April 2013
1 post
7 tags
Ziereisen
EDEL ZIEREISEN + HANSPETER ZIEREISEN = WEINGUT ZIEREISEN
During a dinner organized last March to showcase the wines of a producer making Alpine-style, low alcohol, delicate reds in the south of Germany, Weingut Ziereisen, I was reminded of something that is often understood, respected, and extremely valuable…but it is something that not...
March 2013
2 posts
4 tags
Out of the Cellar, Onto the Dinner Table
[That’s right…Out of the Cellar]
Recently I tasted a few affordable wines that are well made, retain sense of place, and are…wait for it…yes…American! This is not to say there haven’t been a heap of great wines coming from “Red, White, & Blue dirt” for many decades. But the vast majority of the ones that were...
Back On Line Soon
[Mind has been a little hazy, but clear skies will come soon]
It’s been a long drought of non-writing. But I have some new posts coming soon. Stay tuned Cork Dorks of the world. More on the way
April 2012
1 post
6 tags
Mr. T Makes Anything Cool
We held this tasting last night to celebrate the visit of Marcel Sabaté who is visiting New York this week. But the invitation I sent out was so perfect, I had to share it with everyone. Mr. T rules!
March 2012
1 post
Teroldego's Shepherd: Elisabetta Foradori
[Image borrowed from here]
A joyfully honest image of Elisabetta. There is an exuberance and confidence that comes through in this picture that reminds me of the wine that she makes. Over the years I have had the opportunity to taste the Foradori wines over multiple vintages and each bottling displayed both polish & unfettered joy. Her wines show a vibrance that belongs to youth and a...
February 2012
1 post
7 tags
Re-Barrel del Duero
[Ribera del Duero - where they’re not afraid of oak]
When our panel of tasters decided to shift the focus to Spain, I was excited and yet tentative to taste through a line-up of the wines of Ribera del Duero. Spain is the part of the wine sandbox where I’ve played the most. I’ve worked with it in depth for the past 8 years and I know that,...
January 2012
2 posts
Drink Together, Think Together
[This is my first tasting group. Billy said his Cabernet could kick my Cabernet’s ass. Shut Up, Billy!]
Back in 2005, after catching the wine bug a few years before, I was ecstatic when a few friends of mine started a wine tasting group and invited me to join. It sounded so official. We would all bring wine, taste it, talk about it, debate the quality of it,...
13 tags
A Treatise on the Loire & "The Lady Vouvray"
[“Why are we here?” is too complicated a question. Let’s just start with, “What should we drink?”]
In a conversation with a wino (err…I mean, sommelier) friend of mine we engaged in the age-old question, “If you could only drink wine from one region in the entire world for the rest of your life, which region would it be?” Over a bottle of...
December 2011
1 post
3 tags
Champagne: Better A Grower Than A Shower
Below are 5 killer Champagnes that all share 2 unique properties: first, they are all made using a single grape variety (often Champagne is a blend of grapes); and second, they are all made by the grape growers themselves. These ”Grower-Producers” have created a small but growing movement that has shifted the way Champagne does business. Historically,...
November 2011
2 posts
The Cork Dork Rating Scale
[I’D LIKE TO TAKE A MINUTE TO THANK ED MCMAHON FOR BEING A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR MY WINE RATING SYSTEM — R.I.P. GOOD BUDDY]
For the first time on my blog I will start including a rating for each wine. This is a personal rating system that I have become accustomed to using based on my years of watching Ed McMahon on Star Search where child singers were...
Tasting Notes From An Exercise in Funked Up Wine
I recently sat down at a 2002 Meursault wine tasting with some friends of mine. After tasting through the wines that we each brought, I was disappointed to find that many of them were on the decline. Especially since the 2002 vintage in Burgundy was considered of very good quality. [Note: Meursault is a village in Burgundy well-known for it’s Chardonnay-based white wines....
October 2011
2 posts
Olé, Bitches!!! The Cork Dork is on the Road in...
[Fluffy cotton candy sky country during a harvest sunset in Manchuela]
After 14 hours of trains, planes, and automobiles I finally found myself in Spanish wine country. Catching a cold just before leaving on this trip didn’t help much. Even with 3 days of Nyquil and bed rest, I was only at 90% before leaving and missing that last 10% was something that I knew I was going to feel....
Grapes of Math: Precision Winemaking by Mr....
Hopefully I’ll never become terminally ill, but should one day I find myself facing a finite lifespan I will ask this guy for some of his magical elixirs. His wines are why I’m always hoisting the Cava flag up in the air and sounding off the Cava horn. They’re the real deal.
[EACH BOTTLE OF CAVA IS HAND RIDDLED TO ENHANCE THE EFFECT OF...
September 2011
2 posts
An Act of Faith
“Looking back on it, I should have known how this would play out. But he’s my little brother. And I’m his big sister. And that’s what big sisters do. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I should start at the beginning……….
I was still living in my old studio apartment in the West Village. The one with plenty of sunlight and French doors that gave...
Doppelgängers
[SERENA: A HARD-WORKING SPECIMEN OF TENNIS PLAYER]
[WESLEY SNIPES: SERENA WILLIAMS’ STUNT DOUBLE]
———————————————————————————
...
August 2011
3 posts
8 tags
Shiver Me Timbers
As I began swaying ever so gently, I thought I was having a muscle spasm. But from which muscle? Where was this phantom spasm coming from that was the culprit responsible for sending my body into a barely noticeable rocking motion? As swaying turned to rocking, and rocking to shaking, my state of mind turned to curiosity. Was this because I had a few glasses of wine the night before? No. It...
6 tags
Wine is "Pointless"
There was a minor rumble in the wine press recently debating the validity of the 100-Point System (100-P.S.) that we use to rate quality in wine. [Click here for a link to a Pro Vs. Con Editorial outlining the recent flare up]. This topic is nothing new, but when it pops up again and again it always seems to ruffle a few feathers somewhere in the flock.
[AS WE LEARNED IN...
9 tags
Oh, Man! Not Another Terroirticle
Yeah yeah yeah, I know…every wino from here to Timbuktu feels the need to wax poetic on why terroir is so important in wine. So I figured I’d better say it again in case anyone wasn’t listening.
[THE LLICORELLA SUBSOIL IN THE PRIORAT DEFINITELY SEPARATES IT FROM THE MONTSANT. DEFINITELY. YEAH, DEFINITELY.]
For those who have not drunk the Kool-Aid,...
July 2011
5 posts
14 tags
You Need A Riesling To Like German Wine? Here's 6...
[“NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW IT, BUT THE FUHRER WAS A TERRIFIC DANCER.” - Franz Liebkind, from The Producers by Mel Brooks]
...
6 tags
Mosco-Feel My What?
[JUST LIKE TYING YOUR SHOES…SORT OF]
My baby never ceases to amaze me with the many faces she can put on the Other White Meat — ALL HAIL THE PIG. This is a tasty Pork Loin that our neighborhood butcher (shout out to Andrew) sliced down the middle for us. She then stuffed it with her favorite Provençal-style veggies and herbs eventually searing it in the...
5 tags
Why Too Cool For School?
When I joined the wine community about 8 years ago, I made it my personal mission to make understanding wine as easy as possible for others. I’d tell people “drink what you like” and I would take it personally when I saw wine people lord their knowledge over others with less experience. So over the last few years I was pleased when I watched a gentle shift in wine that moved it...
11 tags
Cremant d'Alsace - Put Some Fizz In Your Face
After a dinner out that was decent but way over-priced, soured by the check total, my girlfriend and I passed on a 2nd bottle of wine during our mid-week date night. Instead we decided to pick up a bottle of something at the wine shop on the way back home. We went in thinking about Champagne; it was date night after all, and we always seem to be thinking about Champagne these days. After...
5 tags
Let's Just Say...I'd Call Her Back
Denis Jemain’s Domaine de Reuilly Pinot Gris Rosé caught my eye amidst the many pinks of the summer rosé section because it stood out with its lovely pale peach color. Even compared to the pale salmon rosé wines of Provence, this was still lighter. The current vintage 2010 has white strawberry, orange-peel, & a hint of herby spice. It’s tart, crisp, &...
June 2011
5 posts
7 tags
2 Natural Wines & A GIANT PORK CHOP OF LOVE
DO NOT ADJUST ANYTHING ON YOUR SCREEN, THIS LOOKS EXACTLY AS GOOD AS IT TASTES.
After having to head into work on a day I normally have free, I came home to what was easily the most delicious pork chop in the history of pork chops. My amazing, multi-talented girlfriend is a truly inspired cook who treats the dinner plate like Van Gogh once treated his canvases. Seared perfectly with...
9 tags
IT PUTS THE ROSÉ ON THE SKIN
To kick off our Delmano tastings open to the public, we started cracking bottles on a stunning 80˚F sunny day at 3pm in the afternoon beneath the shade of the elegantly tattered light blue and white awnings of Hotel Delmano. Couldn’t have planned it any better.
So we started with the Cotes de Provence Rosé by Domaine de la Fouquette 2010. This stuff is light (to the point of watery -...
12 tags
The Sherry Gateway Drug
Before I tell you how amazing this wine is, keep in mind the reason I find it so amazing is because it is unique. And before I get into what it is, it is interesting to note that it is a collaboration between 2 producers that are mainstays in the fortified world of wine: the Equipo Navazos group (known for top-tier Sherry) and Dirk Niepoort (maker of great Port). Both are very well respected...
10 tags
Purple Beer, Riesling, & Arty/Sexy Timorasso
This summer I’m sure will be filled with massive quantities of Rosé, Lambrusco, and Riesling. Since Rosé has made a strong comeback over the past few years, I expected that people would flip their Internal Rosé Switch as soon as Memorial Day Weekend passed. What is fascinating to see is the slow resurgence of Lambrusco, or as I like to call it: PURPLE BEER. This isn’t the semi-sweet...
4 tags
