2011 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,200 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays to you and your Families
If you are Dreaming of A Wine Christmas or celebrating the Festival of Wine, choose some wines that will bring your family and friends closer together
A nice bubbly or a hearty red are always nice or try something new that you can all taste and share tasting notes
Wine is meant to be shared and is best with a meal so what better time than the Holidays
Blessings to all of you and Cheers to a Wonderful Holiday Season!
Old Vine
The normal life cycle of a grape vine is 3 years before the first real harvest; optimum harvest beginning in about year 6 and at year 20 the vine growth and vigor start to decline
At this point, some wineries grub up and replant the vineyard to begin the process all over again
Some vineyard owners however, keep the older vines for as long as they produce fruit. The fruit may not be as plentiful as younger vines but the grapes are more intense and can create wines with denser and more complex flavors
There is no legal definition of “old vine” and most countries around the world use some version of this to designate wines of distinction
Some wineries may consider their vines old at 20 years of age while some may require them to be 100 years or older
In France you will see the term Vielles Vignes or V.V. on the label and in Germany and Austria, Alte Reben will be noted
Currently in Amador County, California, Zinfandel vines can last for centuries
Library
A Library is a place where literary materials are kept for reading, reference, or lending. It’s also a room in a private home where “collections” are kept
A library wine is a wine that has been aged either in your personal cellar for later enjoyment or when a winery holds back several bottles from a vintage to be sold at a later date often called library releases
To start your own library collection some wineries let you take advantage of pre-release prices. Wineries such as Chateau Montelena offers this on a regular basis
When you pop open one of these collected wines for your friends, you’re treating them to a library wine. A perfect thing to do this time of year!
Third Thursday
Beaujolais Nouveau is the first wine to market every year after harvest
This unique wine ferments in only four days instead of the normal process of several weeks. There is no elaborate aging process and it is ready to be drunk after bottling.
The region of Beaujolais lies directly below Burgundy in France along the Saone River.
The climate is warm and the majority of soil is granite, this is quite different from limestone found just a few miles north. The characteristics in this province make an ideal home for the red Gamay grape.
Gamay is quite acidic and low in tannin; an ideal candidate for the fermentation process of Carbonic Maceration also known as Whole Berry Fermentation.
Carbonic Maceration starts with very gentle handling during harvest and sorting. There is no crushing or pressing as the grape skins are never broken or removed. Whole clusters are placed inside a vat devoid of oxygen in order to allow the natural enzymes to go to work breaking down the sugars inside the whole berries.
A distinctive perfumed wine results with notes of flowers and fruit, some even say aromas of banana.
French law has designated the third Thursday of November just after midnight as the official annual Beaujolais Nouveau debut. This year look for the wine on November 17th.
Wines of Tuscany
Tuscany is on the west coast of Italy. The climate is Mediterranean, which is warm and breezy with very little rain in the summer creating optimum grape growing conditions
Chianti is Tuscany’s best-known region and is also Italy’s largest volume wine. The main grape of Chianti is Sangiovese, which is indigenous to the area and has many clones and subspecies
Sangiovese comes from the Latin words Sanguis Jovis, meaning literally “blood of Jove”. The juice is light red in color, high in acid and has medium tannins. It is known to have cherry and berry aromas and often has a hint of orange peel; it is very food friendly
Chianti has been made in Tuscany for hundreds of years and is traditionally a blend of Sangiovese, other red indigenous grapes and also some white grapes
Chianti Classico has stricter guidelines, this is indicated by the black rooster on the seal. It must have 80% Sangiovese, no white grapes, a minimum of 12% alcohol and also aged at least 1 year before release
Super Tuscans are non-traditional Chianti’s. They can be 100% Sangiovese or they can be a blend of Sangiovese with international grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon. They do not contain white grapes
Sassicaia is the original “Super Tuscan,” it was the first world-class Bordeaux-style blend from Italy
Hmmm
Which liquid do we use in
our everyday lives that is 12.5 times as costly as
Dom Pérignon?
Dom Pérignon
$0.20 ml
HP black cartridge ink
$ 2.55 ml
Time to buy more Champagne
WineIntelligence.com
