Touraine Tuesday #vinegeek
on Instagram: http://instagr.am/p/IsqePQs5wp/
Château Blanc
White Castle is testing wine in one of it’s locations in Lafayette, Indiana. WSJ.com has an entertaining write-up.
“I find that people who know wine will choose the Moscato.”
Who Couldn’t Use a Nice $10 Ugni Blanc/Colombard Blend
This one’s been floating around in my Giant Pile O’ Tasting Notes for a while, but never popped to the top. Maybe that’s because Ugni Blanc posts don’t promise much in the way of search traffic. [Caution: Blogger navel-gazing] Third-tier grapes are one thing, but combine it with a yawn-inducing appellation like VdP des Cotes de Gascogne and a supermarket price point and you might as well be writing in invisible ink. So file this one under If You’re Reading This You’re An Honorary VINEgeek.
Great Moments in Wine-Related Music: California Stars
California Stars — Billy Bragg & Wilco
Jump up from my starbed
Make another day
Underneath my California stars
They hang like grapes
On vines that shine
And warm the lovers’ glass
Like friendly wine
Dark Roast : Coffee :: Overripe Reds : Wine
In his latest Drinking Out Loud post at winespectator.com, Matt Kramer makes the case that Starbuck’s new Blonde Roast signals a general shift in American tastes toward more nuance, less intensity-for-intensity’s-sake:
As the marketing mavens of Starbucks have discovered, the American palate is seeking an alternative to heavy flavors. Are we becoming—dare I say it?—more nuanced? By golly, I think we are.
Witness the recalibration among an increasing number of California winemakers as to what constitutes “ripeness” in a grape. In a reaction against the wine version of “dark-roasted grapes,” newer producers such as Rhys, Copain, Arnot-Roberts, Peay, Kutch and Parr, among others, have put their pocketbooks where there palates are by making wines (mostly Pinot Noir, as well as Syrah) with alcohol levels as low as 12 percent. Longtime producers such as Mayacamas, Au Bon Climat and Cathy Corison, among others, have quietly gone their own restrained way for decades.
It’s an apt analogy. And I wonder if there’s an even broader rule at play here that applies in countless other areas of interest: intensity-seeking as a base form of connoisseurship. Do beer snobs look down their noses at hop-heads counting their IBUs? Foodies make fun of heat-seekers and their chile pepper flip-flops?
Whatever. I believe in the Big Tent philosophy of wine enthusiasm. There are thousands of different wines for a reason. Drink what you like. Dark roasted or unoaked.
Wine Pairing for Artificial Meat?
In case you missed it, they’re getting closer to perfecting artificial meat.
The next obvious question is what wine should one serve with lab-grown meat?
Well, it depends on the sauce…
VINEgeek VINstagram
Nice signage for NYC wine bar #vinegeek #scenesfromacabtolaguardia 
on Instagram: http://instagr.am/p/HFGy_MM5zr/
VINEgeek VINstagram
For the record, this was my Super Bowl wine. Needs more time in bottle. #vinegeek 
on Instagram: http://instagr.am/p/GzsWs9M50z/
Princess Bride Wine… Inconceivable!
I came across this story last week and my head almost exploded. It represents the convergence of three of my favorite things. If by some miracle it had been Mourvèdre instead of Cab, I really would have lost my mind.
Wine
+
Austin
(Alamo Drafthouse is one of the things I love best about Austin)
+
Princess Bride
(one of my all-time favorite movies).
=
Click the image above for the full story and more shots of the terrific packaging at the Helms Workshop site. About the project:
In looking at developing an identity for Alamo’s in-house branded wines, we quickly decided that it would be impossible to sum up everything that makes the Alamo unique in a single packaging system. Why not redesign the wine each year, based on a film that aligns with the brand? Alamo’s 2012 offering became two wines inspired by The Princess Bride, in honor of the 25th anniversary of the film.
There’s a new Alamo Drafthouse opening in my neighborhood next month. I know what my first drink order will be!
Mourvèdre Monday #27: My New Favorite Monastrell
I originally declared 2010 to be the Year of Mourvèdre, but my love of the grape knows no bounds, calendrical or otherwise. Here in 2012, the posts don’t come as often as they used to, but in honor of my recent business trip to Spain, here’s a review of my new favorite Monastrell (the Spanish name for Mourvèdre).
This wine retails for around $10-12 and is a great intro into Monastrell if you’re new to it — or for those who know and love the grape, it’s a good bulk buy. Have you tried this wine before? Leave a comment.
—
Search-friendly, cut-and-paste-friendly text: Olivares Altos de la Hoyas Monastrell 2008 Jumilla |Nose: Smoked cherries with a fresh vegetal note. Palate: High-toned blackberry fruit with good acidity and a touch of earthy minerality. Good, persistent finish. Overall: My new favorite Monastrell. Made my day. | Score: A-