Poe’s Tobacco
Quite simple and momentarily sweet; within the hour it is gone. . . Wilted leaf, rose petals, soap and talc. It's softened and autumnal. Though it smells of neither, I have the dual image of a childhood rosewood chest full of winter sheets; and a littl...
Old-School California Cabernet, XIX: Mount Veeder 1998
I happened upon a local Mom-and-Pop wine and liquor store recently with which I was unfamiliar. Right inside the front door stood the “Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!” sign, four months late. The shelves and racks held a typical selection of wine and spirits genres, brands and labels. Oh, well, I thought, doing a little exploring,...
Washington Wine Goes to South Korea
If you follow Write for Wine on Facebook or Twitter, you’ll know that I just spent a week in Seoul, South Korea for my job at a public relations agency. It was a first for me, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect in terms of wine. My friend Jaimie at L’Ecole 41 in...
Wine Tasting Video: Italian reds – Brunello, Monferrato, Primitivo etc
Bergaglio Sassaia Monferrato Rosso 2007, Piedmont (₤18.60 Symposium Wines) Oh so nearly… This combines the ripe plummy blackcurrant of Cabernet Sauvignon with the awkward herbiness, rose petal and tar of Nebbiolo and friendly blackberry edge of Bar...
Balgownie Estate Cabernet sauvignon 1998
Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. Cabernet sauvignon. 13.5%. Cork. Source: cellar.Time for some housekeeping. . .Though the bottle was crusted in dust, and the storage has at times been variable, the contents have remained fresh and bright. While age has n...
Untitled
One day perhaps, I will be pleased to find I have a cellar full of aged Cabernet. . . Thanks to an earlier period of unchecked mania I find much of my cellar occupied by these long lived and structured things. They need carnivorous company and a long c...
Uncategorized
Peter Luger Steak House, New York
When you’ve been serving steaks since 1887, you’ve probably learned a thing or two. The legend of Peter Luger in Brooklyn hangs over most steakhouses in the world like a godlike presence. Observe, salivate, copy, hope. No matter the rumours of crusty service, the fact I had to make 23 (yes, twenty three) phone calls...
Wine Tasting Video: Bordeaux-ish wines from France, Chile, California & South Africa
Vallée Blanche Malbec 2010, Pays d’Oc, France (£7.49 Majestic) Reasonable violet-scented plummy fruit and soft spice, but the muddy vanilla character from use of oak destroys the delicate flavours – think of someone with too much foundation… C+...
Quick Sip: Francis Coppola 2009 Claret
Hello Friends,
Today’s Quick Sip is the Francis Coppola Diamond Collection 2009 Claret [Cabernet Sauvignon]. Claret is the name Francis Coppola uses for the flagship wine in their Diamond Collection brand (created in 1996). The intent of the Franci...
Wonderful Walla Walla Wine
Regular readers of this blog know we are major fans of Walla Walla wine. We don’t get to visit Walla Walla nearly as often as we would like, so when Walla Walla comes to Seattle, it’s a must-go-to event. So I dashed out to SoDo during my lunch break to visit friends and have a...
Wine Tasting Video: Assorted Red Bordeaux
Dourthe Cour du Roy Montagne St Emilion 2010 (£12.99 selected Co-operative stores) Rich round style of Bordeaux, juicy, full and fleshy, with gutsy plummy and baked berry flavour backed up by smoky bacon oak, just let down by overextraction, which acc...
