 Check out Wine On The Road to explore the world’s most renowned wine regions with behind-the-scenes access to top winemakers and their incomparable wines. With Wine on the Road tours, professional wine writer and Chief Wine Sherpa Ben Weinberg has created the ultimate in wine-focused, behind-the-scenes wine country experiences, combining award-winning wines and exquisite dining and lodging with uniquely local flair and flavor. Our wine-focused, luxurious, behind-the-scenes itineraries are now available online. Go to Wine On The Road for more details.
Ben is the author of Weinberg's Wine Tech in Sommelier Journal and regularly contributes features, as well. Take a look at Sommelier Journal’s website for more information on this excellent behind-the-scenes wine magazine.
He is the Rocky Mountain Editor for Tasting Panel Magazine. Check out Tasting Panel’s website for more information on this wine industry powerhouse. Ben will continue to craft feature stories fpr Tasting Panel but will also be providing monthly briefs on Colorado restaurants for national publication. If you wish your restaurant to be considered for these articles please email him at:
benweinberg@
unfilteredunfined.com
Ben also pens "Politics Uncorked with Ben Weinberg" on a bi-monthly basis for the Colorado Statesman. Check out the Colorado Statesman’s website to learn what's going on in Colorado politics and wine.
|
 I occasionally taste wines too soon after a piece about similar juice. Others require a delay to allow importation into the U.S. of the current vintage. A few even occupy the niche of true oddball without compare. What follows is this year’s first potpourri column detailing some of the quirkier wines I’ve recently had the pleasure to taste. Continue reading Weinberg’s Wine Notes #259 – 2013′s Wine Potpourri Part I
 Lee Schlesinger, Director of Marketing for Winesellers, Ltd. (www.winesellersltd.com) and Charles Butler, Winesellers, Ltd.’s National Sales Manager, On-Premise, recently asked if I would have dinner at Table 6 Restaurant in Denver (www.table6denver.com) with Barbara Rundquist Muller. Barbara is the proprietor of Dr. H. Thanisch winery in the Mosel, Germany (www.dr-thanisch.de). I had met the regal Barbara and her winemaker Max in the Mosel in 2009 and jumped at the chance to spend more time with such an elegant, dedicated and knowledgeable wine scion. Continue reading Weinberg’s Wine Notes #258 – An Evening with Barbara Rundquist-Muller of Dr. H. Thanisch
 Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety from Bordeaux in France that most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage (wild) and blanc (white). It is a component of famous dessert wines from Sauternes and Barsac and is widely cultivated in France, Chile, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil, Moldova, and California. Continue reading Weinberg’s Wine Notes #257 – Varietally Correct: Oceanic Sauvignon Blanc
 Riesling is a white grape that originated in the Rhine region of Germany. It displays flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity and is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Other typical aromas include tropical fruits and minerals such as slate or quartz although, with time, the wine can also acquire a petrol note. Rieslings are usually varietally pure and seldom oaked. Continue reading Weinberg’s Wine Notes #256 – Varietally Correct: Riesling
 The inestimable Maximilian Riedel is, as my friend Paul David of Winepairings.biz likes to say, one of us. Max is an intriguing mixture of Austrian aristocrat and stand-up comic in the mold of Steven “they say the world is a small place but I wouldn’t want to paint it” Wright. So I’d like to report on a recent wine glass seminar in Denver, open to the public and led by Maximilian himself. Metropolitan State University hosted in their brand new auditorium, the host wine store was Argonaut Wine & Liquor (www.argonautliquor.com) and the wine sponsor was Southern Wine & Spirits. Continue reading Weinberg’s Wine Notes #255 – A Word On Wine Glasses With Maximilian Riedel
 What do Provence, the Languedoc and Roussillon have in common other than a southern French location? Hecht & Bannier (H&B) wines, for one thing. Created and produced by founders Gregory Hecht (whom I met last week at a tasting in Denver) and François Bannier, H&B focuses on negociant operations in the most hands-on manner possible, using extensive knowledge of vineyards and cellars to visit hundreds of grape producers and select only the best wines. Continue reading Weinberg’s Wine Notes #254 – Wine On The Road in Southern France
 Zinfandel is a variety of red grape planted all over California. According to Wikipedia, DNA fingerprinting has revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape crljenak kaštelanski as well as tribidrag, a primitivo variety traditionally grown in Puglia, Italy. It found its way to the United States in the mid-19th century, where it has typically produced a robust red wine, although semi-sweet, blush-style white zinfandel has six times more sales. Red berry fruit flavors like raspberry predominate in cooler areas, whereas blackberry, anise, and pepper notes are more common in warmer climes. Continue reading Weinberg’s Wine Notes #253 – Varietally Correct: California Zinfandel Part I
 When I began my experimentations with wine I was often confused by those made primarily (but not necessarily) from cabernet sauvignon, a single grape variety. Some bottles displayed the name of that variety on the label, but many did not. It turns out that different wine producing regions have varying standards about when a bottle can be labeled with the dominant variety. Continue reading Weinberg’s Wine Notes #252 – Varietally Correct: New World Cabernet Sauvignon and Cab-Heavy Blends
 Two weeks ago I focused this column on Campania Stories, a press event centered on the town of Sannio in Campania, Italy. Last week I detailed my experiences at Taurasi Vendemmia, literally “Harvest of Taurasi,” based in another part of the province. Today I review wines tasted during a stay I arranged after Taurasi Vendemmia at Mastroberardino’s Morabianca del Radici Resort. The winery also arranged a private tour of the ancient city of Pompeii, about 90 minutes away from my base, but more on that later. Continue reading Weinberg’s Wine Notes #251 – Wine On The Road in Campania, Italy, Part III
 I’ve just concluded ten days in the province of Campania. Last week I focused on Campania Stories and here I detail my experiences at Taurasi Vendemmia, a ten-year-old festival, which celebrates the noblest expression of the aglianico grape (Taurasi). Both events were sponsored by Diana Cataldo and Massimo Iannaccone of Miriade & Partners, SRL (www.miriadeweb.it). Next week comes some special time I arranged with Piero Mastroberardino, including a spectacular tour of Pompeii. Continue reading Weinberg’s Wine Notes #250 – Wine On The Road in Campania, Italy, Part II
|
Welcome to Unfiltered, Unfined! Truth in agriculture is the ultimate truth. At Unfiltered, Unfined we are dedicated to providing the most relevant, user-friendly wine, beer and spirit-based content available.
Please note that our correspondents do accept samples, tours and lodging, but unless otherwise noted it is always with the understanding that nothing has been promised in exchange - no columns, no articles, no endorsements, no recommendations, not a single mention anywhere. This is how we maintain access to the very best of the wine lifestyle while reporting in an impartial manner.
At some point we'll set up a premium content section for paying subscribers only, but for now, all content will be free as we ramp up our vision of what our site should be. And of course, we plan on always providing you with access to most of the site at no charge. Be sure to sign up for our email list (left side of page) and social media feeds so that you'll be fully connected!
In reference to any wine prices I publish in my writings, they are based on the lowest generally available prices I find in the U.S. at the time of publication. I use commercially available wine searching software such as Winesearcher Pro and Global Wine Stocks in my analyses, and as such, these prices may not be available to consumers in all markets.
|
