03
Nov
2007
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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
I stopped into the Stem tasting after the Port tasting (earlier that day) even though I was pretty Old World wined out (that and some bad blue cheese that was just not sitting right). Stem’s portfolio is about ¾ Old World (Europe) with 90% of that coming from Italy with a little Spain and Greece thrown in for variety. The other quarter is split fairly evenly between Australia and the U.S. (California). Also much of the Stem list is well above my usual “like to purchase” mark of $20. During my brief tasting I found a few wines as good buys, a few pricey-tasties and a wine for $22.95 that over-delivered compared with its price.
Good Buys …(Read more)
For more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.
03
Nov
2007
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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
Port … to wine lovers it has nothing to do with fish, boats or huddled masses seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time. It’s about sweet, supple wines with 20% alcohol. Words like Tawny, Vintage, Ruby, 10-, 20- and 30-years old adorn the labels. Names like Fladgate, Graham’s, Warre’s, Dow’s and Sandeman get palates salivating for dark chocolate, almonds and blue cheese. Flavours of cherries, plums, tangerine, hazelnuts and countless others fill both the nose and the mouth. And, of course, real Port means Portugal – like Champagne, Sherry, Tokay and Sauternes, Port has a particular region of the world to call home … and that’s where they make those potent, delicious and intoxicating elixirs. But Portugal is not just about Port wines, as the Port and Douro tasting proved – though some of the most memorable moments are of sipping the sweet red and amber nectars.
Portugal is not only about red wines they do make whites wine too, but when 85% of your show is stained red, those are the wines you concentrate on. We’ll kick off this look at Port and Douro wines with the still table wines then move onto the Ports themselves. Finally, I will tell you my best of show winner … a table that was a must visit. (Read more)
For more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check
out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.
