Posts tagged with 'vintage tweets'

Networking At Weddings

  • Posted on October 10, 2011 at 11:04 am

by Phil Anderson
I wanted to use, “Pardon The Interruption”, or, “Now For Something Completely Different”, as the title to this post since it is NOT Part Two of The Wedding Weekend, but they are both taken, and, undoubtedly, trademarked.  However, what happened on the night of the wedding is REALLY worth writing about on SO many levels, so here you go!

I know it’s considered taboo to do business at weddings but this was something I didn’t see coming.  So, since I was caught off guard I didn’t even KNOW I was networking!  While standing in the horde of people waiting to get from point A (the wedding ceremony) to point B (the wedding reception) I was introduced to one of Shelley’s friends whose wife happened to be in the wine business.  DOH!

While we all said what we did for a living, Andrea’s explanation piqued my interest.  She told me she worked for ONEHope Wine and she went on to tell me what the winery’s mission was.  Apparently, what I did (write a wine blog!) piqued hers, as well and we exchanged contact information.  A new wine relationship was born!

ONEHope Wine, as it turns out, is a winery that supports great causes through the sales of their wines! Can you say, “Win/Win”?  Some research uprooted an interesting story of a sales rep for a large wine distributor, Jake Kloberdanz, who, while stocking shelves with wine at a store realized specialty items used to raise awareness and proceeds would garner and enjoy preferential and prominent placement on shelves and thus move faster than other products off those shelves.  Six months later he had created Hope Wine, a name that has since been changed to ONEHope Wine.

In a nutshell, ONEHope Wine produces several varietals of wine, each of which help support a particular cause with the proceeds.  For example, 50% of the profits of their  2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, which runs $18.99 and was co-created by Rob Mondavi Jr., goes to help the Fight Against Autism.  They also produce a Merlot which helps in the Fight Against AIDS, a Pinot Noir which goes to Supporting Children’s Hospitals, a Sauvignon Blanc which goes to Supporting Our Planet, a Zinfandel which goes to Supporting Our Troops and a Chardonnay which goes to the Fight Against Breast Cancer.  In all cases, 50% of the profits go to the cause in which that varietal is supporting.  In fact, Rob Mondavi Jr. has his hand in each of these wines as well!

Andrea was nice enough to send me a bottle of their 2009 Zinfandel and their 2009 Chardonnay.  Because we are in the midst of Breast Cancer Awareness month (did you know that each year it is estimated that nearly 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die?), I am writing about these wines today!

Suffice it to say, many products that represent causes or issues are….how do I say…um….well, not of high quality.  I am happy to report that this is NOT the case with these wines!2009 ONEHOPE California Chardonnay

They chose their Chardonnay to help with the Fight Against Breast Cancer because one out of eight women are effected by breast cancer in this country today plus they prefer Chardonnay 2 to 1 over any other varietals.  Ours had a very light and balanced hint of oak on the nose.  It opened up to butterscotch and butter.  It was simple and delicious.  We paired it with breaded Talapia and it was phenomenal!  It will go with other light fish perfectly.  This wine finished very well and I would recommend it without pause.  The bonus of drinking this delicious Chardonnay is that you know that you are directly helping to fight breast cancer!

We opened the Zinfandel and paired it with one of Shelley’s fabulous steaks.  It was not a big Zin, a bit light, but paired very well with the steak.  What I love about Zinfandel is the spicy, peppory, earth tones and this one didn’t disappoint.  It was also very berry-ish and fruit forward which I loved.  50% of the profits from this wine goes to help support our troops which is outstanding because, since 911, more than 8,000 children have lost a U.S. service member parent as a result of the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.  OHEHope Wine is right there to help with each bottle of their Zinfandel bought and enjoyed.

I love the concept behind OHEHope Wine and I hope you will pick your favorite varietal (or two…or three….or……?) and give them a try.  The juice is good but what they’re doing is even better!

I will write about Part Two and Part Three of The Wedding Weekend next but I am excited to announce we’re having another big tasting and it’s happening this weekend!  We are tasting through some quality Pinot Noirs (hopefully even my very FAVORITE Pinot I’ve ever tasted, from Patricia Green!) and sparklers.  It’s like Christmas in October!

As always, thank you so much for reading and I look forward to reading your comments especially those comments about how much you loved the OHEHope wine you tried!  Be sure to find me on Facebook and Twitter!

Bottoms up!

 

The Wedding Weekend-Part One-The Rehearsal Day

  • Posted on September 24, 2011 at 11:49 am

by Phil Anderson
Shelley’s son recently got married and we found ourselves in California for quite some time, her longer than me.  The woman her son married is very, VERY cool, but what I enjoy most about her is her passion for learning more about wine!

Our Wine Time bell that is next to the back door waiting to be rang.

We have a Wine Time bell that is attached on the wall outside our back door and it is rang when appropriate, like when chores get the best of me and I lose track of time, as a reminder that it is wine time.  Because of this little bell and it’s name and how much she enjoys that time of the day, Jennifer chose that as an underlying theme to their wedding and chose the ceremony to be held at Leonesse Cellars in Temecula, California.

As a wedding present to the new couple, I made them a slightly smaller replica of the cork catcher I made for us that I’ve written so much about.  Getting that down to California in one piece was a feat in and of itself!  I sent everything down with Shelley (knocked down), as she drove down a week prior to me to work at Camp ReCreation, except the glass which I bought down there, TWICE as it turns out after breaking the first pane (or should I say PAIN!?!) during installation!  The cork catcher was going to be used primarily at the wedding reception as guests deposited corks in it they had written words of wisdom to the couple on.  Then during the course of their marriage they will add more and more corks with each bottle of wine they drink.

The barrels of wine are stored in the barrel room at Ponte Family Estate Winery

We arrived on Saturday morning for the rehersal and then checked into The Inn at Churon Winery in Temecula.  The property was nice enough and had a happy hour that included one glass of their wine per person.  I don’t write this blog to bash wineries or vineyards or the wine they produce, but I will say I know why they give this wine away.  We had their Chardonnay and their White Merlot.  I tolerated the Chardonnay (Shelley did not) and she tolerated the White Merlot (I did not) but suffice it to say, we were not impressed at all with these wines.

Temecula has not been known as an area that produces great wine and after these first tastes we were starting to become concerned.  Not long after those thoughts permeated our minds we found ourselves in the barrel room at Ponte Family Estate Winery which is a boutique producer. Their wines are made in very small quantities, typically 1,500 cases per year for each variety.  We started out with their Fume Blanc which had a very pretty, floral nose that completely made us forget about the Chardonnay at Churon.

For dinner we enjoyed an unbelievable crab stuffed filet mignon which was pan roasted and finished with a creamy white balsamic bearnaise.  This paired perfectly with their Super T, a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon.   Ponte’s Super T is made in the classic Super Tuscan style, perfectly blending Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. This rich and bold wine tasted of juicy raspberries with hints of anise and vanilla and a smooth finish that left me longing for another glass.

I next moved to their Dolcetto.  Although the name means “little sweet one”, this wine is not at all sweet!  It was big and bold and also went very well with the filet.  During the entire dinner I switched from the Super T to the Dolcetto, thinking each glass was my favorite.  The dinner was superb as was the service.  People even put a few corks into the cork catcher as I had brought it by there.

A very rushed day turned into a wonderful evening with perfectly prepared food and excellent wine from Ponte Family Estate Winery.  If you EVER visit Temecula and want a treat around dinner time I would suggest you kill two birds with one stone and have dinner at Ponte and choose one of their delicious wines to go with it.

Here is what is coming in the future on General Wine Thoughts:
-Part Two and Part Three of The Wedding Weekend
-Guest Blog from Lindsay Anderson about her Napa Valley experience, which included a four hour stop at Opus One (and also happened on the same weekend as the wedding.)
-d’Alessandro Wine from Italy
-Cafe Dolce in Missoula, Montana
-One Hope Winery
-The Dinner Party
-Another edition of “Here’s To Good Friends”, although I’ll have to change the title, featuring sparklers and Pinot Noirs (maybe even one from the producer of my favorite Pinot Noir, Patricia Green Cellars)!

I thank you for reading and please remember you can always write me at drinkwine@generalwinethoughts.com or converse, chat or correspond with me about wine, or anything ELSE for that matter, on Twitter and Facebook!  Until next time, bottoms up!

 

C’mon Down To The Cellar, Won’t You?

  • Posted on October 23, 2010 at 5:10 pm

by Phil Anderson
As you walk down the stairs the noise of the street starts to fade, replaced by great music coming from beneath your feet.  On this night it’s accoustic blues.  At this particular moment it’s an Eric Clapton cover, “Before You Accuse Me”.  I think to myself, “I’m not accusing anyone about anything.  I’m just happy to be where I am.”

And that’s what The Wine Cellar in Coeur d’Alene, ID does, it makes people happy and has been since 1992. 

This is the first of a small series of articles aimed at acknowledging the importance of local wine bars and shops.  Every decent city has them.  I’m lucky to live next to a hotbed wine region in Eastern Washington so we have many wine bars near where I live in addition to where I grew up in West Seattle.  I will try to spotlight a few of those in the next couple of weeks.

The Wine Cellar was just recently purchased by a local Coeur d’Alene couple, Tom and Patricia Power.  It was a long ordeal to purchase it because the previous owners were not only out of the area, they were out of the country.  They have retained the founder of The Wine Cellar, Jim Duncan, as a consultant. 

Recently we attended an event for their wine club members and media to introduce the new owners and unveil the plans for a small remodel to The Wine Cellar.  Originally, The Wine Cellar was only a wine bar and music venue but has expanded to a full service restaurant. 

It’s space is quaint and comfortable.  Although the music stage is small, the music they bring in is first rate.  As of this writing, if you click on the About Me link to the left you will see the picture is of me holding a wine glass out in front of me.  That picture was taken AT The Wine Cellar just after it opened under new ownership on September 10th.

On this particular night there were full apetizers and five different wines to taste.  I opted against the Pinot Gris they were serving but I DID taste the rest of the lot, which were served graciously by Michael White, one of the two winemakers for Barrister Winery in Spokane, WA.

I started out with a Pouilly-Fuissé White Burgundy, from Joseph Drouhin, which was absolutely DELICIOUS!  It actually got my highest score of the night.  It’s not often that you get to taste a White Burgundy, which is made from the Chardonnay grape.  I used to love oaky Chardonnay’s until the past year or two when I’ve switched to liking less, or even NO, oak.  Those wines are sometimes called Naked because they are aged in stainless steel instead of oak.  (As you might recall, our house white is Ryan Patrick’s Naked Chardonnay.)

What made this wine so good was the balance.  There was certainly oak, yes, and that’s no surprise from where it comes.  But it was so balanced and smooth.  The oak was very subtle and it added substance.  And it was delicious!

I also tasted a 2006 Pepperbridge Cabernet Sauvignon, a Barrister 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and a Barrister non vintage Blend called Rough Justice.  Out of those three I liked the Pepperbridge and Rough Justice the best.  Let me make it clear, however, they were ALL quite good, it’s just those two stood out over the the other. 

The Pepperbridge was very peppery with licorice and burnt tobacco on the nose.  There were lots of tannins with raspberries on the palate.  VERY tasty!

The Rough Justice was just that, rough and rugged, blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah.  It had many complex levels to it and had a long finish to boot. 

All of these reds would go so well with a nice juicy steak.  Or….even a nice juicy cheeseburger.  Sheesh, I must be hungry! 

If you get a chance to visit Coeur d’Alene you really must stop in the The Wine Cellar (tell them that Phil suggested it!) right in the heart of downtown Coeur d’Alene.  You will not be sorry.  But until you get that chance, check out their website and join their wine club.  Their wine list is not only extensive but very  “off the beaten path”.  You won’t find the same ol’ same ol’ wines that you see at the majority of restaurants.  I find that to be very refreshing.

And, as always, you can find me on Twitter AND Facebook and I hope you DO.  Until next time, thank you SO MUCH for reading and for all of my new subscribers!  I’m gettin almost TWO A DAY and I’m feeling humbled as well as grateful for that.  Thank you! 

And of course, bottoms up!

And Now For Something Completely Different

  • Posted on October 2, 2010 at 12:31 pm

By Phil Anderson
Go figure, I’m going to write about some general wine thoughts, for a change!  WooooHoooo!  Now that IS different!  I’m going to do this fast, as the sun is out and it’s suppose to be 80+ degrees today.

I want to, again, thank ALL of our new subscribers!  I’m just so grateful that you like this column enough to want to read more.  Thank you!

We’ve had the pleasure, recently, of having some really good, inexpensive wine and I wanted to let you know about them. 

The first one is Principato from Italy.  From what I’ve been told this is the wine that is served at The Olive Garden.  It is much like a Beaujolais, which uses the Gamay grape, in terms of drinkability.  The Principato uses a blend of three different varietals, ones that I’m not at all familiar with:  Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara.  The beauty of this red gem is that it runs about $11 …and that’s for a magnum!  That’s right, two bottles in one for around 11 bucks!

This wine goes with all kinds of food, like, spaghetti, meatloaf, cheeseburgers and pizza.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Another wine we tried is called Elvio Tintero Grangia and it blends two white varietals, Mascato and Vermentino, 10% and 90% respectively.  This is such a great, refreshing summer wine (I know, summer is over and we’re into Fall now, but still).  It’s crisp and citrusy, with hints of lemon.  It also runs about the same as the Principato and if you can find it it’s worth a go.

I am going to try some new things in the next few weeks with this column.  I’m going to try and involve some other people whether it be a guest post or sample video blogs.  The first one I will do will involve the importance of storing your wine correctly.  Let me know what you think, please?

And lastly, tonight will be a very fun night as I got some small little oysters to grill for our last hoo-ha of the summer.  It’s supposed to be warm (remember, I need to get out there like NOW!) and I’ve got a bottle of Madeleine Angevine to go with the oysters.  I will write about that tomorrow so that you’ll know how it went.

Keep in mind, you can always reach me by commenting on this or any other blog post or write me at drinkingwine@generalwinethoughts.com.   Also, check out our Drinking Wine on Facebook page!   And if you don’t like ANY of those options (you must be high maintenance!) check out my page on Twitter.  If you can’t handle that either, I don’t know what to tell you.  Lean out your window and yell really loud and I MIGHT hear you.  But probably not.  : )

Other than that, thank you for reading and bottoms up!

Pond OR Ray? I’ll Tell You If You Read On!

  • Posted on August 4, 2010 at 3:58 pm

by Phil Anderson

Here is the majestic Log Spirit Bed and Breakfast in Athol, Idaho.

Last Saturday night I had the fantastic opportunity to experience a wonderful winemakers dinner at Log Spirit Bed and Breakfast featuring wines from Pend d’Oreille Winery (pronounced pond-or-ray), out of Sandpoint, ID. 

Stopped and smelled the roses before tickling our taste buds
Before I lavish praises on the wines we tasted along with the food we ate let me just say that the award winning Log Spirit Bed and Breakfast is as majestic as it comes.  Tucked away in the fir trees of Athol, ID, it is a true log home with six luxurious rooms, all with their own bathrooms.  Midnight Dream even has a private hot tub on the balcony overlooking the waterfall at the entry.  Gorgeous flower gardens brighten up the exterior decor and this B&B also boasts fresh eggs and veggies that they gather right there from their property!

We would have stayed there for sure but they were all booked up, which is a very common thing.  I was quite impressed by both hosts, Robin and Lew, who made us feel like we were the most important guest’s in the lodge.  There were no spirits, per se, that visited us at Log Spirit Bed and Breakfast but the wildlife sure paid us a visit as a small family of deer wandered by as we ate.  Great food, great wine, great company and great wildlife all rolled into a three hour period of blissful satisfaction and contentment.

I can’t wait to return to the serenity of Log Spirit Bed and Breakfast at some point in the very near future!

And now for the main event
Well, this IS a wine blog, afterall, so I will get right to it. 

This whole night came to be because of Lew who happens to love wine.  He continued to pester Stephen Meyer, owner and winemaker at Pend d’Oreille, to do a winemakers dinner at their B&B.  After literally years of this ongoing persistence, Stephen was able to come up with an available night and thus this event was born.

The evening started at 6PM and, believe it or not, we were EARLY!  Think we were excited?

The first course was blueberry-bleu cheese ball and liver pate with crackers served with Pend d’Oreille’s Rosette, which is their dry Rose of Merlot.  The Rosette had some strawberries on the palate and paired wonderfully with the liver pate. 

The next course was an avacado cream soup with a 2008 Pinot Gris.  VERY interesting finish in the Pinot Gris…quite heavy; not like the fruit foward and light Pinot Gris’ we’re used to.  This was a little peppery on the finish and it lingered a LONG time.  I don’t believe there to be a better wine to compliment this soup.  It was fantastic and at this point we were two for two in the food and wine pairing.

Here is the Asian-styled buffalo short ribs, roasted winter squash and fanned rosmeary new potatoes with the Syrah (L) and the Cabernet Franc.

After a palate cleanser, which simply consisted of a lemon sorbet (that was phenomenal) the next course paired an apple salad with caramel walnuts and bleu cheese/balsamic vinegar dressing with Pend d’Oreille’s 2008 Chardonnay.  This Chardonnay had a little oak in the mix (about 9-10 months on new French oak) but it was well balanced.  A wonderful nose, with hints of caramel.  We ended up buying a bottle of this to bring home with us. 

Time for the big boys
At this point in the evening the heavy artillery was presented to us in the form of Asian-styled buffalo short ribs, roasted winter squash and fanned rosemary new potatoes.  The meat literally fell off the bone as it was just SO moist and tender.  We had two bold reds to go with this entry:  A 2006 Cabernet Franc and a 2006 Syrah.

Lew made no bones about it, the Cabernet Franc is his most favorite Pend O’Reille Winery wine.  In fact, after talking with him a bit more, it sounds like it could be his all time favorite wine.  Subtle he wasn’t!  I personally enjoyed the Cabernet Franc more than the Syrah, as well, though the Syrah was also very good.  It had licorice on the nose and some soft tannins.  The Cabernet Franc, however, was smokey, dirty and earthy; just a lot of terrior.  It also had hints of raspberry on the nose.  Delicious!

Time for a treat?
Then we were treated to a surprise!  Stephen had brought down from Sandpoint (only 20 miles North of Athol) his 2007 Meyer 100%  Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which only 97 cases were produced.  Wow!  Although very young, this wine packed a punch.  Extremely structured with raspberries and blueberries on the nose and very smooth.  I rated this as the best wine of the evening.  Of course, it also had the highest price tag of the evening at $35 a bottle but it will be well worth it after laying it down for a few years.

The evening ended with a raspberry parfait with chocolate hearts paired with a Port styled Oui! which is made from Syrah.  After tasting the three big boys this Port styled wine seemed to lack the nose and taste.  It paired well with the parfait, especially the chocolate.

Stephen Meyer, owner and winemaker at Pend d'Oreille Winery (L) and I enjoying a glass of the 2007 Meyer 100% Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Pend d’Oreille has been around since 1995 and gets almost all of their grapes from Eastern Washington.  They have worked out exclusive relationships with the vineyards so that there will be no quality control issues.  Stephen learned about winemaking from Burgandy, France, which is reflected in his terrior driven wines.

One thing I love about Pend d’Oreille Winery, besides their quality wine, is their “Think Green, Drink Red” self coined slogan which refers to their value priced Red Blend Bistro Rouge re-fill program.  When you buy a magnum of their wonderful red table wine, Bistro Rouge for $25 (which is a value right off the bat!), then finish it, just wash it out with hot, HOT water, dry it VERY well and bring it back into their tasting room where they will fill it back up for only $16!

Their tasting room, which is right there at the winery in Sandpoint, was named one of the 10 Great Pacific Northwest Tasting Rooms by Wine Press Northwest in their Summer 2010 edition of their magazine.  Their tasting room also boasts a wonderful Lifestyle Store which I visited last Christmas for some of Shelley’s Christmas gifts.

If you’re ever in Sandpoint, Idaho, be sure to visit Pend d’Oreille Winery.  If you make it there, you likely drove right through Athol, Idaho, so you might as well stay at the Log Spirit Bed and Breakfast as well.  Tell them Phil sent you!

If you like drinking wine please become a fan on Facebook.  You can also find me on Twitter as well by clicking here.  I also want to thank the many people who have subsribed to this blog!  I am very humbled and honored that you have chosen to read this blog when you have so many options out there.  Thank you, very much. 

As always, thank you for reading and remember, bottoms UP!

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