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Sunday 26 January 2014

Wine Guru is still present !

Let's talk about one of the most known wine celebrity in the world ! Of course : Robert Parker !

Come-back to a story, which is not already finished as he could have let think few months ago.



Robert McDowell Parker Junior, left his function of editor-in-chief at the end of the year 2012. This guru of wine was listened by everyone, but also by the market. Indeed, as it was already said, his influence on classified growth's prices got bigger and bigger each year. So, here is not the point of this post, because a lot of articles had been written on the Master whether full of praise, or full of hate.
We are going to see what does he really think about the world in which he evolves.

After 35 years of professionalism, it is interesting to be aware of the opinion of the one who had become the first independent wine critic. This is his way of thinking (with which you could agree or not) :


  • The wine world has developed a lot in 30 years. Not only in quantity but also in quality. The number of great producer countries has increased a lot, highlighting new regions to consumers : Greece, Morocco, Bulgaria, but also South Africa and America which have gained more credibility year after year. 
  • South of France (Languedoc and Côtes du Rhône) has improved a lot, showing a lot of quality wines, but Bordeaux is still the capital of "grand cru" and of knowledge.
  • The number of Bordeaux wines in international top range has become 10 times bigger. And it is still one of the best price/quality ratio.
  • There is no such big difference of judgement between European/American and Asiatic tasters. To be a good one, lot of experience is needed. Wine is going to be less elitist.
  • Even his wife thinks that there is a "parkersation" of taste, thing that he tries to struggle against 
Even if he sold his Wine Advocate's shares, Robert Parker will continue to care about Bordeaux and California Wines. Each one of his apparition is listened very carefully when all the wine world is looking for the next Guru. Contrary to a lot of opinions, R. Parker thinks that blogger won't be the next ones (Pt. 11). 

In the beginning of 2014, R. Parker lists his wine global forecast. Make your own opinion :


"1. More resistance to very expensive wines from mediocre vintages-think Europe 2011,2012,and 2013
2. California profits from two glorious years of quality and quantity-2012 and 2013
3. The undefined scam called "natural" or "authentic" wines will be exposed as a fraud-(most serious wines have no additives)
4. Argentina will continue to excel for malbecs and their crispy whites from Torrontes
5. Spain, southern Italy and France will dominate for high quality wines under $20
6. Pinot noir lovers will go bonkers over Oregon 2012s and California 2012s and 2013s
7. Wine will continue to become less elitist and populists will rule the day over insufferable snobs
8. Wine Fraud will reach into the sanctus santorum of several auctionhouses which will be found to have turned a blind eye to red flags
9. The Coravin wine preservation system will profoundly change the way we drink rare and limited production gems
10. The government will finally require all wine labels to reveal caloric and ingredients
11. Wine bloggers will continue to complain about their failure to monetize their sites and earn respect:)
12. Eastern & mid-Atlantic wineries will pick up consumers support based on the strength of 2012 & 2012, &c onsumers seeking new "experiences"
13. More BYO high quality bistros & trattorias will burst on the scene in response to over-priced,excessive mark-ups at other restaurants
14. Expect more mobile food trucks-featuring Korean,Mexican, South American, and Asian fusion offerings
15. Look for Prosecco and Cava sparkling wine sales to erode some of the profit and glamour from Champagne"

Sunday 19 January 2014

Can never go wrong with these 50 wines recommended by


United States

Beringer

Founder’s Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($11)

Its Private Reserve has been a benchmark for Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon since 1976. The much more affordable Founder’s Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is also impressive: a velvety, generous, cassis-driven red.
La Crema

Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ($18)

Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, one of La Crema’s most widely available bottlings, is also one of her best: round and rich with ripe pear and caramel-vanilla flavors.

Blackstone Winery

California Merlot ($12)

Blackstone  producing one of California’s most affordable Merlots. The backbone of its business, and one of its best bottlings, is still talented winemaker Dennis Hill’s lightly smoky, plummy Merlot.

Bogle

Old Vine Zinfandel ($11)

One of the best Zinfandel deals on the market.

Chateau Ste. Michelle

Columbia Valley Merlot ($16)

The largest producer in Washington State (more than a million cases each year), Chateau Ste. Michelle is also one of the most adventurous. Its Columbia Valley Merlot—smoky, savory and rich with black cherry fruit—is one of the reasons Washington Merlot is so highly regarded.

Clos Du Bois

Sonoma County Pinot Noir ($20)

One of the few $20 Pinots that really gives a sense of the allure of this complex grape.

Geyser Peak

California Sauvignon Blanc ($12)

Picks a percentage of the grapes earlier than most other producers do to retain the variety’s hallmark crispness and grassy zing, then balances the blend with riper grapes that add juicy lemon-melon fruit character.

Hess

Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon ($12)

Hess’s spicy, black cherry–rich Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon. Typically sourced from regions that range from Napa Valley to Paso Robles to the Sierra Foothills, it’s a reference point for modestly priced California Cabernet Sauvignon.

Hogue Cellars

Columbia Valley Riesling ($7)

Hogue’s bottling, with its orange blossom scent and crisp, minerally flavors, underscores the appeal of this grape; it’s lightly off-dry (i.e., slightly sweet), but the crisp acidity provides balance and makes the wine a natural match for Asian or Indian cuisines.

Kendall Jackson

Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay ($12)

Vineyard ownership means control over viticultural practices, and that’s why this wine—despite its vast production—remains so delicious: rich but finely focused, its flavors suggesting ripe mangoes and pears.

King Estate

Oregon Pinot Gris ($16)

The winery is particularly known for its Oregon Pinot Gris, a crisp white full of stone-fruit flavors that is a consistently great value.

Pepperwood Grove

California Merlot ($8)

Pepperwood Grove may be one of the company’s least playful brand names, yet its juicy California Merlot, full of plum and chocolate notes, embodies the appealingly straightforward drinkability of Don Sebastiani’s wines.

Rancho Zabaco

Heritage Vines Zinfandel ($17)

Its Heritage Vines Zinfandel takes advantage of the old vines’ intensity of flavor, and while it may not be as inexpensive as Gallo Hearty Burgundy was in the 1970s, it’s still a steal.

Ravenswood

Lodi Zinfandel ($15)

A shade pricier than the company’s ubiquitous Vintners Blend, but with a depth of blackberry richness that’s well worth the few extra dollars.

Robert Mondavi Winery

Napa Valley Fumé Blanc ($18)

Partial fermentation in barrel, the addition of a touch of Sémillon—to add complexity to this zesty white.

Rodney Strong

Sonoma County Chardonnay ($15)

 The winery (owned by Tom Klein since 1989) still produces one of Sonoma’s greatest values, its lightly toasty Sonoma County Chardonnay.


Australia & New Zealand

Yalumba

Barossa Shiraz Viognier ($16)

most notably the red-berried Shiraz Viognier.

Banrock Station

Shiraz ($5)

Banrock, located on the Murray River in South Australia, is best known in America for its deliciously smoky, berry-flavored Shiraz.

Brancott

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($12)

Properties in regions on both the North Island (Gisborne and Hawkes Bay) and the South Island (Marlborough), Brancott turns out a broad range of wines, including this compulsively drinkable Sauvignon Blanc.

Jacob’s Creek

Shiraz ($8)

Its wines have won a raft of medals (800 in the past three years), and its voluptuous, blackberry-rich Shiraz is consistently one of its best bottlings.

Penfolds

Koonunga Hill Cabernet Sauvignon ($12)

Once upon a time, only one Australian wine was considered first-rate: Penfolds Grange, a Shiraz and (sometimes) Cabernet blend. While Grange remains the country’s standard-bearer, Penfolds also makes many other excellent wines, especially its cassis-scented, fruit- forward Koonunga Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, one of the most reliable Cabernets from Down Under.

Rosemount Estate

Diamond Label Shiraz ($10)

Rosemount’s best known wine is probably the Show Reserve Chardonnay, which debuted in 1982, but its reasonably priced, robust Shiraz has helped make Rosemount Estate a household name.

Wolf Blass

Yellow Label Riesling ($12)

The winery is also focused on high-quality whites, including a wonderfully zippy Yellow Label Riesling that’s clean, bright and dry, marked by refreshing flavors of lemon and lime.



 Chile & Argentina

Bodega Norton

Reserva Malbec ($15)

Though founded by an Englishman (Sir Edmund James Palmer Norton) and now owned by an Austrian (Gernot Langes-Swarovski of Swarovski crystal), Norton is deeply Argentine—as is clear from its spicy, black-fruited Reserva Malbec.

Alamos

Mendoza Malbec ($10)

Alamos, is so good—as evidenced by the remarkably consistent Alamos Malbec, with its velvety raspberry fruit and toasty oak notes.

Casa Lapostolle

Sauvignon Blanc ($10)

Consulting top enologist Michel Rolland oversees the winery’s production, including a crisp and lively Sauvignon Blanc that’s consistently one of the best in Chile.

Concha y Toro

Casillero del Diablo Carmenère ($9)

The blackberry-rich Casillero del Diablo Carmenère, made from vineyards all over Chile’s Central Valley (including those in Maipo, Rapel and Maule), is Concha y Toro’s affordable star.

Cousiño-Macul

Antiguas Reservas Cabernet Sauvignon ($15)

Well-made wines, most notably the Cousiño-Macul Antiguas Reservas Cabernet Sauvignon, a fruit-forward, accessibly styled red.

Santa Rita

120 Chardonnay ($8)

Made mostly in stainless steel vats (only 10 percent of the grapes are aged in oak), it’s a clean, bright white with just a touch of oak-derived richness.

Trapiche

Oak Cask Malbec ($10)

Two years ago, it released an impressive collection of single-vineyard Malbecs; even so, Trapiche’s peppery Oak Cask Malbec offers equal insight into winemaker Daniel Pi’s skill with this variety.


France

Paul Jaboulet Aîné

Côtes-du-Rhône Parallèle "45" ($12)

The firm’s laserlike focus on quality carries across the whole line.

E. Guigal

Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge ($12)

Its typically Syrah-based Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge is full-bodied and compellingly aromatic.

Georges Duboeuf

Moulin-à-Vent "Flower Label" ($15)

Many are good, but his ageworthy, blackberry- rich Moulin-à-Vent "Flower Label," from Beaujolais’s most distinguished village, may be the star of the portfolio.

Hugel et Fils

Gentil ($12)

Hugel’s modern version, introduced in 1992, combines Sylvaner with Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Muscat to create a lithe, dry white with stone-fruit and floral aromas.

Langlois-Chateau

Crémant de Loire Brut NV ($22)

A blend of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc, it ages for 24 months on its lees (the yeast cells left over after fermentation) rather than the nine months typical of most Crémants, which helps give it unusual lushness and depth.

Louis Jadot

Mâcon-Villages ($13)

The firm of Louis Jadot is a rare thing: a large-scale Burgundy négociant whose reputation nevertheless hovers at the same level as many smaller, more rarefied domaines. This is in part thanks to the sure hand of Jacques Lardière, technical director at Jadot for 27 years, but partly it’s because of the inarguable quality of the com
pany’s fruit—found even in basic bottlings like Jadot’s crisp, floral, lime-inflected Mâcon-Villages.

Louis Latour

St-Véran les Deux Moulins ($15)

Its marzipan-and-apple-scented St-Véran Les Deux Moulins, from the more affordable Mâconnais region, is a superb introduction to the Latour style.

M. Chapoutier

Côtes-du-Rhône Belleruche Rouge ($11)

Basic Côtes-du-Rhône Belleruche Rouge, with its Grenache-based spicy, cherry flavors, remains one of his most impressively consistent bottlings.


Italy

A-Mano

Primitivo ($11)

It took a winemaker from California, Mark Shannon, to put Primitivo from Puglia on supermarket shelves in the United States. His bright cherry-flavored A-Mano Primitivo (an Italian grape that’s genetically identical to Zinfandel) is made from ancient vines in this up-and-coming region of Southern Italy.

Antinori

Santa Cristina ($12)

There is no more famous name in Italian winemaking than Antinori. Under patriarch Piero Antinori, this noble family makes an enormous range of wines all over Italy, but one of its year-in, year-out values is the berry-bright, straightforward Santa Cristina Sangiovese from Tuscany.

Banfi

Centine ($12)

Now, with 2,400 acres of vineyards in Montalcino, the brothers produce excellent Tuscan reds under the Castello Banfi brand, including Centine, an earthy blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet and Merlot.

Folonari

Pinot Grigio ($8)

The company produces a truly delicious Pinot Grigio that’s marked by mouthwatering acidity and bright green-apple flavors. And a note on that Folonari Soave: It’s gotten a lot better.

Frescobaldi

Castiglioni Chianti ($13)

The Frescobaldi clan currently claims nine Tuscan estates, including Castiglioni, where the label’s basic Chianti offers a taste of ripe Frescobaldi fruit for a very small price.

Mionetto

Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Frizzante ($11)

The Mionetto family, which is based there, makes a consistently good Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Frizzante, a softly sparkling wine with a bright lime flavor.

Ruffino

Chianti ($10)

 Owned by the Folonari family since 1913 and overseen by brothers Adolfo and Luigi, the winery also turns out a simple Chianti that delivers the earthy notes of a good Tuscan red.


Spain

Freixenet

Cordon Negro Brut ($10)

 A crisp, dry sparkling wine with charming citrus notes and a touch of classic cava earthiness, it’s always reliable and a pleasure to drink.

Jaume Serra

Cristalino Brut ($9)

The company, founded in 1943 by winemaker Jaume Serra Guell, is now owned by the Carrión family, but it still makes wine in the caves under its winery in the coastal town of Villanueva y Geltrú.

Marqués de Cáceres

Rioja Crianza ($13)

Its ruby-colored crianza (in Rioja, a term for reds that are aged at least a year in barrel and not sold for a minimum of three years after the vintage) is aged in French oak rather than the traditional American but still has all the balance and elegance of old-style Rioja crianzas.

Marqués de Riscal

Rioja Reserva ($19)

A long-aging Gran Reserva and this focused Reserva, with its classically Riojan notes of red cherries and vanilla.

Osborne

Solaz Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon ($9)

A brilliant example of its success is its fruit-driven, spicy Osborne Solaz Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sunday 12 January 2014

THE TOP 5 STRANGEST NEWS FROM WINE WORLD

Today we are in a globalized world, where everyone can knows everything, and where the news run so fast that sometimes we are not able to realize effectively the quality of every single information. We are litterally bombarbed of information!
 
The same happens even in the wine world, we swim in a sea of informations where is difficult to to orientate yourself. So, to help you, here our selection of the strangest curiosities from the wine world:
 
#1. WOMEN WHO DRINK WHEN ARE PREGNANT HAVE "BETTER BEHAVE CHILDREN"
 
Research from Denmark suggests women who have occasional drinks during pregnancy have children who are better adjusted than the offspring of those who abstain.
According to The Telegraph, results of the study showed that the children of women who drank up to a bottle of wine per month while pregnant were emotionally better off by the time they reached the age of seven than children whose mothers had stayed teetotal.
 
 
 
 
The study is based on a long-term study by the University of Copenhagen of more than 100,000 pregnant Danish women who were asked about their drinking habits.
However authors of the study warned the findings should not be taken as an invitation to drink during pregnancy and that the results were likely to be a result of other factors including the mother’s lifestyle rather than the amount she had drunk during pregnancy.
 
#2. A NEW ZELAND WINERY HAS BECOME THE FIRST IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE TO ACCEPT THE ONLINE CURRENCY BITCOIN
 
Pyramid Valley Vineyards, in North Canrubury, made the decision to ease transaction for the company’s domestic and international customer base.
 
 
 
 
Caine Thompson, managing director of Pyramid Valley, said: “We live in exciting times, and bitcoin is a movement that is gaining huge international traction as a currency that is borderless.”
Pyramid Valley began accepting bitcoin on 9 December 2013 with Thompson claiming good results over the Christmas period with bitcoins accounting for 9% of all online purchases.
 
#3. WINEMAKER KILLS THIEF WITH POISONED WINE
 
A wine producer from Vacszentlaszlo, 50km east of Budapest, had been plagued by a spate of thefts and was determined to give the thief, or thieves, “a lesson”.
He therefore laced some bottles with antifreeze and left them where they were likely to be taken.
On 24 October, a 30-year old man – who has not so far been identified as an employee of the winery – stole several poisoned bottles and shared them with friends.
 
 
According to police in the Pest department, he was hospitalised a few days later showing signs of poisoning and was dead by 1 November – though the exact cause of his death has not been firmly established. Five other individuals have also been hospitalised for poisoning.
Protecting one’s products to such extremes is not without precedent in Hungary. In 2008, a cucumber grower was fed up with someone who had been stealing the vegetables from his garden since the late 1980s and so he electrified his fence with 220 volts.
A 48-year old man was shocked to death as he tried to climb it. The gardener subsequently claimed he didn’t know the voltage would be quite so lethal.
 
#4. POISONED WINE COULD HAVE KILLED ALEXANDER THE GREAT
 
Dr Leo Schep, toxicologist at the National Poisons Centre and scientist at the Otago University in New Zealand, thinks a poisonous wine made from a plant may have killed the ancient Greek leader.
Alexander the Great built a massive empire before his untimely death at the age of just 32 in 323BC.
Some historians believe he died of natural causes while other believe he was the victim of a plot to poison him at a celebratory banquet.


Dr Schep, who has been researching the toxicological evidence for a decade, said some of the poisoning theories, including arsenic and strychnine, “were laughable” as death would have come far too fast.
He asserts the most likely culprit was a wine made from Veratrum album, known as white hellebore.
The white-flowered plant can be fermented into a poisonous wine and was was well-known to the Greeks as a herbal treatment for inducing vomiting. It would also account for the 12 days it took for Alexander the Great to die during which he was speechless and unable to walk.

#5. STUDY LINKS US DRINKING HABITS TO POLITICAL BELIEFS
 
According to a study by the US National Media Research Planning and Placement, Democrats prefer clear spirits such as vodka and Champagne while Republicans prefer brown liquor such as whiskey and wines.



The study found those drinking a glass of Robert Mondavi, Kendal Jackson, Wild Turkey and Jim Beam were most likely to turn out to vote, and vote Republican.
Meanwhile those choosing to sup a glass of Prosecco, Moët & Chandon, Smoking Loon wine or Tanqueray gin were most likely to vote, and vote Democrat.
At the other end of the scale those drinking Jägermeister, Jack Daniel’s or Malibu were deemed not as likely to turn out at the ballots, but if they did it would be to vote Reublican.
Those with a fondness for flavoured vodka and peach schnapps were also found to be less likely to vote, but to vote Democrat.
The drink sitting on the fence appears to be rum with both Bacardi and Captain Morgan Spiced rum falling in the middle of the political spectrum.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Saturday 11 January 2014

FORGET THE WINE WITH CHEESE !! NEW TrENdS WiTh wHISKy !! :)

France the country at 400 cheeses and the first country of consumption of whisky is one of the last countries that accord whisky and wine
Nicolas Julhès is an alchemist of flavors, which methodically explores, dissects the aromas to fill tables of notes looking for the perfect deal. "We can work agreements in complementary or opposition, he said. The important thing is to find a link between whiskey and cheese. "
A Dalwhinnie 15 years come perfectly in tune with the delicacy of a farmer in Saint-Nectaire the rind. On the hazelnut bread with a hint of heather honey, we will come close to ecstasy.
A Redbreast 12 years, preferably cask, will head Epoisses which reinforces the generous fruity Irish malicious. A Glendronach 15 years will be perfect on a cheddar. An old Speyside marked by sherry bounce on the stilton.


For a complementary agreement, we assign a Caol Ila 12 years to a camembert from raw milk, which will pep elegantly peat smoke in the air of Islay. "With Ardbeg, more animal, the agreement becomes a tone on tone is radically different," says Nicolas Julhès. If you feel you made ​​a mad audacity, open the calendos: it's even better!




We dare ask what whiskey pacserait test with Reblochon cheese optimal winter ... and takes a shot spoon (coffee) on the fingers! "Contrary to popular belief, Reblochon is best in summer, lectured Mr. Thuret. Because cows graze out and good fresh grass. Like the county, tastier when it is made in spring-summer. Ask her age and calculate. In winter, in the Jura, cows suck ice cubes and hay puff: it gives cheeses poorer, drier, cold refining. "

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