Posted by Foobooz on July 28th, 2009 Congrats to Alyson, Christian and Jackie, winners of our contest for tickets to the Atlantic City Wine & Food Festival.They were the first to answer each of our three trivia questions correctly.Which Philadelphia restaurant is encouraging diners to step away from the bar and dine in their dining room by offering 50% off their wine list?Guy Fieri will be among the celebreties at the AC Food & Wine Festival.

Wine Blogger’s Conference 2009 Last weekend, as in ending yesterday was the Wine Blogger’s Conference. It was held at the Flamingo Hotel, Spa and Resort in Santa Rosa, California. For the most part, the Flamingo did a pretty decent job, with the exception of the FUBAR internet connections. I had to leave two hours sooner than I would have because I couldn’t pull MLS listings in the morning on Sunday. If you’re going to invite bloggers, have internet. Simple stuff. Or not so much.

A winery tour through the French wine region is a terrific way to spend time off the beaten path, and away from the typical tourist areas while exploring the countryside of one of the more enchanting and lovely regions of the world. The average French tourist areas simply can not compare to the countryside’s wide and natural variety of stunning tastes, sights, sounds, and other sensational experiences one can not find anywhere else.

On Monday I visited with Hubert de Boüard de Laforest , owner of Château Angelus , a Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé (as of 1996).  The estate manages roughly 32 hectares of vines, composed of 50% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon.  The average age of the vines is nearly 40 years and the yields are rather low at around 25 to 30 hectoliters per hectare.  The vines are planted in the Mazerat Valley, on a southerly slope.  The soil is composed of calcareous clay loam and sand.