6.25.2010

WBC 10 Live Wine Blogging - White Wines with Steve and Constance

So here we are - Steve and I are both attending our first Wine Blogger's Conference in Walla Walla Washington and we have just sat down for the Live Wine Blogging White Wines session which had been described to us as "speed dating with wines."

Should be interesting.... here we go!

Winery #1: Cadaretta SBS Savignon Blanc Semillion 2008 - winery out of Walla Walla
On the nose hints of lemon and lime, acidic and spicy on the palate with stone fruit and citrus.
Incredible finish, over a minute later our mouths are still salivating!

Winery #2: Le Chateau Chardonnay 2008 of Walla Wall gets its name from the lateral placement it shares with France.
Typical tropical fruit characteristics on the nose, creamy with good fruit balance on the palate so not overly buttery like some Chardonnays.

Winery #3 Sebastini and Sons The Crusher 2008 Pinot Noir and Viognier Rose
Quite delicious. Floral notes on the nose and palate bone dry with plum and raspberry notes- jammy but without the sweet. Quite interesting made for red and white drinkers - great balance for both!

Winery #4: Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2009.
Oak age coming through on this one - described as "not that cat pee kind of sauvignong blanc" Sur Lie fermentation adds a roundness to the wine that isn't always found in this varietal.

Winery #5: Concannon Chardonnay 2009 - oldest winery in the US WOW! 4th generation winemaker.
Nice rounded Chardonnay that makes you stop and go "mmmm" the malolactic fermentation adds a creamy consistency to the wine but still has enough acidity to cut through with ripe peach, pear and tropical fruits. **Favorite so far**

Winery #6: Neethlingshof Unwooded Chardonnay 2009
No oak in this one so the dry, crisp citrus fruit is a lot brighter with a hint of smoke in the finish.

Winery #7: Molly Ducker "The Violinist" 100% Verdelho -- bottle has interesting labels based upon things that pertain to vineyard owners - added bonus! specialty removable from label to remember the wine next time!
Only white wine in the vineyard. Beautiful wine. Reminiscent of tropical and stone fruits on the nose and palate. Beautiful finish.

Winery #8: House Wine of the Magnificent Wine Company Chardonnay, Riesling Gewurztraminer, Muscat Canelli and Pinot Gris
Floral notes on the nose on the palate, not sweet as expected but good acid and floral notes and green apple coming through "classic Columbia Valley Chardonnay."

Winery #9: Dry Creek Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2009
A grape we're not so familiar with coming from California. Pineapple and tropical notes on the nose with floral notes. Floral and pineapple on the palate as well. Under screw cap - winery rep says she was against it, but admits it's a good idea --- Well YES keeps the white wine fresher, longer!! Great wine with oysters -- ever notice everything goes with oysters?

Winery #10: L'Ecole 2008 Semillion.
Nice citrus nose, but oak is coming through to the point of over powering and dominates the palate. A bit like sipping on a tree.... creamier than one would expect for Semillion/Sauv Blanc blend.

Winery #11: Sustainable White: Parducci Mendocino County 2008- 100% sustainable winery
Bright citrus fruit on the nose and palate. Nothing remarkable, but easy sipping. Lots of acid.

Winery #12: Pithy Little Wine Co. Sangiovese Rose
All strawberry on the nose. Dry and bit reminiscent of strawberry bubbleyum on the palate - but dry- Steve enjoys it though and generally hates rose so we'll give it a second taste another time.

AND WE'RE DONE!

6.18.2010

Adventures with Pisco


Our jefes at Brand Action Team, Steve Raye and Jeff Grindrod, recently ventured to Peru on a trip centrally focused around Pisco.

Unfamiliar with the product? Pisco is the native spirit of Peru (although Chile will put up a good fight about it, but that's another story for another day...) and has continued to remain a prevalent figure in cocktail culture. The ever-popular Pisco Sour is a frothy treat containing pisco, lemon or lime juice, egg whites, simple syrup and bitters (regional selections would be Amargo bitters, although Angostura should work just fine as well).

Steve did a nice recap on his BATBlog, detailing his adventures in Peru's Ica Valley. Read about it by clicking here.

¡Salud!

6.11.2010

Mandarine Napoleón TDN Drinks...or close enough!

Edit: We have received some awesome feedback to the video so far, including a nod that we should do this feature every week (Seriously?! You want to hear my voice that often?!). Chuck Taggart chimed in, too, with his suggestions to our tweaks of the Lillet Tomlin and offered the following tips:
  • If you don't have orange bitters, just leave them out. Angostura's flavor profile is enough to make a completely different drink.
  • Don't have access to Regan's (or any kind of) orange bitters? Chuck offers Cocktail Kingdom and KegWorks as suggestions to purchase online. Happy Hunting!

Two weeks ago, Mandarine Napole
ón sponsored an evening of conversation and cocktail-conspiring in the Mixoloseum chat room. We saw some great drink ideas emerge from a group of the craftiest spirits and cocktails writers around - if you missed out, you're in luck!

Here is your chance to see some of the great cocktails developed during the evening, coupled with the hilarity of Samantha and myself trying to recreate two of the evening's submitted recipes. We attempt to make Chuck Taggart's Lillet Tomlin and SeanMike Whipkey's Mandarine Cooler. Let the critique of my technique begin (don't be too harsh now, please)!




You can watch the video again by logging on to our Brand Action Team YouTube channel.

Cheers!
Stephanie