A short hiatus: I direct your attention to these outstanding wine blogs and websites!

Things have been busy in Baltimore lately as I’m working on a publication in lab, traveling quite a bit, and trying to work things out for my new internet show. That said, my writing has suffered the most as I have very little free time to sit down and fire away at the keyboard. Though I have many articles planned, it’s going to be a week or so before I get anything published.

Therefore, I’d like to suggest a few wine blogs to check out in the meantime:

My affiliate site:
http://wineinterview.com/

Wine Cellar Tracking Software (free and amazing!):
http://www.cellartracker.com

Baltimore/Local:
http://www.diningdish.blogspot.com/
http://thebaltimorebabe.blogspot.com/
http://www.howchow.blogspot.com/
http://www.vinotrip.com/

Wine and Culture/Politics:
http://www.drvino.com/
http://www.fermentation.typepad.com/
http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/
http://www.vinography.com/
http://lennthompson.typepad.com/
http://www.israeli-wine.org/
http://germanwines.us/

Wine Reviews:
http://tv.winelibrary.com/
http://goodwineunder20.blogspot.com/
http://www.redwinebuzz.com/
http://www.wannabewino.com/

Recipes, Wines, Anything Else:
http://www.catavino.net/
http://noblepig.com/
http://www.figandcherry.com/
http://chefforfeng.wordpress.com/

Literature/Music:
http://apointofnoreturn.com/
My first video/podcast is expected to go up next weekend. Details on the show are to follow. I hope everyone is enjoying good health and sharing great food and wine with family and friends!

Quick tips for ordering wine in a restaurant

Baltimore’s Summer 2008 Restaurant Week is in full force and among the many restaurants participating this year there are endless types of cuisine and culinary treats to be devoured. But with a variety of restaurants, comes a variety of wine lists. For the casual diner who doesn’t want to go broke on a (bad) bottle of wine, here are some tips to ensure your next journey through a restaurant wine list ends with happy palates and a bank accounts. Read more

Good wine tastes even better when made by great people: An interview with Paul Romero of Stefania Wine

One of life’s simplest pleasures is a well made glass of wine. A single glass of wine exemplifies the hard work put into the vineyard and winery, as well as the personality and passion of its winemaker. When it comes to making good wines that express love and appreciation of both the vineyard and the wine, not many folks do it as good as Paul (and Stefani) Romero of Stefania Wine. Read more

Tasting Report: 7 Wines of the Loire Valley paired with Sushi

What wines go well with $360 worth of sushi? Well, for the 9 of us in attendance on Sunday at the Wine Club gathering (at Yamato Sushi- review to come), I think we’d agree that something from the Loire Valley (France)would work quite nicely.

Overall we had a great time working through the 7 wines (tough work but someone has to do it!). The only sparkling wine in the group came from Louis de Grenelle, a large estate in Saumur (home of some great red wines). We worked through 4 Vouvray’s and two other Loire whites, ending with my favorite wine from the Loire Valley, a red wine from Chinon (100% Cabernet Franc). There wasn’t a bad wine in the bunch, with two being great (89 pts!) and all being wines I’d gladly drink again. Read more

Should Wine Come With A Warranty?

I recently purchased an HD Camcorder that I am going to use to do some video features for foodandwineblog.com (more to come!). I bought the camera from an online store and a few days after it arrived, I received an e-mail from the retailer offering an extended warranty plan at about 1/5 of the cost of the camera. After weighing in the cost of the coverage, the chance of the camera breaking, and the price of replacing this exact camera in 3 years, I decided to pass on the warranty. Read more

Monday Wine Headlines: Great sushi tasting and homemade blends, Foodandwineblog to go digital, Great Grapes in Annapolis this coming weekend.

Sunday July 20, 2008 - Sushi and Wine Tasting: Yesterday’s sushi and wine tasting was more of a sushi and wine “filling.” Our group of 9 overtook a portion of Yamato Sushi in Timonium (review coming soon) for 3 hours of drinking, eating and story telling. We begin as a quiet group, with edamame, seaweed salad and a bottle of Sparkling wine from the Loire. We finished as a more vocal crowd, having devoured platters of raw fish, 9 bottles of wine from the Loire Valley (some very good wines), including a few homemade blends at the end of the night (which were surprisingly good) - pics can be found here. If you missed out on this month’s tasting, no worries, I’m already planning August. Look for something the week of August 18-25, involving grilled steaks and maybe, just maybe at our house again!

HD Camcorder Has Arrived!: Filming has begun for a new feature on this website to include wine tastings, food and wine pairings, restaurant reviews, winemaker and chef interviews, and more. Guest stars will include many familiar faces, winemakers, and more. Stay tuned over the next few weeks for the first release (once I figure out how to get my computer to recognize the camera!).

Great Grapes in Annapolis: As “Shar” pointed out in our forums, this coming weekend is the “Great Grapes” festival in Annapolis, MD. Hundreds of amazing wines will be poured over the two day event and many local and national winemakers and distributors will be on hand. For more information see the Great Grapes website.

RedWineBuzz wine Survey: To help out a good friend in the wine industry, please check out and complete this survey.

Korean food: Jong Kak and Wong Gal Bi

by Greg B.

If anyone is ever in the mood to go stuff themselves silly on good food with a bunch of friends, Korean restaurants are the place to go. I had never had Korean food until this past winter, but since then it has become at least a monthly event. And, if you have never eaten it, it certainly is an event. I listed two restaurants because these are the only two I have been to, and both are excellent. Read more

A Few Recipes From Around The Blogosphere: With wine pairings!

I read a lot of food blogs and am always impressed with the number of great home chefs (and pro chefs) out there! Since I love food and wine, and enjoy coming up with interesting wine pairings for any dish, I decided to feature a few recipes from around the internet each week and offer my wine pairing advice.

From FigandCherry.Com: Red wine lamb shanks with herb mash

If this dish doesn’t look or sound amazing to you, then I’m guessing your a vegetarian! With a nice red wine sauce, the obvious pairing here would be a medium to big bodied red with good structure and dark fruits- I’d look to the left bank of the Gironde river in Bordeaux to the Cabernet-heavy blends.

Read more

Free Advice To Restaurants: How to sell more wine and keep your customers coming back for more.

Two months back I was asked by a friend and restaurant manager who I’ve known for years for advice on her wine list. She asked how her restaurant (a mid-range restaurant in a nice area of suburban Detroit) could increase their wine sales and revenue since it had slowly been decreasing as the economy worsened. This was a great question and one that I feel is relevant for many fine dining restaurants in Baltimore and elsewhere in the US. In a time when the economy has many people eating at home and spending less on food and wine, how does a middle to high class restaurant survive? Here I offer advice some pretty simple advice for restaurants that either do not have a dedicated wine manager, or who could use a few ideas on how to sell more wine and make more money. Read more

Best places on the internet for (free) wine information.

Here are some of my favorite online wine resources- from videos to forums to wine blogs and more. I’m compiling a list of my favorite “Lesser Known” wine blogs and websites as well and hope to publish these in the next week. I have no competing interests in any of the sites, except for www.wineinterview.com, where my blog is also published. That said, my only compensation is link-backs, so there is no financial motive for me to put them here! If you have suggestions on other great websites, let me know! (image from dreamstime.com) Read more

Monday, 7/14/08: Chefs and Wine Recap, Wines for Bastille Day, A few spots left for this weeks tasting!

Baltimore Chef and Wine Experience a Success: The 2008 Baltimore Chef and Wine Experience has come and passed. Dozens of food, wine and other related exhibits were on display for eating, tasting, reading and learning. Both national and local celebrities and chefs were on hand, as well as a couple Master Sommeliers, all sharing their recipes and experiences with those in attendance. The packed event was highlighted by talks given by television star and food writer and critic Ted Allen (my new close friend, see above!). I had a chance to meet Ted during the “VIP” tasting (which was crowded!)- a very down-to-earth, nice guy who definitely loves good food and wine. More on this event in the next few days while I recover my notes (from a husky mishap!) and put the pictures and film together.

What are you drinking this Bastille Day? French toast for breakfast with a French Roast coffee. French fries for lunch. Ladies walking around with French twists in there hair…what’s going on here? Ah! Today is Fête Nationale (”National Celebration”), the day on which the French celebrate the storming of the Bastille which took place on July 14, 1789. I hear it has something to do with the French independence or revolution or something. Whatever it is, it’s a great reason to open a French wine! So join me tonight in drinking a nice Bordeaux as we salute the republic of France!

A few spots left for this Sunday’s Wine Club Tasting- Sushi and Wine! So what are you waiting for? Go here to RSVP!

Restaurant Review: Mannequin Pis Restaurant (Olney, MD) -A night of Belgian respect with Chris and Dana

Outstanding Belgian food, bier and hospitality! Read more

Tasting Report: Good Values From Sicily- The Wines of Sicilian Producer Tasca d’ Almerita

Sicily is well known for its sweet Marsala wines, which make up a majority of the wine produced in the DOC wine region. But in recent years, there has been a surge towards producing quality red and white table wines as the global demand for quality wines increases. Read more

Breaking news: Sunday, July 20, 2008 - Foodandwineblog wine tasting- Sushi and Loire Valley Wines!

Title says it all. We’re capping the event at 12 people! For more details and to RSVP: http://foodandwineblog.com/forums/index.php?topic=158.0

Brief News: Monday July 7, 2008: Greg’s Pig Roast with TJ’s beer, Brunello allowed into the US, Baltimore events!

Our resident beer guy roasts a pig and makes Thomas Jefferson’s beer: This past Friday, July 4th, Greg B spent half of his day cleaning, dressing, salting, garlicking and roasting a pig. His “Jefferson Beer”, having spent months in the making, was ready for consumption and was a great pairing with the salty pork. What Greg didn’t mention in his great recap is that he and I tried roasted pig brain for the first time. Lucky for us, there were over 200 bottles of his various homemade beers on hand to wash it down! Don’t foget to keep an eye on “Greg’s Corner” to follow his journey through beer and wine making, whole-animal roasting, and internet blogging!

Brunello gets it’s groove back: After months of controversy surrounding Brunello di Montalcino (more here), Decanter.com reports that Italian Authorites have “guaranteed” that all Brunello being exported to the US meets the standards set by Italian wine law and Brunello di Montalcino DOCG regulations. Though 2002/03 weren’t good vintages in Montalcino, this is good news for Brunello lovers as it’s nearing time for the highly praised 2004’s to go on pre-sale!

Things of note in Baltimore this week (find out more on Localwineevents.com):

Jul 07, 2008 (Mon) - Jul 10, 2008 (Thu)Aperitivo Hour and $10 Pasta at Sotto Sopra

Jul 07, 2008 (Mon)Monday Nights 1/2 off bottled wines at Sotto Sorpa Restaurant

Jul 07, 2008 (Mon)Monday is Neighborhood Night at AIDA Bistro: All Pastas Specially Priced

Jul 08, 2008 (Tue)Dinner with Daniela - 4 Course Italian Home Cooked Dinner

Jul 13, 2008 (Sunday): Baltimore Chefs and Wine Experience: A must if you are available on Sunday!

Wine Pairings: What wine goes with 64 hotdogs?

This past Friday, July 4th, Nathan’s Hotdog had their annual hot dog eating contest. Dating back to 1915, the annual Nathan’s hotdog contest brings the worlds biggest appetites to NYC for a 10 minute hot dog eat-off. (Photo credit: A hot dog, taken by Renee Comet, photographer, and from the National Cancer Institute. http://visualsonline.cancer.gov/details.cfm?imageid=2669) Read more

A trip to Virginia’s Wineries: A weekend of wine drinking in Virginia tastes best with good friends!

The majority of wine production in the United States takes place in 5 of the 50 states: California, Oregon, Washington, and to a lesser extent Michigan and New York. The last two may not be making wines the caliber of their west coast counterparts, but there are many good Rieslings and Ice Wines coming from Michigan and New York that are gaining national and international attention.

But what about the other 45 states?

For starters, wine (of some sort!) is being made in almost every state in the US. Idaho, Montana, Texas, Virginia and even Maryland have been producing wine for many years now. But you have to wonder: who’s drinking these wines and are they any good? I’ve been in Maryland for 4 years now and I know very little about the wines of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania- all of which have wineries less than 2 hours from my home. I have had a few bottles here and there that had me impressed (an Elk Run Gewurztraminer comes to mind), as well as one outstanding bottle of 1980 Byrd Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon that Kim and I had at Della Notte a few years back. Yes, a 1980 Maryland Cabernet, drank in 2005, that was very good. Sad to say I can’t find out any information on Byrd Vineyards and they are not around today (if you know anything e-mail me: michael@foodandwineblog.com). Read more

Recipes for the 4th of July…with a few wine pairing ideas!

Here are some recipe and wine ideas for this fourth of July that are certain to make your celebration a delicious success. Many of these come from Cathy at the Noble Pig website, which is my favorite food blog and overall just an outstanding website with great pictures, stories and more! I highly recommend you check out her website and sign up for her feeds!!!

As for the dishes below, most are simple, all are delicious and are complete with wine pairing ideas.

Appetizers:

Cinghale Shrimp on Greens: Wine Pairing: I like the fruit, acidity and complexity of a nice Spatlese Riesling. My pick: 2002 J.J. Prum Riesling Himmelreich (Spatlese) ($30)

Blue Sky Potatoes: Wine Pairing: The slight oakiness of a good Chardonnay would go well with the bacon and creamy potatoes. My pick: 2006 Wente Chardonnay Arroyo Seco Riva Ranch ($13)

Shrimp Rockefeller Stuffed Mushrooms: Wine Pairing: This is a tougher dish to pair, there are a lot of big flavors and a variety of textures. I think a safe bet would be a crisp Sauvignon Blanc such as 2006 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand ($16). Read more

Tasting Report: Good wines and great QPRs from Chilean producer Vina Ventisquero (Chile)

Chilean wines are quickly becoming some of the best QPR (quality-to-price) wines in the market today. From Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet, to the more rare Carmemere, the Chilean wine industry is setting the bar high when it comes to wines that bring big bang for their buck. (click here for more on Chilean wines)

I was recently invited to lunch with Felipe Tosso, head winemaker at up and coming producer Vina Ventisquero. In our two hour lunch I developed an understanding of his style and a respect for his experience and passion, as well as for his commitment to maintain eco-friendly wines. (image from www.intlwine.com/southamerica.htm) Read more

Lately, I’ve been just enjoying the wine: Why it’s nice to put down the pen from time to time.

Tonight Kim and I ordered Chinese food; hot and sour soup, steamed dumplings and beef with broccoli. We have four take-out restaurants within 1 square mile, but our favorite is Asian Taste (on 36th St. in Hampden). They have sushi, too, but it’s not always that fresh and a definite pass.

With Chinese food, I generally prefer white wine in the form of either Gewurztraminer or Riesling. Gruner Veltliner from Austria works well, too. Tonight we went with one of our favorite producers of German Riesling; Joh. Jos. Prum. Last weekend we enjoyed a pair of ‘01 Prum Rieslings which were truly outstanding wines, so we had high expectations for this 2002 Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett Riesling.

The bottle was opened, food was passed around. We ate. We drank. Everything was good with the wine again being top notch. But other than telling you that there was an interesting dill component and it’s at least a 90 point wine in my book…I didn’t take notes and don’t intend on saying much else.

For those of you who know me well, you are aware this is out of character. I am of course referring to the fact that I have multiple wine notebooks and journals (such as the one I’m with above at Pardiso di Frassina in Montalcino!). I am never without my trusty point-and-shoot digital camera, always prepared to snap pictures of wine bottles. Per my request, Kim always has a pen and paper in her purse so that I am prepared to take detailed notes on how a wine looks, smells, and tasteds as well as other miscellaneous notes on the experience the wine provides, at the drop of a hat (or pop of a cork). Even at a nice dinner or special evening out, I can be caught scribbling notes on a napkin or typing notes into my phone. Obsessive? Yes, I’ve become quite obsessive- but it’s part of the fun of drinking and collecting wine for me.

But lately I’ve just been enjoying the wines. No notepad, no pen, no interrupting a nice dinner to contemplate the multiple compenents of a wine and how it pairs with each flavor in the food. And you know what, it’s pretty nice.

It makes me remember when I was first getting into wines and just drinking everything I could get my hands on to learn more about my new hobby. I wasn’t interested in remembering what wines brought leather, plum, was racy or finished with a touch of heat. I just wanted to know whether or not the wine was something I liked so I could buy it again in the future.

A few months back I wrote a piece titled “Ignorance is bliss…” in which one of the points I tried to make was that perhaps wine is more enjoyable before you know too much or drink the “best” wines in the world. Sure it’s nice to be able to appreciate great wines on a multitude of levels, but is it really necessary? I mean, isn’t the point of drinking wine to enhance a meal and bring friends and family together?

My hiatus from formal note taking is most likely just a phase (how would I continue being an amateur wine critic otherwise!). Perhaps after a weekend away in the woods of Virginia I’ll come back and return to my diligent note-taking self. But until I feel the need to return to my rigours bookkeeping I’m going to just be “ignorant” and enjoy some wine with my friends and family. After all, these are truly the most important things in life.

Cheers!

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