PinotNoir

Twitter Plans Wine For A Good Cause

Twitter is partnering with custom wine producer Crushpad on a new charity-driven project, Fledgling Wine. The Twitter staff will work with Crushpad to make a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay. The fundraiser, the Fledgling Initiative, will benefit Room to Read , a San Francisco non-profit organization that establishes schools and libraries for children in developing countries. Founded by former Microsoft employee John Wood, Room to Read has established 765 schools and filled over 7,000 libraries with more than 5.7 million books. The company says that $5 from every $20 bottle sold will go to Room to Read. Twitter users can follow the progress of the wines through @fledgling. The release date is planned for Fall 2010.

[via SF Gate]

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Tags: chardonnay, fledgling, fledgling wine, fledglingwine, pinot noir, PinotNoir, twitter, wine

The Allison Gives Oregon Wine Lovers A New Place To Stay

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

These days I get excited when a project I wrote about a few years back actually comes to fruition. We first talked about the Allison Inn & Spa back in 2007. It's part of a large development in Oregon's Willamette Valley, an area which is quickly becoming one of the go-to spots for wine tourism. The hotel in Newberg, Oregon has a signature restaurant, 12-treatment-room spa and fitness studio, covered indoor pool and 12,000 square feet of meeting and social gathering space.

The Allison's 85 rooms range in size from nearly 500 to more than 1,500 square feet. Rooms include wet bars, mini refrigerators, Bose sound systems and linen bath robes. There are 20 suites with features like bay window seats, fireplaces and terraces or balconies. Rooms offers pastoral views of oaks and conifers, neighboring vineyards and more than 70,000 recently planted trees, grasses, shrubs and perennials. There is also a one acre chef's garden.

The hotel celebrates the region's famous pinot noir wine with 'pinotherapy' spa treatments. The restaurant, Jory, is named for a soil type that produces Oregon's pinots and boasts 700 wines on its list with 50 available by the glass. Room rates range from $295 to $1,100 and pets may join their owners for a $50 fee per stay.

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Tags: oregon, pinot noir, PinotNoir, the allison, TheAllison, wine tourism, WineTourism

San Francisco Celebrates Pinot Days

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Events

Think that the ZAP Festival is San Francisco's only varietal fest? There is also the Pinot Days event held in the same place, Fort Mason. The event, which takes place from June 24 to June 28 includes winemaker dinners, focus tastings and more. The big event is the Grand Festival on June 28th which hosts over 220 Producers from California, Oregon, New Zealand and Australia and like the Zinfandel festival offers the chance to compare the different expressions of pinot from a variety of places and producers. The tagline for the event is Serious Wines, Serious Fun, a phrase that embodies the spirit of the food-friendly and sophisticated pinot noir. The main tasting is $50.

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Tags: pinot, pinot days, pinot noir, PinotDays, PinotNoir, wine

Chilean Wines Making Impression on U.S. Consumers

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Argentina and Australia have both widened our national palates and expanded our wine vocabulary. As they have grown in prestige and density the U.S. has embraced their unique qualities and beamed with pride at the continued diversity of personal wine knowledge.

Another country home to the Southern Hemisphere is also prompting increased interest among oenophiles -- Chile. Although known for their Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet blends exports for Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Carmenere and Syrah have increased in spite of the American recession. To capitalize on consumers' continued interest in the range of wines from Chile the 'Wines of Chile' is to open a new U.S. office in NYC.

If you're unfamiliar with Chilean wines I suggest you start with the Carmenere -- typically they are full-bodied and hold a deeply colored essence plus it sounds sensual when it rolls of the tongue.

Gallery: Chilean Wine Tasting

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Tags: cabernet blends, cabernet sauvignon, CabernetBlends, CabernetSauvignon, carmenere, chile, chile wines, chilean wine, ChileanWine, ChileWines, pinot noir, PinotNoir, sauvignon blanc, SauvignonBlanc, syrah, wines of chile, WinesOfChile

Signaterra Wine

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Benzinger's Signaterra wine is a new wine label that seeks to join the best of three forces, earth, nature, and man for excellent wine. They have produced two wines, the 2006 Bella Luna Pinot Noir Russian River Valley and the 2006 Sauvignon Blanc Shone Farm Vineyard Russian River Valley. The Signaterra wine notes are divided into Earth, Nature and Man categories which describe the location of the vineyard and how it is formed, the climate and how the grapes are tended (often using organic, biodynamic and sustainable farming methods) and the way the grapes were harvested and how the wine was produced. At $24, the Sauvignon Blanc is on the pricier end of that varietal. The San Francisco Chronicle recently named it tops in their tasting of Sonoma County Sauvignon Blancs finding it rich and well-balanced with notes of jasmine and mango cream aside the citrus and grassy flavors traditionally associated with Sauvignon Blanc.

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Tags: benziger, pinot noir, PinotNoir, sauvignon blanc, sonoma county, SonomaCounty, wine

French Maid Wine

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

In keeping with White Rocket Wine Company's niche of bringing new brands of high quality, affordable wines to the new generation of wine drinkers comes French Maid Wine. Each of the five varietals from the French 'Old World' Languedoc region is given a 'New World' spirit. Offering a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc, each French Maid Wine brings French terroir to the newbies of the wine world on a smaller budget of only $12 per bottle. For the connoisseur who prefers more luxury priced wines this may not be the bottle of choice but as an introduction to wine it just may fit the bill.

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Tags: cabernet sauvignon, CabernetSauvignon, chardonnay, french maid wine, FrenchMaidWine, merlot, pinot noir, PinotNoir, sauvignon blanc, SauvignonBlanc, white rocket wine company, WhiteRocketWineCompany

Grand Cru Estates, Make Your Own Pinot Noir In Oregon

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Yesterday I mentioned Crushpad but they aren't the only ones in the make your own wine business. Another make-your-own wine business has launched, this one in Oregon. Grand Cru Estates is a 13,000 square-foot winemaking facility breaking ground this month in the Yamhill Carlton AVA. Partners Domaine Danielle Laurent and Bailey Estate Vineyards have created Grand Cru Estates as an exclusive winemaking club that lets members create a barrel (25 cases) of their own premium Pinot Noir. Each membership offers interaction with the winemaking team both in the vineyard and in the winery and includes winemaking seminars, winemaking dinners, a biodynamic garden for member use and personal access to the winery for private events and personal concierge.

Club membership is available immediately beginning with the 2008 fall harvest with an initial membership fee of $5,000 for the first 30 founding members, along with a $20,000 fee for each member barrel.

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Tags: oregon, pinot noir, PinotNoir, wine

Pinot Lovers' Cruise

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits, Yachts & Sailing

The second "Pinot Lovers' Cruise" is scheduled for May 31 - June 12, 2009, and combines the wines of August West with Freeman Vineyard & Winery. The 12-day trip on Oceania Cruises' Insignia makes stops in 12 cities, starting in Rome and ending in Istanbul. Oceania only carries 650 passengers and is known for its relaxed, no-tie policy, and gourmet cuisine, overseen by Executive Chef Jacques Pepin. The cruise includes a private winemakers' dinner, wine tastings and discussions, tours of top Italian wine-estates and plenty of Pinot parties.

Freeman has been named as one of the Magnificent 30 "Hottest Pinots" by the Wine Spectator, while the San Francisco Chronicle recognized August West as one of its top 10 wineries of 2005. Both wineries have received multiple 90+ scores from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and the Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine.

Cruise prices range from $3,649 - $7,049 per person double, including free airfare from 20 major U.S. airports. Book by September 1 and receive prepaid gratuities, worth up to $300 per cabin.

Tags: August West, AugustWest, cruise, cruises, cruising, Freeman, Jacques Pepin, JacquesPepin, pinot noir, PinotNoir, wine

Blackstone Launches New Sonoma-Based Wines

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Like Kendall-Jackson, Blackstone winery is seeking to seek the next level of the wine market with a new line that appeal to a different price point than their main line which is generally under $10. The Blackstone Sonoma Reserve is produced at Blackstone's Kenwood Winery in the heart of Sonoma Valley and includes a Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Bordeaux-inspired red blend, Rubric. The wines use grapes sourced from premium vineyards found upon the hillsides, benchlands and coastline of Sonoma County and are made by winemaker Gary Sitton.

The 2005 Sonoma Reserve Chardonnay uses grapes from the cool climate areas of Russian River Valley and Carneros, with small percentages drawn from the Sonoma Coast and sells for $16.99. The 2005 Sonoma Reserve Merlot uses grapes from the Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Sonoma Valley and also sells for $16.99. The 2005 Sonoma Reserve Pinot Noir uses fruit from the Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley region and is aged for 12 months in French oak. It sells for $18.99. The 2005 Sonoma Reserve "Rubric" is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah. It is matured in a combination of French and American oak barrels and sells for $18.99.

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Tags: blacstone wines, BlacstoneWines, chardonnay, grapes, merlot, pinot noir, PinotNoir, red wine, RedWine, sonoma, white wine, wine

Pinot 2.0, Wine by Online Collaboration

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

We've written about Crushpad, the wine making facility in San Francisco before. Now they are working with wine podcaster Alan Baker (aka The Cellar Rat) to create Pinot 2.0, which is the first wine to be made via online consumer collaboration. Group members participate and make decisions through Crushpad's online forum and Baker's videos narrate each step of the wine's progress (local Rat Packers in the Bay Area are also in the process). The Pinot 2.0 project began in September and won't wind up until August 2007. You can get join in the fun by watching Baker's entertaining videos. It's actually a very interesting way to learn about the many factors that go into creating a great wine as you get to track the grapes from the vine through the harvest and fermentation.

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Tags: alan baker, california wine, crushpad, pinot noir, PinotNoir, red wine, wine