Posts Written OnFebruary 2006

Heavy, over-manipulated chardonnay is one of the wine community’s least appealing members, at least in the eyes, and palate, of this wine lover. Wine geeks often label these wines “flabby” but I compare drinking them to sucking on a butter-slathered two by four. And, despite what some sales-minded winemakers will tell you, pairing these wines with food is a crapshoot at best. Of course, chardonnay is a key chameleon variety, with a seemingly endless array of styles. On one end you have crisp, fruity, acidic chardonnay — those that don’t spend any time in oak barrels during or after the…

Crisp, clean and refreshing, this is a wine for those of you who think you hate chardonnay. Fermented 100% in steel tanks, you won’t find any overbearing, heavy-handed oak influence. No…what you get is ripe apple and pear, fresh citrus and hints of minerals on the finish. This is what chardonnay actually tastes like — and it’s delicious. (This "Vintage of the Week" appeared in the Long Island Press)

…it looks like I’ll be invading San Francisco in late June for part of Usability Week 2006. Assuming my day job doesn’t cut the training budget, they are sending their content manager (that’s me) out your way for a few days. And, I’ve graciously volunteered to stay an extra couple of days if it saves the company on my flights. I probably won’t know the details of my stay until April, but I hope to "bump into" as many of you as I can. Now I just need to figure out the best way to pack up a bunch of…

I love riesling…particularly those from the Mosel (in Germany) and those from the Finger Lakes. I drink riesling all the time and love its food-friendliness and relatively affordable quality. You can get top-flight riesling for a fraction of the cost of similar quality Bordeaux, California Cab, etc. Over the weekend I tasted The Brotherhood Winery’s 2004 Dry Riesling ($10) and had reasonably high hopes. Why? Well, I remember thinking a previous vintage, tasted at their tasting room in the Hudson Valley, was pretty good for ten bucks. Plus, this wine was made from Finger Lakes fruit… Well I was definitely…

By Contributing Columnist Richard Olsen-Harbich You know all those urban legend stories — like the one about alligators in the NYC sewers and the blind date that ends with you waking up in a bathtub of ice. Well, we have our own version of an urban legend in the wine industry. It goes something like this… All of the stories are the same and involve a couple returning from a recent trip to Europe. The couple talks about how they drank wine like crazy and never once had a hangover. They reminisce about how they met local winemakers who told…

Boy what a game! I’m still waiting for Ben to really show up, but the D played a good game and held when it had to, Antwaan Randel El did what the great playmakers do — made a big play, and Hines deserves the MVP award even if he had a couple uncharacteristic drops. Jerome Bettis, you’ve given Pittsburgh ten great seasons. It’s been a pleasure watching you punish defenses and I look forward to seeing you pound your way into the Hall of Fame as well. Now to all things culinary. Since there were just four of us (I…

As mentioned right here a couple weeks ago, the 2006 Long Island Wine Country Winter Festival is taking place throughout the month of February. And it should come as no surprise that Martha Clara Vineyards, they of the jam-packed event schedule, is taking part in a big way. Cooking classes, chocolate-making demonstrations and oyster shucking dot the calendar. But one event stands out. On Friday, February 17, Martha Clara Vineyards is hosting a dinner and auction to benefit Healing the Children – Northeast for a medical mission to Guayaquil, Ecuador, that will provide healthcare and surgery to the poor children…

Bedell Cellars, owned by New Line Cinema Co-Chairman and Co-CEO Michael Lynne, reaffirming its commitment to world-class wine with the slight reorganization of its core team, including the naming of Trent Preszler as Chief Operating Officer. Initially recruited in 2002 to spearhead sales as National Brand Manager, Trent has been the Vice President of Operations since 2004. In that role Trent saw the winery through its ambitious renovation, highly-acclaimed vintages and a continually developing relationship with the contemporary art world. As well, John Irving Levenberg, formerly associate winemaker, has been named winemaker to work along with founder Kip Bedell and…