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

That expensive case of Burgundy has been stunning so far, then all of a sudden, a bad bottle. Same wine, same case, it’s inexplicable. Or, maybe you’re drinking on a “Root Day.” Every day is designated either a root, flower, fruit or leaf in Maria and Matthias K Thun’s Biodynamic Sowing and Planting Calendar (flower and fruit being best for wine tasting). This concept may cause some snickering, but biodynamics is taken very seriously in the vinyard these days. Many world-class estates such as Domaine Leroy in Burgundy, Michel Chapoutier in the Rhone have become committed biodynamic properties over the past decade. Click here for a more indepth discussion of organic and biodynamic wine.



This is a post from: The Wine Cellar Blog