3-Piece Classic Wine Set
Through Halo Branded Solutions we have found a classy and elegant solution to our wine gift and promotional dilemmas. While we are wine lovers in the professional service industry, these customizable wine accessories would be equally effective promotional as marketing tools for wineries with tasting rooms, restaurants and caterers, culinary schools, wine distributors and wine retailers. Continue reading »
Over the past few months I have been introduced to the exciting Italian wines created by the Giordano family of Giordano Wines. If you are not familiar with Giordano’s award winning wines, you are not alone. It is only recently that Giordano Wines have been available in the U.S. and still on a limited basis. But that is all about to change. Continue reading »
In the early days of Wine Reviews at Bacchus and Beery Wine Blog I wanted to be a bit rebellious so I eschewed the 100-Point wine rating system made famous by Robert Parker and adopted by just about every other mainstream wine reviewer around. To that end I, until this week, used a 5-Point rating system…very rebellious…very unique…note the sarcasm. Of course that was only after I found that using a set of 1-5 thumbs up graphics was far too complex for my understanding of blogging technology. Continue reading »
Courtesy of Chateau Montelena
We were saddened this weekend to learn of the death of Jim Barrett, founder – Chateau Montelena, just outside Calistoga in the northern end of Napa Valley. Barrett was 86 years old. His son, Bo, who now runs Montelena said of his father; “He was a tough and loving man who will be greatly missed at home, at the winery and throughout the Napa Valley. My father bought Chateau Montelena in 1972 and has worked hard every day since to grow the best grapes and produce the best wines. My dad died of a life well lived.”
Though we never met Jim Barrett, he was a positive influence in the our lives. To honor this Napa Valley legend, my wife and I settled into our leather couch with a bottle of Chateau Montelena Chardonnay and watched again, the movie Bottle Shock. For those few wineauxs who have not seen the film, it is based (some say loosely) on the story of Chateau Montelena, the father – son relationship between Jim and Bo Barrett and the coming of age of Napa Valley…in the Age of Aquarius. All this the result of a sparsely attended blind Paris wine tasting, where some of the most renown French wine palates, much to their surprise, voted Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellar’s 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon superior to the more respected French competition. Continue reading »
In the fall of 2012, as the bounty of harvest was coming to an end, we had the opportunity to meet winemaker Scot Covington at the beautiful Trione Winery. Trione Vineyards and Winery sits in the heart of Alexander Valley, just north of Healdsburg in Sonoma County. For over 35 years the Trione family has been involved in Sonoma vineyards and winemaking . We were lucky enough to be on site during the Trione staff harvest party, complete with grilled wild duck, compliments of Mark Trione’s hunting skills. Scot’s excitement over the 2012 wines was contageous. The barrel and tank tastings showed exceptional promise.
In 2005, when the Trione family decided to venture back into winemaking, it was Scot they tapped to design and build the winemaking facility. He is a warm and friendly person dedicated to the winemaking arts. As you will read, Scot was well traveled before Trione, though now he seems to have, paraphrasing Jimmy Buffett, “found a life that suits his style.”
B&B: who do you see when you look in the mirror?
SC: Well, that is a good question. Some days it’s Brad Pitt, some days George Clooney some days Archie Bunker…more often than not I see my Father. I see his eyes, ears; laugh lines. I wish my Father was still around to taste the wines that I am making now. He was a big fan of mine as I was of him and I see him often in the mirror especially now that I am a father. The mirror gives perspective. Continue reading »
