Author: 1855consulting
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100 wines
Buying a bottle of wine you haven’t tried before can be a risky business. Its not like buying new shoes, which you can try on to see what they feel and look like before you buy them. You won’t know what a wine tastes like and if you’ll like it until you’ve paid for it, taken it…
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A trip around the world in 100 wines
I came across the Wine Century Club this past week. If you’ve tasted at least 100 different grape varieties, you qualify to become a member. They describe themselves as “consumers and promoters of uncommon wine grape varieties”. I love the idea behind this club: it’s all too easy to keep going back to the same bottles, so…
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The end of the Champagne flute?
Last Thursday, Decanter magazine published several excerpts from their interview with Maximilian Riedel, the chief executive of glassmaker Riedel, on their website. He made several interesting comments about Champagne flutes, most notably that “flute-shaped glasses present Champagne as one-dimensional, flooring drinkers’ ability to appreciate the full range of aromas and taste profiles on offer” and…
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Investing in Wine
I was asked this week about investing in wine, so I jotted down some thoughts. The question was whether buying wine in the hope that it will appreciate would be worthwhile. 1) Does investing in wine provide good returns? Between 2005 and 2008, prices for higher-end (i.e., investment-grade) wines increased substantially driven by continued demand from North…
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France > Crozes-Hermitage > M. Chapoutier Les Meysonniers
M. Chapoutier Les Meysonniers Country: France Region: Crozes-Hermitage Producer: M. Chapoutier Grape variety: 100% Syrah Vintage: 2009 Found at: Co-op Wines and Spirits, Willow Park Wines and Spirits, Superstore (or see Liquor Connect and enter your postal code) Price: $21.99 About the region: Although Syrah aka Shiraz is most commonly associated with Australia these days,…
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Port confessions
I confess: I love Port. There is always a bottle of Tawny open and some bottles of LBV waiting to be opened at our house. But I’m getting ahead of myself. For those who haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying Port before, here’s a quick introduction. All Port comes from the Douro region in Portugal.…
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It’s that time of year
It’s the time of year where wine magazines publish their annual Top 100 lists. The most famous one among them is arguably Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list, which came out last Monday. Despite the large amount of critique that this list receives every year, in my opinion it’s a list with 100 pretty impressive wines.…
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Tuscany vs Napa
Last week, Susanne and I attended a great tasting and dinner at Catch, organized by Thirsty Cellar Imports. It featured 5 courses with 11 wines from 4 different wineries, 2 from Napa (St. Supery and Rubissow) and 2 from Tuscany (Michele Satta and Tolaini). Each course came with one of the wines from Napa and…
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Spain > Rias Baixas > Paco & Lola Albariño
Paco & Lola Albariño Country: Spain Region: Rias Baixas Producer: Bodega Rosalía de Castro Grape variety: 100% Albariño Vintage: 2010 Found at: Co-op Wines and Spirits, Willow Park Wines and Spirits (or see Liquor Connect and enter your postal code) Price: $21.99 About the region: I realized we hadn’t paid a visit to Spain yet, so…
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United States > California > Bonterra Cabernet Sauvignon
Bonterra Cabernet Sauvignon Country: United States Region: California (Mendocino and Lake Counties) Producer: Bonterra Grape variety: 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petite Sirah, 7% Syrah, and 3% Carignane Vintage: 2009 Found at: Costco, Co-op Wines and Spirits, Real Canadian Liquorstore, Willow Park Wines and Spirits (or see Liquor Connect and enter your postal code) Price: $16.49 – $21.09 About the region: We’re…
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