US SecDef Leon Panetta Scores 141 Year Old Bottle Of Wine For Killing Bin Laden

CNN on the spoils of war:

The Pentagon is confirming that a California restauranteur friend of [US Secretary of Defense Leon] Panetta’s will open a bottle of wine with an estimated value of $10,000-$15,000, and the secretary of defense will be one of several friends toasting Panetta’s CIA-run mission to get Osama Bin Laden.

Monterey, California, restaurateur Ted Balestreri made a bet with Panetta while Panetta was CIA director that if he ever “got” bin Laden, Balestreri would open the oldest bottle of wine in his restaurant.

The secretary told his friend “you’re on,” according to Douglas Wilson, the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs.

The wine in question? An 1870 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, “which a review on the website of New York wine merchant Morrell & Company describes as having ‘a huge nose of freshly sliced celery, mint, cedar, and cassis with a sweet, jammy, powerful finish.’”

Scientists Find Evidence Of 6,000 Year Old Red Wine Vintage…

A fascinating bit of news via Presurfer today:

Archeologists have unearthed the oldest wine-making facility ever found, using biochemical techniques to identify a dry red vintage made about 6,000 years ago in what is now southern Armenia. Carbon dating showed a desiccated grape vine found near a wine press was grown around 4000 BC.

An exciting find, to be sure. How terrible then, that even though it could be cloned, grown, harvested and bottled, the BCLDB would never let us near it.

JoieFarm Named BC Winery Of The Year By Wine Press Northwest

photo: Chris Mason Stearns

News from Scout supporter JoieFarm

Naramata, BC | JoieFarm is proud to announce that we have been named the “2010 British Columbia Winery of the Year” by Wine Press Northwest in the spring edition of their magazine. This award is selected by the editors of Wine Press Northwest based on blind tastings, visits, accolades and other considerations. Wineries of the Year must have also completed at least five vintages. The complete article can be found online here. Read more

Joiefarm’s ’08 “A Noble Blend” & Riesling Score Big With Judges

Two JoieFarm wines win 1st and 2nd overall in the 10th Annual Wine Press Northwest Platinum Judging

News from Scout supporter JoieFarm

Naramata, BC | JoieFarm is proud to announce that our 2008 Riesling and 2008 A Noble Blend have finished 1st and 2nd overall in the 10th Annual Wine Press Northwest Platinum Judging. Both wines were designated Double Platinum, while the 2008 Riesling was also awarded the title “Best of the Best”, only the second white wine in the history of the competition to do so. Read more

Wines From Naramata’s JoieFarm Now Available For Sale Online

photo: Chris Mason Stearns

News from Scout supporter JoieFarm

Naramata, BC | In analyzing client feedback and media coverage over the past several years, our clients and colleagues have told us that they love JoieFarm wines, but have difficulty accessing them. In order to address this problem  we have decided to make our wines available year round (based on availability) via our website. Read more

Naramata’s JoieFarm At “C” Restaurant Next Sunday Night

Six courses on Sunday, November 22nd at 6 pm for $110 (tax and grat included)

News from Scout supporters JoieFarm

We would like to announce an upcoming dinner with Canada’s premiere seafood restaurant, C Restaurant on Sunday November 22nd at 6 pm. We are always especially pleased to stand up with former colleagues and C Restaurant represents a pinnacle in Michael’s restaurant career having served there as sommelier almost 10 years ago. Since our first release in 2005 C Restaurant has been a tremendous supporter of JoieFarm and the compatibility of their cuisine with our wines is absolutely seamless. Read more

So You Want To Open Some Wine But You Don’t Have A Crank…

Via Buzzfeed – We just tried this in the Scout office, and – eureka! – it actually works (of course we aren’t suggesting or condoning any attempts by our readers to do the same).

Hide The Riedels When The Wine Nerds Drop The Gloves & Go At It

Remember Mondovino, that entertaining 2004 documentary on the wine world’s unfortunate fixation with Robert Parker? Like a piece of terroiriste propaganda, it steered us through old French vineyards with pathetic French vignerons; introduced us to sharply dressed blendsmiths schooling the ancient and gullible in the vagaries of the Parker palate; and made us all want to immediately cancel our subscriptions to Wine Spectator. It’s creator, Jonathan Nossiter, has now written a book, Liquid Memory: Why Wine Matters, and…true to form…Slate wine writer Mike Steinberger has already ripped it apart, likening its author to Michael Moore, only without a sense of humour. Money quote: “Nossiter has now aired his thoughts on wine in both film and print. At this point, really the best thing he could do for the cause of good wine would be to put a cork in it.”

Naramata’s JoieFarm Scores Big At LG’s Awards Of Excellence

Naramata's JoieFarm wins two Lieutenant Governor’s Awards of Excellence in British Columbia Wine...

Great news from Scout supporter Joie Farm

JoieFarm is proud to announce that we are the proud recipients of not one, but two 2009 Lieutenant Governor’s Awards of Excellence in British Columbia Wines for our 2007 Reserve Chardonnay and our 2008 Riesling. Read more

On The World’s Bulk Wine Ascendancy

Something interesting has happened in the last few years in the wine world – something both good and worrying. Wine regions that were once written off as ‘bulk’ wine areas have shown that a changing attitude to grape growing and wine making can achieve recognition and respect, catapulting new varietal names and regions onto the world scene. Read more

Next Page »