Category Archives: Feature Story

Pinot Noirs ain’t just for movie buffs, and here’s a lucious list of the best

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Hey, it’s not that I’ve been brainwashed by Sideways — I really just like the welcoming taste and body of Pinot Noir. And maybe you do, too.

So, aficionados: a don’t-miss piece by Food&Wine’s Ray Isle with four “star selections,” including a 2006 Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir for $20.

Sure, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon still dominate sales. But, as Isle says:

Pinot is undeniably America’s hot grape of the moment. Its sales have risen more than 20 percent a year for the past few years, and most top sommeliers sing its praises as a partner for food.

Bonus: Isle sipped 147 Pinot Noirs to come up with a longer list of 30 that serve up “complex, intense aromas; textures that are somehow both firm and weightless; and flavors that seem to effortlessly balance the fruity (raspberries, cherries, strawberries) with the savory (earth, mushrooms, pepper).”

Want to find a perfectly priced bottle of wine? Give the Smarter Wine Search a try.

New York City’s burgeoning wine bars offer an affordable adventure

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You may have no plans right now for a visit to New York, but you just might after reading this review of the city’s burgeoning wine scene by USA TODAY’s Jerry Shriver:

“Among the noteworthy openings of the past year: more than two dozen eateries where the primary focus is on serving wine alongside finger foods, small plates and bistro fare. Luminaries such as Daniel Boulud, Alain Ducasse and Gray Kunz, all of whom earned world-class reputations with elite and expensive French restaurants, have embraced the trend and drawn the most attention.”

Why’s this happening? Some “economic jitters” and a trend toward less formality in dining helps explain it. But “another key factor is that consumers’ interest in wine is rapidly expanding, as is their sense of adventure.” Six tempting spots are reviewed.

Wine substitute may be healthy – but likely not as tasty.

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Is wine the long-sought fountain of youth?

A pharmaceutical company seems to think it may at least be the next best thing, according to this New York Times story that says British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline will plunk down $720 million in cash for shares in a company “pursuing the notion that a compound found in red wine might retard aging and let people live longer.”

That may be well and good. But something tells me they’ll have a hard time making pills taste as delicious as, say, a fruity Sangiovese.

New and notable wine headlines, including starters for bargain-basement wine cellar

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Handpicked wine stories from across the Web…

A wine’s high price, honest or not, adds to its pleasure, study finds
In other words: Outwit yourself – pay less, enjoy more!

Oregon wines continue to grow
Great news for Oregon wine aficionados. Part of the reason for growth: The state’s wineries are “developing a reputation for sustainable practices and organic products, and the state’s pinot noir grapes have been found to contain an unusually high level of the anti-cancer, heart-healthy compound resveratrol.”

A Bargain-Basement Wine Cellar
Robert Parker focuses on a California winery that offers “premium wines at value prices.” Includes five affordable bottles scoring 85 points or more.

America’s Best Spots For Fine Wine
From Forbes, naturally.

Eco-friendly French to ship their wine under sail
An unexpected example of the increasing greening of wines. “French vineyard owners are returning to a slower pace of life by starting to export their wine by sailing boat – a method last used in the 1800s – to reduce their carbon footprint.”

Thirsty for more news? Follow up by digging into continuously updated feeds from national and international news outlets:

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To hit closer to home, try WNR’s Smarter Wine Search tool and see what columnists and wine experts may be writing about in your area. Once there, just type in your city and state (within quotation marks, as in, "Napa, California"), to get results ranked by relevance.

Sweet and bubbly: The chocolate and Champagne lover’s Valentine’s wine guide

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The e-mail message from Natalie MacLean pointed me to her book Red, White and Drunk All Over in case I was planning to offer some Valentine’s Day tips about matching wine with chocolate.

Of course, there is that. And we’ll get to it in a bit.

But my Valentine’s takeaway from her book comes from the part where she describes her travels in the region of France that conceived and produces that quintessentially amorous variety of wine, Champagne.

Specifically, I mean MacLean’s quote of Louis XV mistress Madame de Pompadour, who discerned that Champagne is “the only wine that leaves a woman more beautiful after drinking it.” (Let’s forgive Jeanne Antoinette’s indiscretion in helping to spark the Seven Years’ War, huh?)

And what man hasn’t felt a little James Bondish with a flute of Bollinger (or less costly bubbly)?

MacLean describes the sensation this way:

Champagne may be a celebratory drink, but it’s also an intimate ritual that transports you into a private world. There’s an adagio of the senses: the sweating cold bottle, the glinting stemware, the frothy pour, the small wrist action of raising the glass, the ocean-spritz on your face, the mouth filling flavor.

In other words, Valentine’s Day without Champagne is like the Fourth of July without the fireworks.

Speaking of Bollinger, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg at The Washington Post suggest paring a bottle of N.V. Champagne Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut ($55) with shrimp cocktail as a starter for Valentine’s dinner. As they explain, with their own notable quotable:

We feel about Bollinger, actually, the way Lily Bollinger felt about champagne in general. As she famously said in 1961: ‘I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it, unless I’m thirsty.’

They cite a few other bubbly favorites, in addition to several non-sparkling wines for other phases of the meal.

At Wine Spectator Online, Laurie Woolever serves up four more sparkling selections, ranging from a Gruet Brut New Mexico NV ($14) to a Mailly Brut Rosé Champagne NV ($48). She throws in her own meal paring suggestions, including:

Roses, jewelry, chocolates—there are some occasions when it makes sense to stick with the classics, and Valentine’s Day is surely one of those times. If you’re taking the date-night dinner into your own hands, you can’t go wrong with a classic surf and turf, with some simple accompaniments and well-chosen white and red wines alongside.

And speaking of chocolate, here are MacLean’s top 10 wine/chocolate matchings for when you get around to dessert (her online matching tool supplies additional suggestions for you and your sweetie):

  1. Dark Chocolate and Banyuls, France
  2. Chocolate-Covered Biscotti and Recioto Della Valpolicella, Italy
  3. Chocolate-Orange Cake and Liqueur Muscat, Australia
  4. Chocolate with Nuts and Tawny Port, Portugal
  5. Milk Chocolate and Tokaji, Hungary
  6. Bittersweet Chocolate and Amarone, Italy
  7. Chocolate-Dipped Fruit and Icewine, Canada
  8. Chocolate Ganache Truffles and Sauternes, France
  9. Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake and Framboise, California
  10. Chocolate Hearts with Cream Filling and Cream Sherry, Spain