‘.Unfiltered News Filter’ Articles
Wine News, Science, and Info as well as the Latest Books, Apps, Software and Wine Gadgets
Here is a very good point from W.U. contributor and all around wine enthusiast Rich Magallanes. Yes, it’s a controversial issue, but no matter what, one thing is for certain. This topic in the wine community will probably never go away. – Jennifer.
I love wine tasting and the wine country but I don’t like what it does to my wallet. I go for the experience, the grounds, the people, the relaxation and most of all, the ability to taste and choose some of my favorite (or new) wines. It’s so exciting and refreshing, yet relaxing. It’s on your time and most certainly, your dime. From Santa Barbara to Napa, the coastal vineyards and rolling hills all the up to Northern California, you simply can’t go wrong. I recently went to Paris, France and spent considerable time tasting their fine wines. They were good, but if truth be told, it only reiterated my devotion to California wines. I’m such a poster boy for “Bottle Shock” and “Sideways.” For all the fanfare and hype of those movies, the truth is in the bottle. After my Paris trip, I was in need of real palate satisfaction, so I ventured on a road trip from Los Angeles to Calistoga. I stopped many a time at familiar and some unfamiliar wineries and came home fully stocked with a nice variety of hand-picked selections. I was so excited to share with my friends, family or drink solo by the fireplace. But first I needed some cheeses and that’s where the trouble began…
I went to my local WholeFoods – a grocery store not known for being inexpensive – and what I found was a giant selection of wines. Having my wine quota full, I thought I’d just quickly browse to see what they offered. I was quickly stunned to see they had almost all of my favorites from both SB and Napa. Even better – their prices were about $4-5 cheaper than what I paid! WholeFoods! The grocery store that I only do “selective” shopping due to their over-priced items, has great prices on great wines!?! I was excited and my blood started to boil all at the same time. First, I realized I no longer need to savor that special wine thinking I’d have to make another trip up North to get the next bottle, or order online. I can come right here and choose from their “Buy Local” selections. “Hell yeah!,” I thought. Then the blood-curdling started… “Wait a minute – I’ve been had!” Not by WholeFoods, but by these wineries.
Chart from winebusiness.com
Sure, it’s nice to get the full experience visiting a winery, but at what price? It’s not just the tasting fees, but what gets me are the grandiose tasting fees at most wineries. Especially during this time of economic struggle for most folks. It’s a further dig when you purchase bottles and then the tasting fee is still tacked on to your bill. Why? I tasted so I could buy, which I’m doing now and you want to charge me anyway? I understand if you don’t buy, then you pay, but if you buy, you shouldn’t have to pay. Simple business, right? Some wineries charge up to $20 or more and that really kills the opportunity to visit more vineyards. Don’t they see these fees take away from purchases? There are some ways around fees but these routes can be a bit bogus too – joining their wine club or purchasing a specific amount (usually more than you intended) before the fee is waived. It all feels like trickery.
My wife and I were recently at a famous winery in the Napa area which charged $20 per person (there’s a good $40 bottle down the drain). Anyway, their rule was “purchase $100 and get one tasting free.” Oh boy, what a deal! It is a bit insulting, isn’t it? Regretfully, we did it anyway because we spent the money driving up there, paying for the hotel and feeding ourselves at the local hot spots in order to have a good time. The irony of it all was the billionaire owner standing next to us like a celebrity shaking hands and saying “hello” to folks. After purchasing my $100 of goods to avoid one fee (fell for that hook, line and sinker – sort of), we walked around the grounds a bit. There was a giant lake with all the fancy winery trimmings. It was, indeed, very nice and peaceful. But I couldn’t help thinking, “it better be, I just helped pay for it all.”
I could go on and on, but have confidence that connoisseurs and consumers know all too well what I am saying. It’s time to fight back and demand a break – we buy, you don’t charge for tasting! Simple as that. Give us, wine enthusiasts, a break to enjoy more of your goods - we will, it’s true!
.
.
Tags: tasting fees, wine tasting, Wineries
Posted in .Home, .Unfiltered News Filter, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Grounds | No Comments »
Byron Tasting Room
2367 Alamo Pintado Avenue
Los Olivos, CA 93441
888-938-7310
805-938-7365
Map
If you haven’t been yet, I highly recommend The Bench Tasting Room in Los Olivos, CA, and I would defintiely try to make it up Valentine’s Day Weekend. Why? For lovee doviness? Yeah, I don’t think so.
The Grand Opening of the official Byron Tasting Room. They are transitioning over from being a Byron, Cambria, Kinton Tasting room to solely Byron the weekend of February 13&14th, 2010. And I am indeed a sucker for their Chardonnays. Okay, so I use the term sucker a lot.
Okay, there may be slight lovee doviness as they are having 2 for 1 tastings, $10 per couple. Awww. But there will also be live music, mini foodage, and winemaker on premises.
Mosey on over here yourself and take a look. That’s right I said mosey.
I would say sashay but once again… lovee doviness.
Tags: Byron Wines, Los Olivos, The Bench Tasting Room, Valentine's Day
Posted in .Home, .Unfiltered News Filter, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Grounds | No Comments »
Just an added FYI in our WU. News section, a very special deal at Wine’Till Sold Out, check it in our 1 DAY DEALS PAGE!
Posted in .Home, .Unfiltered News Filter | No Comments »
.
As most of you probably know by now, Apple announced the soon-to-be-released iPad coming only in 1 month. Or two. Not bad.
Yes, I am a mac addict. Yes, I love the flippy thing you can do with the book pages. Yes, it reminds me of something you would find in Picard’s ready room.
For those of you who are curious about the PDF of Napa Valley wineries that Steve Jobs pulled up on the iPad during his presentation, here it is for your pdf downloading pleasure.
.
.
You may not be able to look at it on the iPad for another 60 days, but until then, just think of us as iVino.
.
Tags: iPad, Napa Valley Map, Napa Valley PDF map, Steve Jobs, Wine
Posted in .Home, .Unfiltered News Filter | No Comments »
For your convenience, WINE UNFILTERED is now collecting 1 Day Wine Deals from around the net and showing them off here at our:
Do we make any money on this? No. But that would rock.
This is just FYI so you can come to one place and see what’s up today in the world of mega-sale, fast-going, temporary, and one day interwine deals.
You can find the page on our navigation bar above, next to the home button.
HAVE FUN GUYS!
.
Tags: 1 day wine deals, cinderella wines, the wine spies, wine buying, wine till sold out, wine.woot
Posted in .Home, .Unfiltered News Filter | No Comments »
So, I have to say, I’m kind of loving this new wine pairing app for the iPhone.
It’s call Pair It! and it’s something I’m actually using for once. It’s functions are quite detailed, thorough, and severely useful. Especially for party throwers. Pairtastic. The swirl button is pretty darn fun, but make no mistake, it is a serious app.
As the site puts it: “Created by renowned wine pairing expert, chef and educator Bruce Riezenman from the Sonoma County Wine Country. His novel approach to wine pairing has won him praise and awards. The app lets you discover, experiment, and savor new taste combinations and wine flavors by searching over 20,000 food and wine pairings”.
Take a look over at Pair It! and see what you think.
All I know is, they had me at the word cheeses.
Tags: iPhone, iphone wine application, Pair it!, pairing guide, wine app
Posted in .Home, .Unfiltered News Filter, Party Pairs | No Comments »
Wine Unfiltered’s new WINE AND CHEESE PAIRING guide is here!
Everything from pairing methods to pairing samples, cheese and wine tenets, and even the ultimate multi-tasker!
Take a look at the PAGES link at the top of our home page and enjoy the Holiday season everyone!
Tags: cheese, Christmas, New Year's, Wine, wine and cheese pairing
Posted in .Home, .Unfiltered News Filter, Party Pairs | No Comments »
Well, you may have noticed I have been at little MIA lately… taught my first wine and cheese class, had another successful Thanksgiving craft fair, had multiple dental visits, tons of show deadlines and a million other distractions. Some some great, some pretty lousy. But that’s life isn’t it? All I know is that I am about ready to have a little pumpkin pie, Macy’s Parade and Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation…. also known as Thanksgiving Day.
This Thanksgiving, I am certainly grateful. A great job, family and an amazing new set of friends I have been blessed with this year. And a Thanksgiving Day Potluck!
Here are Wine Unfiltered’s wine choices for this year’s Turkey Day. Lots of versatility, lots of aroma. And some fab wine treats for dessert. Be warned, I love very aromatic, lush wines for Thanksgiving. It’s a day to splurge on flavor!
ON THE MENU:
The dinner whites:
Brut Campagne Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin : True Champagne. Perfect way to start. And Finish. And sip throughout come to think of it.
Saarloos and Sons ‘Daughters’ Chardonnay 2007 -Santa Barbara County : Tons of pear, crisp, light and super aromatic. Saarloos always takes their time with their wine and you can taste it.
Demetria 2008 Chardonnay -Santa Barbara County : Pretty and crisp. Almost a smidge of effervescence. Lovely fruit, well structured. Screams turkey.
La Crema 2007 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast : Oaky, traditional, rich and dependable. Kind of like Thanksgiving.
Demetria 2008 Beton Blanc (Marsanne Roussane Grenache blend) : New! TBD
Demetria 2006 Viognier -Santa Ynez Valley : Beautiful. Light yet viscous. Shades of aromatic flowers, ripe fruit and zippy finish.
The dinner reds:
Demetria 2006 Cuvee Sandra Pinot Noir -Santa Rita Hills : Can you tell I love Demetria? There pretty much isn’t a wine I don’t like from them. Everything you wish a Pinot Noir was. Every time. ‘Nuff said.
Dahlia 2008 Reserve Pinot Noir -Monterey County : Nice. Light, versatile, hint of oak, raspberry.
La Vie 2006 Black Mountain Reserve Pinot Noir -Santa Lucia Highlands : Brilliant. Smooth berries, oak, refined and very elegant. A lot of love went into this.
The dessert/aperitif wines:
Chien 2008 Edelzwicker -Santa Barbara County : Lovely with almost any cheese course. Rich, tons of crisp green apple finish.
Castello Di Amorosa Gewurztraminer 2007 Anderson Valley : New! TBD
La Vie 2007 Late Harvest Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands : Like a Red Label Tokai for less. Tons of honey and richness, tart end. I am counting the hours to when I have this with my Aged Gouda after pie.
AND….Some of the late night movie-fest wine options:
Ghost Pines Cabernet Sauvigonon Winemakers Blend 2006, Palo Alto Reserve 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Magnificat 2005 Vintage Red Napa Valley, The Prisoner 2007 Napa Valley Red Orin Swift Cellars St Helena, Saarloos and Sons 194 Five Reunion 2008 Syrah Santa Ynez.
HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING,
And may all of your family, friends and wines be filled with love!
Tags: Thanksgiving Day, wines
Posted in .Home, .Unfiltered News Filter, Party Pairs | No Comments »
$29.99
I just picked up the Metrokane Rabbit Wine Aerating Pourer this weekend at Bevmo. Why? Well, it was just so darn cute and I am a sucker for a new aerator. I have to say, this one is pretty darn cool.
They company is smart, they made a product that is like a cross between the Soiree bottletop Aerator and a Vinturi hand held aerator, with the price just in the middle of the two.
It trickles out and fountains down around the edges of the clear funnel…with no drip! There is a straw like tube at the end of the aerator into the bottle.
Like the Soiree, the benefit over the Vinturi, other than the price, is the bottletop design. And one minor benefit over the Soiree, it’s a little less awkward: you don’t have to completely invert to get a good aeration because it is angled. Then again, you don’t have the aerated wine going back into the bottle like the Soiree does. Can’t have it all I guess.
The Soiree is still 10 bucks cheaper, so I am still partial, but this is reasonable too. Indeed, cleanup is one of the easiest, since it comes apart and snaps together just as readily, so you can get every inch clean.
So far so good.
Tags: aerator, Decanting, Metrokane Rabbit Wine Aerating Pourer, Soiree Wine Aerator, vinturi, Wine, wine bottles, wine decanting
Posted in .Home, .Unfiltered News Filter | 2 Comments »
According to this Washington Post article, Twitter has its own wine label, Fledgling Wine, which launched on October 15th in partnership with San Francisco-based winery, Crushpad.
Why? Perhaps sipping a little Pinot helps one get to 140 characters? Well actually, proceeds from sales are going to Room to Read, an organization encouraging the literacy of children around the world. Pre-orders now for bottling in August 2010.
Drink up and tweet away.
Tags: Crushpad, twitter wine
Posted in .Home, .Unfiltered News Filter | No Comments »
