TaylorEason.com: Foodies unite » Wine news

Alcohol levels growing in domestic wine

Taylor Eason — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:14:51 +0000

A growing “controversy” in the wine world is the raised alcohol levels in domestic wines. Whether it’s due to global warming or a way to entice famous wine writers (read: Robert Parker) to give them a glowing review, winemakers are caving, leading to wine descriptors like “hot”, “burning” and “high alcohol”. Tyler Coleman, aka Dr. Vino, wrote an interesting

Governor Schwarzenegger declares September California Wine Month

Taylor Eason — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:38:54 +0000

Seems to me there's a "day" or "month" for everything: Official Macaroni and Cheese Day, National Cow Day and each calendar month has a disease attached to it. Some designations make sense to me (Cancer Awareness Month, although to not be "aware" of cancer would require hermit-level ignorance) and others, not so much -- National Waffle Month (??).

Kathyrn Morgan now 16th female Master Sommelier

Taylor Eason — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:21:57 +0000

n the world of wine, the Court of Master Sommeliers rules the school. There are only 106 Master Sommeliers in North America (171 worldwide) who have passed the four levels of exams needed to gain this prestigious title and it literally takes years of practice (and many tries, so I hear) to pass the dastardly blind tasting section. Of these 106, Kathyrn Morgan from Washington DC, is now the 16th woman. Girl power!

Great wines around Tampa Bay: Wine Exchange, The Hangar, Ed’s Fine Wines

Taylor Eason — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:13:24 +0000

I get around in the wine circles here in my hometown of Tampa Bay. Invariably, I know the person pouring samples at Publix, I'm greeted in Cheers-like fashion at my favorite wine bar (Wine Exchange) and wine "trade" tastings are more like happy hours than a place to taste new products. But I ain't complaining. This insider's view provides a prognostication of great wines to come as well as what's being poured and sold right now. What I've tasted and seen lately.

eProvenance tracks a wine’s temperature from the winery to the cellar

Taylor Eason — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:33:32 +0000

The bane of most winemakers is not knowing what their creation will taste like in your glass. These creative beings spend countless hours babying a wine, only to have the distribution system muck it up somehow. Despite every earnest effort along the way from winery to table, high temperatures (especially in summer) can, and often do, ruin a perfectly good bottle of wine.

NY Times echoes Americans’ lack of Bordeaux wine enthusiasm

Taylor Eason — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:36:21 +0000

A few months ago, I wrote a column about how Bordeaux is no longer relevant to general American wine drinking public. Sounds like the NY Times has caught on to this sentiment. An excerpt from Eric Asimov's column last week: "The hyperbole over 2009 Bordeaux began building even before the harvest last fall. Ripples of praise grew into waves this spring as critics and the trade descended on Bordeaux for the annual ritual of tasting the most recent vintage from barrels. Their ecstatic reviews reverberated through Britain, which takes its claret extremely seriously. They rang out in Hong Kong, the leading edge of what Bordeaux hopes will be a huge Asian market.

Sam’s Club releases its own wine label: Infinite 2008 Spanish Red

Taylor Eason — Thu, 13 May 2010 15:35:01 +0000

I suppose it was bound to happen. That partytrain known as wine sales had to arrive in Generica, stopping at the Sam's Club station. Like the last guy at a party to realize his fly is open, Sam Walton's masterminding crew has released its own private wine retail label. I should've expected it... I should've sensed it in the air. But the moment the press release entered my inbox offering up a sample of this new Spanish red blend, I HAD to try it.

Taking recycling one step further: Reusing wine bottles

Taylor Eason — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 15:00:20 +0000

Reports say recycling glass bottles -- although it makes us all feel pretty damn good while we're doing our part -- is not a long term solution. Turns out, the process pollutes the atmosphere more than it saves landfill space. So a company in California has embraced the inevitable future I bet none of us expected to see: washing the already used wine bottles and reusing them.

Biodynamic farming, as defined by Paul Dolan (video)

Taylor Eason — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:00:38 +0000

Paul Dolan is one of my wine heroes, who has almost single-handedly spread the use of biodynamic farming in California's wine country. He sat down with with a wine writer from Wine Spectator and described what biodynamic means to him.

Drunk and stupid: Cracking on wine vloggers (video)

Taylor Eason — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:51:01 +0000

How Youtube, how do I love thee? A film school nerd who makes fun of the numerous wine vloggers who swish, swirl and slurp. Classic. But please don't let me end up on this guy's film

Hallmark Channel releases new wine movie

Taylor Eason — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:43:04 +0000

Hallmark Channel, who is clearly vying for Lifetime Channel status with this movie, will be airing a new made-for-TV movie called "Uncorked" on March 6th at 9 p.m. It stars Julie Benz (Dexter's wife on Showtime's "Dexter"), a driven career-woman who falls for a chef whose family owns a winery in California. Also stars Elliott Gould, JoBeth Williams and Scott

Tampa Bay restaurant news and wine happenings

Taylor Eason — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:43:37 +0000

Ah... 'tis time once again for Tampa's wine tasting fundraiser season. For years, Abilities Wine Tasting (now in it's 21st year) ruled the feast but many others wanted their turn at the table. See the round-up of upcoming events plus meaty restaurant news, deals and gossip.

Borat’s guide to wine tasting (video)

Taylor Eason — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:00:11 +0000

Borat has a little fun with two older wine "connoisseurs" from Mississippi. Watch their faces as he futzs with them and don't miss the talk about slavery around 4:45 minutes.

Argentina’s Trapiche Winery hosts grill off competition

Taylor Eason — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:32:40 +0000

Everyone needs 15 seconds of fame, especially the person stuck behind the grill all day. Now is your chance to show the world what you really got. Trapiche, one of the best selling malbecs on the market, has teamed up with Bon Appetit Magazine to launch a grill recipe and wine pairing competition.

Smart transition: J Vineyards and Winery story

Taylor Eason — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:42:36 +0000

Sometimes people can see the writing on the wall. Call them sages, clairvoyants or simply smart, but wineries -- who typically wallow stagnantly in tradition -- occasionally do the right thing for their business. And some do it before everyone else does. Three years ago, Judy Jordan, Founder and President of California sparkling wine house J Vineyards and Winery in Russian River Valley in Sonoma County, sensed her industry might be headed for some rough times. The economy was wavering, the housing bubble hadn't burst yet and Americans, unlike the relaxed Europeans, still viewed daily bubbly consumption as luxurious decadence.

Forks and Corks wine and food festival in Sarasota

Taylor Eason — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:22:56 +0000

The Forks and Corks Festival, a wine and food fest held at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida the weekend of January 29th. In its third year, it really hit the stride this year. My experience in photos.

Good wine deals at Sam’s Club

Taylor Eason — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:00:59 +0000

Yea, yea, I shouldn't be supporting "big box" wine sellers, but the reality is... although I'd love most consumers to frequent their neighborhood wine shop, sooo many don't. That's a shame, but at least this list will help you drink better wines from Sam's Club.

The best non-pick-up line ever (video)

Taylor Eason — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:48:48 +0000

Check out this video on how to open a bottle of wine with a statement. It's dated but it's classic.

A chat with Gary Vay-Ner-Chuk

Taylor Eason — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:48:40 +0000

Like a televangelist converting an agnostic, infamous video wine blogger Gary Vaynerchuk recently made some inroads with this non-believer. I saw him speak a few days ago, during a stop while pimping his new book outlining how he built the Wine Library TV brand essentially for free using social media.

Red wine fights tooth decay

Taylor Eason — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:07:52 +0000

Yes, another study suggests additional ways wine can improve your health. Seems to be a trend. This time, it's mouth health and Italian wines.