Uncork This - Yangarra 2006 Old Vine Grenache McLaren Vale (Australia) Corkscrew
Corkscrew - How to avoid and clean up red wine spills Corkscrew
Uncork This - Paringa 2007 Shiraz South Australia Corkscrew
Uncork This - Tres Ojos 2007 Garnacha Calatayud (Spain) Corkscrew
One of the best vintages in years in Spain's Campo de Borja and Calatayud wine regions was 2007, so you owe it to yourself to pick up a few of these. At $10, why not? Itís a big, bold, hefty red not lacking in fruit. Savor the lush raspberry, roasted cherry with plush yet leathery tasting tannins and balanced acidity. Perfect with grilled beef. Sw=2. $10. 4 stars.
This wine is featured in this...
| more...Corkscrew - A grill's best friend: Wines for Memorial Day cookouts Corkscrew
This time of year, states north of Florida lead the good life. Just in time for the Memorial Day holiday, Mother Nature ushers in mild weather up there while she shoves torrid 90 degrees/80 percent humidity down my throat. But it signals the official beginning of grilling season and that’s always a good thing. So grab what you got in the fridge and get cooking.
Which might be chicken sausages...
| more...Uncork This - Leeuwin 2007 Siblings Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon Margaret River (Australia) Corkscrew
Western Australia's cool climate Margaret River produces bracing and grassy sauvignon blancs and austere yet spicy shiraz. Leeuwin remains a favorite from this region, offering this zesty, herbaceous, green apple and lemon/lime white blend. The addition of semillon gives it a slightly mineral, white pepper finish. Sw=1. $20. 4 stars.
This wine is featured in this week's Corkscrew column -...
| more...Corkscrew - An American Foodie in China Corkscrew
Listening to the pre-trip food-poisoning, bug-eating horror stories, I expected to lose weight. But far from the miracle Dexatrim solution I’d envisioned, my recent vacation in China proved to be an incredible culinary adventure.
China is far more modern, clean and sophisticated than I ever imagined, at least in the cities. Its citizens are warmly hospitable and enthusiastically curious about...
| more...Corkscrew - Italy's Montepulciano Corkscrew
Uncork This - Avignonesi 2005 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Italy) Corkscrew
Corkscrew - The whites of spring Corkscrew
Uncork This - Kim Crawford 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough (New Zealand) Corkscrew
Spring presents perfect weather for sauvignon blanc. From the king of New Zealand comes another reliably charming wine ñ capped with a screwtop, no less. Its green grass aromas give way to dry, crisp acidity, ripe Granny Smith apples, zingy lime and plenty of refreshing grapefruit. The 2008 trumps previous vintages. Sw=1. $13. 5 stars.
This wine is featured in this week's Corkscrew column -...
| more...Uncork This - Artesa 2006 Pinot Noir Carneros (California) Corkscrew
Cool climate Carneros delivers up some great pinots and chards, and this refined Artesa beauty delivers value too. Soft, elegant tannins and subtle acidity break into bright, luscious red cherry, raspberry, apple pie spice and a long, dusty finish. Surprising price on a pinot of this quality. Sw=2. $22. 4.5 stars.
This wine is featured in this week's Corkscrew column - Craft Projects for...
| more...Corkscrew - Craft projects for green drinkers Corkscrew
Uncork This - Mondavi 2006 Private Selection Meritage (California) Corkscrew
Corkscrew - Chain restaurant wines: Expect the expected Corkscrew
Corkscrew - The perfect rack Corkscrew
Uncork This - Dry Creek Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Corkscrew
Corkscrew - Tuscany's New World Corkscrew
Uncork This - Louis M. Martini 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Corkscrew
Corkscrew - Gallo Winery: Not what you think Corkscrew
Corkscrew - Translating Winespeak Corkscrew
Navigating the wine world's vernacular can be tricky. Here's a glossary to help you survive among the latest linguistic landmines.
Malolactic Fermentation. Even Microsoft Word swiggly-lines "malolactic," a scientific word previously confined to a winemaker's lab. Malolactic fermentation, or "Em El" (get it, M-L?) in wine circles, got released to the wild when Americans fell in love with...
| more...Uncork This - Matanzas Creek 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma (California) Corkscrew
Sauvignon blanc is a bit of a chameleon. In a cool region, it's green and grapefruity, but grow it in a warmer climate and blend in a bit of softer, creamy sauvignon musque and you get this wine. Soft, elegant and honeyed, with a green herby follow up. Lovely and lively with a tart finish. Sw=2. $22. 4 stars.
This wine is featured in this week's Corkscrew column - Traversing Wine Geekdom.
| more...Uncork This - Bouchaine 2006 Pinot Noir Carneros Corkscrew
Corkscrew - A Grape by Any Other Name Corkscrew
Uncork This - Museum Crianza 2003 Cigales Corkscrew
Uncork This - Brandal 2007 Albarino Rias Baixas Corkscrew
Corkscrew - Brave New World Corkscrew
Corkscrew - Like wine for chocolate Corkscrew
Uncork This - Stanley Lambert Choc-o-Bloc South Australia Corkscrew
Uncork This - La Crema 2007 Chardonnay Monterey Corkscrew
Corkscrew - What Makes a Good Wine Bar? Corkscrew
Uncork This - Francis Coppola 2007 Alicante Bouchet Lodi (California) Corkscrew
Corkscrew - Real men drink wine for Super Bowl Corkscrew
Corkscrew - Wine Surfing Corkscrew
Corkscrew - To oak or not to oak Corkscrew
To oak, or not to oak: that is the question
Whether 'tis nobler to let wine languish in the belly of a barrel or soak in stainless steel.
The slings and arrows of the outrageous cost of oak
And take arms against a vast forest of trees. And by opposing end them? To let the grape run free;
No more, say winemakers; and by boredom we say nay
The cream and butter of chardonnay oft shocks
Their...
Corkscrew - Swish & swirl (2) Corkscrew
Corkscrew - Handling the hangover Corkscrew
Corkscrew - The 10 best wines of 2008 Corkscrew
Corkscrew - Bubblies for your budget Corkscrew
Corkscrew - A few gift ideas for the foodies on your list Corkscrew
Most wine geeks are also foodies (a term I loathe, but it's pervasive) who own a decent corkscrew, a set of sharp knives and upgraded-from-college pots. But we can never have enough gadgets or tasty ingredients to fan our foodie fire. Satisfy insatiable yearnings with these gift ideas:
Food Gifts
Bacon of the Month Club
Not vegetarian-friendly, this club sends a new shipment of artisanal...
Corkscrew - A primer on label lingo Corkscrew
Holiday parties present a plethora of "impress people" possibilities. Wine knowledge delivered with confidence can bring out your "inner coolness," as well as shut down that verbose braggadocio trying to abscond with your date. Armed with a wine label, take over the scene with these urbane tidbits, both useful and trivial.
Vintage
Most wines carry a vintage date, meaning at least 95 percent of...
Corkscrew - Wine for Thanksgiving meals Corkscrew
As a kid, Thanksgiving was always – and remains – my favorite holiday. It's the pinnacle of gluttony, a gustatory bacchanal, an excuse to eat 20 pounds of poultry and not gain a perceived pound. And it's the perfect pretext for opening numerous bottles of wine without being labeled the family drunk.
Consider the "walking around wine" technique. Cooking duties can be tolerable if blended with a...
| more...Corkscrew - Spain's wine know-how trumps tradition Corkscrew
Corkscrew - Good and cheap wine for tough times Corkscrew
Dear California winemaker,
I've been kinda broke lately, and since (insert name here) has won the White House, who knows what's going to happen with my bank account? I wondered if you might be able to produce some tasty wine I can afford? Most in my price range ($10 and under) are mega-fruit bombs with no depth, or whites that wrestle in a tub of Jell-O vanilla pudding. What's a thirsty girl...
| more...Corkscrew - For a few dollars more Corkscrew
Corkscrew - Soaking up the suds Corkscrew
Corkscrew - An affair to forget Corkscrew
Corkscrew - Wine, the wonder drug Corkscrew
Corkscrew - Wine's lascivious labels Corkscrew
I receive plenty of spirited mail deriding my use of "foul" or "salty" language, mostly from conservatives who'd like to control the world. Naturally, it stings when an e-mailed Corkscrew column bounces back from business addresses at staid corporations, but it also bemuses me.
When I lived in Europe, censorship rarely reared itself, and the words "shit" and "fuck" (actually, "merde" and...
| more...Corkscrew - Ready for its close-up Corkscrew