Rebel Rose

Clearly Nora doesn't dine with dedicated wine geeks. We cork dorks usually scoop up the salt, pepper, water glasses, and bud vase, and ask to have them all removed to make room for more wine glasses. I've been known to stack this stuff on a chair to make room for a flight of glasses and appetizers.

I suggest contacting anyone that you suspect of lifting your images or material first, before discussing this in an accusatory way. Photos, phrases, and entire blog posts are often copied elsewhere, and another blogger or publisher may have innocently sourced your photo or post from another site that did not include any copyright warnings.

Well, I'll be darned. It appears the aforementioned wine is a Barossa Valley (AUS) Grenache. Blogger Review Here Just in case the link doesn't stay current, here is the taster's review: This gets the day off to an interesting start . . . Available from Napa Valley Wine & Cigar for $8.99.

Time to explore the bounty of beautiful wines that include 'B' anywhere in the title. It's a little early in the morning for wine, but that shouldn't stop us from brainstorming!

Join us in a bi-weekly tag of wine tasting around the world, from A to Z! Wine Tag: A Wine Tag: B Wine Tag: C Wine Tag: D Wine Tag: E Wine Tag: F Wine Tag: G Wine Tag: H Wine Tag: I Wine Tag: J Wine Tag: K Wine Tag: L Wine Tag: M

In latest news, one small winery gets slapped by the TTB (formerly BATF) for printing a biblical phrase on their corks: Prayer Rock Vineyards Can't Use Biblical Quotes However, as the winery points out, the corks are sealed inside the bottle and covered with a foil capsule, so how can that be a "misleading claim on a label"? The article also points out that other wineries are allowed to use cork quotes from Confucious to Gandhi.

As we gear up for the 2006 vintage harvest, it seems other tasting rooms are also pre-emptively educating harvest season visitors: Tasting Room Faux Pas

Here's a new twist on the biodynamic model: Vintner uses aloe vera to prevent sunburn -- on his grapes Given how little aloe vera is probably actually in expensive lotions on the market . . .

goldie, that is a great idea. I also have a book group that indulges in wine and food, but the only theme night we've had so far was for a review of Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires--Maureen Trevisan, owner of Linne Calodo Winery, made a dinner from recipes in the book. When it's my turn, I'm thinking of recommending In the Merde for Love, and having my friends bring French wines and cheeses would get us in the mood for discussion. Here's a link to an older thread with lots of great pairing suggestions: Wine and Cheese

Well, that is a challenge. Can you tell us more about your recipe? Other ingredients? Is the risotto toasted first? Um . . . more clues? Other courses?

Graphix, where do you live? (If you care to tell.) If your group can befriend one or two good wine and/or cheese shops, you could start a 'cheese and wine registry' of sorts. The proprietors would be happy to order the cheeses you would like, and perhaps even tell their other customers (as they would have to place a minimum order) well, our local wine and cheese tasting group is tasting these selections this week . . . Regardless, once your group starts up, I hope you will post your impressions and photos!

Great notes, Brad. I envy your cellar. Were the mushrooms and onions actually grilled, or sauteed?

Excellent work, everybody! Keep working on the 'A's whenever the spirit strikes you, and let's begin work on the 'B's this week. This is a rolling idea! If I were learning about wine, this would be a fun and non-threatening way to taste my way through a virtual atlas of wine. What am I saying? I'm still learning about wine!

Dave, I have a trusty, dusty copy of General Viticulture too, but it is sadly out of date. Perhaps your copy is more recent . . . Overall, Craig is correct in that balance is the buzz in viticulture now. Recent studies have shown (and unfortunately I can't find the key links at the moment) that the flow of carbohydrates and nutrients throughout the vine are as important in triggering ripening as heat summation hours, light, and other factors. Once the vines stop growing in length and putting forth new leaves, carbohydrate intake is diverted to the berries. Too many shoots, leaves and clusters result in a delay of veraison and ripening, and too few nutrients being directed to the berries in time. But conversely, if a vineyard is overpruned and over-thinned for its location, varieties, and vintage considerations, the remaining foliage will mature too quickly and trigger veraison too early and too fast, resulting in a loss of hang time--which means very ripe fruit, but lacking in full flavor development, toasty pips, etc.

Chris, can you tell us when your episodes will appear? Fans want to know!

You know you're a wine geek when . . . the guy who runs the official Twentieth Century Fox Sideways Wine Club blogs this week about wine geeks and . . . I took that picture. And the link to "insufferable wine snobs"? Yep, me again. Sad. Pitiful. And yet, I feel strangely honored. I think I'll buy a pith helmet and a large magnifying glass this weekend. The guy in the picture is a local wine merchant, and I'm hoping he'll never find out.

It is a really fun concept! RadCru is also offering wines on the same concept. I'd like to get one of our wines into either, but unfortunately both firms insist on calling us to yak up the concept, and I just don't have time for that right now. Eats into my board time.

Craig, I see the Anne Amie blog hasn't had any winery reports in a month. Are you in the thick of crush? Can you tell us more about the vineyards you are currently harvesting?

What a nice suggestion! Two weeks is good, too, even if we only do it for fun. I find myself halfway through the week already and no time to look for a wine. Let's get some more feedback on the fundraiser idea . . .

Look at that, everybody, we have a volunteer! Okay, Day One, Monday, it's official. There's got to be something on your wine that starts with 'A'. Wine notes, of course, and be prepared to share something informational about the 'A' part of your wine. For instance, if you choose Alto Adige, please give us your best expo on the subject, and if you don't know squat about it, that's okay, a simple Wikipedia link will do! Before Sunday, Katie will select another wine forum participant to tag for the following week. As in the original foodblog rules, if you post in Wine Tag, you are eligible to be tagged. And maybe even if you don't. Maybe we'll just pick you because we like you.

As friends and co-posters in the eGullet wine forum, it's fun to sit down and share a glass of wine and our widely divergent opinions on wine---a virtual dinner table, as it were. In the past, we've tried some buttoned-up versions of wine tag, which were fun but short-lived. After several discussions, participants agreed that it's just too difficult to focus on a single wine release as we are scattered all over the globe, and have divergent budgets and tastes. So here's what I propose. Each week, we tag someone to propose a wine tasting theme. It can be a particular varietal, region, label art, winemaking style, even a letter of the alphabet. Let your imagination run wild. The rest of us will scramble to find something that fits the theme or is even sorta-kinda close, and we'll all sit down and taste those wines and discuss them. And if someone isn't tasting on the theme, they are free to heckle, question, pontificate, and otherwise contribute. Any volunteers for the first theme? Any questions?

Absolutely. Can you buy tritip, or triangular roast, where you live? Marinate in some zinfandel, herbs, and molasses, roll it in coarse pepper, and grill it up. I like to make a salad of baby greens, arugula, raspberries and toasted pine nuts, dressed with a vinaigrette of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dash of zinfandel, and herbs. And maybe some Gorgonzola mashed potatoes . . . A rich zinfandel also goes well with grilled portabellas stuffed with Gorgonzola. Warning: shamless self promotion: Winemaker Rich of Midnight Cellars was one of my recipe-testing guinea pigs for my cookbook, Fresh from Dover Canyon. Every single recipe is winemaker-tested, winemaker-approved. Sometimes more than once. Just to be sure, they said. Rich is an awesome cook himself, and often includes his own recipes and pairing suggestions in his wine club shipments. Don't hesitate to call or email Midnight Cellars and ask about recipes or food pairings.

Hi, Michael. It is quite common for producers to leave a little RS (residual sugar) in higher alcohol wines as it helps to balance the mouthfeel and flavors. Our Cujo Zinfandel is one example. Turley zins also have perceptible RS. So sweet, high alcohol zins may simply not be your thing. Having said that, I admit that some zins are really syrupy, due to an unfortunate lack of acidity, and without that zip a sweet zin can be quite cloying. However, I think Midnight Cellars is a very good, very consistent producer. I haven't tried their 2004 zinfandel, so I can't comment on that specifically. I do think Midnight wines are a good example of Paso zinfandel, and definitely not styled for high scores. Midnight shoots for varietal accuracy and regional typicity. In the last Wine Advocate, for example, over 80% of the zinfandels that got scores over 90 from Robert Parker were heavy blends of zinfandel, syrah, mourvedre, alicante, etc. One high scoring 'zinfandel' was only 58% zin! Although winemaker Rich Hartenberger makes some really delicious and powerful blends, he also producers some very nice examples of 100% varietal zinfandel, cabernet and sangiovese.

It's not illegal for a winery to state a preference, and to move to a sales associate that they feel has a better understanding of their business model. It's a little prima donna, but not illegal. "On premise," "depletion reports . . . " You sound pretty familiar with winery sales-speak. For those of you not in the business, a depletion report is a report on where a winery's product has been sold (depletion of inventory). Some distributors gladly share them, some consider them a pain in the ass. Depends on their business model. And these wineries stand behind their practices? And they would be . . . ? You sound a little sour about the bad press on Juanita. I agree, particularly with their prices.

That's very sad to hear. Especially since Chicago is such an enthusiast market for wine. It's true that shipping prices are obscene. It costs us $18 to ship a 37# case of wine to a California address, and that does not include the cost of the shipper--it's exactly what UPS charges us. Out of state addresses consistently cost about $30 a case. (I recently did a zip-by-zip comparison across the U.S.) Fed Ex 2-Day Air runs about $60 a case, after our 40% Wine Institute discount! That's $5 a bottle for shipping. Insane, but there it is. And this is without time, labor, and packaging. (Wineries pricing their offerings at $20 or less cannot afford to absorb these costs--unless they are producing at least 40,000 cases.) In regards to wine placement in Chicago, there is one puzzling aspect to all this. Once a wine is sold to a distributor, the distributor owns the wine, and the distributor decides where the wine is sold, not the winery. The wine no longer belongs to the winery. The winery has no say in where the wines are sold. So I'm just guessing, but it sounds as though there are some lazy sales reps handling your favorite wines in your area. Restaurant wine lists tend to be relatively static--they're only tweaked occasionally, so once a sales rep gets placement on a wine list, he's golden for a long time. The restaurant is guaranteed to reorder regularly. Retailers however, can be high maintenance in a sales rep's point of view. They have a given amount of floor space, and they will frequently change up their offerings to reflect weather, holidays, traffic, critic scores, and consumer trends. They require more 'salesmanship.' So if your favorite wines are selling well but limited in availability, odds are very high that the wholesale reps are simply gravitating to the easiest customers. Some wineries do request more restaurant placement, and may make that a condition of doing business with a distributor. Generally, however, wineries with national distribution shoot for a 30/30/30 balance between restaurant, retail, and direct sales. It would be a little easier to guess if we knew which wines you are referring to. If you are willing to mention a few names, perhaps other members can let us know if those wines are available at retail in their locales.