Michael Pinkus Wine Review - On the Road with the Grape Guy

Report from - Charton Hobbs / Authentic Wine and Spirits Tasting ... September 22, 2008

07 Oct 2008

Details: Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

The last time I saw Roy Thompson Hall this filled with wine the Italians had taken it over, or was that the Germans ... whoever it was Roy Thompson makes for an interesting place to have a tasting because of its round corridor which allows you to wonder about and not miss a thing. Unlike square room venues, where somebody can be tucked into the corner and you can go right by them, or a multi-level venue where you have no idea there is a second floor. Anyway, today brought together Charton Hobbs and Authentic Wine and Spirits for a tasting of their premium portfolios: general list, vintages and some consignment products. There were also quite a few surprising sneak previews of stuff that should be on the shelves “soon”. Of the many wines I tasted, here are the ones I found most appealing and the skinny on each: (Read more)

To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.

Report from - Niagara Wine Festival ... September 20-21, 2008

06 Oct 2008

Details: Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

In the past I have a score the Niagara wine festival (and their other festivals: Icewine, New Vintage) passport / discovery program on a scale of one to ten, based primarily on the dollar value of what was being offered. Most wineries charge $10.00 without a passport and therefore it seemed logical to use that as a yard stick in the value ratings. With the passport last year you paid $30.00 for five experiences and thus the rating was graded at a break even point of $6.00 (the price you paid per experience if you obtained a passport – 30/5=6). This was changed to six experiences during the new vintage festival this past spring, thus changing the scoring and price paid per experience to $5.00 as the break even point ($30.00 divided by 6 experiences equals $5.00 per experience).

Before I get into who did what this year let me say that if you are not acquiring a passport and paying the $10+ at any more than one winery you really are wasting your hard earned cash - the passport is well worth the expense and offers good value if you are making a day or a weekend out of wine country during this event. Next, I must admit that I did not get to as many wineries as I have in the past, I visited about eight to ten wineries during my weekend excursion and found that each winery was delivering up the minimum requirement of $5.00 worth of value to their passport holders; therefore ranking wineries using my old scale seemed redundant, because all wineries would have been hovering at or above that $5.00 threshold. So this time I decided to rank on innovation and allure of what was being offered... (Read more)

To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.