Philadelphia Inquirer & Philly.com Debut Wine Videos
Filed Under The Wine World
Might as well hear about it from the fatboy himself. Here’s the link.
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Pimping out the School’s Good Name…..
Filed Under The Wine World
Well, it’s that time of year again. Its that when I swallow my pride, and join the endless torrent of Christmas Holiday Sales and Promotions.
If you have a special someone who lives near Philly, then how about getting him/her/it a wine school gift certificate? They are beautiful and customizable, and will be delivered via email as a printable document. Anyways, thats my holiday sales pitch.
If you prefer something a b it more trashy, then I say go with this Pimp Wine Glass, which I found here.
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Happy Holidays!
Filed Under The Wine World
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I’m dreaming of a blanc (de blanc) Christmas
Filed Under The Wine World
(sung to the tune of White Christmas)
I’m dreaming of a blanc (de blancs) Christmas
All chardonnay, no pinot noir
The Salon is chilling
And artists swilling,
In a 1930s Paris bar
I’m dreaming of a blanc (de blancs) Christmas
Josephine staggers, then a-rights
May my day turn easily to night
And may all of my champagne be white
And the wine, the year, what fills my dreams?
Salon Brut Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil 1928. Read more
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Return from Piemonte
Filed Under The Wine World
I was always one of those guys who was unaffected by jet- ag, no matter where I was traveling to or returning from. But this most recent trip–my wife and I spent the 10 days around Thanksgiving in the town of Costigliole d’Asti–seems to have gotten to me. I’m exhausted!
This is either because I’m (a) getting older or (b) suffering from Barbaresco, Barolo, and Barbera withdrawal. I’d like to believe it’s the latter of the two options.
I’ll be posting my tasting notes here over the course of the next several weeks, but I thought I’d take this blog space to discuss one of the most surprising discoveries of my time in Piemonte: The sheer range and quality of Barbera.
Over on this side of the pond, Barbera tends to exist in the vinous shadows, and I personally never gave it much thought except when I was having a simple pasta dish or a particularly meaty pizza. But in Asti, it’s a whole different ball game: Barbera runs the gamut from light and refreshing–I tasted an almost nouveau-style one at the Asti Truffle Festival–to dense and brooding and perfect alongside a rich piece of steak. I even tasted a number of them with a decade or more of bottle age–and they were fantastic!
I suppose the lesson here is a simple one: Always be open to new wine experiences, and don’t assume that the selection on our shelves represents the totality of a certain type of wine. Even a supposedly humble grape like Barbera can do great things when given the TLC it so richly deserves.
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Italian Pick of The Week 11/26/07
Filed Under The Wine World
Mastroberardino Aglianico Passito “Antheres”, NV, Irpinia IGT, Campania
With the holidays upon us thoughts turn to sumptuous meals and the bounty of late autumn as it folds into winter..and wines to enjoy as an accompaniment to antipasti, entrees, and, of course, dessert. Italy is renowned for its array of dessert wines and post dinner liquori anddigestivi, ranging from mildly sweet to uncompromisingly bitter.
The dean of Campania’s producers, Mastroberardino, offers this late harvest liquoroso that was dried on straw mats known as graticci for months before being fortified with distillates of three year old wine. The result is an alcoholic blast of warmth and the textures of a young port.
The nose opens to the typical Taurasi mix of bitter cherries and woodsy fruits, dark and earthy. In the mouth the firm body you’d associate with Aglianico serves as the foundation for the developing flavors of dark cherries, raspberries, and rounded notes of prune and raisins. The sensation created is of balance, depth, and a passito sweetness that complements rather than overwhelms.
This is a wine to savor on its own or with dry pastries, perhaps a Sienese panforte or a plate of biscotti. A wine to warm the soul. Go ahead, indulge yourself, you’ve earned it.
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Sommelier Smackdown End-of-Year Bout
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“Tell him he can have my title, but I want it back in the morning.” - Jack Dempsey’s response after a drunk challenged him to a fight.
Things are heating up around the Wine School, folks. Seems there is a good old-fashioned sparring match coming up as sources have confirmed that Founder Keith “Wall-Eye” Wallace has officially challenged his trusty Instructor Brian “B.D.” Freedman to the ultimate duel:
It’s the Sommelier Smackdown End-of-Year Bout. There will be wine. There will be food. There will be judgement. Maybe not the “sweet science” you had in mind, but, a sweet science, nonetheless.
In the past months, Wallace and Freedman have gone up against some of Philly’s toughest contenders - Christophe Tassan, Ryan Davis, Jeff Bloom, Christophe Guillot, Anthony Masapollo – pairing food with wine on limited budgets and strict rules. Some rounds have been won, some lost – with a few glorious victories going to each man.
To be certain, these aren’t exactly the halcyon days of Ali and Foreman. Still, there will be plenty of ego entering the ring come Wednesday, December 12th, as Wallace and Freedman go head to head in THE wine and food match of the year.
Who’ll be standing four rounds and two hours later? Purchase your seats, folks, and place your bets. I’ve got a hunch many are going to want to be ringside for this one.
Sommelier Smackdown, Wednesday, December 12, 7:30 – 9:30 PM.
Keith “Wall-Eye” Wallace vs. Brian “B.D.” Freedman.
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What is Italian Wine?
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Recently, our Advanced Class students finished a seven week viaggio through the oftimes bewildering, but nonetheles fascinating, demimonde of Italian wine. Along the way they tasted, analyzed, and discussed dozens of wines representing eighteen of Italy’s twenty regions, from the obvious - Barolo - to the relatively obscure - Peleverga. The objective of this “by the glass” tour was to answer, if at all possible, the question “..what is Italian wine?”, a task they revisited at the final session.
The wines had been presented not only for their aesthetic and organoleptic merits, but also in the context of regional history, economics, geography, culture, and society. To learn of Italian wine divorced from these interdependent factors is to ignore millennia of viticultural heritage and Italy’s current and future position in the international wine community. Read more
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Through the Wine Glass
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“Curiouser and curiouser!”
Like Lewis Carroll’s Alice, Natalie MacLean has an insatiable curiosity. And lucky for us, Natalie’s curiosity is for all things wine. In her excellent book Red, White, and Drunk All Over, she traverses the world in pursuit of one wine adventure after another.
There is much to learn about wine, and Natalie leaves few stones unturned. Her natural curiosity is an offshoot of an innate intelligence, and with great insight does she write about wine, all the while entertaining and educating her reader. With candid prose, and much charm and vigor – hers is an “intelligent hedonism” after all – Natalie takes us by the hand and swoops us down that rabbit hole with her. Read more
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The Con Artist Smackdown
Filed Under The Wine World
A week ago, we were the target of the classic “The Check in the Mail” con. Problem was, the conman had only a bare grasp of the English language and no idea that we do not sell wine.
From: Wilmer Hayes
Date: Nov 6, 2007 6:20 PM
Subject: Wine Inquiry
Hello
Am Wilmer Hayes living in florida, am a wine supplier, i supply forweddings and birthday ceremonies, am really intrested in this wine(TheSommelier Smackdown)and i will like to know the actual amount of itand i want 200pieces of it , but my payment option is cashier check and i want you to calculate the shippment and get back to me asap.
Wilmer
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