by The Wine Harlot on January 25, 2012
“Being naked approaches being revolutionary; going barefoot is mere populism.” — John Updike
“Facts which at first seem improbable will, even on scant explanation, drop the cloak which has hidden them and stand forth in naked and simple beauty.” — Galileo Galilei
Naked? On the rocks? If that’s how you like it, Mer Soleil Silver Unoaked Chardonnay is your wine. This chardonnay never sees a day in an oak barrel (i.e. “naked”) instead it’s fermented in cement to retain the essence of the chardonnay grape. The color is pale golden with a tinge of green with clear clean flavors of citrus, green apple and melon poured over river rock on a spring day. The perfect pairing is a warm winter salad of Jerusalem Artichokes, Bacon & Radicchio. The music match is “Naked” by Anoushka Shankar from the album Rise.
The details: 14.8% alcohol. Cork closure. Appellation: Santa Lucia Highlands. Varietal: chardonnay. Packaged in an opaque ceramic vessel instead of a glass bottle. Actual retail ranges from $24-30 depending on your jurisdiction. This was a sample kindly provided by the Wagner Family of Wine.
by The Wine Harlot on January 24, 2012
“It takes a little courage, and a little self-control. And some grim determination, If you want to reach the goal. It takes a great deal of striving, and a firm and stern-set chin. No matter what the battle, if you really want to win, there’s no easy path to glory. There is no road to fame. Life, however we may view it, Is no simple parlor game; But its prizes call for fighting, For endurance and for grit; For a rugged disposition that will not quit.” — Navy SEAL Masterchief
“The only good luck many great men ever had was being born with the ability and determination to overcome bad luck.” — Channing Pollock
American’s are known for determination, drive, work-ethic. Sticking it out in the face of impossible odds. Grittiness. How the West was won. True grit. Parducci celebrates and honors the American spirit in every bottle Parducci True Grit Petite Sirah. Petite sirah is an underappricated grape, but it’s a perfect metaphor: heady, brash, exuberant, rough around the edges, but with plenty of heart and determination. A little “in your face” in it’s youth, but mellows with age and experience. The aromas envelope your senses with lush fruit, with flavors of warm blackberries and vanilla with a kick of spicy pepper. The perfect pairing is Cowboy Steak. The music match is the Bruce Springsteen album The Ghost of Tom Joad. Drink True Grit. Show the rest of the world what you’re made of.
The details: 14.5% alcohol. Cork closure. Appellation: Mendocino. Grapes: petite sirah 88%, syrah 12%. Suggested retail $20 USD and available directly from Parducci or select retailers. This was a media sample generously provided by the winery.
by The Wine Harlot on January 23, 2012
“The dragons begin to speak.
Ying and Yang are commingled.”
The Yuan Kien Lei Han
Welcome the Dragon! Today is the first day of Year of the Dragon, which is considered the luckiest year in the Chinese zodiac. Wine Harlots were born in the year of the Dragon, so this year portends to be an auspicious year. (Yes, stop doing the basic math in your head. That’s right. Twenty-three years old.) Wine Harlots are lucky. (Sometimes we think we’re born under a dark star, but in truth, L-U-C-K-Y.) We have the privilege of quaffing the inaugural release of Iron Horse Chinese Cuvée 2007, a prestige cuvée of a 1,000 cases, with 880 cases being exported to China, with 120 cases available domestically in the USA. Did I say lucky?
The cuvée was created to celebrate the Chinese New Year, and there are plans to be an annual vintage. Iron Horse is looking fondly to 2014 – the Year of the Horse. But back to the Dragon. The bottle is compelling with a bright green glass with a golden label with a red capsule and accents, the colors of the Chinese flag, on the neck, a fan with the Chinese character for dragon. The dosage was designed to marry with the spiciness and complexity of flavors in Chinese cooking. It’s elegant with zesty notes of lemon, lime and tangerine with an alluring spiciness that will complement Chinese and Asian cuisines beautifully. Or pour flutes to welcome your guests to your New Year’s celebration.
The Chinese importer is Jaguar Wines, Inc., who is focusing on importing quality wines from France and the United States, approached Iron Horse last year because of the reputation created when the Clintons served Iron Horse at the State Dinner for President Jiang Zemin at the White House in 1997.
The details: 13.5% alcohol. Traditional cork closure. Appellation: GreenValley (in the Russian River Valley in Sonoma). Grapes: pinot noir 75% and chardonnay 25%. Disgorged December 2011. Suggested retail: $98 USD available directly from Iron Horse Vineyards. (If you can score a bottle, it would very auspicious.) This was a media sample kindly and generously provided by the winery.
Wine Harlots wish you a sparkling happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. May your glass be filled with Iron Horse and never be empty. 干杯
by The Wine Harlot on January 23, 2012
A nice red might be what the doctor ordered. It is generally accepted that alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer in women. But a Cedars Sinai study suggests that moderate red wine drinking may aid in reducing women’s breast cancer risk. The study will be published in the April 2012 edition of the Journal of Woman’s Health, titled Red Versus White Wine as a Nutritional Aromatase Inhibitor in Premenopausal Women, challenges the widely-held belief that all types of alcohol consumption heighten the risk of developing breast cancer. Doctors long have determined that alcohol increases the body’s estrogen levels, fostering the growth of cancer cells. However there have been numerous studies that have identified several chemoprotective chemicals in wine, including isoflavone phytoestrogens, flavones, and procyanidin B dimers which seem to provide protection against cancer cells and may ameliorate the elevated breast cancer risk associated with alcohol intake.
The Cedars-Sinai study found that chemicals in the skins and seeds of red grapes slightly lowered estrogen levels while elevating testosterone among premenopausal women who drank eight ounces of red wine nightly for about a month. Researchers called their findings encouraging, saying women who occasionally drink alcohol might want to reassess their choices. “If you were to have a glass of wine with dinner, you may want to consider a glass of red,” said Chrisandra Shufelt, MD, assistant director of the Women’s Heart Center at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and one of the study’s co-authors. “Switching may shift your risk.” Shufelt noted that breast cancer is the leading type of women’s cancer in the U.S., accounting for more than 230,000 new cases last year, or 30 percent of all female cancer diagnoses. An estimated 39,000 women died from the disease in 2011, according to the American Cancer Society.
Further studies need to be conducted. If you don’t drink, Wine Harlots aren’t suggesting you start, but if you’re hankering for a glass of vino, check with your medical professional, a glass of red wine might be just what the doctor orders.
by The Wine Harlot on January 22, 2012
“If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.” — Abraham Lincoln
Blonde on Bland.
by The Wine Harlot on January 22, 2012
Street in Vétheuil in Winter by Claude Monet (1879)
oil on canvas
in the permanent collection at the Göteborg Museum of Art in Götaplatsen, Gothenburg, Sweden
