When I find someone I respect writing about an edgy, nervous wine that dithered in the glass, I cringe. When I hear someone I don’t respect talking about an austere, unforgiving wine, I turn a bit austere and unforgiving myself. When I come across stuff like that and remember about the figs and bananas, I want to snigger uneasily. You can call a wine red, and dry, and strong, and pleasant. After that, watch out…. […]
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Champagne and Sparkling wines under $40
Just in time for the holidays the San Francisco Chronicle has a nice article with reviews about French Champagne and domestic sparkling wines. Of the wines that are reviewed that I have tasted, I agree with their assessments. But what really struck me is this paragraph: There are levels of complexity, finesse and balance in our recommended wines, which are somewhat similar between our top domestic bottlings and the imported Champagne submitted for our tasting. […]
Continue readingMore TagFeast – Houston, a remarkable restaurant
Last night Amy and I were going out to dinner and wanted to try some place we had never been. My first choice was only open until 5 on Sundays and I could not remember the name of my second choice (hey, the 80’s were pretty rough on some of us). Amy started looking at reviews online, hoping she could find the name of the place that I could not remember, when she came upon […]
Continue readingMore TagRhone and Ribs
This video from Wine Spectator had me drooling by combining two of my absolute favorite flavors, Rhone wines and short ribs. This is a marriage made in heaven! If anyone wants to spring for these two wines, I will cook the ribs. Seriously, I think a recipe for short ribs is overdue. Oh, and seriously, provide these wines and I am cooking. Seriously! Quit laughing, dammit!
Continue readingMore TagImagery Dry Creek Valley Sangiovese 2005
As I have posted before, I am not the biggest fan of Sangiovese grown outside of Italy. Not so much because the wines are not any good, but because they do not taste like Italian Sangiovese, and I have never had one that approaches being as good. We recently got some wines shipped to us from Imagery Estate Winery. Included were a couple of bottles of their 2005 Dry Creek Sangiovese. I really like Imagery […]
Continue readingMore TagBreakfast at the Blogger Conference
The Wine Bloggers Conference in Santa Rosa begins today, but we got here yesterday. Last night we went to the hotel lounge for a glass of wine or three. I asked the bartender for a recommendation for breakfast. He suggested a place called Hank’s Creekside which is right across from the resort where the conference is being held. It was a great suggestion. I had a spinach and cheese omelet covered in hollandaise, with sides […]
Continue readingMore TagVineyard Tours – A Great Way to Appreciate Wine
Now that Comcast has restored my internet connection to full speed, I’m able to access AWB! Although most of my contributions will continue to be photography, I’ll add an article every now and then, mainly focusing on wine “education.” I am one of those geeks who thinks every vacation should also include an “educational experience.” That’s probably due to growing up in a home with a school teacher Mom and a school principal Dad. Luckily, […]
Continue readingMore TagGood wine vs. the right wine
Last night I cooked a pork loin with carmelized onions and dried apricots, with a ginger, goat cheese rissoto topped with pine nuts. It turned out fairly well, and I wanted a really good wine to go with it. That is where I made my mistake. I looked through the wines on hand and decided that a big, powerful white was in order, as none of my reds looked to be the right wine. So, […]
Continue readingMore TagChampagne is in order!
I am a huge fan of the University of Toledo Rockets, and in honor of their win over the University of Michigan Wolverines I am going to drink something with a lot of bubbles! Congratulations to all Toledo fans, and my condolences to Michigan fans. Maybe your radio announcer should not have had so much fun calling us the ‘Mud Hens.” My bubbles of choice this evening will be Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Blancs. This […]
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