Being Sick is Nothing to Wine Over...

Date: Sun, Jan 24, 2010 Wine Tasting

I hate not feeling well. Sure, it sucks being laid up in bed (well, not completely) but the part that really disappoints me is the fact that I can't enjoy wine with a stuffy nose.

So, if chicken soup is good for the soul, is whiskey the cure for the common cold? Maybe it's a spicy Shiraz that shakes out the flu bug. What do you like to drink when you're feeling well? NyQuil may have some alcohol content, but I'm hoping there's something tastier than the blueish-green goo to sip on while I'm sick.

I may not be able to drink wine tonight, but that's not going to stop me from talking about it right now! :)





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Last Night's Affair: Stilton, Sauternes, Steak, and Cab

Date: Sun, Jan 24, 2010 Wine Tasting

Everyone knows that a good steak deserves a red wine and fish pairs well with a white, but how many people go out of their way to try pairings that they normally would never dream of?

Last night I put two unexpected beauties together in an affair that I will never forget: Stilton and Sauternes. Stilton's funky cream seemed to melt in the porty presence of the Sauternes. The result tasted like a creamy candy created by the union of the two. Unbelievable yet amazing! Be warned, this isn't an everyday affair. The Stilton wasn't cheap and the Sauternes set me back about $30 for such a little bottle. But if you've never tried it, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot at least once!

After this affair, there was some leftover Stilton. I couldn't just let a good thing go to waste, so I seared up some Ribeyes and crumbled the Stilton on top. Unlike my first affair, I went back to 'ol faithful by matching the steaks with a nice bottle of Sterling Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2002. Although new experiences are exciting, there's still something to say about old loves. Overall it was a very self-indulgent evening resulting in a lot of fun!



Today, however, I am paying for it. No, I am not battling my usual Sunday morning hanover. Instead, I am feeling congested, achy, and a little worse than I would expect to feel after being run over by a 18 wheeler. No wine today... I'll be sippin on Nyquil instead.

How was your weekend affairs? Did you try something new or just stick to old loves?



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Last Night's Affair: Bud Light Wheat

Date: Sat, Jan 23, 2010 Wine Tasting

Last night I went to visit my cousin, well actually my wife's cousin, before he gets shipped back out to Iraq. How did we celebrate our time together? No wine for me last night. Instead, I was sippin on Bud Light Wheat instead.

I know, I know, how could I cheat on the grape like this?

Well, given the situation, I felt like beer was a better way to go. So how did this dirty, adulterous affair treat me? Not bad! Sure, Bud Light is pisswater, and I'm not going to say that this new formula is any different. What I will say is that the added citrus and wheat did make the normally flavorless drink taste a little more exciting. If you are into Bud Light, Miller Light, Schlitz, or even Pabst, you should try this wheaty gateway beer. I think it will get you questioning your taste for the brew and maybe even trying something new!

On a side note, I'm going out to play some golf and drink some Miller Lite. Tonight, I'm thinking about cracking into some Stilton I picked up the other day to go with the bottle of Sauternes I have hidden in my wine fridge. Hopefully this seductive pairing will help make amends with the grape after all of my beer drinking! :)

What are you sippin' on this weekend?



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Feature Friday

Date: Sat, Jan 23, 2010 Wine Tasting

One of the coolest things as a blogger is opening up an email from a reader, receiving a comment on a post, and browsing the internet and finding that someone has linked to one of your posts.

That's why I was stoked to wake up this morning and find not one, but TWO mentions of my Wine Whoring! Great way to start the weekend!

January 22 - The Good the Bad and the Ugly

Review: Randy Watson discovers our signature wine style


Thank you Joe and Ben for giving me some link love! Hope you are having a great weekend too! :)

How about you? What kinda love just makes your day?



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Today's Distraction: More dollars than sense

Date: Fri, Jan 22, 2010 Wine Tasting

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Last Night's TWWTV: Sippin' on Syncline

Date: Fri, Jan 22, 2010 Wine Tasting

The Wine:
Syncline Columbia Valley Subduction Red 2008
Syncline Columbia Valley Cuvee Elena 2007


The Affair:
Should I be concerned that I am drinking too much when I start forgetting to do simple things?

Last night I did something really stupid. After enjoying some discussion about Syncline wine, different types of enclosures, and VA wine (thanks to all of the sweet VA folks representing), I realized that I forget to hit the record button before last night's TWWTV! Normally I would post the video so anyone who missed it could check it out, but due to my stupidity, I'll have to make due with written words instead. I promise I won't forget next week, although I'm sure I'll forget to do something else! :P

Oh, so you're probably wondering about the wine, eh?

This Rhone style red from Washington was actually pretty radical! Of the two bottles, I favored the fuller, more aggressive Grenache dominated blend of the Cuvee Elena. The Subduction Red was also tasty and cost about $17 less, but offered a much softer Syrah dominated blend. Both wines were made well, and well worth a sip.

After TWWTV was over, I made love to the Cuvee Elena until the last drop was gone! Unfortunately, I was drinking for two last night, and didn't have any help from the Mrs. finishing the wine or I would have gone for more of the Subduction Red. I'll save this bottle for tonight so I can see how well it stands up to a day of "aging".

Thank you to everyone who joined me last night on TWWTV. It's really cool to be able to talk with other people who love wine as much as I do from around the world. I hope one day we can all share a bottle together in person, but until then, it's just nice to know we have other ways of drinking together!

Hope you all have an awesome weekend! What will you be pouring into your cup/glass/mug/funnel to celebrate?

Cheers!


For this and other affairs, check out the summary of scores, map, or even choose my next bottle.



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Opus One Sucks the Big One

Date: Thu, Jan 21, 2010 Wine Tasting

I'm all for drinking GOOD wine... and I don't mind paying a small premium for the honor to taste such well crafted juice... but sometimes there are some affairs that just leave you disappointed. It's kinda like expecting to get in bed with Pam Anderson, but ending up with Rosie O'Donnell instead. The wine doesn't have to necessary be BAD to be a disappointment. It's just that the hype and pricetag doesn't live up to the experience.

Call it wine charity or whatever else you will, but I wouldn't be doing my part to help the wine community if I didn't share my experiences, both good and bad. There are a lot of bottles that I don't get for free, shell out a decent amount of hard earned cash, and then wish I had saved it for my retirement instead. Maybe if more people shared these types of experiences, the pricetags on these bottles would match the actual quality of the juice and not quantity of its hype.


There's one bottle in particular that gets a lot of action in the wine world. In fact, there are few wine connoisseurs out there who have not had an affair with the famous Bordeaux blend named Opus One. But here's the secret that they won't necessarily tell you:

There are a lot of BETTER bottles you can buy for the $200-$300 price Opus One normally fetches!

Buy it young and you may save a little, but chances are, you won't be patient enough to age it long enough for its beauty to mature. In any case, there are few people out there who would argue that there aren't a ton of other bottles out there that would totally kick Opus One's ass... for less than $100!

So why does Opus One sell for so much?


Easy, more hype equal more $$$. Remember those stupid looking Z. Cavaricci pants we all wore in the 80's. Didn't they look stupid? Yeah, well do you also remember how much people were willing to pay for 'em too? Enough said!

For the love of wine, please spread the word about bottles like Opus One... unless of course you're still wearing Cavaricci's... in that case, there's nothing I can do to help you!

What's your most unsatisfying, overrated wine experience?



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Today's Distraction: Name that Chateau!

Date: Thu, Jan 21, 2010 Wine Tasting

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Last Night's Affair: Harvest Moon

Date: Thu, Jan 21, 2010 Wine Tasting

The Wine:
Harvest Moon Sonoma Harvest Red 2007

The Affair:
Few reds from California capture the characteristics from Bordeaux that I love most. Last night's affair however took me right back to the place where wine is king and everything just seems to taste and drink so well.

This red blend consisting of 33% Dry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Riebli Valley Syrah, 17% Dry Creek Merlot, 11% Dry Creek Cab Franc and 5% Russian River Petit Syrah is crafted to be food friendly thanks to an appropriately controlled alcohol content. To capture the pyrizine "perfume" of Bordeaux, the grapes used to make this wine were harvested with lower than typical sugar levels. Chemistry and winemaking aside, this wine is elegant and will age well through the next decade.

Last night's affair was nothing less than satisfying. Homemade spaghetti and meatballs followed a savory crab dip. Oddly enough, this red blend complimented both the dip and the balls with grace, style, and a seductive taste that left me wanting much, much more!



For this and other affairs, check out the summary of scores, map, or even choose my next bottle.



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Glimpse of Wine Whore Wisdom

Date: Wed, Jan 20, 2010 Wine Tasting

As if I needed another excuse to drink, tonight I have a reason to celebrate!

So what's the occasion?

I'm stoked because Chris over at The Wine Apprentice has shared a glimpse of my wine wisdom on tasting notes.

It's always exciting to show up on a friend's website... Thank you Chris!

Make sure to follow The Wine Apprentice for more wine wisdom and other fun wine talk!

Cheers!


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FREE Stuff: Win a Wine Fridge!

Date: Wed, Jan 20, 2010 Wine Tasting

Living Direct on twitter is giving away a 21 bottle wine fridge!

To enter, check out the contest info!


Good luck!


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Last Night's Affair: Langetwins Pinor Noir

Date: Wed, Jan 20, 2010 Wine Tasting

The Wine:
Langetwins Pinot Noir 2008


The Affair:
Since this bottle arrived last week, I've been stoked to crack it open. Joe and the folks over at Langetwins like to tease me by only sending one bottle at a time... but you know what? Every bottle they've sent has been really good! I'll take quality over quantity any day!

These aren't mind blowing wines that make you contemplate life, love, and the grape. These wines are sorta like that comfy pair of blue jeans you always like to wear. They sorta have a signature taste that fits perfectly to my palate. All of the bottles from Langetwins that I have tried so far, have been smooth with just the right amount of alcohol, fruit, and tannins. Enough to be bold without crossing the line of being obnoxiously out of balance. For their reasonable prices, I would say that Langetwins makes some great wine!

When I found out that this was their first vintage of Pinot Noir, I have to admit that I was a little worried. Would I like this one as much as I did their Viognier or even their purple-teeth Petit/Petite? You know how I am about Pinots too! An awkward situation seemed immanent.

Last night, the wife left me in charge of making dinner. With her instructions, I attempted to make a whole-wheat penne pasta with spicy Italian sausage and marinara. I felt like a light red wine was in order to go with this meal so I anxiously snatched up the opportunity to put the Pinot from Langetwins to the test.

Now I don't know if it's just the fact that we are drinking more Pinot Noir in the casa de Watson or just dumb luck, but we have been satisfied with the last couple of bottles of this grape that. This bottle was no exception. Not only did it go well with the meal, but it actually reminded me of that characteristic Langetwins taste that I enjoy. My only complaint was that the affair didn't last long enough. Between my wife and I, this bottle didn't see past last night's American Idol. Truly the mark of an enjoyable bottle!

Is it just me, or do any other wineries actually have a "personality" when it comes to their wine and the different varietals they produce?

In any case, thank you Joe and the folks over at Langetwins for making my Tuesday ten times better!

Cheers!


For this and other affairs, check out the summary of scores, map, or even choose my next bottle.



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A Formal Apology...

Date: Tue, Jan 19, 2010 Wine Tasting

Last week, I crossed the line...

You see, it's not like me to do such things, but after receiving repeatedly antagonizing comments from two of my fellow wine bloggers, I felt that my Wine Bloggers Spotlight post was warranted. Looking back on my decision, I realize that my judgment was clouded by my emotions, and consequently I took things too far.

I would like to formally apologize to you, Lenn Thompson and Dale Cruse. I hope you will accept my apology and forgive me for my actions.

To show my sincerity, I dug into my whorish wine cellar to send you both a gift. I know you are both modest, but it's too late. It's already in the mail. I hope you both will cherish this bottle of California's finest Barefoot "Reserve" Chardonnay (pictured above) as much as I do. Although, I know it may never repair the damage I caused, I hope it helps us one day become friends once again.

Sincerely,
The Wine Whore



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Reducing Consumption One Bottle at a Time

Date: Tue, Jan 19, 2010 Wine Tasting

You may spend a lot of time tasting, discussing, and learning about wine, but how much time do you spend thinking about its container? With the idea of going green and reduced consumption gaining so much attention lately, it's not surprising to see these buzzwords budding around the vineyards as well.

According to this article, a company named Kingsland Wines and Spirits is taking some pretty significant steps towards reducing glass usage through a new and improved bottle. While you can expect a "standard" wine bottle to clock in at around 420g, Kingsland's new glass bottle only weighs 300g. With the help of a little math mojo, they figure that this reduced weight could actually cut CO2 emissions by over 2,500 tons a year.

If you're like me, the first question that comes to your mind is "How will this change the way I collect, drink, and enjoy wine?" The good news is that aside from the reduction in weight, nothing else perceivable to the wine drinker will change. Awesome! I normally wouldn't buy into these sorts of things, but this seems like a product that may actually provide a real benefit.

Oh wait, I just realized something... the article fails to mention what these new bottles cost? Is this form of going green going to wind up costing the consumer more green in the end?

What do you think? Does it matter either way? Would you be willing to pay more for these new bottles?



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