The Good Stuff

A contest! (Because it's my blog and I'll do what I want.)

3/17/2014

OK. Chicago winter is dragging on and has killed my inspiration and hope, so I need something fun and different!

Here goes- In the comments to this post, name your favorite songs with wine in the title or lyrics. You may submit as many songs as you like, but try to do selections you actually thought of on your own, not something Google found for you. It can be a song from any genre. Please list the song title and artist.

I'll cut the submissions off on Wednesday, March 26th (you have over a week to brainstorm.)

Once I've collected the responses, I'll do another post with a poll listing all the submitted songs and the person who originally suggested song that wins the most votes will win a wine-related gift from me! A prize, if you will. (And if only one awesome person posts a bunch of songs- I'll still do the poll, and then that person will get a prize as closely related to the winning song as I can think of/afford on a shop-girl's pay. I've thought this through!)

OK. That's it! Brainstorm, submit ideas, and don't let me down- it snowed here this past weekend- again. I NEED THIS TO BE FUN.

Cheers!

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Happy Birthday, Baby!

1/17/2014

4 Comments

Goodness, January 16th came and went and I forgot to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of Chicago Uncorked! It's been quite a year. I haven't been as great about posting lately as I'd like, but here we are- I'm back, and in honor of the 1 year anniversary, I'm going to do a recap of some of my favorite wine-related news stories, new items to hit the market, and other fun stuff. Here goes!

1. The trial and conviction of Rudy Kurniawan. If you haven't followed this story, you should. It is fascinating, and sort of taps into a little bit of what I was talking about in my "cult booze" post. The guy basically forged very pricy wines, and made a hell of a lot of money doing so!

2. Wine for Cats. I love my cat, and I have been accused of being a bit of a cat lady, but even I am not crazy enough to buy her her own special wine. (Though I confess, I'm still a little curious.)

3. This video, courtesy of my friend Amber. I really DO want to try it, but think it is best done sober, so it may not be on the table for my next Wines of the World group.

4. The discovery of this awesome ancient wine cellar in Israel! Archaeology meets enology! Love it.

5. The news that wine is on the rise! People are getting on board, and craft wineries are taking off!

6. I want to try this cool product. Apparently, you can just sort of needle on down through the cork, suck out some wine, pull the needle out, and it is as good as never opened. The possibilities! As a single gal, I love it, but also, think of how many high-priced, aged wines could be sampled without ruining the whole bottle!

7. And some news I don't love so much- we're potentially facing a global wine shortage! Nooooooooooo! China! Get your own wine! (good thing I'm essentially a wine horder, eh?)

I think that about covers it. Did I miss anything? Do you have any cool/useful/funny wine related stories or products to share from the past year?

Happy Birthday little blog! And thanks to those of you who've kept reading!

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Mull this over...

12/11/2013

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'Tis the time of year in which people are attending a lot of festive parties, wearing ugly sweaters, and trying to make all sorts of warming beverages. I've started getting calls at the shop from people looking for pre-made mulled wines. Usually (since Chicago is a multi-cultural city,) I get requests for gluhwein or glogg, specifically. Now, you can certainly buy this stuff pre-made, but my real question is, "why would you want to?" Not because it isn't tasty and festive, (it is!) but because it is very easy and satisfying to make at home! There are lots of recipes out there, but as with much of my own cooking, I recommend you get creative. Start with a bold, fruity wine- maybe a cheap (hah!) Zinfandel or even a Merlot, some brandy, a little sugar, some cloves, cinnamon, orange peel, apple chunks, whatever you wanna throw in there, go for it! (Candied ginger, anyone? Mmmm.) Add the ingredients to taste, warm it up on the stove for a while and let your home fill with its delicious and delightful aroma, ladle it up, and enjoy with people you love (I'm feeling sappy, can you tell?) My one word of warning- beware the fumes directly over the pot (or don't if you want an extra kicky celebration.)
Cheers and Happy (secular with some Christian and Pagan roots) Holidays from me to you!

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Just in case all this wine talk has inspired you and you're now feeling super motivated to learn more about wine on your own, (though I hope you’ll still keep checking in with me!) here are some books I recommend.

The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil:
I think the great thing about this book is that she manages to give lots and lots of information, but to present it in a more approachable way. Some of it is still pretty dense and complex (I’m looking at you, French wines) but she makes it more manageable than some.

The Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia, 4th Edition by Tom Stevenson:
The people at my local wine store love this book. It is certainly full of good information and often contains more specifics that Karen MacNeil in terms of well-known wine labels, etc. However, this one is definitely not a light read. It means business and is a bit of a tome. It is a great library volume for those wanting to really improve their know-how, but not meant for the beach.

Biology of the Grapevine by Michael G Mullins:
While this is more of a viticulture textbook, it is a paperback, and I think is actually very readable. The first few chapters in particular are a breeze and very interesting. They focus on the history of grape cultivation and the difference between American and European grape varieties (remember?) If you’re dying to get down to a more botanical level and understand how the vines make the berries so very tasty, this one is a really great read.

And, in a more fun and frivolous vein, I was given The Food Lover's Guide to Wine by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg as a Christmas gift a few years ago. It's very basic in terms of tasting techniques, color evaluation, etc. But I think it does have some of the most usefully simplified descriptions of varietals and what to expect from them. One friend commented on my post a few weeks ago regarding wine descriptors saying she's more of a food gal, so food references are useful to her when trying to describe wines. Well, this book has a whole section that is basically "if you like ____ (be it cheese or honey, or nectarines, etc,) then you might like ____ wine." Kinda fun if you're trying to branch out and try new stuff!

I know I've linked these to Amazon, but where possible, please support your local bookstore! If they don't have it in stock, most will be happy to order it for you.

Do you have any favorite wine books? Share them in the comments!

Did you know?
Due to pH and alcohol content, there are no known human pathogens that can survive in wine. Even wines that are considered spoiled will not make people sick. Glug Glug!

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A contest! (Because it's my blog and I'll do what I want.)

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Mull this over...

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