Tom Wark at Fermentation has been carrying the torch for the cause for some time, and we wine enthusiasts owe him a big round of applause and many thanks. He’s written another great column on the subject.
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There are wine tastings, and then there are wine tastings. And then, there are experiences that completely transcend a bunch of tables with vintners standing behind them pouring their wines. I’ve been to a few “destination” wine experiences, some of which have been great, but none of which have been better than the International Pinot Noir Conference that takes place every year in McMinnville, Oregon.
I really wish I lived closer to where these sorts of things happen. Basically, we get the occasional Wine Spectator big tasting event in Chicago–but they ALWAYS do it in the middle of the week. Not a good option for those of us who have to work M-F schedule. New York and Vegas can get a weekend, why can’t Chicago?
Oh well…my wine consumption is so far down I wouldn’t be able to handle an event like these. I’m going to have to get back to my regular consumption, which may be easier in a few weeks when Baby Winegeek arrives and Mrs. Winegeek can enjoy wine more frequently again. 
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I’m not sure what happened here, but almost two months has snuck by and I haven’t posted in forever. I’ve had some tweets up on Twitter, but for some reason this blog has been ignored. [Bad blogger! Bad blogger! No go lay down! No wine for you!]
I would have recorded a new podcast episode last weekend, but I spent most of it watching the 24 Hours of LeMans (congrats to Peugeot, but I was rooting for Audi). I’m looking to do a joint blog post/podcast episode that is tentatively titled “A Tale of Two Pinots.” I will apologize to Charles Dickens later.
Anyway, we’re all still here, counting down the days until the new family addition arrives, and wondering what life will be like after he gets here. I know one thing is for certain–Catherine’s wine consumption should increase significantly (and so will mine!).
Thanks for hanging in, loyal fans–I couldn’t manage doing all this if it wasn’t for you!
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At long last, Episode 4 of Wine For Newbies 2.0 is up and waiting for you.
We’ve taken four listener questions and provided some answers. I’m very hopeful more people will send more questions in. The questions in this episode provide great information for wine newbies.
As always, you can listen to the episode on your computer or use the iTunes Store.
Listen and learn!
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Today has not been an ordinary Friday. After lunch, I was given a wine pairing assignment that came at me out of the blue. And when I was given the assignment, my pulse began to race. My palms may have even gotten a bit sweaty.
You see, I am going to be attending a rather nice and definitely important dinner on this coming Tuesday evening. There will be a number of local dignitaries and one very special guest. We’re dining at one of the better restaurants in town that’s actually a club (my parents were members but I am not). We’re going to have four courses (chicken piccata, salmon, beef tenderloin and lamb), and I was asked to select wines from the wine list to go with the different dishes.
People who have listened to the podcast know that I’m one who advocates throwing out the rules and drinking what you like when it comes to pairing wines with foods. So this assignment shouldn’t bother me, right? Well, if this was any ordinary dinner, I wouldn’t worry about it. Even if the special guest was a major wine critic I probably wouldn’t sweat it too much.
But, we’ll be dining with the mayor, county commissioners, judges from appellate and trial courts, and a number of lawyers.
Plus retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The first woman to ever be appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States. A major, major figure in the law.
So here I am–holy crap, I’m picking out wine suggestions for Sandra Day O’Connor. This is one I don’t want to screw up.
Okay, take a deep breath. Go back to what you know: Chicken piccata can probably use a white wine. Ooh, the wine list includes a nice white Rhône blend from Australia. Ding! Salmon can go with red or white. Pinot Noir from Sonoma County is easy, and there’s an unoaked Chardonnay that won’t dominate the salmon. Ding! Beef tenderloin–a nice Aussie Cabernet Sauvignon will do just fine. Ding! Lamb…hmm…something big. There’s a nice French Syrah. Ding! Hey, if we’re having cocktail hour, how about some Cava for a sparkler and a nice Riesling. If they want red wine before dinner, this Merlot ought to work.
A few minutes later, I’m done. That really was not so bad after all. Apply the basic rules and there’s no problem. Regardless of who the guest is, the wines will work just fine. Are they perfect? I don’t know since I haven’t tasted the wines or the foods. But I know they are safe choices even if a couple are slightly non-traditional.
The moral of the story is this: If you’re asked to pick out wines, don’t panic–even if your guest is someone that you don’t want to screw up in front of. Polite company will never admit you made a mistake (and, in some instances like this one, the guests may never know who made the wine picks). Use the knowledge you have and enjoy the process. And don’t forget to enjoy the dinner!
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It took a bit longer than I planned (doesn’t everything?), but the first draft of the Wine For Newbies Wine Tasting Course is now complete. I have my editor looking it over, and I have two more things to do. First, I need to put together the tasting note forms/worksheets (which are perhaps the key part of the book), and then I need to do the design/layout. At that point, it should be ready for printing to PDF and ready for sale.
Given the economic challenges we’re all facing, I think I’m going to offer it straight up at the price I originally planned as a discounted price. I’ll also see what other goodies I can come up with to sweeten the deal for everyone.
Stay tuned!
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Unlike past podcast episodes, this week I’m doing something different.
Join me and several other people this Wednesday evening, April 15, at 7:00 PM EDT for “Vino Victorious!” on The Runners Roundtable. I have been invited on the show as a guest, along with Phil Gower, owner of Finish Line Wine, a resource for runners who also enjoy their vino–wine, gifts and more. We’re going to spend an hour or so talking about the health benefits of wine and why wine makes a great post-race celebration. (I’m not sure it makes an ideal post-race drink–I’d probably be looking for some Gatorade cut with water or some Pedialyte. But wine could certainly accompany the post-race meal!!!)
This is a live recording, which means you will be able to listen in via TalkShoe. I think you can even send in questions via a chat room. I hope to find many of you there!
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Whew! Putting together a wine podcast can take some time, and when you have writers block…oy vey!
Anyway, the latest episode is up for your enjoyment. You can listen to it here, use the popular-but-infamous iTunes Store, or use whatever method you prefer. (If you do use the iTunes Store, please consider leaving a review and rating the helpfulness of past reviews.)
During the podcast I mention wine people on Twitter, and the Tavel region in France for great rosé wines. We cover some Riesling basics and answer a good listener question on “seasonal” wines.
Leave a comment and let me know what you think–and don’t forget to put your homework report in a comment as well!
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It is sometimes said that one should never read reviews. Today was probably one of those days.
Since I started up WFN 2.0, there have been about six new reviews at the iTunes Store. Five of those six had a common theme: “it’s still boring.” They also rated it one out of five stars.
Let me say this clearly: I don’t want this post to be a “pity party” for me and the podcast ratings. But at the same time, I suspect that five out of six recent reviews probably reflect the larger audience, although the numbers are probably skewed more towards the negative in the six reviews.
Still, here’s my concern. If the only people who are reviewing the podcast at the iTunes Store are going to slam it, those reviews will be the ones that keep new listeners from even giving the podcast a try. If that becomes the case, then the audience will either plateau or decline. At that point, the benefits of doing the podcast are outweighed by the time and effort involved.
Like I said, I’m not looking for pity or sympathy, but if people don’t like the podcast, that’s okay–I have plenty of other things I can do with the time. I’m not saying that as in “I’ll take my ball and go home.” I’m simply saying if the podcast really sucks that badly, I’ll find other projects to work on that may have more value.
On the other hand, if people do like the podcast, it would probably help if they could do two things at the iTunes Store.
First, post a positive review with constructive comments (good and bad).
Second, go through and rate the previous comments. When a majority of the “most helpful” reviews are one-star, it’s not helpful to those who enjoy or otherwise might discover the podcast. All you need to do is click yes or no where the iTunes Store asks if the review was helpful.
Again, if the show is the pits, give me a hint now so I can stop making a fool of myself.
Finally, if you’re reading this and you think the show is terrible, please leave a comment with some ideas on how to improve it. I don’t mean to sound snarky, but it’s easy to say “it’s boring.” If you want to have something better, offer some suggestions! 
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Wine can be intimidating at the start, but it doesn’t need to be. In this show I talk a bit about some of the fears that can strike the wine newbie at the start of learning about wine.
I mention a few wines to try:
- Gewürtztraminer (white)
- Dolcetto d’Alba (red)
- French Pinot Noir, aka a red Burgundy (the label will probably say Bourgogne)
If you like to march to your own drummer, you can listen to the episode here.
Or, if you like to be part of the crowd, you can find the episode in the iTunes Store.
Please–send in your questions!
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