Posts Tagged Wine
Gary Vaynerchuk Talks About Banyuls On Wine Library TV
Posted by Justin Thorp in Online Resources, Wine on February 6th, 2010
My favorite episodes of Wine Library TV are the ones where Gary Vaynerchuk drops some knowledge and helps me expand my understanding about the wine world.
The latest episode is a great example. In it, Gary talks about the Banyuls region of France and their well known dessert wines. It’s an area that I’m not familiar with and am anxious to try.
Check out the episode and let me know what you think.
Six Wine Resolutions Everyone Should Take in 2010
Posted by Justin Thorp in Wine on December 26th, 2009
It really has been a blast to learn about all that is wine, since I started back during my Wines of the World class in college. It’s really cool to learn about how wine has played an important role in just about every culture, around the world.
Well, the Wall Street Journal has a great article where they put together 6 wine resolutions that you can accomplish for 2010. I think this is a great idea and a great way to expand your love of wine.
- Try wine from a different state.
- Next time you are making a special meal, go to two good wine shops and ask them to match the main course with a wine in a certain price range.
- Take a wine trip.
- Truly engage a sommelier at a fine restaurant.
- Do a little research on a wine before or after you drink it.
- Go to a mass tasting.
I feel like the more that I’ve slowed down and taken time to understand the food and drinks that I put into my mouth, along with the culture that goes with them, the better I’ve been able to understand the world around me. These 6 wine resolutions are good steps to keep pushing in that direction.
Cheeky Tastings: “Michael Mina”
Posted by Mark Drapeau in Famous Chefs, Restaurants on December 24th, 2009
If you live in Washington, DC you may be familiar with the restaurant Bourbon Steak in the Four Seasons in Georgetown. The chef is Michael Mina, whose star seems to be rising. I hadn’t heard of him until Bourbon Steak (of course, I’m not a professional restaurant reviewer…).
I recently had the opportunity to sample his resturant Stonehill Tavern in Dana Point, CA (south Orange County). It’s inside the St. Regis resort there, which is stunning in itself.
Stonehill feels a lot like Bourbon. It was probably designed by the same person. It’s modern, hip American with lots of dark wood and old-fashioned class. I went with a date. We had two glasses of champagne, for which there was really poor selection and frankly some outrageous pricing.
That out of the way, we had an amazing meal. Appetizers, dishes, and desert (pumpkin donuts!) were awesome. I had the sommelier bring me a glass of whatever red would go best with my pork chop, and it was perfect.
Michael Mina’s not cheap. But I think you get your money’s worth. And in this case, with a view of the ocean. If you’re in SoCal and want an elegant, expensive meal, try Stonehill Tavern.
Cheeky Tastings: “Gary Vaynerchuk”
Posted by Mark Drapeau in Wine on December 19th, 2009
Someone sent me some wine from Wine Library, as a gift. Turns out, one of the bottles is actually a collaboration between Gary Vaynerchuk and a winery.
The 2006 Chateau Sansonnet La Reserve (750ML) is absolutely delicious. Try some. The chateau’s cuvee is 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc. It’s fairly expensive ($50), but I’ve had worse for more, I suppose.
Further, I think it’s cool that Gary is actually working to make wines. According to the label, “In order for Gary Vaynerchuk to select a wine as worthy of the title ‘La Reserve’ it must exhibit excheptional breed and class as well as the potention to age gracefully and gain complexity over time.”
Good stuff, Gary. Thanks!
Cheeky Tastings: “The Grille”
Posted by Mark Drapeau in Restaurants on November 16th, 2009
I had lunch with a good friend of mine at the Capital Grille near the Navy Memorial in DC the other day. I usually don’t have power lunches but this was just one of those Fridays, I suppose. We were eating at nearly 2pm. It had been a long week.
There’s a lot you could say about the Grille, from the bleached blondes at the bar scoping the room to the excellent staff waiting on your requests to the fact that the place was packed in the middle of a recession. But surely all that has been said before.
Two quick tasting notes. One, the “truffled fries” are insanely good. I’m not certain I’ve had them before. They’re really addictive. Unclear if a goal of the Grille is to make its customers fat but you almost cannot stop eating these things. There was also a sick side sauce in addition to the normal stuff. Sorry, I forget what it was.
Two, the hamburger apparently had bacon up in it. Good idea.
If you’re looking to blow a little money, perhaps have some wine, and have a nice power lunch with some hearty food [oh, the lobster bisque was great, too!] definitely try the Grille on Penn and 6th (or most any other Grille). It’s a little old-school and it’s filled with Washington’s power elite, but so what? Just think about the fries.
- Mark Drapeau
Cheeky Tastings: “Papa Burgundy”
Posted by Mark Drapeau in Wine on November 9th, 2009
Editor’s Note: Welcome my friend Mark Drapeau to Justin Loves Food. He is a retired fruit fly brain surgeon currently hiding in sleepy Washington, DC. He spends his leisure time writing and eating. Here, he combines both skills.
I was recently turned on to Burgundy wine by a friend. It’s generally lighter than what I usually order, but it was wonderful at a meal in New York with a vegetarian pasta appetizer followed by a light scallops dish and bread pudding. So when I returned to Washington, I thought I’d try a couple more bottles at reasonable prices (these were both about 20 bones).
I had them with the new Papa Johns “Perfect Pan” pizza with six cheeses. Yup, pizza. Seriously, it’s okay to pair wine with things like pizza, hot dogs, and McDonald’s, just as it’s okay to pair a beer with a steak – you just have to do it right. Anyway, the first wine was a 2006 Jacqueson Rully Chaponnieres, and the second was a 2005 Martin Michel Chorey Le Beaune.
First, the Jacqueson Rully. This was a lovely, fruity wine that was light to the lips. It smelled light as well, and was somewhat like what I had expected from New York. It paired really well with the cheap pizza – just enough to break through the oil and fruity enough to overpower my senses briefly. The Martin Michel, on the other hand, tasted nice but had a more earthy flavor. It was light like a Burgundy of course but was too deep for the pizza.
Burgundy can work with pizza. If you’re feeling adventurous, try the 2006 Jacqueson Rully Chaponnieres.
- Mark Drapeau
Drink Sparkling Wine More Often!
Posted by Justin Thorp in Wine on November 3rd, 2009
Last week, I was at a Halloween party out a DC bar and ordered a glass of sparkling wine from the bartender. A few of my friends looked at me like I was very strange. It wasn’t because I was drinking wine. It was because I was drinking sparkling wine.
Popular culture has unfortunately labeled sparkling wine as something that you only drink during New Years or birthday parties, which is SOOO unfortunate. Sparkling wine is so good that it shouldn’t be relegated to just a couple of times per year. Let it be something that you drink all the time.
Or… you could take my approach to sparkling wine. When you drink it, think about all the great blessings that you’ve received throughout the day and celebrate that. Use it as an opportunities to celebrate all the great gifts that God has given us.
Looking for some good sparkling wines? Check out one of the latest episodes of Wine Library TV. Gary Vaynerchuk takes two sparkling wines head to head…
Wine Library TV’s Gary Vaynerchuk on Dolcetto
Posted by Justin Thorp in Wine on October 6th, 2009
Yesterday, Wine Library TV’s Gary Vaynerchuk had a pretty rockin’ episode where he dished some knowledge about the grape varietal Dolcetto that’s predominately from Northwestern Italy.
It’s definitely a wine varietal that I need to dive into more. When you think of Itallian grapes, all too often you just see things like Sangiovese and Chianti.
If you’re a Dolcetto nube like me, this episode is a great place to start.
Have you tried Dolcetto wines? If so what do you think?
Gary Vaynerchuk and Adrian Lenegan on Wine as an Investment
Posted by Justin Thorp in Wine on September 14th, 2009
Wine Library TV’s Gary Vaynerchuk had Adrian Lenegan of Provenance Fine Wines from England on his show as a guest. They talk about wine as an investment.
I’ll be honest. Investing in wine isn’t something that I’ve thought as much about but this show definitely makes me think twice about i.
Watch and let me know what you think.
Gary Vaynerchuk on Drinking Wine from Vouvray, France
Posted by Justin Thorp in Wine on August 22nd, 2009
In the spirit of expanding your pallette and trying new things, I wanted to point out this video that Gary Vayerchuk did on Wine Library TV about wine from Vouvray, France.
I wasn’t familiar with Vouvray and am pretty confident that I’ve ever had a wine from their before. The grape varietal is Chenin Blanc. The harvest of these grapes is probably the latest in France. It usually occurs during November.
Fun random fact… they say that wine making in this region started around the 5th century.
Two of the wines that Gary showcased on the show were reasonably priced. I think i’m going to pick them up and give them a whirl. I’ll report back.
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