Tag Archives: Wines & Spirits

Travel Tours: ‘Kentucky Bourbon Trail’ (Video)

Kentucky Bourbon is known worldwide and is a staple of the American spirits industry. Nowhere else are there so many famous bourbon brands all within a short drive from each other as there are in Kentucky. Amie and I spent the better part of a week trying many of the different distilleries and made this video to showcase how amazing this area is, especially if you like bourbon. This video was shot in January of 2020.

  • 95% of the world’s Bourbon is produced in Kentucky.
  • In order for whiskey to be Bourbon, it must be made with a minimum of 51 percent corn, aged in new, charred oak containers, stored at no more than 125 proof and bottled at no less than 80 proof.
  • There are now 9.1 million barrels of Bourbon aging in Kentucky, which is 2 barrels for every person living in the state.

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Winery Profile Podcast: The Urban Wine Company, London, ‘CHATEAU TOOTING’

Monocle’s Georgina Godwin heads to southwest London to visit The Urban Wine Company, that harvests its bounty from vines across the city.

The Urban Wine Company™ was born out of an idea a few years back. Neighbours Richard and Paul were relaxing underneath a vine enjoying a glass of wine that had been flown half-way across the world. Realising they were sat in an urban garden of Eden surrounded by grape vines, they asked the impossible…
“Would it be possible to make a wine made from London grapes?”

So, in September 2009 they set about harvesting grapes grown in gardens, allotments, behind supermarkets and even at the side of railways. They teamed up with winemaking experts to produce the very first batch of ‘Chateau Tooting’. Pleasantly surprised, if not a little amazed by its ‘Drinkability’ The Urban Wine Company™ was formed. Not only had a fantastic tasting wine been created using grapes grown in a city centre, something unique had also been born.

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French Vineyard Tours: “Château Siran” In The Bordeaux Region (Video)

Owned by the same family since 1859, Siran is an original property with many surprises, including the panoramic terrace with a superb view over the Margaux appellation and the fallout shelter built to keep the Château Siran wine store dating back to 1912.

For more than 40 years, Siran has offered visitors the opportunity to share a family’s passion for the art of creating great wines and tasting them. One of the rare Médoc châteaux which can be visited every day from May to September and the rest of the year from Tuesday to Saturday, by appointment, Siran is worth a detour!

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Travel, Food & Wine: Top Australian Restaurants And Vineyards (Podcast)

Monocle 24 Only In Australia PodcastUnrestrained by culinary tradition, Australia’s fine drinking and dining scene applauds creativity and food fusion. The country’s outdoor eating culture is enlivened by some of the world’s best fresh produce, breathtaking landscapes and ideal growing conditions. 

Get your tummy ready to rumble as Georgina Godwin takes a tour through some of Australia’s finest dining rooms, vineyards and cellar doors, with star wine-makers, foragers of fine food and industry-leading artisans as her guides.

Food & Wine: “A Nose For The Right Wine In Tuscany” – James Suckling (Video)

Monocle FilmsAn invitation to one of James Suckling’s soirées at his Tuscan villa is a rare treat. An influential wine critic, Suckling’s approach to choosing wine is characteristically considered. He will often theme the evening by grape, country or wine style but also might present wines based on the mood or the tastes of people attending. Correct storage of any vintage is incredibly important. The LG SIGNATURE Wine Cellar allows variable control of temperature, humidity, vibration and light levels. Find out how to become the consummate host with LG SIGNATURE in our five-part “The art of hosting” series.

Italian Wines: “Gaja – The Next Generation Of Winemakers” (Monocle)

Monocle FilmsFive generations after Giovanni Gaja founded his eponymous winery in the Piedmont town of Barbaresco, the family continues to produce some of Italy’s best vintages. Their uncompromising commitment to quality is helping to maintain one of the world’s finest vintners.

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OVERVIEW

The Gaja Winery was founded by Giovanni Gaja in 1859 and has been owned and operated by five generations of the Gaja family. Giovanni Gaja was the great-grandfather of Angelo Gaja, the Winery’s current owner.

In 1994, GAJA acquired its first wine estate in Tuscany, Pieve Santa Restituta in Montalcino. This estate produces three Brunello di Montalcino wines- including the single vineyard Sugarille- from vineyard holdings totaling sixty five acres.

In 1996 Gaja acquired a second property in Tuscany, Ca’Marcanda, located in Castagneto Carducci in Bolgheri. Of the property’s 200 acres, 150 have been planted with new vineyards: primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as Cabernet Franc and Syrah.

Currently, the Gaja Winery owns 250 acres of vineyards in Piedmont, located in the Barbaresco district (Barbaresco and Treiso) and the Barolo district (Serralunga d’Alba and La Morra).

Since its inception, the Gaja Winery has continuously evolved in ways that have always focused on meticulous care of and attention to the quality of its wines.

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New Wine Books: “The 100 Burgundy” – Building A “Dream Cellar” (Assouline)

The 100 Burgundy Jeannie Cho Lee AssoulineAn exceptional Burgundy is not only well crafted and well balanced, it also must have essential qualities reflecting its own terroir as well as those unique to the particular vintage, distilling the very essence of the vine itself and the earth from which it springs.

Essential reading for all fine wine aficionados, whether curating a dream cellar or selecting the best Burgundy wines to experience with friends and family, The 100 Burgundy: offers a fresh perspective by a dedicated professional who visits the region regularly and recognizes the best it has to offer.

For wine enthusiasts discovering Burgundy—and those already smitten with the region’s seductive wines—The 100 Burgundy: is the first guide of its kind to the region’s best wines and makers, detailing the domaines and highlighting each chosen wine with tasting notes. Considering factors such as a wine’s quality, its ability to evolve and improve over time, and its ability to evoke emotion, Master of Wine Jeannie Cho Lee invites readers to explore 100 memorable Burgundy wines of the Côte d’Or, from benchmark domaines to rising stars.

The 100 Burgundy Exceptional Wines to Build a Dream Cellar Jeannie Cho Lee Assouline 2020

With a foreword by Lalou Bize-Leroy, owner of Domaine Leroy and co-owner of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, this enlightening volume is a journey through the countryside of Burgundy, capturing the context, people, and history that inspire the creation of these masterful wines.

Jeannie Cho Lee is the first Asian Master of Wine (MW), an award-winning author, wine critic, judge, and educator. Currently a professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where she helped launch the Master of Science program in International Wine Management, she is also a consultant for Singapore Airlines since 2009.

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Profiles: The Family Reviving “Noble & Murat” Port – “Foot Treading” And “Chestnut Barrels”

Antonio Taveira’s family breathes new life into the illustrious Noble & Murat brand whose tradition as a port house started over a century and half ago in 1831 as one of the first bottlers to mention “LBV” on their label. 

The family has a long history of precision hand-harvesting, distinguished sourcing and methodical vinification. For decades they have provided grapes for Taylor’s, Croft, Sandeman’s among others, but now they have decided to keep the best grapes for their own wines.

Noble & Murat Port and LBV Port

New Champagne Bars: “The Riddler” In New York City

The Riddler Champagne Bar Outside New York CityA restaurant funded solely by female investors, The Riddler is a New York City champagne bar from owner Jen Pelka.

The Riddler is a Champagne bar with locations in the heart of New York’s West Village and San Francisco’s Hayes Valley. We have over 150 Champagnes by the bottle and dozens of sparkling wines by the glass to choose from: old and new, traditional classics and unusual discoveries, by the glass and by the bottle (or magnum or 9L). At the center of each space is an old wooden backbar that we’ve lined with a collection of vintage Champagne buckets and glassware that we’ve picked up at flea markets and estate sales over the last decade.

We’re a women-led team: 100% of our investors are women and most of our management team happens to be led by a crew of women. We love serious wines but don’t take ourselves too seriously: we pair our Champagne with French-inspired seasonal comforts, serve our caviar with potato chips, and offer free popcorn all day and all night.

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Italian Wines: Inside Ferragamo Fashion House-Owned “Castiglion Del Bosco” (Monocle 24)

Wines by Massimo Ferragamo: How Salvatore Ferragamo’s youngest son is succeeding in the wine industry.

24 January 2020: Episode 432 of “The Menu”  Monocle 24

“I arrived at Castiglion del Bosco one cool, sunny morning in 2001. I was so incredibly moved by the limitless views, by the Brunello vineyards as well as the scenery that can only be found in the Val d’Orcia: I had no idea that such a beautiful corner of Tuscany still existed. It was love at first sight.”

– Massimo Ferragamo

Castiglion Del Bosco Wine Estate in Tuscany Italy Massimo Ferragamo Wines

Tuscany is a region whose countryside never ceases to amaze for its captivating beauty. Castiglion del Bosco also knows how to charm. Nature’s voice is heard loud and clear here, while man’s hand has always respected its verdant spaces and fine balance. The name itself revelas its character: the bosco, (wood), surrounding the Castiglion (walled castle), is the domain of deer, boars and pheasants. And of Sangiovese.

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