Thank you to everyone who entered our Montana Master Grillers Contest! We received some great responses from all across the country from readers like you. Our grand prize was for one lucky reader to win a three-night stay for two at Montana’s The Resort at Paws Up this Memorial Day weekend and attend, quite possibly, the best wine and barbeque event of the year – Montana Master Grillers. Co-sponsored by Wine Enthusiast and Double Ranch, this event will feature lunches and dinners prepared by some of the world’s top chefs in this premier culinary-filled weekend.

Without further ado, we’re happy to announce Clive Berkman as our lucky winner! Clive is a Chef with his own blog, Cooking With Clive For his wine and BBQ pairing, he told us “My favorite style of wine to pair with BBQ is a dry sparkling rosé. Although Grenache, Zinfandel and Syrah work well I find the sweetness and body of some BBQs tend to take away from a great match. With the sparkling it stands up to the body and the crispness and bubbles perfect the palate for another bite.”  Congratulations to Clive, and we hope you have an amazing weekend in Montana this May!

As a Thank You to everyone who entered, here are some of our favorite answers as we asked you all, “What is your favorite wine & BBQ pairing?” Please be warned: you may find yourself salivating from some of the mouthwatering pairings below!
“My recipe for grilled pork tenderloin stuffed with Point Reyes blue cheese drizzled with a blackberry-syrah sauce served next to the campfire outside of my RV.”
-    Nancy

“Ground Lamb soaked with my favorite red wine (Stonestreet Monument Ridge) lightly seasoned, plus sautéed onions, topped with blue cheese on a toasted ciabatta roll served with the same wine.”
-    Jaime
“Grilled lemon citrus chicken and a crisp sauvignon blanc - a perfect combination in the summertime!”
-    Crista

“Lamb chops seasoned with salt, pepper, rosemary and olive oil, then served with key lime jelly for dipping, along with sides of home fried purple potatoes and mashed spaghetti squash. The wine pairing would be a 2005 Morey-Saint Denis.“
-    James

“The BBQ:  thick cut (2″) antelope backstraps (grass and grain fed critters, not sagebrush eaters) marinated in Veri Veri Teriyaki , grilled hot and fast to a warm, red, juicy interior. Seasoned with fresh ground pepper and salt to taste.”
-    John

“2010 Venge Scout’s Honor Proprietary Red with Grilled Top Sirloin of Lamb with a raspberry cherry chutney.”
-    Dinah

“Copper River Salmon drizzled in real Maple Syrup, on Cedar Plank, with a 2009 Cinder Winery Tempranillo.”
-    Julie

By far the most popular pairing we received, was pork and Zinfandel. We’re sensing a trend!

Feel free to share your favorite pairings below, if you haven’t already. Cheers!

Published December 10, 2012

Less than a month after a Wall Street Journal article reported that wine critic and former Wine Enthusiast Magazine columnist Robert M. Parker Jr. had decided against various offers for The Wine Advocate, his subscription-supported newsletter, it appears he has sold a “substantial interest” of the company after all.

Parker remains in place as one of the publication’s reviewers and, according to several reports, will be the company’s chairman. The new investor-owners are said to be from Singapore, where the newly announced editor in chief, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW, is based.

In the midst of all the WA changes, perhaps the reports having the biggest repercussions were that the newsletter would cease print publication—being made available to subscribers as a PDF—that it would accept advertising for nonwine products and that it would produce wine tasting events.

Those changes would mean that WA was no longer a newsletter, no longer supported only by subscribers and not beholden to any commercial wine interests. It would become a digital magazine, plain and simple. Sure, it wouldn’t accept wine advertising, but if it had commercial relationships with the wineries, importers or retailers that support its tasting events, it could no longer legitimately claim independence from the wine trade.

For decades, it was this veneer of independence that made WA different, which made it special and worth supporting for many readers, even through some hefty subscription-rate increases. It was this same independence that led readers to accept that the wines reviewed in its pages need not always be tasted blind.

If WA were on its way to becoming just another wine magazine—albeit the one with the world’s best-known wine critic behind it—it would be interesting to see how this affected its content. Relieved from the burden of ink and printing costs, would there be illustrated articles, or would the content continue to be heavily reliant on wine reviews? Would the wines be tasted blind, as they are by all of the world’s other major wine magazines?

But wait. It seems all of this speculation is much ado about nothing.

In a series of tweets this morning, Parker wrote that the print edition of WA will continue and that it “will never take on ads,” while at the same time leaving room for some luxury advertising on the Web site and online forums.

As someone whose nascent interest in wine was encouraged by Parker’s writing back in the late 1980s—it made a mouthwatering antidote to the staidness of the British writers of the time—I’m glad to hear that WA will be continuing without the major shake up that most media outlets have reported.

Yes, there are some changes, but they appear to be small and incremental—and largely positive. Providing a PDF option for subscribers is a useful option; having Perrotti-Brown as an editor should improve the quality of the content; and making the newsletter’s contributors regular employees will go a long way to avoiding any appearances of impropriety going forward.

If and when the publication does evolve further from its homegrown, Nader-esque roots, I hope that the new one will be a worthy successor.

In the same tradition as Mardi Gras— i.e., one last big celebration before Lent for Catholics—Carnaval in Rio de Janiero is about celebrating life through song, dance, and in my case this last week, great wine. I’ve traveled the world and been lucky enough to see some amazing things, but Carnaval, with its sea of singing spectators, its never-ending procession of unimaginably creative floats, and its pulsating, joyful samba soundtrack, should be on the bucket list for anyone with a brain cell and two feet that can move to a beat.

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Many women (and some men) already know about the members-only designer and luxury flash sale site appropriately called Gilt. I confess I was a huge fan of the concept, especially when it was launched in 2007, but my obsession slightly dwindled when I finally came to the realization that my closet was bursting with garments and I couldn’t possibly fit another pair of shoes under my bed. Kinda like my wine cellar… although I always somehow manage to find room for more in that.

But then they threw me a curve ball.

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That's me, digging into the Pinot Noir class. Senior Judge Cameron Douglas, MS, and Associate Judge Emma Jenkins, MW, are in the background.

For years, I’ve resisted commenting on wine shows. I’ve read some of the online bashing, about how medals are given away like candy on Halloween; about how some show judges don’t know much about wine; and about how, since shows typically charge an entry fee, the awards they bestow are essentially worthless. I’m sure there are more complaints, but that’s not the point.

The real reason I’ve not written at any length on wine shows is that I typically don’t get to participate in show judging. But last month, I was invited to be the America’s international judge at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards. Run by New Zealand Winegrowers–the country’s national wine body–it is New Zealand’s Super Bowl of wine shows.

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When Jerry Seinfeld created his classic comedy series, he vowed that there would be “no learning, no hugging.” I thought about that when I foolishly volunteered to blog about my summer travels and what I “learned” on the road. I think of travel as a process of discovery; learning is absorbed gradually; connections and insights revealed well after the fact. The best way for that to happen (I’ve discovered) is not to overplan, and not slavishly pursue other travelers’ itineraries of excellence.

Read up, sure. Plan some, but really, just dive in. Learning about wine and exploring wine country have that in common.

In Newport, Rhode Island, I discovered that it’s not always wise to dine where the locals dine. I waited an hour on line at the restaurant every Newport local recommended for what turned out to be the blandest lobster roll and clam chowder I’ve ever had; next day I was forced by circumstances to sit down at what I thought would be a waterfront tourist trap, but The Black Pearl turned out to have fine food and a very good wine list.

In Washington D.C., I attended a winemaker dinner with the personable Jed Steele (Steele Wines, Lake County, CA) at the Blue Duck Tavern in the Park Hyatt. Fine wines by Jed and great food by Chef Brian McBride were served. But two discoveries: You enter the restaurant through the kitchen—one of the coolest kitchens I’ve ever seen—elbow to elbow with some of the chefs. And though Steele is known for his Pinots, a standout wine was his tart yet creamy and apricotty 2010 Shooting Star Aligoté. Aligoté is considered the the “other,” lesser white wine grape of Burgundy, and is a serious rarity in California. Adventurous winemaking on the part of Mr. Steele.

On my trek to Napa and Sonoma (we’ll ping-pong from one AVA to another in this account), I visited a few wineries for professional or goal-oriented reasons. They included Dutton-Goldfield (favorites: the ’09 Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir, 2010 Gewürztraminer and ’09 Stoetz Ridge Vineyard Zinfandel), Merry Edwards (’08 Flax Vineyard Pinot Noir and 2010 Sauvignon Blanc; really, everything) and Corison, a relatively small Napa producer of powerfully elegant Cabs, Cab Francs and more by Cathy Corison. This was a no-fuss visit—a barrel served as our tasting table. Unexpected delight: her 2008 Corazon, a Cabernet Sauvignon-based rosé.

But for the most part, I didn’t want to pursue goals or chase excellence for its own sake. I was traveling with my wife, Geri, and drinking-age son, Ryan, and it was more important to follow our group instincts rather than an itinerary. So, yes, we pulled into Darioush because of the architecture, but we stayed for some surprisingly sturdy Cabernets (our favorite, the 2006 Signature). We lingered forever at Silverado Vineyards because our host, Tom Kalbrener, was so charming and knowledgeable (2000 Stags Leap Cabernet). We wandered around Calistoga and Healdsburg and gaped at giant redwoods, just because.

We made some reservations and strict plans, but left plenty of time for serendipity. Which seems wise, until you learn—no, discover that you forgot something important.

We did make reservations at Hess Collection to enjoy a guided wine-and-food pairing flight followed by a tour of the art collection, a highlight of the trip. I made reservations at Mustard’s Grill, Cindy Pawlcyn’s outstanding restaurant, because instinct (and everyone who’s been to Napa) told me it would be great, and it was. I was fortunate to have arranged (thank you, Michele and Sally) a deluxe, very gracious tour of the new Francis Coppola Winery in Sonoma, where Coppola’s movie memorabilia is now on display and where his passionate love of wine (’07 Reserve Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Sofia Riesling were favorites), food, Italy and hospitality is on full display. It’s all filtered through his renowned, uncanny showmanship—the a tavola dinner at Rustic, the winery’s restaurant, was maybe too showbizzy for me (attack of the acting waitrons!), but the food was grand.

Impulse led us to St. Supéry, where the ’06 Napa Valley Estate Cab (Rutherford? Dollarhide? The dog ate my notes.) turned out to be one of the best wines of the trip. My son coerced us into visiting Russian River Brewery for a beer flight; we were blown away by Supplication, a sour brown ale aged in Pinot Noir barrels.

On our final day I gazed at people serenely canoeing the Russian River, and wished I’d planned the trip more carefully to allow for that, while still feeling grateful for every unplanned moment. Remind me to do it exactly the same way next time.

The holidays are undoubtedly a special time of year. What other time do you spend thinking about the cherished people in your life, thoughtfully planning out the best presents to get them, until you get so frustrated and/or annoyed that people seemingly already have everything and conclude there’s nothing you can give that they don’t already have? So you settle into familiarity with another bottle of that fabulous wine they love, or the newest, most innovative corkscrew to add to the collection, or some more fabulous stemware to fill the bar shelves. Joy to the world, indeed.
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Statistics released last week by the Beverage Information Group indicate that overall beer consumption in the U.S. is down, as it has been trending over the past few years. It would be easy to jump to conclusions and fret that the beer boom is over, but a closer look at the numbers shows just the contrary: Although the Light segment continues to decline and contribute to the overall losses in the industry, growth in the Craft and Import segments remain significant despite their higher-priced items.

What does this mean, in a nutshell? Americans might be drinking less, but we’re drinking better! Hooray for us!

That’s right: More Americans are trading in fizzy yellow stuff for flavorful, artisanal selections created by brewers both abroad and across our great nation, looking for exciting selections and interesting, complex flavors that they’ve never experienced before. And with the most domestic breweries the U.S. has had in over 100 years (since about 1905) producing the widest array of styles, we have more delicious options available to us than ever.

Of course, the fabulous breweries that started this current craft trend about 25 to 30 years ago deserve the majority of the credit, followed closely by their later-blooming brewing brethren, but I have to believe that education has played a major role here as well. Associations like the Brewers Association and their array of consumer-education driven events like the Great American Beer Festival (which is coming up next week in Denver, CO) and Savor, homebrew groups and competitions throughout the country, savvy restaurateurs and programs like the Cicerone certification, and yes, media outlets including newspapers, magazines and even television shows have all helped to get the word out to consumers that there’s a world of flavor to be had for beer lovers.

And it seems like the people have heard. We all knew with the economic turmoil over the past couple of years that this transition wasn’t going to be easy, but it seems apparent now that while people are not as willing to spend more on alcoholic products, as they maybe once were, they’re comfortable getting less quantity for overall better quality.

But there’s still so much to learn, and so many beers to try. So keep up the good work, America. Keep drinking new and exciting brews, especially those made by small brewers right here in the USA.

To celebrate tonight, I’m gonna head to my local distributor after work and pick up something I’ve never tried before.  I’d love to hear what’s in your glass!

Cheers!

Calling all hopheads! In case you haven’t heard, allow me to fill you in: Today is International IPA Appreciation Day. That’s right… today is the day to break out your favorite IPA from around the world and Facebook, Tweet or Google + all about your experience drinking it and how much you love it. Why? Essentially, to promote the consumption of delicious, flavorful beer and strengthen the voice of the discerning craft beer drinker.

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Recently I tried something delightfully unique:  Moët & Chandon’s new “Ice Imperial” Champagne.  Ice Imperial is a traditional Champagne (a blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay) with a bit of extra dosage. The extra sweetness lends itself well to being supremely chilled. As such, it is meant to be served over ice. It comes in a “party pack” with a set of plastic glasses. I have tasted it twice now and frankly, it’s delicious. Let’s pause here for a moment. One of the finest Champagne houses in the world is now telling us to serve their Champagne on the rocks, with plastic glasses. In recent years this practice would be taboo and scoffed at by many wine drinkers.

It got me thinking. If Moët can give us permission to enjoy Champagne on ice in a plastic glass, perhaps we should all lighten up on other wine etiquette. Sometimes I wish we didn’t tiptoe so gingerly through wine’s various rules. Basic tenets such as proper swirling, holding a wine glass at its base and drinking at a certain temperature exist for a reason. But sometimes we simply want to relax!

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