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Glassware
Here at The Dinner Party we frequently get the question, "Does glassware really make that much of a difference in the taste of wine?" In short, you bet it does. However it does not need to cost a fortune to purchase glassware that will enhance the aromas and flavors of your wine.
The wine of our past
For all of us there was a very clearly remembered start to our interest and appreciation of wine, that seminal moment when we first tasted it and started down the evolutionary path for our knowledge and our palates. We all joke frequently about some of those wines that started the process, the sweet and cloying wines in the box, jug or bottle rapped in straw - we all know the names! But there were other wines too that we first tasted with friends and family that have lineage to what we currently drink and old world wines that winemakers here in the states were attempting to emulate but also adapt for the American palate, which decades ago was in its infancy.
... Without historical context
The history of wine dates back to virtually the start of civilization which is replete with mentions of fermented grape juice in the days of the Roman Empire, the birth of Christianity and even further back.
'Old Timers' of the Northwest
From an historical perspective there is no getting around it the Washington state wine industry is an "infant" compared to other appellations around the world. This in no way diminishes the quality of wine produced here in the Northwest nor should it reduce the pride we feel in our great local wineries.
Local wine lists
The wine scene here in North Idaho can only be described as vibrant, and that vibrancy is due in large measure to many sophisticated consumers, but also a fully integrated structure of producers, distributors and retailers. All of these layers do a great and innovative job. Beyond all of these folks though there is also a line-up of restaurant owners and sommeliers that develop and oversee some great wine lists.
The first Winter Wine Rodeo
A little over one week ago the first Winter Wine Rodeo was held at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds, and the success laid the groundwork for this event to go on for many years. The winter installment was an off shoot of the North Idaho Wine Rodeo held prior at the August Fair, and while the summer event was a competition judging more than 230 wines, the winter event was a chance for wine consumers to both revisit some of the winners but also sample some of next year's competitors.
Local grad tied to hot holiday gift
Courtney Coleman Everson graduated from Coeur d'Alene High School in 1999 and went on to earn a degree in economics at Princeton University. Heady stuff but a most gratifying moment for Courtney took place just last week with the phenomenally successful launch of Microsoft's Xbox One. More than a million of the latest video game consoles sold within 24 hours.
That time of year
A widely agreed upon axiom of the wine industry is that the most expensive "bubbles" you will buy are in the fourth and first quarters of each year. With the Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and other holidays in the fourth and Valentine's Day in the first quarter, the theory is well grounded in fact. Champagne and other sparkling wines are more in demand, and therefore consumers are a bit less price-conscious. After all, at these special times of year, we all want to treat our guests and ourselves to the best possible "bubbly" experience.
When you see 'em, buy 'em
There are certain vintages that stand out in our minds as wine consumers. Those growing years that are so remarkably good that you recall them with fondness for a very long time, those that every time you have a bottle from that year you relish it. After all there will be no more! There are some that stick in your mind too as they were not so good but the good ones seem to linger longer thankfully.
The annual rosé article
Memorial Day is this coming weekend, which makes it time to fire up the grill and start sampling the annual crop of newly released dry rosé. There is no better summer wine! Thankfully, the days of the cloying and sweet white Zinfandels and other sweet pink wines are far in the rear view mirror. Reinforcing what today’s rosés are like helps wine consumers understand how tasty these wines are during summer.
The ageing of white wines
Many stereotypes and assumptions are based in fact. Some are not. The assumptions that white wines are not age worthy would fall into the latter category. The determination of how well any wine ages has virtually everything to do with how the wine is made and the grapes are harvested not the color of the wine or even the varietal selection.
Vintage check
Bud break has happened in California and is happening as you read in Washington State and some of the other more northern appellations here in the States. Flowering has even occurred in some places so that means it is time to get our first glimpse of the coming 2013 vintage for the domestic wine grape crop and to take a look at some of the earliest releases from last year's production.
Our Thanksgiving recommendations
We almost always have Thanksgiving at our home. It is one of those meals I love to cook and an occasion when Mary always creates a beautiful “tablescape.” The coziness of the cool fall day, the celebration of a purely American holiday, and a meal steeped in tradition but with ample breadth for creativity are the perfect backdrops for a real “lifestyle” celebration. Here are our recommendations for Thanksgiving.
Canfield children create candy companies
Meet Adrianna Preciado, the genius mind behind Candy Stuck - a candy company with a vision to bring fandoms together over the sweetest treat on Earth, the Troll Chocolate Bite.
Aromas that take you back
The human sense of smell is widely regarded as the most powerful of the human senses, not only for the role it plays in taste - 95 percent of what we taste is actually what we smell - but also for its ability to evoke the strongest of memories. Smell is vital to tasting many of the flavors we frequently describe in wine. It is why,for those with compromised olfactory sense, wine is less appealing. It is the power of the sense of smell for bringing back memories, though, that strikes us as so amazing.
The most challenging varietal
Perhaps the most fascinating part of our own and many consumers’ wine journey is exploring the wines and growing regions of the “Old World.” Whether you are traveling the appellations of Europe or just tasting through the wines that come from different European areas that you buy here at home, it becomes clear that different varietals grow in different areas for the simplest of reasons. It is because each varietal is more suited to the growing area it comes from.
'Demystifying' wine and other silly wine trends
Every year there are wine trends that develop usually coming out of some large marketing group all intended to sell more wine. We get it; most all wineries at the end of the day are businesses as are all the other companies up and down the wine “food chain”. Businesses exist to make a living for employees and owners while providing service or product to their customers. Most of the time though the simpler more conventional means of doing so makes the most sense. When it comes to wine the best way to accomplish selling more wine is to make the best wine you can at a price point that represents value for your customer and is sustainable for the business. For those in the retail segment of the business it means picking great wine and providing exemplary service. No gimmicks needed!
What I will drink this spring
The most common question from readers and customers alike is “What is your favorite wine to drink?” A variation on the question is “If you only had one bottle to drink what would it be?” Both are unanswerable for me. The truth of the matter is there are many wines I enjoy so to narrow down to a bottle or even a varietal, or for that matter even a color is nearly impossible. Here are some of my favorites so far this spring though.
And away we go
Here we are at the beginning of September so the wine grape harvest has started or is about to start in the appellations across the Northern Hemisphere. We have talked and emailed with grape growers and winemakers from many locations and here is what we have learned as we enter this crucial phase of the 2017 vintage.
Snow-bike tours a new offering for outdoor enthusiasts
Kyle Allred says the best way to master snow biking is “to make your own track.” That’s what he’s trying to achieve with SnowBike Nation, the local guiding outfit Allred launched at the start of the year.