Dr Vino's wine blog

I attended the Wine Media Guild lunch last week of the wines of Aloxe-Corton. Unfortunately I got there a little late, so I can’t offer a comprehensive roundup.

But Patrick Séré, the speaker and jolly etymologist, did have a bit of trivia. He said that in the 19th century in Burgundy that the best, dry white wines were called “vin de dessert.” Why? Comments are open.

UPDATE 11/19: Read more…

“This is good, this year is bad. If we bottle it, we consider the product good.”

Which vintage-hating vintner said this?

A. Fred Franzia, owner of Two Buck Chuck
B. Jess Jackson, Kendall-Jackson
C. Baron Elie de Rothschild, Lafite Rothschild
D. Corinne Mentzelopoulos, Chateau Margaux

The quiz is over! Long live the quiz!

Mark in Chapel Hill, North Carolina was selected at random as the winner of the Oxford Companion to Wine! All hail Mark’s wine geekdom! Chris Craig! from the UK won the second book prize. We are still working out whether elves can bring books to England.

Thanks for all of your participation in the quiz this time around. Clearly it was too easy for all you sharp wine enthusiasts this time since it had the highest success ratio by far of any quiz to date (see the answers here or head to the wine quiz archive if you are still jonseing). But still your chances of winning either prize were much better than the lottery.

Sign up for the free monthly email list to keep posted on future quizzes. Happy reading Mark and Chris! We look forward to your tasting notes book reports.

tags: wine | wine quiz

Perplexed about a wine gift this year? Win one of two of the best wine books of 2006 in the Dr. Vino year end wine quiz!

The six questions include mice, other galaxies, deceased world leaders, James Bond, the Bush twins–and, oh yes, wine! Knock back this half-a-case of questions and qualify to wine one of the prizes

* The Oxford Companion to Wine, third edition, hailed by Slate as “the most useful wine book ever” and is a welcome addition to the bookshelf of any wine geek. List price $65.

* The Wines of France: The Essential Guide for Savvy Shoppers, hailed by Eric Asimov as a book that “embraces France region by region, offering opinionated reviews of producers and concise demystifications of the French nomenclature that bedevils American consumers.”

The quiz closes on Monday December 18. Winners will be notified December 19 and little elves will whisk the prizes to the winners later that week.

Surf on over and get started!
www.drvino.com/winequizend2006.php

tags: wine | wine quiz

No that’s not Andy, the quiz winner, dumping his new liquid assets. That’s a hint for question #8 (granted, it’s Diddy in the photo).

Congratulations to Andy in St. Paul, MN who won the half-a-case of wine in the Labor Day quiz! He’s promised to share his tasting notes with us.

And congrats to Susan in Chicago who won the second prize, Perfect Pairings, by Evan Goldstein.

Thank you to the several hundred people who showed off their wine smarts. And thanks to those blogs and sites who linked to the quiz!

You can still take the quiz–or cut straight to the answers–but the prizes are now gone.

Stay tuned for the next one!

tags: wine | wine quiz

Win a half-a-case of wine (better than none!) in the quiz–ends tonight!

http://www.drvino.com/winequiz2006.php

And don’t forget to join me tonight for tapas and vino starting at 6:30 PM. Alas, no free wine though. So take the quiz!

Bar Carrera
175 Second Ave @ 11th
Review here
Map here

tags: wine

This just in: Katie Couric will be hosting DrVino.com.

Actually, that’s not true. I’m still firmly in control around here!

And to show my authority, I’ve ordered a half a case of killer fall wines from one of my favorite wine stores in Manhattan, Crush Wine Co . The staff is currently awaiting my instructions on where to ship it. It could be your address! Take the quiz, get em all right, and qualify for the wine or the second place prize, a new book on food and wine pairing. Through Sep 7.

Dr. Vino’s Labor Day Wine Quiz
http://www.drvino.com/winequiz2006.php

The wines are:
2003 Chave St. Joseph “Offerus” find this wine
2004 Ex Libris Cabernet Sauvignon find this wine
2004 Brun Terres Dorees Pinot Noir find this wine
2005 Sur Bonarda find this wine
2002 Chateau Moulin Rouge find this wine
2004 Laurens Marcillac find this wine

tags: wine | wine quiz

Are you on top of the news? Which one of the following is true:

a) An influential Saudi Prince calls for greater use of hybrid cars

b) French President Jacques Chirac calls for six month moratorium on wine exports

c) George Bush urges Americans to limit meals at McDonald’s to once a week

d) Argentina’s President Nestor Kirchner imposes a 180 day ban on exports of Argentine beef

And the answer is….D!

Yes, afraid of inflation that’s running as fast as a Pamplona bull (and the fastest in the region last quarter at 2.9%), the administration of Argentine President Kirchner has imposed a near total ban on beef exports. What?!? Why clobber a leading sector? In a bizarre piece of macroeconomic reasoning, the theory driving this decision holds that redirecting the beef exports will flood the domestic market with beef and bring prices down. Prices fell almost 15 percent after the news on March 8, but the sector is hurting and cattle farmers and processors may lay off 10,000 workers, lose $1 billion, and continue a switch to soybeans…(Economist, Bloomberg)

Let’s hope he doesn’t think about an export ban on wine!

Photo credit: AP

tags: wine | Argentina

Well, since I have gotten about 4 email solicitations this week to buy the wine, it is clearly in launch nationwide. Once again, here is the description:

“The 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley exhibits a saturated ruby/purple color in addition to a big, cocoa-scented nose, a sweet entry on the palate, medium body, and a short, abrupt finish. A modest success for the vintage, it is a friendly, easy-to-drink effort that should be consumed over the next 7-8 years.”

And the price is: $90! And that’s just the best price. I’ve seen it as high as $99.

And the wine is: Silver Oak.