Craig Camp

From Wine Business Monthly:

Beringer Blass Wine Estates will release a new line of wines topped off exclusively by screw caps in September. The brand, called TwoTone Farm, is the first screw cap only line to be introduced by a major Napa Valley wine company.

We drank the Pavie from a 30-ounce stem ($89) and the Tarrawarra from Riedel's largest glass, a 32-ounce monster with a flared lip nicknamed "the fishbowl'' ($89). Each one can hold an entire bottle of wine, although the recommended serving size is 4 to 5 ounces. (The Chardonnay glass ($59), by contrast, holds 17.5 ounces.)

Andre - thanks for taking the time. Quite extraordinary. Perhaps you can post your tasting notes if you have them in a form you can cut and paste? Thanks for opening a door to a whole new world of wine most of us know nothing about. I look forward to tasting these wines.

That was incredible. Gotta cigarette.

Remember Woody Allen's Orgasmatron? I hear Reidel is working on a very special glass...

"Wine caves are sexy," says Scott W. Lewis, an engineering geologist who has worked on several of the scores of caves carved under California wineries over the past decade.

Fairview Estate owner Charles Back handed over his "gift," along with some of his wine, to draw attention not to geopolitical concerns, but to a simmering trademark dispute between his Paarl winery and the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO), the French government's wine regulatory body.

... another 50 years - no problem. Researchers have known for years that cutting calories can prolong life in everything from yeast cells to mammals. But an easier way to live longer may be as simple as turning a corkscrew.

Shipments of rare wines from outside the state to Texas consumers won't be challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, the commissioners decided in executive session Monday afternoon.

Far out man. Hey did you see that??

I have to admit I do not see the reason for cooking mozzarella di bufala di Campana. It is like using great wine to cook with - a waste. Why not just use really good cows milk fresh mozzarella when you cook it. The delicate Creamy flavor of mozzarella di bufala di Campana is altered by cooking. Maybe mozzerella di bufala from other places... Reminder this is milk from water buffalo not Buffalo Bill buffalo. For more info click here

My garden is pumping out ripe tomatoes and I confess to eating a caprese with mozzarella di bufala at least once a day for the last five days. I am not sick of it yet. I am on the way to the store to buy some more now...

The figures on French wine sales in the United States for the first five months of 2003 have just been released: up 11.6 percent in total sales and down 11.8 percent in volume.

Piero Antinori, one of Tuscany's leading vintners, has joined the ranks of other high-profile European vintners who have been lured by the vast potential of Chile's wine industry. In March, Antinori signed a joint-venture agreement to produce a high-end wine with Eduardo Matte, owner of Viña Haras de Pirque, whose own wines just debuted in the United States.

Sure there are great wines under 5 bucks - but those are found in the close-out bin and take regular detective work (and some knowledge) on the part of the shopper. Top stores always seem to have interesting stuff in the close-out bin because many good wines are unknown by consumers and they don't sell well. Hard working shoppers can find incredible values this way. Of course often there is nothing but junk in the bin. If something looks good taste first (in the store or the parking lot ) and then run back in and buy as much as you can before someone else beats you to it. Two of my regular price favorites: Willm Pinot Blanc, Alsace about $8.00 (found it on sale once for $5) Monte Antico, Toscano Rosso about $8.00

You will find this thread useful in Valle d'Aosta click here Wine service in Piemontese restaurants can be quite good and often is more sophisticated than you would expect from the look of the place. Often decanters and huge balloon glasses appear when you order an expensive wine and the owner will decant the wine with flair. However, unless you don't expect the main courses for several hours this does not do much good for young Barolo. Actually in Piemonte in can take a long time to get to your main course because of the waves of antipasti to be consumed first! If you know you want Barolo order it right away and have them decant it for you - they will understand. Another alternative if you want to drink Barolo is to order the wines of ultra-modern producers that tend to drink well younger. The 1997 vintage produced rich soft wines so you may want to order wines of that vintage. Many restaurants will also have older wines available and the 1995's are starting to be quite drinkable. The other options are Barbera and Dolcetto from top producers. These wines can be quite serious indeed and price is a dead give away as to who is trying to be serious. Other choices are the Lange DOC wines from Barolo and Barbaresco producers who are blending nebbiolo with barbera as these wines are also very modern in style and thus more early maturing. Keep an eye out for values on old Barolo and Barbaresco on wines lists as you can often run into an incredible deal at prices you could not even dream of outside of Italy.

It is a sad story. As related in her foodblog another young chef is destroying her palate on oak chip chardonnay. As she is in school, price is of course an issue, but we know that is not a problem. There are great wines for under $10 everywhere. As NeroW doesn't want to drop the 11 bucks on The Wine Avenger is our duty to help her (and her future customers) out by turning her on to great wines under TEN BUCKS! What are your favorites?

read a book. *the* book. this book. Willie is the coolest. Dated a roommate of mine for a while. I think this is the best book out there for people who appreciate a good glass of wine but don't have the time, money or inclination to do a lot of homework and become wine connoisseurs. However, because it is geared towards this kind of wine consumer I can see how real cognoscenti like Craig have problems with it. Tommy, have you ever been to Nancy's Wines? I met Willie once and he is one of those true believers. He was nice enough to give me a copy of his book and I think it is a great book to introduce people to wine. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to start off in the wine world on the right foot. I also applaud his focus on wines that don't cost an arm and a leg: speaking of getting off on the right foot. By the way it is also a fun read as compared to most of the deadly wine tomes I had to force myself through when I was just getting into wine. The merlot comments were in relation to that thread and varietal not as a total indictment of a very useful and passionately written book. We both love acid. Nancy's is a very nice store with a lovely selection. What a radical concept - wine that goes with food!

La Contea in Neive (Barbaresco zone) in the Piemonte seems to be a stage heaven They always have people working there and provide small rooms upstairs from the restaurant. Tonino and Claudia Verro are very nice energetic people and have a lot of contacts so if they don't have anything they might know some one who does. Claudia is an excellent cook and Tonino is an excellent restaurateur and promoter. This is hardly a mom and pop place and is well known in all the guides. Click here for their website 0173 67126 Fax 0173 67367 Warning: This is a Piemontese kitchen which means the food bears little resemblance to what we call "Italian food" in the USA and Canada. Not a lot of tomato sauce here.

Can we assume from the wines you are talking about that you will be visiting only Piemonte?? Once we find out where you are going we can make some recommendations for some wines you will be able to easily find.

Frankly with immigration laws being what they are (and the restaurant industry being what it is) the odds of a paying job are slim. Room and board is a possibility. Do you speak Italian? Family kitchens are often just that - family - with no room for outsiders. You should probably travel around a bit - eat and meet people and start asking if somebody knows somebody. Also where do you want to go? What regional foods are you interested in and have a background in?

i drink less *wine* when i'm drinking better wine. no doubt about it. otherwise i just dump it down my throat, hoping to avoid my mouth. I've always noticed that really good bottles go down so much slower when you open them at parties.

You have a drinking problem. You are drinking way too much crappy wine. If you drank better wine you could probably increase consumption by 10 to 15%. I had a friend once who claimed the buzz was better from great wine. He also claimed the hangovers were lesser. He also used to drink Corton Charlemagne right out of the bottle. Sometimes he would just finish the bottle pouring it in a long stream down his throat. He has since dissappeared. I think he is out with your mom's friends as he was in that line of work. Enjoy the ride.

Coming this winter to a wine column near you.