Wine Spectator's Top 100 list for 2007 is available on their web site. No big surprises but, it was nice to see Navarro from Mendocino and Argyle from the Willamette Valley on the last. Congratulations to all those who made the last. Happy hunting to wine drinkers trying to find the winners.

// posted by Steve @ 8:17 AM 0 comments

Alcohol-free wine gives you some of the taste with about a third of the calories. As an added bonus, you also get the health benefits of drinking wine. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that while this wine may in fact save you some calories, it probably won't save your sanity. But, if you're pregnant, the designated driver, or just don't want to imbibe, this is probably a great alternative. I'd be curious to hear from anyone who has tried this or has an opinion on it.

// posted by Steve @ 8:13 AM 1 comments

In my limited experience, mergers don't normally turn out very well for anyone but the executives whose bonuses depend on them. I've especially known this to be the case in the wine industry. Today, Constellation Brands (the world's biggest wine maker) announced that they are purchasing Clos du Bois, Gary Farrell, Geyser Peak, Wild Horse, and Buena Vista. We've visited more than one of those vineyards, and they're lovely places. So, why do I say this is a bad thing? I can't help but hang my head as I recall a beautiful place we discovered by accident in Napa called Folie a Deux. They made some outstanding Zinfandel and had this quaint little yellow farm house on the property that served as their tasting room. A great memory from our first trip to Napa. Then in 2004, Folie a Deux was purchased by Trinchero. Down came the farm house and the rest of the buildings on the property to make way for a fancy new tasting room for Trinchero. A real shame. We soon after quit the Folie club as the quality just wasn't there anymore. I'd hate to imagine that wine is headed the way of banks, media, and many other industries where enourmous conglomerates force choices on consumers.

// posted by Steve @ 2:57 PM 0 comments

Scientists have figured out which component of red wine causes headaches. Turns out it isn't the sulfite's but rather the biogenic amines, a naturally occurring component in fermented products. The little trouble makers are also found in cheese, chocolate, nuts, olives, and cured meats. Scientists are working on a device that will help us sniff them out and avoid them. Personally, I'll be living with headaches for the foreseeable future because I'm not giving up any of those!

// posted by Steve @ 7:40 PM 0 comments