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30 Second Wine Advisor

March 12, 2010

Does your taste in desserts tend more toward the subtle and complex (panna cotta, say, or creme brulee, bread pudding or maybe shortbread) or toward the decadent and over-the-top (death-by-chocolate challenges or a banana split)?

If subtlety's your game, then your preferences in wine may similarly veer away from warm-climate blockbusters in favor of crisp, minerally wines like those from Europe's cooler river valleys including the Mosel, the Danube and the Loire.

We're focusing on the entire Loire region of France for Wine Focus this month ...
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WineLovers Discussion Group

The Great Wine Co-ops?

Mar. 9, 2010

Co-op wines usually get short shrift and upturned noses among the wine cognoscenti. But every rule has an exception (or four ... or five). Some co-ops around the world do an exceptional job of making wine. On the WineLovers Discussion Group, readers talk about their favorite co-ops.
Read more or join the discussion. | Visit the WineLovers Discussion Group.

30 Second Wine Advisor

Quake shakes Chile's wineries

March 5, 2010

If there is any one blessing in a natural disaster the scope of the recent 8.8-magnitude earthquake just off the coast of Chile, it's that a remarkably small number of people - fewer than 1,000, it is hoped - died in the mammoth temblor, particularly when compared with the giant but smaller (7.0) quake that had devastated Haiti in January, where the toll was an estimated 230,000.

By all accounts, Chile was spared a greater toll by a concentrated effort to build and enforce strong earthquake-resistant building codes since the 9.5-magnitude Valdivia 'quake there in 1960, which at the time was rated as the greatest earthquake ever recorded.

With gratitude that lives were spared, Chile nevertheless faces a massive economic impact from the 'quake, and news reports suggest that its fishing economy and its wine industry (which ranks 10th in the world in overall production) may be heavily hit.
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Previous article: Bubbles and fire

WineBlueBook

West Coast Chardonnays Compared, Rated

Mar. 2, 2010

Over 2,900 West Coast Chardonnays wines are profiled in this special summary issue of WineBlueBook. Updated West Coast Chardonnay wines, scores and prices in this issue show the "Average Price per Score" from 2004-2007 wines scored by at least two of the major wine critics and available for sale in the US.Click here for a taste, or the following link for direct information on WineBlueBook.

30 Second Wine Advisor

Bubbles and fire

Feb. 26, 2009

You've just swallowed a delicious bite of a fiery vindaloo, or maybe a five-pepper Thai curry, Jamaican jerk chicken, or something spicy from Sichuan. Your cheeks are red, drops of sweat are breaking out on your brow, and your mouth tingles with a tasty fire.

Now, what to drink?

Actually, if you're seeking to extinguish the fire, dairy works best. Indian yogurt lassi, Thai iced tea and Vietnamese coffee with a dollop of condensed milk all probably evolved to meet this need. But who wants a glass of Grade A when there's wine or beer to be had?
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Previous article: The anti-flavor wine elite

WineBlueBook

West Coast Zinfandels Compared, Rated

Feb. 23, 2010

Over 1,600 West Coast Zinfandel wines are profiled in this special summary issue of WineBlueBook. Updated West Coast Zinfandel wines, scores and prices in this issue show the "Average Price per Score" from 2004-2007 wines scored by at least two of the major wine critics and available for sale in the US.Click here for a taste, or the following link for direct information on WineBlueBook.

WineLovers Discussion Group

On The Ineluctible Gravitational Pull of Burgundy

Feb. 16, 2010

Hoke Harden's lyrical song of praise to the joys of Burgundy kicks off an extended conversation on the WineLovers Discussion Group. Click, join in, share your thoughts on the pinnacle of Pinot Noir.
Read more. | Visit the WineLovers Discussion Group.

Randy Caparoso

Sweet dreams of velvety reds

Feb. 10, 2010

"The garlic and spiced sausages jolt the palate, and the bread cracks and flakes; but it's the steely cold wine — which is red (isn't real wine red?) — that really gets me." What better way to get us ready for Valentine's Day than Randy Caparoso's dreamy reverie on wonderful red wines?
Read this article in the Denver Wine Examiner. | More of Randy's Denver Wine Examiner articles | Randy's Culinary Wine & Food Adventures.

Wines compared by score and price

Feb. 5, 2010

This month's issue of WineBlueBook covers many many Southern Rhône, West Coast Pinot Noir and Red Burgundy wines that were scored last month by the wine critics. A total of 821 wines are profiled in the February 2010 issue. Click here for a taste, or the following link for direct information on WineBlueBook.

Neil Duarte's Vino e Cucina d'Italia

Vietti Winery — A Family Jewel

Feb. 1, 2010

The Vietti estate owes much its current success to the efforts of Luciana Vietti Currado and her innovative winemaker husband, Alfredo Currado. Neil Duarte visits the couple and samples their wines.
Read article. | Neil Duarte's Vino e Cucina d'Italia page.

Randy Caparoso

Santa Barbara — more than Pinot Noir

Jan. 21, 2010

Since the movie Sideways, people associate Santa Barbara with Pinot Noir. But, as Randy Caparoso points out, "Santa Barbara is made up of four officially recognized American Viticultural Areas plus at least another four unofficial sub-regions, known to vintners and aficionados by their varying climates, soil types and topographies." In his article in the Denver Wine Examiner, Caparoso details the grapes and wines from these regions.
Read this article in the Denver Wine Examiner. | More of Randy's Denver Wine Examiner articles | Randy's Culinary Wine & Food Adventures.

Amazon.com Wine Bookshelf

The 30 Second Wine Advisor: The book

Since I sent out the first edition of The 30 Second Wine Advisorin 1999, I've written over 2,000 columns. Over the years quite a few of you have asked, "Why don't you assemble a bunch of these articles into a handy learn-about-wine book?"

Makes sense to me! Here's the book, "The 30 Second Wine Advisor: Learn about wine in 30-second tastes - quick, easy & fun."

Neil Duarte's Vino e Cucina d'Italia

Germano Ettore: Innovation and Tradition in Barolo Country

Jan. 6, 2010

The Germano family has been farming and making wine for the past 158 years. Neil Duarte visits and tastes their wines.
Read article. | Neil Duarte's Vino e Cucina d'Italia page.

Amazon.com Wine Bookshelf

Hugh Johnson's wine book Hugh Johnson's 2010 Pocket Wine Book

If there's one indispensible reference for the wine lover, it's Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book. Updated annually, this handy guide packs an incredible amount of information into a pocket-size volume. Thousands of wines are rated, described, and listed with coding indicating which vintages are preferred and which are ready to drink. I buy the new edition every year, and highly recommend it. The 2009 edition has just been published, with new and updated information. You can buy it now through WineLoversPage.com for $10.19, a 32 percent discount.

You'll find all the best wine books for beginners and experts - and the top wine magazines too - in our Amazon.com Wine Bookshelf.

BUY WINES ONLINE! Check sources, compare prices and, if you like, order these recently reviewed wines from online merchants through Wine-Searcher.com using the hotlinks below:

Wine Grape Varietal Table

The most innovative wine-enthusiast publication of the year, Steve and Deborah De Long's Wine Grape Varietal Table mimics the familiar periodic table of the elements to categorize a world of wine grape varieties. It's a great gift for a wine-loving friend ... or yourself. Click the image or link above to buy it today!