Blogcritics Category: Tastes: Wine and Champagne

Wine Review: Simonsig "Sunbird" Sauvignon Blanc

Marisa DVari — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:58:39 EDT

Curious about Sauvignon Blanc - from South Africa?
One of the pleasures of today's wine world is the ability to walk into a store and choose a varietal from nearly anywhere in the world. Sauvignon Blanc is one of the world's top international white grapes, and increasingly, is made in places where there had not been a history of that grape before. South Africa is considered the "new world," as the...

Wine Review: Banfi Sauvignon Blanc "Serena"

Marisa DVari — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:21:55 EDT

It exerts its own flirtatious Italian character quite charmingly.
"Oak in a Sauvignon Blanc!" says a friend, just after I have opened a bottle of 2006 Castello Banfi Sauvignon Blanc Serena Toscana (IGT). "I thought Sauvignon Blancs were supposed to taste like cat's pee and herbs or something."Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand, with its rich, ultra-crisp flavors of sharp citrus, white flowers, and...

Restaurant Review: Ammos Estiatorio, NYC

Marisa DVari — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:08:29 EDT

Want to dine in Greece with free airfare?
"Very cool!" says my friend, eagerly dipping his triangles of fresh pita bread into the Kyra Orektika (house made spreads) neatly tucked into five white, geometric ceramic squares before us.We are at Ammos Estiatorio in New York, an elegant Greek restaurant on Vanderbilt Avenue near Grand Central Station on a summer night, the kind of steamy night...

City Review: Milwaukee Food Tour

Lou Novacheck — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:15:53 EDT

Mwoky a food town? Who�da thunk it?
Milwaukee’s first and, so far, only food tour is a welcome addition to the city. A bonus is that the tour guide, Theresa Nemetz of Milwaukee Food Tours, also informs the group about much of the colorful history of the two areas covered, even though many of the actual physical traces no longer exist.Since Milwaukee’s downtown, as most...

TasteTV Interviews Auteur Wines

TasteTV — Wed, 4 Jun 2008 18:08:19 EDT

TasteTV's wineFLIGHT program talks to boutique winery Auteur Wine.
TasteTV's wineFLIGHT program talks to boutique winery Auteur Wines, maker of great Pinot Noirs that pair well with food, and of course, chocolate.Auteur Wine is very much in demand and regularly sells out its subscriptions. The owners say its philosophy is "to maintain the dualism between the varietal's masculine and feminine character. To achieve...

Trail Blazers of Spanish Wine

Marisa DVari — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:03:33 EDT

Curious about wine? Check out Spain.
Do you enjoy finding delicious wines at incredible values? If so, you are probably already well acquainted with Spanish wine. Yet, more than just a thirst-satisfying, food friendly libation, wine from Spain is well-crafted and grown from grapes that thrive on some of the most varied, dramatic soil and terrain in the world. Recently in New York,...

TasteTV: When in San Francisco, Don't Order Cabernet Sauvignon

TasteTV — Fri, 16 May 2008 09:27:21 EDT

TasteTV suggests that when visiting San Francisco, don't ask for "Cabernet Sauvignon."
Here's some friendly advice: when visiting San Francisco, don't ask for "Cabernet Sauvignon."For that matter, don't order a "Pinot Noir," a "Zinfandel," and absolutely do not even think of uttering the dreaded phrase "White Zinfandel."Why? Because the labels "pretentious," "rube," and "non-wine drinker" will be stuck to your forehead and nothing...

Discovering Chateau Faugeres

Marisa DVari — Wed, 7 May 2008 22:57:38 EDT

Ever dream of owning a vineyard?
If you’ve seen the film A Good Year, you might recall that the Russell Crowe character, a financial wizard, inherits a winery in France and promptly sets off to sell it until he falls in love with the region.In real life, Silvio Denz, a dynamic individual who developed Switzerland’s largest chain of perfume stores, purposefully set out...

TasteTV Top 5 Report

TasteTV — Wed, 7 May 2008 20:56:40 EDT

The TasteTV Top 5 Report features chocolate art, Bray wine, chef movies, sexy chocolate dresses, and Hardwear by Renee.
The TasteTV Top 5 Report features chocolate art, Bray wine, chef movies, sexy chocolate dresses, and Hardwear by Renee.Bray Vineyards is located in the heart of California’s Shenandoah Valley appellation. The Shenandoah Valley is renowned for the fine quality of the grapes grown there. The 2004 Zinfandel has won the following awards:Bronze...

TV Review: Three Sheets - "Japan"

El Bicho — Tue, 6 May 2008 06:40:53 EDT

Zane learns about sake.
Since this show first aired on the HD channel MOJO back in June 2006, I have no doubt almost every man who has discovered it has kicked himself because he had the idea first. Surely, every wasted 20-something had this conversation with a friend after pounding back a few of their favorite cheap beverages, like Schaefer, the one beer to have when...