I’m going to buy this wine...because I just think it’s terribly cool that a winery would honor one of the greatest jazz vocalists in the history of the genre. (Have you ever heard Ella sing "mack the knife"?!!?)

However, I’m probably not going to drink this Domaine Carneros Sparkling Wine while listening to any jazz, including Ella.

Here’s why.

I’ve long believed that even given the range and the diversity of the Jazz genre, the absolutely most appropriate drink to accompany Jazz is something that attacks the senses, throat, palate and body with a Velvet Bite.

No pure wine I’ve ever consumed possesses this quality.

By "Velvet Bite" I mean, first, that sensation of a subtle sting that warms just as the sting diminishes when the liquid is poured over your palate. You need to feel the relief of the alcohol sting diminishing just as the alcohol also begins to warm the throat and stomach. 

There must be a soft clamping down on the palate that does not linger, but also is not escapable. The sensation alerts the senses in a momentary shock like no wine can do, yet fades away, relinquishing its bite in favor of alertness and warmth.

This state, I think, is best suited for listening to Jazz.

Bourbon, Whiskey, Scotch and even cognac and armagnac are the proper drinks to pair with Jazz; best suited to provide a velvet bite.

Further, I believe the full affect of pairing the Velvet Bite with Jazz occurs when a shot of any of the above beverages is taken in advance of sipping on a second round of the same. And, how this shot is performed can affect the pleasure of the pairing even more if done right.

The shot, while it should be taken in all at once, should not be targeted at the throat so that it slips down past the palate with minimal contact. On the other hand, taking time to swish the beverage around the palate will also ruin the experience. Rather, the throat should be half to 3/4s closed when the shot enters the mouth. The partially closed throat will promote a slow movement of the bourbon over the palate, followed in quick order by it slowly sliding down the gullet. The technique delivers the bite, but does not sear the palate. And at the same time, a decent amount of alcohol enters the body and the blood stream in relatively quick fashion.

Yes, I’m suggesting that Jazz is best appreciated with a slight buzz.

Not a "drunk". But a warm, comfortable, smirk inducing buzz.

It should be noted that after the initial shot of our preferred beverage, the second round can be sipped, and probably enjoyed even more due to the palate, body and mind having been properly prepared by the initial shot.

Wine is simply too week to stand up to the challenging nature of jazz; the subtle, complex and sometimes jolting nature of jazz rhythms require the body to be properly prepared with an anesthesia that both weakens one’s grip on convention, yet provides a bite.

Thus, Jazz is best paired with beverage.

Original post by Tom Wark

First, though, let’s discuss our tasting of the Venge Vineyards wines. The tasting fee is $25 per person. This includes a tasting of six wines accompanied with a cheese platter, and a tour of the caves. The $25 can be applied to the purchase of wine provided you buy $100 worth of wine. We were very impressed by the structure and character of each wine. The Sangiovese, Scout’s Honor (mostly Zinfandel), Merlot and Syrah were big on the nose, full of flavors, with a velvety feel on the palate and a great finish. Even more spectacular was the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville vineyards. This wine is priced at $125 and could perhaps become a collector’s item because the wine is so good, and its label, a sketch of the rebuilt ghost winery, will be the last of its kind.

Now to the moving news. We noticed that the barrels were being shuffled about and when we asked our host David why, he reported that the property had been sold to Bill Foley of the Foley Wine Group. Bill Foley is the retired CEO of Fidelity Financial and he owns several wineries and vineyards. This includes Foley Estate, Lincourt Vineyards, and the recently acquired Firestone Vineyards in Santa Barbara.

In the mid 1990’s this historic property known as the Rossini Ranch was sold to the Nils Venge Family of Saddleback Cellars’ fame. The Rossini winery building was padlocked during prohibition and remained a ghost winery until the sale to the Venge Family. The Venge Family completely rebuilt the winery. An exquisite tasting room was added as a loft to the main structure. 7000 square feet of caves were excavated and the vineyards were replanted. Kirk Venge, the son of Nils, has been the principal winemaker at Venge Vineyards.

Unfortunately, Kirk’s parents are in divorce proceedings and this prime property needed to be sold as a result. As we were finishing our tasting, Kirk Venge came by and confirmed the information. Kirk is currently moving the barrels to a custom crush facility and will continue to produce the Venge Vineyards brand. Kirk stated that he is in negotiations to purchase a property near Calistoga that will become the future home of Venge Vineyards. On a positive, note Kirk Venge will be completely on his own in this venture giving him the chance showcase his individual winemaking skills.

We are not sure how much longer the winery will operate here as Venge Vineyards. Our host Dave says he already has a job lined up as a tasting room host at another winery down the road on the Silverado Trail.

The Good: Beautiful setting, ghost winery, delicious wines.
The Bad: The sale of the property

Winemaker Kirk Venge

Original post by joe

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Original post by Vinography: A Wine Blog

The assumption of the American Viticultural Area (appellation) program is that there is something unique about those areas that are granted AVA status—that there is something about Oakville, Anderson Valley, Finger Lakes and Green Valley that make them distinct.

However, the subtext of this quasi-appellation program administered by the federal government and completely embraced by the American wine industry is that the wines the emerge from specifically designated American Viticultural Areas are themselves unique because they somehow contain identifiable characteristics that can be traced to the uniqueness of the AVAs in which the grapes were grown.

This is the assumption that Appellation America has always embraced and promoted in its fantastic journalistic efforts and its the proposition that it hopes to bring real clarity to with its recently announced "Best of Appellation Evaluation Program".

As described, the Best of Appellation Evaluation Program "obliges the [program’s] assessors to systematically evaluate the wines, individually and collectively, for place characteristics."

Appellation America’s publisher, Roger Dial, goes on to explain, "In the days, months, and years going forward we will be doing what our
readers continually ask us to do. We’re going to look at every
appellation in North America, building an on-going, ever-developing
picture of the mosaic of regional character and diversity that we hope
will enrich our wine culture."

This is a monumental task that strikes me as being the kind of effort that will bring as much criticism as it does praise. However, the praise will be deserved and the criticism will simply be sour grapes.

What happens when the regional characteristics of Oakville Merlot are defined in a way that identifies one famous Oakville producer’s Merlot as uncharacteristic of the  appellation? This won’t make the Oakville Merlot producer very happy. But I think this unhappiness is a natural result of winemaking philosophies that treasure style over regional characteristics. Now, I don’t want to suggest that focusing on producing a specific style of wine rather than achieving regional reflection is a bad thing. It’s just a thing. It’s just not a very interesting thing.

Others have previously used the evaluation processes to focus on regional characteristics. For example, Dan Berger, who runs the respected Riverside International Wine Competition, recently announced that Anderson Valley’s Navarro Vineyards won that competition’s Terroir Award trophy, given to the winery that displays the best regional character in its wine. It should be no surprise that Appellation America sponsors this trophy.

Down the road, if Appellation America is successful, I expect we’ll be able to go to their website and read something along these lines: "Carneros Syrah is a wine that typically displays X,Y and Z aromas with flavors of A, B, and C. These characteristics are best found in the Syrahs of X Vineyard, Y Cellars and Z Estate."

I, for one, hope they succeed in their quest. I’m not positive it will lead to more interest in wine or greater sales of wine or more exploration of different wines from America’s many AVA’s. But I am positive that it will make the wine world much more interesting.

Original post by Tom Wark

The move to change the law licketty split is under way. Family Winemakers of California and State Senator Pat Wiggins have joined forces to introduce SB 607, a law that would allow winemaking competition among amateur winemakers.

It’s an easy fix to a pretty stupid law and both FWC and Senator Wiggins should be commended for moving it forward.

Changing stupid laws like this is not always so easy, however, Take for example the CA law that makes it a crime for a an out-of-state retailer to ship wine to a CA resident. This one went into effect in 2005 and was supported by Family Winemakers of California, The California Wine Institute, The California Association of Wine Grapegrowers, Napa Valley Vintners and a number of wineries. The bill was opposed by a number of CA retailers who realized that not only was the law unconstitutional as it discriminated against out-of-state retailers, but that it would encourage other states to lock out CA retailers from shipping to their state residents.

There has been no enthusiasm by California’s winery organizations, Free the Grapes, or any politicians to change this other example of a stupid law, though they all are well aware of the law. One wonders if it will be “discovered” in a few decades and quickly reversed by legislation because it no longer has any value, rhyme or reason.

It turns out this law is actually on hold because retailers sued the state of CA and were able to get an agreement from the state not to enforce it until the end of 2008. However, that time is quickly approaching. One hopes that consumers, wine organizations and politicians will feel an equal urgency to fix one more stupid law when it comes to light.

Original post by Tom Wark

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Original post by Craig Camp

I wish I had penned that bit of wisdom, because it’s brilliant. Alas, it was penned by another, and I don’t take credit for someone else’s words of wisdom. So, credit to the universe.

When I read it, I didn’t make note of the author. The words, however, have never left my mind.

Another great bit of knowledge that I’ve found is by LAD Communications, penned by Anne Louise Bannon (May 2002 issue of Wines & Vines): “Which may mean that even when you’ve gotten big enough to hire someone to do your publicity for you, you’ll still be doing much of your own PR. But that’s what telling your story is all about, and that’s what sells wine.”

This is very important information when you’ve decided to hire a PR agency or person to represent you. In the wine business, how many brands are out there? I’d love an exact figure, but I don’t have it for this world-wide market. It’s not outside the realm of possibilities that there could there be as many as 10,000 worldwide?

It’s not like the peanut butter business, let’s say, where you’ve got less than a dozen brands. Those stories are very easy to tell. Nobody cares who started the company, and nobody’s going to oogle over the flavors. It’s pretty straight forward, “Is is smooth or chunky?”

With wine, your flavors will stand on their own, against the other 10,000 in the world.

So, what’s going to really sell your wine to a wine writer who could be thinking to him or herself? “Who are the characters behind the scenes, tell me everything you can about this person or people, and when may I talk to him or her?”

So, PR 101 is really what my mom drilled into my head ever so long ago, “God helps those who help themselves.”

PR people are just the missing link in the process to bridge the gap between who you are and getting that story into the hands of a writer. PR people open the door for you, and your job is to then step-up and be willing to tell your story, when the opportunity arises. And remember, opportunity only knocks once.

Cliche? Yes.

Good advice? You decide…

Original post by Jo Diaz

Perhaps you’d call me a late bloomer when it came to Alsatian wine, but bloom I eventually did, and now I’m a quiet, but fierce devotee of what I believe to be some of the most individualistic wines on the planet. Alsace has always been an odd duck of a winegrowing region. It is the only region in France that not only allows, but mandates that the name of the grape variety appear on the label (though there are exceptions). It happens to grow grapes more associated with Germany and Northern Italy than with the rest of France (Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Gris), and perhaps by virtue of its occasionally Germanic past, produces more beer than any other winegrowing region in the country.

Characterized by steep hillside vineyards whose sun exposure, coupled with the region’s cooler climate make for long slow grape maturation, Alsace has been worked by small village winemakers for centuries (major regional wars notwithstanding). There are thousands of producers in the region, though according to the Oxford Companion to Wine, about 175 of those producers make up nearly 80 percent of the regions production. Many of those 175 are still relatively small by French standards, but some, due to their tenure as well as success have grown to be significant producers that make enough wine for export all over the globe.

Trimbach (or more properly, Maison Trimbach) is perhaps one of the best known of these larger producers, and for good reason. The Trimbach family has been making wine under their name since progenitor Jean Trimbach founded the house label in 1636. Twelve generations later, the estate is still run by the family, and is synonymous with the region, producing what some consider to be the finest wines around.

For the first two hundred or so years, Trimbach wines were made, like many in the region, in relative obscurity. Produced and consumed all within a 25 mile radius, the wines were part of the fabric of village life. Around the turn of the 20th Century, however, the then proprietor Frederic Emile Trimbach submitted the family’s wines to be shown at the 1897 Brussels Exposition, where they were apparently greeted with significant acclaim.

Now, nearly 120 years after that initial success, Trimbach is known for producing two of the region’s finest wines — both Rieslings. One is bottled under the name Clos St. Hune, and comes from the Grand Cru Rosacker vineyard, and is widely regarded as the region’s best Riesling. The other is this wine, named after the enterprising Frederic Emile, whose marketing skills launched more than a century of prominence for his family winery. In addition to these top wines, Trimbach makes 13 other wines, in quantities ranging from a couple thousand cases to the tens of thousands.

Cuvee Frederic Emile is made mostly from grapes grown on a south-southeast facing hillside vineyard named Osterberg above the winery. The limestone rich soil of this Grand Cru vineyard drains quickly and deep, and the grapevines are, on average, 30 years old. The grapes are picked with painstaking deliberation into small shoulder baskets over a series of days, with the goal of selecting only fully ripe clusters of grapes. These clusters are destemmed and assiduously sorted, again to ensure only the choicest grapes are crushed and fermented, ever so slowly, with native yeasts.

I’m not sure about the total production of this wine. The Clos St. Hune is less than 600 cases, but I suspect Cuvee Frederic Emile is made in slightly larger quantities. Were it more plentiful, however, it might be more common to find beautiful aged bottles like this one that some good friends shared with me last month. Trimbach’s wines, especially their top cuvees, seem to age forever, and as they do, their personalities begin to truly shine.

Every time I enjoy Rieslings from the Old World like this one, I realize that I don’t drink enough Riesling. Every time I enjoy such a beautiful Alsatian wine, I am reminded that I definitely don’t drink enough of Alsace.

Tasting Notes:
Pale gold in the glass, this wine has a shockingly bright nose of quince and honey that begs to be inhaled slowly, as if that were physically possible. On the tongue it is halogen bright, with gorgeous acidity that brings to life a swath of flavors ranging from fresh lemon juice and honey to paraffin and nut skin. The wine lasts forever in the mouth, lingering through its drawn out finish on vapors of pomelo and orange zest. A fantastic, distinctive wine.

Food Pairing:
Whatever you eat with this wine, make sure it’s damn good. I drank this on my birthday last month and enjoyed it with many things, but especially with a light cooked shellfish salad of crab, squid, octopus, and clams in an “ocean vinaigrette” with seasoned sesame.

Overall Score: between 9.5 and 10

How Much?: roughly $110 - $190 these days. Current releases (2003) go for $35.

This vintage of the wine can occasionally be found on the internet. Current releases can be purchased here.

Original post by Vinography: A Wine Blog

Melanie Hoffman

My favorite kind of wine tasting is when I have a sample, a chair and a little bit of quiet. I do enjoy a fun tasting room, but for technical notes, not having a winery representative hovering is choice.

On April 25, 2008, the Wine Literary Award Foundation hosted its 18th Annual event honoring Charles L. Sullivan in San Francisco. I had the honor of an invitation to something I had never quite experienced. An ocean of wine to taste with nothing more than my own thoughts. I didn’t know where to start. Of course my palate leads me to the lighter fare, but with close to a thousand wines to choose from I had to pace myself.

I do love Sauvignon Blanc, I think it might just be my favorite white wine with a close second being Dry Riesling; something about the oily petrol nature has always turned me on, but I digress. In this ocean of wine my eyes are drawn first to Black Sheep, 2007 California Sauvignon Blanc. Now I might be giving myself away a little here, but it takes one to know one is what I have always been told.

In all I tasted five Sauv Blancs, I had a mind to keep going with 29 to choose from, but that would have been self-indulgent. The five I chose did not disappoint.

Black Sheep, 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, California ~ Ripe melon and lychee nut aromas open the bouquet of this easily approachable quaffer. Citrus and mineral develop upon a second sniff that lead way to fragrant orange blossoms. Complex palate offers ample freshly cut grass flavors with added notes of kiwi. Nice acid to fruit balance. Trailing flavors of figs and Myer lemon finish this clean, fruity and delicious wine.

Hall Wines, 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley ~ Bouquet of nectarine and peaches that lead way to tropical notes of pineapple and papaya with hints of lemongrass at the close of the nose. Slightly sharp palate that softens as it lingers. Peach and nectarine flavors follow the bouquet with added tangerine that lasts.

Langtry, 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, Lake County ~ Soft bouquet of mineral and sweet spice. Added notes of mango and gooseberry in the nose with the essence of fresh strawberry. Palate is equally soft, an easy summer sipper. Palate follow nose with added juicy flavors of Spring Rainer Cherries.

Manzanita Creek, 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Lake County | Oak Ranch ~ Sporting the Zork! cork. Subtle creaminess with hints of cinnamon on the nose. Flowery aromas continue with the addition of passion fruit. Balanced wine has good acid and nice fruit flavors. Palate shows more passion fruit flavors that are up front and last all the way through. Subtle mineral flavors exhibit themselves mid-palate with soft Genoa fig flavors that add to the tropical flavors in the finish.

McNabb Ridge, 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Mendocino County ~ Bright nose pops! with a soft creaminess at the close. Apricots, honeysuckle and fresh grass upfront with an easy vanilla appeal at the end of the bouquet. Palate offers super delicious flavors; I had an “oooooh!” moment. Lots of fruit, more apricots and an essence of clover honey. This wine finishes with nectarine flavors and trailing vanilla bean that lingers.

I then turned to some different whites; pinot gris, trousseau gris, verdelho, gewurztraminer, dry riesling. An eclectic mix that made my mind swirl and my senses dance with the excitement of a child on Christmas morning.

Swanson, 2006 Pinot Gris, Napa Valley ~ Very floral bouquet offers bright notes of apricots, lemongrass and Cattelaya orchids with subtle smoke in the close of the nose. Palate has a dominant blood orange appeal. Nice acid and fruit. Myer lemon and gooseberry flavors with a lasting apricot finish.

Carta d’Imbarco, 2006 Pinot Grigio ~ Floral and fruit aromas, a certain 50/50 bar, orange and cream nature. Starfruit fragrance and marmalade finish the bouquet. Bright palate follows nose with more orange and cream and starfruit with added peachy notes in the finish.

Fanucchi Vineyards, 2005 Trousseau Gris, Russian River Valley ~ Lemon cream nose with added notes of pear and nutmeg. Mineral elements add to the complex nature of the wine. Trailing wisps of white smoke finish the bouquet. Delightful palate offers ginger and more pear flavors. Tropical notes of pineapple linger on the palate.

Barreto Cellars, 2006 Verdelho, Lodi ~ Aromas of tangelo, melon and an earthy nature in the bouquet. Added notes of vanilla and cranberry orange close the bouquet. Very citrusy palate has notes of lemon curd upfront and in the finish. Clean wine finishes light and fruity.

Husch, 2006 Gewurztraminer, Anderson Valley ~ Enticing nose of cantaloupe and star jasmine. Subtle aromas of petrol and mineral. Fairly dry wine (.6% R.S.) offers flavors of rose hips and spicy apple pie with a warm honey finish.

Wollersheim Winery, Dry Riesling | NV ~ Stelvin Closure, very nice. Classic riesling aromas; petrol upfront with hints of sweet nutmeg and ginger spice and a flowery hibiscus aroma. Palate is juicy and delicious. Gentle peachy flavors give way to an elegant honeycomb finish.

At this point I realized, I still had many more wines to taste and I decided to jump to my favorite red wine, Pinot Noir. A truly great Pinot Noir is classy and elegant, yet sturdy and plump. I found some worth mentioning.

J Lohr, 2006 Pinot Noir, Arroyo Seco | Fog’s Reach Vineyard ~ Huge nose, big cherry pie aromas, toasty vanilla oak and lots of plums in the bouquet. Palate follows nose with more juicy plums and a basket full of cherries. Added notes of worn leather and cocoa powder round out the finish of this wine.

Moshin Vineyards, 2006 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley | Lot 4 Selection ~ Ripe nose, very fruit forward. Subtle vanilla oak with the addition of plums, leather and cherry blossoms. Rich palate features a mouthful of cherries and vanilla. Soft finish of cassis and hibiscus tea.

Porter-Bass, 2006 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley ~ Bright nose of plums and cherries, additional aromas of sweet pepper jam adds to the gentle nature of this wine. Soft leather and vanilla close the nose. Palate opens with big cherries and more leather. Soft tannins make this wine an easy drinker for tonight, a wine for a reason. Cherry flavors continue to the long, lingering finish.

Turner Vineyards, 2005 Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills, ~ Cherry blossom aromas with added caramel and cedar notes. Bouquet continues with red currants and a sexy white chocolate nature. Palate has more red currant flavors with an added cherry pie quality with a brown sugar finish. Nice tannin structure.

I now turn to Cabernet Franc, a wine that is less appreciated than it should be. When everyone turned to Merlot, I turned to Cab Franc. I tend to stay away from Merlots, they have become watered down versions of their characteristic jammy and fruity variety. They just don’t have enough fruit and structure for my tastes. Cab Franc on the other hand, in my opinion, tends to have lots of fruit and awesome structure. Cab Franc is not just a blending grape. And this little Bordeaux variety is a best kept secret that I wouldn’t mind letting the cat out of the bag about.

Casa Nuestra, 2005 Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley ~ Huge bouquet exhibits blackberry pie and trailing vanilla aromas. Very fragrant. Delicious mouthfeel, medium to full body. More blackberry flavors on the palate, a basket full of them. Added easy oak, vanilla and coffee bean flavors but the blackberry lingers forever. Gosh that is a good wine!

Eaton Hill Winery, 2005 Cabernet Franc, Yakima Valley - WA ~ Complex nose, a little horse saddle funky upfront that leads way to plentiful jammy aromas of mulberries and loganberries, with a vanilla finish to the bouquet. Velvety palate features more mulberry and vanilla bean flavors. Lingering blueberry jam finish.

Thumbprint, 2005 Cabernet Franc, Alexander Valley ~ Lots of new leather and mulberry jam aromas. This CF has a slightly meaty quality, almost an apple wood bacon nature. Bouquet closes with cassis aromas. Very jammy palate displays more mulberry jam, cassis and smoky meat. Very balanced, nice tannins and good acid.

At this point I realized I needed to take a break and have a bite to eat. The event supplied a sumptuous feast provided by the chefs of the California Culinary Academy, a special tour-through-the-kitchen luncheon provided by the Culinary Academy students. Copious amounts of cheeses, smoky meats, poki salad, seared ahi, marinated beef, green salads, and the list continued. The dessert display was a towering confectioner’s delight. The lunch was as much fun as the tasting of wines. The folks at the Wine Literary Award Foundation know how to host an event. I can only hope the dinner and award announcements in the evening were as much of a success as the writers’ tasting during the day.

Original post by melanie

This comes from a news story put out by Off License News. Just how significant is this finding that older drinkers are coming to the on-line wine sales channel?

I think it must be significant. Despite the talk about young folks being the one’s helping to drive wine’s sales accent, it is somewhat older folks that do the real buying of wine. There appearance in any significant number in the on-line world would in fact represent a notable turning point in the on-line wine sales world.

Now get this quote, from the same article:



“Vinitrac research from Wine Intelligence in March 2007 found that 16%
of regular wine drinkers in the UK had bought wine online in the
previous six months. Internet shopping was marginally more popular
among those aged over 55, the survey found, with those under 34 the
least likely to buy wine online.“

These kind of findings remind me that we are still very much in a transitional phase when it comes to the world of on-line sales and wine. While on-line purchasing has overtaken some industries such as travel and books, this same kind of transition WILL come to the world of wine and completely transform how this beverage is sold. And for those companies that are making full court presses to be at the center of this transformation and who have the funds to keep going and breaking even during the transition, AND who have the ability to either develop or implement “ease-of-use” technology to the sector will find themselves sitting pretty in the years to come.

It also suggests that as this transformation to on-line sales continues, the political pressure to make these virtual transactions easier will become more intense. This is bad new for those who still want to argue that restricting consumer choice in wine is a needed trade off in preventing all those teens from purchasing Paso Robles Syrah and the Austrian Rieslings they are known to crave.

Original post by Tom Wark