Wine Outlook

This week’s comeback wine and tv guide

Complimentary Tasting

2006 Viognier, Kathy’s Cuvée, Appellation Series $18
If you’ve been missing Lost, these pineapples, apricots, peaches,
and fuji apples will transport you to a deserted tropical island, minus the mishaps

2005 Merlot, Anthony’s Vineyard, Napa Valley $18
Not quite as risky as Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations,
Anthony’s Merlot still takes the plunge with tobacco, cherry, and black raspberries

2005 Zinfandel, San Francisco Bay , Appellation Series $18
Just as Jericho was cancelled and then brought back,
this wine returns full of cherry, plum, vanilla, and cola

2005 Zinfandel, Rockpile Road Vineyard, Rockpile $35 92 Parker points, 91 WS
If you were excited when Family Guy came out with new episodes, then surely you’re jumping for joy at more of these blackberries, cocoa, almonds,& rose petals

2005 Petite Sirah, Pickett Road , Napa Valley $35 92 Parker points
As the writers walk the picket road, er, line, they jot down ideas
with a lead pencil, while snacking on blueberries and black olives
(more…)

These don’t have really anything to do wine, other than strawberry is one of my favorite fruit flavors…in the glass, in a bowl, or in muffin wrappers. Plus, I’m proud of how good these look (and taste!). Food Network, I’m still waiting…

Food Network

The New Adventures of Old Christine , starring Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus, airs an episode called “What About Barb” this Monday evening (9:30 Eastern/Pacific Time on CBS)

If anyone happens to be watching, keep an eye on the kitchen counter. Christine often uses wine as a way to deal with problems. This week the solution happens to be Thomas Fogarty Skyline, a delicious Bordeaux-style blend that is very easy to drink. The bottle has a blue label that you probably won’t be able to read directly. (That would be free advertising). Just know that it’s there.

Thanks to my friend Doug, who loves wine and works on the show.

Now, if he could only help me out with my plans for my own television debut…

The New Adventures of Old Christine, product placement, Thomas Fogarty Winery

PBS has a new reality show lined up. PBS, you ask? And I answer, “Well, yes. I suppose anyone can.”

This one knocks loudly on my door, though, cause the name is The Wine Makers. The contestants compete on levels of growing, making, and selling. They just started filming in the Central Coast a couple of weeks ago. Starts with 12, thins to 6, then finishes with 1, who gets his or her own wine label. Airs in early ‘07, I think.

When I mentioned this at work, it seems our cellar rat bitterly related his anger at not being chosen. Seems that he missed the deadline. Besides, he already has his own wine label: Bonfire Vineyards. Visit his wife’s blog, aptly named The Winemaker’s Wife. She’s a fellow food and wine lover. Let’s just hope she doesn’t want her own show like I do.

reality tv

In all the election excitement, I almost forgot my earlier promise. But if I stand a chance at wooing Food Network, I gotta get crackin’. As I told you I would, the other night I prepared a meal to go with a specific wine. First step: I whipped out The Wine Lover’s Cookbook by Sid Goldstein.

Since I was in a mood for a big red, I chose the Penne with Sausage, Porcini and Portobello Mushrooms, and Syrah. Although a couple years ago, that would have been my last choice. It’s only recently that I’ve rediscovered pork, and the reunion has been quite favorable.

As the recipe called for a pairing with Syrah or Zinfandel, I felt comfortable subbing a Petite Sirah, distant relative to Syrah and definitely material for a future post, as it’s one of my most cherished varietals. (more…)

I thought my time had finally arrived. My friend Paige told me that Food Network contacted her about wanting to put our wine videos (that are on both YouTube and Expert Village) on the FN website.

Imagine that. And trust me, I did. Visions of getting my own show focused on food and wine pairing, meeting my cooking idol Paula Deen, finding out if the very thin Italian (Giada?) actually eats what she cooks. Even the fact that someone there would want some thrown-together videos, whether it actually came to fruition or not… (more…)

My best friend just started her own production company. She also makes instructional videos for Expert Village. When I was visiting her last month, she asked if I was interested in making wine videos, despite the fact they said they had the subject covered. I agreed, despite my usual avoidance of video cameras. She’s highly persuasive.

Excuses: I did not spend much time on my appearance, thinking no one would actually see me. All info was off the top of my head. Almost every segment was in one take, except the one where the dogs made too much noise. It was my last day there, and we had already drunk the case of wine I brought with me–leading to wine weariness and lack of full bottles for demo purposes.

Excuses aside: I haven’t really watched them myself, so I don’t know what I’m getting into by sharing with you. I’ll just consider this a lesson in trust.

Enjoy, and please be kind.

Available on Expert Village and also on YouTube

And here is Paige’s website: Porch Productions

wine basics, instructional videos, Expert Village, YouTube, Porch Productions