I am happy to announce the winner of our book giveaway of Paul Gregutt’s essential guide to Washington Wines & Wineries is PAM CAUDY!  Please help me in congratulating her on a well-deserved win!

Thanks to everyone who participated in this giveaway by commenting here and on Facebook as well as promoting the contest via Twitter and other channels.  This was a lot of fun!  Washington is making some great wine and hopefully this year we can help continue to educate other wine lovers and share in what this state, second only to California in U.S. production, has to offer.

Please be sure to check out this year’s Wine Blogger’s conference to be held in Walla Walla June 25-27, 2010 as well as the scholarship program being offered.

Pam:  Please be sure to reach out to me via my email address which can be obtained via the About Us link at the top of the site so I can get your shipping address.

Cheers!

Venturing OTP and looking for a good wine selection in the ‘burbs?  Check out Sip Wine Shop on Crabapple in Milton, right next door to Roswell, in a combo retail/townhome development.  What’s cool about this place is the warm decor and bar-style layout allowing patrons to watch the tapas chefs in action with rock fireplace at the far end of the room.  Dark ruby, tan and brown walls really make you feel comfortable sitting at a table by the window or at the bar itself.

The wine list contains a decent range of selections with both value and pricier options from practically anywhere around the globe.  One minute you can be having a Pinot Gris from Oregon, then a Tempranillo from Spain followed by a Cabernet blend from Bordeaux.  Furthermore, they offer Sip, Half-glass, Full-Glass and Bottle options and priced accordingly.  So, if you want to create your own flight of 3 or 4 sips (about 1-2oz. tastes) then go for it!  They encourage it.  Make sure you pair these up with the savory tapas they offer that range $5-12 each and share with everyone at the table.  The Duck Confit Wontons and Sweet Potato Gnocchi are highly recommended.

On Thursday night it’s “Ladie’s Lush” night where a white and red wine are available at 20% off for any of the drink size offerings, definitely incenting a bottle purchase.  The red on this night was a Rhone style and very much a value with the discount.  Show up early, though, because the place filled up fast with Lushes looking to “wine-down” from the workday!

The “shop” in the name refers to the retail side of the building that display the great selection on furniture that is also for sale.  Check this page out for the styles of furniture they offer.  Also on the retail side is where they have a few Enomatic wine systems set up for the wines they offer by the sip or glass.  These systems let you add money to a card, much like a credit card, and walk around inserting the card into the machines, selecting the size of taste you want, have the wine dispensed into your glass and the cost deducted automatically from the card.  There are also huge, comfy leather chairs in the retail area to allow you sit down and enjoy your glass.

Only two things were of concern during our visit including the relatively young staff that seemed to have a minimal level of wine knowledge, so don’t expect a tremendous amount of wine-related dialogue, though our waiter did his best and kept us entertained.  The other is that the process to fill a flight or “sip” order included the wait staff using the Enomatic machines in the retail shop area, which caused a delay in us receiving our orders at one part of the evening when it had become crowded.

Here’s a recommendation from the wine list:  2005 Bodegas Muga Rioja Reserva – Earth, black fruit, toast and hint of vanilla on the nose. Smooth palate with spice finish. Try with the Port BBQ Tacos.

Cheers!

Address: 12635 Crabapple Rd Suite 120,  Milton, Ga. 30004

Phone: 866-637-2SIP

Throughout the past couple of years of meshing our lives more closely with wine and all the experiences that go with it, I am always humbled by the generosity, camaraderie and great relationships that are seeded and continue to blossom.  This story is one that really stands out because it’s categorized as one of those “random acts of kindness.”  But, in this case there is nothing random about it, only that a group of people who didn’t know each other previously were brought together because of kindness and a shared loved of wine.

One of my resolutions for 2009 was to learn more about and taste more sparkling wines.  I did fine in getting educated in regions, types of sparkling wines and the various processes as part of my CSW certification, but I did not do well in tasting more of them.  In addition to that, my wife had not been exposed to a Champagne or sparkling wine that she liked to date which made her hesitant to try more, though again it’s not like we tasted all that were available.  One day, on either Twitter or Facebook, I made the comment that I was saddened that my wife had not experienced something she really liked and could have on a regular basis and that I had not helped that fact.  And that’s when it happened.  Alva Johnson, local Atlanta socialite, large-scale event-coordinator extraordinaire and fizz lover reached out to me and offered to help us find some bubbly that she just might enjoy.  Wow.

And so she did.  We had a little tasting at the house and invited along fellow Atlanta baron von bubbly, Kevin Glowacki of www.atlantawineguy.comfame and we had a wonderful evening.  It’s important to note here that while Alva doesn’t claim to be an expert, she certainly knows her fizz and has put that energy into an organization she co-founded called The Independent Champagne and Sparkling Wine Invitational which is having it’s inaugural conference April 15-18th in New Orleans.  Check it out.

The wines:

H. Billiot Fils Brut Grand Cru Rose’ – We started off with this rose’ paired with ribs from the Pig ‘n Chick.  This is a Champagne from the 5-ha Billiot estate in the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay that is planted mostly with Pinot Noir. Both Alva and Kevin agree that pink fizz seems to pair perfectly with pork at all times.  The color was like salmon and bright with aromas of “sweet” yeast and strawberries.  I tasted citrus and what I describe as pineapple and had a great finish.  This was our favorite of the night.

Fleuron 2000 Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Brut Premier Cru (Blanc de Blancs) - 100% Chardonnay and is a blend of different soils in the area that they feel best represents the vintage though I could not find the proportions for 2000.  This one was paired with fresh raw oysters, popcorn and cheese.  We had both Gruyere and Ermitage Brie cheese to try.  The wine light golden color and also had a yeasty nose, but just a hint if compared to the H. Billiot.  A lot of citrus tasted on the palate with a velvety/creamy texture in the mouth, which was accentuated when paired with the oysters.  There is more to tasting wine than just aromas, taste and flavors… you must pay attention to the texture in your mouth as well.

Renardat-Fache Bugey du Cerdon- Sparkling Gamay – This one was a leftover from the Popeye’s challenge back in November, so I added it to the lineup and paired with, what else?, Popeye’s spicy chicken.  This wine came in at only 7.5% alcohol, but while there was a good bit of residual sugar, I never felt it was too sweet since it seemed balanced by a good level of acid and even less so when tasted with a piece of chicken.  The sweet and spice really balanced out.  This wine had a darker pink hue and was full of strawberry jolly ranchers and the flavor burst in your mouth much like Fresh n Up gum, which I learned is actually still available… go figure.

2003 Kreglinger Brut - Lastly, Alva brought on a sparkler from Tasmania.  So far, every one of her friends she had shared this with (she had been given a whole case) thought it was the bomb.  We agreed.  Much different from the other 3, this one was more “classic” in that there was more crispness, and freshness and included green apple and honey notes.  The finish exposed more lemon and mineral for a long finish.  Kevin felt this was “green & minty” on the nose too.

Alva learned that she didn’t have to wait for special occasions like weddings and New Year’s to drink sparkling wine.  She walked into a store one day, particularly to de-stress, and discovered bubbly is available to us anytime we want.  She is a fan and now a great friend.  Here’s to celebrating life more often.

Cheers!

What type of wine tasting participant are you?  Do you grab something you’ve never had before on your way to the tasting OR are you anal-retentive like us an perform your own week-long tasting competition just amongst yourselves to pick the “perfect” bottle for the party?  Sure, there’s often some praise or prize for the “winning” wine of the night, but that’s not what we’re generally after.  Hell, I can’t even remember the last time our wine scored the highest, if at all.  But, that’s ok because everyone’s tastes are different and part of the fun is seeing how everyone reacts to the wine and how the wine performs when tasted next to other wines instead of by itself when you last had it and thought it was the bomb.  Ok, it’s also fun to see who’s stumblin’, ramblin’ drunk at the end of the night too.  Just 2 ounce pours people!!

The theme for January’s event was Washington Reds, encouraged by the fact we will be visiting Washington wine country this summer.  Using Paul Gregutt’s essential guide to Washington Wines & Wineries we set about with a list of WA producers and tried to find what we could here in Atlanta.  We were able to find several!  These are the results in order of best to least favorite:

2004 Buty Merlot/Cabernet Franc – This was our winner to take to the tasting.  It was very fruit-forward, with aromas of chocolate and coffee beans.  Abundant black fruit, vanilla and hint of spice on the palate.  We thought this would rock some worlds at the tasting, especially since we knew many of our friends are big red lovers.  Stay tuned to find out the reaction…

2004 Januik Cabernet Sauvignon - Herbs, black fruit and hint of eucalyptus on the nose. Blackberries, raspberries on the palate w/ great velvety mouthfeel. Great find.

2005 Chateau Ste. Michelle Col Solare “Shining Hill” - Recommend decanting. Chocolates, cassis and raspberries on the nose. Black fruit and spice on the palate with a long finish. Very tasty and blossomed throughout the evening.

2007 Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay Indian Wells - OK!  This is NOT a red, obviously, but during the week we wanted to mix it up a bit and we’re glad we did – Great Chardonnay. Vanilla, apples and slight toast on the nose. Very well balanced with apples and citrus on the palate and a good finish.

2005 L’Ecole No. 41 Merlot Columbia Valley - Nose of hints of coffee and black fruit. Blackerry on the palate and good mouthfeel. Very fruity.

2006 Woodward Canyon Merlot - Coffee bean and vanilla on the nose. Cherries and blackberries on the palate and medium spice.

2004 Januik Merlot Columbia Valley - Funk, prune and hint of chocolate on the nose. Hard time getting this wine to open up. Good mouthfeel and black fruit on the palate with medium finish. Not that exciting.  However, we didn’t finish the bottle this night and the 2nd night brought more distinct aromas of coffee and chocolate.

2006 Columbia Crest Merlot H3 - Very funky, wet and mushrooms on the nose at first but eventually blew off to smokyand slight black fruit but not much else. Blackberries and blueberries on an otherwise uneventful palate.

2006 Barnard Griffin Merlot - Tight nose somewhat smoky.

 Next, I’ll talk about how the tasting went down and what else was brough to the party.

Cheers!

If you’re like my wife, then you know it’s never too early to plan, especially if it’s for a trip to the wine country somewhere.  As we approach February already, we are still 5 months away from the Wine Blogger’s Conference in Walla Walla, Washington held June 25-27, 2010.  However, it is important to note that if you are a blogger and want to go and haven’t signed up yet, there were many folks left on the waiting list the past two years, so it is recommended that you don’t wait until the last minute.

We are very excited to visit an important and fairly well-known domestic wine region that we haven’t been to before.  Additionally, we have only experienced a few wines from the entire state of Washington.  So, to help get us jacked up for the trip and expand our wine horizons, we have been reading Paul Gregutt’s guide to Washington Wines & Wineries and have already held a tasting at our local tasting club focused on red wines from Washington [subsequent post yet to be published on this tasting].  But you don’t have to be a blogger to enjoy and get value out of this wonderfully written book.  Paul has been a wine critic and author for over 25 years and knows the wine and wineries of his state inside and out.  In this book he has created a numerical scale that actually relates to measurable attributes of wineries and their wines with which to rank them in categories including Leaders, Specialist, Bench and Rookies.  Oh, and he’s technologically hip touting a blog of his own that he updates very frequently.

So, in my humble attempt to help you dear readers learn more and experience what this state, second only to California in production, has to offer and what is has attained in it’s short 40-year history, I offer to send a FREE copy of Paul Gregutt’s book to a randomly chosen winner.  Here’s how you can win:

1. Post a comment on this blog post OR the same, related post on the Wine Tonite! Fan page: http://www.facebook.com/WineTonite with something about Washington.  Hopefully, it’s about a wine or winery, but it can be anything really (i.e. I tasted this xyz wine from Walla Walla and it was good, I would really like to visit xyz winery in Puget Sound, or I think Pete Carroll will/will not succeed as the Seahawks head coach, etc…)

2. The contest period will be one week with a deadline of 12 Noon EST next Sunday, February 7th.  I will announce the winner that afternoon on this blog site via a new post.

3. The winner will be chosen randomly using the www.random.org True Random Number Generator.  Posts from both the blog and the Facebook fan page will be combined and ordered by date/time stamp and obviously not include any comments I may post along the way.

It’s that Simple!  Have fun and good luck and please pass this on to winelovers you know!  And if this gets you into the giving mood, check out how you can help a blogger earn a scholarship to join the conference HERE.

Cheers!