Posts belonging to Category Sagrantino



Xmas::NY Interweek & Xmas Tasting

do not judge them

do not judge them

DO NOT ADJUST YOUR CONTROLS. The foto is not in focus. The foreground grips control the horizontal and the vertical. Please ring the bell for service.

Main Street icon

Main Street icon

How was your holiday party? Ours was fab. Grab-bag wines, gag gifts and the popular and expanding re-gifting center charmed our guests. A Christmas party should be an open house with guests arriving at will. Lots off eats offset the preponderance of holiday cheer. We focused on wines and champagnes. There were no duds. Here is what we managed to keep track of.

Three Italian wines set the mark for winners bing bing bang. The first wine opened was the one in the center 2008 Cortones Brunello di Montalcino $45. It was quickly followed by the other two in sequence 2010 Tabarrini Montefalco Rosso $30, blending Sangiovese, Barbera and Sagrantino. 15 minutes later I was pulling the cork on the 2009 Viticoltori Migliozzi Casale Carinola Rampaniuci Falerno Massico $unk. While the sequence was accidental it was also perfect. The first two wines showed deep cherry flavors which encouraged the revelers to taste more wine! The third wine had the 3-winnersWEBmost body and the the most acid. It was the most serious and age worthy, forcing the madness to slow to a gentler pace. All three were just perfect for the holiday occasion where people who enjoy wine are involved. Each one was enjoyed by the throng in thongs. These wines proved the point that Italian wines are the most diverse with the greatest potential for giving gustatory satisfaction. Not one was over-ripe. Each was reasonably balanced, generally masculine. All three ably complemented the tamales, ham and lasagna.

BTF-zwickerWEB2013 Big Table Farm Wirtz Garden Edelzwicker $28 (winery only): Rare and unusual white wine blending “riesling, pinot gris, gewurztraminer and more;” all grown organically on the Big Table Farm estate. This wine shows what can be done in the New World with decidedly Old World sensibilities. Medium weight, oily with figgy quince flavors. Delightful. Serve chilled and let it warm in the glass. Big Table Farm is a label to keep tracking.

trouillard-champ-nvWEBNV Trouillard Extra Selection Brut $35 (Wine Expo): Plump strumpet champagne begging to hug your palate. Once this was tasted by a few it was quickly guzzled by the ambulatory throng in thongs. No wonder once you read about the careful handling in production, the first press juice only, and two years on the lees before bottling. Christ! This was too good for the guests!

As a wise man once said….keep the party hat on!! Happy New Year!!

This will help set the mood, no? It appears they’re having fun.

2014 Kicks Off with New Winners

new Rose Bowl winners

new Rose Bowl winners

The Michigan State Spartans came to Pasadena and stuck it to the Stanford Cardinal. The substitute middle linebacker playing in place of the team captain resting in the dog house made the play of the game (above). Let me be Frank. Shirley there is a wine story here. (more…)

Frisco pre Xmas: Best Little City on the Left Coast

Castro St. Decoration Winner

When Mrs. tBoW has to travel she prefers to bring along tBoW. Nice for me. Fortunately, she often travels to The City, Baghdad by the Bay, aka San Francisco. What a great town. When we lived here way back when, it was really more of a cow town. Had a Cow Palace and was filled with young folks trying to loosen their grip on life. City was already filled with adults who lost their grip long before us. Nice people called that colorful. What I am trying to say it sure is fun up here. There is always a new generation of young folks looking for a break and a lot of good times. You can drive all over the city in minutes so there are plenty of choices for where you’d like to get in trouble. Think of it like shopping in the Imagination Bazaar. If you are going to rent a car make sure it is tiny. Solves almost all your parking conundra. (more…)