Niche Wine Blog

Wine & Spirits Top 100

SAVE THE DATE

Wine & Spirits Magazine’S Fifth Annual Top 100 EVENT

100 wineries from around the world convene at San Francisco’s historic Mint Building

 

(New York, NY, April 21, 2008) Wine & Spirits Magazine’s (W&S) Fifth Annual Top 100 Event will take place Tuesday, October 14th at San Francisco’s Mint Building. This event honors the top 100 wineries from all over the world that consistently receive the magazine critics’ highest ratings. Bay Area chefs and local, artisan purveyors will serve food to complement the wineries’ premier bottlings. The Top 100 wineries of 2008 will be announced in the Winter issue of Wine & Spirits on sale October 14, 2008. 

 

Publisher and Editor Josh Greene comments, “At Wine & Spirits, we run more than 9,000 wines past our blind tasting panels each year. Our Top 100 wineries produce a range of wines that score at the top of their categories. They set a standard of excellence in their regions. We’re excited to honor them this year at the Mint Building, one of San Francisco’s National Historic Landmarks.”

 

In keeping with Wine & Spirits Magazine's mission to raise awareness of water conservation issues, a portion of the event proceeds will benefit San Francisco Baykeeper. 

 

Wine & Spirits Magazine's Top 100 Tasting Details

Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Time: 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Location: Mint Building, 88 Fifth Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Trade and Media Preview: 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm

For more information, please contact Kristen Hager at Wine & Spirits Magazine: (212) 695 4660, ext. 17, or khager@wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

 

Founded in 1982, Wine & Spirits Magazine is published seven times a year and read by over 200,000 members of America’s wine community. Consumers and wine professionals read the magazine for information on established and up-and-coming regions and producers, the art and science of viticulture, restaurant and industry happenings, and food and wine pairing. Leading the wine magazine category, Wine & Spirits has earned the most James Beard awards for excellence in wine writing.

Visit wineandspiritsmagazine.com for more information.

Save Water, Drink Wine: Wine & Spirits Magazine's 'Hot Picks' Event

I apologize for being quiet for so long.  There's been a lot happening, but things should calm down now...I hope.  But for now, consider buying tickets to the events listed below, from W & S Magazine, if you're in the area.  Should be some fabulous wine and the price isn't bad, especially when proceeds benefit such great organizations!

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(March 27, 2008, Los Angeles, CA) – Wine & Spirits Magazine will showcase their critics’ favorite wines of the world while featuring local, young wine professionals and restaurants in the two-city tasting event HOT PICKS.  The tour will kickoff in Los Angeles on Thursday, May 22, 2008 from 7 - 10 pm.  LA HOT PICKS is set in MODAA Gallery, a world-class mixed use architectural studio, art museum, and artist loft space located at 8609 Washington Boulevard in the culturally burgeoning Culver City. In keeping with Wine & Spirits Magazine’s mission to raise awareness of water conservation issues, proceeds of LA HOT PICKS will benefit the Surfrider Foundation. The second HOT PICKS will take place on July 9 in Seattle, at The Paramount Theatre, benefiting Puget Soundkeeper Alliance.


The events celebrate the “Critics’ Picks” list which will be featured in the June, 2008 issue. W&S critics taste and evaluate more than 9,000 wines a year. Their favorite wines—what they deem accessible, delicious and affordable—comprise this list. These are the wines that they scour wine lists and retail shelves for daily—what's in their fridge and on the table at their dinner parties. The LA May event coincides with the release of the June issue.


HOT PICKS is designed to reach a mix of millennial and gen Y wine consumers; all featured sommeliers and wine experts are under the age of 35. The event offers Los Angeles oenophiles a multi-level experience that brings together great wine, cuisine from a handful of select local restaurants, and the opportunity to meet ten of their city’s most exciting, up-and-coming wine professionals.


Tickets are $75 and available at http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com/hotpicks. Space is limited; advance purchase is recommended.

Founded in 1982, Wine & Spirits is published seven times a year and read by over 200,000 members of America’s wine community. Consumers and wine professionals read the magazine for information on wine and spirits, including articles on established and up-and-coming regions and producers, the art and science of viticulture, restaurant and industry happenings and food and wine pairing. Wine & Spirits, is the only American wine publication to win the James Beard award four times for excellence in wine writing.

Portuguese Wine & Port Tastings

The Port and Douro Wines Institute and ViniPortugal Will Showcase

More Than 100 Wines at

Tastings In The US In November

Targets increasingly sophisticated U.S. consumer

 

PRESS RELEASE

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Oporto, Portugal – November 1, 2007— In response to increasing U.S. consumer appreciation, the prestigious Port and Douro Wines Institute, the official guarantor of the integrity and quality of Portos and Douro wines and ViniPortugal, the Association for Portuguese Wine Promotion will host four tastings in the US this November.

Events for the trade only will take place at 3 p.m. on November 12 in Los Angeles at the Ritz-Carlton, Marina Del Rey, CA; on November 14 at the Embassy Suites Hotel-Downtown in Portland, OR; on November 15 at the Sheraton Seattle, WA; on November 20 at the Harvard Club, Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, MA.

Following the trade events, four general consumer tastings will be held at 5:30 p.m. to benefit the prevention of cruelty and care of animal organizations in the four US cities: the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles, CA; DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Portland, OR; the Seattle Humane Society, WA; and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - Angell in Boston, MA.

“In the United States, the growth in wine consumption across the board has led to an increasingly sophisticated drinker,” said Jorge Monteiro, President of the IVDP.  “We want to build on the success of our Ports and Douro wines, as well as the other Portuguese red and white wines.”

 
Kim Marcus in the Wine Spectator said recently that since the turn of the century Portugal has emerged from the shadows to become one of the most interesting and exciting red wines regions in the world today.  Historically the US market has cared deeply for Portos, especially Vintage Portos.  Now, with new production methods and a strong distribution network, the US consumer is enjoying many Portuguese wines from, amongst other regions, Douro, Alentejo, Dão, Alenquer, DOC Muscat of Setubal, as well as the beloved Vinho Verde.

For more information about the Wines and Portos of Portugal Event, please call 1-877- 2-PORTUGAL.

Press Release provided by Harron & Associates.

Sonoma County Showcase Weekend of Wine and Food

An email from Meghan Smith, of Sonoma County Vintners (SCV), warrants attention.  She made me aware of the Sonoma County Showcase Weekend of Wine and Food, taking place July 12-15, 2007.  SCV represents the premium winemakers and vintners of Sonoma County, building awareness of its quality appellations and wines.  For the 28th year in a row, Showcase is an epicurean festival putting all that Sonoma County has to offer in the way of food & wine on display to visitors while simultaneously benefiting local charities.  Some of the charities benefited include:

• Redwood Empire Food Bank                                
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Petaluma, and Windsor  
• Santa Rosa Junior College Foundation                                     

Whether you are looking for a long weekend event, a two day event, or a one day adventure, Showcase has many different happenings to take advantage of from wine seminars, to lunches, to vineyard tours, to cooking demonstrations.  As stated in Meghan's and SCV's own words:

Don't miss the 28th annual Sonoma County Showcase Weekend of Wine & Food, the ultimate Wine Country experience, held July 12-15.  This gala event features four days of fantastic wine and food presented by world-renowned winemakers and Sonoma's top chefs.  Indulge in exclusive all-access luxury packages of spa, golf, and wine safari experiences, or enjoy events a la carte, including private winery lunches and dinners, an extraordinary Sonoma Family Style gala dinner, and Taste of Sonoma, a two day grand tasting with over 100 wineries, 50 chefs, wine seminars, chef competitions, and more.  For more information or reservations, visit www.sonomawine.com/showcase or call 800-939-7666.  

I plan on being there, I hope you do too!

Colorado Springs Wine Festival

Most of us probably don't pay much attention to Colorado's wine industry because well, it doesn't rank up there with the most famous international regions, or U.S. regions such as California, Washington, or Oregon.  However, Colorado's wine industry does rank quite well, coming in at 22nd in the nation.  More importantly, it benefits the local economy like you wouldn't believe.  In 2005, it contributed more than $40 million to the state's economy, with more than $21 million coming from production and sales.  In addition to the aforementioned, Colorado's wine industry also supports local economies due to increased tourism it's bringing in.  More and more individuals are coming to visit CO wineries and vineyards, which is providing business to local surrounding establishments. 

There are also wine festivals and events that are bringing people from all over to Colorado.  Which brings me to the main purpose of this post.  On March 9-10, 2007, the Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, is hosting the 16th Annual Wine Festival, which benefits the Center.  This festival will be offering lots of goodies for the weekend.  There will be wine seminars, wine tastings and auctions, and food & wine pairing seminars.  This festival will be featuring Pinot Noir from around the world and winemakers from New Zealand, France, Oregon and California.  Pricing of tickets varies depending on what you are interested in doing so please check out the CS Fine Arts Center website for more detailed information. 

Washington D.C. International Wine & Food Festival

Aahh, a whole week of wine & food is such a terrible thing, wouldn't you agree?  I didn't think so!  That is why you're going to buy your tickets and book your travel and reservations for this spectacular event.

The 8th Annual Washington D.C. International Wine & Food Festival will be held March 9-11 at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center.  This three day event, part of a week long food & wine celebration, kicks off opening night with a party at Grand-Cru Wine Lounge, 7-10 pm.  While the tickets may seem a bit steep at $150/pp, the excellent vintages awaiting your palate will be handpicked by winemakers. There are a limited number of tickets being sold for the opening night event.  You will be tasting in a private setting where you'll be able to ask all of the questions of the winemaker you've ever wanted to. 

Following the opening night extravaganza, there will be two Grand Tasting events on Saturday and Sunday.  If you purchase a 1-day ticket it will cost you $65.  However, if you purchase a 2-day ticket, they are offering an superb price of $85.   Both days, there will be various wines from over 250 international and domestic winemakers, roughly 1100 different wines.   And what's even better, you'll be able to try delicious foods to pair with the wines. 

If you have the majority of Friday free and would like to extend this event, there are seminars being held during the day.  They range in price from $35-50.  If I were you, I'd jump on this as I'm sure there are limited tickets being sold. 

Please check out the website for more information and to purchase tickets.  Please note that the aforementioned prices last until March 2, after which they increase.  So act fast.  This is a great event for anyone looking to learn about wine and enhance what knowledge they already have.  Its a time for fun and meeting new people.  This is the biggest event of its kind in the eastern region so don't hesitate!  Besides, I'm not able to attend so I need people to let me know how it is!

15th Annual Winter Wineland

Can you think of a better way to start out the New Year than to spend it wine tasting...?  Good, neither can I!  Mark your calendar for January 13 & 14 and plan to spend two magnificent days  along the Russian River wine road where you'll get the chance to visit various wineries, meet the winemakers, and taste wines that are not normally offered to the public.  There will be over 105 wineries participating and offering up special treats.  20 lodging facilities will be running special pricing on their accommodations.  However, you should act fast before everything is taken.

Whether you live near or far, this is definitely a weekend not to be missed, especially at the price of $30 for both days.  If you are only interested in attending on the 14th, Sunday, the ticket price is $25...as you can see, for five dollars more it makes much more sense to buy the weekend ticket.  For those of you that would like to participate, but won't be drinking, you can purchase the $10 designated driver ticket.  Don't worry, you still get to sample the delicious foods and will be offered other beverages. 

Check out the website to find out more about this exciting weekend of wine tasting, and to purchase tickets.  After January 7th the ticket price goes up $5 per person so I'd advise purchasing them online before then.   See you there...

FallFest 2006 Review

Energetic crowd, live blues band, food demonstrations, restaurants and wineries representing themselves and sharing their flavors!  I must say, I had an absolute blast at the FallFest in San Francisco this afternoon.  Tons of wonderful varieties of food and wine to taste.  The energy was vibrant and the booth hosts seemed energetic and excited to tell you about their products.  Of course there's always the items that aren't as soothing to the palate, but on the whole it was a spectacular time.  I don't have anything to complain about when, for a reasonable fee, I was able to scope out so many different wines.  And in addition, taste food that will help me decide what pairs well with what.  It was a great opportunity to try things I might not normally try.  For instance, I am not a huge fan of sweet wines, but I tried an orange muscat wine that was delectable with a pumpkin spice caramel tartlet.  When you held the tartlet in your mouth and sipped the wine, it really brought out the caramel and you were really able to distinguish all of the different flavors.  I should have a list in the next couple of days specifying which wines I thought were the best.  However, this is all I have for this evening as I am "beat."  After spending the day in San Francisco, I ended up at a wine party of one of my friends - needless to say, it's been a day of wine!  Not that I'm complaining...

FallFest 2006

I don't know about your plans for the upcoming weekend, but I will be spending my Saturday at the San Francisco FallFest 2006.  What better way to celebrate the start of the fall season, my favorite season I might add, than to enjoy delicious food and magnificent wine samples.  Put on by San Francisco Magazine, the annual seasonal fest will include such happenings as food and wine samplings, live music, chef demos.  For a little extra money you can attend a VIP wine seminar to learn the ins and outs of tasting wine.  Seeing as I have just recently moved up to the Bay Area, this will be my first time attending the event.  However, with all the hype and superb reviews, I can't imagine living so close and not showing face.  If you live near by, have a little free time on Saturday, October 7, want to taste some good food and learn about wine, here some live music and above all just have some fun, FallFest seems like it's the way to go!  I'll be doing a review of my event experience so stop by and check out what I have to say.