As with most things in life, even those things we love, drinking wine can become routine, ho hum. Sure you may enjoy a good bottle here and there, have fun at a winery, or try a new varietal to keep things interesting. But then, out of nowhere, BAM!, a wine experience comes along that really gets your attention and reminds you why you spend so much time thinking about, reading about, and researching (aka drinking) this special juice. Recently, I had a “BAM!” experience with a bottle of 1995 Columbia Crest Reserve Ice Wine.

Years ago during a visit to the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada, I was introduced to ice wine. It is yummy stuff! Shortly after returning home, I was visiting Chateau Ste. Michelle in nearby Woodinville, Washington, and found this Columbia Crest Ice Wine for sale in the shop. Both Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Crest are owned by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. I quickly snatched up a bottle. I took it home, added it to my cellar, and waited for a special occasion to try this Washington State ice wine. [Note: The U.S. does not have the same strict rules for ice wine production as Canada but that’s a topic for another day.] As happens far too often, I wait and wait for a special occasion and end up waiting too long. With wine, that is very dangerous since there is a finite window within which you should ideally consume it. According to Vinfolio, the cellar-tracking program that I use, I should have drunk this 1995 Ice Wine by 1998. Whoops! I was still waiting for that perfect occasion to open it in 2008, knowing full well that it was probably vinegar by now.

Recently, we had our good friends Mikelle and Jon over for dinner. After enjoying a chicken enchilada dinner and lemon cake for dessert, we were in the mood for an after dinner drink. I headed to the wine cabinet for a dessert wine. Knowing that my precious Ice Wine had probably gone bad, I decided to finally open it, fully expecting to pour it down the drain. But, lo and behold, BAM! Ten years later, it was excellent!

1995 Columbia Crest Reserve Ice Wine (Columbia Valley, WA): Grape: White Riesling. Beautiful amber color. Apricot, honey, and caramel aromas lead to flavors of apricots, honey, butterscotch, pear cider, and crème brulee on the palate. Incredibly smooth. Well-balanced with a long finish. Remarkably fresh and crisp for its age.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Winery, $15 [375ml]; Vickers’ Wine On-line (Rhode Island), $22.99 [375ml]

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is phylloxera.

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Phylloxera. This small yellow root-feeding aphid has probably had a more damaging impact on wine production than any other vine pest, or any vine disease. It attacks only grapevines, and kills vines by attacking their roots. For many years after it first invaded Europe there was no known cure.

The effects of phylloxera were first noted in France in 1863…. The phylloxera louse was an unwelcome import from America which devastated European vineyards until appropriate control measures were found. …. Phylloxera invasion had a major social and economic impact, involving national governments and local committees, and requiring international scientific collaboration. For a while the very existence of the French wine industry was threatened. ….

Phylloxera is now widespread around the world, having been found in California (1873), Portugal (1871), Turkey (1871), Austria (1872), Switzerland (1874), Italy (1875), Australia (1877), Spain (1878), Algeria (1885), South Africa (1885), New Zealand (1885), and Greece (1898).

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Phylloxera is one bad bug. It is actually a root louse that attacks the roots of grapevines. It originated in America but has spread around the world, devastating numerous wine regions.

Our host for the December edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday, the blogosphere’s monthly virtual wine tasting event, is Tim Lemke of Cheap Wine Ratings. Tim selected Value Reds from Chile as the theme with these parameters, “The rules are any red wine from Chile for $20 or less. If you can find a really good one for closer to $10, better yet.” Given the premise of Tim’s blog, we chose to go the cheaper route. We selected two under $10 Chilean Cabernet Sauvignons.

“Chilean winemakers have been developing a distinct style for their Cabernet Sauvignon, producing an easy drinking wine with soft tannins….” –Wikipedia

While other varietals are starting to come on the scene, Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely king in Chile. Chile has been producing wine since the mid-1800s when Europeans brought vinifera grape varieties from Bordeaux. Thankfully this was before the phylloxera and powdery mildew outbreaks in Europe so Chile boasts some very precious European vine cuttings that avoided the plague.

The first bottle that I selected was the 2006 Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon from the Colchagua Valley of Chile. I was intrigued by this wine because Los Vascos is owned by Domaines Baron de Rothschild of France (of Lafite Rothschild fame). I was curious to see what an $8 bottle of wine from a company known for their $300 bottles would taste like. While it is a decent sipper, it certainly bears no resemblance to its more prestigious cousin.

Since we at Wine Peeps believe in blind tasting, I wanted to find another bottle to taste against the Los Vascos. To keep the tasting fair, I wanted to find another wine from the same vintage at a similar price point. Once my choices were narrowed, I selected the 2006 Calina Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva from the Valle Central of Chile. While the Calina was better than the Los Vascos, neither knocked our socks off.

Neither of these wines was as big as most traditional Cabs. For me, that was disappointing. However, if Cabs tend to generally be too bold for you, one of these might be good to try. And for $8, what would it hurt to give it a shot?

2006 Calina Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva (Valle Central, Chile): Dark purple with dark berry aromas. Spicy and earthy. A decent sipper; not a big traditional Cab. Medium finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Pete’s Wine Shop (Bellevue), $7.49; Available elsewhere, $8 to $10

2006 Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon (Colchagua, Chile): Ruby red in color and somewhat transparent. Aromas of chili peppers and bell peppers lead to a distinctive baked cherry pie flavor on the palate. A decent sipper; not a big traditional Cab. Not very complex, not well-balanced, short finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Pete’s Wine Shop (Bellevue), $7.99; Available elsewhere, $8 to $20

After spending Thanksgiving Day in Seattle, we loaded up the car and headed to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The last time we visited wineries in the area, which was several years ago, we had not had a very pleasant experience. With the increasing notoriety that Oregon has received worldwide as a wine producing region, we decided that it was time to go back and give it another shot. I am happy to report that this trip was much more pleasant. And while Pinot Noir is still not my favorite varietal, I did find a few that I would gladly have again. In addition, I was pleased to discover that Oregon is making some other good wines as well, most notably Pinot Gris and Riesling. Wine Country Thanksgiving, held the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of Thanksgiving Weekend, is one of two annual events in the Willamette Valley, the other being Memorial Weekend. These special holiday weekend events offer the opportunity to visit some wineries that are rarely open to the public.

On Friday, we visited three wineries in the Salem area. St. Innocent Winery was our first stop. St. Innocent is located on and sources their estate fruit from Zenith Vineyard. Zenith Vineyard now makes their own wine as well, sharing a winemaker with St. Innocent. Our next stop was at Eola Hills Wine Cellars. Eola Hills makes some good wines at very reasonable prices. Our favorite Eola Hills wine was actually a Sangiovese produced with fruit from Lodi, California.

We had a busy day on Saturday in which we visited seven wineries located in the northern part of the Willamette Valley. Belle Pente Vineyard & Winery (pronounced “bell-pont”) is owned and operated by Jill and Brian O’Donnell who moved from San Jose, California, to Oregon in 1992. Their current annual production level is 4,000 to 5,000 cases. In terms of quality, Elk Cove Vineyards was our favorite winery on this trip. Founded in 1974, Elk Cove currently produces about 40,000 cases per year. Of the eight Elk Cove wines we tasted, we rated three of them at 4-star quality. The only drawback is the high prices of their reserve level Pinot Noirs which result in low QPR’s. If money is no object though and you happen across a bottle of 2005 Elk Cove Pinot Noir—Roosevelt, be sure to snatch it up. It is excellent!

Next we visited Patton Valley Vineyard. The people were extremely friendly but the wines were a bit disappointing. Our next stop was Erath Winery. Erath is a 70,000-case operation now owned by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Washington State’s largest wine company. We tasted four wines and could only recommend one of them.

Argyle Winery is located in an old restored home in Dundee. Argyle is one of the most well-respected wineries in Oregon and one of our favorites as well. You may remember that their 1997 Argyle Extended Tirage Brut recently won our Sparkling Wine tasting dinner. Of all the Pinot Noirs that we tasted on this trip, the 2006 Argyle Reserve Pinot Noir represents the highest quality and most bang-for-your-buck.

The most disappointing visit was to Duck Pond Cellars. Their customer service was severely lacking; it took forever to get helped and once we did, the lady was not very friendly. Once inside the barrel room for tasting, we were blasted by a live band playing so loud it was difficult to think, let alone discuss the wines with each other. And to top it off, the wines were not very good. Our final stop took us to Chehalem Winery. They were well-organized and had a friendly tasting staff. Our favorite of their wines was the 2007 Chehalem Reserve Dry Riesling.

All told, I’m really glad that we visited the Willamette Valley again. I have a much better perception of them now than I did from our previous visit. In addition to finally finding a few Pinots that I like and meeting some very nice people, we had fabulous weather and were able to enjoy the beautiful Oregon countryside.

Here’s a breakdown of the wines that we tasted in the Willamette Valley. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with their price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2007 Eola Hills Lodi Sangiovese, $19.95, QPR: 5
2007 Elk Cove Late Harvest Riesling, $20, QPR: 5
2007 Chehalem Reserve Dry Riesling, $21, QPR: 4
2006 Argyle Riesling, $25, QPR: 4
2006 Argyle Reserve Pinot Noir, $42.50, QPR: 4
2005 Elk Cove Pinot Noir, Roosevelt, $85, QPR: 2
2006 Elk Cove Reserve Pinot Noir, $100, QPR: 1

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2007 Eola Hills Pinot Gris, $9.95, QPR: 5
2002 Eola Hills LBV Cabernet Sauvignon Port-Style Wine, $29.95, QPR: 4
2005 Eola Hills La Creole Pinot Noir, $30, QPR: 4
2006 Belle Pente Pinot Noir, Murto Vineyard, $35, QPR: 4
2007 Zenith Vineyard Pinot Gris, $18, QPR: 3
2007 Elk Cove Pinot Gris, $19, QPR: 3
2007 Chehalem Willamette Valley Pinot Gris, $19, QPR: 3
2005 Elk Cove Grenache, Del Rio, $22, QPR: 3
2006 Duck Pond Pinot Noir St. Jory, $40, QPR: 3
2005 Belle Pente Pinot Noir, Estate Reserve, $45, QPR: 3
2006 Belle Pente Reserve Pinot Gris, $22, QPR: 2
2006 Eola Hills Wolf Hill 667 Pinot Noir, $49.95, QPR: 2
2006 Patton Valley Vineyard Lorna Marie Pinot Noir, $70, QPR: 1

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2007 Eola Hills Pinot Noir, $13.95, QPR: 5
2007 Elk Cove Pinot Blanc, $19, QPR: 4
2006 Eola Hills La Creole Pinot Noir, $24.95, QPR: 4
2007 Chehalem INOX Chardonnay, $19, QPR: 3
2006 Elk Cove Pinot Noir, $27, QPR: 3
2005 Argyle Brut Sparkling Wine, $30, QPR: 3
2005 Duck Pond Pinot Noir Cuvee, $30, QPR: 3
2006 Belle Pente Chardonnay, Belle Pente Vineyard, $25, QPR: 2
2006 Belle Pente Pinot Noir, Belle Pente Vineyard, $35, QPR: 2
2006 Patton Valley Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir, $35, QPR: 2
2006 St. Innocent Pinot Noir, Zenith Vineyard, $39, QPR: 2
2006 Zenith Vineyard Pinot Noir, Barrel Select, $40, QPR: 2
2006 St. Innocent Pinot Noir, Seven Springs Vineyard, $42, QPR: 2
2007 St. Innocent Pinot Gris, Vitae Springs Vineyard, $20, QPR: 1
2006 Argyle Nuthouse Chardonnay, $35, QPR: 1
2006 Chehalem Stoller Vineyards Pinot Noir, $44, QPR: 1
2006 Chehalem Ridgecrest Vineyards Pinot Noir, $44, QPR: 1
2007 Elk Cove Pinot Noir, Mount Richmond, $48, QPR: 1
2006 Erath Pinot Noir, Bishop Creek Vineyard, $50, QPR: 1
2005 Argyle Nuthouse Pinot Noir, $60, QPR: 1

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2007 Eola Hills Sauvignon Blanc, $9.95, QPR: NR
2007 Eola Hills Reserve Pinot Gris, $13.95, QPR: NR
2005 Belle Pente Gewürztraminer, $18, QPR: NR
2007 Chehalem Stoller Vineyards Pinot Blanc, $19, QPR: NR
2007 St. Innocent Pinot Blanc, Freedom Hill Vineyard, $20, QPR: NR
2006 Patton Valley Vineyard Declassified Pinot Noir, $20, QPR: NR
2005 Duck Pond Sangiovese, $20, QPR: NR
2006 Duck Pond Pinot Noir, $20, QPR: NR
2006 Zenith Vineyard Pinot Noir, Estate, $25, QPR: NR
2006 Eola Hills Oak Grove Pinot Noir, $25, QPR: NR
1999 Patton Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir, $28, QPR: NR
2006 St. Innocent Pinot Noir, Temperance Hill Vineyard, $32, QPR: NR
2006 Erath Pinot Noir, Estate Selection, $36, QPR: NR
2004 Eola Hills Applegate Cabernet Sauvignon, $39.95, QPR: NR
2006 Erath Pinot Noir, Leland Vineyard, $50, QPR: NR

Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
2007 Duck Pond Pinot Grigio, $10, QPR: NR
2007 Erath Reserve Pinot Gris, $22, QPR: NR
2007 Chehalem 3 Vineyard Pinot Noir, $32, QPR: NR
2005 Duck Pond Semillon Dessert Wine, $40, QPR: NR

“Consuming wine in moderation daily will help people to die young as late as possible.” –Dr. Phillip Norrie

“Recent scientific evidence suggests that people who drink moderate amounts of wine each day are healthier and live longer than teetotalers.” –Malcolm Kushner

The French Paradox segment on 60 Minutes a number of years ago was something akin to the shot heard around the world in the wine world. In this segment, the reporter described the apparent unlikely relationship between the facts that while the French eat inexcusable amounts of heart-stopping, artery-clogging saturated fats, chain-smoke cigarettes, and exercise very little, they have one of the lowest heart attack rates in the world. Their moderate daily consumption of red wine was given as the most likely reason for this phenomenon. (Photo by byrdiegyrl)

Furthermore, according to an article by Jacob Gaffney in Wine Spectator, the red wine compound, resveratrol, may be good for the gums, too!

“While the taste of red wine may put a smile on your face, its chemical makeup may help keep it there, according to research from Canada.”

In lab tests, a team of scientists from Quebec found that resveratrol, a polyphenol found in red wine and known to be a potent antioxidant, slowed the reproduction and spread of two types of bacteria that cause gingivitis, and later, periodontal disease.

And in a recently published article also by Jacob Gaffney in Wine Spectator, it was reported that research has found that resveratrol reduces the amount of fat produced in the livers of mice fed dangerous levels of alcohol as well as increases the rate at which existing liver fat is broken down.

Following a 2001 study, Copenhagen’s Institute of Preventative Medicine declared that people who drink wine are healthier, smarter, and psychologically more stable than those who do not. That put a smile on my face.

For us personally, we have found that drinking wine with our meals has had another healthful benefit. It has helped us to slow down our meal, taking more time to digest our food, have good conversation, and as a result our meals have become a less-stressful experience.

In fact, most of our meals at home have become mini-wine tastings where we also blind-taste and compare a couple of new wines. That also enriches the conversation and is a learning experience as well.

In summary, here’s our recommendation for you. Make a daily habit of drinking red wine with dinner for the rest of your long and healthy life.

“A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine.” –Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Note: We are not doctors. The above information is based on articles we have read and our personal experience. It does not constitute professional medical advice. Any decisions about your personal healthcare should be made in consultation with your personal healthcare professionals.

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is faults.

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:

Faults in wines vary, of course, according to the taste of the consumer. …. To winemakers, however, wine faults are specific departures from an acceptable norm, the least quantifiable of which may be a lack of typicality. Faults in a wine’s appearance are generally either hazes, clouds, or precipitates in the bottle. …. Some wines smell so stale and unpleasant that the taster is unwilling even to taste them. …. Most faults are already obvious to the nose and need only confirmation on the palate (which is why in a restaurant it is, strictly speaking, necessary only to smell a sample of wine offered by the waiter.)

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Most wine faults can be detected by their off-odors. The most common wine fault is cork taint which is generally characterized by a musty, moldy, wet cardboard aroma.

Even though Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, if you are like me, you still have plenty of Christmas shopping to do. Are you at a loss for what to get your dad, sister, Aunt Sally, or your next door neighbor? If you know the person that you are shopping for is a wine lover or at least has an interest in wine, here’s a list that I hope will help you figure out what to buy for them. Or maybe it will even give you an idea of something to put on your own wish list.

Some of these items I actually own and can recommend from personal experience, some I’ve had wine-loving friends tell me about, and some are actually on my own wish list this year. This list is certainly not exhaustive but hopefully it will give you a place to start.

Wine Books:

• For those new to wine, How to Taste by Jancis Robinson.
• For those who love wine (especially French wine) and history, Bordeaux/Burgundy by Jean-Robert Pitte and Noble Rot by William Echikson.
• For those interested in wine and politics, Wine Politics by Tyler Colman.
• For those “wine-heads” who want to delve deeper into the wine closures discussion, To Cork or Not to Cork by William Taber.
• For those interested in Washington State wine, Washington Wines & Wineries by Paul Gregutt and WineTrails of Washington by Steve Roberts.

Wine accessories/gadgets:

• VinTemp, infrared wine thermometer
• Vacu Vin Rapid Ice Instant Wine Chiller
• Good wine glasses, Viticole Tasting Glasses for hosting wine tasting dinners and Riedel Crystal Glasses for everyday use but especially to enjoy those collectible wines.
• Champagne/Sparkling Wine Stopper
• Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator

Wine:
A bottle or two (or three, or twelve) of wine itself can be a great gift but sometimes can be a bit daunting to select. There are thousands and thousands of wines out there and a lot depends on how much you would like to spend and the taste of the person for whom you are buying. Rather than recommend a few specific wines here, I’d like to refer you back to a couple previous posts that list great wines at great prices plus a list of “Wow!” wines with a wide range of prices:

• Super Bargain Wines for Tough Times
• Super Bargain Wines in the $10 to $25 Range
• “Wow!” Wines can be Bargains, too

If you have other wine gift ideas, please share them in the comments.

Happy Holidays!

On a recent Saturday, the Wine Peeps attended tastings at two local wine shops. Mom (LaGayle) and Dad (John) attended the Ross Andrew tasting at McCarthy & Schiering in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood and then I joined them for the Stephenson Cellars, Otis Kenyon, and Five Star Cellars tasting at Pete’s Wine Shop in Bellevue.

Ross Andrew Winery, located in Woodinville, Washington, was founded by owner/winemaker Ross Andrew Mickel in 1999. Prior to starting his own winery, Ross gained experience in the wine industry working for DeLille Cellars, Rosemount Estate, and Betz Family Winery. Ross Andrew currently produces 2,500 cases per year.

Stephenson Cellars, founded in 2001 by owner/winemaker Dave Stephenson, is a small winery located in the Walla Walla airport complex in Walla Walla, Washington. Stephenson’s current production level is 1,200 cases per year. The 2005 Stephenson Cellars Syrah has done remarkably well in two of our previous blind tastings (see my August 8th post and August 20th post).

Otis Kenyon is a small family-owned winery in Walla Walla, Washington. Founded in 2004 by Steve Kenyon and Deborah Dunbar, Otis Kenyon currently produces 1,000 cases per year. Dave Stephenson of Stephenson Cellars is the winemaker for Otis Kenyon. All of their wines are made exclusively from Walla Walla Valley fruit.

Five Star Cellars, located in the Walla Walla airport complex in Walla Walla, Washington, was founded in 2000 by David Huse. In 2002, his son Matt joined the family business as winemaker. Exclusively a red wine producer, Five Star currently produces 6,000 cases per year.

All four of these wineries are small, relatively new family-run operations. As you’ll see from the ratings below, all four are up-and-coming producers that are making some good wines. In addition to good quality ratings, they all have good QPR ratings as well. If you haven’t tried their wines, I encourage you to give them a look.

Here’s a breakdown of the wines that we tasted. Under each Quality heading, the wine name and region will be listed along with their price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Stephenson Cellars Syrah, Washington State, $24.50, QPR: 5

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2005 Stephenson Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington State, $24.50, QPR: 5
2006 Five Star Cellars Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $24.50, QPR: 5
2006 Five Star Cellars Stellar Red Wine, Walla Walla Valley, $46, QPR: 3

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Stephenson Cellars Red Wine, Washington State, $16, QPR: 4
2005 Otis Kenyon Merlot, Walla Walla Valley, $24.50, QPR: 4
2005 Ross Andrew Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $32, QPR: 4
2007 Ross Andrew Meadow White Wine, Oregon, $16, QPR: 3
2006 Ross Andrew Boushey Vineyard Syrah, Yakima Valley, $28, QPR: 3

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2006 Five Star Cellars Sangiovese, Walla Walla Valley, $23, QPR: 4
2005 Otis Kenyon Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $26, QPR: 4
2006 Five Star Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $28, QPR: 4

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2006 Five Star Cellars Merlot, Walla Walla Valley, $26, QPR: NR

When I first picked up Bordeaux/Burgundy: A Vintage Rivalry by Jean-Robert Pitte, I thought of another book that I read a few years ago, A Tale of Two Valleys: Wine, Wealth, and the Battle for the Good Life in Napa and Sonoma. The books are similar in concept, with A Tale of Two Valleys an American story and Bordeaux/Burgundy a French tale. Like Napa and Sonoma, Bordeaux and Burgundy have very different personalities but both make great wine.

Bordeaux is famous for its claret, the red blend carefully crafted from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and a smattering of one or more of three other approved varietals, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec (hardly ever used in Bordeaux today). Burgundy is famous for its single varietal wines crafted from either Pinot Noir (Red Burgundy) or Chardonnay (White Burgundy).

As Pitte writes in the Preface to the American Edition,

Not only do grape varieties differ between the two regions, but the practice of blending wines of the same vintage (or the refusal to do this) distinguishes their growers and merchants, who have in any case never sought to appeal to the same customers: Bordeaux has always made wines for export to the British Isles and northern Europe; Burgundy for a continental clientele of differing tastes and backgrounds.

I learned from this book that the owners of many of the top Bordeaux houses have traditionally been absentee owners who rely on employees to do the work in the vineyard and in the cellar, while Burgundy is mostly a huge collection of small owner-managed operations, true farmers in every sense of the word.

As Pitte says,

They are the product of different human temperaments, which have created and developed different wine-growing environments in different political, economic, and cultural contexts.

However, both Bordeaux and Burgundy do agree on one thing: terroir. And both are adamant that soil and climate exclusively determine the quality of their wines, a point with which I take issue. While I do agree that the terroir is important, I believe that good winemaking is important also.

Pitte spends a large portion of the book tracing an interesting history of winemaking in both regions. I found it especially noteworthy that traces of a vineyard dating from the first half of the first century have been uncovered in Bordeaux. He also discusses how it was the church that maintained the tradition of viticulture during the Middle Ages.

I also found it interesting that the physical environments in Bordeaux and Burgundy are very different. Bordeaux, which I have visited, is hot enough so that the grapes can ripen even on flat land; but not so in Burgundy, where exposures to the sun via the steepness of the slope in the vineyard are critically important.

While the international reputation of Bordeaux and Burgundy is fairly equal, far more Bordeaux is drunk throughout the world than Burgundy simply because it produces so much more wine. That’s also one of the reasons consumers have difficulty finding good Burgundy at an affordable price.

There is an old saying that summarizes the contrast between the two regions:

In Burgundy, everything is for drinking and nothing for sale, whereas in Bordeaux everything is for sale and nothing for drinking!

If you enjoy history and good wine, I believe that you will like this book so pick up a copy to read during the holidays.

Have you read Bordeaux/Burgundy? If so, what did you think of it?

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is Turkey.

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Turkey is an eastern Mediterranean country that is the world’s fourth most important grower of grapes, only a very small proportion of which is made into wine. …. It is regularly one of the world’s biggest producers of table grapes and is also an important producer of drying grapes. Its wine production has been increasing significantly, however, and was put at 330,000 hl by the OIV in 2002.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
I know, I know, today’s word is a bit of a stretch. For info on Turkey as a wine and grape producing country, see Ms. Robinson’s definition above. The only turkey on my mind today is the kind that you eat. Have a wonderful day with your family and friends as you enjoy good food and wine.

Happy Thanksgiving!