Archive for the ‘Dining’ Category

Wolfin’ down Wolffer

Wednesday, September 26th, 2007

willy-willy2.jpg Admittedly, its largely to the work of dedicated bloggers like Lenn Thompson that I owe my continued fascination with New York State wines. New York’s white wines, from the fertile Long Island soils and the Germanic climate, have a unique and distinctive character that quite frankly, puts Californian whites to shame. This Chard shows off tropicality with mineral structure, making it a perfect aperitif or a between courses palate cleanser. Along with the rounded touch of malolactic fermentation there’s a perfectly balanced element of wood that integrates well on the palate, leaving a hint of tinned-pears on the finish.

Seeing as the United States is playing against South African on the 30th of September, in the white wine department I will have to concede a handful of points the America for this fine Estate.

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Willy Willy for the Aussie World Cup

Monday, September 24th, 2007

Though the name suggests a bit of dicking about, the juice in the bottle is not half bad. Honestly though, I was glad that I purchased this at a store because I’d be at loathe to order the ‘Willy Willy 2006′ at any restaurant if I were in earshot of just about anyone. This wine drinks smooth, entices the nose with vanilla pods and white pepper which translate into a little ‘hows your father’ on the mid palate and finish. I think this wine goes to show that Aussie Shiraz is so seriously good that they can give it as stupid a name as they like without having any cause for concern.

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Interior Decorating (and improving status) with wine

Tuesday, July 31st, 2007

Apartment Therapy is one of the most updated and relevant sites I’ve encountered of late, and their blog-roll alone is enough to keep you informed. Now, insofar as adding finishing touches to one’s apartment – there’s nothing better than a well stocked wine rack. If you’re having guests or inviting a date – nothing is more impressive than being able to offer a drink to your visitors.

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The Grape – getting it right. Restaurant 2.0

Tuesday, July 24th, 2007

The Grape

Jake and Greg were at The Grape this last weekend, and over the past year or so in our brainstorms The Grape has come up time and again as a place that just gets it. Take for example their wine list and wine food recommendations – which is perhaps the first time I’ve ever seen a wine list that makes sense.

We know how different Shiraz can show, that Sauvignon Blanc rarely has the same face region to region and that Pinot Grigio doesn’t always go well with food – and a restaurant/ bar does its clientèle no favors by just dividing wine into Red and White, or they divide it into countries – and the emerging trend is to divide it into varietals.

The Grape does something unheard of to date: they divide their wine into taste. More than that they then give you a taste profile match on their menu, dish by dish. I have probably sampled less than a thousand wines in my life – and I certainly don’t remember all the names because I’m no Michael Broadbent. When I’m looking at a wine, I want to know its taste flavor profile – and if I’m paying $20 a bottle, I’ll be pretty ticked if its not what I want. This kind of a menu system is helpful to anyone… I know because when I’m out to dinner with friends they always ask me to help pick the wine: but The Grape allows people to choose the wine for themselves. What I further like about The Grape is that its more than a restaurant – because their venues are usually really good places to just hang out. It’s a destination brand – allowing dining, entertainment, exploration and with their innovative wine list: education. It’s really refreshing to see a mainstream brand that has begun to take its customer’s taste seriously.

allows you to design your own tasting flight of three or more wines from our One through Eight Grape classifications and from our Nine and Ten Grape specials. Choose from all wines with a “Grape Bunch” designation in our wine menu to create your unique tasting flight, served in our special glasses for your ultimate tasting experience. At The Grape, Your Taste is All that Counts.”

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There is no love more sincere than the love of food George Bernard Shaw

Sunday, July 22nd, 2007

sushi.jpgLet’s face it – we can all go a week without watching our favorite show, everyone can deal with the loss of a treasured piece of clothing, stolen cars can always be replaced and we can all deal with small amounts of distance from our friends and loved ones. Nothing however, besides obvious things like oxygen can be more important than food. So one must wonder, if eating is something we do regularly – then surely it’s something we should learn about. If you’re doing okay financially it makes little sense that you should know everything there is to know about sport, have a good fashion sense, be geographically and politically aware – and know next to nothing about food.

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