Bloviatrix listed in Wine Alltop

It’s with pleasure that I post here that my blog, Bloviatrix, has been added to the Wine Alltop web site which lists top wine blogs in the wine blogosphere. I’m not totally sure what the definition of a ‘top’ wine blog is, but I am grateful for the addition. I do recognize many great wine blogs listed there that I do read regularly – check out my wine blog Blogroll. This will give me impetus to post more regularly, which I know is an important quality of any good blog.

“How to Taste Like a Wine Geek” by 1WineDude

Joe Roberts, the 1WineDude, has published a handy primer for those interested in learning how to experience wine like a Wine Geek, that is, for maximal mindfulness and enjoyment.  It is called How to Taste Like a Wine Geek.  It is useful for novices and also for more experienced wine enthusiasts who want to take a more systematic approach to experiencing wine.  If I were teaching a class on wine appreciation, it would be a fine accompaniment/teaching tool.  It is 42 pages long and available for the nominal fee of $7.95 in .PDF form and you can purchase it on the 1WineDude site or  you can even order it here and use your Paypal account:  (Full disclosure – I receive an affiliate percentage of each copy ordered below).

The guide is visually elegant and uncluttered and has really neat wine-related quotes on most pages.  Joe, who has attained the Certified Specialist of Wine qualification from the U.S.-based Society of Wine Educators, among other qualifications, has distilled a great deal of wine education and experience into these 42 pages. He covers sniffing, swirling, swishing, slurping, the finish, as well as other aspects of wine appreciation not having to do with physically tasting, such as how to build your wine tasting vocabulary. All in all, a neat guide.

Nantucket Wine Festival May 13-19, 2009

The 13th annual Nantucket Wine Festival will take place on gorgeous Nantucket island off the coast of southern Massachusetts on May 13-19, 2009.  This should be a luxurious and edifying experience for those able to attend this wonderful event.   I’ve been fortunate enough to vacation on Nantucket island in the past and it is truly a unique and beautiful atmosphere and ideal for this kind of find wine and culinary festival. As per press release, the highlights this year include:

• Expansion of last year’s tremendously popular luncheon symposium program.  The equivalent of a graduate course in advanced wine philosophy, the symposia features an hour-long tasting and discussion, followed by a luncheon of exquisite food paired with the wines of the participating vignerons.
• Sultans of Sonoma Coast:  San Francisco Chronicle Winemaker of the Year Ehren Jordan will be joined by two other star winemakers, David Hirsch and Andy Peay, as they explain the attributes of California’s hottest new viticultural region, the Sonoma Coast.
• The Nantucket Historical Association Auction Dinner, held at the White Elephant Hotel and featuring the culinary talents of Daniel Bruce of Meritage at the Boston Harbor Hotel, who is celebrating 20 years of winemaker dinners at the Boston Wine Festival, and the king of all Spanish wine, Jorge Ordóñez of Fine Estates from Spain, the winner of last year’s Luminary of the Year award.  The auction is always exciting and this year promises even more excitement as the centerpiece of the auction will be an 1870 Barrister’s bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild, considered by man to be the finest example of pre-phylloxera claret.
• Towle’s Hill, a one-man show by former Nantucketer Mark Kenward, which chronicles over 150 years of history at one of California’s oldest wineries, Gundlach Bundschu in Sonoma.
• The Nantucket Wine Festival has been famous for the number of great winemakers who visit us in May, and this year’s array of winemakers is absolutely stunning, featuring many of the best talents in the world of wine.  Ehren Jordan, owner of Failla Vineyards and the San Francisco Chronicle’s Winemaker of the Year; Ray Coursen, owner/winemaker of Elyse Vineyards and the winner of the NWF’s 2009 Luminary of the Year award; Jean-Luc Pépin, Directeur Commercial, Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé; Jean-Charles Thomas, Head Winemaker, Maison Louis Latour; John Kolasa, General Manager, Château Rauzan-Segla and Château Canon; Rob and Maria Sinskey, owners, Robert Sinskey Vineyards; Jorge Ordóñez, president and founder, Fine Estates from Spain and the winner of the NWF’s 2008 Luminary of the Year award; Jim Clendenen, owner/winemaker of Au Bon Climat.
• The Festival’s signature event, The Grand Tasting, will be held for the 3^rd year at the historic Nantucket Yacht Club.