So what is on the wine agenda this weekend?

I started early but all in a good cause really, helping to raise some funds for women and family violence. Great tasting downtown where we raised $1800.00, all the wines (Italian) donated by local wine reps.

A very nice `11 Villa Matilde Falanghina was followed by one of my fave Italian whites, Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino Sardinia. The highlight for me was the first of three reds sampled the `10 Einaudi Dolcetto di Dogliani (Piedmont). Medium-bodied, quite earthy, some fruit intensity here folks. Red berries dominant, very good acidity, good value for $24 Cdn. Worthy cause indeed!

I'll be touring local wineries with Mark Lipton & family Saturday. I'm looking forward to meeting him.

I'm in Missouri on the trail of Norton/Cynthiana ....

First port of the 2013-2014 port season tonight. We have a frost warning for tonight so I'm violating my traditional Nov 1st start date.

'85 Graham's tonight with Colston Bassett Stilton, Reypenaer VSOP, candied apricots, nuts, dates.

I'm opening a Primitivo tonight in line with the monthly focus on Zinfandel and its cousins.

'85 Graham's tonight with Colston Bassett Stilton, Reypenaer VSOP, candied apricots, nuts, dates.

Sounds delicious, Tom. I'll be right over!

Great minds must think alike. I have some 20 year old Fonseca Tawny that's been burning a hole in my cellar. I would like to invite some Port loving friends over to share a bottle along with some Cuban cigars (Romeo y Julieta Churchills) that I picked up in the Bahamas.

My wife treks to Arkansas at least once a year to visit her mom, and on her drive back she always stops at Chateau Thomas Winery in Plainfield, Indiana for swag. She mostly gets a kick out of placing "Chateau Thomas" branded chachkies around our kitchen, but she also usually brings back a bottle or two for us to try. So far she hasn't really liked any of them particularly much, but that doesn't stop her from getting more.

Last month she returned home with a bottle of their Zin, which is only sold at the winery or one of its 2 in-state outlets. It's not even on their website. Previously we had a Late Harvist Zin (which was "meh") and she wanted to see if they do any better with their dry version. I think we'll open it tomorrow, it being Zin Month, and find out.

I'm a little curious about it, since the bottle doesn't say what the alcohol level is. Just "Zinfandel, 2010 Amador, CA".

Sure to be of interest Tom, look forward to a TN.

Sure to be of interest Tom, look forward to a TN.

Lol. Well, if this one's anything like the previous bottles I've tried from them it would be a little embarassing putting up a serious TN. It would be like studiously considering the magnum of Concha y Toro 'Frontera' wifey always keeps on hand for emergencies. ("It's a wine emergency, honey! Get the Frontera!!")

But I'll at least give a brief impression. Who knows, this one might buck the trend. Hope springs eternal in the human mouth, and all that

...she wanted to see if they do any better with their dry version.

As a Hoosier let me say this about Chateau Thomas wines - They are not very good. However, the Primitivo is not horrible and from my very limited experience is the best that Chat Thomas offers. I hope that is what she bought.

I would definitely pop the wine into a decanter an hour or two before consuming. I would also definitely like to hear your impressions.

PS: According to Chat Thomas management the sugar-added reds and whites out sell the dry wines more than 20 to 1. That is what the casual tourist types want and is the winery's money maker. I can literally almost not gag a taste of that sh*t down. I don't know how people drink it.

I'll be with James Roscoe on Saturday so who knows what'll happen or what we'll be drinking!

I'll be with James Roscoe on Saturday so who knows what'll happen or what we'll be drinking!

Make sure Jeannette is on hand to oversee the "what'll happen" part.

However, the Primitivo is not horrible and from my very limited experience is the best that Chat Thomas offers. I hope that is what she bought.

No, she bought the Zin (since they only sell it at the winery, she didn't want to pass it up). It would have been nice if she'd picked up a Primitivo at the same time so we could compare the two, but oh well. She did, however, also grab a bottle of their Gewurz (n.v.) this trip. I'm actually more curious about that one than the Zin.

Isn't it sad that those sugar-added wines sell so well? What a shame. I see on their website that their "Skinny" line of sweet wines is carb free. The good Dr. Thomas is adding a sugar alcohol to create a diet sticky. It's a strange (wine) world....

(Thanks for the advice to decant!)

I'm opening a 2007 Chappele-St-Arnoux Vacqueyras. One of a case that I've had squirreld away for a while because it's cold today in Maryland....that's a good reason, right?

Drew

I'm tailgating with 2 other wine geeks at the Patriots-Dolphins game on Sunday, so lots of wine (and no doubt lots of sarcastic jibes from many of our beer-drinking brethren there!)...

2012 Alvarinho from Quinta da Lixa Pouco Comun. This was newly released and hopefully of better quality than a recent `11 which was faulty.

Visited Lodi and Clarksburg. Lodi was nice (Fields Family) but Clarksburg was a washout because I had one of my esophagal spasms (an inherited flaw in the way my swallowing function works. Shuts down EVERYTHING.)

Has to miss Paella!

In the malbec mood still so tonite the #07 Goulart Reserve with roast beef.
Which wine for you lot!
Drew, how was the Vacqueyras?

With the arrival of Fall Shipping Season, I've just taken receipt of 5 cases of wine from the West Coast. We'll cook up some Alaskan halibut tonight and some duck legs tomorrow, so lots of vinous possibilities to ponder.

Mark Lipton

Tomorrow is NJ's birth anniversary, so I'll grill up some lamb and open a Cote Rotie for her. Maybe a 1998 Ogier Belle Helene or a 98/99 Jamet.

Cote Rotie...nice one .

I'm opening a 2007 Chappele-St-Arnoux Vacqueyras. One of a case that I've had squirreld away for a while because it's cold today in Maryland....that's a good reason, right?

Drew

It was delicious Bob, with notes of chambord, a little funk and beautiful fruit.

Tonight, Liz and I have been invited to a friend's home for a pork roast. We're looking forward to it since Mark has been taking cooking classes recently. I'll be bringing some red Burgundy just because I can't stop myself, I just don't know which producers. I'd like to bring several bottles from different producers and we could do an informal taste and compare or I could bring PN from several different regions (New Zealand, Burgundy and Oregon) to compare. I'll probably end up just bringing several bottles of the same wine because I don't what to hijack the dinner conversation and turn Mark and Jeannie's dinner into Jon's wine tasting.

Change of plan. Instead the Cote Roties mentioned above, the birthday lass has put in a request for a Cali-Cab. Looks like it'll be a 1995 Tom Eddy Napa Cab with a 1995 FreemaRK Abbey Sycamore in a back up role.