The Wine Cellar Blog» Chile wine

Mom Will Feel Like a Princess with Kate Middleton’s Sauvignon Blanc

admin — Sun, 08 May 2011 06:03:12 +0000

Mom may be a commoner, but she can at least drink like a princess for Mother's Day without it costing Dad and family a king's ransom. The night before her wedding to Prince William, Kate Middleton (now the Duchess of Cambridge) dined with close friends and family at the Goring Hotel in London’s Belgravia district. According to US Weekly, she chose the rather unpretentious Casa Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (costs about $50) to pair with her salmon blini starter, and entrée of steak Chateaubriand. This Chilean wine and the Lapostolle brand is 100% owned by the Marnier-Lapostolle family. The name Marnier may be familiar to lovers of liqueurs because the Marnier-Lapostolle family are also owners of the world-renowned orange liqueur Grand Marnier. While they are best known for this, the family has also been involved in winemaking for generations. Originally winegrowers in the Loire Valley, France, the Marnier-Lapostolle family continue this vintner tradition by creating world-class wines using French expertise and the superb terroir of Chile. This Mother's Day show Mom she is a "Princess of Personality" and the "Queen of your Heart" with a bottle of Casa Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc and a salmon dinner, followed perhaps by a dessert of Crêpe Suzette (made with Grand Marnier) which was originally made (as one of the stories goes) for the Prince of Wales and future King Edward VII of England.

This is a post from: The Wine Cellar Blog

Wine 2008: Black Blue and Green All Over

admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 03:26:21 +0000

The wine industry was battered and bruised in 2008, the astronomical prices for top-level wines plunged, and as if in an act of repentance more winemakers went green. For example, Boisset, the second-largest producer of Beaujolais Nouveau, bottled its entire 2008 harvest in lightweight plastic bottles. Biodynamic and organic wines increased. Yet many still doubt the wine industry's sincerity when it comes to carbon neutrality because they still ship wine in wooden crates as opposed to the much lighter corrugated cardboard. The Liv-Ex 100 Fine Wine Index, the wine world's Dow Jones Index, has fallen more than 20 percent from its all-time high. Among the hardest hit was Domaine Romanee Conti 1990, which commanded more than $20,000 a bottle in November 2007, but sold last fall for $6,500 - a 67.5 percent drop. The global credit crisis has threatened Bordeaux's en primeur sales. And as wine buyers search for bargain-priced bottles, Bacchus seems to be favoring Chile and Argentina.

This is a post from: The Wine Cellar Blog

The Palin Debate

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 23:51:02 +0000

Who woulda thunk it? That a small organic wine from Chile would cause such an uproar. Palin Syrah, now in its second release, and named for the ball used to play Chilean field hockey is losing sales, at least in San Francisco. The reason? The similarity of its name to Sarah Palin, the now famous hockey mom and Vice-Presidential candidate. Before politics played a role, Palin Syrah was described as a good organic, affordable wine, now it's likened to moosemeat and gunpowder, and it doesn't help that it's red. Perhaps a white wine would do better. Obama Sparkling Wine, made by Larry Mawby in Suttons Bay, Michigan might fit the bill. However, unlike Palin Syrah, this wine has political purpose. For every bottle of Obama sold one dollar is donated to the Obama campaign. I wonder if San Franciscans are also boycotting Budweiser. Given Cindy McCain's family business, there's no doubt Sen. John McCain's a Busch man.

This is a post from: The Wine Cellar Blog