Portugal: Our journey through its vineyards and cellars (part 3 - Bairrada)

The Bairrada wine region in Portugal is packed with history and vigor.
The region architecture is marked by the fights between Christians and Arabs. The hills of Bussaco were also the ground to defend the Portuguese independence, once in jeopardy by the military forces of Napoleon.
The name "Bairrada" is from "barros" (clay) and due to the clayey soils of the region. Although the region was classified in 1979, it is an ancient vineyard region and Baga is its most traditional grape variety.

These pictures were taken by Arnaldo and I during our journey through the vineyards and cellars of France, Spain and Portugal during the summer of 2009.I hope you enjoy them.
Cheers,
LA
 
www.thewinehub.com
One of the pillars of TheWineHub is Wine Tourism. Whether you are a wine maker, or a wine drinker, we all enjoy having discoveries... TheWineHub exists to help you with that.

 



 

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The top 10 players of our weekly wine quiz - November Edition

Congratulations to Rodolphe Boulanger, who scored an incredibly high score - 4,700 points - and the other top 9 players of the weekly wine quiz. Great job!

2nd
NILL IVONNE
4500pts
00:09:20

3rd
ROSS RICK
4450pts
00:11:48

4th
UTANO LISA
4300pts
00:16:04

5th
BERG TONY
3975pts
00:11:53

6th
CHILCOTT JEFF
3975pts
00:11:54

7th
FADELEY RICHARD
3900pts
00:16:17

8th
MULLEN COSMO
3875pts
00:11:33

9th
BERLINGHOF MARKUS
3775pts
00:09:13

10th
SMIITH BRUCE
3675pts
00:14:08

And thanks to everyone for participating. I want to see your name here next month!

To play our quizzes, please go to www.thewinehub.com and click on "learn" and then "quiz"

Cheers!!!
LA

TheWineHub

One of the pillars of TheWineHub is Wine Tourism. Whether you are a wine maker, or a wine drinker, we all enjoy having discoveries... TheWineHub exists to help you with that.

Urban Enoteca - The New Wine Hub of Seattle

WOW! There is a spectacular new venue now available to Seattleites, and the Washington Wine Community. Urban Enoteca hosted a wonderful private opening this past Tuesday evening to show off its singularly unique facility now available to the Seattle community. This very cool, 22,000 square foot space in a fashionably designed remodeled building located in the up-and-coming Georgetown neighborhood of South Seattle could easily become the wine hub of Western Washington.

The space includes a dozen state of the art tasting rooms that are quickly being occupied by some very worthy Eastern Washington wineries, multiple individual rooms accommodating parties ranging from 20 – 250 that can be opened up into one big space for events such as the grand opening party. These varying spaces will host wine education programs by Master of Wine Joel Butler, seasonal wine events, corporate events, weddings, and just about everything wine under the sun. 
Also, Jason Wilson Events will be the preferred caterer of URBAN enoteca for private events, but they’ve also hired an in-house Chef Chris Opsata to run the dining outlet. The whole place oozes of Pacific Northwest casual chic. TheWineHub was impressed, and highly recommends you check it out.

Brought to you by...

 

Chateau des Moriers - Miss Vicky Wine Fleurie 2007 

This Fleurie is fresh, elegant, fun and sexy. You will love its feminine features and gourmand flavors of ripe cherry and red currant.  Soft and crispy in the mouth, it is also a bouquet of flowers to give you a breath of spring.  It would be a perfect accompaniment with summer dishes or on its own.  This wine goes very well with poultry, soups, lightly spiced dishes, goat cheese or Camembert.

Find this wine on TheWineHub store

www.thewinehub.com
One of the  pillars of TheWineHub is Wine Tourism. Whether you are a wine maker, or a wine drinker, we all enjoy    having discoveries... TheWineHub exists to  help you with that.

Portugal: Our journey through its vineyards and cellars (part 2 - Tejo)

Located between the Lisboa and Alentejo VRs, the region is dominated by the influence of the Tagus river. The river moderates the region's climate, making it more temperate than other areas of Portugal. Vineyards are planted on the fertile alluvial plains along the river and can be prone to producing excessive yields.It is the most central of the traditional provinces of Portugal, with no coastline or border with Spain. The region is crossed by the Tagus River (Ribatejo = "Shores of Tagus") and is home to some of the richest agricultural lands in the country. It is particularly notables for raising the horses and bulls used in the Portuguese style of bullfighting.
These pictures were taken by Arnaldo and I during our journey through the vineyards and cellars of France, Spain and Portugal during the summer of 2009.

I hope you enjoy them.

Cheers,
LA

TheWineHub
One of the pillars of TheWineHub is Wine Tourism. Whether you are a wine maker, or a wine drinker, we all enjoy having discoveries... TheWineHub exists to help you with that.


 

See and download the full gallery on posterous

DUCA in a BOX..The ULTIMATE ITALIAN WINE FOR TAILGATE and HOLIDAY PARTIES...Garganega/Pinot Grigio and Cabernet Sauvignon/Corvina by Philip S. Kampe

PARTY TIME is HERE!!!
Whether it is an Office, Holiday or Tailgate PARTY, the SEASON has arrived!
And so has, DUCA del FRASSINO, the First-Ever Italian Wine in a Box.

You may chuckle the same way you did when SCREW TOPS entered the wine scene.
Now, nearly 100% of the wines from New Zealand are SCREW TOP and it is accepted by restaurants, bars, wine critics and daily consumers.

Thanks to DUCA and many other highly rated producers, in time, the same acceptance will be true for Wine in a Box.

DUCA del FRASSINO three liter Wine in a Box retails for $19.99.

DUCA is produced by the well respected and prestigious Winery in the VENETO region, CANTINA di SOAVE.

CANTINA di SOAVE has been producing wine since 1898.

Enore Ceola, Managing Director of MW Imports, importer of DUCA says " As the wine market continues to evolve, we recognized that the fastest growing catagory was missing it's crown jewel-- The World's FIRST ITALIAN BOX WINE. These wines represent our MISSION-- to showcase Premium Italian Wine from the Venezie that over delivers on quality, taste and appeals to today's discerning wine consumer".

Duca's GARGANEGA/PINOT GRIGIO is pink in color, crisp, clean and fruit forward on the palate. Apples and citrus fruit dominate the palate. This wine is made of a blend of noble, indigenous varietals. The finish is long.

I would pair this wine with grilled chicken, seafood and white pasta dishes.

Each three liter container has a shelf life of five weeks.

As an experiement I placed the Garaganega/Pinot Grigio in my refigerator and wasn't sure how long it would last. Each container equals about twenty glasses of wine. It only lasted a week before I was craving more wine.

A five week shelf life is great when one occassionally consumes wine, but, for the normal wine consumer a week or two is the most. The OPEN three liter wine in the fridge is alot like potato chips. Once the bag has been opened, you can't just eat one.
As with this wine, you can't just one glass.

Psychology always wins!!

DUCA's red three liter Wine In The Box contains a combination of CABERNET SAUVIGNON/CORVINA grapes. Together, they combine to create a wonderful wine made from Corvina, Amarone's grape paired with the globe-trotting Cabernet Sauvignon grape. This wine is fruit forward, with hints of dark fruit and almonds. Cherry prevails on the nose of this luscious wine.

The wine pairs well with meat, duck, turkey and tomato based pasta dishes. I prefer to chill this wine, if possible, for 15 minutes before serving it.

At the giveaway price of $19.99, DUCA should be a 'HIT' at any event it is served.
It is both eco-friendly and easy pouring.
Ask your wine shop for some today...

PHILIP S. KAMPE
philip.kampe@thewinehub.com

ROCKEFELLER CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING WITH AN ITALIAN TWIST by Philip S. Kampe

RICCARDO STRANO, Director of the Italian Goverment Tourist Board of North America and ANGELO FELTRIN, the Executive Manager of Tourism for regione PIEMONTE hosted a viewing of the 2010 Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony from their office on the 15th floor that overlooks the festivities that took place at the famed skating rink at Rockefeller Center.

The evening began with an in-depth prsentation by Angelo Feltrin and Mauro Carbone regarding PIEMONTE and the latest Tourism Developments and attractions of the region.
Located, in the geographic center of Europe, Piemonte and it's capital, Torino, which was Italy's First Capital, is easy to get to from all parts of Europe.

In 2006 Torino hosted the Olympic Winter Games. The entire infrastructure was updated and leads Europe with the modernization of the entire Alpine region, including the skiing facilities, as well as the roads and other sports facilities.

The range of winter sporting opportunities in the region is unlimited.

Skiers and snowboarders savor the beauty of unspoiled views of the Alps at LANZO and CAVANESE Valley. Cross country and Nordic sking is home to the CUNEO Valley, while the OSSOLA Valley is for the family-oriented.

The culinary traditions of the region range from BAROLO wine to WHITE TRUFFLES.
We were fortunate to sample both, Thanks to Diector Mauro Carbone, who flew in, hours before, carrying three White Truffles, each the size of a baby's hand.

The award winning AMARONE Restaurant, 686 9th Avenue, New York (212) 245-6060
served the White Truffles with other Piemonte delicacies. http://www.lunapienanyc.com/

The night was special featuring wines from the region, as well as traditional food from the Piemonte region. Of course the highlight was rissoto with white truffles paired perfectly with wines from Wine World Wide, Inc., Omniwines and Domodimonti.

We had a bird's eye view of the evening's Christmas Tree Lighting. The Italian Government Tourist Board, located at 45 Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 1565, faces the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center, thus allowing us to view the ceremonies and the 74 foot Norway Spruce, with it's 30,000 LED lights.

This was the 78th year of the ceremony, which brought thousands of tourists into New York.
Over 50,000 people witnessed the tree lighting, after enjoying live Holiday entertainment from
stars JESSICA SIMPSON, CHERYL CROW, BOYS II MEN, JOSH GROBAN, SUSAN BOYLE, ANNIE LENNOX, CHARICE.KATHERINE JENKINS and KYLIE MINOQUE.

To learn more about tourism opportunities in all of Italy, visit: http://www.italiantourism.com/ or telephone (212) 245-4822

Visit: www.regione.piemonte.it/tourism for up to date actvities throughout the Piemonte region.

PHILIP S. KAMPE
philip.kampe@thewinehub.com