Home Made Wine

A good friend of ours is making his own wine, should be ready in a couple of months. Have you tried making your own wine? Tell me about your experiences.

New Zealand Wines

I have to admit I've never had a New Zealand wine. Anyone care to tell me which ones are best? I'd love to know.

Wine consumption may be linked to lower risk of esophageal cancer, studies find

From our friends at International Herald Tribune, the study published in Gastroenterology on wine consumption and throat cancer--

http://tinyurl.com/cs3xeh

Rosa Regale

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! We're having Rosa Regale tonight as a special treat. It's a slightly sweet red bubbly from Banfi that you can have as a dessert by itself, or even more fabulous, with your favorite chocolate. Rosa Regale really brings out the flavors in chocolate. Try it sometime for a special occasion with that special someone.

Savvy Shopper - Wine Spectator

All right, the latest edition of Wine Spectator talks about choosing good value wines for $20 or less. My personal picks from their list:

Four Vines Zinfandel Paso Robles Biker 2006--I'm anxious to try this one. My husband and I positively love Four Vines Zinfandel. This is a different Zin from Four Vines. It's supposed to have a lot of character and zip. All for $25.

Concha y Toro Chardonnay Pirque Marques de Casa Concha 2007--I have rhapsodized about the $90 Don Melchior red that I had for Xmas 2007. This is a white from one of my favorite Chilean winemakers. And a reasonable price of $21, it doesn't break the bank, so I am looking forward to trying it.

Ok, Ok, I realize they're not under $20, but they were both listed in the Smart Buys section of the recommendations this month. Close enough!

Wine Glass Holding Plates

Check out one of the latest trends:

Wine Glass Holding Dishes - The 'James' Plate (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) Andrea Grossfuss, the founder of Olaf Kiessling German studio Sternform, has designed a plate prototype named “James” that features a hole to hold wine glasses from its handle.

Due to its broad and unglazed… [More]

Christmas Wish Answered!

Santa came through for me this year! I received a Wine Spectator's Top 100 wine for Christmas, one of the ones I wrote about in the beginning of December on my wish list.

Here it is:

#10 Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma County 2007. 93 points, $24 "Aged 11 months in 75 % American Oak, it's a complex, seductive, pepper and berry laced Zinfandel with a supple texture and a spicy finish."

Believe me, it is just as good, if not better, than the description. A thousand thanks to our dear friend who blessed my husband and I with this lovely present.

In addition, we received a second Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne, this time a 2004 (see my previous post). It, too, is a great wine, but not as good as the 2002. Wine Spectator rated it at 94, one point below the venerable 2002.

Thanks again, Santa! Now, where's my Mollydooker?


Karen, the Wine Goddess