The Friday Five

The Friday Five - Strikes in Sherry, A New Santa Cruz and Poulsard - Yes Please!

Thoughtfully posted by John on Thursday, July 21, 2011.

Happy Friday Everyone!

I hope you are staying cool as an incredible heat wave is gripping most of the country. I, for one, am on my way down to Ocean City, Maryland with some friends and I plan on staying cool with the ocean and frosty beverages. This weekend looks like it is turning into the perfect opportunity to drink crisp, vibrant white wines from regions such as Muscadet, Txakoli, the Mosel or northeast Italy. Either way, remember to grab something interesting and pace yourself!

Below is this week’s edition of the Friday Five – five stories that you might have missed this week. It has been a few weeks since the last installment, but a couple of weeks in Europe and a couple catching up with work have taken their toll. Anyhow, without further adieu, the Friday Five!

A New Santa Cruz

On Sunday, San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Bonne dives more deeply into relatively unknown vineyards areas within the Santa Cruz Mountains. Though the region turns out world-class Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir...

The Friday Five - Dr. Not So Smart, A Tidal Wave of Australian Wine, Say Cheese & Cuban Swims in Champagne

Thoughtfully posted by John on Thursday, June 16, 2011.

In a few short days, I will be landing in Barcelona with the rest of David Bowler Wine as we make our way through some of the best vineyards in Spain and France. I have been to France three times, but the closest I came to a vineyard was driving through the hills of Provence on my way to Marseille. Though a few hours in Marseille and endless carafes of rosé will be in order, my attention will be glued to the vineyards of the Burgundy, Champagne, the Loire and Rhone Valleys and of course Provence. I will be sending constant photographical updates via my Facebook page and when time permits, I will write as much as I can. Ten years ago I went to France with family and I read Adventures on the Wine Route by Kermit Lynch and frankly, I didn’t know a whole hell of a lot about what he was writing about as I knew wine was made from grapes and that was about it. I am looking of forward to rereading my copy of the Wine Route with a much broader understanding of wine and place – this time with my feet on the ground of some of the greatest vineyards in the world.

Stay Tuned! And in the meantime, a few stories for your reading pleasure as you (im)patiently wait for Friday afternoon to arrive and corks of something crisp, clean and delicious to be popped. And remember, stay away from boring wine and drink something uniquely delicious.

Dr. Smart? Not This Time.

Even well-respected wine minds say incredibly silly thing sometimes. And in this case, they can come across as just plain ignorant. As reported by The Drinks Business, Dr. Richard Smart, noted consultant and developer of vine training systems, stated this week that, “Many of the concepts behind organics and biodynamics are nonsense. They’re not good for the environment…” And, “when people buy food they don’t..."

The Friday Five - Voodoo Vintners, Wines from Turkey, Chateau Pavie, Thoughts on Natural Wine & A Little Grape Called Monica

Thoughtfully posted by John on Friday, May 27, 2011.

Good afternoon folks and Happy Memorial Day Friday! Below are few stories that caught my attention this week. And since I have bene on Led Zeppelin overlaod this week, a little citrus from across the pond as you get out and enjoy the sun. Remember, stay away from ordinary wine.

Read This Book!

I dare not claim to be a book reviewer, but I wanted to take a few moments to recognize a wonderful book, Voodoo Vintners: Oregon’s Astonishing Biodynamic Winegrowers, by Katherine Cole. With the emergence of the natural wine movement, many wine writers, critics and wine lovers have been expressing (some more loudly than others) their opinions on sustainable, organic and biodynamic vineyard management and winemaking. Although I am of a strong opinion that as little manipulation and interference as possible should come in between what’s grown in the vineyard and eventually sold in the bottle, I am open to learning about these methods from the winemaker’s and vineyard managers themselves – after all, who knows better than them?

And in Voodoo Vintners, Cole allows the voices of both conventional and biodynamic winemakers to be heard. Though it’s clear that Cole enjoys to drink and understand wines made with biodynamic methods, she gives the reader...

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The Friday Five - Strikes in Sherry, A New Santa Cruz and Poulsard - Yes Please!

The Friday Five - Dr. Not So Smart, A Tidal Wave of Australian Wine, Say Cheese & Cuban Swims in Champagne

The Friday Five - Voodoo Vintners, Wines from Turkey, Chateau Pavie, Thoughts on Natural Wine & A Little Grape Called Monica

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