American bishop bans wine from communion
There’s a big change for Sunday service at Catholic churches in Phoenix. Wine will no longer be used for communion. Read more
Year: 2011
151th Hospice de Beaune auction on 20th November
Every year on the third Sunday of November the wine auction at the Hospice de Beaune in France takes place. This year’s the 151st auction will be held on Sunday, November 20th. Like last year, it will led by the famous British auction house Christie’s. Last year on November 21 during the 150th auction 543 barrels of red and 100 barrels of white Burgundy wines werd sold to the highest bidder for a total of 5,000,000 euros. Each barrel contains 228 liters. 400,000 euros was payed for the “pièce du President”, a barrel of 500 liters of Beaune Premier Cru Cuvée Nicolas Rolin, sold > Read more …
South African vineyard-workers treated badly, says HRW
A report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemns the living and working conditions of workers in the vineyards of South Africa’s Western Cape Province. The report Ripe with Abuse: Human Rights Conditions in South Africa’s Fruit and Wine Industries describes the poor housing, unsafe working conditions and illegal treatment of black vineyard-workers. The workers often lack access to toilets or drinking water > Read more …
2009 Acústic Cellar Montsant Acústic
2009 Acústic Cellar Montsant Acústic – Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant (8/1/2011) Red and dark fruits and a whiff of cherry liqueur on the slightly alcoholic nose. Spicy red fruits and cherry-like acidity on the palate. Nice, but not overly complex. (88 points)
2008 Pago de los Capellanes Ribera del Duero Crianza
2008 Pago de los Capellanes Ribera del Duero Crianza – Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (7/31/2011) Nice fruit, but a bit watery and light, with a slightly bitter, unpleasant aftertaste, and a mid-palate hole that detracts from the nice fruitiness. Certainly not as good as in better years. (87 points)
2005 Bodegas Roda Rioja Roda Reserva
2005 Bodegas Roda Rioja Roda Reserva – Spain, La Rioja, Rioja (7/30/2011) A whiff of the barnyard on the spicy, dark fruited nose. On the palate sweet dark fruits, sweet spices, refreshing acidity and a hint of dark chocolate. Quite balanced, a pleasure to drink. (91 points)
2007 Bodegas AAlto Ribera del Duero AAlto
2007 Bodegas AAlto Ribera del Duero AAlto – Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (7/29/2011) Ripe dark berries, coconut, vanilla, dark chocolate, refreshing acidity, modern styled, but balanced, not over the top, already accessible, but not as deep nor as complex as in better years. I wouldn’t age this. The same on the second day. (91 points)
Pommard and Nuits want grand cru’s
The Organisme de défense et de gestion (ODG) of Pommard in Burgundy (the association of wine growers) wants the premier crus Rugiens and Epenots recognized as grand crus. The ODG will file a request with the INAO (Institut National des Appellations d’Origine), the French institute that regulates appellations of origin. The Burgundy classification of 1936 recognized only premier cru vineyards > Read more …
French wine humour: Jesus changes water in wine
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgrSyokK6H0
Emilio Lustau Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Rio Viejo Oloroso Seco
N.V. Emilio Lustau Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Rio Viejo Oloroso Seco – Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry (7/29/2011) Roasted nuts, citrus and orange peel and licor, a hint of caramel and smoke… completely dry, but generous and mouth coating, with a long lasting, slightly alcoholic aftertaste. (92 points)