This month we’re harvesting wines like crazy and RSVPing to tastings and other events! I’ve got lots of exciting samples to review including the very festive Enza Proseco ($15) and a number of twitter tastings and events on the calendar. Remember, for these twitter tastings, all you need to do to participate is check out the hashtag# for the event on twitter. (And no you don’t have to be ON twitter to check out what’s happening on twitter! Continue reading →
— Gwendolyn Alley, Art and Wine Predator (@ArtPredator) October 27, 2012
If you listen carefully, these witches seem to say that Winemaker and Water Witch Marc Mondavi’s Divining Rod #wine draws you in to drink! Yes, that’s right–how many wines do you know that were crafted by a bona fide witch??
If you’re looking for a great wine for your favorite witch or warlock for Halloween or other fall festivities, you can’t go wrong with either the Chardonnay or the Cabernet Sauvignon for under $20 (both on sale right now at Vons for under $15!)
After a long day at work, I opened the 2010 Divining Rod Chardonnay from the Santa Lucia Highlands to pair with my pasta and shrimp. It was room temperature but I opened it anyway to have a glass while I was getting dinner together. I wasn’t expecting a lot, but I got a lot! I was surprised and impressed at how delicious it was and looked forward to tasting it with dinner after it had some chill time in the refrigerator. It was the perfect accompaniment with dinner–refreshing, citrusy, nice body, not too heavy but enough to stand up to the butter and garlic and shrimp.
With a fresh, clean, bright, nose, the 2010 Divining Rod Chardonnay certainly put a spell on me from beginning to end, making me very happy! Continue reading →
Corks will pop and bubbles spill from California to London to Sydney during the Third Annual Global Champagne Day Friday October 26, 2012.
Join Wine Predator for our second year at the Jolly Oyster located at the Ventura State Beach off Harbor at San Pedro (take the Seaward exit).
Show off (and please share!) your bottle of Champagne and enjoy 2 for 1 oysters between 3pm and 6pm! The event is free and parking plentiful for $5 per car.
While the best party in the world will be at the Jolly Oyster, you can celebrate the 3rd annual #ChampagneDay anywhere!
To participate, get some champagne (which only comes from the Champagne region of France–any other bubbly wine is sparkling and lovely but NOT champagne). Share what’s in your glass October 26th 2012, post photos, tasting notes, experiences or videos on any social media site, and be sure to add the #ChampagneDay hash tag, so your friends from around the globe can check out the fun.
— Gwendolyn Alley, Art and Wine Predator (@ArtPredator) October 11, 2012
On Wednesday, Oct. 10, Que Syrah Sue and I participated in the Thirsty Girl Twitter Tasting of three wines from Columbia Crest’s Horse Heaven Hills: their 2012 Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a predominately merlot red blend. We thought all three were decent values at around $10; our favorites are the merlot blend, followed by the chardonnnay, and trailing in third is the cabernet. Continue reading →
— Gwendolyn Alley, Art and Wine Predator (@ArtPredator) October 10, 2012
This October, I am VERY excited by invitations to four Twitter tastings to experience wine from FOUR continents: Columbia Crest in Washington State North America, various Bordeaux Chateaus from France Europe, Concha y Toro Chile South America, and Chateau Tanunda Barossa Austalia! Continue reading →
Strange this glass I bring to my lips
to sniff has no scent no taste
the pinot noir in it not real
the glass none of it all of it
an act of active imagination
of the dreamworld
it just seems so real
I could pinch the people around me
and they would squeal
This next yes a winery
glasses on hand wine poured
this is not real either
we are hosting tweeting
there are young men
talking to my lovely young college aged daughter–
except I have no daughter–
I can’t read my notes on the wine
& I don’t remember actually tasting it.
I’ve moved onto another dream
another lifetime a different dreamtime
come visit over or 2
will tidy you
3/22/12 August 22, 2012 3:15am Ventura, CA
I started this blog in November 2007; in blog years, it’s quite the senior citizen. Over that time it’s amassed…
Picture of Grenache noir grapes from a vineyard in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Please join me in celebrating Grenache Day, today, Friday September 21, 2012 by enjoying a glass of this delightful varietal! You can share what you’re drinking on twitter by using the hashtag #grenacheday.
What is there to say about Grenache?
How about it’s one of the most widely grown varietals on the planet! However, since grenache is used primarily in blends, many people don’t know they’ve had it or that they like it!
I am one of those people who definitely enjoys grenache –with or without its traditional Rhone blending partners, mourvedre and syrah. In case you’ve heard the term GSM –the g is for grenache, the m is mourvedre and the s is syrah. I prefer my GSMs to be heavier on the grenache and light on the syrah.
On its own, Grenache can be a bit light for some people, and too fruity. Personally, I like its fruit forward freshness with roast chicken and salads and various cheeses; tonight we’re going to try it with some chicken legs and thighs that are marinating in fresh squeezed orange juice, fresh rosemary, raw garlic, and a prepared teriyaki sauce. Grenache is nice on the cool side (cellar temperature or colder), great with picnics, or when you want something more hefty than a rose.
Grenache is a red wine that won’t bog you down but instead lift your spirits.
They were all very different and we loved them all in their own ways. All of them are gorgeous in the glass, which is typical of grenache: super pretty pink and clear, vibrant with a violet tinge on the edge. Continue reading →
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 