July is not a time to shy from bold red wines. Think about it: when the mercury rises as far as it has the last week plus, the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven. Instead you head out back to the grill. And what better accompaniment to a robust protein is there than a beefy red wine? Quite possibly… none. The key is to just get your beverage to the right temperature. Even if you can’t cool off, there’s no reason your wine shouldn’t! Give it a break from higher than desirable “room temp” by popping the bottle in your fridge for 20 minutes or so before uncorking it. No joke – you’re enjoyment, guaranteed, will be far superior! This month's Wicked Wines will give you a few ideas to get you going. Check them out!
What's your Go-To summer red?
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Wine Shopping
Perhaps you also have been experiencing technical difficulties what with the storms we've been having around Beantown this month (feels more like July/August, no?). Nevertheless, we're going to try to get back on our game here at Pour Favor for some more regular wine fodder - internet outages be damned!
This week we have some wine for thought the queue, so we'll keep things briefer on this end.
Check out this new company/wine tasting program out in California. The Tasting Room offers consumers a chance to sample uber premium wines before taking the plunge and buying a full 750ml bottle. Of course this service isn't on offer in Massachusetts what with our liquor laws, no doubt. But the idea raises a couple of interesting questions. Do you think you're more apt to buy a full bottle after sampling wines you have to pay for? Here in MA it is illegal for retail shops to charge for wine tastings so you still have the option to sample for FREE and then make a purchase. Is their program too contrived because there are only certain producers who participate?
And then there is the age-old (lol) question of what the heck the deal is with "Old Vines". Does it matter how old the vines are? And how old does the vine have to be to be old enough? Etc. Etc. Matt Kramer does a good job of starting the dialog on this tricky topic. Check it out! We might have to weigh in one of these days on our own....
What do you think constitutes "old vines"? Are you more apt to buy a bottle if it claims as much on the label?
Abe Lerner of the Blanchard’s JP branch is one of Pour Favor’s favorite wine folk. The man is schooled in the fine art of wine, has travelled the world frequently and has an authenticity about him you can’t duplicate. But it is perhaps his approach to buying that is his greatest asset; he is one savvy gent! Ask him his personal philosophy on finding wines for his shelves? He’ll say “it’s easy to find a trophy, but to find a value that tastes like a trophy, that’s the challenging task.” Ok, fine.
It’s easy enough to talk the talk, but can he walk the walk? Indeed. Pop on over to Wicked Local to get a few ideas from Abe to enrich your Memorial Day festivities!
Which of Abe's selections is most likely to whet your whistle this Memorial Day?
Much of the time we don’t think twice about where something comes from – especially when it is always there. Take, for example, the Boston area water “crisis” last week. Before then, did you give much thought to where your running water came from? Probably not. Well, everything comes from somewhere, or by way of something - and sometimes knowing that little tidbit is power!
Pop on over to Wicked Local for some quick tips on navigating your wine shelves, particularly when you're traveling about and don't have access to your everyday wine buyer!
Do you pay much attention to "where" your wine comes from?
Last year we waited, and waited, and waited for warmer days to come. Rosé wine, one of the best ways to enjoy said weather, took a kind of backseat amidst the dreary doldrums we experienced here in New England. It wasn’t until August that I finally had the inclination to write about how gorgeous (and not sweet) rosé wines are – and offered them as a solution to the hot and humid days of summer.
This year we're off to a much better start - and the 2009 roses are starting to come in! Pop on over to Wicked Local to get a refresher course on these lovely wines and a few recommendations to kick off your 2010 rose travels.
It's amazing what happens when you have 30 minutes to catch up on your Google reader feed! I found some gems in the wine bloggosphere and newsfeed I can't help but share. Good Friday, indeed! I've narrowed the playing field to just 3.5 for you to soak up:
1. A new take on the "nature" of wine - click! For all of my photographer and scientist/nerd friends and followers out there, I bring to you this very cool concept for a wine book... Seeing is believing!
2. The "Ick Factor": smoke taint in wine. I found the timing of this article too perfect as just a couple of weeks ago my colleague and I had the chance to meet Dianna Lee of Siduri; she had been lamenting the challenge she and her husband faced making great Pinot Noir in a year inundated with forest fire. She said they ended up tossing wine made from certain vineyards where they source fruit (so you don't have to worry about any of the Siduri gems tasting like an ashtray as they'll never hit the market). Check out this WSJ article... Something for you to bare in mind when shopping for 2008 Anderson Valley Pinots this year!
3. Trader Joe's latest "wine trick", lol. I'm a bit cynical, it's true, when it comes to national chains taking on such large scale wine projects to pass on great "value". (Shop local, people! You'll find great value, smaller production, artisan wines if you have a great wine shop.) But I am legitimately interested to hear if you've tasted this wine - and your impressions. (And yes, next time I land at TJ's I'm going to see if there's still a bottle on the shelf for me to bring home.) In the meantime, weigh in using the comments thread below!
Three big earthquakes now in so short a time. It’s a lot to digest. And with the biggest one having hit Chile, the 5th largest exporter of wine to the United States, it seems only right to feature four of Chile’s most Wicked Wines this March.
For many wine drinkers, Chilean wines are an acquired taste. But if you have a little guidance, you can surely find some tremendously delicious and often fabulously priced wines. Pay respect to Chile (and to the many quake victims worldwide) by popping over to Wicked Local to see what deliciousness is in store for you this March!
What is your impression of Chilean wines?
Many folks get obsessed with whether a vintage is “good” one or not. At the end of the day what consumers may or may not recognize is how a particular wine from a particular vintage will evolve simply on the shelf, in its bottle, over the course of one year. Here we are in the middle of February, on the cusp of vintage changes; this is the time when many red wines are really ready to drink!
Learn more about the benefits of February wine shopping by heading over to Wicked Local today!
Are you compelled to purchase a case of vino this time of year, before new vintages are released? Or are you happy to just roll with the punches and see what the coming year has to bring?
And.... we're back!
What better way to come back from the holidays than to find out this month's Wicked Wine picks? I figure it's worth celebrating the end of 2009 with some truly wonderful selections you can snuggle up to on the coldest nights of the winter. Pop on over to Wicked Local to see what I have up my sleeve!
Does your New Years resolution have anything to do with wine? If so, what have you decided to pursue in 2010?