We can’t even begin to untangle the mess that has resulted from the experimental program to release a wine (Rodney Strong’s Rockaway Cab) to select bloggers in advance of the traditional media. Can’t, and won’t. That’s right! If you think d547 is a place to contemplate your wine blogging navel, look elsewhere. Read more…
Seems a little early for our soon-to-be annual contest to guess the Spectator Top 10 Wines of the Year, doesn’t it? Well, not to the many people we see already landing at domaine547 via searches on this very subject line.
We can’t believe it’s August and people are already obsessing over the year-end list. Rest assured, we will happily feed the frenzy, of course; but those of you who landed here because of such a search, please have some patience. Last year we jumped the gun, and our first post on this subject was around mid-October, a good month before the top 10 was announced. So check back with us in six or eight weeks for more on that subject, and between now and then for other wine-related content.
(Don’t worry, loyal readers…the contest is very much tongue-in-cheek and we have not gone over to the dark side. domaine547 remains a [mostly] points-free zone.)
We’ve been thinking about this a lot. Forget the whole discussion of who’s a critic and who’s not. What matters is who you trust. We all have various methods for making purchases of all sizes, and wine is so subjective, so variable, that a guide you trust in navigating this world is truly invaluable.
We realize that you might have several go-to sources when deciding whether to buy a particular bottle, but for the sake of simplicity, please select the ONE that is most likely to seal the deal in your wine purchases. As always, your participation and comments are much appreciated.
Loading …We thought we’d quickly point out a little feature on the Wine Spectator website that we sometimes participate in when it pops up on our Google reader feed…
“What are you tasting” is a quiz that offers you a tasting note, and then asks you to answer four questions about the wine — grape variety, country, age of the wine, and region within the country — each with multiple choice options to select.
Though of course this doesn’t compare to identifying a wine correctly in a blind tasting, it does have some educational value. Maybe. Or so we tell ourselves as we defend our web-surfing as a “valid” work-time activity. At the very least, it’s a marker that we’re getting slightly smarter about wine (or smarter about the formula that Wine Spectator uses in their notes), since our scores have increased from an average of 2 of 4 correct, to today’s 4 of 4 correct.
Now, go on over and give this quiz a try!
We’ve fallen in love with a Pinot Gris from Breggo, whose Rosé was part of the Sonadora (aka Wannabewino) Bloggerpack and whose wines we have the utmost respect for. The PG is classic cool climate, with a nice crisp acidity and plenty of aromatics. A scant 225 cases or so were made of this wine and we snapped this up while we could get it. Sure to sell out from the winery. Score some Scholium.
This is an enticing blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Petite Sirah. If our sources are correct, it contains fruit from Margit’s Vineyard, which is connected to Randy Hall of Wine Biz Radio. Yay for great wine with fruit from a great guy! Score some Scholium.
Here’s one for both the wine geeks and for the masses - it’s fairly obscure (a sparkler made from 100% Cab Franc, from importer Jon-David Headrick) and it’s delicious. It’s got some sweet-tart red fruit and great texture. And it’s affordable at $18 a bottle. Franc-ly, I’d like to try a sparkling Cab Franc!
Last week we experimented with an incentive…order a certain dollar amount, and get a bonus bottle with your order. We started off with a bang (or maybe a shake) with some wines from Mollydooker. It was a great success — all the Gigglepot Cab is gone, though nobody really went for the sparkling Shiraz — so we’re going to make this a semi-regular thing. We’ve also decided to call this our “Bonus Bottle” program.
Here’s our offer for Bonus Bottle number two. We’re moving closer to home this week, with the 2005 Jack William “The King” Cabernet Sauvignon from the Alexander Valley. When we first carried this, it retailed for $37 a bottle and we felt it was a steal even then. We far prefer this wine to Silver Oak and Jordan, two Alexander Valley perennials that are more about hype and brand name than integrity of the juice.
A couple of weeks ago, we got the last cases available from our distributor and were able to lower the price to $27 as the vintage was being closed out. So the wine went from a great value to an even greater one. And you can make it an even better deal — in fact, a veritable steal.
Make a purchase of $85 or more, and use the code “king” during check-out to get a bonus bottle of this fantastic Cabernet with your order. In fact, the way our coupon codes work out, you’ll also be saving a penny off the total. Limited quantity of bonus bottles available. When the supply runs out, the code will stop working. So go get yourself some wine and a bonus bottle now!
Frizzante
From Wikipedia: Frizzante is an Italian wine term term for semi-sparkling wine (as opposed to Spumante, which is generally used for fully sparkling wines). Frizzante wines generally owe their bubbles to a partial secondary fermentation in tank. You might notice a light fizz or tingly sensation on the tongue with a Frizzante wine, compared to the more carbonated sensation that more fully sparkling wines yield.
Scorekage
Okay, so we made up this word yesterday after a great restaurant experience. We brought a bottle of wine with us, expecting to pay a corkage fee. But the restaurant either forgot to charge us the $15, or decided to be nice to us. We scored! Hence, “scorekage” has entered our lexicon. This can also refer to BYO friendly restaurants that don’t charge for corkage under any circumstances.
domaine547 In the Blogosphere! Imbibe Magazine Unfiltered
Check out this blog post where they actually refer to somebody from d547 as a “wine expert.” Shocking! In any case, the Imbibe blog offers a nice recipe to go along with one of our wine recommendations. Enjoy!
The 89 Project
We’ve joined a group of bloggers (wannabe critics, some have said!) as part of “The 89 Project,” an effort to explore the complicated matter of the 100 point system of evaluating wine. Go take a peek at the 89 Project blog, which has apparently already started a bit of controversy (and we’ve yet to make a post!). It’s interesting stuff.
