Crottin

Crottin is fancy french for an exclusive goat cheese, that can be aged or served raw. It is, without a doubt, delicious.

A crottin is also a term for horse dung which looks similar in shape to a Crottin goat cheese.

Crottin is a great Syrah cheese and it's also an excellent conversation starter at any Thanksgiving Table.

Spread the Crottin Love.

dis and dat

One of my favorite french wines in my collection was of a vintage and vineyard that everyone "detested" and thus the wine was reduced dramatically which prompted me to buy a case of it. I'm chancey like that.

So even though French newspapers are disparagingly calling the 2008 harvest a failure. I'm going to keep my eye's open for deals. And if any of you have a '94 Duhart Milon laying around, I'll come over and share it with you ;)

Château Duhart Milon, 4th Growth A.C. Pauillac

The Rothschilds bought this château, which is separated from the vineyards of Château Lafite only by the small hamlet of Milon, in 1962, and since then much has been done to re-establish the reputation of its 4th growth wine. The 50 hectare vineyard is planted to 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 21% Merlot, with a tiny proportion of Petit Verdot.

Château Duhart Milon has the same family feel of perfume and suppleness as the wines of Lafite. Aged in oak barrels from Lafite, this wine has a fine aroma of black fruits, cedar and minerals, with blackcurrant flavours and plenty of subtle wood, hints of liquorice and mocha.

cork savvy

There are many applications on Facebook, these days. I have 146 "requests" sitting in my status updates, because I'm mostly over adding new boxes, bells, whistles and stuff to my profile.

The exception is a reading application that tracks books I've read and books that my friends are reading so I can find new books to read later.

I wonder if this concept will transfer over to wine ... will people track wines they've liked and abhorred and share notes online?

This cork savvy application is a worth a whirl, just to see what other people are drinking. And of what they drink - see what they love and what they detest. I worry people will lie about the price per bottle of what they're actually drinking. But that is overshadowed by my own eagerness to see what people write about wines.

You know, how they describe them.

I really, really like adjectives.

Would you drink it in a can? Would you drink it with flan?

Alternative packaging is enticing, especially if it has environmental merits.

Wine for one, in a can, means less waste, easier to recycle, less cost of freight/shipping.

But do bells and whistles equal less quality product?

We'll get our hands on some soon and taste test it for you. But if you beat us to the punch, let us know how it TASTES.

In the end, isn't that what matters most?

Tres Preguntas

This blog, posed three questions to a revered winemaker.

But if WE were asking the questions ... we might ask:

1. What were you listening to while you crushed the grapes?
2. Whats the dirtiest part of the job?
3. How do you know when you are in the midst of a making a GREAT wine?

Also, we might ask, what the winemaker was doing later. You know if he was good-looking and, ahem, single.

Cotes Du Rhone

PBS and the most famous Syrah region in France (Cotes Du Rhone) are putting together a reality show to launch the ambitions of potential winemakers.

I f I was competing, I'd want to create a wine brand called "DeMystify" and all the wine labels would be written in super easy to understand, straight-forward language. Bordering on American Ghetto Fabulous meets Appalachia.

What would you create?

Race to Thanksgiving

Aaah, Turkey Day. Much discussion about the correct wines to pair with all the diverse Americana dishes. Reds? Whites? Sparklings?

Here's a quick guide, over at our friends Richard Leahy's place. He makes a valid point about drinking locally.

Right on, man, Right on.

Drinking locally means less freight/shipping waste on gas, airplane maintenance, truck drivers, refrigeration and packaging used for transport. It also means supporting local business and tasting your very own backyard.

You never know you may discover an amazing treasure.

Sunday - Now just another fun day

In Michigan, in 1976, a ban on alcohol sales went into effect. Let the party begin, because on Voter Tuesday that ban was given the hammer by 67% of the populace.

So if you are looking for a good old fashioned vacation spot, Holland, MI is your man.