Learn About Wine Blog

Australia the trip. It was almost a year ago that I was able to take my first trip to Australia, time flies doesn’t it?  I think we all need to think about the most meaningful things we have ever done, and do more of it!  Personally I can connect most of the meaningful moments with the great vacations I have been blessed to take in my life.   France, Italy, South Africa, Spain…. In that order … These four trips take up huge blocks of space in my “favorite memories of all time file.”   Australia was my most recent, and perhaps my most life changing and I want to share a few great moments.

Places I went to in Australia:

• Sydney (Harbor, Opera House & Bondi Beach!)
• South Australia (Adelaide & Kangaroo Island)
• Wine Regions I visited (Barossa Valley, Claire Valley, McLaren Vale)
• Gold Coast (surfer’s paradise!)
• Byron Bay (amazing ocean community – a must!)
• Brisbane (Australia Zoo)

The Flight

Honestly, flying has become of my favorite things.  When do you ever get to sit still, chill out with a great beverage, read, and sleep, watch TV, and make progress at the same time?   The flight is non-stop to Australia – and it’s only about 13 hours.   Qantas is famous for their service, their clean planes and their beautiful staff.    It’s a totally comfortable flight. You get about 200 movies & TV programs on-demand at no additional cost! All seats are fitted with their own personal entertainment system which makes the ride very entertaining. I was also quite surprised that on the flight they give you a menu to choose your meals! This is for all classes – Economy & Business – and includes unlimited wine & beer! I tasted a nice selection of Aussie wines before I even landed…

Sydney

Most destinations have an iconic city, and Sydney is no exception.  The waterfront, the bridge, the opera house – you have seen all of these on TV.   But did you know how clean the city is?  How European the feel is?   How international it is – I was very impressed and I loved eating in Sydney – there are restaurants everywhere and the seafood maybe the best I have ever had anywhere in the world.

Right: Torbeck, Center: Desk at D’Arenberg Left: Ralph Hassock, Life is a Cabernet (driver/wine expert)

Wine Country – when we say wine country in California, we have visions of vineyards in Napa, Santa Barbara, Paso Robles – right?  When you say wine country in Australia – you mean an entire country of wine!  Grapes vs. People – Australia makes 20 x’s the wine than the population can drink!  That is a lot of vineyard country!

The Food

Picturesque settings are typically accompanied by a great restaurant either in or associated with the wine industry.  Remember the population is very small,  so the restaurants are very important places and really top notch.  Pictured left – ICEBERGS – what a view and the food was divine.  Right:  The menu from “Star of Greece” in the south of Australia on the ocean – amazing!

To me, Australia seemed so far away that it didn’t make my top 5 first places to go and I think that is probably the case for most Americans.  When I did some research though, I found out that most American’s have never even left the State they were born in or perhaps have never left the US.  To me, that is sad because the world is huge, diverse and majestic and the people, the food, the wine, the history, the architecture, the air, the water, the ocean, the wildlife are so breathtaking – seeking to see and experience the world is the definition of living to me.

Thinking of traveling to the land down under?  If you are a LearnAboutWine member, you can do it in style!  Members that book travel on Qantas Vacations before February 28, 2009 will get personalized wine travel assistance, using all of LearnAboutWine contacts, friends and connections to get the best wine tasting.Yes you can afford it – you can’t afford not to go actually – it may be cheaper to go than to stay here!   The dollar is twice as strong right now, everything is 50% off – you will live longer if you take a vacation – you will be wiser – more employable and you may come back with a entire new vision on life and new ideas for your future…. Can you afford not to go?

New Member Benefit:   If you’re a member of LearnAboutWine.com, we have a new program with Qantas Vacations!  Book a trip with Qantas Vacations before Feb 28th (any trip) and you will get a $200.00 LearnAboutWine Gift Certificates, plus we will help organize your visit to wine country and set up a bunch of visits at top wineries and restaurants. Click here to see a few of the deals that Qantas put together for us

“Do you come from a land down under?
Where women glow and men plunder?
Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover.”

My top ten values for 2008 – the top ten wines under twenty dollars:

1. Palacios “Petalos” Bierzo, Spain 2006 $18.99

 2. Valle Reale “Vigne Nuove” Montepulciano D’ Abruzzo, Italy 2007 $9.99

 3. Nora, Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain 2007 $13.99

 4. Argiolas, “Costamolino” Vermentino Di Sardegna, Italy 2007 $11.99

 5. Tilia, Mendoza, Argentina 2007 $7.99

 6. Paitin “Serra” Barbera D’Alba, Piedmonte 2007 $14.99

 7. La Fenetre/A Cote, Pinot Noir, Cedar Lane, Arroyo Seco 2007 $19.99

 8. Loosen Brothers “Dr. L” Mosel, Germany 2007 $8.99

 9. Avalon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2006 $9.99

 10. Domaine Les Grands Bois, “Les Trois Soeurs” Cotes Du Rhone, France 2007 $10.99

Here is the list of wines the class tasted

GERMAN RIESLING 2007 – The streak of impressive wines continues

Loosen Brothers “Dr. L” Mosel, Germany 2007  $8.99

Leitz, Riesling, Rudesheimer Drachenstein, Rheingau, 2007   $15.99

SPAIN AND ITALY – simple White wines are so amazing from the old world

Nora, Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain 2007 $13.99

Argiolas, “Costamolino” Vermentino Di Sardegna, 2007 $11.99

SAUVIGNON BLANC – quality going up!

Mulderbosch, Sauv Blanc, Stellenbosh, South Africa 2006   $15.99

Benziger, Sauvignon Blanc, North Coast 2006   $14.99

PINOT NOIR – what a year!

La Fenetre/A Cote, Pinot Noir, Cedar Lane, Arroyo Seco 2007  $19.99

COTE DU RHONE 2007 – Another great year

Saint Cosme, Cotes-Du-Rhone, Rhone Valley 2007   $10.99

Domaine Les Grands Bois, Cotes Du Rhone “Les Trois Soeurs” $10.99

ITALIAN REDS of VALUE

Valle Reale “Vigne Nuove” Montepulciano D’ Abruzzo 2007 $9.99

Paitin “Serra” Barbera D’Alba, Piedmonte 2007 $14.99

ARGENTINA – Always a great wine for the money

Felino Vina Cobos, Malbec, Mendoza 2007 (by Paul Hobbs) 17.99

Altocedro, Malbec, Mendoza 2007 18.99

Terrazas de los Andes, Malbec, Mendoza 2006 18.99

SPANISH RED VALUES – hard to narrow down this to just a few:

ALTOS Del Duraton, Castilla y Leon, 2005 $9.99

Palacios “Petalos” Bierzo 2006 $18.99

Cabernet – Becoming a value

Avalon, Napa Valley, 2006  $9.99

Tilia, Mendoza, Argentina, 2007 $7.99

Here is the list selected by the participants in the class:

1. Palacios “Petalos” Bierzo, Spain 2006       $18.99

2. Paitin “Serra” Barbera D’Alba, Piedmonte 2007  $14.99

3. La Fenetre/A Cote, Pinot Noir, Cedar Lane, Arroyo Seco 2007 $19.99

4. Valle Reale “Vigne Nuove” Montepulciano D’ Abruzzo, Italy 2007 $9.99

5. Avalon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2006  $9.99

6. Altocedro, Malbec, Mendoza 2007           $18.99

7. Loosen Brothers “Dr. L” Mosel, Germany 2007   $8.99

8. Terrazas de los Andes, Malbec, Mendoza 2006   $18.99

9. Altos Del Duraton, Castilla y Leon, Spain 2005   $9.99

10. Mulderbosch, Sauv Blanc, Stellenbosh, South Africa 2006  $15.99

Port requires some appreciation and the cool weather helps remind us to “drink more port!”

Rules – ABC’s – and the “10 things to Learn About Wine of Oporto”

1.  Port can now only come from Portugal, the region of Oporto is on the Douro River Valley of Portugal.

2.  Cabernet Port, Napa Port and Zinfandel Port are “styles” and not location based names.

3.  Vintage Port only occurs during the best vintages (1960, 63, 66, 70, 75, 77, 83, 85, 91/92, 94, 97, 00, 03, and 2005).

4.  Never have more than 3 vintages been declared in a single decade (that is threatened in the current decade) and never have back to back vintages ever been declared “universally” in Portugal.

5.  Port wine is fortified by the addition of a spirit to 20% alcohol – leaving the ripeness and sweetness.

6.  Vintage Port is made for long term “bottle aging” and represents the legacy of a winemaker (pressure is on!).  A minimum of 10 years is recommended for a nice mature wine experience (and ideally 20 or more!), but drinking young vintage port can be fun until it shuts down and asks for cellaring (about 4-5 years after vintage).

7.  Tawny Port is barrel aged and blended to create wines that are characterized in age styles – 10 year, 20 year, 30 year and 40 year.

8.  Single vintage barrel aged wines are called “Coheitas” (sadly, not very common)

9.  LBV – Late Bottle Vintage and branded house style ports – (Fonseca “Bin 27,” Grahams “Six Grape,” Warres “Warrior”) are made to be drank now and use a Non Vintage approach to blending, much like the Champangne region – crafting house styles from reserves and proper blending.

10.  Port is not made for a cigar, port is made for drinking and conversation.  It is healthy for the body to finish a meal with a glass of port, and it is healthy for the mind to continue conversation until your point is made clear or the person your trying to convince succums to superior worldly charm, enhanced of course by a nice glass of port.

Suggested foods

Vintage or Ruby – Chocolate and cheese, especially a nice blue veined cheese.

Tawny – Fruit pies like Pumpkin, Apple tarts, Carmel desserts, and ripe Cheeses

Questions

What is the most important grape used to make port wine?

What is the name of the liquor added to fortify port wine?

What else would you like to know about port?

Come back and see the answers and responses soon…. or visit our special class on Port – this Saturday 12/20 in Orange County California, or Sunday 12/21 in Los Angeles.

For information visit our calendar at www.learnaboutwine.com- Learn About Wine – The Source for Wine Education and Events.

LearnAboutWine has a new website and a new partnership with Sub Zero Wolf.  Ian Blackburn, Founder of LearnAboutWine says “Our products are perfectly complimentary, what could be better than to expose our 18,000 quality subscribers to the best in entertaining.”   “I couldn’t have picked a better partnership or fit and am very thankful they agreed.”  I do not think our subscribers are going to mind being surrounded by the best and we hope to take our relationship with SUB ZERO WOLF to the highest level of interactive event relations …. LearnAboutWine plans to feature SUB ZERO wine refrigeration in the LOFT218 and to provide clients with options and education on wine refrigeration.

LearnAboutWine is the source for wine education and events and now is your personal source for wine refrigeration, wine cellar consulting, and other wine related services.  Look for more information on the website in the weeks and months to come.  For more information on becoming a partner with LearnAboutWine, email info@learnaboutwine.com.

Wine Credentials – are they necessary?  Not for the casual wine novice, no.  However, for those of us that want cross over from wine drinker to wine thinker, there are only a few quality programs to choose from.  For those in the trade, there are a few more options to consider, but in general the options are:  price, location, frequency, reputation, and most importantly perspective.

I have attended & tested for many of the credential programs.  None of them are perfect – but most of them are good to very good at advancing wines greater cause.   One thing to consider is that most of them are written with a perspective and focus that is not aligned with the California Wine Drinker.  In fact, I am currently a student in the Master of Wine program out of London, seeking to test in 2010, and I am being taught not only about wine, but wine from an English perspective, something to consider.

Learn About Wine created LAW School our 4-week credential program, not only because it answers a need in the market, but gives California wine consumers and trade an option that might be more properly suited for this time and place.  The California wine consumer looks at the world from a California perspective.  We have been raised on California wines and compare and contrast California wine with the rest of the world – that is a very important criteria and consideration when selecting a wine education. This does not mean that LAW School thinks California wines are the best, nor does it mean that our wine school doesn’t do a very thorough job of presenting the rest of the wine world.  It does mean that we appreciate California’s place in the wine market and give it a proper time and merit – which I can say from firsthand knowledge – is missing in many of the other programs.

LAW School answers the need for consumers to get more grounded, more information, less pretension, more involved – and more excited.  LAW School also works well for Trade that want to grow quickly in the hospitality field and excel.  Why does our program work well?  Quality teaching, quality wine, a top notch text book, solid wine information that is not dumbed down, no large over marketed brands influencing the education,  real tasting, fair testing method that is complete, comprehensive and not about memorization, a low student to teacher headcount and apparently great cheese helps as well.

LAW School begins January 11th and/or 12th (Sunday’s and/or Monday’s – 4-weeks in January) – our students can move their dates back and forth to accommodate our busy Southern California social calendars.  LAW School makes a great gift – and we can arrange to have the fantastic text book gift wrapped and sent to you.  To learn more about LAW School or to Sign up – click here.