Chehalem Vineyards & Domaine Serene Tasting Review

Our beloved friends at Wolfe's held a great tasting for Chehalem and Domaine Serene. Here we are going to review the pinot noirs that we tried from Friday. The turnout was great and the wine flowed.

First off, we tried the Stoller Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007 from Chehalem. Right off the bat, you get a good amount of earth on the nose. I also got beautiful perfume aromas. On the palate, I got crazy cherries. It had a good amount of acid and a long finish, I got some medicinal characters at the end. It was real balanced, but you can tell it needed some more time in the bottle. After all, it was only a 2007. Retails for about $50.50. Check Wolfe's for a better price.

Second in the crew, we got a Ridgecrest Pinot Noir 2007, also from Chehalem. On the nose, I got some smoke, dirt and light red fruits. This wine was a bit more balanced than the Stoller. The Ridgecrest also coats the palate better with a better showing of acidity and a beautiful long finish. This juice would love to stay in the bottle a bit, it will show in a couple of years.

After the Chehalem pinots, we moved on to Domaine Serene. The first one we tried, Yamhill Cuvee Pinot Noir 2007 was actually the same vintage and area from the previous two Chehalem's. It was nice to try different wines from the area. That being said, this wine was one of my favorites of the night. It seems like it was much more approachable at its age than the rest. The nose gave out raisins, roasted fruit, raspberry with a twist of orange peel. The palate was more soily, had Burgundian notes, beautiful strawberry acidity. It was balanced and fruity. retails for $37.

After that beauty, we moved to Domaine Serene's Evenstad 2006. The nose was full and lush with raspberry notes and cocoa. The palate had a cotton candy texture, more viscous, coats the palate nicely, beautiful long finish. This wine was a nice one and could use time in the bottle or be decanted and dranken sooner than later.

So that was my first wine review. I will be posting the Copain review in a few. Enjoy and email if you have any questions!

Can I have some "F***king Beer" please!?

So a German Brewery wanted to market a beer from the small Austrian village of 'F**king'. The European patent office said, f**k no! (Okay, they just said no.) They cited the swear word as the reason to not let them move forward.

But in an age where Family Guy and Tosh.0 rule the airwaves, oh and of course the small town called F**king, the firm finally won the rights to market their beer called, "F**king Hell Beer".

Article here.

Diageo still leads...

Wow. Diageo, once again leads the Top 100 Premium Spirits Listing. This is not a surprise as they do have Johnnie Walker leading the way with Smirnoff. What is more of a surprise is the gain that Captain Morgan's and Jose Cuervo made, each climbing two places in the rankings. From the article,

"Diageo was in the top spots in both league tables, as once again, Johnnie Walker was ranked as the number one spirit in the world by value, and number 3 premium spirit by volume, with an estimated 14.5 million nine-litre equivalent cases. Smirnoff retained its position as the number one premium spirit in the world by volume, with estimated volume sales of 24 million nine-litre equivalent cases, and was also ranked number 3 by value, as in the 2009 league tables."

It would be pretty interesting to see the rest of this list and compare how rum improved on this list. Article here.

This just in: "If you're not drinking Ciroc vodka, then you're drinking pee pee."

Well folks, it looks like everyone wants to start a spirit war. I read an article (here) on the Gothamist about P-Diddy talking about other vodkas. He basically said that all other vodka is pee pee.

Apparently, billions of vodka drinkers have begun a class action lawsuit against all major vodka companies suing them for false advertisement. One such consumer said, "When I was drinking a vodka/Red Bull, I thought the yellow color was coming from the energy drink. My, was I wrong!" (Okay, kidding! The last two sentences are not real!)

photo via myfoxny

But P-Diddy did mention that, "If you're not drinking Ciroc vodka, then you're drinking pee pee." and "pissed off" (pun intended) the owner of Georgi vodka. In retaliation, the CEO Martin Silver, filled up a toilet bowl with Ciroc vodka to have it delivered to P-Diddy's offices. Come on guys, let's play nice! There is enough vodka and pee pee in this world for everyone.

Thanks for the heads up Gio!

Tequila mixes in Tetra-pak cartons??!!

Me: "Hey, what are you doing tonight?"
Friend: "I was thinking of having some drinks."
Me: "Great come over! I am serving margaritas in leftover boxes I found on the side of the road!"
Friend: "Ummm..."

Not quite like that, but apparently the ambitious folks at Proximo have put their mixes in the popular and environmentally friendly Tetra carton.

I think this is a cool way to re-introduce their mixes and show off their modern cool side. I personally do not go for mixes but I can see myself giving them a try for their new packaging. It seems like they also went all natural with the stuff inside as well. According to the article,

Each new cocktail mixer is made with natural sweeteners, including Agave nectar, a juice derived from the cactus-like Mexican Blue Agave plant (the same juice that, when fermented, becomes tequila). Agave nectar is 50% sweeter than sugar.

Hello! Not too shabby! But please, for the love of God, do not pack my delicious 1800 tequila in this packaging! Retails for $4.99 for a 1 liter. Article here.

This guy knows what he's talking about...

So, the man that probably has the most foresight in the world has decided to get into the alcoholic beverage business. Buffett has bought Southeast giant Empire Distributors. I am not surprised that Berkshire Hathaway Inc. have decided to get in on the fun. Now is the time to get in on the business and according Business Week's article,

“We expect that the Empire acquisition will provide us with a solid platform for potentially acquiring other similar high-quality wholesale distributors,” Buffett, Berkshire’s chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement. Terms of the deal for Kahn Ventures Inc. of North Carolina weren’t disclosed."

Buffett is looking for ways to invest Berkshire’s cash after markets recovered last year and profits jumped. The 79- year-old billionaire, who built Berkshire through four decades of takeovers and stock picks, completed the biggest acquisition of his career last month with the $27 billion deal for railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. Berkshire’s McLane unit, which had revenue of $31.2 billion last year, will own Empire.

Wow, this is huge, something is amidst in the beverage industry and Buffett is on top of it. Like I have been preaching for this whole economic meltdown, if you want to start a brand, do it now! And unless Buffett is off his rocker, this industry is poised for another huge upturn.

Check the article here.

Start spending those marketing dollars!!!!

Here is an interesting article from Reuters in regards to the economy and spirits. I think it's pretty interesting that the big dogs are going forward now. This is not only a telling sign, but a great opportunity for brands to really make a name for themselves. Read where the suppliers are putting their money. Bar managers, talk to your distributor and start asking for the marketing programs being offered through their suppliers and help make a brand stronger! Article here.

Happy Hour Watch?

Wow, this is much needed in Miami. A fashionable watch? No a Happy Hour Watch with a bottle opener on the buckle! Yes you heard right. And if that's not enough for your eyes, the hands on the clock are already pointing to 5 pm! Oh and just in case there is also an analog part of the watch as well if things get a little blurry. Available here via The Awesomer. Retails for $49.95.

I would have every bartender at my bar wearing one of these (well, if I had a bar)!

1, 2, 3, 4...Let's start a rum war!

(Sorry, I had to do the faded Havana Club logo for dramatic effect)

Here we go again...Bacardi & Pernod Ricard are at it again. Who owns the famed Havana Club name?

The Miami Herald went into the legal aspects in depth (here). I have another view...

So let's go over this interesting argument...

Okay, the Bacardi's get pushed out during the revolution and Castro nationalizes mostly everything that made Cuba great. The rum maker and distillery where Havana Club was made are owned by Arechabala. The Arechabalas leave for the States after the revolution. In the meantime, the Cuban government forms Havana Club with Pernod Ricard and the Arechabalas sell their recipe and trademark to Bacardi. Pernod Ricard, Bacardi and CubaExport have been fighting ever since. Pernod's and CubaExports defense is that the trademark lapsed in 1973, giving them free reign over the name.

Now with that being said...
Here is another recent article in the Herald speaking about Diageo blaming Bacardi for sabotaging tax subsidies when they wanted to move their distillery to the U.S. Virgin Islands from Puerto Rico. Read the article here.

So...What is going on in the rum world? Why is everyone attacking Bacardi? Why is there a rum war?

Well if it's a secret, let me let you in on it. Rum is the hottest new spirits category in the world. The growth has been larger than many of the other spirits. I did some research for you and look what I found:

Havana Club managing director, Marc Beuve-Méry says: “If you look at the past ten years the growth of rum as a category was 50% above the market average for spirits, according to [The IWSR’s] numbers. Rum’s growth over that period was 3.8% and the global spirits market being 2.5%. So rum’s growth is roughly 50% above spirits’ average. That’s impressive. And there has been an acceleration between 2005 and 2007; that’s even better.” Source

The US rum market has been one of the star performers in the US drinks market. In 2007, it rose 5.5% to 22.7m nine-litre cases. 89.8% of the market is sourced from locally produced rums, including rums from Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. This sector, at over 20.4m cases, rose 4.8%, but the imported sector showed much faster growth, soaring a further 12.1% in 2007 to just under 2.3m cases. Source

Remember, rum used to be a small market for Central American & Caribbean countries. Soon you will start seeing countries you would have never thought in the rum category. I have noticed a larger trend for sipping rums. In Miami, I have noticed whisky drinkers swapping for a nice aged sipping rum. Have we gone mad? Rum to sip, give me a Cuba Libre right? I have a couple of names for you that won't disappoint. Atlantico, Ron Zacapa, Oronoco, Diplomatico, Flor De Cana, Pampero, Santa Teresa. There are plenty more! Start there and open up your senses. You are going to start noticing a trend where the vodka space in a back bar gets a bit smaller to make space for a bigger rum section. Bartenders, take notice, you need more space for rum! Show off those beautiful bottles and get with it! I don't want to side with one company or the other but this is a good war to have. This should create some competition, I will sit back and enjoy the new rums that will be debuting within the next couple years. Drop a line so I can get a bottle to review.

I ain't afraid of no gin!

(in a thick Scottish accent) "Hello there and welcome to Scotland, we're famous for our delicious GIN!"

I thought I heard wrong too. But, those smart Scots are dreaming up drams with something other than the whisky without the e!

From the website:

Hendrick’s is an iconoclastically produced small batch gin distilled in Ayrshire, Scotland. Our unusual distillation process combined with our oddly delicious set of infusions yields a one-of-a-kind gin that is passionately loved by a tiny yet growing handful of individuals all over the world. No other gin tastes like it because no other gin is made like it.

I first tried this gin with cucumber and rose petal hints at a bar with a slice of cucumber and tonic. I was completely smitten. This is a non-gin drinker drinker's gin. Did you get all that? It drinks smoothly with soft undertones of juniper that doesn't overwhelm the senses. To me one of the smoothest gins I have ever tried.

I feel like this gin is made with a new age twist. They are using different botanicals to stimulate the senses and introduce the non-gin drinker to the gin world. Drinkers do not be afraid to ask your bartender to make you a nice fresh dram with this delicious spirit. Bartenders, start making up cocktails, smell it, live it and put it on your menus. This is one gin that is going to stay.

This gin has attitude and a great website to go with it. William Grant & Sons have put a lot of effort to make sure this gin stands out above the rest. Check out the website and let it take you back to another world. Hendricks Gin Site

Quick Hendrick's recipe to get you started:

From the genius that is Alan Walter
Ingredients

1. 8 parsley leaves
2. 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3. 3/4 ounce Simple Syrup
4. Ice cubes, plus crushed ice
5. 1 1/2 ounces gin
6. 1 ounce chilled club soda
7. 1 lime wheel

Directions

1. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the parsley with the lime juice and Simple Syrup. Add ice cubes and the gin and shake well. Strain into a crushed ice–filled collins glass. Stir in the club soda and garnish with the lime wheel.

Enjoy!