Food and Wine Blog

Submitted by The Cheap Gourmet

WineBible.com is one of the most informative sites on wines I have ever found. What originally drew my attention to their website is the fact that they sell Virgin Wines. I have always admired Sir Richard Branson. Not only is he the founder of Virgin Records and Virgin Airlines, he also created Virgin Mobile. I’ve had cell phone service with Virgin Mobile for years and absolutely love their service and affordable plans. But, I digress.

I located Virgin Wines at WineBible.com and learned some fascinating information about wine. At the Wine Bible website, you can discover the history of wine, wine grape varieties, wine producing countries and anything else you could ever want to know about wines.

Unfortunately, WineBible.com wines are currently available to residents of the United Kingdom. However, their website is a wealth of knowledge for anyone interested in learning more about specific types of wine, how to pair them with food and their origins.

The good news is, by using WineBible.com, I discovered a Pinot Noir wine I was interested in and when I “Googled” it, I found a supplier in the U.S. I also discovered, “The World Atlas of Wine” by by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson which was promoted on WineBible.com and available through Amazon.com. With a click of a button, I was able to purchase this book through Amazon’s U.S. division.

While I wish I could take advantage of the many delectable wines and resources offered at WineBible.com, I found their online Wine Guide to be extremely informative and helpful. Additionally, I know there are many visitors to The Cheap Gourmet Blog who reside in the U.K. who can take advantage of the deep discounts and wine resources located at this wonderful wine site.

Even if you don’t live in the U.K., take a moment to stop by WineBible.com. You’ll find a wealth of knowledge on French Wine, Spanish Wine, Italian Wine, Virgin Wines, how to buy wine online and much more. It’s one of the best wine websites I’ve ever found and I hope you will enjoy it too!

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Submitted by The Cheap Gourmet

SBS Teas owner, Lady Babs, is celebrating her 65th birthday on Thursday, May 15th. She invites you to celebrate in her joy of being eligible for “Senior Discounts” and is offering everyone a whopping 15% discount on their entire purchase.

If you’ve never tried SBS Teas, now would be an excellent time to order. Be careful though… once you try these high-quality loose leaf teas you’ll never settle for anything less. SBS Teas offers a wonderful selection of custom-blended teas including black, green, white, chai, oolong, organic, iced teas and more.

Not a fan of tea? No worries…SBS Teas also has an amazing selection of coffees and cocoas. My favorite coffees include Bird Friendly Organic, Black Forest Cake and Rainforest Crunch. My favorite cocoa selections include Belgian Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Chocolate and Triple Fudge Hot Cocoa.

If you’re like me and can’t get enough coffee, tea or cocoa on the inside, you’ll flip over the amazing SBS Teas body products. These all-natural products include body wash, body lotion, body scrubs and bath perfumes. These delightful bath and body products are available in a variety of scents including: Chocolate Decadence, Blackberry Sage, London Lemon Curd, Vanilla Grapefruit and Zen Tea.

Mark your calendar to join Lady Babs in her 65th Birthday Celebration on May 15th and save 15% on your ENTIRE ORDER! The discount will automatically be deducted from your order at check-out.

While you’re waiting for Lady Babs birthday to arrive, take a moment to download The Cheap Gourmet’s FREE Tea Report — “Think Outside the Cup - Cooking with Tea“. This 16-page report focuses on the many ways to combine tea with cooking. You’ll learn how to use tea as a spice, meat and vegetable marinade, meat tenderizer and more.

Click on the banner below and place your order on May 15th to save 15%. You’re going to love the massive collection of custom-blended loose leaf teas, exotic and flavorful coffees and rich, decadent coffees and soothing body products. Enjoy! and be sure to wish Lady Babs a Happy Birthday!

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Submitted by Wine Reviews from the Wine School

Tomorrow evening, Frank Cipparone, the Wine School’s resident Italian-wine expert, and I will do battle in a Smackdown for the ages. Planetary polarity may shift. Weather patterns could run amok. Children and grown men may very well weep. Indeed, the amount of energy generated by the CERN’s Large Hadron Collider will, in all likelihood, pale next to the element-shifting vino-passions unleashed on May 12th.

Or, you know, it could just be a tie.

Either way, things should get interesting: The rules this time are a bit different than they have been in the past. The menu includes two vaguely Italian courses and two kinda-French ones. And for the pairings, Frank is only allowed to use Italian wines, whereas I’ll be limited to those of l’hexagone. Strategy, as well as a real sense of creativity, will be crucial. For there is much more at stake here than the thrill of victory.

This time, nothing less than pride itself is on the line. And, perhaps, the future off the human race. (Vive la France!

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Submitted by Barry’s Wine Notes & Memories

Just in case you start to pine as there will be no notes from
Sunday 11th May until Sunday 18th May..don’t worry…
I’ll still be drinking..but in the Black Forest….
no..not in the actual forest…but in our little hideaway..
Rebstock..Kappelrodeck-Waldulm
Don’t drink any bad wines while I’m away!!!

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Submitted by Barry’s Wine Notes & Memories

Don’t ask…OK……if you insist..the last time I bought..let alone drank….a Beaujolais was yonks (a long time) ago. It used to be a headache wine…
New wine drinkers would ask why Beaujolais does not appear on the label..well..you gotta learn the ‘Villages’ names..then you will know that Moulin à Vent, Chiroubles etc were the ‘better’ wines….Morgon belongs to that group.
I was interested in the 2005 as Burgundy had a wonderful vintage..and if the Pinot Noir was OK..then why not Gamay. As the 2004 was also available..it lent itself to a comparison tasting.
As the photos show..perfect Beaujolais weather…the 2004 photo is particularly
attractive..with the evening sun casting shadows.

Marcel Lapierre Morgon 2004
Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Milky colour…light to medium bodied…..odd smell at first..seems a little volatile…earthy..dusty cherry..seems like it is bubbling under in the glass…never really got going…a poor bottle..or is it a closed period…whatever it is…not a pleasure at the moment
Points 14.5

Marcel Lapierre Morgon 2005
Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
This is another kettle of fish(where does that saying come from?)..bright colour, clear…light purple..firm, tight nose…very reserved..flowery…no more…palate shows sweetish fruit with lively acidity..cherries…needs a year or two if the nose is anything to go by…
Points 16

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Submitted by Barry’s Wine Notes & Memories

Just in case you pine cos there will be no notes from
Sunday 11th May until Sunday 18th May..
I’ll still be drinking..but in the Black Forest….
no..not in the actual forest…but in our little hideaway..
Rebstock..Kappelrodeck-Waldulm
Don’t drink any bad wines while I’m away!!!

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Submitted by The Wine School of Philadelphia

First Flight: Lager vs. Ale
1. Philadelphia Brewing Company “Kenzinger,” Philadelphia (PA)
2. Köstriker Schwarzbier, Thuringia (GR)

Second Flight: Hops
1. Pilsner Urquell, Plzen (CZ)
2. Founders Brewing Company “Centennial” India Pale Ale, Grand Rapids (MI)

Third Flight: Caramel and Melanoidin
1. Orkney Brewery “Skull Splitter” Scotch Ale, Orkney (SC)
2. Weihenstephaner “Korbinian” Doppelbock, Freising (GR)

Fourth Flight: Bubblegum and Clove
1. Maredsous Triple Belgian Abbey Ale, Denée (BE)
2. Ayinger “Ur-Weisse” Dunkel Weizen, Aying (GR)

Fifth Flight: Conditioning
1. Brasserie DuPont “Forêt” Bottle-Conditioned Saison Ale, Tourpes (BE)
 

Submitted by The Wine School of Philadelphia

First Flight
1. Gunderloch 2005 Dry Riesling, Rheinhessen (GR)

Second Flight
1. Beyond 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, Constantia (SA)
2. Cousiño-Macul 2006 Chardonnay “Antiguas Reservas,” Maipo Valley (CH)

Third Flight
1. Coldstream Hills 2006 Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley (AS)
2. Falesco 2006 Sangiovese, Umbria (IT)

Fourth Flight
1. Las Rocas de San Alejandro 2005 Garnacha, Catalyud (SP)
2. Craneford 2005 Shiraz, Barossa Valley (AS)

Fifth Flight
1. Falesco 2005 Merlot, Umbria (IT)
2. Jardin 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch (SA)
 

Submitted by The Wine School of Philadelphia

Filed Under Wine Tastings

Submitted by Barry’s Wine Notes

What do you drink after such a good previous evening?……nothing you could say…and it might have crossed my mind…until…..the smell of Sauerkraut drifted past my nostrils….and we have been here before…the best ‘marriage’….is a Riesling….and it just so happens I have a bottle of the 2008 prize winner for German Riesling……that needed trying anyway….so I HAD to open it…….am I convincing anybody?…

Submitted by Barry’s Wine Notes

Being a ‘blog drinker’ can be hard work. It’s not so bad when I have to drink a bottle every two days…but then I get invited to friends..so more bottles are available…..that’s not the problem though..I have to then write up about the evening and the wines…such hard work! So here we are you lucky readers….
The 4 regulars..Volker, Robert, Axel and myself met at Volker’s house. The table was full of Tapas…ideal when drinking wines. The promise was of 4 wines..one white..the rest reds. All served blind..the 3 reds had been decanted.

Knipser Riesling Auslese Trocken
Halbstück 2003
Rheinland-Pfalz, German
I guessed at a 5 year-old Spätlese trocken…so wasn’t too far away.
Volker and myself had bought a few bottles at a tasting a few months ago…Yellow-gold colour, classic Riesling nose..nutty..citrus fruit aromas, melons and peaches, AND..petroleum!!
Ripe fruit, very clear definition, full, again citrus acidity but the fruit (Restsüße) just wraps it up to present a super Riesling…minerals and spices..perfect now.
Points 17.5

Wines 2 & 3 served together…and the sight of the first one told me..and everyone..this was Pinot Noir. After trying them both..I found similarities and thought same vintage..maybe German Spätburgunders…they turned out to be Californian…both Burgundian in style…but I really should have known as I have had wines from both growers recently.

Calera Pinot Noir ‘Ryan’ 2004
California, U.S.A.
Medium-pale colour, brown rim..
burnt, smokey aromatic nose..
red cherries…sweet fruit on the
palate but the correct dose of
acidity ensures it remains
well-balanced and lively..
quite fleshy..has 14.5% alcohol
but it carries it well and at no
point do you get that ‘hot’ feeling.
Points 17.25

Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir 2004
‘La Bauge au dessus’
California, U.S.A.
A little deeper than the above in colour….
nose more intense..sweet strawberry fruit..
with currants…smokey note..very fruit driven…..there are firm tannins..
but this should no detere lovers of
Pinot Noir. Jim Clendenen is a master of
this grape……a velvet feeling will
have you drinking this now…
and why not..but this will continue
to evolve over the next 4-5 years.
Points 17.75

The last decanter on offer contained definitely no Pinot Noir.

Viader Napa Valley 2005
California, U.S.A.
Deep ruby-red colour…intense dark fruit….creamy sweet oak…classy…..
This is 69 % Cabernet Sauvignon and 31% Cabernet Franc….and the style could only be from California…this could not have been a Bordeaux. One always has the impression of a little Syrah in the mix…you could even call this a feminine style..but it’s the high proportion of C.F. that makes this very approachable now….elegant and supple..very compact but it is just so drinkable…mint and violets appear..smooth…and a long finish. This ain’t cheap..thanks Volker.
Points 18

An excellent selection..and another example that California has got it back together….the two Pinots were very European….and the Viader was beautifully balanced. Bravo!

Submitted by The Wine School of Philadelphia

Submitted by The Wine School of Philadelphia

Submitted by The Wine School of Philadelphia

Submitted by Barry’s Wine Notes

Having enjoyed (and re-ordered) the Goisot’s red I was looking forward to seeing how ’sister’ would show.
Goisot Bourgogne Blanc Cotes d’Auxerre
“La Gondonne” 2004
Saint-Bris-Le-Vineux,Burgundy, France
100% Chardonnay..and spends
12 months in oak. Very strong aroma of
butterscotch..which decreased with airing..
some honey and flowers as well….
on the palate..very ‘old vine’ feel..
and after checking I was told
30+ year old vines….
so there’s hope for me yet!
A Chablis..chalky-slate style…
and decent acidity….oak not overdone..
Points 15.5

Submitted by The Cheap Gourmet

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Stores are offering free ice cream between the hours of noon and 8:00 pm on Tuesday, April 29th. Reason being is Ben and Jerry need your help to make a political statement. Ben and Jerry’s label their ice cream as free of recombinant bovine growth hormones or rBGH/rBST. In other words, they don’t add dangerous chemicals to their ice cream and they are proud of it.

However, Monsanto, the giant chemical company who manufactures rBST and other deadly chemicals are trying to ban the labeling of milk as hormone-free. Monsanto claims these labels are unfair because they imply hormone-free milk is safer than milk laden with the chemicals they manufacture. I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer to eat pure ice cream and dairy products over products loaded with chemicals and hormones.

If you believe that you should have the right to know what chemicals are added to your ice cream and want to protect your consumer rights, it’s time to join the crusade. Doing so, will earn you a free cone and let your voice be heard!

All you have to do to get your hormone-free cone from Ben and Jerry’s is visit Citizens for Health website to download and sign the Ben & Jerry’s thank you letter. Then take the letter to the nearest scoop shop to claim your free cone and your right to hormone-free ice cream.

Submitted by Chef Tom Cooks

This recipe always reminds me of my grandmother. She made the best Swedish Meatballs and the sauce was incredible. Here is my own variation that I make today. I like to serve mine over wide egg noodles. Now you don’t have to travel to Ikea for some of these meatballs!

1 pound ground beef
1/4 pound ground pork
3/4 cup instant potato flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated allspice
1 egg
1 tablespoon grated onion
1/2 cup light cream
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Mix the ground beef and pork together. Next, mix in the rest of the ingredients except for the butter and oil. Add one tablespoon of butter. Work until mixture is smooth.

Form the mixture into balls no larger than a walnut. Heat the remaining butter and oil in a skillet. Fry a few meatballs at a time and shake the pan so that the meatballs brown on all sides. Continue to fry about 3-5 minutes for each batch. Remove from the skillet and place on a paper towel lined plate. Reserve the pan drippings.

Sauce:

2 tablespoons flour
2 cups beef stock
1/2 cup light cream
pan drippings

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and allow to thicken.

Submitted by Barry’s Wine Notes

Sunday’s comprise of playing football (soccer) in the morning..watching some on TV later..and every second sunday..doing my Radio Show. Today..sunshine…warm…a quick photo of a bird in it’s nest in the garden..not sure for how long though as the local cat is prowling..but I have put up poles to prevent it getting a running leap.
The football pitch was dry for the first time in weeks….perfect. We drew 4-4 (not perfect)..and I scored a great headed goal (I chose the word ‘great’ carefully..awesome would have been too much)..and injured my right hand (also not perfect)..so off to the doctor’s tomorrow. After a lazy hazy afternoon…no Radio Show today..so chose a good bottle and sat outside for the first time this year. Simple food of sliced potatoes from the oven with some bacon and salami….and…….this is what you have been waiting for (all the above is of no interest to anyone except me and the cat…so…..)……..
A Pinot Noir from California. A favourite vineyard of mine. Jim Clendenen has a large range of PN’s and I have never been disappointed. I wanted to try the 2005 but this was offered so..here we go..

Au Bon Climat ‘Le Bon Climat Vineyard’
Pinot Noir 2004
California, U.S.A
Cool, slightly reserved bouquet at first… I like to open wines and ‘live with them’ as they develope…after all..I’m going to spend 2 hours with this one…After 45 minutes it opened up….and became as ‘one’ with the flavour…which was attractive from the word go…very up-front..loads of jammy fruit…ripe strawberries..some cherry..some marzipan…reined in oak..with good acidity…will age well…
Points 18

Submitted by Barry’s Wine Notes

Swiss cheese…everywhere.
Swiss watches..easy to buy..if your pocket is deep enough(remember this point as we continue).
Swiss women…no..that’s not right..where was I?…….ah yes..
Swiss Wine.
You walk into any wine store or supermarket and you see thousands of bottles of it.??!!..If you really do..you have been eating too much cheese!!
The truth is..you hardly ever see it on general offer..only from ’specialists’.
There used to be a Swiss chain of restaurants in Germany..Mövenpick..but all you ever got was a white Fendant!
Have times changed?…well..not really…the Swiss keep their wines to themselves..but I have found a few goodies..Gantenbein and Chappaz. As to prices..remember the Swiss watches?
It depends what you will pay for a wine..the prices of the two below are in my price range (I haven’t got one really…as all wine freaks will identify with)..BUT..are they worth what is in the glass?
Domaine Simon Maye
Pinot Noir Vieilles Vignes 2005
Wallis, Switzerland
Palish colour..cool, dusty strawberry nose…a rustic style…dry tannins…fruit at the back…
This was enjoyable..but down the list of wines that I would buy at this price. This costs €30..so I expect a liitle more..at least € 5 too much…but they have to subsidise the cheese you know..
Points 16.75

This house is known for it’s Syrah..and I was after their Vieilles Vignes..which had very good reviews…but I could only obtain the simple bottling.

Domaine Simon Maye
Syrah 2003
Wallis, Switzerland
Deep dark colour…earthy aromas..chunky & funky..really rude nose…but one-dimensional..I kept hoping somewhere the flowers would appear from the desert…but it remained reserved and slightly boring. At € 23 I would prefer this French Syrah..better value.
Points 15

Submitted by Barry’s Wine Notes

My first sin was…
it’s none none of your business….
and although this is probably the first Zinfandel I have made tasting notes of….
I must have had a glass pushed in front
of me at some time…
I made preliminary precautions before deciding what to try..after reading so many negatives
about the grape….and this one is probably
not the most typical. After tasting it..
anything less elegant would not have
been my style.

Green & Red Vineyard
Chiles Mill Vineyard Zinfandel 2005
Napa Valley, California, U.S.A.
Smoke…some dried plums on the nose….a fairly big mouthful..like stuffing a whole bowl of raspberries in at once….but there is an elegance and coolness that reins it back in…medium soft tannins..and a spicy touch. The 14.5% Alcohol left it’s mark…but I stopped at the halfway stage..otherwise a pounding head in the night would have lost it a point!
Points 16

Submitted by Barry’s Wine Notes

After tasting this grower’s Nicodemus I wasn’t sure what style I would be
getting here. Agreed…the
aforementioned wine was a mix of other
grapes…but can Bordeaux growers
produce Burgundy…see what I mean?.
Well..if you had blindfolded me and
let me taste 10 different bottles of
Spätburgunder…I think I would have
chosen the correct one. A case of the
grower putting his own mark on the
wines..and why not..cos in this case..
it works.

Submitted by The Wine School of Philadelphia

Sella & Mosca 2004 Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva, DOC, Sardegna

Located in the northwesteren part of the island, Sella & Mosca has become Sardinia’s signature winery. Its vast acres of vineyards have made it and Argiolas the names most synonymous with wine from this ancient culture.

Cannonau is Garnacha…but nothing like its Spanish ancestor. It is potent, leathery, earthy and infused with the “macchia” that grows wild in the rocky, untraveled interior. Mouth filling flavors of dark forest berries ride along on mild waves of tobacco and dry herbs. There is a tannic structure that provides a solid foundation without sacrificing the primal, rustic nature of the wine.

The best Sardinian wines are simple, direct, authentic - and this fits the description. Have it with lamb or pork. Even better, with one of the unusual pastas found only in Sardinia accompanied by a local pecorino. Or orzo tossed with fresh herbs and drizzled with olive oil.

Submitted by Barry’s Wine Notes

The recent tastings on the blog have been from a mixed case..and although a few scored higher…this and the Goisot were not only very good..but well-priced..this little gem costs
€ 17…and it’s beautifully packaged..
look at that photo!

David Reynaud, along with his mother Marceline, runs this vineyard. Up until 2002 production was sold to the local co-operative but then David decided to bottle under his own label which needed a new cuverie.He makes two cuvées of red Crozes from three very different and separate plots. The top cuvée, Les Croix, is made from grapes from a plot of older vines (over fifty years old).

Domaine Les Bruyeres

Crozes-Hermitage
Les Croix Vieilles Vignes 2004
Rhône , France
A soft ‘Jungle Book’ funky Syrah(100%)..
spices and tobacco..really lovely mouthful..soft, plush..light raspberry fruit..just a touch of tannins..very sexy..what more can you ask for?..
and a tip..open and drink..in my opinion..needed no airing.

Points 16.5

Submitted by Vino Keeno, The Grapevine for the Recreational Wino

Chateau Petrogasm, I LOVE you. I want to pop several corks with you, and find myself in a compromising position in the morning. Yes, I’d even do the walk of shame for you, Chateau Petrogasm. My butt is firmly planted on the bandwagon. I’ll be your largest sycophantic follower.

What in the heck is Chateau Petrogasm?

It is a wine review website, of course. What did you think it was?

Why all the gushing?

Because the lovely folk at Chateau Petrogasm have boiled the art of wine reviewing down to it’s purest form. Never before have I seen a more brilliant take on the whole industry. Their style exposes the feeling of the wine, in a way that transcends words, obliterates language barriers and says more than any verbose wine label, sniffy descriptor or hoity-toity tasting note could accomplish.

How do they achieve such a feat?

Simple. They just post one image as the wine review. A photograph. That’s it. No aromatic intangibles. No descriptions of dirt or vines or climate. No lengthy discourses on flavors you’ll never pick up on. One picture.

As a graphic designer and wine lover, I am in awe of the simplicity of their wine reviewing tactics. Jealous as hell I didn’t think of it, but mainly, I want to bear Chateau Petrogasm’s love child. And if I could drink all of those spendy wines in the process, that wouldn’t hurt either.

Well played, Chateau Petrogasm. I humbly genuflect. And I’ll see you at 8.

(Click here to see which wine was reviewed with a photo of a horse’s ass.)

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Submitted by Wine Reviews from the Wine School

The Wine School is pouring a garnacha these days that is flat-out charming me: The Las Rocas de San Alejandro 2005 from Catalyud, Spain. Not only is it fabulously fresh with notes of ripe cherries–a classic quaffing wine–but it also finds a sense of varietally-accurate depth with waves of dried Mediterranean herbs. What really strikes me, though, is what an excellent pairing partner it makes for pizza. Sprinkle a bit of oregano on your pie and you’ll be taken aback; order it with some sort of herb sausage and your life may never be the same. And if there’s anything better than a wine that’s equally delicious on its own as it is paired with pizza, then I haven’t found it yet.

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