Monday, September 11, 2006

Pomegranate wine

A few weeks ago someone came in and said, “I have this new wine from Armenia you have to try”. So, with much hesitation I went over and tasted this Armenian wine. I was even less excited when I saw the label and realized that it was a pomegranate wine. It was pretty nasty I must say. But, the folks in Isreal didn’t think so and they made their own version.


Several years before the trend got started, a family in Israel's Upper Galilee region began working to create a tastier and healthier version of the ancient fruit, only to cross their way into yet another huge food market. Their product: the world's first pomegranate wine fit to be sold to international wine connoisseurs.

The craziest part though, in my opinion, is that Pomegranate doesn’t have enough natural sugars to ferment to alcohol. The majority of the time it has to be tampered with to even get it to the alcohol content that it needs to be a wine.

In general, pomegranates don't have enough natural sugar to ferment into alcohol on its own," Leo Open, Rimon's director of international marketing, told ISRAEL21c. "In the past, some people have added alcohol to pomegranate juice to create a form of liquor, but no one has successfully made wine. Our pomegranates are the only ones in the world that have enough sugar to do so naturally."

Hmmmmm.

"Like with all wines, the fermentation process is totally natural," Open says. That being said, pomegranate wines clearly belong to a different class than the typical reds and whites, and Rimon recognizes that the market has to treat it as such, Open says. "We consider it a fruit wine, definitely not a liqueur, and it has to be appreciated in this way."

If you have to tell me that your wine is a fruit wine and not a liquor, that’s probably not a good sign. Here’s my advice, make wine from grapes. That’s it….it’s simple. Wine= grapes!!

http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enDispWho=Articles%5El1419&enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enVersion=0&enZone=Culture



Bigger may not be better

So, in Illinois a police chief has a big beef with big beers. Apparently 22 ounce beers are ending up as trash all over the city and the chief is fed up. He even goes so far as to say…

Police Chief Rich Miller wants to outlaw the sale of beer in 24- or 32-ounce cans, saying those sizes are preferred by trouble-making drunks.Miller says stores sell them in paper bags that conceal them perfectly and end up as litter, and that Granite City would be better off if stores just didn't sell such beers.

So, lemme get this straight, only drunks drink 22 ounce beers?? http://cbs11tv.com/watercooler/watercooler_story_254120050.html


Science Rocks!

Check it out. I found this clip on You Tube for a new robot created by Asahi that pours your beer for you. Sure I have no idea what it is saying (probably something like Americans are retarded) and it takes a little over 3 minutes to pour the damn thing but cool nonetheless. If you’re wasted, or if you’re name is Kipp and are obsessed with beer gadgets I am guessing that it is a necessity!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tXmGYk_A_c&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egadgetell%2Ecom%2F2006%2F09%2Fasahi%2Dbeer%2Dpouring%2Drobot%2Don%2Dvideo%2F

Damn you Torii Mor

Dear Torii Mor,

For years I have loved you. I have sold your wine to people who don’t even know how to pronounce your name yet they always come back for more. I know the quote on your bottle – “Through this earth gate, this Torii Mor, we step, to make glad the soul with wine”. I have visited your winery and tasting room, I have bought your expensive single vineyard wines. I loved you Torii Mor. I loved you even after Patty Green left you to make her own winery but I should have known. I should have known that one day one of my undiscovered baby wineries in Oregon would sell its soul for cash. Premier Buying Group from Napa has been buying vineyard land in Oregon in a very deceitful manner and Torii Mor owner Jim Olsen has been the man behind the scenes. Expect a “Mondavi” like venture that whores out cheap ass pinot noir in your near future.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003251947_vineyards10.html



A Bubbly Personality


I went to New York last week and had a great time. I went to the Bubble Lounge which is a restaurant that serves over 350 champagnes by the glass. I was in heaven. I drank the Veuve Cliquot MV "La Grand Siecle". Yep that's right MV - not NV. MV means that they blend vintages. This particular wine was '88, '90, and '95 vintages from Veuve single vineyards and it was well worth every penny I paid for it. Here's a picture. I'd post more pictures but the night went downhill from there and while the pics are very funny, they are also very telling!!!



That's about it!!

Cheers!