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Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
No. 5
Let's go back to Oregon for a moment for another one of my favourites at around $20. When Evolution was first released, it was released as "Evolution No. 9". That simple reason being, Evolution white is a blend of nine different varietals.
Those would be:
Pinot Gris
White Riesling
Muscat
Gewurtztraminer
Semillon
Chardonnay
Pinot Blanc
Sylvaner
Muller-Thurgau
The winemaker at Sokol Blosser has certainly refined this wine with time. In my opinion, this is a wine to drink young. In its youth, it displays a harmony that just about any beginning wine drinker will love. It is also a good "starter wine" if you want to introduce a family member or friend to wine.
This Dundee, Oregon, vineyard is one not to miss. And with a newer red and sparkling offering as well, you might have a Mimosa with breakfast, Evolution White with a salad and soup at lunch and Evolution Red with your evening meal. Cheers!
Let's go back to Oregon for a moment for another one of my favourites at around $20. When Evolution was first released, it was released as "Evolution No. 9". That simple reason being, Evolution white is a blend of nine different varietals.
Those would be:
Pinot Gris
White Riesling
Muscat
Gewurtztraminer
Semillon
Chardonnay
Pinot Blanc
Sylvaner
Muller-Thurgau
The winemaker at Sokol Blosser has certainly refined this wine with time. In my opinion, this is a wine to drink young. In its youth, it displays a harmony that just about any beginning wine drinker will love. It is also a good "starter wine" if you want to introduce a family member or friend to wine.
This Dundee, Oregon, vineyard is one not to miss. And with a newer red and sparkling offering as well, you might have a Mimosa with breakfast, Evolution White with a salad and soup at lunch and Evolution Red with your evening meal. Cheers!
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
No. 4
My next pick for you to enjoy is a regional one. I lived in Roanoke, Virginia, in my early 20's. My mentor at the financial services firm that I worked for had a client who was at that time starting to plant grapes. Who knew that the resulting wine would become a rather acclaimed pick.
Valhalla Vineyards started as a hobby and has grown into a burgeoning brand. With fifteen wines now in the portfolio, one is surely to find something to please the palate; while either visiting or perhaps ordering online.
Their Syrah is the featured wine for this writing, and I want to point out a few key points about it. If you are a fan of "big" wines and "Peppery" Syrahs, then this one is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
The owners describe the wine as one that will accompany any meal. Personally, my choice would be either lamb or steak. The dark red and ripe fruit give way to the note of white pepper; not as common in a Syrah, but definitely noticeable in this wine. It is meaty and displays spice notes, and is very round, focused and full in the mouth.
Valhalla was originally a winery that tastings only were the norm, but they now offer many estate events to enjoy. So the next time you are traveling down or up the Blue Ridge Parkway, take time to stop by Valhalla Vineyards, meet the kind doctor, and enjoy some of his fabulous nectar.
My next pick for you to enjoy is a regional one. I lived in Roanoke, Virginia, in my early 20's. My mentor at the financial services firm that I worked for had a client who was at that time starting to plant grapes. Who knew that the resulting wine would become a rather acclaimed pick.
Valhalla Vineyards started as a hobby and has grown into a burgeoning brand. With fifteen wines now in the portfolio, one is surely to find something to please the palate; while either visiting or perhaps ordering online.
Their Syrah is the featured wine for this writing, and I want to point out a few key points about it. If you are a fan of "big" wines and "Peppery" Syrahs, then this one is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
The owners describe the wine as one that will accompany any meal. Personally, my choice would be either lamb or steak. The dark red and ripe fruit give way to the note of white pepper; not as common in a Syrah, but definitely noticeable in this wine. It is meaty and displays spice notes, and is very round, focused and full in the mouth.
Valhalla was originally a winery that tastings only were the norm, but they now offer many estate events to enjoy. So the next time you are traveling down or up the Blue Ridge Parkway, take time to stop by Valhalla Vineyards, meet the kind doctor, and enjoy some of his fabulous nectar.
No. 3
Catena is a wine on my list that may be a little harder than your average bottle to find. In fact, I just now searched wine.com, and found that they are "out of stock" at a current price of $25.99. The winery itself in Mendoza, Argentina, is one not to miss if you are a globe-trotter. The building is massive, and speaks to the architecture of the ancient Aztecs.
You'll find that Catena Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep purple color, usually more representative of their Malbec offering. You'll find hints of vanilla, spice, cedar and ripe fruits of dark berries.
Nicolas and Laura Catena have built this state-of-the-art winery to entice people to come to Mendoza; however, once you have tasted their wine, there is no need to be enticed. A simple plane ticket to Mendoza and a trip to the winery is certainly worth its weight in gold. You might check for flights on a last minute basis to find a deal.
Getting back to Cantena, this wine will also support aging for a number of years, and it is my personal bet that you could age this wine for fifteen years and still enjoy it to the very last drop. Here's to some Catena in your glass, and what I am sure will be a dancing palate.
Catena is a wine on my list that may be a little harder than your average bottle to find. In fact, I just now searched wine.com, and found that they are "out of stock" at a current price of $25.99. The winery itself in Mendoza, Argentina, is one not to miss if you are a globe-trotter. The building is massive, and speaks to the architecture of the ancient Aztecs.
You'll find that Catena Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep purple color, usually more representative of their Malbec offering. You'll find hints of vanilla, spice, cedar and ripe fruits of dark berries.
Nicolas and Laura Catena have built this state-of-the-art winery to entice people to come to Mendoza; however, once you have tasted their wine, there is no need to be enticed. A simple plane ticket to Mendoza and a trip to the winery is certainly worth its weight in gold. You might check for flights on a last minute basis to find a deal.
Getting back to Cantena, this wine will also support aging for a number of years, and it is my personal bet that you could age this wine for fifteen years and still enjoy it to the very last drop. Here's to some Catena in your glass, and what I am sure will be a dancing palate.
Monday, October 6, 2014
No. 2
Erath is probably my second favourite Pinot on the planet. Made for a weeknite meal any day, this one is sure never to disappoint. Straight from the Williamette Valley of Oregon, this Pinot is one not to miss. If you can find a bottle from the Dundee Hills Block specifically, it is a keeper.
In my opinion, this Pinot has cellaring power. On the nose you have a strong scent of strawberry. It is; in fact, a perfect representation of Williamette Valley Pinot. It is earthy as well. The soil in the Williamette Valley of Oregon was perfectly crafted by our master for this grape. While fickle, the conditions seem to be perfect year after year.
While I am paraphrasing here, the folks at Erath have a slogan on every bottle. "Harvested from the EARTH, Made from the HEART, ERATH!" It doesn't get any better than that, folks.
With a demand toward perfection starting with each and every grape in each and every harvest, this wine at around $20 is sure to please any palate.
Erath is probably my second favourite Pinot on the planet. Made for a weeknite meal any day, this one is sure never to disappoint. Straight from the Williamette Valley of Oregon, this Pinot is one not to miss. If you can find a bottle from the Dundee Hills Block specifically, it is a keeper.
In my opinion, this Pinot has cellaring power. On the nose you have a strong scent of strawberry. It is; in fact, a perfect representation of Williamette Valley Pinot. It is earthy as well. The soil in the Williamette Valley of Oregon was perfectly crafted by our master for this grape. While fickle, the conditions seem to be perfect year after year.
While I am paraphrasing here, the folks at Erath have a slogan on every bottle. "Harvested from the EARTH, Made from the HEART, ERATH!" It doesn't get any better than that, folks.
With a demand toward perfection starting with each and every grape in each and every harvest, this wine at around $20 is sure to please any palate.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
No. 1
The first wine I want to recommend is one from the Malborough Region of New Zealand.
I first had Kim Crawford at a reception on Daufuskie Island Georgia. I was there for a meeting with a number of other financial advisors from the Virginia area. This Sauvignon Blanc is a beautiful wine. Its bouquet immediately screams grapefruit; one of my favourites to broil a bit of brown sugar for just a minute once halved.
It additionally has a very earthy note and taste to it as well. The combination of citrus and earth are appealing, crisp and pleasurable; every time you take a sip. Kim Crawford can be found at your local grocery store for just under or over $20. It just depends on the mark-up.
The grapes are selected more pointedly from the Wairau Valley and the neighboring Awatere Valley. The gravelly and alluvial soils act as a heating agent. They soak up the sun during the day and then keep the grapes a little warmer at nite. The vines are aged from new growth to fourteen years.
The wine has won a number of accolades dating back to 2008. With the crispness and slight acidity displayed here, this Sauvignon Blanc can go with anything from a salad, to a green vegetable such as asparagus (one of my personal fauvorites), or even a chicken breast or pork chop.
Bon Appetite!
The first wine I want to recommend is one from the Malborough Region of New Zealand.
I first had Kim Crawford at a reception on Daufuskie Island Georgia. I was there for a meeting with a number of other financial advisors from the Virginia area. This Sauvignon Blanc is a beautiful wine. Its bouquet immediately screams grapefruit; one of my favourites to broil a bit of brown sugar for just a minute once halved.
It additionally has a very earthy note and taste to it as well. The combination of citrus and earth are appealing, crisp and pleasurable; every time you take a sip. Kim Crawford can be found at your local grocery store for just under or over $20. It just depends on the mark-up.
The grapes are selected more pointedly from the Wairau Valley and the neighboring Awatere Valley. The gravelly and alluvial soils act as a heating agent. They soak up the sun during the day and then keep the grapes a little warmer at nite. The vines are aged from new growth to fourteen years.
The wine has won a number of accolades dating back to 2008. With the crispness and slight acidity displayed here, this Sauvignon Blanc can go with anything from a salad, to a green vegetable such as asparagus (one of my personal fauvorites), or even a chicken breast or pork chop.
Bon Appetite!
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Wine is a passion.
Perhaps no one has ever said it better than Virginia Madsen's character in the cult movie "Sideways". She has a short, but powerful soliloquy about wine...how it is a living and breathing creature. How it will never be the same twenty minutes from now or twenty years from now. We all are well aware that once the bottle is opened, the wine that is released from the bottle is not only a sublime nectar, but an organism. And with oxygen comes change.
Change is perhaps a good place to start. Personally, I am undergoing a plethora of changes in my own life. Not to be to personal, but I plan to marry in 2015; around the time that hopefully this short book will be published. I will at that time also inherit two step sons. I have taken on an additional position within the wine world, and it is partly this that has made me so interested in writing about wine.
In my spare time, I write. I have finished a memoir that is soon off to publishing, and have two books under development today that should also be finished and published prior to this one. That being said, the last few sentences are goals and the former paragraph a dream. Bringing everything back into focus for a minute though; before I derail myself, I am on these pages writing a book about wine.
Wine became a passion of mine at twenty-three. I was a new financial advisor at a national firm. Typically, I would be courted by wholesalers at dinner or lunch two to three times per week. On many occasions, wine was ordered and served. It was in these first two years of my professional career that I developed a taste for wine. Since then, it has been growing like a wildfire in a dry forest. It is a passion that burns in the deep recesses of my gut. That is not to say that I imbibe everyday, as more often than not that would not be the case.
So let me draw a parallel.
In my profession as a financial advisor, I advise a select few clients with stock portfolios. Not for the faint of heart, or an advisor with one either. Instead of selling; when you have ownership in the right companies, it is more appropriate to "double-down" on losing days. I guess what I am trying to paint a picture of is a little bit about my philosophy. I try to pick small or mezzanine level companies that have all the characteristics of the hyper-growth companies of yesterday who are today's eight-hundred pound gorillas.
I am going to apply this same principle to wine. All of us who have spent some quality time in the wine business has a story about a favourite bottle of wine. One that went from being a $20 bottle in the restaurant, to one that is now $40, $60, even $80. I do not profess to be a collector as of yet, but I do have the desire.
What I will aim to do in the next few pages is to acquaint you with bottles such as these. Twenty-Somethings! By this I mean bottles that are fresh, bottles that could be old or new, but the idea is that today they are small or mezzanine level wines. Tomorrow, they will be on a stage earning "Gold" somewhere, but today they are bargains.
You may want to use this text in a number of ways. Perhaps as a book of recommendations, or the beginnings of a cellaring list, for personal enjoyment, or maybe even as a gift to your favorite "whino". No matter the reason, I hope to ingratiate you with some knowledge about everything from the vine to the glass.
So come along with me...Let's find some Twenty-Somethings!!!
Perhaps no one has ever said it better than Virginia Madsen's character in the cult movie "Sideways". She has a short, but powerful soliloquy about wine...how it is a living and breathing creature. How it will never be the same twenty minutes from now or twenty years from now. We all are well aware that once the bottle is opened, the wine that is released from the bottle is not only a sublime nectar, but an organism. And with oxygen comes change.
Change is perhaps a good place to start. Personally, I am undergoing a plethora of changes in my own life. Not to be to personal, but I plan to marry in 2015; around the time that hopefully this short book will be published. I will at that time also inherit two step sons. I have taken on an additional position within the wine world, and it is partly this that has made me so interested in writing about wine.
In my spare time, I write. I have finished a memoir that is soon off to publishing, and have two books under development today that should also be finished and published prior to this one. That being said, the last few sentences are goals and the former paragraph a dream. Bringing everything back into focus for a minute though; before I derail myself, I am on these pages writing a book about wine.
Wine became a passion of mine at twenty-three. I was a new financial advisor at a national firm. Typically, I would be courted by wholesalers at dinner or lunch two to three times per week. On many occasions, wine was ordered and served. It was in these first two years of my professional career that I developed a taste for wine. Since then, it has been growing like a wildfire in a dry forest. It is a passion that burns in the deep recesses of my gut. That is not to say that I imbibe everyday, as more often than not that would not be the case.
So let me draw a parallel.
In my profession as a financial advisor, I advise a select few clients with stock portfolios. Not for the faint of heart, or an advisor with one either. Instead of selling; when you have ownership in the right companies, it is more appropriate to "double-down" on losing days. I guess what I am trying to paint a picture of is a little bit about my philosophy. I try to pick small or mezzanine level companies that have all the characteristics of the hyper-growth companies of yesterday who are today's eight-hundred pound gorillas.
I am going to apply this same principle to wine. All of us who have spent some quality time in the wine business has a story about a favourite bottle of wine. One that went from being a $20 bottle in the restaurant, to one that is now $40, $60, even $80. I do not profess to be a collector as of yet, but I do have the desire.
What I will aim to do in the next few pages is to acquaint you with bottles such as these. Twenty-Somethings! By this I mean bottles that are fresh, bottles that could be old or new, but the idea is that today they are small or mezzanine level wines. Tomorrow, they will be on a stage earning "Gold" somewhere, but today they are bargains.
You may want to use this text in a number of ways. Perhaps as a book of recommendations, or the beginnings of a cellaring list, for personal enjoyment, or maybe even as a gift to your favorite "whino". No matter the reason, I hope to ingratiate you with some knowledge about everything from the vine to the glass.
So come along with me...Let's find some Twenty-Somethings!!!
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