Winecast

Jeff Lefevere and I return to review the top wine stories of the past month including tongue-twisting wine names, a disturbing wine manifesto, trends in wine marketing, the stellar 2009 Bordeaux vintage and much more. Hosts: Tim Elliott and Jeff Lefevere Topics - If the wine is hard to pronounce, is it worth more? - Has wine lost it’s romance? - The Slow Wine movement - 2009 Bordeaux: vintage of the century? - Will drinking too much wine give you cancer? - Million Dollar Day for WinesTilSoldOut.com - Wine’s 2011 Report Card - Moet Hennessy aims for super-premium red wine from China - Are Americans’ Tastes Changing? - Wine discounting trends - Randall Grahm and The State of the Modest Winery - Follow-up on QR codes from last month Events - 2012 New York Wine Expo: March 2-4, New York City - 2012 World of Pinot Noir Tasting: March 2-3, Shell Beach, CA - Paso Robles Wine Country’s 2012 Zinfandel Festival, March 17, 2012 - Wine Blogging Wednesday 75, Single Vineyard, March 21st - Rhone Rangers, San Francisco, March 24-25 - For events near you check out Local Wine Events: http://www.localwineevents.com This podcast is brought to you by audible.com – get a FREE audiobook download at www.audibletrial.com/winecast Feedback: [email protected] Copyright 2012 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed under Creative Commons.

This is the premier episode of This Month in Wine, a monthly discussion about what is going on within the wine world from a consumer and insider perspective. Hosts: Tim Elliott and Jeff Lefevere Topics: What’s up with Good Grape? Is wine blogging on the decline? Wine Trends & Predictions for 2012 Value Replaces Cheap Wine Regulation Reform Continues Sweet Wines Continue Growth Blends Come Back in Vogue Green Packaging Booms Chinese Wine Market Continues To Show Influence Recovery of Wine Market Low Alcohol Wines Natural Wines Events: Wine Blogging Wednesday 74, Feb. 15th, Value Sparkling Wine Dark & Delicious, February 17, 2012, Alameda, CA San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Public Tasting, February 18, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco For wine events near you check out: http://www.localwineevents.com This podcast is brought to you by audible.com - get a FREE audiobook download at www.audibletrial.com/winecast Feedback: [email protected] Copyright 2012 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed under Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Five years and one day after I started this blog and podcast I get back behind the mic and restart regular podcasting. This episode features an interview with Rudy McClain, the filmmaker of the documentary Merlove. I also pick three Merlot wines from my tasting log for review. Show Notes: 00:30 – Welcome and show theme 02:22 – Interview with Merlove filmmaker Rudy McClain 15:25 – My review of the documentary Merlove (Buy DVD at Amazon: http://bit.ly/8BCTau) 17:35 – Review of Bodegas Osborne, “Solaz”, Merlot-Tempranillo 2006 18:43 – Review of Blackstone, Merlot, Sonoma Reserve 2007 19:18 – Review of Raphael, Merlot 2001 21:37 – Feedback & call for new theme music 22:13 – Next show theme Tasting Notes: Bodegas Osborne, “Solaz”, Merlot (65%) Tempranillo (35%), 2006 ($9) – Garnet in color with aromas of black cherry, white pepper, licorice and vanilla. Bold plum and black cherry fruit with black pepper finishing with just a hint of bell pepper and moderate tannins. A very nice table wine for under $10. 13.5% ABV Synthetic cork closure Rating: ★★★☆☆ Buy this wine online: http://bit.ly/57N3Bo Blackstone, Merlot, Sonoma Reserve 2007 ($20/sample) – Dark purple with aromas of black cherry, dark current and sage. Rich plum and dark cherry fruit with some mint finishing with supple tannins. 14.5% ABV Natural cork closure Rating: ★★★½☆ Buy this wine online: http://bit.ly/5kjSFZ Raphael, Merlot, North Fork of Long Island 2001 ($25/750 ml/won in Menu for Hope raffle; tasted from 3L) – Deep garnet in color with aromas of black cherry, currant and mint. Rich black current and black cherry fruit with white pepper, bell pepper flavors finishing with moderate but well integrated tannins. Has structure for another 10 years in the cellar in this format. Outstanding Long Island Merlot that I would guess was from Bordeaux in a blind tasting. 12.5% ABV Natural cork closure Rating: ★★★★☆ Buy this wine online: http://bit.ly/6EXF5w Feedback: [email protected] Voicemail: +1-646-495-9244 x 60514 http://drop.io/winecast Copyright 2009 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Jeff Lefevere and I are back with another edition of the Unfiltered podcast after nearly a year in hiatus. We are joined by Tina Caputo, the Editor-in-Chief of Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, Joel Vincent, Executive Director of the OpenWine Consortium and co-founder of VinTank, and Tom Wark from Wark Communications and FERMENTATION. Show Notes: 00:26 - Welcome & Introductions 01:18 - Wine Bloggers Conference 07:31 - American Wine Blog Awards 15:55 - Social Media & Wine 23:27 - “Robert Parker’s Bitch” video 48:58 - Tina’s Blog, The Wine Broad’s Board 49:35 - Tom’s Blog, FERMENTATION 49:51 - Jeff’s Blog, Good Grape Production note: My recording levels were not set correctly and attempts at adjusting this in post-production introduced a lot of noise. This has been corrected for the next episode. These things happen when you don’t podcast for several months ;-) Feedback: [email protected] Voicemail: +1-646-495-9203 ext. 19765 http://drop.io/winecast Copyright 2009 Acan Media, Inc. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Another Quick Picks sharing a wine I enjoyed over the Holidays, an aged Bordeaux blend from Pomerol. Château Clos René 2000 ($30-60) - Deep crimson-purple in color with aromas of black cherry, dark currant, pencil lead, fennel and mint. Rich black cherry fruit with black pepper and dark chocolate finishing with moderate, but plush, tannins. A delicious Bordeaux blend that has more years ahead of it. 13% ABV Natural cork Rating: ★★★★☆ Buy this wine online Feedback: [email protected] Voicemail: +1-646-495-9203 ext. 19765 http://drop.io/winecast Copyright 2008 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed to the public under Creative Commons.

I’m back in action on the 4th anniversary of my first podcast with a high-end Carmenere-led blend from Chile. Vina Santa Ema, “Rivalta” 2003 - ($68/sample) Dark purple in color with aromas of black currant, plum, blueberry, fennel, mint and vanilla. Rich and concentrated dark currant and blackberry fruit with black pepper and dark chocolate finishing with firm tannins. A delicious Carmenere-led blend that will age at least 4-6 more years. Feedback: [email protected] Voicemail: +1-646-495-9203 ext. 19765 http://drop.io/winecast Copyright 2008 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/

I'm back with an interview with Etienne Hugel of Hugel & Fils. This family winery has been passed from father to son for 12 generations and makes some of the best wines from France’s Alsace region. We also talk about a virtual tasting over Twitter organized by Bin Ends Wines later this month. Show Notes: 00:25 - Introduction and background on Hugel & Fils 01:49 - Interview with Etienne Hugel 31:31 - Details of Bin Ends Wines Twitter Tasting 38:57 - Contact Details 39:08 - Next Show Theme Feedback: [email protected] Voicemail: +1-646-495-9203 ext. 19765 http://drop.io/winecast Copyright 2008 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/

The first of several shows recorded last year, this podcast focuses on the wines of Israel with an interview with blogger & retailer Richard Shaffer from Israeli Wine Direct and winemaker Zeev Smilansky from Meishar Winery. Show Notes: 00:27 - Welcome & Background on Israeli Wine 02:10 - Israeli Wines Today 32:10 - Get Your Free Audible Book 35:44 - Feedback and Next Show Theme Feedback: [email protected] Voicemail: +1-646-495-9203 ext. 19765 http://drop.io/winecast Copyright 2008 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ Sponsor: Audible: Get a 14-Day FREE Trial of AudibleListener® Gold And 1 Free Download by clicking here: http://www.audiblepodcast.com/winecast/

Jeff Lefevere and I start our second season of Unfiltered with a panel of wine bloggers, podcasters, winery owners and retailers. We welcome Ryan from Catavino, Jeff Stai a.k.a. El Jefe from Twisted Oak, Craig Camp from Anne Amie Vineyards, Kaz & Randy from Wine Biz Radio and Jill from domaine547.com Show Notes: 00:25 - Welcome & Introductions 01:28 - American Wine Blog Awards 15:50 - Twitter: Waste of time or valuable tool? 23:14 - Amazon enters wine biz? 33:10 - Are high alcohol wines not such a bad thing? 39:17 - Who writes Wine-ing 2.0? 42:39 - Blog URL’s and Feedback Feedback: [email protected] Voicemail: +1-646-495-9203 ext. 19765 http://drop.io/winecast Copyright 2008 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/

I am back behind the mic for another podcast and this time I'm reading a post from last week and reflecting about the comments. Feedback: [email protected] Copyright 2008 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/