Chateau de la Dimerie Muscadet Sevre et Maine
October 26, 2011
Grape
100% Melon de Bourgogne – and yes, I know you’ve probably never heard of it…
Facts
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…and the French wonder why people stopped buying their wine, and moved toward New World producers!?!?! No-one can understand the wine labels!!! The full name of this wine is so intimidating, it makes you wish you’d paid better attention in 3rd grade French class!
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Let’s take a look at the label above, and break it down section-by-section:
– Chateau de la Dimerie – name of the winery making the wine.
– Muscadet Sevre et Maine – region from which the wine hails.
– Sur Lie – an aging process which will be discussed below.
– Appellation Muscadet Sevre et Maine Controlee – this just means that the wine is coming from a very clearly defined wine region, within the Loire Valley region of France.
NB: Please note that nowhere on the label (front or back) will you find the name of the grape in the bottle. That would be TOO easy!
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Don’t be confusing the Muscadet [moo-skuh-day] with Muscat [moos-kat]! They’re 2 completely different grapes.
The Purpose of the Wine Bottle “Punt”.
October 25, 2011The indentation at the bottom of a wine bottle is referred to as the "punt", but what is it? Watch this video to find out!
Posted in Facts, Funny | Tagged punt, Video, wine bottle punt | Leave a comment //
Beef Made Easy–A Guide to Retail Beef Cuts, and Recommended Cooking Methods.
October 24, 2011Quite a handy little guide!
Click the image to get a larger view; then print it out (at work obviously, as it’ll use-up a lot of ink), and stick it in your kitchen! Then, hide it when your friends come round for dinner, and dazzle them with your infinite knowledge of what part of the cow that steak came from!
Beef Made Easy–A Guide to Retail Beef Cuts, and Recommended Cooking Methods.
Posted in Facts | Tagged Beef, How to cook steak, Steak | Leave a comment //This Week in Wine 10/24/11
October 24, 2011
Actually it’s more like ‘”Last Week in Wine”, since I didn’t get a chance to post this yesterday!
Shelf crash destroys 6,810 wine bottles
A Wisconsin liquor store that lost 6,810 bottles of wine and champagne in a shelf collapse has posted footage of the incident to YouTube.
Superior Discount Liquor in Sheboygan posted security camera footage of the collapse, which occurred in July as Badger Liquor Co. salesman Nick Haen was restocking the shelf, to the video sharing Web site.
"I heard a little shift and all of the sudden I looked up and just saw bottles start coming, and so I turned around and booked it as fast as I could," Haen, 23, told Friday’s Sheboygan Press. "It was a little bit of a rush, a little bit of a, ‘Holy man, did that just happen?’ It was unbelievable."
Store manager Lori Gregorie said the prices for the lost bottles ranged from $3.99 to $149.99.
My Thoughts
Oh the humanity!!! I can only imagine the noise that made. If I’d have been that guy stacking shelves, I think I’d have had a heart-attack! On the other hand, this is probably the most interesting thing that has happened in Sheboygan in years!
World wine regions, chefs and consumers support truth-in labeling efforts
Napa Valley Vintners joined representatives from Paso Robles, Sonoma and 12 other international wine regions gathered in New York Wednesday to announce a growing consumer demand for truth-in-labeling on wine labels.
At issue is the ongoing effort to dissuade producers from using place names on wine labels when the wines are not from that region, and to put an end labeling wines “bungundy” “chablis” “port” “sherry” or “champagne” unless they have been produced in that wine region. One of the names most abused is “Sherry,” the British version of the name for the distinctive wines produced in Jerez, Spain. What shows up in $4.99 bottles of “cooking sherry” sold in U.S. supermarkets bears no relation to the renowned wines of southern Spain, noted Terry Hall, also from Napa Valley Vintners.
A poll reported that:
• 79 percent consider the region where a wine comes from an important factor when buying a bottle of wine.
• 75 percent report they would be less likely to buy a wine if they learned that it claimed to be from a place like Champagne, Napa Valley or Oregon.
• 84 percent say the region a wine comes from is extremely important in determining its quality.
Click here for the full article.
My Thoughts
Be careful what you wish for!!! I keep saying that sometimes a little information is often a bad thing! I see no problem with more clarity in labeling origin
One thing I found interesting about this study: “75% of those polled report they would be less likely to buy a wine if they learned that it claimed to be from a place like Champagne, Napa Valley or Oregon, but was not”. My question is: are the other 25% complete idiots?
Posted in Funny, News | Tagged Jordan, wine labels | Leave a comment //
Veramonte “Primus” Red Wine Blend from Colchagua, Chile.
October 22, 2011
Grapes
65% Cabernet, 20% Syrah, 8% Merlot, 7% Carmenere
Facts
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In 1960, a relatively unknown gentleman by the name of Agustin Huneeus burst onto the Chilean wine-scene. He purchased part of the Concha y Toro winery operation, became the winery’s CEO, and is credited with turning it into the largest wine producers in the country.
By the 70’s however, things in Chile had gotten kind of crazy! Pinochet had overthrown the Government, and Agustin decided it was time to get out!
Mr. Huneeus headed for the U.S., and over the next 20 years ended up running beverage company Seagrams, the Franciscan winery in Napa Valley, and also purchased the Quintessa winery. Kind of makes me feel unproductive!
In the 90’s; after things had settled-down in Chile, Agustin Huneeus headed back, and started the Veramonte winery.
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Wines made from 100% Carmenere are quite rarely seen in Chile, with the country focusing more and more on the capability of Carmenere as a blending grape. Chile is still one of the few countries in the world where Carmenere is grown…now that they have figured out what it is…but that’s another story…
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Veramonte is one of the the largest producers in all of Chile. Most of their wines are considered “value brands”, usually representing great bang-for-the-buck!
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The Veramonte Primus 2007 received a 90 point rating by both Robert Parker and Wine & Spirits magazine….not that I subscribe to scores…
How to Open a Wine Bottle Like a Sommelier.
October 22, 2011In case you ever wanted to know how to open a bottle of wine like a Sommelier…here you go….
Posted in Facts | Tagged How to Open a Wine Bottle, How to Open a Wine Bottle Like a Sommelier, Sommelier | Leave a comment //← Older posts Newer posts →
