Hi Everyone, Judy from Vinextra will be joining us for the first time on Thursday night. We will be tasting a wonderful variety of wines all perfect for the summer season (now that summer is finally here)! Last weeks Friday night wine tasting was a big success. We hope to do more higher end wine pre-sale tasting’s in the future. Thursdays Wine Tasting – Judy from Vinextra 2007 Emerald Bay – 100% Chardonnay   – Central Coast, California  - Fresh crisp citrus, toasted vanilla and ripe pineapple notes grace the palate with forward fruit aromas.

Château Mouton Rothschild It is generally agreed that the best attributes of luxury real estate marketing professionals are integrity, market knowledge, listening and negotiation skills. Quite often these qualities are considered to be what differentiates one agent from the others. But, these traits and talents are merely the price of admission into the top tier of the real estate field. If your competitors all embody these characteristics, using words like integrity to set you apart from the pack, simply fail.

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.

Pairing wine and food is the focus of this part of our wine 101 guide… The taste of a wine can improve or worsen depending on the food that you drink it with. Although there are only afew combinations which really don’t work, learning the basics about pairing them will bring out the best in both. There are two basic and simple approaches involved; one is contrast, where the wine is different in character to the food, yet still complimentary, and the other is complimentary, where the wine and food work together through a similar trait (such as sweetness or acidic).

Today was a shopping day with Shirley. We did the Home Depot, BJ’s, Best Buy, Panera for lunch, two grocery stores and one Mom and Pop wine shop. The ‘honey do’ list at home was longer. Back to my day job tomorrow. (Can’t Wait) While out doing her bidding, I was informed that my daughter Pam was doing a broiled Salmon dinner, so I was looking for a nice Sauvignon Blanc to accompany the meal. Unfortunately, there were no choices for a good New Zealand Savvie so down the aisles I walked searching for one that interested me.

The new book Au Revoir to All That: Food, Wine, and the End of France by Michael Steinberger delivers on what fans of his writing have come to expect; it’s an immersive, well-reported, well-written book that zips and crackles with a smartness that doesn’t talk down to the reader, but rather assumes they are an equally educated and empathetic soul to the lesson that follows.

Beijing – Beijing has never seen anything like XIU before – a traditional Chinese style pavilion, located on the terrace of a city skyscraper that offers dining and entertainment options galore. XIU; the new outlet managed by Hyatt; is located on the over 3,800 square metre roof top garden on the sixth floor of Park Life, Beijing Yintai Centre. The traditional Chinese style roof itself is part of the attraction, an elegant wooden structure that houses a variety of classy bars and lounges.

“Spent a little time on the mountain,? Spent a little time on the hill,? Things went down we don’t understand, ?but I think in time we will” … ”New Speedway Boogie” … Words by Robert Hunter; music by Jerry Garcia *** Conferences are conferences are conferences, and it seems that the one-on-one conversations are often where the real ideas are exchanged. Discussing ideas and feedback on just what is it we’re doing, what others are doing or have done will tend to make us all more proficient tomorrow.

Mission Codename : Hanging in the Salon Operative : Agent White Objective : Revisit Swanson and acquire a limited allocation of the delicious Salon Sauvignon Blanc. Mission Status : Accomplished! Current Winery : Swanson Vineyards Wine Subject : 2008 Oakville Salon Sauvignon Blanc Winemaker : Chris Phelps Backgrounder : Napa’s Oakville AVA , centrally located and adjacent to Napa Valley’s famous Rutherford AVA , was established in July 1993.

90++ points Pauillac. 13%Every wine critic speaks highly of Pontet-Canet today. It’s the new Leoville Las Cas, that is, it’s regularly compared to the first growths. In which case this vintage is a bargain. Well to the wine. It’s super concentrated cassis and new oak, but with a freshness that is more like Hawkes Bay NZ than California. It’s different than much Bordeaux I drink because it is just so young and concentrated. Best left until nearer 2020.

Forget the tango — malbec is fast becoming the beloved icon of Argentina. I wrote about this humble red grape back in 2006, when it was just creeping into the spotlight, but since then its popularity has spread like the macarena at a redneck wedding. And no wonder — malbec is practically perfect.This disrespected French grape originally hails from Bordeaux, where it slaves for the hallowed cabernet sauvignon and merlot grapes. Winemakers use malbec to soften the often harsh tannins of its stout compatriots to create a balanced, heady blend.

Wise Wine Review: Kluge Estate Albemarle Virginia Simply Red 2004 (click for more info) Taste Score = 7.5/10 Points Cost Score = 9/10 Points Overall Score = 8.4/10 Points (Additional stats below) There are just too many places in the world for good wine. In the US, we all know about California, Washington, and Oregon, but how many other places do we really pay attention to when it comes to the grape? Boy was I missing out! While at my local wine shop talking with friends and owners Sean and Jenn, I stumbled a wine that has changed my view on the world wine.

Paris! I went, I ate and I ate even more. Reporting back with all the action from the weekend of excess, we start with this truly French Bistro located in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Southwest France Bonjour peeps. Coming back to London is urghh, sobering. The weekend away in Paris was astonishingly good, indeed, the French can cook. I stuffed myself silly incredulously and also managed an eye opening trip to the photographers museum at MEP. Anyway, let’s get down to the food – it’s ParisEater, all week long baby.