Author Archives: Maurice

  1. Wines of Brazil, Campanha a new threshold for Tannat

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    It all started with a tweet to Wines of Brazil, “where should I visit while in Livramento, Brazil?”


    The response was “go to the Cava do Vinhos da Campanha, a shop in Livramento which features the wines from the region of Campanha.”  When one thinks about Brazilian wine, la Serra Guacha is what comes to mind. The Serra Guacha is in the mountains about 120km outside of Porto Alegre near the cities of Caixias do Sul, Garibaldi and Bento Gonzalves. The region was settled by Italians and Germans during the Second World War. So naturally, when I posed the question to Wines of Brazil “where should I visit while in Livramento, Brazil”, a blank was drawn and they sent me to a wine shop. (more…)

  2. Biodynamic Farming at Ampelos Vineyards

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    Want to make it in the wine business?  Buy a vineyard next to Sea Smoke and Cha- Ching!  Any smart businessman would just cash in, purchase the vineyard, harvest the grapes, produce wine with an abundant use of French oak and throw a little Syrah into the Pinot and money, money, money.  Only a fool would purchase this valuable real estate and make wine the hard way; either a fool or a true visionary.

    Owner and winemaker, Peter Work an IT corporate executive from Denmark had the urge to leave the corporate life and dive into his true passion, wine.  His love for wine drove him to the Santa Rita Hills where he found an 82 acre parcel of land which he  devoted to harvesting grapes the way they were intended.  Like all good Danes, Peter’s vision and purpose is a lot more global in thinking.  He wanted to make wine, all the time, thinking of its effects on the ecology and the people living in the area.  His decision to be biodynamic is not a marketing gimmick; there is real soul behind it.  I sat with Peter for about an hour, a very different meeting from other wine makers.  Instead of talking about his wine and the cute story of the name and the design choice behind the label, he discussed in detail the process of biodynamic farming.

    image taken from http://www.sshomestead.org/userfiles/image/biodiagram2_sm.jpg

    (more…)

  3. Wine Tasting Notes April 2012

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    My wine tasting notes for April 2012 are a little different from past months.  I spent the majority of the month in Brazil.  I tasted many Brazilian wines, not all made the post.  In the next few weeks I will have detailed posts of my excursions in Brazil.  The unfortunate part, is that most of these wines are not available in the states.  I have listed prices in Brazilian Reals, which exchange about 1.8 to the dollar.

    If you’d like to learn more about Brazilian Wines

    check out the Wines of Brasil Website.

    I also have a short video about the Serra Guacha here. ENJOY!

     

    Cordilheira de Sant’ana Gerwurztraminer Reserva Especial Campanha Brazil ’08

    Pineapple, fig, baking spice, banana aromas with weight. Alcohol is at 13.5%, a bit higher in comparison to other Brazilian whites.  The acidity is not very high, however the flavors linger on the finish.

    R$ 38

     

    Cordilheira de Sant’ana Chardonnay Reserva Especial Campanha Brazil ’05

    In comparison to the 2008, the color is a lot lighter.  It has aromas of butter, pear and field flowers.  The wine is creamy on the palate and does not show a whole lot of oxidized notes you would expect.

    R$ 38

    (more…)

  4. A Drive Through the Brazilian Wine Region, La Serra Guacha

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    AN INTRODUCTION TO BRAZILAN WINE

    I am the luckiest man in the world!  I have two amazing children and my wife is the most beautiful and supportive spouse one could ask for; and she is Brazilian.  We decide to take the kids to Brazil to visit the grandparents for the first time.  It gave us a chance to escape from our daily routine and focus on family time.  Her home town is surrounded by wine regions, so naturally I made sure that tasting wine was on the agenda.  I took a little road trip to the wine regions of Rio Grande do Sul in the Southern Brazil bordering Uruguay and to the north, outside Porto Alegre.  Her cousin’s husband, Nelson, kindly volunteered to chauffeur me through La Serra Guacha, Brazil’s most well known wine region.  The following video is my road trip through one of the most beautiful Brazilian wine region, La Serra Guacha.  I hope you enjoy the clip and the introduction to Brazilian wine. (more…)

  5. Prime Cru Wine Club Aboard the Ferrari-Carano Yacht

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    The benefits of belonging to the Prime Cru Wine Club goes way beyond receiving wine education and getting exclusive wine deals.  Members also have a lot of fun.  On Saturday April 28th, 2012 eighteen Prime Cru members went aboard the “El Dorado”, Ferrari-Carano’s yacht.  Don and Rhonda Carano opened the doors to their luxury yacht for Island Prime’s Prime Cru Members.  These Prime Cru members won a raffle at the last Prime Cru Wine Sale and were the hosted guests of the Carano’s.  They were treated to hor d’oeuvres and wine as the Yacht cruised around the San Diego Bay on a glorious sunny day. (more…)