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Purchase Wine – Grape vs. Grain: A Historical, Technological, and Social Comparison of Wine and Beer

Wineguy — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 13:00:18 +0000

A Champagne crusade – San Francisco Chronicle (blog)

A Champagne crusade
San Francisco Chronicle (blog)
You might find a disgorgement date that will, in a few numbers, provide a clue to that wine's entire history. More likely, you won't. Then take a moment to ask yourself why this wine in particular should be exempt from telling us the story of its …

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Sweet Madeira – Manchester Evening News

Sweet Madeira
Manchester Evening News
The famous fortified wine with which it shares its name is, in tourism terms, fortified still further with great seafood, great weather and a rich cultural history. It is upon this backdrop that Jet2holidays is hoping to capitalise with its upcoming …

Grape vs. Grain: A Historical, Technological, and Social Comparison of Wine and Beer
Why is wine considered more sophisticated even though the production of beer is much more technologically complex? Why is wine touted for its health benefits when beer has more nutritive value? Why does wine conjure up images of staid dinner parties while beer denotes screaming young partiers? Charles Bamforth explores several paradoxes involving these beverages, paying special attention to the culture surrounding each. He argues that beer can be just as grown-up and worldly as wine and be part of a healthy, mature lifestyle. Both beer and wine have histories spanning thousands of years. This is the first book to compare them from the perspectives of history, technology, nature of the market for each, quality attributes, types and styles, and the effect that they have on human health and nutrition.

Customer Review: Everyone Has An Opinion
I am always amazed that people often go for the throat of another human being, rather that stating the positive aspects of what we see and leave the criticism to the individual reader. I have seen Charles Bamforth speak on a few occasions and he is delightfully playful. He jokes about nearly everything, both the beer and the wine industry. In regards to the book, I just get that he wants people to understand that it takes skill to brew beer as well.

I actually prefer the taste of wine over beer, and not being an expert about either, had no idea how each is made in great detail. From all the advertisements I have ever been exposed to however, beer certainly has always been made to look like the lesser form of the two beverages. Now that I have been exposed to more information from Dr. Bamforth, I know that’s not true. They both take a lot of skill and expertise to produce a good product.

I mean, when it all boils down to it, just like anything, no one is better or worse than the other and I think Dr. Bamforth would heartily agree it is all about individual preference. I think beer has just gotten a bad rap and the book was intended to give readers a little clearer perspective as to what it is really all about.

Customer Review: Well worth the read
I think some of you may be missing the point a bit. The author, I believe, is trying to make the arguement throughout the book that the wine industry has, undeservedly, stolen the moral high ground when it comes to comparing beer and wine. The arguements Bamforth puts forward are really asking why has the wine industry been able to do this, while the beer industry has not (either intentionally or not)? He points out that there really is no proof that wine is any healthier than any other type of alcohol, that the retail mark up of wine is disproportionate to what is costs to produce and he questions the hole notion of “vintage” as an excuse for lack of consistencty. Bamforth just dares to say the beer deserves its place at the table just like wine. A great read.

Make Wine – Hugh Johnson’s the Story of Wine

Wineguy — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 01:00:13 +0000

Conrad Hilton had ‘marijuana and two bottles of wine in car when he crashed’ – Daily Mail

Daily Mail

Conrad Hilton had 'marijuana and two bottles of wine in car when he crashed'
Daily Mail
Sgt. OC Smith of LAPD's West Traffic Division told Radar Online: 'By the time the police arrived at the scene Conrad had left but he had exchanged his details with the second driver and a witness. 'He complied with the law and as there were no known …

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Hugh Johnson’s the Story of Wine

Written by the world’s bestselling wine author, this new illustrated edition is an enthralling read, tracing the story of wine from the dawn of civilization through the bacchanalian splendor of the ancient world to the present day. Updated to include the latest developments in wine, this edition features never before seen archival photographs.

Customer Review: great!
a comprehensive guide to the history of wine. grape wine that is, they don’t go much into sake or wines made from other products, though some are mentioned. it goes through many countries and time periods and was overall very readable for a history text.

Customer Review: The most delicious wine book
Hugh Johnson’s marvelous book in a partial answer to a question that few of us have had the sense to ask. While many of us will spend valuable hours wondering: `which wine?’ we rarely ask `why wine?’

What’s the big deal? Why so many books, why such intense feeling? Wine is just the fermented juice of grapes. Yes, and music is just organized noise and sex is merely one of the ways in which organisms ensure perpetuation of their type.

The reason for the passion isn’t to be found in alcohol alone. Almost any sugary solution will support fermentation, and it seems that just about every possible sweet liquid has been fermented from time to time. An amateur winemakers’ guide in my library lists recipes for the production of wines from almonds, apples, bananas, barley, beetroot, birch sap, cloves, clover, eggplant, guava, lemons, oak leaves, orange juice, parsley, parsnips, peapods, squash, tea, tomatoes, wallflowers, yarrow and yes, to complete the alphabet, zinnias.

These ‘wines’are all possible, but none of them exist. In fact, we restrict our winemaking to just a few varieties of grape. Why?
Aside from the many economic advantages, the fermented juice of grapes is delicious. At its most common, it’s a fresh and fruity drink that quenches the thirst and gladdens the heart. At its most exalted, the basic flavors of the grape are transformed by fermentation and aging into a symphony of aromas and tastes and lingering associations. Both the bountiful nature of grape vines and the enormous appeal of their fermented fruit’s juice has led civilized man to attach a lot of meaning to wine.

Johnson’s book, a slimmed down version of the earlier Vintage , not only reminds us that the question of wine’s importance needs to be asked, it goes a long way to providing an answer. His range of reference is impressive and his writing-witting and incisive-is impeccable. When you’re ready to try to understand how wine attained its place in the modern world, there’s no better place to start than this book.

Lynn Hoffman, author of The New Short Course in Wine

Grape City

Wineguy — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 15:00:20 +0000

NEGA wine-grape vineyard could inspire others – Athens Banner-Herald
As the Peach State slowly cements its credentials for growing grapes — and making good wine from the fruit — one Northeast Georgia vineyard owner hopes she can inspire someone else to help build the state’s viticultural movement

Grape Sense: America’s most iconic wine name: Robert Mondavi – Tribune-Star
The Oct. 5 death of Apple founder Steve Jobs had many people grappling with perspective on his death. Many called him this generation’s Thomas Edison or Henry Ford. At about the same time, two shipments of Robert Mondavi wines arrived to my office

Grape City
Meet Charles, a demon forced to work shitty minimum wage jobs ever since Hell went out of business. He now lives in Grape City, which would be the worst place on Earth, provided all other cities weren’t just as bad. While adjusting to his new way of life, Charles passes the time by writing emails to Satan, going on blind dates with mortal women, and attempting to fit in with human society . . . unfortunately society is a mess of chaotic absurdities in which hack-raping and bang-murdering are cultural norms.”

Customer Review: When there’s no more room in Hell…they frost the windows and hang up the “Closed” sign
Actually, in Kevin L. Donihe’s Grape City, Hell closes because the Earth has become so appalling, Hell can no longer hold a candle. This is a topic I’ve believed for many years and it’s nice to see someone else vocalize it.

Charles, a re-named ex-9th circle demon, lives in Grape City where he now divvies up his time between Tony’s Used Cars and Burger Hut. He emails Satan, watches some TV, and does a little people gawking. These are the things his humdrum life now consist of. And he is completely disgusted with the state of the world.

In the catalog that accompanies nearly every Bizarro book, Donihe’s distinguishing factor is said to be his humor. More than a few times I found myself laughing out loud at the odd juxtapositions Charles and the other demons found themselves in.

Donihe also has a gift for evoking pathos. As a reader, you really do feel sympathy for these once grand rulers of the netherworld. Sure, they used to torture damned souls for what they thought would be eternity, but as Charles points out, there was a reason and a purpose. The humans left on Earth have devolved to the lowest common denominator and torture the demons sent to live there for no other reason than they’re being different.

In the best works of Bizarro, you can usually find an underlying message or bit of social criticism amongst the surreal mayhem. In Grape City’s case, Donihe’s message seems to be a critique on our society’s ongoing racism and xenophobia in a post-911 world. Charles is verbally baited several times during the story and has to mentally calm himself to avoid lashing out. There is even a Bizarro-version of the running of the bulls in which ex-demons are paid to run through the streets of Grape City and avoid being caught and tortured by the city folk.

I only had two minor qualms with this book. The ending was very abrupt and though I’d have liked to keep reading about Charles and his exploits, the sudden ending seemed more a problem of pacing. The first four chapters moved along at a steady consistent pace and then the last two doubled or even tripled speed. While that can usually occur at the climax of a story it felt like there were some things left on the writing room floor that needed to be re-inserted. The other minor quibble concerned typos. I read several Bizarro books and this is the only one that I’ve noticed at least one or two extra or left out words per chapter. It’s not a big thing, but it can be distracting after the author has gone to great lengths to create this surreal world with its own inner logic and the reader is pulled out by something as mundane as typos. But it happens.

Overall, I’d highly recommend Grape City to the neophyte and veteran alike. This is my first experience with Mr. Donihe’s work and it won’t be my last.

Customer Review: Weak Attempt – IMO
Okay, definitely an interesting idea for this short little piece…However, I noticed a huge trade off from purpose and story to pure weirdness. The bizzare happenings of the novel seemed far too exaggerated and leave this novella ultimately “quirky” at best.

A creative author, it seems, but if you’re trying to show us the madness of men by holding up a demon for comparison — put him in a realistic city! Let him interact with regular people, let him navigate the insanity of a New York city. Instead, we get a ridiculous “future” city that loses the reader.

When it comes down to it, Grape City seems to me, to be a personal work for the author himself. What it needs, is a good editor to keep his wild mind on track and produce a story that means something to the audience.

Bar Wine – Vinifera: The World’s Great Wine Grapes And Their Stories

Wineguy — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:00:29 +0000

Vinifera: The World’s Great Wine Grapes And Their Stories
Boxed Set of 40 Wine Grape Varietal Reference Cards. Featuring color photos, interesting history, lore and food pairings for 40 glorious wine producing varietals. A set of fascinating wine cards, or more specifically, wine grape reference cards. The information contained in these wine grape cards is fun, educational, informative and often obscure. The photographs are colorful and sumptous. An excellent wine gift for any host or hostess. A perfect Holiday gift such Mother’s Day, Father’s Day Valentines’ day or Christmas. Learn about Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Aglianico, Albarino, Viognier, Merlot, Chardonnay, Dolcetto, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon, and many others. Ideal for wine tasting parties and blind wine tastings.

Customer Review: Wow!
I recieved this deck of cards as a hostess gift and was blown away by the detail and information that is on each card; the color photographs are absolutely stunning. The pairing suggestions on the back make choosing that perfect wine for your next meal a cinch and with 40 cards of different grape varieties, there are endless opportunities to explore… everytime I go to a friends house I bring a deck of these cards and a bottle of wine- they make for great conversation during the evening. These are a MUST!!!!!!!!!

Customer Review: CAN LEARN A LOT FAST
This is a really good wine guide, because it’s not like a wine guide at all. It’s fun. The photographs of the grapes are really beautiful. You’re not used to seeing the grapes themsleves in the field (Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio…etc.), so that context kind of gives you a new appreciation of what’s in the bottle. The information is a fun read, too. It’s got historical notes, where the names of the grapes come from, fun little stories, plus its packed with wine knowledge, but totally accessable. I didn’t know all that much about wines and this reference pack has made me a lot more comfortable ordering and talking about wine.

Make Wine – De Long’s Wine Grape Varietal Table

Wineguy — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 18:00:12 +0000

Utah families help with the comeback of historic Tokaj grapes at Hungarian winery – Salt Lake Tribune
This welcome infestation creates unique flavors and makes the grapes phenomenal for wine. Tokaj wines are made using only white grapes, mostly Furmint (similar to chenin blanc), Harslevelu (similar to gewürztraminer) and muscat. Located in the

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De Long’s Wine Grape Varietal Table
Learn about Wine the Visual Way.

You consider yourself fairly open minded about wine. You’re familiar with the big five — Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay — and are getting comfortable with more obscure grape varieties: the occasional Albarino, Petite Sirah, or Viognier. But just when you thought you had the situation under control, your waiter suggests a Lagrein, your local liquor store is pushing Xynomavro, and your friends now swear by Pineau d’Aunis. What to do?

The popular wine reference, De long’s Wine Grape Varietal Table has been improved and expanded. Just as with the first edition, the world of wine grapes is organized in a clear, concise and easy to use reference similar to a periodic table. The table contains 184 red and white grape varieties organized by both body (vertically) and acidity (horizontally). The Wine Indexes, which help to answer the bacchanalian question “what grape are you drinking?”, now include all wine regions worldwide. To fit all the additional information in, the table is now 24 x 36 inches (printed on 110 lb. acid-free archival paper), and the indexes now comprise an 88 page perfect-bound book. The table and index book are packaged in an attractive and sturdy gift box.

It makes a great gift for novice or expert lovers of wine and is the first in the De Long’s Wine Info Series, a concise set of wine information guides.

Customer Review: top chart
An excellent tool for training, eduction or just curiosity. It is very easy to understand and reference.

Customer Review: Fabulous Chart.
I have many friends who enjoy wine, some of them in the food/hospitality business. They are all jealous of this chart.

Fine Wine – From Persia to Napa: Wine at the Persian Table

Wineguy — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 04:00:06 +0000

From Persia to Napa: Wine at the Persian Table
Wine is seen as the natural partner of many great cuisines, but few people associate it with Persian food, one of the world’s most sophisticated culinary traditions. The ties, in fact, are age-old. From Persia to Napa: Wine at the Persian Table (Mage; $50; 264 pages, with 160 color photos) weaves together history, poetry, a look at modern viniculture, and a wealth of recipes and wine pairings to celebrate the rightful relationship of wine and food on the Persian table.

“Whoever seeks the origins of wine must be crazy,” a Persian poet once declared, implying that simple enjoyment of this greatest gift of the grape ought to be enough. Since he wrote those words, however, winemaking has been traced all the way back to the northern uplands of the Fertile Crescent some seven millennia ago, the start of a journey that would take it across the Near East and then into Europe in the dawning years of civilization. Iran was one of the nurseries of the wine grape, and, as empires rose and fell there, princes, priests, poets and people in ordinary walks of life all embraced wine in various ways. After Islam came to Iran, wine drinking sometimes slipped from public view, but it never disappeared.

In this lavishly illustrated book, Najmieh Batmanglij explores that long and eventful history, then shifts her story to California’s famed Napa Valley, half a world away. There, in a kind of up-to-the-minute homage to the past, an Iranian-American named Darioush Khaledi uses the latest vinicultural techniques to make superb wines at a winery reminiscent of Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the ancient Persian empire.

The final section of the book offers 80 recipes, a guide to Persian hospitality, both old and new, and seasonal menus for various occasions. Grapes play a role in most of the recipes, whether in the form of the fruit, the leaf, the juice, the syrup, unripe grapes or their juice (verjuice), vinegar or wine. Although these recipes are presented for the modern table, they are traditional–based on sources as various as a tenth-century Persian cookbook or the culinary archives of a sixteenth-century Persian court.

The book has two special sections. One, written by Dick Davis, a leading authority on Persian literature, discusses the unique links between poetry and wine-drinking in Persian culture. The other, by wine-and-food expert Burke Owens, offers guidelines for pairing wine with the distinctive ingredients used in Persian cooking. He has also provided wine suggestions for each recipe.

Customer Review: History, culture, food and wine… all in one book!
I have been enjoying “New Food of Life” for the past several years, and when I saw “From Persia to Napa” for sale at a vineyard in Napa, I knew I had to have it. While “New Food of Life” is primarily a cookbook sprinkled with wonderful bits of history, culture, poems, fables and Persian art, “From Persia to Napa” is a love story about wine. In the first half of the book, Ms. Batmanglij covers the history of wine, the evolution of wine and culture in Iran, and includes a long discussion of the new Darioush Winery in Napa Valley, with many vivid photographs. The second half of the book are persian recipes that she has designed specifically to be paired with wine. The recipes are in general designed for high-end meals. Most are accompanied by photographs which make my mouth water! At the end of the book she includes suggested menus for persian meals at different times of the year. This is an aesthetically wonderful book as well as being fascinating reading, and she has elevated it to much more than a book of recipes matched with wine.

Customer Review: beautiful, unique book
A beautiful way to learn some Persian history and culture, and the role that wine has played.

Purchase Wine – 1001 Wines You Must Taste Before You Die

Wineguy — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:00:13 +0000

Winery toasts to 2 years in business – Silver City Sun News

Winery toasts to 2 years in business
Silver City Sun News
There will be live music from noon to 6 pm, wines available by the glass, bottle or case, and a gift shop with homemade wine grape jellies, wine grilling chips for barbecuing and other wine accessories. Door prizes, appetizers and wine will be …

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Yummy & Pretty Rainbow M&M Peanut Butter Blondies – Babble (blog)

Babble (blog)

Yummy & Pretty Rainbow M&M Peanut Butter Blondies
Babble (blog)
And nothing was more important than cooking in the kitchen as a family and sharing a home made meal each night. She continues this tradition (most nights) in Los Angeles, where she lives with husband, Matthew, and their two kids, Lincoln (2) and Sylvie …

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1001 Wines You Must Taste Before You Die
This highly opinionated, addictively browsable compilation of 1,001 “must try” wines offers the most enjoyable drinking experience for novice and connoisseur alike. Included in the list are classics as well as groundbreaking new up-and-comers from all major regions of the world. Divided into four sections: red, white, sparkling, and fortified wines. The informed selections offer a complete history of the most famous vintages as well as introducing the daring new blends and varietals that are exciting the cognoscenti. Special attention is paid to the world’s classic wine regions like Napa, Chianti, Barolo, Bordeaux, and Burgundy, but the book also takes very seriously recently established areas like Rioja or Australia’s Barossa Valley. Also, the book examines emerging regions just finding their place on the oenological map, like Argentina’s Mendoza, which can provide enormous pleasure at a reasonable price. Each entry comes with an authoritative yet opinionated description of its origin, history, and character as well as anecdotes about the winemakers, the vineyard and the region. This book will immediately appeal to wine fans everywhere and will be a perfect gift item.

Sunlight Into Wine; A Handbook for Wine Grape Canopy Arrangement.

Wineguy — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 02:00:06 +0000

Sunlight Into Wine; A Handbook for Wine Grape Canopy Arrangement.
Sunlight into Wine sets out the principles of canopy management to improve winegrape yield and quality. It brings together for the first time the findings of viticultural research and advances in commercial grapegrowing practice over the last decade or so. Emphasizing practical applications, there are sections to explain canopy microclimate, methods of vineyard quality assurance, and techniques to improve canopy microclimate which emphasize new trellis systems. The final section details how winegrape trellis systems can be economically constructed. The book is crammed with practical tips, and includes contributions from people around the world who are applying canopy management techniques, both in research and in commercial vineyards. There are plenty of illustrations and photographs to ensure that the concepts are easily understood…The techniques described here when adopted will lead to significant gains in vineyard yield and wine quality. This book is truly about ‘winemaking in the vineyard’.

Customer Review: The Amazon Prices are rip-offs
This is a good book BUT – - This book can be bought new at $40.00 on UCDavis.edu. Amazon marketplace is ripping off consumers. Check out University of California @ Davis’ bookstore. Don’t buy here.

Customer Review: Canopy Management
Despite being rather small and expensive, this book is an excellent reference for trellis and canopy management. This is one of the few texts that provides concrete examples and measurements for canopy management. Some of the management principles and charts are a bit time consuming to execute. For a small home vineyard it might be a bit overkill. The section on trellis systems has excellent diagrams, photographs and examples. The last section on trellis construction provides the necessary details to construct a system based on the principles discussed.

Sunlight Into Wine; A Handbook for Wine Grape Canopy Arrangement.

Wineguy — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 06:00:20 +0000

Users Turn Off Google TV, as Returns Outpace Sales – Wall Street Journal
Consumers dislike Google TV so much that they are now giving the product back. Gadgets that use the company’s Google TV software to connect televisions to the Internet are selling so poorly that one of Google’s key partners disclosed Thursday that customer returns are outpacing sales. Logitech