As I mentioned last night, Mark S. is trying to get us into the Porter House off of 35E and Little Canada Rd. Hope to know later today whether we can go there. Betsy Greeting, Anyone know where we're going this week? Last I knew is was Merlot somewhere, but I don't think the where had been determined. (Erte was an option, but we were going to try someplace new.) Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> ----- Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2006 10:25:24 -0400 (EDT) To: jellings(a)me.umn.edu Subject: 30SecWineAdvisor: More Merlot From: The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR, Friday, June 9, 2006 ________________________________________________________________________ TODAY'S SPONSOR * WINEBUYS.COM Irresistible Deals On Our Latest Arrivals! Enter FIRSTFREE at checkout for free FedEx on your first order! http://www.winebuys.com?qts=winelovers ________________________________________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE * MORE MERLOT Continuing our inquiry into whether the bad rap on Merlot is justified. * MACROSTIE 2002 "KELTIE BROOK" NORTH COAST MERLOT ($14) Well-made, nothing complex, but balance and acidity make it a table wine than your average Merlot. * WINEBUYS.COM Irresistible Deals On Our Latest Arrivals! Enter FIRSTFREE at checkout for free FedEx on your first order! * ADMINISTRIVIA Change E-mail address, frequency, format or unsubscribe. ________________________________________________________________________ MORE MERLOT Continuing the discussion I started on Monday about our Wine Tasting 101 topic on Merlot this month, I realize that the memorable insult in Sideways had such an impact that I almost feel a need to apologize when I post a Merlot tasting report. Almost, but not quite. After all, a big part of being an open-minded wine enthusiast is to question the conventional wisdom and, when confronted with a wine rule or custom, check it out. While some wine rules ("don't sip good wine from a coffee mug") make more sense than others ("don't drink red wine with fish"), experience remains the best teacher. An appropriate skepticism about the things you're told can pay dividends ... in wine as in life. So, putting the character Miles's snarky comment about Merlot out of my head, I opened a relatively modest California Merlot the other night, basing my choice on a trustworthy wine merchant's advice ... and enjoyed a pleasant surprise. The 2002 "Keltie Brook" Merlot from California's North Coast (a catch-all appellation for fruit from Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake counties) might not qualify as a sought-after "cult" item, but this second label from the MacRostie winery in Napa, made from purchased fruit, boasts balance and a good acidic structure that lifts it well above the soft, plushy "chocolate-covered-cherry" character that makes mass-market Merlot popular with everyone but wine geeks. ________________________________________________________________________ MACROSTIE 2002 "KELTIE BROOK" NORTH COAST MERLOT ($14) Dark blackish-purple, garnet edge. Plums and cherries, pleasant fresh fruit on the nose and palate, nicely balanced by snappy acidity. Well- made, nothing complex, but balance and acidity make it a much better table wine than your average Merlot. (June 7, 2006) FOOD MATCH: Just about any pork, veal or poultry dish would do; it was fine with pork country-style spareribs scented with fennel seed in a pilaf-style dish with orzo. VALUE: Not at all unreasonable at $14, which was a dollar below the winery price. WHEN TO DRINK: Not really meant for aging, but it's not going anywhere in a year or two on the wine rack. WEB LINK: The winery Website features information on all the MacRostie wines including the Keltie Brook line, and offers online sales where the law permits. http://www.macrostiewinery.com/ FIND THIS WINE ONLINE: Compare prices and locate vendors for Keltie Brook Merlot on Wine- Searcher.com: http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Keltie%2bMerlot/-/-/USD/A?referring_site=… ________________________________________________________________________ TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE: To read and comment on today's column in our non-commercial WineLovers Discussion Group, you can click directly to it at http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?p=10599#10599 To browse and participate in the overall Merlot discussions in Wine Tasting 101, start with this forum topic, and feel free to post a reply at any point in the "thread." http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?t=1484 Today's article is cross-posted in our Netscape WineLovers Community, where we also welcome comments and questions. http://community.netscape.com/winelovers?nav=messages&tsn=1&tid=4515 To contact me by E-mail, write wine(a)wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit. ________________________________________________________________________ PRINT OUT TODAY'S ARTICLE Here's a simply formatted copy of today's Wine Advisor, designed to be printed out for your scrapbook or file or downloaded to your PDA or other wireless device. http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/print060609.html ________________________________________________________________________ WINEBUYS.COM: IRRESISTIBLE DEALS ON OUR LATEST ARRIVALS Your 1st order SHIPS FedEx for FREE! Enter coupon code FIRSTFREE at checkout Save 23%! AUGUST KESSELER 2003 RIESLING QBA RHIENGAU A delicious white that successfully combines richness and steeliness as well as in wines twice the price. Retail $13 WinebuysPrice $9.99 http://www.winebuys.com/page/buy-wine/prod/WW-KESSRQ-03%26qts=winelovers Save 28%! 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We do not use this list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail to anyone. All the wine-tasting reports posted here are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry. Friday, June 9, 2006 Copyright 2006 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved. ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *