WineTime TV

By Thomas Sinclair & Kamary Phillips

It’s no secret that grape skin extract contains an incredible anti-oxidant, called Resveratrol. So, it almost goes without saying, because it’s pretty logical, that its highest concentration is found in red wine. Now, with that in mind, there’s no more delectable way to get your daily “anti-oxidant dose” as in drinking a glass of red wine, right?! Well, maybe. Read on.

Okay, I know some of you are wondering what the hell an anti-oxidant is and what it’s good for. I know because I was just like you before I wrote this, LOL! So, for the record;

An antioxidant is a molecule capable of inhibiting the oxidation of other molecules.

And what good is all that, you might ask? Well, inhibiting molecules is essentially a way to influence good health and life longevity. That’s all. The 60 MINUTES video below is a great watch, however focuses on a particular company pioneering this field.

Drinking red wine daily is a good thing. Yeah, sure–in moderation. There are a number of scientific and cultural studies supporting that frequent wine drinking (a glass a day) has positive health benefits. Europeans have known this for decades, with France leading the way statistically, in terms of healthy citizens. Wine drinking is an important part of the French culture and they have far fewer cases of heart disease and diabetes as the United States.

In our bodies, one of the bad proteins which causes atherosclerosis (heart disease) is called Endothelin-1. Scientific research has proven that consuming red wine stops this protein from developing, or reduces its presence if developed already. One particular study conducted with red wine consumption, saw that in 68% of participants there was a reduction in the development of that naughty Endothelin-1.

Grape skins are filled to the brim with plant polyphenols and polyphenols are naturally produced by the grape to protect them from disease and this is what they do for us when they are consumed. Everything in moderation is the key, and only one glass a day should be consumed, although some will inevitably drink more. That’s a Wino for ya, ha! But if for some reason you are unable to drink red wine at all (and the point of living would be…?), it is available in supplement form.

Go ahead and watch the clip to learn far more than I can pass on in this article. At any rate, drink a glass of wine a day. What the hell, you’ve got nothing to lose and quite possibly more than just great taste and a good buzz to gain.

Wine on.

Howdy Wino’s!

I may be finding a way back into Wine-dom and go figure, it may be an Australian wine at that! I’m interested in a Social Media and/or Event Marketing gig. Naw, we’re not talking big money but quite possibly big passion and in the long run, life is short baby! Enjoy it while you can.

Which leads me to ponder; Has anyone tried Razor’s Edge Wine before? I haven’t found it yet in my local market. I’d love some opinions on the product if anyone has one/some. Don’t be shy!

I made this clip simply out of inspiration.

It was one of those crazy Saturdays in wine country where in the tasting room required me to project my voice so much that I sounded like Betty Davis by day’s end. It was also a day when a few of us winos shared some wine and debated about random stuff. We had actually begun with a few wines from Monterey brought back by a coworker who had made a recent visit and done some swaps. (It’s pretty typical for us to send our wines with anyone heading to a wine region to trade them out so everyone gets a new experience from the deal. For the most part…I am finding that the wine industry is like one big extended happily dysfunctional family.) Anyhew, there was a great Chardonnay done my favorite way-50% aged in oak, 50% in stainless. I am not a big white wine drinker but the complexity of a heartier white grape done this way just turns me on. It had fruit…melon, apple….but it had some serious butter too. And the finish went on so long I couldn’t decide at first if I like it simply because it surprised me.

There was a weirdly heavy Tempranillo, and a somewhat forgettable Cabernet. Then we sipped a taste of our wineries currently barreled Reserve Tempranillo/Petit Syrah (the barrel is currently tapped to sell some futures on this amazing blend), and that’s when things got interesting. Once again, I personally was blown away by our wine when positioned next to another wine regions “best” wines. The reds we just tried, while fairly good, did nothing to make my taste buds dance the way this humble locally grown number did. So I commented on how sad it is that many local wineries made such crap when this kind of stuff was obviously not only possible, but consistently made by our winemaker, Doug. There are quite a few other craftsmen (wish I could say I knew of a female winemaker out here but I don’t!) making some great elixirs….but there are at least as many helping perpetuate our bad reputation.

So I comment that it’s a shame that many local places were kind of forced to “water down” their wines to stay in business. You see, it has been my understanding that because of the party crews that started coming to Temecula by the busloads (literally) it was not lucrative to manage a vineyard in the way necessary to make some truly drinkable wines. Good wine ALWAYS starts in the vineyard. You cannot make good wine from less than good grapes. But it’s costlier, and requires a knowledgeable and creative hand with a commitment to caring for the entire process. I know this because I have worked in both kinds of wineries, and the wines are dramatically different. Point is, I thought that the bad wines came about as a reaction to the massive numbers of people within an hour’s drive that saw us as nothing more but a place to go for bachelorette parties.

So, then my fearless leader who knows more about wine, the history of wine, the history of Temecula, and is a virtual walking wine encyclopedia who hails from England and has been everywhere, says the bad wine actually came first. He says that although there were always a few winemakers that were making good stuff, its mostly been in recent years we are seeing a lot more winemakers who know what they are doing and that the proof is in the pudding, or well, the wine. I usually defer everything to Bob, and my first instinct is to take his word as law. He’s my wine mentor, and one of the neatest people you will ever meet. But I am still not convinced…which came first? Was the crappy wine in our beloved valley the beginning of our history or a reflex to the lack of wine buyers that would make producing good wines feasible, if not extremely lucrative?

And then someone said what I guess may be obvious to you….who really cares? For me, it’s an important point to ponder because I want to see “us” succeed as a wine region. I want us to not repeat any part of a history that earned us a sketchy rep. I plan on doing more “research” on the subject, and hopefully will find some answers and some good wines along the way. There is great wine out here…and more to be made. So next up, lets talk varietals…we got ‘em.

I consider myself an ‘everyman wine drinker’. That is to say, I’m far from qualified to speak on the impeccable vintages out there being indulged upon by the upwardly mobile, particularly as I can’t afford the exorbitant prices. No, instead, I pride myself on finding impeccable bargains.

The dictionary defines BARGAIN as follows;

a thing bought or offered for sale more cheaply than is usual or expected : the secondhand table was a real bargain | [as adj. ] household and electrical goods at bargain prices.

I define bargain as;

A great tasting wine at a cheap price.

The last few months I’ve had the pleasure of living in Europe. It’s been a pleasure for a variety of reasons but one
of the things I’ll miss most (I’m off to Cali in Feb.) and I’ve said it before, will be the great many wines they have here. Great wines at everyman prices.

If you’ve been with us here at Wine Time TV.net since the beginning, then you already know that I on occasion like to share the wealth of my worldly wine exploits. Or simply put, I like to brag about scoring killer wines at awesome prices.

Today I was blessed with another bottle of 2007 Toscana Rosso. A soft and fruity Italian wine with a tinge of tang to it. Sparkling rich in color and a friendly nose, this wine has a certain neutrality to it that I imagine it could easily appeal to those who don’t really dig red wine and those who do, will appreciate it’s taste and respect it’s origins.

Oh, and did I mention it costs a mere €1.99 a bottle? Wine on.

Thanks for reading.

This year for Christmas I got a pretty cool hourglass wine decanter. And though I am no daily drinker of red wine, I can certainly taste the difference a little breath of fresh air makes. Usually I would just set an open bottle of red wine on the counter for a little while before finally drinking it. However, after having used a wine decanter, I’m hooked. Just when I thought swirling and sniffing were cool enough, now there’s something else I can do before finally drinking the damn goodness! I have decided that I will never go back to the old ways again and if there’s no decanter around, I’m having a beer.


Here’s a breakdown of what heck a decanter is and does; A vessel, often made out of glass or lead crystal which is used to separate sediment from another vessel of liquid, for example a bottle of red wine. In this separation process, the sediment is left in a small amount of liquid in the original vessel, and the clear/clean liquid remains in the decanter.


Decanting red wine, however, serves another important purpose besides the whole sediment separation bit and that is to oxygenate the wine. All the Winos I know call it Aeration so I’m rolling with that. Whereas every body outside of the Wine Blogosphere would likely call the process of adding oxygen to a liquid, Oxygenation. Whatever. I trust you’ll make the right choice.


Why do this in the first place, you ask? Well, pretend you did. Why are you so difficult? Since Wine has been sealed in a vacuumed bottle for years, its body and shape are compressed to some extent. Oxygenating wine opens it up by expanding it with air. That breath of fresh air takes the edge off and enhances the aromas and bouquet. Or not. Some Wine experts will disagree with Aeration completely but they’re not cool anyway, so let’s not even talk about them. We’re the boss of us and we say Aeration rocks!


Okay, back to business. Decanting an old bottle of wine is quite simple if you keep in mind two steps. Firstly, it is important to stand the bottle of wine up for several hours to allow the sediment to settle to the bottom of the bottle. Why so long?! Because the big chunks of sediment will settle to the bottle quite quickly, however the finer sediment will take much longer silly.


Here’s how; In a well lit room slowly begin to pour the wine into your awesome decanter. If your decanter’s not awesome, drink beer. Once you have roughly one third left in the bottle have a look at the neck of the bottle for the sediment. Continue but once you begin to see sediment in the neck of the bottle, stop pouring. The wine in your decanter should now be sediment free. If it isn’t it’s because you’re not very good at it. Practice makes perfect and it’s fun! Practice!


Some people say that it is not necessary to decant your everyday bottle of red wine. While this might be true, other people say there’s certainly no harm in it. I think those two groups should meet and duke it out sometime. I’m the kind of Wino that wants clarity. I need answers! LOL! Anyway, with your Average-Joe-Wine, there might not be as much sediment in the bottle to separate or any at all, but the aeration will still likely enhance the flavor and aromas favorably and besides all that, you need the practice going from bottle to Decanter. The easiest wine to decant will be your young bottles of wine sine the goal is to have as much of the wine come in contact with oxygen as possible. Just pour it in so it splashes a lot in the Decanter. Make sure you’ve got that new white Silk shirt on you got for Christmas! Finally, let the decanter sit for a moment to rest before serving. All that splashing about is tiring.

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading.

One thing I’ve learned about drinking wine is to ultimately trust your own taste buds, no matter what any Wine Pro attempts to tell you otherwise.

I’m famous for being in a setting where we’re all drinking a vintage that is supposed to be of exceptional taste and quality and I’m the one thinking, “Hm, this wine sucks…” whereas the others around me are seemingly orgasmic while drinking. Then I have to think, what’s MY problem anyway? “Did I just brush my teeth or something?” Is that why this glass doesn’t appeal to me?

Whatever the case, there is no WRONG in wine tasting, just differences of opinions. So with that in mind, I offer this general advice when it comes to Pairing your wine with a meal. Though many will agree with these generalities (even some Pros), it matters not to me as it’s my formula that I’ve found works for my tastes so far. Maybe it appeals to yours as well?

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Starters

If you are considering fresh salads of somekind, the appropriate wine may be a Sauvignon Blanc.

However, if you are serving cheese, the best company could be a Merlot. Works great with a cheese fondue as well. Been there, done that!

For pizzas, cold cuts or snacks in general, a great choice is a Rosé since they tend to be on the lighter side of the Winosphere.

Main Course

A general good choice for a main course, particularly when it is an important dish, a great wine would be a Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s an awesome ‘all around’, pair-able and certainly drinkable wine to have in the house at any time and for just about any occasion.

But, if the main course includes sour dishes such as seafood, then put your money where the Sauvignon Blanc is and I’ll bet you’ll have a perfect match!

Nonetheless, if you’re serving a red meat dish, you could stretch a bit from the norm and

surprise your guests with a nice Malbec wine. I recently went for an Argentinean vintage from a winemaker I met while producing their Ad spot for Wine Time TV. They gave me a few bottles as payment and I certainly couldn’t complain. Pretty sweet deal!

As any Wino would agree, there’s sort of a standard rule when it comes to fish as a main dish. White wines are the ticket in that department and I definitely agree. So far in my limited Wino-ramma lifestyle, I have to say there’s nothing better than a nice buttery Chardonnay. Then again, if it’s a greasy fish dish (say that 10 times fast…I dare you!) try a dry one on for size. Hm, that whole paragraph seems like it belongs in a Rap song. See what I mean?

Alternately, If you don’t like white wine at all, besides being weird you can also pair fish with a nice Pinot Noir. No worries, no one will think any less of you. If they do, their snobs and you shouldn’t be hanging out with them in the first place; Let alone cooking them dinner!

Lastly, spicy dishes can sometimes be tricky. I’m going to suggest a Syrah simply because I can’t think of anything better. I’ve had the experience and was quite pleased with the result. The only problem I found is, Syrah vintages aren’t often available in your basic shopping location. Maybe you’ll have to go to a real wine seller. Maybe not.

Desserts

Taking into account that desserts themselves are sweet, it’s a logical pairing point to go for a sweet wine as well. Any other choice of wine can and will likely be succumbed by the desserts sweetness. Does that make sense? Admittedly, I’m totally NOT a dessert dude so I have little to offer on this point. However, my friend the Internet suggests a Chenin Blanc, which is a white wine grape variety from the Loire valley of France and as we all know those Frenchies sure can make pretty happening desserts! If I’m wrong, blame the Internet.

Happy pairing and thanks for reading.

Talk about a ghost of Christmas past. That was my first thought when I went into the cellar to pull out a bottle of red to go along with our take-out pizza the other night. This Christmas apparition, a 1996 Sterling Merlot, was still dressed in the gold ribbon it wore when it arrived at Club Loco back in the late 90s. It was dustier than I remembered.

Over the past decade, I’ve often thought of Merlot as a wine cliche, much like White Zinfandel was to the 80s. Like aphids among the vines, bottles of Merlot started to pop up everywhere. They appeared at weddings and restaurants and especially at our house during dinner parties and holidays as they arrived with guests eager to spread good cheer. Where there’s a party, there’s Merlot.

Eager to jump on the wine train, I poured and drank, and poured again. This went on for years. I just didn’t like it and I gave up. You can lead a girl to the tasting room but you can’t make her drink.

I tried to figure out what the big attraction was. I was left with the belief that it had to be the cool name. After all, it really sounds chic to say, “I’ll have a glass of Merlot.” Leaving that “t” off of the end makes the coolness official combined with the fact that Cabernet Sauvignon is a bit difficult to roll off your tongue after you’ve had a few glasses of it.

As a result, years have passed since my last taste of Merlot. That is, until this past Saturday night rolled around. You see, I really hate to go against the grape. In addition to my conformist tendencies, I have embarked on a recent journey to revisit wine that I have decided I don’t like. After all, tastes change, right? I was off to test the vintage.

Back to the 96 Sterling Merlot. I grabbed my favorite bottle opener and attempted to open it up. The cork broke. The first aphid in the grape pulp. With some assistance, I was able to remove the cork without any further incident and the wine made it into my favorite, stemless tasting glass.

If you look carefully, you can see the “ghost” in the wine.

I sniffed and swirled. Not bad. I liked the color, a deep garnet. The aroma was earthy and rich with a small bite but nothing discouraging.

I tasted. Better yet. I was greeted by a spicy and flavorful wine that had plenty of fruit and a punch of cedar. Ok. It was downright pleasant.

I’m not going to whine over spilt Merlot and will stand by my assessments of the other Merlots I have tried. They do pale in comparison to the 96 Sterling. As a result, I now find myself with even more of a dilemma.

Do I like Merlot after all? Is my new found affection exclusive to the 14- year-old bottle from Sterling Vineyards? I guess only time will tell. In the mean time, I will, once again, take my hat off to Sterling Vineyards. You really knocked this Merlot out of the Valley.

Barrel 27 Wine Company

This weekend our mission was clear: navigating grey skies and a slippery highway with the ultimate intention of pleasing our palates. Cautiously traipsing through the torrential downpour hammering San Luis Obispo County, a fellow wino and foodie friend and I arrived safely at our Paso Robles destination. Rain-spattered, we slogged our way through the parking lot of an industrial center to the home of Barrel 27 Wine Company, welcomed by blustery winds and the pungent scent of fermenting grapes emanating from 800 barrels of their ageing wine.

Entering the tasting room, beset by a high backdrop of round wooden vats, one of Barrel 27’s partners, Jason Carter, soon greeted us in the cool 56?F cellar atmosphere. Over the course of the next hour, not only did he guide us through a flight of several lovely wines, but also graciously allowed us to explore their barrel room, adorned with stainless steel fermentation tanks and splendid French oak casks stacked loftily to the ceiling. Our expectations for their wine already high (as we had both recently stumbled upon some of Barrel 27’s well-balanced creations), we earnestly sipped, swirled and unlocked the nuances of more of their fragrant wines.

Some of the highlights included their beautiful white Rhone blend, 2008 High on the Hog ($15), a balanced blend of creamy Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Roussane, and splash of Marsanne. Possessing a light golden touch and fresh floral and citrus nose, this silky white left splendid traces of honey and lemon zest, and finished with a hint of mineral essence. Their caramel-blushed 2005 Central Coast Rosé of Syrah ($13) exuded light berry aromas. Our first sip produced a dense acid feel, soon toning down to allow the spicy layers to unfold. Smoky orange and berry undertones brought this food friendly wine to a balanced close.

Our next splash brought us their 2007 Rock and a Hard Place Grenache ($23). With captivating fresh garnet and violet affects and a dense blueberry nose, the flavors changed as our hands warmed up the glasses in this cellar-like temperature. Alluring notes of chocolate, blueberry, and charcoal warmed our palates, leaving a rich finish of orange rind and citrus. Their complex 2006 Right Hand Man, Central Coast Syrah ($18), exuded a deep, luscious plum tone and wafted of dried cherries. Possessing smooth notes of toasted vanilla, plums, currants and mocha, their signature wine left a light peppery and raspberry finish.

The nuances of their 2007 Hand Over Fist ($30), a sophisticated Rhone-style blend of 52% Syrah, 29% Grenache, and 19% Mourvedre, resulted in a beautiful shade of intense black plums, with a light jammy nose hinting of lavender and plum. This lovely fruit medley boasted currants, cherries, orange and chocolate, with a lasting mineral finish. This new release of their first Rhone-style blend proved dense and bold. Their 2006 Bull by the Horns ($32) also attested to Barrel 27’s ability to construct unified, intense blends. This concoction of well-tamed Petite Verdot, Syrah, and Tempranillo grabbed us with its concentrated dark cherry tones, its spicy nose of currants and cocoa, and its perfectly blended layers of chocolate, blueberry, cloves, and vanilla yet peppery finish.
At the end of the day, my fellow wino (who happens to be a former Southern Wine and Spirits executive and has been involved in the wine industry for twenty years) declared Barrel 27’s wines stunning. I couldn’t agree more. In spite of the ghastly weather and feeling stuck between a rock and hard place, we found our right hand man, sipped hand over fist, rode high on the hog, grabbed the bull by the horns and discovered more outstanding well-crafted SLO County wines. Mission accomplished.

Visit http://barrel27.com for more information about their own mission.