VineSugar: Wine Burps Blog

I'm in ur glassez, smelling all ur winez

Greatest Wine Glass just put out a wine glass for the UBBER wine snob. The silhouette have a space for your nose so you can jam it inthe glass and pick up all the nuances that the extra inch is hiding.

[read sarcastic voice]

Clearly, this is why you're not picking up all those wonderful descriptors on the back of labels.

But if that isn't enough, they're on sale! Originally $78 each now only $54 each.

[end sarcastic voice]

I'm almost jealous that I didn't think of it first. There's enough wine snobs out there to support such a product to make a killing!

The video here is some VERY funny stuff. Almost like something from an SNL skit!

Posted by Ryan ODonnell on Oct 17, 2007 10:35 am

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2004 Coral Mustang Tempranillo

Posted by Caleb Neeper on Oct 13, 2007 7:09 am

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2004 Coral Mustang Tempranillo

Ahh red wine, don't you love it? I certainly do. Light, crisp, dark, deep, smooth and dry, I believe there is a red wine out there for everybody. That's why I wanted to find a unique red wine, a wine that no matter what your level of experience or type of preferences, you would be intrigued to try this wine. And the winner is...Coral Mustang Tempranillo, 2004 vintage from Paso Robles California. Tempranillo is a hard varietal to find at least in the United States, and even more difficult is to find a tempranillo wine that is done well. F.Y.I. Tempranillo is definitely a surging grape varietal being grown in other countries, most notable is the Rioja region of Spain. Not only is this a unique wine but it has a very interesting background. This wine is a "side project" of the head winemaker at J Winery. J winery is a very well known sparkling wine maker in Sonoma County. "Side" project means that the wine is definitely a smaller production, and is tailored to the winemaker's preferences, in terms of blend, varietal and taste.

Coral Mustang's Tempranillo has a dark, brooding personality. When you first meet this wine, you are not 100% sure of its character. The first smell of this wine gives off a mask of tannins and dryness that leaves you intrigued to know more, but again not sure if you'll like the wine or not. After a minute of reflection and swirling-of-the-glass, this Tempranillo opens up to reveal hints of dark fruit. Like prune or raisin, plum and blackberry. Shivering with anticipation to find out more, the first sip, on the tip of the tongue, there is that prune or raisin taste. Then roaring through your mouth, there is a very pleasant dryness that isn't chalky nor is it a bitter flavor. I was very surprised by the wonderfully smooth and subtle finish. The finish seemed to balance out the rush of flavors and dryness in the beginning. I retasted this wine about 2 hours after I opened it and it was even better. The tannins soften on the smell and taste. There was so much more rich plum and blackberry to go along with the prune or raisin flavors.

I found the Coral Mustang Tempranillo 2004 is even better after the wine is decanted. This is a great wine to drink now, or you can have it with dinner and most certainly this is a wine that you would want in your cellars and age it.

Would I take this wine home? Yes. For 20 bucks, this is a steal. And even for 40 bucks, I would still would take this wine home.

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Posted by Caleb Neeper on Oct 13, 2007 7:04 am

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New Content Contributor!

Marian Jansen op de Haar, wine director of Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar will be providing some fantastic content for VineSugar readers.

In her first contribution, we're tackling the basics: Wine 101 for the Rest of Us

Look for more great articles covering food pairing, grape varietals, regions and so much more. We're thrilled to have her voice here at VineSugar.com!

Posted by Ryan ODonnell on Sep 17, 2007 7:36 am

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New Miracle Cure! The benefits of White Wine

Do you have feelings of inadequacy? Do you suffer from shyness? Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about White Wine.

White Wine is the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. White Wine can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything.

You will notice the benefits of White Wine almost immediately, and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live.

Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living, with White Wine.

However, White Wine may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use White Wine.

However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.

Side effects may include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration, erotic lustfulness, loss of motor control, loss of clothing, loss of money, loss of virginity, delusions of grandeur, table dancing, headache, dehydration, dry mouth, and a desire to sing Karaoke and playall-night rounds of Strip Poker, Truth Or Dare, and Naked Twister.

WARNING
The consumption of White Wine may make you think you are whispering when you are not.

WARNING
The consumption of White Wine is a major factor in dancing like a idiot.

WARNING
The consumption of White Wine may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.

WARNING
The consumption of White Wine may cause you to think you can sing.

WARNING
The consumption of White Wine may lead you to believe that ex-lovers are really dying for you to telephone them at four in the morning.

WARNING
The consumption of White Wine may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.

WARNING
The consumption of White Wine may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.

WARNING
The consumption of White Wine may lead you to think people are laughing WITH you.

WARNING
The consumption of White Wine may be a major factor in getting your as* kicked.

Now just imagine what you could achieve with Red Wine!

Posted by Ryan ODonnell on Sep 05, 2007 8:35 am

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Wine Spectator Video Wine Pairing

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 23:38:29 +0100

Did anyone see this?

It's a video of Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich talking about wine pairing for a typical Italian bolognese -- from the Wine Spectator.

It could quite possibly put a screaming baby to sleep. They talk about 2 wines: a 1998 Chianti for $50 that scored 85pt and a Sangiovese they don't call out yet prefer. Seriously? $50 and 85pts? Why would they highlight that? Why didn't they show what the Sangiovese is if that's what they preferred for the pairing? Shoot the art director for this piece.

It is cute that they tried though.

Posted by Ryan ODonnell on Aug 25, 2007 6:33 am

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Mike Birdsall @ Nov 07, 2007 10:27 pm:

Check out www.matchmywine.com. It has great information about wine pairing and specific recipes and wine suggestions.

Scott C @ Nov 20, 2007 3:38 pm:

It just demonstrates that scores don't mean Jack Sh*t.

How a small winery found Internet fame

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 02:45:23 +0100

A small South African winery is using conversational marketing to go global, reports Business 2.0 Magazine.

Posted by Ryan ODonnell on Aug 08, 2007 2:08 pm

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bottle openers @ Oct 08, 2007 7:45 pm:

Cool!bottle openers

Wine and a movie? Apocalypse Now Redux DVD in a Bottle

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 23:00:42 +0100

The 3 liter bottle contains the 2004 Francis Coppola Reserve Syrah and is beautifully silk-screened with an image from the movie Apocalypse Now Redux. A pull-out drawer on the bottom of the bottle holds the DVD.

You can also find One From The Heart with the same Syrah reserve.

I just love that they're joining wine and lifestyle so seamlessly! Great idea. My only gripe would be that it's too much wine for some. I wonder if they could make the movies fit the mini-DVD format and apply the same package design to 750ml bottle sizes... Might be more appealing for some.

Posted by Ryan ODonnell on Aug 06, 2007 6:48 am

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http://www.winey.info/ @ Sep 05, 2007 4:00 pm:

This is a nice wine gift :)

Wine Country Maps for Your Enjoyment!

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 23:00:42 +0100

You know those fold-up maps for each region of wine country? You always saved them for your trips. Well, we've collected a lot over the years and realized it would be cool to have them in an interactive format. So that's what we did.

We're always being asked, "Where should we visit when we're in wine country?"

With the interactive maps, you can now see maps of wine country and the wineries around but you can also see ratings and acclaims inline with the listings so now there's no questions =)

We know that some regions don't have many wineries listed but rest assured, we're working on adding all the wineries. There's a lot and we're just a small group of wine geeks...

Posted by Ryan ODonnell on Aug 05, 2007 8:24 am

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Stag's Leap Sold

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 03:01:08 +0100

SFGate.com has the full article:

NAPA VALLEY STUNNER - FAMED WINERY SOLD
Vintner Warren Winiarski, the first to take California Cabernet to Paris and come home a winner, sells Stag’s Leap for $185 million — and the Wine Country evolves

Am I the only one excited about this?

Seems like all the major wineries with any brand recognition are getting bought up. Makes sense really. It's an easy way to boost sales and market share.

This winery-buying trend is making me laugh though. Wine companies don't know how to market their new products effectively so they're abandoning all hope and buying existing brands. What will happen when there's no more brands to buy? These companies will be forced to figure out new and innovative ways to market wine - and who knows, maybe then they'll look to emerging generations.

It will certainly be fun to watch the marketing wars that are inevitable.

Embrace the era that is ushering in... there' not much anyone can do about it except to sit back, watch the marketing battles and bask in the in quality wines that you paid half for... because price wars are inevitable too and that's music to my ears!

Posted by Ryan ODonnell on Aug 01, 2007 8:56 am

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Bill Pheyton @ Sep 28, 2007 8:01 pm:

Eventually, they will have to learn to market their wine or it won't matter how many brands they buy up.

Check out http://winescorecard.com - at least someone is trying something new.