Friday, January 28, 2011

The Virginia Wine Showcase - Another Festival During Valentines Weekend

We were miffed that not many Virginia wineries were participating in the Washington D.C. Wine & Food Festival and think we've discovered a clue. During the same weekend of February 12th-13th; the Virginia Wine Showcase is being held at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly. Tickets are very reasonable $45 for a tasting; $20 for non-tasting; and children under 11 are free. Why not bring the kids and get a hotel room.

What to expect at the festival? There are currently 37 Virginia wineries planning to pour their wares - including a couple infants: Rosemont Vineyards and Winery and Annefield Vineyards. The wineries represent a large array of regional and grape variety that is making Virginia a popular wine region. There will also be plenty or wine and food seminars for foodies so you won't spend all your time at the tasting booths. And unlike the event in DC; all these seminars are included with the purchase of a ticket. Here's who's presenting:
  • Richard Rosendale, Executive Chef, Greenbrier Resort
  • Mamma Agata: Simple and Genuine Book Tour
  • Warren Brown of CakeLove and Love CafĂ©
  • Andrew Stover, Vino50 Selections
  • Executive Chef John Emerson, Wegmans Food Markets Inc.
  • Mary Schellhammer, Spice Rack Chocolates
  • Brandon Walsh, Hosted Wine Tasting, LLC
  • Chef Bernard Henry
  • Dorit Paz, Sababa Market
  • Chef Patrick Wilson, Culinary Institute of America
  • Jeffrey Mitchell, Frenchman's Cellar
  • James Ricciuti, Ricciuti's Restaurant
  • Carl Henrickson, Farm Wineries Council
  • Joe David, Author

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

12th Annual Washington D.C. International Wine & Food Festival

Its time once again for the Washington D.C. International Wine & Food Festival from February 10th through the 13th. And as usual the grand tasting will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center during Saturday, February 12th and Sunday, February 13th from 2:00pm-6:00pm. There will be over 100 domestic and international wineries exhibiting, pouring more than 600 wines available for sample. Tickets vary and will increase by $10 after February 5th: Saturday only ($85), Sunday Only ($75), Two-Day Pass ($140). There will be plenty of events targeted towards foodies including Gourmet food booths sampling new products; a Food Pavilion at the GRAND TASTING showcases local restaurants; and The Washington Post's Chef Demo Stage features celebrity chefs. We are more interested in the wine selections which include some Virginia and Maryland wineries, as well as a contingent from the Finger Lakes, and several from the left coast. As for international wines, there will exhibits dedicated to New Zealand Winegrowers, Rhone Valley Wines, The Republic of Hungary, Wines of Don Quxiote's Spain, and Wines of South Africa. Let the sampling begin....

Update
Deals For Deeds are offering tickets to the Washington DC International Wine and Food Festival for 33% off. The direct link is: http://dealsfordeeds.com/deals/todays_deal/93

Friday, January 21, 2011

Beer Review Dude - Terrapin Hopzilla Double IPA

We are not the only outfit tasting Double IPAs or making beer videos. Check out Beer Review Dude and their collection of reviews including this one for the Terrapin Hopzilla Double IPA. Also, visit this social networking site over at Craft Beer Network.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Bell's Hopslam Ale - Is It Worth the Hype and Price?

This past Friday, we drank for the first time, several glasses of Bell's Brewery's seasonal cult-classic Hopslam Ale. Most of my associates were very familiar with the beer and the restaurant, Fireworks Pizza, ran out that evening. A nearby music venue, Galaxy Hut, also exhausted their supply in one night. What makes this double-IPA so special? Well, it starts with "six different hop varietals added to the brew kettle & culminating with a massive dry-hop addition of Simcoe hops". Now, you would think this massive dose of hops would result in an overly bitter concoction, but no, it is balanced by sweet malt and a dose of honey. The beer's aroma is the most powerful we've experienced, and the flavor profile complex and spicy - reminiscent of of a Belgium Ale. Truly a great tasting beer; but worth the $20-$25 price per six-pack. Well considering that same evening we spent $7 for average tasting beers at the 9:30 Club; at $4 a beer - its a bargain. Yea, there is still some sticker shock when purchasing a case, but this isn't the type of beer to guzzle in an evening - its one to savior throughout the year - hopefully our case will last that long.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

A Forgotten Visit: Crushed Cellars - Purcellville Virginia

This evening while scanning through our wine cellar I came across the Crushed Cellars Seyval which we had purchased at a winery visit a couple weeks back.And sadly, we prompted forgot to publish a winery visit. Fortunately Dezel from MyVineSpot has all the details; I just remember that proprietor Bob Kalok offers one of the best Seyvals that we have tried in quite a while. Its made dry with nice acidity which worked well with the Thai rice and veges this evening. The wine also has flavor, which many Seyval wines lack. The same holds for the other two wines we tasted, a semi-dry Vidal and a Cabernet Sauvignon. We will be back soon - maybe this weekend to stock up on more Seyval and perhaps some farm fresh eggs.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Gov. Robert F. McDonnell Unveils New Plan for Liquor Privatization

According to the Washington Post, Gov. Robert F. McDonnell will unveil a proposal Wednesday to close 332 state-owned liquor stores and replace them with 1,000 private retail outlets - a scaled-back version of a plan he's pushed for months to end Virginia's monopoly on the sale of distilled spirits.

Under McDonnell's liquor proposal, the state will continue to act as the wholesaler of liquor in Virginia, buying thousands of cases directly from distilleries and selling them at a profit to private retailers, who would then set prices for consumers.

Aides to the governor hope prices will fall because the state will cut the markup it applies to liquor prices from 69 percent to 50 percent.

The stores would be be sold off over an 18-month period that would start July 1.

McDonnell hired PFM, a national financial management company, at a cost of more than $75,000 to consider ways to privatize the state's stores without losing money after he did not have enough votes to hold a special session to take up the issue.

Licenses would be sold to the highest bidders and split among big-box stores, such as grocery stores and Wal-Mart; convenience stores and drugstores; package stores and wine stores; and small convenience stores.

A legislative study released in November showed McDonnell's original proposal may have overstated by tens of millions of dollars the amount of money Virginia could make from selling the entire system. His new figures came from PFM.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Wine Making Is as Old as Civilization

Here's another example to give to any temperance believer who thinks alcoholic beverages should be banned from society. And believe me these people are out there. This article describes the discovery of a 6,000 year old wine press - the oldest ever discovered - which shows that alcohol consumption is as old as mankind itself. The press was retrieved from a caveside cemetery in what is now southern Armenia and holds remnants of an ancient red grape. 'The press itself is a shallow clay basin about three feet (one meter) in diameter, surrounded by grape seeds and dried-out grape vines." Wonder if there were wine critics rating these wines, way back then.....

Thursday, January 6, 2011

CNN Understates Number of Wineries in Virginia by 13 Dozen

CNN's Jim Boulden needs to join Wine-Compass.com; if he did, he would quickly realize that Virginia contains more than the two dozen he claims in this report regarding U.K. and Virginia sales. Heck, Florida has over two dozen wineries, as does Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, Georgia, and many other states. For the record, Virginia currently contains 190 wineries.


Thursday, December 30, 2010

WineCompass & MyJoogTV on Wine & Dine Radio

Earlier this month we participated in an episode of Wine & Dine Radio hosted by Broadcast Journalist, Oral Wine Historian Lynn Krielow Chamberlain. This is a very entertaining broadcast where Ms. Krielow Chamberlain incorporates five 10-minute segments on various topics within the wine and culinary industries. Makes it easy not to lose interest with such short segments.

We participated in a discussion on the evolution of Wine-Compass.com into MyJoogTV.com. Our episode also includes Rollin Soles, Co- Founder and Winemaker, Argyle Winery, Dundee, Oregon, Willamette Valley; Jessie Niewoldt and Kate Connors, Center for Wine Origins; Frederick T. Merwarth, owner-operator, Winemaker, Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard, Dundee, New York, Seneca Lake, Finger Lakes; and Michael Giarraputo, Founder and CEO, Think Tank® Wine Company.

Monday, December 27, 2010

A New Gin Comes to Town: Martin Miller's Gin

We were recently informed of a new Gin introduced to the market by English hotelier and entrepreneur Martin Miller: Martin Miller’s Gin. The spirit is made of "juniper from Tuscany and India, Cassia bark from China, angelica from France and florentine from Florence delicately blended with pure Icelandic spring water, to create a marriage of rare softness, clarity of taste and appearance. Among many awards, Martin Miller’s Gin has taken home two out of three possible gold medals in the blind-tasting 10th Anniversary Strength gins by the International Spirits Challenge."

According to Miller, the 4 components to make a good gin are: 1.) The ‘Base’ Spirit from which the gin is made by re-distillation; this must be grain spirit of the highest quality and consistency. 2.) The recipe which by strict tradition is always very secret. 3.) The ingredients themselves. Only the richest and finest. Martin Miller’s will consist of dark purple, puckered juniper berries harvested from the hills of Tuscany, India, of Macedonia. 4.) Last but not least, the equipment used to make the Gin. Martin Miller’s consists of a single three story high, balloon bellied, Samovarish pot still named Angela in what is said to be the ‘Rolls Royce’ of Gin Stills. However, not satisfied with the depth of this description, we submitted additional questions which Mr. Miller was kind enough to answer:

1. How long did it take you to produce your first batch - from conceptualizing, to design, to actual implementation?

It took us about 18 months. We started back in 1998, and the gin was finished to my satisfaction by the summer of 1999, when we launched. The idea was formed in a typical London Pub, when I was served what was supposed to be a Gin and Tonic – 75 proof gin, one ice cube, a slice of preserved lemon and dreadful gun tonic. It was that moment when I realized just how far standards for gin had fallen in the face of the relentless march of vodka. I needed to create a gin that would put a smile back on the face of gin drinkers, myself included. It was time for a Gin Renaissance.

2.Where is the actual distilling facility?

The gin distillery is situated in the Black Country, just west of Birmingham.

3. Which grains to you use to create the base spirit and where are they grown?

The grain we use is barley, which is grown in East Anglia, for the most part.

4. Our readers are becoming interested in organically made spirits. Does Martin Miller's Gin qualify?

When I first conceived the idea for Martin Miller’s, the idea was not a commercial consideration, rather, it was to simply make the best gin possible, without considering the cost or time involved. Organic or not, our first and only consideration was whether or not this process or ingredient takes us closer to making the perfect gin. Personally speaking, I am suspicious of spirits claiming to be organic. Take for example, Juniper Berries. Their quality varies enormously year to year in a wide variety locations, be that Tuscany, Macedonia or India. We always source the best available berries from whatever location is delivering the highest quality that year. If we were to apply for organic status, this would compromise our ability to switch and change our sources as quality varied. Gin is not a product of ‘terroir’. In the case of wines, I can see a strong case for organic but with gin and other white spirits, I see it as more of a marketing claim, no more, no less.

5. What is your water supply for creating the mash?

The water used for the mash is from a spring within the distillery, but what’s more important to Martin Miller’s is the water that we use for blending; after all, this water is anything from 50 to 60% of the liquid in the bottle.

For blending, we use Icelandic Spring Water, which is simply the purest and softest naturally occurring water to be found on the planet. Its super softness and purity give us a very gentle and ordered delivery of the botanicals and aromatics, making it the perfect water for blending gin. It’s very expensive for us to do this, but the usual de-mineralised water used to blend most spirits simply doesn’t measure up.

6. How many times is the base spirit distilled - do you use just the heart, or also re-distill the head and tail?

Martin Miller’s is pot distilled in small batches; each batch is a single distillation. We use only the heart of the spirit, as the heads and tails are discarded. The copper still is over a hundred years old, and we use the traditional method of maceration and direct distillation rather than the ‘tea bag’ steaming process. Most importantly, Martin Miller’s is the only gin to employ two separate and distinct distillations; one for the Juniper and one for the ‘earthier’ botanicals, the dried citrus peels,. The two distillates are then ‘married’ to create the final distillate. This gives us a clarity to the citrus notes without them overpowering the juniper.

7. How did you determine which juniper berries to use?

Simply from the quality of the oils they produce, and nothing more. Provenance and cost are not a consideration.

8.What other botanicals are infused into the Gin that you can reveal?

From the beginning, I wanted to improve on the classic recipe for gin. The fashion these days is to add all manner of exotic and increasingly outlandish ‘botanicals’ to gin, though what they all bring to the party baffles me. Our fashion was to stick to the traditional ‘pallette’ of botanicals; juniper, cassia, angelica, coriander, Florentine iris, with, of course, the addition of bitter orange and lemon peel. I wanted to create a gin that tasted like a good gin should – only more so! So, the brief was to be creative with the traditional botanicals.

9. What is a "Samovarish" still and what advantages does it give compared to other pot stills? - Sounds very Russian.

Well, the still that we use looks pretty Russian too! As a matter of fact, the still shape has quite an influence on the final spirit. We tried spirit from several different stills before settling on ‘Angela’, the still we use to this day.

10. What are the retail price points?

I’m the wrong person to ask! That’s a question for the whizz kid marketing boys to answer. All I know is that they constantly complain about what they call the ‘high cost of goods’ and I simply tell them that it’s not my problem. In the US, I believe that we sell the 80 proof product for around $25 and my beloved Westbourne Strength Martin Millers for around $35. At those prices, I think we’re practically giving it away!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

LAN Rioja Crianza 2006 and Other Value Wines

I had to stop in and select a few wines rather quickly at our local wine store, Norm's Beer & Wine, and stumbled upon a huge surprise: the LAN Rioja Crianza 2006 retailing for $13.99. This Spanish Tempranillo wine is the bomb, full of cherry flavors with traditional old world earthiness on the tail. Aged 12 months in French and American oak. Tannins and acidity balance nicely. This wine replaces the Antis Malbec Reserve, which we also purchased at that time, as our favorite value red. We learned later that even WIne Spectator shared our views, being #44 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2010. Not too shabby.

That evening we also consumed two other value wines, the Honey Moon Viognier made popular by our friend Dezel at My Vine Spot and the Domaine Barry Cotes du Rhone 2008, the first priced at $5.99, the latter at $8.99. I did say value wines. Apparently the Viognier has declined slightly in quality, but it is still refreshing, slightly acidic wine with strong peach flavors. The Cotes du Rhone, on the other hand, is nothing special; just a decent drinking wine. And don't bother trying to research; most sites have it listed as a Bordeaux wine containing Cabernet Franc and Merlot. In reality, being a Rhone wine, it was most likely composed of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Roussanne, or Cinsault.

Friday, December 10, 2010

MyJoogTV Episode 7: Tom Principato at the Mad Fox Brewing Company

This episode of MyJoogTV features Washington-based bluesman Tom Principato in a discussion of beer and blues with Mad Fox Brewing Company head brewer and proprietor Bill Madden. We've been following Principato's career ever since listening to Blazing Telecasters - Danny Gatton & Tom Principato way back in the early 90's. He is now releasing a new CD, "A Part of Me", which includes "some of the Washington D.C. area's best musicians who I've been recording and performing with for years: Steve Wolf, Tommy Lepson, Josh Howell and Jay Turner". Principato is considered a "Master" of the Fender Telecaster and Statocaster and he explains the difference. The bluesman also just returned from a successful European tour so in anticipation to that trip, we sampled a few European-styled brews crafted by Madden. We also learned about Madden's voyage from being a student brewer to now, an accomplished brewer owning a restaurant and a judge in the Great American Beer Festival. The episode concludes with the Tom Principato Band performing "Down in Lou'siana", a track from "A Part of Me" at the Second Chance Saloon in Columbia, Maryland. Cheers.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Brewer and Musician Extraordinaire: Kyle Hollingsworth

We learned recently the The String Cheese Incident keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth is a very accomplished home brewer, having been invited to craft signature beers at several Colorado breweries. And next week he continues to release signature beers, through the three night Hoppy Holidays series, where Hollingsworth performs with the Kyle Hollingsworth Band and in between sets introduces the audience to some craft beer. The events are modeled after previous Hollingsworth happenings such as Kyle’s Brew Fest and the Rock & Brew Tour, where Hollingsworth introduces his musical fans to excellent craft brewed beers - many his signature beers. The first two nights feature beers crafted between Kyle and Boulder Beer Company and are held at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver on the 10th and Hodi's Half Note in Fort Collins on the 11th. The series culminates with a fundraiser at Avery Brewing on the 12th where proceeds from the evening benefits Conscious Alliance, a charity feeding impoverished communities. This event is unique in that it will be held in Avery Brewing's barrel room - music as well as tasting beer from the Hollingsworth\Avery collaboration.

Leading up to these events we had a chance to discuss with Hollingsworth his brewing experience. He started at an early age, 18 or 19 years of age - when consumption of alcohol was legal at that age. At the time he lived in Baltimore and purchased a home brew kit at a store in nearby Ellicott City. He remembers enjoying the beers from the old Sisson's Brewpub (now Heavy Seas Brewery) and wanted to reproduce those quality beers. His first brew was a light lager, but he quickly turned to Porters, not only for its amicable characteristics, but also because it seemed easier to produce. He remained a leisurely home brewer until he relocated to Colorado where the presence of a vibrant brewing community elevated his interest. He decided to become a more serious home brewer and even received advice from home brew guru Charlie Papazian author of The Complete Joy of Homebrewing Third Edition (Harperresource Book).

Because of the heavy touring regularly scheduled for The String Cheese Incident, Hollingsworth only brews a handful of times a year. Music is still the number one priority. He used to schedule brewing so he would have a six pack to bring on the road, but over the years has had to ask others to babysit the bottles. Today he store's his beer in Kegerators, so the nightmare of an amateur bottling line has ended. And since his band mates don't really share his strong attraction to craft beers - no kegs on the bus. His palette has also changed over the years where today he prefers the hoppy India Pale Ale styles.

But what has kept him attracted to crafting beer is its similarity to writing music. At some point they both require a creative "leap of faith" whether trying something new in the brewing process (using a new grain or adding a botanical like sassafras) or mixing in a new style of music. The result of this attraction will be on display next week in Colorado.

To learn more about Hollingsworth check out this video from his YouTube channel. If you are new to Untying the Not, and branch out from there.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Wine-Compass, MyJoog, and Digital Media Generation Announce the Launch of MyJoogTV

Its now official: The Official Announcement is located here. Looking forward to more entertaining episodes in 2011.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Searching for Muscadine in South Carolina

While driving to Florida we usually stop along the way to either visit a winery or pick up a unique offering at a stop. On this trip we came upon the Hyman Vineyards Southern Sunshine at a stop in Santee South Carolina. The winery crafts several styles of muscadine wines ranging from dry to sweet and we selected the dry version of the Southern Sunshine. This is a light bodied wine which displays the traditional characteristics you would expect from a muscadine: grapey aroma and flavor and zero tannins. And since it was made dry, no gritty or syrupy sugars to overwhelm the palette. This is a good representative of how a muscadine wine should be crafted. And served slightly chilled, it was a refreshing drink in the Florida sun; yes its hot in south Florida - even in November.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Thanksgiving Beers

We enjoyed two interesting beers for Thanksgiving: the Shipyard Brewing Company Pumpkinhead Ale and the Inlet Brewing Company Monk In the Trunk. The later is a fruity (apricots) and slightly spicy Belgium styled ale crafted using authentic Belgian Abbey yeast. The flavor profile is slightly sweet with the spices dominating the nose and the tail. Plus its made from organic ingredients. The Pumpkinhead Ale may be the best pumpkin styled seasonal we have tasted. We usually avoid these beers since many are overly spiced with nutmeg or pumpkin additives. On the other hand, this beer displays just a hint of the pumpkin and spices and allows the characteristics of the malt and hops to surface. Nicely done.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Lou Foppiano turns 100, celebrates in Healdsburg

Our favorite maker of Petite Sirah at Foppiano Vineyards turns 100. Just imagine the changes in the wine industry that he has witnessed. Also, a great place to visit; read about our tour.

History of North Carolina Wine

Here is a very informative article regarding North Carolina wine.I didn't know that Westbend Vineyards is the oldest continually operating winery in the state.

Friday, November 19, 2010

MyJoogTV Episode 6: Andrew McKnight at Catoctin Creek Distilling Company

This episode of MyJoogTV features our new favorite folk singer Andrew McKnight and distiller Scott Harris of Catoctin Creek Distilling Company. We discussed the distillation process for organic rye whiskey, social media, government regulation of spirits, and how McKnight and the Harris' are kindred spirits regarding the eat, drink, and play music locally. The Roundstone Rye we sampled was excellent, lighter than many bourbons, but flavorful and completely smooth at the tail. The highlight of the afternoon was listening to McKnight perform "Letter to Colonel Mosby" while sitting on an oak barrel in front of the still. At wine-compass.com, we are followers of "Free the Grapes, now it's time to Free the Shine. The video is available to download for iTunes and Windows Media Player.