October 22, 2012
This Wednesday 10/25/12, from 5-7pm PST, I will be a part of another very cool online wine tasting courtesy of the great folks over at Wines of Chile (WineLog, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube). Chilean wines have had tremendous success in the US over the last decade and a half, with much of that market penetration coming from their tasty, but value-driven brands. Their discovery of the long lost Bordeaux grape variety of Carménère has further cemented their status in the US drinking game, with that grape becoming their signature wine. Our tasting will be of a different sort however, as Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer (Twitter, Facebook) will be leading the tasting of 12 wines, live from Santiago, Chile. The point of this tasting is not only to drive home the value that can be found in these wines, but to also show off their burgeoning sense of place, as the Chilean wine industry continues to come into its own as an winegrowing nation of international quality.
I will also be writing about this event in a different manner than the norm, here at Vinopanion. Much like a WBC Speed Tasting, I’ll be writing most of my educational and tasting notes in real-time, as I follow Fred Dex and interact with all of the other bloggers tasting from around the world. You can preview the wines after the jump. Check back in on 10/25/12, from 5-7pm PST and join in the fun using #BlogChile!
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September 16, 2012
OK, yes…Italy is IT-tal-ly, I know. But still, I was not expecting the wealth of life experience that I encountered in the rolling Tuscan hills of the Chianti Classico (WineLog, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) wine region. As announced previously, in late May of this year, I had the chance to tour through the majestic, rural countryside of the Chianti Classico DOCG. Much our our time was spent in many of the nine small, ancient villages that dot the rolling hilltops of that portion of Tuscany. They sit above the long-planted vines, gaining sustenance from the fantastic soils that have produced renowned wine for over a thousand years. One of these truly unique villages, Panzano in Chianti, lounges above the Conca d’Oro or “Golden Shell,” considered the most beautiful and highly regarded vineyards in all of the DOCG. It is here that we spent some of the best food and wine moments of my life.
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July 8, 2012
This last day (09/22/12) in the Kingdom of Navarra (Twitter, Facebook) were both a happy and a sad dream, in multiple ways. On the one hand, we visited another stunning estate in the Navarra DO of Spanish wine country, but on the other hand it was our last day of the trip, so…As you can imagine, we had many moments of elation and wistfulness that day, all bouncing around together, in our heads and hearts. Similar to the previous days on the trip, we began our morning with a historical lesson followed by an eye-massagingly beautiful bodega, with lunch provided at said estate. It was a tremendous way to end our #Navarra5 trip.
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June 13, 2012
Oohhh, happy days are here againnn, for Pinot Days (Twitter, Facebook) is BACK again! My imbibing readers might remember that I’m a rather large fan of this grand tasting, held each year at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, along with a few other cities around the US of A. While it has become something of a cliché in this enlightened age of Pinot enjoyment, I truly believe that Pinot Noir is a wonderful conduit to the sense of origin that a wine can transmit to one’s happy taste buds. As such, it is an exhilarating experience to have the chance to taste over 500 Pinot Noir wines from every major domestic growing region (and some international ones). The Pinot Days Grand Festival Public Tasting (06/16/12) provides this unparalleled comparison tasting experience along with a whole bunch mo’ coolness, each and every year. This year I can help you experience this Pinotphoria, with a handy ticket discount. More after the jump!
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May 20, 2012
It is with great excitement that I can announce a new media trip, close on my Vinopanion horizon, to the venerable and very historic Tuscan wine region of Chianti Classico DOCG (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, WineLog). I will start my trip to Florence, Italy to rendevous with the traveling #ChiantiClass12 group this Thursday, May 24, 2012, with the official start of the trip on Friday the 25th. Much like my previous adventures across the pond, I will be posting a lot of microblog content in real-time, including Twitter (#ChiantiClass12), Flickr, and through my Facebook profile & on Vinopanion‘s. Learn more about this fascinating wine region after the break, cin cin!
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May 12, 2012
Regular followers of the Vinopanion wine madness know that I regularly partake in the fun online Twitter tastings, brought to us by TasteLive! (Twitter, WineLog). Many a post has been written and a wine has been reviewed about their solid tastings. Now the innovative wine minds behind #tl_wine are kicking it up a notch, launching Café 140 as their latest online, and now physical, wine & lifestyle event series.
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May 7, 2012
Dawn broke for our third day (9/21/11) in the Kingdom of Navarra (Twitter, Facebook) with brilliant signs pointing to even more glorious weather to accompany our travels around this Spanish wine kingdom. From the window of my hotel room at the historic Palacio Guandelain in Pamplona, I could see and hear the rumblings of the (rare) early rising Navarrans in the plaza that stretched out from the hotel front. I couldn’t wait to get started on our travels back to the Ribera Alta sub-region of the Navarra DO appellation. I felt rather rested, since I had given my body the morning off from my usual run, following my great success at getting thoroughly lost, the prior morning.
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March 24, 2012
I attend a large number wine events. That might even be an understatement, to which my fine readers can attest! Thus, I feel that it’s saying something to describe an upcoming wine event as one of my favorite series of wine events, ever. The San Francisco Vintners Market (Twitter, Facebook, WineLog) wine tastings are those exact events: totally fun, onsite wine purchasing available, and of course, fantastic wines to taste in unlimited amounts. And lucky readers, for round 5 (DING) of the #SFVM, I now have a fat discount so you cats can partake!
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February 28, 2012
Bubbly is a beautiful thing. Sparkling wine has always been considered a wine of celebration; its intriguing bubbles rising up to toss forth a froth of scented effervescence, enlivening spirits at any accompanying event. For me however, bubbly, bubbly, and more bubbly is the way that I prefer to shimmy through life. My lady Elizabeth Fontaine, the beguiling star behind the brightness of my life, would only agree, with a most sensible of nods. Bubbles are her vinous companion, and at times, her artistic muse. We go through stretches where there is a bottle of bubbly to accompany each day…the other nice thing about sparkling wine is its low percent alcohol. 
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February 16, 2012
It’s not everyday that you can walk around and try wines from a bunch of countries, all in one nifty location. OK true, Walt Disney World’s Epcot World Showcase is a pretty dang good time, regardless of whether you try wines from each country. But I can’t think of another fully awesome wine experience that can compare to over 600 wines from 12+ countries, all for one single ticket price. The 5th Annual New York Wine Expo is your portal for crazy, round-the-world, like-a-G6-style wine tasting!
What does that actually translate to in actual wineries on this fine weekend of March 2-4, you might ask…how about 150+ vintners, along with tons of gourmet food booths, and numerous wine seminars with which to treat your favorite Vinopanion. Now, it’s only because I like you, but I have a special gift: type in the code VINOPANION for $15 off Friday night’s festivities!
Get the full deets after the break:
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