O Canada - Canadian Wines for the Olympics

Now that the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics are in full swing, I felt it was time to draw attention to the fact that Canada produces its' share of wine. Most of what I've seen in the Kansas City area consists of ice wines, but I understand they produce a good amount of the more traditional styles (although not all your traditional varietals). I found a website for the Canadian Vintners Assoication that I need to explore further, and I'm sure there's much more out there on the web. Check it out for yourself and at least take a look at, ask about (or pick-up) a Canadian wine the next time your at the wine shop or liquor store.

Orvieto and Torrontes - Two Unique Winter Whites

Last week, I offered my customers the opportunity to sample two unique white wines - an Orvieto from Italy and a Torrontes from Argentina.

The Orvieto Classico produced by Bigi and imported by Opici Imports was a very pleasant, light, crisp white. I sensed a slight chalk or limestone quality and several others tasted a hint of lemon. I think wine drinkers looking for the lightness and citrus qualities of a sauvignon blanc yet not the over-the-top grapefruit found in some, would enjoy Orvieto. You might find this or similar wines for around $11-$15.

Orvieto is an Italian wine region located in Umbria (central Italy), centered around the commune of Orvieto. It is primarily known for its white wines made from a blend of mostly Grechetto and Trebbiano, which is sold under the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) Orvieto and Orvieto Classico. What struck me as I researched Orvieto was its' beautiful setting (see photo above). The city of Orvieto is situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff.

The Don Rodolfo Torrontes showed a nice floral nose and fuller body with a hint of fruity sweetness. Kind of like a viognier, but different - you just have to try it for yourself. Torrontes has become the signature white of Argentina and the fact that most are reasonably priced make it worth checking-out the next time you're looking for something different.

This particular wine comes from the Cafayate Valley which at 6,000 feet is among the world's highest-altitude viticultural regions.

I encourage you to expand your experience by trying these or other unique white wines like Viognier, Gewurtztraminer, Soave, Grillo, Albarino, etc.

Cheers!

tomswinesense.com - The New Website

I am now officially online with a new website Tom's Wine Sense.com
The site includes contact information plus details on what I can do to help you or your group, office, team, etc. make sense of wine, learn more about wine and have fun in the process.
Check it out and I welcome any feedback, comments, suggestions, etc.

Wine Tip Tuesday - Wine Shopping

If you haven't found a favorite wine shop (or liquor store) here are a couple tips to help you find a good place to do your wine shopping.

* Knowledgeable staff (this is especially important if you're just starting out)
* Good wine selection (not necessarily LARGE). A nice selection of red and white varietals, imports and domestics from California, Oregon, Washington) Also, good price variety.
* Current vintages (whites within past 2 years, reds past 3 years)

Keep in mind you don't have to find "your shop" on the first visit. You're not only shopping for wine, but a wine shop as well. Shop around, check-out new places even if they're not the most convenient. You can always have your favorite, plus your go-to shop that's closest to home or most convenient.

Happy shopping!

Wine Library TV

Hey sports fans! I'd like to introduce you to one of my all time favorite wine people on the web (who happens to be a BIG NY JETS fan)! Meet Gary Vaynerchuk (Vay-ner-chuk)as he introduces himself at the beginning of each video segment - The Thunder Show - on his website Wine Library TV

An internet wine marketing pioneer with a great talent for presenting wine in a fun, informative approach, Gary makes wine less intimidating for people. Apparently, I'm not the only one to have taken notice of this enthusiastic, passionate, entertaining wine guy. Through the power of social media on the Internet, he's drawing 850,000 followers on Twitter, 31,000 fans on Facebook and 90,000 daily viewers to his wine tasting video blog. Gary was also awarded a 2009 Wine Star Award from Wine Enthusiast magazine as Innovator of The Year.

If you're a casual wine drinker or total wine geek, there's plenty of interesting topics and wines in 800+ video sessions. If nothing else, when was the last time you saw a guy spit wine into a New York Jets bucket?

Drinking Wine in 2010 - Looking Forward

There are so many nice, interesting wines available out there that I suggest that for 2010 wine drinkers resolve to try new wines. In my previous post there's some basics but also a few affordable off-beat options (eg, white Bordeaux, red blends, Cava).
Here's a few other interesting suggestions to expand your palate in 2010:

Reds
Bonarda - often from Argentina
Cotes-du-Rhone - French Syrah, Grenache blends
Spanish Tempranillo, Garnacha, Syrah (or blends)
Bargain Italians
Weird and wild varietals like Tannat - Don Rodolfo from Argentina has one

Whites
Torrontes - Argentina
Dry Riesling
Value French blends that use varietals like Picpoul, Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne
Gruner Veltliner - Austria
Gewurtztraminer - Alsace, California

In addition to these suggested wines, here's a few shopping suggestions:
Pick-up something new each time you shop-in addition to your usual "house wine", find something in your price range you've never had before.
Consult the staff at your liquor store or wine shop. If they run out of suggestions, start going somewhere else.

Cheers to 2010!

Holiday Wines - A Look Back

We survived the Holidays and I stayed true to my blog profile by enjoying lots of food and wine (and beer) with friends and family. Without going into boring little details about certain wines, I'd like to list the variety of wines that we shared (keep in mind, over the past 2 weeks). They were all nice and it was great to enjoy such a wide variety - a good example of how easy it can be to find and drink new and different wines!
Reds
2 different Merlots, 2 different Cabs, 3 different Pinot Noirs, Montepulciano D'Abruzzo, 3 different red blends, Syrah/Petite Sirah blend - "Relentless" from Shafer (yum!), Brunello di Montalcino, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 2 different Malbecs

Whites
3 different Chardonnays, Sauvignon Blanc, White Bordeaux

Bubbles
Spanish Cava, Asti Spumante, French Sparkling from Savoie region - Trocodero Brut, prosecco

Wow, that's a lot of different wines - but did I mention the friends and family? We certainly didn't get bored with the same old wines - and my wine tip of the day is that in 2010 my wine loving friends and family continue this trend.