Therefore, we’ve got a couple of bins in the winery where you can bring in canned goods for those in need. Our friends over at the Food bank say what they could use the most are canned protein items, such as chili and tuna. In return, we’re giving our club members who donate a three-bottle reusable bag, with the Rosenblum logo. That way, we’re also saving some trees in the process.

Give to the needy while going green.
—–
Plus, we still have a few cases of wines that are $5 off regular price, but they won’t be around long….

Out with the Old, In with the New Sale

Change is in the air for November, whether it be politics or the weather. And at Rosenblum Cellars, our Nov. 15 & 16 Open House means new wines will be released. While we are excited about the 2006 wines, in some cases, we still have a little of the 2005 vintage. Our lack of space and need to make room means sale prices for you. The following will be on sale at $5 off their regular price: 2005 Aparicio Zinfandel, 2005 Harris Kratka Zinfandel, 2005 St.Peter’s Church Reserve Zinfandel,and 2005 Maggie’s Reserve Zinfandel.

These wines won’t be around long at these prices, so don’t get lost in the shuffle!

2005 Aparicio Zinfandel, 2005 Harris Kratka Zinfandel, 2005 St.Peter’s Church Reserve Zinfandel, 2005 Maggie’s Reserve Zinfandel, wine sale, Rosenblum wines on sale

Details

When: Nov. 15 & 16; 1 to 5pm (12 to 1 is reserved for wine club members and their guests)
Where: Rosenblum Cellars…2900 Main St. Alameda, CA
What: wine, food, and good times
How much:
Online: $25 for club members, $40 other customers
At the door: $35 club members, $50 general admission

Other info: We are right by the ferry building, so if you’re coming from Oakland or San Francisco, that would be a great way to travel.

Angela’s Restaurant, currently closed while the new location gets prepped, will be catering with snacks such as meatballs, sausages, cheese, grapes, hangar steak, foccacia pizza, etc

So don’t wait, get your tickets today by visiting our website to make the most of the discounted rates. They have sold out in the past…

Rosenblum’s Open House, Angela’s Restaurant, wine events in East Bay, wine party, wine tasting in East Bay, things to do in Alameda

Complimentary Tasting

2006 Roussanne, Fess Parker Vineyard, Santa Barbara $25
Picture yourself in San Diego in 1935, for the very first Fleet Week,
maybe sipping on a glass of peaches, papaya, mango, and orange blossom

2005 Merlot, Appellation Series, Russian River Valley $18
Franklin Roosevelt stood watch as the U.S. Marine Corps color guard led a parade
of cherry,cedar, cocoa, and crisp acidity

2006 Zinfandel, Eagle Point Vineyard, Mendocino $25
It didn’t happen again until 1981, revived in San Francisco:
an explosion of fig, anise, blackberry, huckleberry

*Reserve Flight - $8.00 *
Complimentary to club members and up to 4 guests

2006 Zinfandel, Rockpile Road Vineyard, Rockpile $35
In our parts, it happens the weekend of Columbus Day,
celebrating cocoa, blackberries, raspberries, and black cherries

2005 Zinfandel, St. Peter’s Church Reserve, Sonoma County $55
You could watch the parade of fleet week ships, such as the SS Jeremiah O’Brien,
perhaps carrying chocolate, coffee, and boysenberries in its hold

2006 Syrah, Snows Lake Vineyard Vineyard, Lake County $25
Of course, your favorite part might be demonstrations by the Snow Birds or Blue Angels
zipping through the sky, a trail of blueberry, currants, and lavender behind them

2005 Meritage, Holbrook Mitchell Trio, Napa Valley $25
Whether you’re parked at Crissy Field or leaning over the Golden Gate Bridge,
don’t forget to enjoy the blackberry, cassis, leather, and tea leaves

FLEET WEEK, Columbus Day, SS Jeremiah O’Brien, Blue Angels

The Art of Blending will take place from 6:30 to 8:30pm at the winery in Alameda. We’ll try our hand at blending,
most likely some Rhone varieties and Zinfandel, but it all depends on what the winemakers give me. If you’re
thinking of becoming a home winemaker, or you just want to have some fun with wine, come join us next week.

Test your tasting and mixing skills.

Cost: $40 per person, $5 off for wine club members
Call 510-995-4100 to make your reservation today!

wine classes in Bay Area, wine seminar at Rosenblum, fun wine classes in the East Bay, wine blending class

Check out this job description and see if you might be a good fit. And if you have trouble following the directed path, let me know.

East Bay wine job, wine club job, open position at Rosenblum, Rosenblum Cellars wine club

Complimentary Tasting

2007 Viognier, Kathy’s Cuvee, Appellation Series $18
The vivid fruit flavors of peach, apricot, and pineapple
will have you doing the HULA on the beaches of Hawaii

2006 Grenache, Rhodes Vineyard, Redwood Valley $25
The languid ease of the lavender, violets, and cherries
will remind you of a slow and supple WALTZ

2006 Zinfandel, Kontrabecki Vineyard, Livermore $25 ON SALE $17.50
FOXTROT your way through vanilla beans
blackberries, black currants, and baking spices

creative tasting menu, Rosenblum wines on sale, 30% off wine, Rosenblum tasting menu

2006 Zinfandel, Rockpile Road Vineyard, Rockpile $35
The official state dance of North Carolina and Kentucky, CLOGGING
will get you over the rocks and into the glass of blackberry, boysenberry, chocolate, and oak spice

2006 Zinfandel, Monte Rosso Reserve, Sonoma Valley $45
Powerful and graceful, the FLAMENCO mirrors the characteristics of this wine,
smooth cherries displaying intricate footwork with flavors of cocoa and vanilla cream

2005 Syrah, Hillside Vineyard, Sonoma County $25 ON SALE $17.50
As you climb up the hillside, think of the ELECTRIC SLIDE
urged on by the repetition of cracked white pepper, licorice, and smoky plum

2005 Petite Sirah, Kick Ranch Vineyard, Sonoma County $35 ON SALE $24.50
The amazing legwork of the RIVERDANCE will make you want to kick up your heels
for blueberries, cranberries, and smoked bacon

The blogger who created this project— Dr. Debs from Good Wine Under $20— seemed to enjoy the read as much as I did, having wanted to take it off the shelf for some time now. My choice gave her the impetus she needed. She found herself drawn to the writing style and “was quickly caught up in the story of how she developed from a wine novice to a wine expert.” Dr. Debs was struck, as I was, at how Jancis is very clear about the subjectivity of taste (whether it be our own palates, the time the bottle is consumed, or the food and company which tag along) and “her humility concerning what she still doesn’t know about wine.” That is why Jancis doesn’t beleive in assigning scores, which I think is refreshing to wine bloggers jaded by an onslaught of numbers.

Dr. Debs also appreciate the interesting and amusing glimpses we get into the wine world and says that by the finish, “it is almost impossible not to like her enormously and respect her deeply” for what she has accomplished as a woman in the business, and I’d say–in general. Though I think Deb hits the proverbial nail when she notes, “it is where Robinson talks about writing about wine that she is at her absolute best in what is a marvelous all-around book” and the very reason I chose it.

Kori from Wine Peeps could relate to Jancis’s belief in tasting blind as much as possible and also in the fact that wine should be enjoyed without costing an arm and possibly a leg. Kori points out that “Her philosophy dovetails nicely with our philosophy here at Wine Peeps: We believe that it is not good enough just to find good wine but to find good wine at a fair price.” She also points out one of my favorite lines, as well: I don’t want to manage my cellar. I want to drink it. A lovely sentiment indeed.

However, Kori would have chosen Robinson’s How to Taste over this one, as Tasting Pleasure is more of a “glorified autobiography” with info that’s “a little dated since it was published eleven years ago.” I can understand where she’s coming from with that and how the recounting of the many great bottles “offers little value to those of us who have no access to those kinds of wines” (though I personally liked to read about them for that very reason). Kori’s points are valid, and when choosing an author such as Jancis Robinson–who has so many books behind her–one could debate all day long which one to examine. However, as wine bloggers, we have that desire to write on some level, and as someone who desires to write on more levels, I appreciated her version of how she made it happen.

Side note: It did make me wish I had been born in a year prior to one of the worst vintages ever, since wine was not as popular then, and there was less competition!

Mary E on Shelfari also got tired about hearing about the many great wines, but “found Robinson to be well-written in her usual British reserved and self-deprecating style and enjoyed getting the behind-the-scenes view of her wine writing over the years.”

Richard from A Passionate Foodie got his review in just under the wire, which worked out fine. He gives good advice: “Though the book is not a difficult read, it also is not a light read. You do need to pay careful attention as you might miss something through a quick skim. But try reading maybe a chapter at a time, at a leisurely pace, and savor Robinson’s prose.” He seems to really enjoy the comparison between her European and his (our, if you’re also in the U.S.) outlook and how Jancis separates her critic self with her tasting for pleasure and ponders whether bloggers do the same thing. And the chapter on writing about wine speaks to him as much as it did to me. As he puts it so well, “What makes this book most compelling is that Robinson has her own unique voice which draws in the reader into her world, immersing them in her passion for wine. You cannot help but be fascinated by her anecdotes of famous wine personalities. You feel as if you are receiving a history lesson of the modern wine industry, though it is not some dry recitation.”

Cheers to those who participated and to Jancis Robinson for providing inspiration.

Wine Book Club, Tasting Pleasure: Confessions of a Wine Lover, Jancis Robinson

What with all the unpacking and unwinding and the intense urge to cook after eating out all week, I hope to have the very short (seems that not many participated this go) WBC 4 round up done sometime tomorrow.

WBC 4, Oregon wine, evil ticket agents, carrying wine on a train

Wine Book Club 4

The first time I read Tasting Pleasure: Confessions of a Wine Lover, and the reason I chose it for WBC 4: I could not put it down. I lapped up the words of my favorite wine writer like drinking an icy beer on a hot day. It didn’t hurt that I read the book in the middle of last summer, by a lake, with a cooler of beers nearby. (Yes, there was wine, too.)

The fact that my biggest concerns during the camping trip were what to cook for dinner and how to get a real shower made Jancis Robinson’s adventures that much easier to get caught up in. I found her a kindred spirit in how she began her career into wine without much background. When she wrote of her first job that “The pay was no great shakes but, hey, who’s counting when a lifetime in wine trade beckons (as thousands of wine trade employees have reasoned before and since),” I had to write I feel that in the margin. The plonk she drank, I could also relate to. On the other hand, I loved reading about wines that she was lucky enough to taste, so that I could live vicariously through her, sniffing Thomas Jefferson’s famous bottle, or the parades of Bordeaux from the same vintage with the Penning-Roswells and Broadbents. Or the grand tastings, some blind, put on by the likes of Hardy Rodenstock or Madame Lalou. And of course, I felt especially chummy when she couldn’t read her own tasting notes or left them on a bus due to too much consumption, a problem I’ve had once or twice.

However, this re-read found me with many more concerns than the last time: one blog coming abruptly to an end, changes at work and then a promotion, realization that staff reviews were suddenly my responsibility and due unexpectedly, another seminar to plan, and the happy break of plotting my trip to Portland and last night, the chore of packing. Instead of wine talk, I find myself thinking ahead to Agatha Christie and one of her mysteries so apt for a train ride. Or just eager to get away from wine, wine, wine. (That most certainly does not mean I will not be visiting Willamette Valley.)

Somehow, despite all that, Jancis still pulled me in, again. I started rereading in spare moments and soon found myself caught up in her unbelievable world. Now, I know she stated that not all wines she drinks are worth writing about. But just as she laments she will never be able to afford most of those bottles, what with the sudden demand all over the world raising prices out of normal folks’ reach, I’m just drooling over what friends and strangers have shared with her. Ah, to taste just a few of those bottles.

Even though it’s easy to get a little dizzy from the lists of places she visited; wine icons she met and often became good friends with; Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône, Australian, and so on beauties she tasted, it doesn’t come across as boasting. That doesn’t mean I didn’t get jealous…. and that I didn’t skip over some of the paragraphs a little this go round. But the thing with Jancis is that while she will tell you about the impossibly wonderful opportunities that came into her life, she doesn’t cover up the embarrassing moments or stories that aren’t so flattering. Whether it’s a televised blind tasting gone wrong or a bit of controversy over her predilection for spitting, there are plenty of mishaps to counter the miracles.

As you would expect, she does allude to the ‘woman issue’ occasionally. Sometimes it worked to her advantage, such as getting her a seat next to the host at dinner parties and more chance at getting the scoop or being the focus of certain published articles. Other times, though, she feels it harder to cross the gender line, as when she has to interview the port shippers’ chairman not at the table with him but seated behind him. Overall, it seems that the times she was most aware of how being a woman affected her job were during her three pregnancies and how they had to fit into her busy schedule.

Don’t think this is just a memoir, however. I realize that not every one is as enamored with this British troublemaker (self-proclaimed) as I am, but wine lovers can appreciate these confessions for more than personal anecdotes. Along the way to getting the inside scoop on the Masters of Wine test, the creation of The Oxford Companion to Wine, and thoughts on Robert Parker and his nose, there are sprinkles of helpful information about oak, decanting, grape varieties, and much about France.

Through the entire book, Jancis shows how much she really enjoys wine. She gives the impression that in her career, she didn’t seek out to impress anyone and never tried to mince her words. Wines move her, not the scores or the price. Towards the end, when she is discussing the difference between her and Parker, she sums it up best: “For me wine is so much more than a liquid in a glass; the liquid is merely our link to what is so often a fascinating story, a spot on the globe, a point in time, a fashion in winemaking, an argument between neighboring families, rivalry between old schoolmates, perhaps proud new owners who want to make their mark at any cost.” Exactly how I feel, and I couldn’t have said it better. Though she does inspire me to try.

Wine Book Club 4, Tasting Pleasure:Confessions of a Wine Lover, Jancis Robinson