After being gone for a whole week, it was nice to be home. Ben was very excited to see me, and his mom was very happy to not have 100% of his attention solely directed at her! It was a beautiful week in Colorado; we even had a happy hour/picnic in the park the other day. Ben spent most of the time chasing after the bigger kids that showed up. Unfortunately, they were not as interested in him, but he did expend a fair bit of energy constantly chasing them. Yesterday, we got about 6 inches of snow, but the forecast looks like we should be back in the 50s and 60s by the weekend!
This week was also a bit rough. As you might know, I grew up in Wisconsin and am thus a Green Bay Packers fan. Though I did not have high expectations for the outcome of the NFC Championship game, I was hopeful things would go their way. Ben and I watched the first half of the game, but the bored little guy abandoned me after halftime. I kept giving him updates and he high-fived me when with only a few minutes left in the game the Packers seemed to have an insurmountable lead. Yeah, well, we all know how that turned out. I guess that is kind of like wine in some ways; you get all excited about experiencing something great only to be let down.
At some point during the AFC Championship game (Cheaters vs. Colts), Ben shouted, "Dad, the Packers are winning!" I dejectedly responded to him, "No, bud the Packers already lost." He then apologetically looked at me and said quiet empathetically, "I know, but I was just trying to make you feel better." Things like that are why kids are so amazing. Notwithstanding my son's compassion, such an epic loss deserved an Epoch wine...
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Thursday, January 22, 2015
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Ben's Blush: Domaine de Nizas
Well, the weekly rosé review lasted all of one week. To be fair, we actually did drink a bottle of rosé two weeks ago, but I just was too lazy busy to write it up. Last week I was in Grand Junction, CO for the annual viticulture and enology conference: VinCO. It is great that the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology puts together a program that runs the gamut of marketing, winemaking, grape growing, and directed tasting seminars for the Colorado wine industry. I co-led a tasting of syrah from around the world that seemed to go over well. I also tasted some very nice wines from Maryland, Virginia, Washington, and of course Colorado.
Traveling and being away from home has both its advantages and disadvantages. Sleeping in a King-size bed by yourself can be quite relaxing, but it is more fun to be woken up by a little boy who dressed himself and says, "Look at my awesome outfit!" I didn't have to go the whole week without seeing Ben; the iPhone is a modern miracle! I can't imagine traveling before the days of Skype and Facetime. It is such a luxury to be able to see and talk to you children from afar. I know that Ben enjoys being able to talk with his grandparents and great grandparents via Facetime. I guess it kind of is like being Back to the Future (without the firing). I don't travel too often, but when I do it is nice to be close digitally.
2013 Domaine de Nizas
To catch up from the missing week, I will be posting two blush reviews this week (this week's tomorrow). The wine from the week before last hails from the Languedoc region of Southeast France. I don't know why, but for some reason every time I look at the label I think it is from Greece. Notwithstanding what my brain keeps insisting, this French wine is a blend of 40% syrah, 40% grenache noir, and 20% mourvèdre, which is quite typical for Languedoc rosés. It is a beautiful poppy pink color. Flowers and strawberries are the most noticeable aromas. It is a bit more structured than the delicate nose would suggest. Red fruit flavors are complemented by spicy hints of anise. Overall, the wine was pretty average and did nothing to excite me, but was still a nice wine. 14% abv. Sample $17. Average
Traveling and being away from home has both its advantages and disadvantages. Sleeping in a King-size bed by yourself can be quite relaxing, but it is more fun to be woken up by a little boy who dressed himself and says, "Look at my awesome outfit!" I didn't have to go the whole week without seeing Ben; the iPhone is a modern miracle! I can't imagine traveling before the days of Skype and Facetime. It is such a luxury to be able to see and talk to you children from afar. I know that Ben enjoys being able to talk with his grandparents and great grandparents via Facetime. I guess it kind of is like being Back to the Future (without the firing). I don't travel too often, but when I do it is nice to be close digitally.
2013 Domaine de Nizas
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| Domaine de Nizas 2013 Rosé |
To catch up from the missing week, I will be posting two blush reviews this week (this week's tomorrow). The wine from the week before last hails from the Languedoc region of Southeast France. I don't know why, but for some reason every time I look at the label I think it is from Greece. Notwithstanding what my brain keeps insisting, this French wine is a blend of 40% syrah, 40% grenache noir, and 20% mourvèdre, which is quite typical for Languedoc rosés. It is a beautiful poppy pink color. Flowers and strawberries are the most noticeable aromas. It is a bit more structured than the delicate nose would suggest. Red fruit flavors are complemented by spicy hints of anise. Overall, the wine was pretty average and did nothing to excite me, but was still a nice wine. 14% abv. Sample $17. Average
Friday, January 9, 2015
Out of network writing
Yesterday I read an article in the Denver Post titled, "Cabernet franc goes with a wide range of foods." I was pleasantly surprised that the newspaper would write an article about what might be Colorado's signature grape cultivar. I thought the story would at least include a passing mention of the local versions. It wasn't until I finished the article, and the usual recommendations, that I noticed it was written by Bill St. John all the way from Chicago.
St. John used to be the food and wine editor for the Denver Post, but that was years ago. He since moved on to the Chicago Tribune. Occasionally St. John's writing is published in the Post as a special report (aka syndicated). Just as with broadcast syndication, newspaper syndication can provide market penetration and revenue for the author. Pretty good work if you can get it.
But the problem with this type of publishing is that it can actually be a detriment to the reader. Publishing generic articles that don't have a pulse on the local conditions goes against the grain of what wine consumers want: authenticity. Local sections of local newspapers should be about local conditions. I'm not suggesting that the article should have been solely about local wines, but some awareness that cabernet franc is important to the local industry would be something a local writer would have.
Now, syndicated wine columns are not all that bad. David White, of Terroirist.com, writes a twice monthly wine column that’s distributed to newspapers across the country. These columns are hosted over on Grape Collective. Generally syndicated columns are generic enough to be applicable anywhere. White usually does a good job with this. Most of the time articles about a specific grape variety are adequately universal, but yet the cab franc piece completely missed the mark when it could have been so much more salient.
St. John used to be the food and wine editor for the Denver Post, but that was years ago. He since moved on to the Chicago Tribune. Occasionally St. John's writing is published in the Post as a special report (aka syndicated). Just as with broadcast syndication, newspaper syndication can provide market penetration and revenue for the author. Pretty good work if you can get it.
But the problem with this type of publishing is that it can actually be a detriment to the reader. Publishing generic articles that don't have a pulse on the local conditions goes against the grain of what wine consumers want: authenticity. Local sections of local newspapers should be about local conditions. I'm not suggesting that the article should have been solely about local wines, but some awareness that cabernet franc is important to the local industry would be something a local writer would have.
Now, syndicated wine columns are not all that bad. David White, of Terroirist.com, writes a twice monthly wine column that’s distributed to newspapers across the country. These columns are hosted over on Grape Collective. Generally syndicated columns are generic enough to be applicable anywhere. White usually does a good job with this. Most of the time articles about a specific grape variety are adequately universal, but yet the cab franc piece completely missed the mark when it could have been so much more salient.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Ben's Blush: J Vineyards & Winery Brut Rosé
A little less than four years ago, I started a weekly review of a sparkling wine to celebrate the birth our son, Ben. I called the regular feature Ben's Bubbly. Both my wife and I enjoyed regularly drinking a bottle of bubbly; it is something that is too often restricted to only celebratory occasions a few times a year. Sparkling wine is something that should be enjoyed much more often. Plus, the weekly review provided easy material for this blog.
Well, it has been several years since I concluded the series (a tasty blanc de blancs from Doyard) and my wife and I miss the weekly exploration of a specific, and under-appreciated style of wine. So, today I announce Ben's Blush. Pink wine is the red-headed step child of the wine world. It is often dismissed as sweet and uninteresting, and relegated to being openly consumed for a only few short weeks in the spring and summer. Sadly, rosé is ignorantly considered by many to be an inferior wine compared to its red and wine siblings. Rosé can be so many things and pair so well with different foods. It more diverse than many people think. So, for the next 52 weeks, I will open a bottle of something blush and report on it (along with a little update on Ben, as was the custom in the first series).
Well, it has been several years since I concluded the series (a tasty blanc de blancs from Doyard) and my wife and I miss the weekly exploration of a specific, and under-appreciated style of wine. So, today I announce Ben's Blush. Pink wine is the red-headed step child of the wine world. It is often dismissed as sweet and uninteresting, and relegated to being openly consumed for a only few short weeks in the spring and summer. Sadly, rosé is ignorantly considered by many to be an inferior wine compared to its red and wine siblings. Rosé can be so many things and pair so well with different foods. It more diverse than many people think. So, for the next 52 weeks, I will open a bottle of something blush and report on it (along with a little update on Ben, as was the custom in the first series).
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
It's on the Internet, so it must be true!
One of the stories making the rounds in the digital winesphere is about a recent segment on the Canadian radio show This is That. The segment featured two Canadian wine producers from the Okanagan Valley and the Niagara region. The host began by asking his guests what makes Canadian wine so good. From that point on, the two guests attacked and disparaged each other (and denounced innocent New Hampshire's wine industry in the process). The Sean Connery-esque Daniel Semple even quipped that the Okanagan pinot noir brought by the other guest "may have just been some garbage." At that point, physical violence ensued.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Crossing the Border Guards
Wine appellations fascinate me because my of my interest and background in geography. I often feel like the father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding because I think almost everything has its roots in geography (I mean, describing the phenomena of the Earth is what geography is...). In particular, American Viticultural Areas, or AVAs for short, really intrigue me. Not because they are great in and of themselves, but that they reveal the cultural and political aspects of wine appellations more readily than those in Europe. And yes, culture and politics are just as geographical at heart as soil and climate.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Taste of Vail preview...
Wine festivals aren't my favorite events. They are usually crowded and impersonal. I have gone to a few Colorado specific festivals for pleasure and for work in the past. I have not had the pleasure of attending either of the two big ones in Colorado, Aspen Food & Wine and Taste of Vail. Sadly, I usually think of them as they are happening, and in the case of Aspen cannot afford the high entry fee. I was invited as media to Taste of Vail last year, but was not able to attend. I will put it on my calendar because it seems to offer a variety of wine events that don't seem to encourage the drunk fest of just a big tasting.
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