Year in Review

I guess saying that 2011 was not as eventful as 2010 would be understating it a little.  Although one must still put up with some of the aches and pains of old age there was nothing very serious to deal with other than a slight weight issue.  Seems I have found the pounds that were lost or misplaced during the early part of the year.  I did get back into the gym, but have been delinquent  since Thanksgiving.  I should be back on track after the holiday season.

The year has been the most successful year yet with this blog.  There were more postings than I really wish to do, but that also meant there were more wines being enjoyed.  I was able to find wines from many of the more obscure regions of the world and will probably continue searching others in 2012.  A likely start may be a semi-sweet red wine from the great State of Alabama. A gift from my niece who now resides in Birmingham.

Each year, at least for the past three, I have been tasting new wines.(At least new to me).  This past year was no exception.  For white wines, I found a few new favorite's with Albariño's from the Rias Baixas region of Spain, a Rkatsiteli from my favorite region, the New York Finger Lakes, a Torrontes from Argentina and a nice wine from Turkey made with the Sultana grape. I also enjoyed an Ice Wine for the first time and a couple of Finger Lakes bubbly's.

New reds were just as interesting. I'll start with a Xinomavro from Macedonia and a blend of Kotsifali and Mandilaria from the Isle of Crete. The Cuvee d'Amour from Dr. Frank's and a Baco Noir from Hudson Valley were outstanding and also enjoyable was a very nice red blend from Algeria.  I am now looking very much forward to doing more of the same in 2012.

Now I get to pick my favorites from 2011.  I did this last year on my Year in Review 2010 with little difficulty, but this time around, there were many excellent wines to chose from.  So, here goes.

Best Rosé -  Every visit I made to a Finger Lakes winery this past year, I tasted a dry Rosé, brought quite a few home and enjoyed each and every one. BUT, the best this year is from Long Island. Shinn Estate Vineyards Rose` 2010. Pleasant aromas, nice mouthfeel with lots of red berry and some watermelon.  A delightful blend of Merlot and Cab Franc.

Best White - This was the most difficult to choose.  The Albarino's and an excellent Vino Verde from Portugal were among the best, but Finger Lakes Riesling's are still my favorite and choosing one of them is almost impossible.  This year's best though is the Damiani Wine Cellars semi-dry Riesling 2010. Aroma's were plentiful with honeysuckle, pineapple, apple blossom, some peach and citrus, a fruit filled taste and a very long finish. One of the best ever.

Best Red -  For me, this was definitely a year for the white wines, passing up some of my favorite reds all year and those I did taste were mostly mediocre at best.  There were a few that did stand out.  Spanish Riojas from Montebuena and one from Beronia and a Bordeaux style blend from Craggy Range in New Zealand.  There were also some very nice Cabernet Francs from the Finger Lakes and surprisingly my pick for Best Red Wine is from the Finger Lakes. A 2007 Black Russian Red - 30 Month Barrel Reserve made from Saperavi and Sereksiya Charni grapes which are unique to the McGregor Vineyards on Keuka Lake. The grapes are found in the Republic of Georgia near the Black Sea. There was no review posted on this wine(yet). The one bottle I did bring home is resting peacefully and awaiting opening is two to three years.

Biggest Surprise - Has to be the wine from Algeria, the Chateau Tellagh Medea red wine. A blend of 40% Grenache, 25% Cinsault, 15% Carignan, 10% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Just the fact that this wine was produced in Northern Africa, made it a surprise and better yet was how delicious it was.

Now a new year begins, but my blog goals will remain the same. I hope to be tasting some new varieties, visiting more wineries and just enjoying more great wine. I may fool around a bit with the blog layout and maybe make some changes.  Also, I am looking for contributors to post articles.  Must be an amateur wine lover (no connoisseurs or sommeliers) just your everyday wino.  I pay $0, but will at times provide some wine.

Thank you to all my followers and readers for contributing to a successful year.

Clos Du Bois North Coast Zinfandel 2008

In May of 2009 I reviewed a Chardonnay from California that I named as the best Chardonnay I have ever tasted, a Clos Du Bois Calcaire.  Since then I have treated myself to some very nice red wines from that same winery.  Most notably the blended Marlstone and Briarstone Cabernet Sauvignon.
Since their inception in 1974, Clos du Bois has been a champion of sustainability. They are especially proud of their solar initiative, which utilizes over 4,000 solar panels to power their winery almost 100%, the equivalent of providing electricity to 164 homes a year. They are water-conscious too. One acre of their almost 800 vineyard acres uses less water per year than a typical family of four.
Tonight was time to uncork a 2008 North Coast Zinfandel($12) to serve with an outstanding beef stew prepared by my daughter Pam.  I can't be as kind and name this as the best Zin I've tasted,  but was very pleased with the wine and the beef stew pairing.
Color was a nice bright garnet red and aromas were filled with blackberry, dark plum and some tobacco. The blackberry was very dominant in the mouth with oak and cinnamon and the finish was very long with some spice and pepper. Maybe not the best I've ever had, but among the best.

Chateau Lafayette Reneau Dry Riesling 2010

Finally, able to uncork a wine and enjoy a glass or two (or three).  Three weeks and only a few bar pours with a dinner is all I have been able to do since my ulcer started acting up the day before Thanksgiving.  Presently, I am staying away from red wines and trying to ease myself back with some nice light white wines.  Tonight was a great opportunity to begin.
Pam was in charge of dinner and served up a delicious turkey burger made with ground turkey, onion, roasted pepper, garlic powder, an egg or two and black pepper then grilled and served with seasoned steak fries.  I added some raw onion, tomato and mixed sprouts with a little homemade ketchup on a kaiser roll. The wine was a 2010 Chateau Lafayette Reneau Dry Riesling.($15)
Great burger, but the wine was the show stopper.
Aromas filled with green apple, a little floral and citrus and some pineapple. Flavors just lingered in the mouth and finished long and dry with a little citrus.
Realizing now that the 2010 vintage is producing outstanding Finger Lakes Riesling and still have not been disappointed with any I've tasted.   Getting more and more difficult to choose the best.  Guess I have to just keep on tasting.  OK, I can do that!

Facts About Tailgaiting

While recuperating from another ulcer problem, I've been doing very little on the blog and less on the wine tasting.   Looks like I'll be back in a few days.  In the mean time I have been watching a lot of NFL and NCAA football and reliving some of the old tailgating days out side the old Archbold Stadium and then the Carrier Dome here in Syracuse. Today I received this article from onlinecolleges.net on Facts You Never Knew About Tailgating which is pretty interesting.
In September I made my recommendation for a perfect inexpensive tailgating wine, now I just may have to find some more.  Recommendations are welcome!!!

25 Facts You Never Knew About Tailgating

by: Staff Writers
onlinecolleges.net

For many, tailgating is as much as part of the game day experience as the game itself. While millions will tailgate around the U.S. this year for everything from college football games to Jimmy Buffet concerts, many know little about the history, demographics, and economics of this popular tradition. Read on to learn some interesting facts you can share with other fans at your next tailgating meet up. Some may seriously surprise you and make you see tailgating in a whole new light.

1. Caesar may have been history’s first recorded tailgater.

   The Romans were good at a lot of things: building amazing monuments, conquering distant lands, political intrigue, and knowing how to throw a really awesome (and toga-filled) party. Some credit Caesar with being the first to tailgate, right out of the back of a chariot. The story goes that after a particularly crazy chariot race, the leader opened up the Coliseum, inviting people in to enjoy food, drink, and various types of entertainment. Wine, wild fowl, and fights to the death may have been a bit more of the standard fare at these early get-togethers than it is today, but the spirit of the events is quite similar, leading to some giving Caesar credit for getting the tailgating ball rolling, though it wouldn’t really take off for another couple of millennia.

2. People actually tailgated at Civil War battles.

   A battlefield probably isn’t the place that most of us would want to hang out on the sidelines of (even to cheer on our side), but early tailgaters didn’t let a little thing like stray bullets get in their way. At the Battle of Bull Run in 1861, Union Army supporters showed up with some food and drinks and loudly cheered on the soldiers while hanging out in their carriages. They sang fight songs, took bets on how long the battle would take, and even caused a traffic jam when the battle was over — all classic tailgating practices.

3. Some of the first tailgate parties were held for Ivy League teams.

   It makes sense that the Ivy League would be home to the earliest tailgating, given that these East Coast schools were some of the first to be established in America. Some believe that tailgating dates back to the very first football game ever played between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869, when fans traveled to the game by horse-drawn carriage, grilling sausages at the “tail-end” of the horse and spawning the term “tailgating.” Of course, not everyone agrees with this theory, and there are many competing claims for being the originator of tailgating.

4. Yale also claims to have started tailgating.

   According to Yale, their alums were the first to start the practice of tailgating. Their theory goes that fans in private railcars heading to a Yale football game had to walk from the station to the field, and had little chance to get food along the way. It became common to bring food and drinks along with to the games. By 1906, most Yalies were driving cars to the game,s but were still continuing their tradition of lunching before the event, and the get-togethers were called “parking lot picnics.”

5. U of Kentucky is yet another school that lays claim to creating tailgating.

   Some believe that it was Southerners who created the tradition of tailgating at the University of Kentucky in 1881. Students and alumni at the school’s football games were said to have dined on wild fish and other tasty treats before the game and hung out eating leftovers and socializing after the game as well. So who really started tailgating? The reality may well be that it started in several places at once, with no one really inventing it at all. After all, people have been bringing food to sporting events for centuries.

6. Standard tailgate fare differs depending on where you live.

   What people consider essentials for tailgating spreads isn’t the same across the board. Different areas of the country have their own favorites and traditions. While fare like burgers and chips may be common everywhere, some regions have specialties. For instance, those in Louisiana may consider jambalaya a tailgating must, while those in the Midwest simply can’t go without brats. And the West Coast? Don’t be surprised to see grilled fish or pasta. While dishes may differ from region to region, one thing is the same across the board: beer.

7. The most practiced tailgater in the nation may be super fan Joe Cahn.

   Often called “The Commish,” Kahn has visited every NFL stadium, 125 college stadiums, and 9 NASCAR tracks during his 15 years of tailgating across the nation. In 1996, Cahn sold his business, the Louisiana School of Cooking, and took to the road to promote tailgating, serving up over 325 pots of his famous jambalaya as he enjoyed over 800 different tailgating parties.

8. The idea for eating out of the back of a car may have started in 1866 with Charles Goodnight.

   This Texas rancher and entrepreneur noticed that the cowboys he employed needed a way to eat on the road, so he transformed a U.S. Army Studebaker wagon into a mobile kitchen. There, hungry ranch hands could get their chow, relax, and socialize after a long day of working.

9. Green Bay Packer tailgaters hold the record for braving the coldest weather to support their team.

   Wisconsin winters are notoriously brutal, but that doesn’t keep these superfans from setting up shop in the parking lots. In 1967, fan braved a wind chill of 48 degrees below zero to see the Packers defeat the Cowboys in what would become known as the “Ice Bowl.”

10. The average tailgater spends more than $500 per year on food for tailgating.

    Tailgating is a great time, but it isn’t always cheap. On average, tailgaters spend in excess of $500 a year on food, not counting booze. With the average tailgater attending six to 10 parties a season, paying for tickets, and traveling to the event, things can get pretty expensive.

11. Most tailgaters are men.

    While many women enjoy tailgating, the stats show that it is largely a male pastime. A survey found that 79% percent of tailgaters are men, making women a serious minority in stadium parking lots.

12. The majority of tailgaters are between 25 and 44.

    Oddly enough, college students aren’t the ones packing parking lots before football games. Most tailgaters are older, between their mid-twenties and mid-forties. Only 4% of tailgaters are between 12 and 20, and just 9% are over 55, while a whopping 60% are between 25 and 44.

13. Each year between 20 and 50 million Americans tailgate in a stadium parking lot.

    That’s a whole lot of tailgaters! The American Tailgater Association estimates that at least 20 million headed out for tailgating in 2006, with other studies suggesting that the real figures may actually be much higher.

14. During the past decade, the number of sports fans who regularly tailgate has risen.

    Between 2001 and 2006, the number of sports fans who regularly tailgate has risen by 12% annually, making tailgating a multi-billion dollar industry.

15. 30% of tailgaters don’t even attend the game.

    Homer Simpson once said, “We’re not here for the game. The game is nothing. The game is crap. The game makes me sick. The real reason we Americans put up with sports is for this: Behold, the tailgate party. The pinnacle of human achievement.” It seems that many tailgaters agree with him, with a whopping 30% attending tailgating alone, never entering the stadium.

16. The majority of tailgaters are college educated.

    Whether they’re supporting their alma mater or just huge sports fans, college grads make up a large percentage of those who tailgate. Fifty-nine percent of tailgaters have a college degree, with 14% having a graduate degree. While may might use tailgating as an excuse to act stupid, the reality is that most tailgaters are actually pretty well-educated

17. The Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville, Florida may hold the record for the largest tailgating party.

    Fans of the teams begin arriving on Wednesday for the Saturday game — and some don’t actually leave until late Sunday. The tailgating extravaganza has earned the yearly event, held on the last Saturday in October, the nickname of the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.” The party has a checkered past, however, with many fans getting excessively drunk and even storming the field and tearing down the goal posts.

18. A 2006 ranking named Baltimore as America’s best tailgating city.

    Tailgating experts (yes, there is such a thing) looked at criteria like parking lots, environment, and fan enthusiasm and ranked this East Coast city as the best place to experience tailgating in the U.S. Rounding out the top five cities are Denver, Houston, San Diego, and Cincinnati.

19. Americans spend over $35 billion on food, beverages, and supplies for tailgating each year.

    Tailgating isn’t just fun and games for companies selling supplies and food products. It’s also a serious source of revenue and a multi-billion dollar industry that hasn’t shown signs of slowing down even in the face of the recession — especially when it comes to college games.

20. Ninety-five percent of tailgaters prepare their food at the stadium.

    Tailgaters aren’t about to eat just anything. Few prepare food ahead of time or bring fast food. Instead, the majority grill, smoke, or fry foods right on site, with many using specialized tailgating gear.

21. More and more schools are aiming to make tailgating green.

    Last year, more than 75 schools participated in Game Day Challenge, an initiative started by the EPA. The schools effectively kept 500,000 pounds of waste out of landfills by designing waste reduction plans and promoting recycling at tailgating and stadium events.

22. ESPN ranked LSU as the best place to tailgate for college games.

    When it comes to college tailgating, ESPN felt that Louisiana State University boasts the best experience. Other top schools the sports channel lauds for tailgating fun are Ole Miss, Tennessee, Washington, and Penn State.

23. Sporting events aren’t the only places people tailgate.

    Tailgating may have began at football games, but the trend is now expanding to include other stadium events. One of the biggest non-sports-related events people tailgate for is concerts. Some, like fans of musician Jimmy Buffet, have extremely elaborate and large tailgating parties before the concert begins (and sometimes afterwards, too).

24. Many fans watch the game from the parking lot with the help of modern technologies.

    Why sit in uncomfortable bleachers and pay for a ticket when you can catch the game right in your car while tailgating? A growing number of tailgaters are taking advantage of technologies that let them watch pre-game coverage, other match-ups, or the game itself from their cars.

25. The top five most-purchased items by tailgaters during the 2006 football season were (in order) cooler, grill, alcohol, furniture, and meat.

    Tailgaters aren’t afraid to spend big when it comes to game day essentials. Most spend money on both food and equipment, hoping to make the most out of their tailgating experience.