Monthly Archives: June 2013

Jun 16 2013
25 Comments
Sunday read

Sunday Read: Top 10 Songs featuring Moscato

Hundreds of French wines for your enjoyment.

Disclaimer: I entered into a tentative agreement with the online wine retailer Wine Chateau under which they sponsor two of my posts per month. Wine Chateau has no influence on the topic I select for the post or its content. Opinions expressed are all mine.

Ok, this was too good to pass up. I stumbled across this video slideshow via Smartaboutwine, a very dedicated blog that compiles interesting news stories surrounding wine. I am subscribed to it and have definitely used some of the ideas for my Sunday Read.

Apparently, and completely unbeknownst to me (but that doesn’t say much…), Moscato of all wines has become quite the rage among youngsters in the US, with sales climbing sharply (over $300 million in the US and doubling of sales in Canada in 2011). Whether that is due to the fact that the sweet wine has been featured in at least ten song lyrics or not might be up for debate, but it is definitely noteworthy…The Drinks Business therefore felt it was time to compile a slide show of music videos featuring Moscato in their lyrics.

And so, here it comes: the Top 10 Moscato Songs…weird. Definitely weird. The true reason I am posting this is to impress my buddy The Food and Wine Hedonist, who is so much cooler than I am, by at least once linking to a video slide show that includes pop and hip hop…:) I am feeling so badass right now.

Have a great Sunday!!

The Drinks Business: Top 10 Songs featuring Moscato

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Jun 13 2013
33 Comments
I have no clue how to categorize this

I need your advice

I am sorry that this post is low in content value, but I do need your collective wisdom:

We are having a tasting with friends of ours next week and this time, we are doing a vertical tasting. For those unfamiliar with the term, a vertical tasting is a tasting of wines from the same vineyard and producer, but different vintages. The idea is to see how these wines that are made with the same skill and craft fare due to different weather conditions and hopefully also find common characteristics that could form an idea of terroir. It further gives you a unique chance to see how a wine ages.

Before our California trip, I picked up five bottles of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon’s from 2002 until 2006 on Wines Till Soldout which have now arrived at our place. While WTSO provided me with helpful vineyard and winemaker information, I have done some research and am a bit confused about one thing: In what order should I do the tasting? Young to old or old to young?

The all-knowledgeable internet gives differing advice, and I cannot for my life recall how the verticals I have done were conducted. My initial intuition was to do it young to old, but then I got concerned about the fruit in the younger wines ruining the (hopefully!) more subtle flavors in the older wines. But will the older wines pale in comparison when the younger wines are tasted after them?

So, I need your informed wisdom: How should I conduct the tasting? I am planning on opening all bottles and having them accessible at all times, but I still would like to have a certain order in which to taste. Your opinion matters to me, so please let me know in the comments section!

Thanks so much!!

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Jun 09 2013
11 Comments
Sunday read

Sunday Read: Are Wines Bought or Sold?

I am currently in California, visiting family, so I am making this a shorter entry…

I came across the post a while ago, and I really enjoyed reading it. The wine industry in the US has been puzzling in its complexity of winemakers, middle men and retailers and consumers. Lyle Fass, an importer of small wineries in Germany and France who sells directly to his customers who are usually consumers, writes an entertaining and interesting blog over at Rockss and Fruit. In this piece, he explores what it means being an importer selling to consumers directly.

I thought it was interesting and threw a light on what importers and wineries think about when they do their business.

Have a great Sunday!

Rockss and Fruit: Are Wines Bought or Sold?

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