t looking for value for money. Quite the opposite. If a wine is affordable, it loses some appeal. We shouldn’t despise this shallowness of the marketplace; rather, we should be positive, and think of the benefits for wine overall that comes from people willing to drop $$$$ on a bottle of wine brings. Overall, the profile of wine is raised by retail outlets such as Hedonism Wines, and this is a good thing.

Hello Friends, Following an enjoyable and informative Wine of Austria Master Class, we jumped on a bus and headed to the Institute of Culinary Education for a South African Wine Pairing Luncheon hosted by Wines of South Africa. Going into this tasting, I had familiarity with some of the region’s refreshing Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc wines as well as Pinotage – a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut that is largely unique to South Africa. As a matter of fact, a few years ago I hosted a ‘Pinotage Party’ on Twitter with fellow wine blogger @BrainWines to draw attention to the often misunderstood and underrated grape variety. South African Wine Lunch South Africa has a long wine growing history dating back over three centuries. However, at a time when other new world wine regions were advancing, South Africa’s wine industry was set back by apartheid (1948-1994). In response, trade sanctions were imposed, preventing South African wines from being imported into the U.S. and other markets. Since that time, South African wine has experienced a renaissance of sorts and is growing in popularity. "Chenin Blanc is no longer called Steen and varietals such as Syrah are taking their rightful place among the world’s finest," said the folks at Snooth. Adding that, “ Pinotage ... the black sheep of the vitis vinifera family, is finding new appreciation as producers begin to understand how to coax the most from each variety in South Africa’s famously complex soils.” Curry Mussels Our lunch, prepared by Chef Hugo Uys, who has experience with the flavors of South Africa, consisted of traditional cuisine. Everything served was delicious -- so much so that I cleaned every plate that was put before me. There were also several wines on the tasting sheet I found agreeable – particularly the red blends that I do not see too much of on store shelves here in Virginia. Smoked Ostrich Wines and dishes of note start with a refreshing flute of Graham Beck Brut N.V. (SRP $18). This is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that’s crisp, clean, and versatile and priced just under the $20 sweet-spot for wine consumers. It is also widely available nationally, so check with your local wine shop for a bottle. The bubbles paired nicely with the curry mussels dish (with lychees, shallots, white wine and dry sherry, in a curry emulsion), which was an extremely pleasing and flavorful dish. Boekenhoutskloof ‘The Chocolate Block’ Our entrée, and a first for me, was a delectable smoked ostrich dish with roasted root vegetables, gorgonzola mousse, herb port reduction, homemade sultana/apricot chutney, and an oven-baked spicy potato chip. It had a texture (even taste) that I would liken to beef (not chicken like everything else) and paired well with a few of the red blended wines we had an opportunity to taste. Some of the reds enjoyed were a 2008 Kanonkop Paul Sauer (SRP $42); a Bordeaux-style blend comprised of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Merlot. This wine shows aromas and flavors of ripe red and dark berry fruit, plum, smoke, and anise alongside hints of leather and floral perfume with a full-bodied velvety texture. The 2010 Boekenhoutskloof ‘The Chocolate Block’ (SRP $34), a blend of 72% Syrah, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Grenache Noir, 6% Cinsaut and 2% Viognier, exhibits a superbly ripe, luscious, and silky smooth profile with well-integrated barrel character made complete by a solid acid backbone. The 2009 Glenelly "Lady May" (SRP $49.99), a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot is a polished wine that flirts with elegance and finesse showing a dark fruit core with moderate complexity, a juicy mid-palate, and a lengthy finish. Tipsy Tart For the sweet ending, we enjoyed a scrumptious and lip-smacking Tipsy Tart (tart soaked in rooibos infused brandy, vanilla ice cream and a brandy date syrup) with a sp

May Showers (of Wine) Bring Happy HoursSome people use rubs on their entree. You'll be able to use rubs on the ENTIRE FREAKIN' BANQUET.It's such a lovely time of year - but not so lovely that it couldn't be made a little lovelier. Tip a glass or few of these fine wines and let their euphoric glow bring a sparkling sense of well-being to sunny and blustery days alike. Also they're super-cheap.

Have maybe ten more 2005 Bordeaux to review from the United Cellars spectacular spectacular. Love the label on this wine, and also its brother Clerc-Milon. Joyful. Hooray for Bordeaux. Frolic and ring your bells. Throw your grapes in the air. Shake ‘em around like you just don’t care.