2008 Merryvale Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Starmont The red wine portfolio includes an excellent value, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Starmont, which packs a lot of flavor and intensity for its price. This dense ruby/purple-colored Cabernet reveals plenty of cassis, cedar, licorice and spice notes. It is a delicious, medium-bodied wine with supple tannins and a long finish. Drink it over the next decade.
Tel. (707) 963-2225 Rating: 89 Estimated Cost: $20-$23
Not having given it that much contemplation I always assumed that Marvin Gaye was walking through a vineyard for his 1968 song. But apparently not. And, while I was aware that the word alcohol was Arabic in origin, I didn’t know it was a kind of make-up al kuhul. As kohl is an extract and ...
Not having given it that much contemplation I always assumed that Marvin Gaye was walking through a vineyard for his 1968 song. But apparently not. And, while I was aware that the word alcohol was Arabic in origin, I didn’t know it was a kind of make-up al kuhul. As kohl is an extract and a dye, alcohol began to mean the pure essence of anything (the alcohol of an ass’s spleen anyone?) and only from the 1750’s did (wine) alcohol become what it means today. Just two snippets from the amazing The Etymologicon that now resides in my Kindle ap.
Elsewhere there is also a superb explanation of why George Washington’s plantation is named after British Admiral Edward Vernon, who, incidentally led a 1739 British assault on Porto Bello in Panama and how, to the west of London a farm was named in honour of the attacks success. The road to the, long vanished farm, is now home to Portobello antiques market. Old Vernon’s nickname (from his thick coat made from grogram) also came to mean the watered down rum he served to the seamen (grog) and lent, eventually, to how alcohol makes you groggy. I mean, you just got to love this stuff!
To avoid being groggy perhaps make today and tomorrow a non-drink day. For these, according to the latest edition of When Wine Tastes Best (a biodynamic calendar for wine drinkers), these are Root days and not good for wine tasting. Not good also, for celebrating today’s Chinese New Year although Burns night on the 25th is a Flower day – they thus recommend substituting wine for the traditional whisky!
“Vodka, whisky [aqua vitae – water of life], aquavit, balderdash [wine mixed with beer or water that could be sold cheap] and rum are just enough to make the sort of punch that will knock you out. Only just, mind you, because punch comes from the Hindi word for five: panch. That’s because, technically, a punch should contain five different ingredients: spirits, water, lemon juice, sugar and spice. That’s also the reason that the area of India that contains five rivers is called the Punjab”
Here is a quick guide to finding your way round our wide-ranging coverage to date of the very promising 2010 vintage in Burgundy. I have just added 2010 - word to the wise , for instance, which had previously slipped through the net - JR. TASTING NOTES/REVIEWS Burgundy 2010 A-C.
At Pearl Liang , in the lower concourse of Paddington Central, west London, the Chinese waiter could not have been friendlier as he took our order for salt and pepper bean curd, Shanghai dumplings, soft shell crab and stewed pork belly, among other dishes, without pen and paper. He then repeated.
See our tasting notes on more than 1,900 burgundy 2010s via this complete guide to our coverage of the vintage. The minutely parcellated and carefully groomed vineyards on the east-facing slope known in France as the Côte d'Or, the pale stone of the medieval buildings and, most of all, the often.
Gary Vaynerchuk has finally made it to episode 1,000 of Wine Library TV! It’s been an amazing ride since that day in February 2006, with great guests, amazing (and sometimes awful) wines, as well as a lot of Jets talk. Today, the main focus is a huge thank you to all the Vayniacs who helped [...]
Gary Vaynerchuk has finally made it to episode 1,000 of Wine Library TV! It’s been an amazing ride since that day in February 2006, with great guests, amazing (and sometimes awful) wines, as well as a lot of Jets talk. Today, the main focus is a huge thank you to all the Vayniacs who helped make this community…and a huge announcement from Gary.
Whether you love them or hate them, the next eight weeks are widely regarded as something of a challenge. Holidays. Family. Bad weather. Trips to the mall. Schlepping kids all over creation. Lots of turkey and mashed potatoes.
To survive, you need to keep some spice in your life. Start with some nice Zinfandel, and throw a pot of chili or pasta on the stove. It will keep you going during the darkening days of winter.
Here are two highly affordable Zinfandels for you to consider:
2009 Ravenswood Zinfandel Old Vine Vintners Blend (suggested retail $10; available in market for $7-$13) This very good QPR Zinfandel has smooth black cherry and blackberry aromas. You'll find the same fruits in the flavors, along with a smoky, spicy aftertaste. The wine has fine tannins, giving it an impression that is fruit-forward, but not too jammy.
2010 McManis Family Vineyards Zinfandel (suggested retail $11.99; available in market for $9-$14) Pure of taste and light on its feet, this is all about the blackberries in the aromas and flavors. There are nice spicy and pepper notes in the aftertaste, too. At 13.5% ABV, this is not a monster of a wine, but a lovely reminder of how Zinfandel can be elegant. Excellent QPR for around $12.
Full Disclosure: I received samples of these wines for possible review.
is available in book form from Amazon for £7.99 and 
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is available from Amazon for £2.99. 
