We have to admit, as far as Wine FAQs go, actor Luke Perry’s is one for the books: “Why do you guys drink that shit? It tastes horrible!” Hey, that’s a totally legitimate response. Perry, who was pushing his recent Hallmark Channel movie, Goodnight for Justice, said there are a couple reasons why he’s not into wine. “I am a beer drinker,” he said. “II can walk you through the finer points of the greater darker ales and the ambers of our time. We’ll talk about it.” Perry, for the odd one or
Tasting events are an amazingly cool way to find out about a lot of wine at one time. Most feature a region or even a single grape, such as Pinot Days, dedicated to the heartbreak grape that is Pinot Noir. Based in San Francisco, the organizers have also taken the show to Chicago and, for the last two years, Santa Monica, California. Michael was lucky enough to get involved as a volunteer for the recent Santa Monica show, which also allowed him to attend the event and mingle with the winemakers.
Type: Dry white Made with: Viognier Plays well with: Cheese, light sauces, chicken dishes
We’re always on the lookout for grapes in unusual places. So Michael was pretty stoked when he found the Sawtooth 2007 Viognier from Idaho among the bottles he’d won in a silent auction to benefit the Southern California chapter of the Rhone Rangers. The Sawtooth vineyards are in the Nampa region along the Snake River. They’re fairly new and there is a lot of interest in finding out what will do well there as time goes on. So keep Idaho on your radar screens and
When we asked actor Jane Seymour for her wine FAQ, she didn’t have one.
“You know, I grew up with wine. My mother was a wine merchant. I tasted Givery Chambertin at, probably, eight,” said the actor who is currently reprising her role as Prudence, the Martha Stewart clone in the Hallmark Channel movie Perfectly Prudence.
Like other Europeans, Seymour said, it’s not unusual for young Brits to taste wine long before it’s legal, even there.
But not only is she into wine, she’s even got her own label of pinot noir, JS, which she’s making with vintner Jim
Type: Dry white Made with: Albarino Plays well with: Seafood, salads and cream sauces.
Albarino, best known in Spain, is not as fragrant a grape as Viognier, Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. But it makes up for the light nose with an acidity and minerality that is hard to beat. And Dancing Coyote Winery’s Albarino is the one that introduced us to this light and tasty wine. Michael stumbled across a bottle a couple years ago and we’ve been sold on it ever since.
The 2009 Albarino has the traditional light citrus scent. The flavor is also light, with a
