Monthly Archives: July 2011

I am rather excited to report that I’ll be headed to Charlottesville, Virginia, tomorrow to take part in the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference. About 300 of us wine bloggers are gathering, and, judging by the agenda, either the spit buckets or the bloggers will be completely loaded the entire time.

I am particularly looking forward to “The Other 46” tasting, which highlights wineries from states other than California, Washington, Oregon and New York. Every state in the country now has at least one winery, and many of them produce some pretty darn good stuff.

We’re also touring some of the wine country around Charlottesville, which, I must admit, I barely realized existed. But Virginia boasts more wineries than any state other than the four mentioned above. It’s an impressive comeback for a state that had but 15 acres of vineyards when Prohibition was finally repealed. If the Virginia Wine website is to be believed, the state has had great success with vinifera grapes grafted onto American rootstocks. I’m looking forward to trying some local Viognier, Cabernet Franc and Norton; varieties noted as doing particularly well in the Virginia terroir.

I’ll try to keep my reports from Virginia as concise, lucid and properly spelled as possible, but it all depends on how many wines are just too good to end up in that spit bucket.

Now that Sam’s Wine is but a cherished memory, the title of “Best Large Wine Store in Chicago” falls to Binny’s Beverage Depot. (Although I do love my neighborhood shop, In Fine Spirits, with its small but very well-chosen selection.)

I trekked down to Binny’s the other day in search of some unusual, delicious and inexpensive wine to pour at my upcoming wedding. I already planned on serving some Serbian Tamjanika and Vranac, but I needed some contrasting options.

After discussing the logistics of ordering and delivering the wine with “Michael,” one of Binny’s’ wine consultants, we hit the floor. I explained how I write a blog devoted to unusual and obscure wines and spirits, and asked for something a little off-the-wall. He led me to a display of Pillar Box Red, an Australian blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Ah yes, an Australian Shiraz — I’m sure no one at the reception will have tried that before.

He next recommended the Peter Lehman Layers, a somewhat more interesting Australian blend once again dominated by Shiraz. I realized I must have been unclear. I explained again that I wanted something really unusual, “like the two wines I’ve already chosen to serve, a Serbian Tamjanika and Vra–”

Michael interrupted. “Oh, we don’t have any Serbian wine here.”

“Yes, I realize that,” I responded, “But that’s the level of ‘unusual’ I’m looking for. Maybe you have some fun Greek options?”

Michael looked at me like I’d just farted.  (more…)

One of my coworkers occasionally concocts some homemade liqueurs, most frequently making her own bracing version of limoncello. She recently turned her attention to amaretto, and, knowing how I enjoy a nipper every now and then, she gave me a little bottle.

It tasted quite good on its own — warm, dark, a bit syrupy, with a rich almond flavor at the back of the palate. And it’s actually quite easy to make: (more…)

Hours-long picnics are one of the great joys of summer. When gathering up bottles of wine to accompany the pasta salads, cheeses and fruits, I invariably reach for a bottle of dry rosé. There’s something inherently fun and casual about pink wines; they’re difficult to take too seriously. And yet, the best of them are a far cry from insipid White Zinfandels, with luscious fruit and a reassuringly adult finish of stone.

Many of the most renowned rosés come from Provence, but wine regions all over the world now produce excellent examples. While browsing the unfortunately brief selection of rosé at Whole Foods recently, I discovered one called Murphy’s Law which comes 56% from Washington and 44% from Oregon.

Intrigued, I examined the back label and found a plea from the winemaker: “Please don’t jinx this fragrant and intense blend of ‘All-Star’ grapes from primo vineyards in the Pacific Northwest.” Although Pinot Noir (44.2%) is an A-List celeb, Counoise (45.8%), Grenache (5%) and Blaufränkisch (5%) are unquestionably David Hasselhoff varietals: Big in Europe.

(more…)