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Do You Judge a Wine by Its Label?

partysugar — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:15:12 -0700

Yummy Links: From Vintage McDonald's to Pomegranates

partysugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:45:35 -0700

A blast from the past: the first McDonald's commercial. - A Hamburger Today
Save cherished wine labels with this wine label lifter. - Coveiter
The top 10 weirdest food Halloween costumes. - Endless Simmer
Want more weird Halloween stuff? Check out these crazily carved pumpkins. - TheEpi-Log
Ten organic beers worth sipping. - Forecast Earth
How to properly steep tea. - Chow
Everything you need to know about pomegranates. - The Kitchn

Happy Hour: Encyclopedia

partysugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:15:34 -0700

I'm a huge fan of Francis Ford Coppola's Sofia Sparkling wine, so when I heard the famed director had released a new label, Encyclopedia ($15.00), I was eager to check it out. With its beaker-shaped bottle, Encyclopedia appeals to the younger wine drinker. According to Coppola the wine is "about learning and exploring. It's for people who want to know more about wine and how it is connected to geography, to history, to myth."

There are six varieties: Pinot Grigio, Tempranillo, Malbec, Riesling, Torrontés, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Each is made with grapes from the variety's native region. For example, the Pinot Grigio is made with grapes from delle Venezia, Italy and the Tempranillo comes from Yecla, Spain. The wines represent and respect the tradition and culture of each wine-making region.

I tried the Riesling and the Cab and found both delightful, well-balanced, and highly drinkable. I hope to try the rest soon. If you are new to wine, or enjoy sipping new wines, I highly recommend seeking out Encyclopedia. When the wine is gone, the bottle makes a pretty vase!

7-Eleven's Newest Plug? Wine

YumSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:30:39 -0800

Two Buck Chuck better watch its back - it's about to face some stiff competition. On Tuesday, 7-Eleven announced its plans to release value wines in the United States and Japan.

7-Eleven will launch two proprietary California wines - a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon - to roughly 15,000 outlets under the Yosemite Road label. They will each retail for $3.99.

The Chardonnay is described as having notes of apricot and peach, while the Cabernet will have "juicy plum overtones." So if you're missing your favorite stone fruits from Summer, perhaps it's about time to reach for some Yosemite Road wine. Would you fork over $4 for convenience-store vino?

Personalized Wine Bottles

YumSugar — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 09:51:32 -0700

While searching the web to find the best wedding planning ideas out there, I came across these personalized wine & champagne labels. You choose from a label template, personalize it with your information and images, and choose the bottle of wine you put it on. It would make for a great anytime gift (favors for your bridesmaids perhaps? housewarming? anniversary?) or as a superb wedding favor (assuming your wedding favor budget is larger, or your wedding is small, half bottles are $10+ each).

Alternatively, you can order the customized labels only from Stoney Creek Wine Press. The price is around 80 cents per label with an additional setup cost starting around $10.

An Afternoon at Argentina's Flichman Vineyards

partysugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:50:48 -0800

This story was written by member Eleuthera and comes from the Wine Cellar group in the YumSugar Community.I recently had a chance to attend a wine tasting for Flichman from Argentina. I especially enjoyed the experience because I had a chance to chat with the winemaker, Luis Cabral de Almeida. From my standpoint, it didn't hurt that he was pretty hot also. We began with a bottle of their Chardonnay for $8. Frankly, I didn't want to taste a bottle of $8 Chardonnay as I hate that overly oaked buttery flavor of vanilla predominating, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was delightful and easily equal to wines I have enjoyed at twice the price. In fact everyone of the wines' price points was spectacular.

To learn more about these amazingly priced Argentine wines read more.

Although there were some I preferred more than others, I enjoyed all of them. All the others, with the exception of an interesting and delightful champagne (for about $8!!) were red. In fact, even the champagne was made in part from Malbec also! The biggest surprise of the afternoon was how much I enjoyed Malbec.

Several years ago a friend tried to tell me how great the Argentinian (and Chilean) Malbecs were, but I wouldn't even taste them. However, the grape I knew from living in Bordeaux was a far cry from the one I finally tasted in South America: Malbecs from Argentina are rich, jammy, and luscious with some surprising complexity. Malbec thrives in Argentina, Luis explained, because of the low humidity. This explains their ability to get the delightful jammy qualities which I thoroughly enjoy.

One I liked is called Gestos (2007) (gestures in English) and it was made from Malbec at two different elevations. You have to be careful because there are several varieties of Gestos, including one with Cabernet. The first thing one notices was the lovely aromas, like blackberries and maybe blueberries. The taste was even richer with jammy qualities mixed with the French oak and the earthy background.

Luis was kind enough to explain to me at length that he uses two different elevations of Malbec in order to achieve an extremely well-rounded wine. It is somewhat interesting that Argentina seems one of the few places where this combination can be exploited, although to a lesser degree, California winemakers have been touting mountain grown fruit for years. I rated this wine at least 88 points and perhaps even 89 out of 100. It was $12 or 13 and worth every penny.

Another wine I liked and purchased was the 2007 Expresiones reserve which was 60% Malbec and 40% Cabernet. I would rate this slightly better, perhaps 89-90 points as it had a lingering finish. The complexity reminded me greatly of a Bordeaux style wine and it had the great structure of the Cabernet with the luscious sweet berry qualities of the Malbec. Personally I think this will do better with a few years of patience, although it is delightful now.

The last one I tasted was called Dedicado (2004) and it was clearly the top of the line. At almost $20 it was hitting my price point, but rarely have I had a wine this good for this money...so I bought two. The bottle weighs a ton and it is a mixture of Cabernet, Syrah, and Malbec (30%,10% and 60%). It spends 12 months in new French french oak and 12 months in the bottle according to the label, but I thought Luis told me this one spent 2 years in wood. In short, I thought the result was stunning, perhaps even 91-92 points. The deep intensity and aroma of the berries and black pepper is wonderful and its opulence is nothing short of amazing with a lovely lingering finish. It will benefit from a year or two more in my estimation but it's fantastic just the way it is, at least with an hour or two of breathing.

Because of the high inflation in Argentina and the fact that they are tied to the Euro which is strong (the owners are a Portuguese group) the wines get the benefit of great prices on oak barrels. As far as price point is concerned, I thought each of these wines was wonderful and they certainly impressed me a great deal. Luis wasn't all that bad either!

Have you been to an amazing winery? Join the Wine Cellar group, upload your photos and a description of the experience, and it could be featured on YumSugar! If you are new to the YumSugar Community, here's a detailed guide to posting to groups.

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Happy Hour: 2005 Bad Boy Bordeaux

YumSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:15:02 -0800

When I first received this bottle of Bordeaux in the mail, its Bad Boy name and whimsical label, which features a black sheep and an arrow labeled "garage," meant little to me. But after doing some research, I discovered the whole thing makes quite a bit of sense.

The inky red wine, which is 95 percent Merlot and 5 percent Cabernet Franc, hails from the famous French region of Bordeaux, which is known for its style of highly tannic, collectible wines. But this bottle is different: It's the venture of Jean-Luc Thunevin, a leader in what's known as the garage wine movement, an effort that's focused on developing bolder, fruitier Bordeaux wines that can be enjoyed right away.

Wine critic Robert Parker deemed Bordeaux's black sheep, Thunevin, a "bad boy," which explains how the wine's name came to be. It may be a silly name, but the wine is satiny, with earthy plum notes, and the subtlest hint of smoke. And, at $17.50, it's priced rather affordably. Are you familiar with this wine and Bordeaux's garage wine movement?

Care to share a recent wine experience with the rest of us? Post your tasting notes in our Wine Cellar! If you are new to the YumSugar Community, here's a detailed guide to posting to groups.

Next Up For Twitter: Wine

YumSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:42:20 -0700

Those who've been mystified by Twitter's business model will find themselves further intrigued by the social networking sensation's latest venture: a Twitter wine label.

Fledgling, as it's called, launched today both online and on Twitter. For $20, oenophiles and Twitter fiends can choose between a California Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, both produced by custom wine facility Crushpad. For each bottle purchased, $5 will go to Room to Read, a world literacy organization.

The partnership between Twitter, Crushpad, and Room to Read - all based in San Francisco - is being labeled the largest online wine project to date. Would you be inclined to buy a bottle of vino from Twitter?

A note to Twitter users: Don't forget to follow YumSugar on Twitter!

Happy Hour: 2005 Prinz Von Hessen Riesling

partysugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:15:11 -0700

I love trying new wine, but sometimes it's intimidating and expensive to pick out a random bottle at the store. One great way to learn about wine is to order interesting varietals while dining out. If you enjoy the wine, make note of the name and label, then look for it at your local wine shop. That's exactly how I came across this smooth, deliciously-drinkable 2005 Prinz Von Hessen Riesling ($11). My sister enjoyed it with a sandwich at 'wichcraft and later she spotted the same bottle at Bi-Rite market. She thought it was so good, she gave it to me and said, "Drink this. You'll want to write about it."

She was right! It's the perfect Riesling - it's tart and acidic with notes of citrus and melon. It has a nice buttery color and lingering finish. It's not sweet at all, but it's slightly off-dry meaning it would pair wonderfully with sweet or spicy Asian-inspired dishes. Have you ever purchased a bottle of wine that you first sipped at a restaurant?

Introducing Top Chef the Wine

partysugar — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:15:31 -0700

Today at the Television Critics Association's convention in Los Angeles, the people behind Top Chef revealed a new TC branded product, wine. The collection, which was created in partnership with Rutherford Hill winery, is expected to be released soon, but won't make its debut on the show this season. Molly and BuzzSugar were lucky enough to taste the wine last night. According to Molly, the Cabernet Sauvignon is smooth, very easy to drink, and slightly spicy. Padma Lakshmi hosted the Vegas season launch luncheon and the quickfire that followed the meal earlier today.

The challenge pitted three of the upcoming Top Chef Las Vegas cheftestants against accomplished competitors Fabio Viviani, Antonia Lofaso, and Ryan Scott. With so many Top Chef products - from knives to t-shirts to a cookbook - the introduction of a wine is not surprising. After all, if the Food Network's Iron Chef can have its own wine label, why not market one for TC? Are you interested in tasting this wine?