The Wine Commonsewer™

Wilson Creek Almond Champagne

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

New Year's Eve is typically celebrated with bubbly and since TWC lives by the lips that touch white wine shall never touch mine doctrine you may find it odd that I'm passing on a tip for a decent Champagne. Aside from the obvious, Champagne means something simpler to TWC: one glass = instant headache.

I'll never admit to tasting it, but Wilson Creek Almond Champagne is pretty good.  If you plan on Champagne, do skip the cheap stuff and go with something a little better that your guests will enjoy.

This gold-medal winning champagne is also referred to as the OH MY GOSH champagne, because that is typically people's reaction when they try it at Wilson Creek Winery for their very first time. This white sparkling wine is naturally fermented, with just a hint of pure almond added so it's guaranteed to dazzle your guests. Great with desserts, cuddling, hot tubs, picnics, fireplaces, brunches, and parties. Very popular at all the weddings here (at Wilson Creek Winery).

It's available around So Cal for around $10-00 to $12.00 and I'm pretty sure Albertson's groceria and Cost Plus carries it. You can also try this list to find it.

Wilson Creek is a Temecula winery offering summer jazz concerts that include gourmet meals, traditional wine tasting, and my favorite: the annual ride through the vineyards in a wagon, stopping every so often to taste wine where the grapes were grown. The strategically staged chefs serving freshly prepared and delicious hors d'œuvre are a nice touch as well. Best treat of all? A frosty glass of grape juice drawn from barrels of freshly crushed Syrah.

Mark & Laurel, at dinner after the wagon ride through the vines.
Look at all those empty wine glasses.

Happy New Year,

As Always,

TWC

2004 VEO Grande Cabernet Sauvignon

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Robin Garr (30-Second Wine Advisor) has a point about Chilean wine.......

I tend to be a bit more wary of wines from Chile, not because of any intrinsic flaw in the region's wines but because, frankly, too many of its producers in recent years have chosen to export modest, one-dimensional wines that compete against American big-brand varietal wines at the lower end of the marketplace, offering low prices but not great value.

With that disclaimer in mind consider the VEO Grande Cabernet Sauvignon, an inexpensive Chilean wine though far from memorable offers a decent glass at a decent price ($6.00-$10.00 US). VEO is likely the Mondavi of Chile and is the largest private grower when measured by sheer vineyard acreage.

This cab is astringent with a fair amount of barnyard so give it some air (let it breath). Although the winemaker promises an opulent wine with loads of berries I didn't find opulence or berries. The wine has an odd although not unpleasant feel to it and tends more toward flat and gray than opulent. But that's okay, it didn't cost what opulent costs. The wine is different than many inexpensive Chilean cabs and I guess that works for me, especially since TWC is repulsed by that cloying (stop me if I've overused that word lately) sickly sweet taste that characterizes many cheap cabs and merlots.

Verdict: It's not a sleeper but it's a good budget wine that you can enjoy with a Southern Italian meal or grilled beef.

As Always,

The Wine Commonsewer

Time To Bring In The Brass Monkey

Gentle Readers,

The morning constitutional nearly did me in because here at Casa de las Rocas Grandes, it's forty degrees with a forty MPH, gale force arctic blast. If we don't lose the cedar tree by nightfall I'll count my blessings. At lunch a windblown roof tile crashed onto the deck leaving a wickedly crooked gouge a half inch across and five inches long before shattering into pieces. It was followed by a second concrete roof tile a half hour later. Lake Mathews looks like Gitchy Goomy the night the Edmund Fitzgerald went down. And it's cold. Whiney or not, the wind chill factor is 27 degrees Farenheit. That's cold enough.

A Public Service Message brought to you by the LA Times and Southern California Edison:

Oh. And kids. Don't touch those downed power lines.

Well, duh.

As Ever,

TWC

Maybe Not His Hat but...John Edwards Throws Something Into The Ring

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

The following is a paid political advertisement. It is NOT a political endorsement nor does it reflect the views of TWC or Michael R Snell & Associates.

For the guys:

Patti Connelly was even lovelier than Cate Edwards and TWC nearly failed 9th grade Algebra because Patti came to class every day wearing one of these.  See what I mean?

As Ever,

tip of the glass to Wonkette

belly button photo from TWC archives-no attribution

But It's December The 24th.......

.....and I'm longing to be up north......

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

We're tired.........

Wishing you some of Mrs TWC's from-scratch chocolate chip cookies, because there's no point in clogging your arteries with stuff that tastes lousy.

Merry Christmas,

As Ever,

TWC

Cream Cheese Frosting

Gentle Readers,

The Wine Commonsewer cream cheese frosting goes like this...

8 oz cream cheese
1/4 lb butter
2 tablespoons vanilla (or one vanilla bean)
2 & 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

cream the butter, vanilla, and cream cheese without overdoing it

sift sugar into the mixture, 1/3 cup at a time

add food color if desired

add a couple of teaspoons of Amaretto or almond extract for a neat little flavor twist

Use it to frost from-scratch sugar cookies.

As Ever,

TWC

The Three Stages of Santa Claus

Gentle Readers,

We've all heard about the many stages of death, gambling, addiction and all that. Well, there are three stages of Santa:

1. You believe in Santa Claus

2. You don't believe in Santa Claus

3. You ARE Santa Claus

As Ever,

The Wine Commonsewer

tip of the glass to Jim W

Finding The Right Charity

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

If you're doing any last minute charitable donations, send the money to me.

All seriousness aside, if you need a reference you may want to check with Charity Navigator. You'll find a compilation of financial information about your favorite charity or a prospective charity, including non-profits and educational foundations.

The stats are culled from annual tax information returns filed with IRS which are then analyzed and compared in an easy-reference format. Since the data is out of context, in some cases I'm not entirely sure that the analysis shows a full picture of the organization's activity. 

However, it's useful to know how much the Cheese at your favorite charity is getting paid and how much the organization blows on telemarketing to raise funds. It's also helpful to know if your throwing money down a rat hole, like when you pay your income taxes.

This service shouldn't be taken as a be-all, end-all proposition. Rather, the statistics and analysis provide a helpful tool that will supplement your specialized knowledge and interests and help get you moving toward a sensible decision.

As Ever,

TWC

tip of the glass to the Kosmik Kid

A Silent Night

Gentle Readers,

This is a definite must for TWC's Christian friends. It's a little long but nicely done.

As Ever,

TWC

tip of the glass to Roberto in Ma

National Inventors Hall of Fame

Gentle Readers,

The National Inventors Hall of Fame may not have the notoriety attained by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but as Gentle Reader Ken F points out,

These are many of the folks that brought us from horse and buggy, hand-to-mouth, manual everything, to the high tech world we live in today. These folks deserve the honors, money, and praise that actors and politicians are showered with in our country.

And the wine. They deserve good red wine.

Couldn't agree more.

Wikipedia entry and list of inventors here.

As Always,

The Wine Commonsewer

tip of the glass to Ken F