Last night I opened a bottle of Bonny Doon Vineyard 1985 Muscat Canelli (California). Got this bottle from my friend Maurice. He had a case of the wine stored under his stairs, and just rediscovered it while cleaning the space out. He generously gave us a few bottles. You could already tell without opening the bottle that the wine had deepened in color. The cork broke coming out of the bottle, but it didn’t disintegrate, so that was a good sign. I strained the wine as I poured…for cork and sediment. The bottle had been standing upright for a good amount of time. The liquid is amber or caramel. It has a rich nose, a little bit oxidized. Tasting it, I find nuttiness and caramel and vanilla. Hardly any fruit left. Very strong, almost brandy or cognac like. Has a very nice mouthfeel, but it is too rich to drink…
DRINK – Bubbly base wine tasting
I went to a tasting of the base wine components that go into the sparkling wine, J Schram, made by Schramsberg Vineyards in Napa Valley. What’s a base wine? Champagne and sparkling wines are usually blends of many many base wines, 50 to 60 in some cases. Each component comes from a particular lot – say a block of a vineyard. These base wines are fermented alone, and spend time either in stainless steel tanks or oak barrels before they are tasted by the winemakers to create the final blend. By having so many base wines, or elements, the winemaker can ensure the consistency of the “house style.” The lineup had six base wines in it: stainless-steel fermented Chardonnays; a Chard with no malolactic fermentation and a Chard with ML; a stainless steel fermented Pinot Noir and a barrel fermented Pinot. All bases wines are single vineyard designate. You don’t…
EATDRINK – Quivira Vineyards
If you haven’t heard of Quivira, a winery in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma, it’s about time you get to know them. They’ve long been in the forefront of sustainability and guardianship of the land. Tonight they’re hosting a seasonal farm-to-table dinner; much of the meal comes from the winery property. There’s a biodynamic garden, and it’s not just for the winery. Quivira grows produce for several local restaurants. There’s also a chicken coop, beehives, and pigs. Plus there is a creek, Wine Creek, that runs through the property. Quivira has been committed to restoring the habitat for steelhead trout for years. The wines are delicious and quite interesting. Have you ever heard of using acacia wood barrels? Or how about co-fermenting Grenache and Zin or Grenache and Petite Sirah? This is what you’ll find at Quivira. This is the first release of these 2 wines and they…
DRINK – Frozen wine
Last night I put a bottle of wine in the freezer for a quick chill — but forgot about it until the next day. Completely icy! I thought alcohol doesn’t freeze? Nothing to do but let it thaw and then see if it still tasted good. The photo series shows the bottle over a period of about 90 min. I got impatient toward the end and ran the bottle under hot water. Opened it and it tasted just fine. OK it was just a $5 bottle of Chardonnay. Next day the remaining wine tasted a little funky.
DRINK – Grape Harvest
It’s 5 am the morning of Labor Day. Why am I up at this insane hour? To pick grapes! A friend has a backyard vineyard, and their Chardonnay is ready to go. Along with about 15 other people, we are the picking crew. The vineyard is in the Santa Cruz Mountains, it’s steep, but the views from it are worth getting up early for! We don gloves and take a pair of clippers, then grab a picking box and go. You have to really balance not to topple over while picking. The grapes are juicy and sweet, with a nice amount of acid. The picking crew fills up about 9 bins in about an hour. We all gather for a great breakfast al fresco. Then it’s back home for a nap!
SHOP – Joe Bastianich’s shoes
Italian wine guru Joe Bastianich sports custom “Drink Vino” Nike’s at San Francisco book signing event. How about “Wine Fashionista”? Joe Bastianich Joe's "Drink Vino" Nikes The "Vino" Nike
car guy wines
Spent the day shooting with Bruce Cohn, owner of B.R. Cohn winery and manager of the Doobie Bros. He’s rolling out a new line of wines called “Car Guy” wines, all pegged to a car in his classic car collection. “Woody White” goes with his classic Woody; “Roadster Red” goes with his 1933 Willys Roadster. You get the idea. Bruce says he’s been a gearhead long before he got into music and wine.
Pink Out!
Tasted some great rosé wines at Pink Out 2009 in San Francisco! Look for Azur from Julien Fayard assistant winemaker to superstar vintner Philippe Melka; de Tomas rosé — a stellar first release from Thomas and Ashleen Guilliams. Also check out the rose from Kate’s Vineyard. Lush and floral.
Welcome to ShopEatDrink
Welcome to ShopEatDrink. A new blog about 3 great things: Shopping, Eating, and Drinking. We will be officially launching soon. Please check back later.