Jacksonville Wine Guide

Champagne Terms – You Need to be Drunk to Understand Them…

Posted on January 22, 2011 by Kris

It’s no secret that all the different terms used to describe the production, style and quality is mind-numbing!

Here’s my guide to just about every term imaginable that you will ever find on a Champagne label.

Champagne / Sparkling Wine Dryness Levels

Brut Nature – You don’t see this used too much, but it means totally dry, no dosage (sweetening) added (less than 3 grams of sugar per liter)

Extra Brut (also less than 3 grams of sugar per liter)

Brut is dry, and the "standard" if you will. All the best Champagnes are labeled Brut (less than 15 grams of sugar per liter).

Extra-Dry is less dry than Brut, with a touch more dosage added (12-20 grams of sugar per liter)

Sec is sweet (17-35 grams of sugar per liter).

Demi Sec is even sweeter (33-50 grams of sugar per liter).

Continue reading →

Posted in Facts, News | Leave a comment //

Is Wine the Same as Pot or Cigarettes?

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Kris

This caught my attention…

It really concerns me that it’s being taught in schools that wine is the same as illegal drugs and cigarettes.
My opinion has always been that if kids are educated (both in schools and at home) about moderate alcohol consumption, there is a lesser chance for binge drinking and alcoholism in later life.

Maybe this is due to me being born and raised in England, where you can order and legally consume wine or beer in a restaurant (with a meal) from the age of 16, and get into a club or pub and drink wine, beer or liquor from the age of 18. From what I’ve seen, it seems that in the U.S. everyone gets to age 21 and drinks themselves close to oblivion over the following years.
By age 21 and with my move to the U.S., I was completely over the idea of binge drinking (been there done that)! Maybe I was the exception and not the rule. However, I don’t believe that depicting alcohol as being on the same level as drugs is the right way to go about educating the young.

Now all of this doesn’t mean to imply that the U.K is the model country for alcohol consumption, I know for a fact that there is a big concern about binge drinking amongst young people across the pond. However if you really want to get into it, I blame the combination of awful weather and terrible way the country is run! English people are just drowning their sorrows, but that’s a whole other story…

Posted in News | Leave a comment //

Wente Wine Dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steak House

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Kris

Ruth’s Chris are very excited to have Bobby Goodman along with Philip Wente with Wente Vineyards presenting at their January Wine Dinner.
Founded 128 years ago, Wente Vineyards is the country’s oldest, continuously operated family-owned winery. They’ve put together a five course menu that shows off the wine making skills of Karl Wente along with some special dishes prepared exclusively for this event, like the Ahi Tuna and Bay Scallops Ceviche, Caramelized Pear Salad and White Chocolate Bread Pudding.
Wednesday, January 26th at 7:00 pm. The cost per guest is $75.00 not including tax and gratuity. Please RSVP at (904)285-0014 and inform the hostess that you are interested in making a reservation for the Wente Wine Dinner.

KMXEZTANV3EP

Posted in Events | Leave a comment //

13 Gypsies and Biltmore Estate Blanc de Blancs

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Kris

Sometimes it’s hard for me to get to restaurant’s working the schedule I do. Some of the best places in Jacksonville are closed on Sunday and Monday (my usual days off), and most places are closed by the time I finish work. Dinner at 13 Gypsies has therefore been a long time coming!

First off, let me start by saying that the place is tiny, and by tiny I mean 7 tables. It therefore stands to reason that a reservation is a must!

The cuisine at 13 Gypsies follows more of a Spanish style theme, so I wanted to bring a wine that was extremely flexible (from a food pairing standpoint). The wine that I chose was the Biltmore Estate Blanc de Blancs, 100% Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley. The wine was everything I expected it to be, offering a slight yeasty/bready quality (as found in a lot of Champagnes), lemon, pear, Granny Smith apple and good acidity.

Continue reading →

Posted in Pairings | Tagged Biltmore | Leave a comment //