Food, Wine, Culture TV- Episode 2: WineBloggingWednesday 48 - Back to my wine “roots” in Detroit!

Today is WineBloggingWednesday (which I talk about in the video) and the theme is taking it back to you roots. My wine “roots” began in Detroit with some cheap “wine” and slowly progressed to high end California Cabernet. Join me (and special guest Carlos L) for a tasting, beginning where I began and ending where I was 5 years ago- Drinking big Cali Cabernet and Bordeaux Blends. (Links pertaining to this episode and truncated tasting notes are below the video)
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WineBloggingWednesday #46: White Rhone Wines with Dr. Debs of Good Wine Under $20

Each month wine bloggers around the world unite for a virtual wine tasting labeled “Wine Blogging Wednesday.” A particular blog is chosen as the host for the event who then picks a theme and a Wednesday on which the wine blogging community gets together to post their wine and a few tasting notes.

This month our host is Dr. Deb’s of Good Wine Under $20. Her theme which I greatly appreciate is white wines from the Rhone. We’ve been tasting and drinking a good amount of Rhone wines lately, but only 10 or so white wines in the last few months from the Rhone. This was a good reason to open a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc I’ve been waiting anxiously to try. (For more on Chateauneuf, click here!)

The wine I chose is the 2003 Tardieu-Laurent Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes (vines pictured below). This wine comes from an established producer who makes good to great wines throughout the Rhone Valley. Recently, Michel Tardieu put out a 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (CdP) red wine that has received outstanding ratings and praise, including a score of 96 pts from the Wine Spectator’s James Molesworth (of whom I have great respect as a wine critic). This was my first Tardieu-Laurent white wine, though I’ve had many of his reds across a variety of vintages. I enjoy his style of wine very much finding them consistently hold true to the characteristics of both the fruit and terroir. I do recommend them highly if you enjoy Rhone wines or are looking to expand your palate to Southern France. Read more

Wine Blogging Wednesday: Old World Riesling (FYI: I love German Riesling!)

Wine Blogging Wednesday is in it’s 45th edition. For those of you unfamiliar with this event, Lenn Thompson (LennDevours) started it a few years back hoping to have a “community wide” wine tasting. Anyone (not only bloggers can participate. For more info, ehck out winebloggingwednesday.org.

This month’s host is Tim at Winecast.net (a blog/podcast that is well organized, written and very highly recommended). The mission: Old World Riesling, which generally would mean:

• French (Alscace)
• Germany
• Austria

I am very appreciative of this theme, as I absolutely love German Riesling but don’t drink nearly enough of it. This in mind, I had a big task ahead of me: choose one Riesling that I knew I’d enjoy and would like to share with you all!

My wine of choice for this outstanding theme was a 2005 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Kabinett. This wine is produced a little over an hour away from my family’s house in Herborn and is one I have had (previous vintage) while in Germany. Overall, it’s a great, Old-World style Riesling. It’s got a nice touch of sweetness that isn’t overpowering. Highly recommended, especially if you can find it (around $20).

2005 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Kabinett: Light straw color with a nose of apple, minerals, a light tangerine/citrusy component that is really nice. On the palate I wouldn’t have guessed a Kabinett, although it’s not overly sweet, there is a nice, honey undertone with flavors of pear, apple, citrus and crushed minerals. Very crisp acidity and a long, refreshing finish really bring this wine together. My rating: 90 pts, Very Good Value (VGV)

Image of bottle from the world’s best cellar-tracking program: www.cellartracker.com