Sauvignon blanc growing in Marlborough, New Zealand /Photo Michelle Locke

My views on wine are ecumenical. There’s room in my life for a big, buttery chardonnay and a steely, unoaked version. Ditto a big, lively zinfandel (esp. if served alongside a chilly day and a warm fire) and, at other times, a refined and delicate pinot noir.

So, I was tickled when a wine importer sent me three kinds of sauvignon blanc, one from Chile, one from New Zealand and one from the United States. Trying the same variety from different regions is always fun because you don’t have to be a heavy duty wine geek to pick up the differences. It’s also a good way to figure out what kind of wines you like best, which is, after all, the point.

Here are the three and my impressions.

Justin 2010 Sauvignon Blanc: This was the leanest of the lot, perhaps not too surprising since 2010 was a wet and cool year in California. The taste was very dry with sharp notes of citrus and a light, crisp feel in the mouth. Not a cocktail wine, this is best accompanied by a light and creamy dish like fettuccini Alfredo. Or mac and cheese. SRP $15.

2011 Chasing Venus Sauvignon Blanc: This is from Marlborough, New Zealand, a hugely popular region for this variety. As you know, I love New Zealand and Marlborough, but this one was a little too herbaceous for me. But if you like that characteristic, boldly flavored sauv blanc with more than a little hit of pipi de chat, then look no further. SRP $16.

2011 Casa Silva Sauvignon Blanc Reserva: Ding-ding-ding. Chile comes through once again. This is a fabulous wine from Chile’s Colchagua Valley using grapes from vineyards near the Pacific Ocean, part of that country’s shift to cooler growing regions for crisper whites. It’s light, floral, delicate and delicious. Also relatively low alcohol, 12.5 percent, and price, SRP $12. Highly recommended with food or for a sunny afternoon porch-side.

And do try this at home. You can really liven up a dinner party, and look like quite the knowledgeable wine connossieur, if you bring out different versions of the same grape. You might try a French red Burgundy alongside an Oregon pinot noir or a French Chablis next to a California chardonnay. Maybe you’ll like the unfamiliar wines, maybe you won’t, no “right” answers here, but if you don’t try, you’ll never know, will you?

Cheers, experimentally.

Related posts:

http://palatepress.com/2010/12/wine/going-coastal-south-american-winemakers-pursue-a-cooling-trend-wine/

www.zillow.com

The bargains just keep piling up in wine country real estate.

As you know, the Mondavi mansion recently sold for a sum that was undisclosed but was less than the asking price of $13.9, which itself was almost half off the original sticker price of $25 million.

And now, Villa Montana, home of NFL great Joe Montana has been reduced from $49 million to $35 million. (That initial asking price seems to indicate a bit of a trend by the former San Francisco 49er quarterback. A wine he makes with the Sbragia family sells for $149 .)

Details of the property are included in this story from the Napa Valley Register about a number of high-end properties that are on the market right now.

So, what do you get for $35 mill?

How about a stable with 17 stalls, a 9,700-square foot mansion with a moat, a skeet shooting range, an olive tree farm and a bocce ball court?

In addition to all the outside accoutrements. the buyer of the 500-acre estate will get a three-bedroom home, kitchen with green Italian marble countertops, wooden-beamed ceilings and carved fireplaces.

Zillow.com has pictures.

This is so making me realize we need a moat around our Berkeley palace. And I do mean something more stylish than the small lake that forms in the basement when it rains and/or the antique plumbing fails.

Cheers.

Related posts:

http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2011/10/for-sale-mondavi-mansion/

http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2011/12/mondavi-mansion-sold/

http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2011/12/mondavi-mansion-sold-to-boisset/

Kendall-Jackson isn’t the only winery getting face-time on camera. Hot on the heels of KJ president Rick Tigner’s appearance on  ”Undercover Boss,” we have Shafer Vineyards starring in a new music video “Drive By,” from Train.

(Is this the part where I admit I had to Google “Train” “band” “hit” “songs” and then said, “Oh, they’re the ones that did  ’Hey, Soul Sister?”” Yeah? OK, then. Don’t judge. I know a lot about ABBA.)

The important thing is that Train’s new song, about a guy who has a fling with a winery hospitality host and then goes back to woo her properly with a Romeo-style balcony scene, is shot largely at Shafer Vineyards in the Napa Valley. And the place looks great, from the sun-bathed terrace to the fabulous views of vine covered slopes.

The 18-hour day of filming took place on Jan. 15, one of Northern California’s many sunny winter days this year There was apparently a sad lack of rock star diva-dom since Doug Shafer says they had a great time with the band and production team and “we could not have asked for a nicer group of people to show up and create so much fun chaos.”

If you have ever visited Shafer, you will get a kick out of seeing the winery showcased this way. And even if you haven’t, what’s not to like about a sunny day in wine country at one of the Napa Valley’s elegant estates?

By the way, it may interest you to know that the wine in the glasses is in most cases Shafer Merlot. Yum. And the grapes the singer and his sweetheart stomp are 600 lbs of red grapes from Chile. I cannot imagine being the person making that purchase.

After filming, the mushed grapes were tossed into the vineyard as mulch and proved to be a huge hit with area birds.

I have no idea what the wine industry’s next starring role will be. But if anyone’s looking to buy the rights to the dramatic story of a reporter who covers the wine industry ….

Cheers, telegenically.

Related posts:

http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2012/01/kendall-jacksons-undercover-boss-update/

http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2011/06/vintage-2011-update/

http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2010/12/que-syrah-sera/

http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2010/05/shafer-vineyards/

I feel much the same about Valentine’s Day. A heart-shaped box of chocolates is not romantic. Going out in 3 degrees Fahrenheit in the bitter Western Massachusetts winter and warming up the car for your wife to drive to work is romantic. (Yeah, Mr. Vinecdote is a keeper. Also: So glad we moved to California.)

Given those prejudices, I wasn’t expecting to like Rosenblum Desiree Chocolate Dessert Wine.

In fact, I didn’t like it. I loved it.

It’s made from zinfandel, syrah and touriga nacional, the traditional grape of classic ports, with chocolate emulsion added. The result is delicious _ dark, smooth, a definite port-like character and a rich taste that feels as though a square of very good quality dark chocolate is melting in your mouth. Just the thing to round off a good, homecooked meal whether it’s Valentine’s Day or just regular old Tiu’s Day,  and a Valentine’s tradition I can definitely embrace.

It’s $20 for a 375 ml bottle, so won’t leave you bankrupt _ unlike overpriced roses, $3 cards and fighting for elbow room on one of the busiest  nights of the year for restaurants.

And you don’t have to worry about frostbite.

Cheers, pragmatically.

]]> http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2012/02/desiree-chocolate-wine/feed/ 1 http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2012/02/peter-mondavi-hall-of-fame/ http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2012/02/peter-mondavi-hall-of-fame/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:59:12 +0000 Michelle http://vinecdote.com/blog4/?p=5098

Me with Peter Mondavi Sr. in 2009 /Photo Eric Risberg

Think you’ve been at your job for a while? Take a gander at the career of Napa Valley vintner Peter Mondavi. He started out during Prohibition.

Sure, he was the ripe old age of 12; he and brother Robert used to nail together boxes for their dad, Cesare Mondavi, who made a business out of shipping grapes back East to be made into sacramental wine, permitted under Prohibition.

Still, that early start and his own longevity _ he turned 97 last November _ add up to an astonishingly long career in wine.

These days, the family’s Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena is run by Peter’s sons, Peter Jr. and Marc Mondavi. But Peter Sr. keeps an active interest in things. I recall going out to interview him a couple of years back and finding him busy sorting out the winery’s inventory of old wines.

Recently, Peter Mondavi was inducted into the Vintner’s Hall of Fame (full disclosure, he got my vote) and to mark the occasion, the winery is inviting friends and fans of Charles Krug wines to post their thoughts here. Comments will be printed up on an oversized card which will be presented to Mr. Mondavi after the induction ceremony Feb. 20 at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.

A quieter character than his brother Robert (and in fact the brothers’ conflicting styles led to a family feud that lasted decades) Peter Mondavi Sr. was nonetheless at the forefront of many of the changes that revolutionized California wine. As a university student in the late ’30s, he researched cold fermentation and his use of that and of sterile filtration improved the quality of white wines significantly. He was also among the first to use French oak barrels.

The winery will be celebrating its 187th anniversary March 3 with a party honoring Charles Krug, the Prussian revolutionary and entrepreneur who founded the winery. Tickets are available here.

They’ve got the usual, food, wine, etc. And a little bit of the unusual. A spirit medium will attempt to channel Charles Krug to send him birthday wishes and possibly ask a few questions.

Cheers, ethereally.

Peter Jr., Peter Sr. and Marc Mondavi /Photo Charles Krug Winery

.

Perhaps you’ve heard of sabering champagne, which is where you take a sharp object, a saber if you have one handy, and tap smartly on the ridge of glass around the neck of the bottle. Hit it right and it will pop off.

Most likely, though, you haven’t considered trying to do this with your iPad, unlike the French dude above. Watch for fun, but I strongly advise against trying this at home.

Decapitating the bottle, rather than easing out the cork, supposedly was invented by French soldiers in the time of Napoleon (a documented lover of champagne, among other things). That’s probably about as true as any other of the many legends that swirl around champagne, but, one way or another, the practice got started and sabering today is a part of champagne tradition.

The reason it works is that the bubbles in champagne create a lot of pressure inside the bottle. In fact, this used to be a job hazard before stronger bottles were invented because bottles would occasionally explode, shooting glass shards into the cellar and any unfortunate workers who happened to be close by. The stress is concentrated at the lip of the bottle, which is why a sharp tap will do the job. I have never felt moved to stab my bottles to death but I have friends who assure me it’s not hard to get the knack.

Bonus word for the day, this is known as sabrage, sah-BRAHZH.

Cheers, impatiently.

Related posts:

http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2011/09/champagne-fast-facts/

http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2011/05/a-taste-of-champagne/

Mike Ditka wine /Photo Michelle Locke

Want to have Mike Ditka over for your Super Bowl party? How about Joe Montana or Dick Vermeil?

No problem. They, or at least their wines, are just a few twists of the corkscrew away from joining you on the couch.

For 49ers fans there’s Montagia, a wine made in partnership between former quarterback Joe Montana and Sbragia Family Vineyards in Sonoma County. Meanwhile, former team president Carmen Policy is involved with the Casa Piena winery in the Napa Valley.

Maybe you’re a Bears fan. “Iron Mike” Ditka has a line of wines made in partnership with the Mendocino Wine Company. With a red blend named, naturally, Kick Ass Red.

One of the coolest tie-ins I came across while researching an AP story on this was Dick Vermeil, the former Eagles and Rams coach, who is now a partner in Vermeil Wines in the Napa Valley. He’s involved in all aspects of the wine, including riding the tractor.

Chargers or Jets fan? Your teams didn’t do so hot this year, did they? But you can console yourself by pouring their wines.

The idea for the Chargers Legacy cabernet sauvignon came as team officials looked for ways to celebrate their 50 years in San Diego, says Nicoletta Ruhl, business development manager for the team.

They looked at concession sales of food and drink and saw that wine came in at No. 2 behind beer, with the majority of wine sold being red wine. “We looked at that and thought, OK, there’s something we can do with that,” says Ruhl.

They partnered with winemaker Anthony Bell of the Napa Valley’s Bell Wine Cellars and created 1,500 cases of their first vintage, a 2008 cabernet sauvignon. “To our complete shock we sold out in one week,” says Ruhl. Two more vintages, 2009 and 2010 cab followed and the wines are available at San Diego retailers and, until Sunday,  online.

Meanwhile, the J-E-T-S are making w-i-n-e under the label Jets Uncorked. They’ve partnered with the market agency Wine by Design and winemaker Marco DiGuilio.

Here’s something that’s very cool, each label incorporates a famous Jets play as part of the label design.   The 2008 Cabernet featured the “Monday Night Miracle”, referring to the game between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins in October 2000 and voted the greatest game televised on Monday Night Football.  In the play, offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott, playing as an eligible receiver, caught the tying touchdown that prefaced a winning field goal in a come-from-behind victory.

Do you know how much I had to consult Google before I wrote the above paragraph? A lot.

Cheers, sportively.

Photo www.elbs.org

Looking for a job? But you don’t want to get trapped in a cubicle?

I’ve got just the thing, provided you have a partner with whom you get along very well. Oh, and one of you has to have a valid U.S. Coast Guard commercial operator’s license for a boat carrying at least six passengers.

What’s the job? Lighthouse keepers of the East Brother Light Station in the San Francisco Bay.

Automation has taken over the traditional duties of keepers, but the station lives on as a bed and breakfast run by a nonprofit group. The current keepers are leaving in June, so if you don’t have that Coast Guard license handy, you don’t have time to get it.

The five-room inn is open Thursday-Sunday and is a cool option if you are visiting the Bay Area, or have friends coming in. It’s a quiet spot, for sure, but there’s a lot to be said for being surrounded by fantastic views and for being relatively isolated, due to the boat-only access, amid the bustle of the big city.

Also, and not that I’m not a devoted mother: No children unless you rent out the whole place.

They call it a Victorian experience and they’re not kidding. Only one room has an in-room bathroom and there’s no Wi-Fi, computers, etc. Rates start at $355. Go here to find out more about the B&B and making reservations.

For more information on the job, go here.

Qualifications include: have culinary experience or abilities, be warm and presentable to the public, be enthusiastic and self-motivated.

I am sorry to say I would not qualify for this job. And not just because of the boat license thing.

Cheers, nautically.

Photo Kendall-Jackson

So, did you watch Kendall-Jackson president Rick Tigner on CBS’ “Undercover Boss” last night? Pretty good episode, right?

Now that the show’s aired, I can give you a few more details.

First, Marcos, the bottling unit guy who moonlights as a DJ did DJ duties along with his son at the company viewing party of the episode on Sunday night and it went great.

Meanwhile, Renee, the truck driver with the colorful vocabulary did not get fired. As you may have seen in the show epilogue, one of the results of his being assigned to work other departments is that he came up with a better way of doing delivery paperwork. Tigner has also gone to truck driver meetings and worked on fixing issues ranging from having a drivers’ rep to simple things like getting locks repaired.

“The thing about the truth is that the truth comes to you in different ways,” Tigner said at the press screening in San Francisco. “What he said that day, he was honestly speaking from his heart. He really felt like he’s out there on his own, and there’s some things that we did need to improve.”

Savannah, the smart tasting room employee, has moved on, so that’s a little bit anti-climactic. Company officials say she left for her own reasons and they were sorry to see her go. Laura, the assistant vineyard manager who was both skilled and patient, is doing well.

Funniest moment of the show was Tigner’s “I Love Lucy” moment on the bottling line. Here’s the clip:

The show tends to focus on individuals, with the good employees being rewarded in the final segment with substantial gifts or bonuses. Which is nice, but a bit specific. However, show officials say changes also get made company wide as a result of the undercover experience.

At KJ, those changes included reinstating the company match to 401K plans and starting Spanish/English classes  for employees.

“There’s been a lot of great benefits,” Tigner said.

So, there you have it. An interesting peek into the workings of a wine company.

Now, if I could just figure out how to pitch Vinecdote to CBS. I suppose the fact that my staff consists of me, myself and I could be challenging. But not necessarily. There certainly are days when I look in the mirror and say, “Ack, who the heck is that?”

Cheers, delusionally.

Related posts:

http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2012/01/kendall-jackson-goes-undercover/

http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2011/03/wine-of-the-week-kendall-jackson-avant-chardonnay/

http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2011/04/jess-jackson-dead-at-81/

Wine is going prime time this weekend.

Kendall-Jackson president Rick Tigner will be on the popular CBS TV show “Undercover Boss,” working alongside the rank-and-file and learning some surprising things about his company. Viewers will learn some things about Tigner, too. He opens up about his struggles as the son of an alcoholic father.

Company founder the late Jess Jackson gave his approval for the project, but died around the time of filming, which adds a poignant note as Tigner wonders aloud if people think he’s up to the job.

Here‘s a review of the episode I wrote for Palate Press.

These shows tend to follow a fairly reliable formula. Boss talks about himself and his company, boss goes into the trenches, stumbling through menial tasks while his employees look on, boss runs into at least one worker with a problem and then there’s the big reveal where workers are stunned to discover they’ve been rubbing elbows with the brass. The reveal part never gets old for me. It’s better even than when the dudes on “Antique Roadshow” learn their dining room table centerpiece is actually a 17th-century chamber pot worth 100 grand.

I saw this episode in a press screening and I thought it was so interesting to see wine presented in such a matter-of-fact way. It seems the only time wine makes the mainstream news is the it’ll-kill-yer/it’ll-make-yer-immortal type of stories.

Beyond that, it’s just fun television. I laughed, I cried, it was better than “Cats.” OK, I haven’t actually seen “Cats,” but you get the idea.

Cheers, telegenically.

Related posts:

http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2011/03/wine-of-the-week-kendall-jackson-avant-chardonnay/

http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2011/04/jess-jackson-dead-at-81/