Welcome to the Future

I won’t have a chance to get everyone an update on wider life for a few more days at the least (things are busy both professionally and personally, well definitely personally) but I was sad to see that social media darling Gary V has chosen to close Cork’d. Cork’d To Close It’s Doors It’s an [...]

Source: http://winewithmark.info/archives/632

Graham Hill Phil Hill Peter Hirt David Hobbs Gary Hocking

Great advertising is about message, not product

Many of my readers are not from the the USA, so may not have seen this advert (unless they happen to love American Football) but take 2 minutes and 3 seconds to watch this Superbowl advert: Now, think back about how often the logo, the car itself or anything recognisable as “the product” were shown. [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/0H4fwWtMnkM/

Nanni Galli Oscar Alfredo Gálvez Fred Gamble Howden Ganley Frank Gardner

What is the "Three Tier System"?

On more than one occasion, when I've pitched stories to a member of the media concerning direct shipping or wine politics, I've found myself spending the majority of the time with a writer explaining to them what the "three tier...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FermentationTheDailyWineBlog/~3/jQmZO-JpKnY/what-is-the-three-tier-system.html

William Clyde Elliott Jeffrey Michael Gordon Charles Robert Hamilton IV Charles Robert Hamilton V Kevin Michael Harvick

Bordeaux Tasting Reveals Affordable Gems

Sandwiched between the heralded 2005 and 2009 Bordeaux vintages lie three years I've bought very little of. Not so much because they're not good, but just because there's been so much positive hype about the '05s and '09s. A guy only has some much attention to devote to a region.

Vintage variation is a tricky thing for me on a number of levels. More experienced folks will tell you it's not a matter of good and bad - it's more a matter of appreciating vintage variation. Further, the way Bordeaux is priced, better vintages fetch higher prices. This is different than domestic wines and different from most regions. This presents an opportunity to pick up wines from quality producers in "off" vintages at a good price.

Bordeaux is a tricky thing to publicize and market. In one sense it's the noblest of wine regions, but in another I rarely find myself with a taste for Bordeaux on a weeknight - or even a weekend night for that matter. It's this quirky quandary - brand recognition many regions wish they had yet too fancy for many occasions and relegated to high holidays. Too much tradition for its own good?

Below high flying names costing $50 and up are Bordeaux Superieur wines costing $20 or less. As part of an live online tasting through TasteLive, Planet Bordeaux offered up five 2006-2008 Bordeaux to wine bloggers across the United States to get together online and concurrently share their thoughts.

Here are my notes:

2006 Chateau La Gatte La Butte
$15
13.5% Alcohol

100% Merlot from old vines. Light magenta. Cherries and earth on the nose. A little Leuden's cough drop action. Earth too with undeniable Bordeaux markings. On first sip I get a twinge of acidity in my cheeks and even my ears. Comes together really nicely. Well balanced. Great start.

http://chateaulagatte.com
88+/100 WWP: Very Good

2008 Chateau Lugagnac
$16
13% Alcohol

On the nose I get burnt earth, cocoa, some fruit. Grippy tannins. Surprisingly hot for only 13.5%. Needs some time to settle down, but still a pretty nice wine.

http://chateaulugagnac.com
87/100 WWP: Very Good

2008 Chateau de Terrefort-Quancard
$14
13% Alcohol

Tightly wound with tart cherry fruit and harsh tannins. Should improve with time but for now it's one of the more challenging wines in the lineup.

http://chevalquancard.com 
84/100 Good

2007 Chateau de Parenchere Cuvee Raphel
$15
13.5% Alcohol

Medium-full bodied with a really enticing nose. A nice combination of fruity and savory components. Velvety mouthfeel. Low-medium acidity. Doesn't beg for food the way the others do but I think it's versatile enough to play well in a lot of settings. My wine of the night.

http://parenchere.com 
90/100 WWP: Outstanding


2008 Chateau Penin Tradition
$15
13% Alcohol

Made in a soft, easy drinking style. Limited aromatically.

http://chateaupenin.com
82/100 WWP: Good

My thanks to the folks from Planet Bordeaux for supporting wine bloggers with this tasting!

Samples for review.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/b179Djo0dI0/bordeaux-tasting-reveals-affordable.html

Nanni Galli Oscar Alfredo Gálvez Fred Gamble Howden Ganley Frank Gardner

Jennifer Jo Cobb Lands Ride For Auto Club Speedway; Focuses On Remainder Of 2011

Jennifer Jo CobbUndoubtedly, Jennifer Jo Cobb was one of the major story lines this past weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (BMS). Just minutes before the start of the Scotts EZ Seed 300, Cobb alleges that her former car owner, Rick Russell, of 2nd Chance Motorsports was forcing her to start and park her No....more»

Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2011/truckseries/03/20/jennifer-jo-cobb-lands-ride-for-auto-club-speedway-focuses-on-remainder-of-2011/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jennifer-jo-cobb-lands-ride-for-auto-club-speedway-focuses-on-remainder-of-2011

Joe Kelly Dave Kennedy Loris Kessel Bruce Kessler Nicolas Kiesa

2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 to Have Camaro ZL1?Slapping 600-Plus Horsepower ? Future Cars

And now we wait for the rebuttal from Chevrolet. Only a month after the unveiling of the 550-plus-hp 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, word is leaking out that Ford will substantially advance the muscle-car wars with a 2013 Shelby GT500 making a pants-bursting 600-plus horsepower. Keep Reading: 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 to Have Camaro ZL1?Slapping [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/xFLlNZQ6dm4/

Jason Leffler David Carl Allison Gregory Jack Biffle David Lee Blaney Michael Duane Bliss

TasteCamp East: Voracious Wine Bloggers Taste Throughout the Finger Lakes

This past weekend, I was among a group of wine bloggers who participated in the 2nd TasteCamp East, this year in the Finger Lakes.  The local wine industry is the inspiration for this blog and my business as I’ve mentioned to you before.  I had nothing to do with the selection of our region as [...]

Source: http://familylovewine.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/tastecamp-east-voracious-wine-bloggers-taste-throughout-the-finger-lakes/

Billy Garrett Jo Gartner Tony Gaze Geki Olivier Gendebien

Mas Des Dames, Rose, Coteaux Du Languedoc 2009

Outside here in Minnesota it’s in the mid 20′s Fahrenheit with a thick snowpack. It is far from springtime here but a bit of spring can be had here inside a bottle of dry rosé. Every spring and summer I resolve to drink more rosé but for one reason or another rarely do. So I [...]

Mas Des Dames, Rose, Coteaux Du Languedoc 2009 originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.

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Emmanuel de Graffenried Lucas di Grassi Cecil Green Keith Greene Masten Gregory