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Serious Grape: Pinotage, the Wine for Coffee Lovers
I am a big fan of Pinotage, though I don't drink coffee at all. For inexpensive Pinotage, I recommend Hill & Dale, which is usually under $10. For higher end, the Kanonkop, around $35 or so, is fantastic.
You can find great info on Pinotage at Peter May's "The Pinotage Club", a blog devoted to just Pinotage. http://pinotageclub.blogspot.com
Serious Grape: The Next Big Wine Region Is in Your Backyard
With wineries in every state, people have lots of places to explore new wines. But I agree with you that sales, distribution, and shipping regulations can make it very difficult to find some of these new wines. Even though I live in MA, it can still find hard to find NY wines in local stores. It can even be hard to find MA wines in many local stores. It takes effort to find these wines.
At the recent Boston Wine Expo, I was lucky to find a new MA wine, an apple ice wine that I really liked (and will review on my blog on Sunday). I also got to try a number of NY Finger Lake wines and found some impressive ones (which I will also post about in the near future).
I fully agree with your sentiment about seeking out and supporting local wineries.
Serious Grape: Reading About Historic Wines You'll Never Drink
It sounds like a fascinating book, especially as I too love both wine and history, so I will be sure to look for it in my local book store. I very much enjoyed Billionaire's Vinegar and Broadbent is certainly an intriguing personality.
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
Serious Grape: Salmon, a Spring Wine Pairing
I think a nice Japanese Sake would also be a good choice for the salmon. In fact, Sake is a great pairing for any type of seafood.
I recently read an intriguing assertion that Sake actually pairs better with seafood than wine, because wine has far more sodium, which tends to bring out the fishiness in seafood. I have not done my own testing yet on that theory.
Serious Grape: Pinotage, the Wine for Coffee Lovers
I am a big fan of Pinotage, though I don't drink coffee at all. For inexpensive Pinotage, I recommend Hill & Dale, which is usually under $10. For higher end, the Kanonkop, around $35 or so, is fantastic.
You can find great info on Pinotage at Peter May's "The Pinotage Club", a blog devoted to just Pinotage. http://pinotageclub.blogspot.com
Serious Grape: The Next Big Wine Region Is in Your Backyard
With wineries in every state, people have lots of places to explore new wines. But I agree with you that sales, distribution, and shipping regulations can make it very difficult to find some of these new wines. Even though I live in MA, it can still find hard to find NY wines in local stores. It can even be hard to find MA wines in many local stores. It takes effort to find these wines.
At the recent Boston Wine Expo, I was lucky to find a new MA wine, an apple ice wine that I really liked (and will review on my blog on Sunday). I also got to try a number of NY Finger Lake wines and found some impressive ones (which I will also post about in the near future).
I fully agree with your sentiment about seeking out and supporting local wineries.
Serious Grape: Reading About Historic Wines You'll Never Drink
It sounds like a fascinating book, especially as I too love both wine and history, so I will be sure to look for it in my local book store. I very much enjoyed Billionaire's Vinegar and Broadbent is certainly an intriguing personality.
Serious Grape: Five Must-Have Wine Books
I think you are spot on in your choices. All five books are excellent resources. My only addition would be a good wine atlas, such as The World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson.
Serious Grape: The Next Big Grape
I would disagree on Petite Sirah being the next big thing. I don't think people are looking for another big, bold grape. I think Tempranillo may be better poised grab the public's attention. It is at least familiar to more people who have had Spanish wines, but plenty of California producers have started to use it.
For white wine, I would choose Albarino. I know locally, Albarino is been a big seller in the local wine stores. They are also stocking many more producers of Albarino.
Serious Grape: Pinotage, the Wine for Coffee Lovers
I just recently discovered Pinotage at my favorite Ethiopian restaurant here in Chicago - I'm hooked. The bottle they serve is Fairvalley http://www.capewine.com/fairvalley_pinotage.htm and on top of being delicious (fruity with a cheesy/creamy finish) it benefits a co-op farm in South Africa. $10 at Whole Foods! Definitely check it out.
Serious Grape: The Next Big Wine Region Is in Your Backyard
One of the most up and coming wine regions, is also one of the oldest in the US: New Mexico. One of the best champagnes in this country is made here: Gruet.
Suprisingly, this state which is generally well above sea level, has a vigorous vincultural heritage, and is producing some good wines.
Serious Grape: The Next Big Wine Region Is in Your Backyard
Missouri was the second-largest producer of wine before Prohibition. We have everything from really serious stuff with a matching price tag to what you'd expect from beginners. There's nothing wrong with that; every winery had to start up and go through a learning process. But it's good for our economy, with plenty of B&Bs in wine country, and the related traffic. Me, I'm more of a serious wine drinker than some. But even the un-serious stuff is important for the industry, and I won't sneer at it.
As I always say about white zinfandel, I may not like it, but it paid winemakers' salaries and kept those zin vines in the ground.
Serious Grape: The Next Big Wine Region Is in Your Backyard
I live in Rochester, NY, just north of the Finger Lakes and an hour east of the Niagara-on-the-Lake region. I've been to a lot of wineries in the area, and of course there are a lot of great rieslings here, not just sweet, but good dry ones too. There's some good late harvest and ice wines from the Finger Lakes, but the really great (and expensive) ones are from Niagara-on-the-Lake.
I've also been to several in the central Virginia region (my sister lives in the Shenandoah valley). Obviously there's better red wines there, but Horton Vineyards has a ton of great fruit wines and is one of four wineries in the US that makes rkatsiteli wine.
Some wineries in NY have some wines from other states and countries, but of course not as much as your could find in the state or country itself, due to shipping costs and how much is produced. So definitely by local to support your backyard wineries!
Serious Grape: Reading About Historic Wines You'll Never Drink
Hey, I already knew who Michael Broadbent was!
But seriously, his latest book sounds like an interesting read; I've added it to my "List of Books I Need to Read". Wine books can definitely be as fascinating as the wine itself... one of my favorite things about wine is that no matter how much one knows about it, there will always be so much more to learn.
Serious Grape: Reading About Historic Wines You'll Never Drink
thanks for the book suggestions Deb! Natalie MacLean's Red, White and Drunk All Over is also a must-read for old wines and new. Check out her food-and-wine matcher:
www.nataliemaclean.com/matcher
Sharon
Serious Grape: Reading About Historic Wines You'll Never Drink
your posting is really informative, and that's really usefull for me, actually I have the related blog like you, I hope you can check on www.winebarrels.blogspot.com, I hope it will be usefull for u.
Serious Grape: Five Must-Have Wine Books
Peanutbutter spread the word about "Natalie MacLean's Red, White and Drunk All Over"! It's terrific ... as the author of Sideways says, it's laugh-out-loud funny." She also has an amazing newsletter and a useful wine-and-food matching tool on her site (www.nataliemaclean.com/matcher). I'm thirsty, gotta go ...
Serious Grape: Five Must-Have Wine Books
For tasting guides and winery notes, Hugh Johnson's guides are our household favorite. Pithy and pointed, with a more restrained aesthetic than Robert Parker, and less didactic than many wine writers.
Serious Grape: Five Must-Have Wine Books
Cheesebruger and PeanutButter are right to point out the kind of wine book that I didn't include in my list--great wine reads. May have to do another post on those. And thanks to lol82070 and RichardA for the additional suggestions.
Serious Grape: Five Must-Have Wine Books
Good choices. "Red, White, and Drunk All Over" by Natalie MacLean is a great read, informative but really entertaining. Sort of a Jeffrey Steingarten book but about wine... Does a movie count? Mondovino is a great documentary about the globalization of wine.
Serious Grape: The Next Big Grape
Malbecs from Argentina can be wonderful and affordable, but its chief competitor for new grape to me is Carmenere from Chile - had a stunning version over the weekend that most would have guessed to be pinot noir, yet it had much more structure and cost only $18.
Albarino is a strong contender for white, yet my personal tastebud favorite would be roussanne. Gruner Veltliner would be a third choice.
Grigio and S/Blanc had their chances yet did not get it done.
Serious Grape: The Next Big Grape
i see Rose coming on strong. seriously. made from nice italian reds. perfecto!
Serious Grape: The Next Big Grape
I've got my money on Grenache for the next big red. Although Malbec would easily be my second choice...
Serious Grape: The Next Big Grape
I second Mr. AbacusFinch. Malbec is easy to pronounce, and has that berry-lushness that stands between merlot and pinot noir, without merlot's thick plainness or pinot's disappointing pale color and acidity. Petite sirah appeals to men once they learn it's tougher and brawnier than a cabernet, but men don't drive wine purchases (I don't think).
The next white? I'm guessing something that won't have chardonnay's or pinot grigio's soft plainness (this is a word I find so often useful with wine). I suggest sauvignon blanc.
Serious Grape: The Next Big Grape
For a new white, I have to go with vinho verde. Excellent summer whine, very light and refreshing. As far as reds go, a good high altitude malbec is tops in my book.
Serious Grape: The Next Big Grape
I wonder about the future of Malbec. It seems every time I bring a few bottles to a party or dinner, the Malbec is everyone's favorite, particularly among those who aren't wine-nerds. Its flashy and accessible with mostly solid QPR to boot.
Serious Grape: The Next Big Grape
Great picks from all of you. For what it's worth, I think Tempranillo is the next next big red, perhaps followed by Cab Franc. I love the idea of sake for the white. I think the problem with ribolla, gruner, and arneis is availability here in the US. Amandarama and Simon will like Petite Sirah, based on what they are enjoying now. And if Sauvignon Blanc was going to do it, I figure it would have by now--but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.
Ellis, you've discovered one of my quirks: wine personifications. Not all my reviews have them, but a lot do. One day you'll get sick of them--then I'll switch to music or something. But I'm glad you liked it.
Keep the predictions coming!
Serious Grape: The Next Big Grape
I'm with simon regarding Gruner Veltliner - so refreshing in the summer. But Viognier is quite popular here. Spanish reds are my vote for the next big thing.
Serious Grape: The Next Big Grape
I'll have to try the Petite Syrah. I was on the Pinot Noir bandwagon was early as 1997. Lately I've been enjoying the various blended reds available that are comprised of shiraz and/or grenache in combination with other grapes (such as mouvedre).
For whites I really like New World sauvignon blancs. I like their juiciness and they go great with spicy foods (which I eat a lot of). But, I also like chenin blanc and viognier, especially on a hot summer afternoon with a picnic lunch!
Serious Grape: The Next Big Grape
nero d'avola for red and ribolla gialla for white. you can quote me on that.
Serious Grape: The Next Big Grape
@ellis ~ "A wine that tastes like a very-berry Zinfandel that walked through a tannic Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard with a dark chocolate bar clutched in its fist."
I must memorize that description and blow my wine expert friends away. If you listen carefully, you'll hear their jaws hit the floor. 8-D
Serious Grape: The Next Big Grape
Great Pinot Picks - I have tried Four Vines, Twisted oak and Micheal David. I just had a bottle of Omaka Springs Pinot and it was amazing!! That is a must try.
Serious Grape: The Next Big Grape
My favorite wine description ever: "A wine that tastes like a very-berry Zinfandel that walked through a tannic Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard with a dark chocolate bar clutched in its fist."
I respectfully request that the flavor profiles of all wines be personified from this point forward. Much obliged.
Serious Grape: The Next Big Grape
Mmmm, sparkling sake sounds great. Gonna have to try that, tonight perhaps.
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Website: http://passionatefoodie.blogspot.com/
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I think a nice Japanese Sake would also be a good choice for the salmon. In fact, Sake is a great pairing for any type of seafood.
I recently read an intriguing assertion that Sake actually pairs better with seafood than wine, because wine has far more sodium, which tends to bring out the fishiness in seafood. I have not done my own testing yet on that theory.