Arghh, it's drivin' me nuts
This week I've been in Austinopoli setting up future wine events and working around a few sale calls. John Roegnik and the Austin Wine Merchant folks hosted an Italian wine event, which gave me the opportunity to chat with the local wine lovers about some wines near and dear to me. Along the way I picked up a couple of wines to taste. French wines. When John asked the next day after I had had the wines (Chignard Fleurie Les Moriers 2006 and Domaine du Grand Montmirail Gigondas 2006) how I liked them, my answer, most innocently, was “John, I liked them so much when I was drinking them I didn’t remember to think they were French.” My way of saying they fit so well into what I like to drink (normally, but not always, Italian) I wasn’t distracted by where they came from and thoroughly enjoyed them with the family. And yes, Alice, we had them with a meatless meal of fresh ravioli with an impromptu pesto sauce (made by yours truly) and a whopping good salad by the young lion(Ace's son). Anna ( the S.O.'s daughter) prepared the ravioli and the bruschetta. So anyone who says you need to eat meat to enjoy red wine is deluded.
TLJ, Bubba'ing up for some Bubbly
Yesterday there was a Big Reds and Bubbles wine geek event at the Driskill Hotel. I was red wined out, so I went into the P.Diddy room to try some of the grand marques. We quickly renamed it the Tommy Lee Jones room, as SJ declined to show and TLJ did make a very low-key appearance, sans bodyguards. Austin is like that.
Some of the wines tasted this week:
• Donna Marzia Malvasia Bianca
• Cusumano Benuara
• Rampolla Chianti Classico 2004
• Giacosa Dolcetto 2007
• Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici 2004
• Chignard Fleurie Les Moriers 2006
• Domaine du Grand Montmirail Gigondas 2006
• Krug Brut
• Roederer Cristal 2002
• Dom Perignon 1999
• Dom Ruinart Blanc des Blancs
• Pommery Cuvee Louise 1998
• Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 1998
Wines on the docket for the weekend
• Jacques Selosse Initial
• Movia Puro
The cellar has just been reorganized, so...
• Mouton 1990
• Monfortino 1968
...and we shall see.
There you have it, my weekend mamma mia blog update.
One more thing. On the wine trail in Italy, after almost three years of posting, religiously, every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, will soon go to every Thursday and Sunday. Three new projects will need time, so the only way to juggle it will be to post twice a week instead of three times. Most folks tell me they can’t keep up anyway.
I am starting a new project with some Asian producers of sake that I’d like to spend more time getting into. We have a new blog getting ready to blast open, of which I will be driving around the corporate universe. Imagine, getting paid to blog, after only three years. Anyway this is going to be huge and will cover wines and spirits from all over. More on that when we go online. It will have an easy to remember killer-name.
And lastly, more time to spend on book projects. So thanks to all who liked the three day a week posts. There are always the archives, if you really start having withdrawal symptoms (not).
Thanks for stopping by. Back on Sunday.
Not some of the wines enjoyed this week
