The barrel room at Culinary Institute of America (CIA) Greystone is filled with merchants, vintners, press, guests and one woman in an impossibly blue dress wearing leopard wedge-heeled shoes. Everyone’s here to taste the 200 auction lots for the Premiere Napa Valley wine auction. Not all of the wineries in the Valley can participate and some partnerships have formed to produce auction lots. You can blindside your palate by trying to taste all of the auction lots on Saturday morning. However, some vintners produce tasting events the day before. The Spring Mountain appellation vintners did a group tasting at the Spring Mountain winery. The host vineyard’s auction lot was a 100 percent Petit Verdot, which vineyard manager Ron Rosenbrand said is “something we’re proud of.” Continue Reading »
The Pacific Northwest offers beer lovers so many things; exceptional beer bars, brewpubs, breweries, and what I think is the coolest beer store ever, 99 Bottles. When you walk through the door you are greeted by a warm staff and a chilly room filled with over 900 different beers. Using traditional coolers for some of the beer and keeping the rest of the store at a cool 64-65 degrees assures that all of your purchases have been maintained with the utmost care. Continue Reading »
You can find beer festivals all across America from small town gatherings to those large enough to be held in convention centers. As craft beer becomes more available and more understood people want to experience what American beer culture is all about. Continue Reading »
The Symposium for Professional Wine Writers packed off to the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone for the second day of activities. The morning was occupied by discussions of readable wine writing from Frank Prial, the pioneering wine writer at the New York Times and the impact of climate change on global wine styles. Lastly, a discussion of how great topics gestate. Corie Brown, who recently parachuted out of the sinking Los Angeles Times, said she never had a passion for The Great Wine Tasting Experience, but found stories at events such as auctions and the people who were there. She also reminded all present that they were not the story. Continue Reading »
Now in its second year Savor is the ultimate craft beer and food pairing event. This years one night tasting will include 120 craft beers from 65 breweries paired with over 35 different appetizers. One of the best aspects of this event is the opportunity to meet and discuss beer with the brewers responsible for crafting such incredible beverages. It’s the knowledge of these brewers and their ability to communicate the passion they have for their creations that will make this evening unforgettable. Continue Reading »
Chris LaPierre, the head brewer at Iron Hills, has brought over 15 of the finest craft brewers together for the annual Belgian style tasting event at their West Chester, PN location. Not only will attendees have the opportunity to try some of the best Belgian style ales coming from American brewers, but the brewers themselves will be in attendance. This is an opportunity for those new to this style to question the brewers about what makes Belgian style ales so popular with brewers and consumers alike, and for the old-schoolers to drink in the flavors they love so much. For more information visit the Iron Hill Brewery website.
Gary Vaynerchuk appeared on the CBS Early Show to taste some wine with Harry Smith and talk about holiday wines. Gary doesn’t pull punches regarding pinot grigio, and has some ripping saxophone Christmas music in the background. Check it out. Continue Reading »
I am pleased to announce that we’ve made a great philosophical discovery here at the “Mutineer Institute to Try and Drink Good” (MITTADG). OK, there is no MITTADG, but if there was, this is exactly the kind of topics they would be tackling. Also, I’m sure I’m not the first person to ponder the question of what the difference between tasting and drinking is. Continue Reading »
