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by James＠brewingnews.com

Greetings, Lambic is where wine meets beer. Sour, funky, fruity creations - barrel fermented for up to three years. Friend of the list Niccolai and Tom usually bring/share some very wonderful hand-carried Belgian standards. PM me for a ride share to/from s. Mpls. Weather looks to be perfect. Hours: 12-5pm. Bottle share check-in will begin at 11am. Breweries pouring 12-3:30pm, bottle share 1:30-5pm. Our featured breweries... August Schell's Brewing / Starkeller Brewing, Bemidji Brewing, Bent Brewstillery, Fair State Brewing Cooperative, Forager Brewing, Indeed Brewing Co., and special guest breweries pouring in shorter rotating sessions https://wherethewildbeersare.com/ https://www.facebook.com/WhereTheWildBeersAre/?hc_ref=ART431Ye6fennt89_oEq2… -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com

8 years, 2 months

[wine] Dallas News recommends 3 OR Pinots

by James＠brewingnews.com

Dallas News - Who Knew? c, j Dallas News ON THE NEW DALLASNEWS.COM! 3 smooth pinot noirs that Oregon winemakers got just right FILED UNDER WINE & SPIRITS AT YESTERDAY SHARE Written byProfile image for Rebecca Murphy Rebecca Murphy, Special Contributor Connect with Rebecca Murphy Email Don't miss a story. Like us on Facebook. LIKE DALLAS NEWS' FACEBOOK PAGE Pinot noir is an incredibly versatile red wine with food. The fruit profile may be subtle and light with raspberry, cranberry or strawberry from cooler areas or rich black cherry, plum or blackberry from warmer areas. The wine might have savory characters like bacon, earthy, forest floor. But, the three qualities that make this grape so food friendly are round fruit, plenty of acidity and smooth, fine-grained tannins. The downside to pinot noir is that it is a persnickety grape. It doesn't grow just anywhere. Everything — climate, soil, rainfall — has to be just right. Then the grape must be treated gently in the winery. Of course, all this TLC means that it is hard to find a cheap and good pinot. The Willamette Valley of Oregon is one of the places in the world where pinot noir is happy. Below are three we think you might enjoy made by people who have a passion for this maddening, picky, glorious grape.Pinot Noir 2014 from Brooks Wine (George Barberis) Pinot Noir 2014 from Brooks Wine (George Barberis) Brooks Wine Brooks Wine was established in 1998 by Jimi Brooks, a Portland native who was well-respected for his work at Willakenzie and Maysara wineries. He died suddenly in 2004 at the age of 48, leaving his 8-year-old son, Pascal, and a pending harvest. The wine community rallied to complete Brooks' harvest and his sister, Janie Brooks Heuck, took on the task of running the winery. Pascal Brooks, Janie Brooks Heuck and winemaker Chris Williams of Brooks Wine in Oregon (Andrea Johnson) Pascal Brooks, Janie Brooks Heuck and winemaker Chris Williams of Brooks Wine in Oregon (Andrea Johnson) Today Brooks has 20 acres of Demeter-certified biodynamic vineyards in the Eola Amity AVA. The Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2014 ($28.99), available at Kroger's at Mockingbird Lane and Pogo's, is quintessential Willamette Valley pinot with ethereal raspberry, rose petal and spicy sandalwood aromas and flavors. It is medium light-bodied with vivid acidity and fine-grained tannins. Sokol Blosser Susan and Bill Sokol Blosser were among the pioneers in the early 1970s who believed that Oregon's Willamette Valley was the perfect place for pinot noir. This intrepid group shared equipment, experiences and knowledge earned laying the foundation for perhaps the best region for pinot in the U.S. Sokol Blosser now has 85 acres of certified organic vineyards surrounding their Dundee Hills winery. They were the first U.S. winery to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for their underground barrel cellar. Today the winery is managed by second generation co-presidents Alex and Alison Sokol Blosser. <p><span style="font-size: 1em; background-color: transparent;">Second generation co-presidents of Sokol Blosser, Alison and Alex Sokol Blosser</span></p> Second generation co-presidents of Sokol Blosser, Alison and Alex Sokol Blosser Their Dundee Hills, Estate, Pinot Noir 2014 ($34-$39), available at Corner Wines, Dallas Fine Wines & Spirits and Total Wines, is an elegant, graceful wine with vibrant raspberry jam flavors intertwined with savory notes of bacon and sandalwood. It is medium-bodied with a taut balance between fruit, acidity and ripe tannins. Domaine Nicolas Jay grapes come from their estate vineyard, Bishop Creek Vineyard in the Yamhill Carlton AVA of the Willamette Valley. (Domaine Nicolas Jay) Domaine Nicolas Jay grapes come from their estate vineyard, Bishop Creek Vineyard in the Yamhill Carlton AVA of the Willamette Valley. (Domaine Nicolas Jay) Domaine Nicolas Jay A newcomer to Oregon debuting in 2014 is Domaine Nicolas Jay, a partnership between Jean-Nicolas Méo of Domaine Méo-Camuzet in Burgundy and Jay Boberg, a music entrepreneur who founded IRS Records. The grapes come from their estate vineyard, Bishop Creek Vineyard in the Yamhill Carlton AVA of the Willamette Valley, as well as from growers throughout the Willamette Valley. The Domaine Nicolas Jay, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Pinot Noir 2015 ($69), available at Bar and Garden and La Cave, is richer than expected for an Oregon pinot with lush, complex ripe raspberry, blackberry flavors layered with baking spices. It is powerful, with medium full body, yet silky smooth in the mouth. -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com

8 years, 2 months

[wine] C-T Cuvee Sainte Anne

by James＠brewingnews.com

A review from VinePair FYI/FYE REVIEW: CHARTOGNE-TAILLET ‘CUVÉE SAINTE ANNE’ CHAMPAGNE NV Courtney Schiessl@takeittocourt NEVER MISS A STORY: 2 MINUTE READ Share On Facebook! Share On Twitter! Email This To A Friend Share On Pinterest! Upon finding out that I spend quite a bit of time opening and tasting wine, very often I am asked the same question: “What’s your favorite kind of wine?” Now, that’s a difficult question; what’s the occasion? What’s the weather like? What mood am I in? What am I eating? I’m hard-pressed to pick just one style of wine to label, above all others, to distinguish as my favorite. But if I had to pick just one type of wine to drink for life, one of those desert-island type scenarios, there’s no question that I would pick Champagne. It’s important to qualify that I’m not talking about sparkling wine, though there are many excellent sparkling wines out there; I’m talking about true Champagne, the one that comes from the region of the same name located just about an hour outside of Paris. I both blame and thank my former boss’s obsession with bubbles for my own Champ-addiction; when presented as a young sommelier with the opportunity to taste many of the region’s top wines on a regular basis, it’s impossible not to become a bit infatuated with Champagne. The problem with my so-called desert island wine is that, while I firmly believe that Champagne is versatile enough to be an everyday wine, Champagne is typically not budget-friendly enough to be an everyday wine. But with the uptick in grower-producers — winemakers, typically on the smaller side, who not only make Champagne but grow the grapes that go into the cuvées — being imported to the U.S., there are now more entry-level bubbly options that remain extremely high-quality and terroir-driven. The Chartogne-Taillet ‘Cuvée Sainte Anne’ is one of those wines. On first glance, Alexandre Chartogne looks like a rough-and-tumble, rugby player-like guy, but when he opens his mouth to speak about his wines, he speaks like a poet. The subject that he can wax on most about is soil, which is why there are few details about the grape varieties that make up the Cuvée Sainte Anne (it’s usually Pinot Noir-heavy with Chardonnay making up the rest of the blend), but many about the soils in which they are grown. The influence is clear; while there is plentiful, bursting apple and lemon zest in the wine, there is also clear-textured minerality, mouth-watering salinity, high-toned focus, and layered complexity. While the Cuvée Sainte Anne is more approachable than most of Chartogne-Taillet’s other wines, it acts as an introduction to the mineral-driven style of the producer at a price unheard of for most other Champagnes; it averages between $40 and $45 but can be found for as low as $35. Fair warning: This may be the gateway bottle to your own Champagne addiction. If it is, I’ll happily take the blame. -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com

8 years, 4 months

[wine] Why England’s Sparkling Wines Can Now Rival Champagne

by Theodore Trampe

Why England’s Sparkling Wines Can Now Rival Champagne Who'd a thunk it? This article was in the April 2017 edition of Food and Wine: http://www.foodandwine.com/wine/champagne-sparkling-wine/englands-sparkling… [http://cdn-image.foodandwine.com/sites/default/files/styles/rd_fwrd_blog_ma…]<http://www.foodandwine.com/wine/champagne-sparkling-wine/englands-sparkling…> Why England’s Sparkling Wines Can Now Rival Champagne ...<http://www.foodandwine.com/wine/champagne-sparkling-wine/englands-sparkling…> www.foodandwine.com South of London, cutting-edge vintners are making sparkling wine that rivals those from the great houses of France. Follow Ray Isle on a quest through England's new ... Ted Trampe

8 years, 6 months

[wine] Is Chenin the New Chard?

by James＠brewingnews.com

>From Vogue no less. White wines can be tricky. Chardonnay is one of most popular ones on the market today, but many people still find it to be a bit too “oaky.” Sauvignon Blanc on the other hand, another top contender, is often criticized for being a bit too “grassy.” No matter which white wine you select—whether ordering for your table at a restaurant or serving it while entertaining—there always appears to be someone who has something to say. Enter a rising star in the white wine world, a near-foolproof crowdpleaser that is neither too oaky nor too grassy: Chenin Blanc. Originating in France’s Loire valley, Chenin Blanc is a grape that experts praise for its extreme versatility, with any two varieties from any two winemakers unlikely to be too similar. Depending on the winemaker’s recipe and handling of the grapes, it can produce both dry and sweet wines, sparkling and still wines, and varieties that range from $12 per bottle to ultra-premium vintages that stretch into the hundreds of dollars. “Sometimes I wonder what I can’t get from Chenin Blanc,” says Lauren Schell, beverage director of Seaworthy in New Orleans and New York’s favorite bar-on-a-sailboat Grand Banks. “It’s sort of all things to many people—it can be dry or sweet, oaked or unoaked, still or sparkling… There are so many iterations of it, that it really woos folks who are typically diehard fans of other grapes, like Chardonnay.” In fact, Schell is making a pretty substantial bet on Chenin Blanc; a sparkling variety from French winemaker Jacky Blot will be featured as one of the house sparkling wines at Grand Banks this summer. Although the grape comes from France and the United States led the world in acreage in the 1980’s, South Africa currently leads the world in production, with the varietal resulting in over one-fifth of all vineyard plantings, producing about half the world’s supply annually. It’s also been the fastest-growing South African varietal in the United States in recent years, up over thirty-five percent from five years ago. “I think it’s a fun grape for wine drinkers to explore,” said a Wines of South Africa rep. “South African Chenins can appeal to a wide range of fans - they have enough body to appeal to Chardonnay drinkers, enough aromatic generosity to make Sauvignon Blanc fans happy, and they’re still fresh, which is important to Pinot Grigio drinkers.” But you don’t have to fly to South Africa to sample the best Chenin Blancs. Maison Pickle—a restaurant which recently opened on New York's Upper West side—offers the wine as a pairing for shrimp dumplings, chicken francese, and even their signature French dip sandwiches. “It’s a wonderful choice,” says Maison Pickle wine director Guy Devereux. “It’s a versatile grape which can be made in many different styles from dry to sweet and sparkling to dessert wine. Its honeyed floral character distinguishes it from the grassier Sauvignon Blanc and its zesty acidity sets it apart from the butter notes of New World Chardonnays.” It’s a wine that also sells quite a bit at Ai Fiori, another restaurant in New York. Ai Fiori’s wine director Colin Thoreen shared that Chenin Blanc, specifically the single appelation of Coulée de Serrant by Nicolas Joly, was responsible for the rebirth of the biodynamic movement in the wine world. “It’s an incredible grape,” said Thoreen. “Chenin Blanc has risen the ranks of popularity around the world for its ability to suit many palettes but also its ability to deliver an extremely high-quality product at an approachable price point.” So now that it finally feels like winter is melting away to spring and a crisp, chilled glass of white wine feels appropriate, perhaps its time to skip your tried-and-true Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs and consider Chenin Blanc instead. -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com

8 years, 8 months

[wine] How the Patriots Celebrated their Super Bowl Win

by Theodore Trampe

Hopefully they were using the André for spraying purposes only. http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/Lady-Gaga-Grigio-Super-Bowl… Patriots Celebrate Super Bowl Victory with Fine Cigars, California "Champagne" In case you missed it, the New England Patriots pulled off a rather remarkable second-half comeback last night, winning Super Bowl LI in overtime. Of course, all Unfiltered really wanted to know was how the winners would be celebrating. Details of the "official" celebration still aren't out (and knowing the secrecy of the Patriots organization, may never be), but we can report that team owner Robert Kraft joined the players in the locker room after the game to hand out some very fine Nicaraguan cigars. According to our esteemed colleagues at Wine Spectator sister publication Cigar Aficionado, Kraft was handing out Padrón 1964 Anniversary Maduro cigars, which are priced at about $300 to $400 a box. They're quite the splurge compared with the victory bubbles that defensive end Chris Long was popping. Chris, the son of Fox Sports studio analyst and Super Bowl XVIII champion Howie Long, broke out some bottles of André California "Champagne" for his teammates. “I got them from Walgreens,” Chris told USA Today.

8 years, 9 months

[wine] 2015 Burgundy - blog

by James＠brewingnews.com

FYI from a blog posted to the Speculator site. Bruce Sanderson http://www.winespectator.com/blogs/show/id/54457?utm_medium=email&utm_sourc… Several times during my tastings of the 2015 vintage in Burgundy there have been moments where the wines have really made an impact, emotionally, viscerally, even spiritually. There are truly some magnificent wines from this vintage. To have a complete range in one cellar is exceptional. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti <http://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&search_by=exact&text_s…> achieved success in a hot, often dry, but very fine vintage. Although the wines are unfinished and still require refining in barrel and bottling, this is as impressive a range as I have tasted since my first visit here in 2005. Unfortunately, Aubert de Villaine, DRC's co-director and statesman, had to appear in a Dijon court to testify against yet another counterfeiting operation. I tasted with cellarmaster Bernard Noblet, who knows these wines as if they were his children. Some had been racked <http://www.winespectator.com/glossary/index/word/Racking>, due to reduction and high amounts of carbonic gas; others were not, as noted below. Noblet told me that bottling will begin at the end of February. For fermentation, Noblet retained 100 percent of the stems, for the first time since the 2009 and 2005 harvests. He also noted that, due to the grapes' high natural potential alcohol of 14 degrees, the indigenous yeasts were sluggish. Therefore, the wines finished their alcoholic fermentations in barrel. "This required a lot of attention and care, but we had no problem of any kind," de Villaine wrote me a few days later via email. "On the contrary, I believe it added more richness and balance to the wines. These 2015s have been very good and easy children!" I found the cuvées that had not been racked to be the most integrated. Any type of operation like racking or bottling the wines can disturb them, and they require time to restore their equilibrium. Add the fact that the cellars were very cold—about 4.5° to 5.5° F cooler than usual—and the wines are developing at a glacial pace! The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Corton 2015 was still on the lees <http://www.winespectator.com/glossary/index/word/lees>, not racked. It set the pace with an added level of elegance that earlier vintages did not show. Full of rich, dark cherry and spice aromas and flavors, it's still rooted in the earth yet balanced and focused on the long finish. The first vintage for DRC was the 2009, when it contracted to farm the vineyards of Prince de Merode. The DRC team has worked hard to integrate the vineyards into its biodynamic cultivation and has also begun replanting some of the vines in Bressandes with its own *selection massale <http://www.winespectator.com/glossary/index/word/selection_massale>* of Pinot Noir. Thus, for now, it is a blend of the oldest vines from Bressandes, Renardes and Clos du Roi. The Echézeaux had been racked after the 2016 harvest. It was the last *climat <http://www.winespectator.com/glossary/index/word/Climat>*to be picked in 2015 and was the ripest of the group. Often the Echézeaux can be a bit sullen from barrel, but this is expressive, bursting with ripe black cherry, blueberry and spice notes, a round, charming personality, juicy texture and fine length. The Grands Echézeaux had been racked at the beginning of December. It exudes ripe black cherry, floral, spice and mineral flavors. More linear and tense than the Echézeaux, it's also more elegant, with fine grip on the long finish. As good as these first three wines are, the fireworks began with the Romanée-St.-Vivant. A wine of great class and finesse, it features aromas and flavors of rose, strawberry and cherry, married to an aerial profile and lacy texture. Its finish extends gracefully. Not yet racked, this is a stunning RSV. Both the Richebourg and La Tâche were racked after the 2016 harvest. The Richebourg's attack is rich and fleshy before turning focused, structured and more serious. Pure cherry and red berry fruit gives way to oak and tannins on the finish, its length revealing its ultimate potential. La Tâche offers its typical power and density, with tannins more integrated than the Richebourg and notes of black cherry, licorice, sandalwood and spice. We ended with Romanée-Conti, also still on its lees in barrel without racking. Simply majestic, complete and different from the rest of the range, it expresses pure cherry, floral and spice flavors, gossamer texture and terrific aftertaste. "*Un autre monde*," said Noblet. Indeed, it's a wine with profound depth, breadth and an ethereal, spiritual element that delivers great pleasure along with a sense of place. Cheers, -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com

8 years, 9 months

[wine] Sheep's milk cheese good. Sheep ranching bahhhhhed.

by James＠brewingnews.com

FYI on the challenges of raising sheep for farmstead cheese production. http://www.janetfletcher.com/blog/2016/11/26/acclaimed-cheesemaker-calls-it… Here's a snippet to whet your appetite: Recently the husband-and-wife owners of Georgia’s acclaimed Many Fold Farm posted a dismaying announcement on Facebook: On January 1, they would cease making cheese. The news rattled the cheese world because the young creamery seemed to be thriving, with a blue ribbon for Condor’s Ruin (above right) at the American Cheese Society competition, a second-place finish for the aged Peekville Tomme, and a growing presence for its sheep’s milk cheeses in influential shops. Ross and Rebecca Williams purchased their farm in Palmetto, Georgia, in 2009. They introduced their first cheeses three years later and now manage 200 East Friesian dairy sheep. Their ambition—to provide a successful example of sustainable, pasture-based farming in the South—now seems heartbreakingly out of reach. What does the Williamses’ experience say about the future of sheep cheese in the U.S.? For a glimpse of an answer, I spoke with Rebecca about the creamery’s challenges. How much cheese were you making and was it selling well? We produced 25,000 to 30,000 pounds of cheese a year, and we could have sold triple what we were making. There was never a problem with the market. The problem was always our ability to produce. You wrote that making farmstead cheese in the U. S. is more challenging than other types of work. Would you elaborate? Dairy work is some of the hardest farm work there is. It’s 24/7. You can’t leave. You are tied to the land and the animals. Combine that with the fact there has not been a concerted effort to improve dairy-sheep genetics in the U.S. so that the sheep produce well and thrive in different environments. You can have your pick of cow breeds that produce good-quality milk and enough volume to run a business. But the sheep dairy flock is not well managed from a utility perspective. None of the breeds is high yielding in a pasture-based setting. They need to be kept indoors, on high-energy feed. If that’s not your philosophy or you don’t have capital to house sheep indoors, it’s hard to get the volume of milk you need. So you end up milking hundreds of animals that aren’t giving enough to have an efficient system. Where you could get by milking 60 cows, you have to milk 300 sheep or more. That’s just incredibly labor intensive. You didn’t realize that before you started? I knew we were going to be pioneers, but if we had known that it was going to be this hard we probably wouldn’t have done it. Our original business-plan numbers were from research in Europe where they have completely different dairy stock. We were getting less than a liter of milk a day (per ewe). -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com

9 years

[wine] Bevan Cellars 2014 Vintage

by James＠brewingnews.com

Congrats to RB. 3 100-pointers and 2 99-pointers for Bevan Cellars in issue 227 of the Wine Advocate this morning. Congrats! link to photo https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10210652923537636&set=a.40663421352… -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com

9 years, 1 month

[wine] More thoughts on stems for bubbles (& Bubbles!)

by James＠brewingnews.com

Wine folly "sabres (into) the subject" of stemware for sparkling wines. Well worth a click for the full content and the graphics. Short version: A high quality (crystal) white wine glass (e.g. Overture white or better) works very well for most sparkling wine. http://winefolly.com/tutorial/champagne-flutes-or-glasses/ Selecting The Best Glass For You There are some clear differences as to how the shape will affect your perception of how different sparkling wines taste. There are a few other considerations to keep in mind: Shape As the illustration suggests, glasses with smaller openings and bowls are less expressive than glassware with a larger bowl shape. So, if you drink more affordable sparkling wine on a regular basis, you may actually end up preferring the flute-style glass, because it will hide flaws and make the wine taste more spritzy. Material The glass material will either be crystal or standard glass. The major difference between the two materials is thickness. Standard glass requires a greater thickness for durability whereas crystal can be made thinner. Generally speaking, the less material that interacts with your palate, the less obtrusive it will be to the flavor. Thus, you should expect the finest Champagne glasses to be made of crystal (both lead and lead-free). There are many outstanding crystal manufacturers to seek out, but be sure to add Riedel, Spiegalau, Schott-Zwiesel and Zalto to your shortlist as some of the most trusted brands with sommeliers. Durability The biggest problem with Champagne glasses is that they are top heavy which increases their potential to slide off trays or get knocked over and break. If you’re already nervous around stemmed glasses, you’ll be even more uneasy around Champagne flutes. Champagne flutes are essentially the bane of people who talk with their hands. If this sounds like you, you might want to stick to a standard white wine glass. Maintaining Your Glassware One last consideration to make if you’re buying Champagne glasses is your willingness to hand-wash them (who loves dishes?). Standard glass is non-porous and can handle rigorous washing in a dishwasher, whereas fine crystal is more finicky. It’s like the difference between maintaining a Toyota Camry vs a Porsche Turbo. Again, the pragmatic solution isn’t always as exciting, but remember, it’s about the wine… What We Use Riedel Superleggero hand blown crystal glasses including CHampagne We were delighted to see that Riedel’s new high-end glassware collection, Superleggero , includes a Champagne glass that mimics the white wine glass shape. We drink sparkling wine at least 2–3 times a week at the office and we open everything from cheap bottles of Cava to prestige Champagne. What do we use? A high-quality crystal white wine glass. We’ve found that the white wine glass gives us the most honest assessment of the wine: it doesn’t hide flaws and it’s easier to stick your nose in (and clean up afterwards). In fact, when researching the latest trends on Champagne glassware for this article, we were delighted to see that several glassware manufacturers are using something similar to a white wine shape for prestige Champagne! -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com

9 years, 3 months

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