When Wine Meets Fashion....Very Cool

So its pretty understandable why a fashion designer would want to launch his or her own wine, heck lots of people are doing it like Mike Ditka. Well I met with Bevmax CEO Mike Berkoff and he told me about a project that he brought back from the dead. A Vins de Pays combined with Christian Audigier's unique fashion sense, brings Cool Wines. Its being distributed by Southern Wines, so you can expect them in stores near you. They'll be bottling wines under this brand, but sourcing from vineyards world wide. Expect varietals from New Zealand and Chile next...

One Amazing Wine Find!

Well sometimes life gets tough and you're having a rough day, then you find something remarkable. Something like Grahams Vintage 1994 Port, 1998 Taylors Port (10years in mood), Port Pocas 2000 Vintage Character Tertium Millenium, 1989 Grande Duchene Cuvee Especiale Champagne Officiel du Bicentenaire.

These kind of finds are rare, but precious. We'll be cracking these open pretty soon and I am hoping for the best on the champagne, however we all know port is always good. I forgot to mention two bottles of Macallen 18 year!

2000 Guyon, Gevrey-Chambertin Les Platières

Dark, oak-edged very traditional burgundy. Decent concentration, ripe fruit and fine acidity. Good intensity in the mid-palate too. Needs to open a bit, but once it does its aromas are fruity with hints of pepper, oak, berry.

Call me if you want any. It retails for $40 per bottle. I have it on sale for $20.00 per bottle. Well stored at 55 degrees constant. (512) 476-9463 ext 304

Frog's Leap

Gladys and I went out to Napa in January and toured a few wineries. In our dotage, we are obliged to sip and spit lest we become comatose on the ride home. Even though we had taken the precaution of hiring a car and driver, we had plans for the evening and did not wish to pass out.

The absolute stand-out of the touring was Frog's Leap. I guess I have toured more than twenty wineries, but never have I received such an education about the philosophy, the zeitgeist, the politics, the life-spirit-embodiment of a winemaker as during this tour. Frog's Leap is an organic winery, so no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. They have an impressive solar panel installation, which I think if I remember correctly they said provides all the electric power used by the winery. They keep their own bees, and they run chickens, pigs and cattle on a small scale, but in the old-fashioned farmer's yard manner.

The guide explained things, simple things I suppose, but things I had never really focused on. She said, for example, that when a someone says a wine is "peppery," really what they're saying is that it has a relatively high alcohol content. High alcohol in a wine is perceived by the throat, palate, tongue and nose as peppery flavor. She said that Frog's Leap worked to keep the alcohol level of even their big cabs down to a reasonable level, and seeks to impart flavor through other less blunt techniques.

I have never tasted a merlot like Frog's Leap's. I have come to expect a watery thin beverage when presented with a merlot, but Frog's Leap's merlot is anything but thin.

I cannot recommend too highly this tour.

Top 10 Wine Regions

Andalucia

This south-western Spanish providence produces an array of fine wines but most renowned for its dry to sweet amber sherry.  This regions has more vineyard acreage than anywhere in the world.  

Cape Winelands

The Cape's striking wine country, just 45 minutes northeast of Cape Town, in South Africa, is the seventh-largest wine producing region in the world, comprising some 417 square miles of vineyards. 

California

The largest wine-producing area in the US, wine-tasting tourism in California has exploded in recent years, having been particularly bolstered by the release of the popular film Sideways (2004), which showcased the state's Santa Barbara wineries.  Small, family-owned, boutique wineries are tucked away in the scenic rolling vinyards.

Hunter Valley

This is arguably the most beautiful wine region in the world in the famed fertile valley of the sinuous Loire River where regal chateaux meet a long viticultural tradition.  The Loire's numerous vineyards are most famous for their production of white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadet, and Chenin Blanc.

Mendoza

Flourishing vineyards in Argentina are nestled in the foothills of the snow-capped Andes, the highest peak on the South American continent.  The annual harvest festival, Vendimia, kicks off in January and brings folkloric celebrations, grape-blessing ceremonies, and many other merry events.

Niagara

Moderate temperature and rich soils allow dozens of wineries in Southern Ontario, Canada to turn out excellent variety of vinefera grapes harvests every year, from Chardonnay to Riesling to Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.  The region is known for its icewines, a delicious, intensely flavored wine created from grapes harvested after the first winter frost.  The area is one of the only wine-producing regions in the world to produce the coveted product with such consistency and quality.

Oregon

Many speculate that if it were not for the state's more longstanding stint with Prohibition, Oregon would be the de facto forerunner in the United States wine-producing industry today.  As it is, the state currently lays claim to the third-greatest number of wineries of any state, and turns out more than 40 varieties including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, Riesling, and Syrah.  The Williamette Valley is its thriving center, and the largest region, luring connoisseurs with its internationally acclaimed Pinot Noir and plethora of charming wineries that occupy some 100 scenic miles between Portland and Eugene.

Porto

Porto's biggest claim to fame is the sweet fortified wine that bears its name and which has been aged here for centuries, in nearby Villa Nova de Gala with over fifty port lodges.  

Tuscany

Italy's best-known wine region is divine, especially during the autumn harvest season when you can really get in on the grape-stomping action and taste the fruits of labor.  Tuscany's highlight is no doubt Chianti, the source of the country's most famous wine, which is decked out in gothic bastions, olive groves, and 10,000 acres of sprawling vineyards in the shadow of protective mountains.

a very touching testimonial...

I want to share this touching testimonial that I just received from a customer...

"In December, my 53 year old wife of 20 years died of ALS.  A few years ago my 81 year old father died of cancer.  My family appreciated wine.  I ordered custom label wine to commemorate them.  I am giving Orlando e Carla wine in a wooden box to my family as a keepsake.  My father was our family's strength (forza), my wife was the beauty (bello).  The president of your company called me to thank me for my order.  I thank you for making this service available.  It's the perfect remembrance of these two fine people."

-Pete Bruno

What wine pairs well with rattlesnake?

Sometimes I get the oddest requests from my clients. Today I got one from a customer who went fishing and instead caught a 5ft diamondback rattlesnake. He decided since he didn't catch any fish, and spent $400 on the private fishing tour, that he would instead eat the rattlesnake and I thought that was interesting. When he proceeded to tell me that he wanted some advice on wines that paired well with snake, I had to really think about it so...

I called my friend and wine writer Denman Moody in Houston and this is what he told me "With the rattlesnake, I'd make a wine reduction brown sauce, then pair it with Zaca Mesa Syrah."

Well there you go. I can't wait for the next stumper question!