Wine Song Wednesday: Honky Cat

When I look back boy I must have been green
Bopping in the country, fishing in a stream
Looking for an answer trying to find a sign
Until I saw your city lights honey I was blind 

-chorus-
They said get back honky cat
Better get back to the woods
Well I quit those days and my redneck ways
And oh the change is gonna do me good

You better get back honky cat
Living in the city ain't where it's at
It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine
It's like trying to drink whisky from a bottle of wine

Well I read some books and I read some magazines
About those high class ladies down in New Orleans
And all the folks back home well, said I was a fool
They said oh, believe in the Lord is the golden rule 

-chorus- 

They said get back honky cat
Better get back to the woods
Well I quit those days and my redneck ways
And oh the change is gonna do me good

You better get back honky cat
Living in the city ain't where it's at
It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine
It's like trying to drink whisky from a bottle of wine 

-chorus-
They said get back honky cat
Better get back to the woods
Well I quit those days and my redneck ways
And oh the change is gonna do me good

You better get back honky cat
Living in the city ain't where it's at
It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine
It's like trying to drink whisky from a bottle of wine 

They said stay at home boy, you gotta tend the farm
Living in the city boy, is going to break your heart
But how can you stay, when your heart says no
How can you stop when your feet say go

You better get back honky cat
Better get back to the woods
Well I quit those days and my redneck ways
And oh the change is gonna do me good

You better get back honky cat
Living in the city ain't where it's at
It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine
It's like trying to drink whisky from a bottle of wine 

Get back honky cat, get back honky cat, get back...

Happy Winter Wine-derland

2011 was an incredible year. Yet, we only look forward to all the new joys that 2012 has to bring. We hope this finds you and yours enjoying a beautiful glass of your favorite wine and reflecting on all you have to be grateful for. 

 Happy Holidays from everyone here at Touring & Tasting!

Wine Quiz

Hi Tourers and Tasters! Happy Monday! In the holiday spirit, we thought it would be fun to ring in this mid-December week with a wine quiz! How much do you know about wine?

A. How many gallons of wine are produced from one acre of grapevines? 

B. How many calories are in a four ounce glass of red wine?

C. How many grapevines generally make up an acre?  

Post your answers to one or more of the questions in the comment section below!

The BRAND NEW Spring 2012 Edition of Touring & Tasting!

Touring & Tasting -- The Premier Guide to Wine Country -- is happy to announce that our brand new Spring 2012 Edition will be on newsstands next Tuesday, December 20, 2011!

We wanted to give you, our loyal blog and social media followers, a sneak peak at the beautiful cover that will grace newsstands through May of next year. 

In this edition we introduce new sections, including a feature on the famous Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. And we've discovered a fantastic way to tour and taste there--on a self driven, luxury cruise boat!

Editor in Cheif, Wendy van Diver, also explores in depth, the Willamette Valley wine region of Oregon, in her Editor's Tour and has many recommendations for places to visit there! In fact, CLICK HERE to enter our "Spring 2012 Editor's Tour Sweepstakes" for a chance to win a fantastic two-night stay at The Allison Inn & Spa in Newberg, with a Tasting Passport for free tastings at all the Willamette Valley, Oregon wineries featured in this new issue! You are the very first to hear about the new sweepstakes, so ENTER TODAY!

We hope you enjoyed the preview of the new issue, but we couldn't give it all away :) Check your local newsstands on December 20, 2012 for the Spring 2012 Edition of Touring & Tasting! The digital version will be available shortly after that -- don't worry, you'll be the first to know :)

Don't Know Why - WINE SONG WEDNESDAY

Don't Know Why

Norah Jones

I waited 'til I saw the sun
I don't know why I didn't come
I left you by the house of fun
I don't know why I didn't come
I don't know why I didn't come

When I saw the break of day
I wished that I could fly away
Instead of kneeling in the sand
Catching teardrops in my hand

My heart is drenched in wine
But you'll be on my mind
Forever

Out across the endless sea
I would die in ecstasy
But I'll be a bag of bones
Driving down the road along

My heart is drenched in wine
But you'll be on my mind
Forever

Something has to make you run
I don't know why I didn't come
I feel as empty as a drum
I don't know why I didn't come
I don't know why I didn't come
I don't know why I didn't come 

Wine Slippers

Thanks to T&T Production Manager Lisa for our new Wine Slippers! 

My wine glass is ready to hit the beach!

Wine Song Wednesday: Hannah

"Hannah"

by Ray LaMontagne

I lost all of my vanity when I peered into the pool
I lost all of my innocence
When I fell in love with you
I never knew a man fall so far until I landed here
Where all of my wounds they turned into gold when I kissed your hair
Now come to me Hannah
Hannah won't you come home to me
Hannah won't you to come home to me
And I'll lay down this bottle of wine
If you'll just be kind to me
Ask her why she cries so loud
She will not say a word
Eyes like ice and hands that shake
She takes what she deserves
To celebrate her emptiness
In a cold and lonely room
Sweep the floor with your long flowered dress
If you cannot find a broom
Now come to me Hannah
Hannah won't you come home to me
And I'll lay down this bottle of wine
If you'll just be kind to me
She's got hair that flows right down
Right down to the backs of her knees
Her Papa he was a preaching man
And the Lord is hard to please
So she comes down from the Ozark hills to these very streets to roam
With a banjo and a bible and a fine tooth comb
Now come to me Hannah
Hannah won't you come home to me
And I'll lay down this bottle of wine
If you'll just be kind to me
I'd walk one mile on this broken glass
to fall down at your feet
Oh Hannah you're the queen of the street
I climb the tree with my Hannah-lee
My intentions they were pure
Oh the breeze did whip and I lost my grip
And I tumbled towards the earth
Where you never would guess who it was that stood below
And His name I would never tell
But His eyes were clear
And His arms were strong
And He caught me as I fell
Now come to me Hannah
Hannah won't you come on to me
I'll lay down this bottle of wine
If you'd just be kind to me
Now I'd walk one mile on just broken glass
To fall down at your feet
Hannah you're the queen of the street
Hannah you're the queen of the street 

Wine Song Wednesday: The Script "For the First Time"

"For The First Time"

 by The Script

She's all laid up in bed with a broken heart,
While I'm drinking jack all alone in my local bar,
And we don't know how,
How we got in to this mad situation,
Only doing things out of frustration

Trying to make it work but man these times are hard,

She needs me now but I can't seem to find the time,
I've got a new job now on the unemployment line,
And we don't know how,
How we got into this mess
is it god's test,
Someone help us 'cause we're doing our best,

Trying to make it work but man these times are hard

But we're gonna start by
Drinking old cheap bottles of wine,
Sit talking up all night,
Saying things we haven't for a while
A while ya
We're smiling but we're close tears,
Even after all these years,
We just now got the feeling that we're meeting for the first time

[x3]
Oooooo

She's in line at the DOLE*
With her head held high (high)
While I just lost my job but
Didn't lose my pride

But we both know how,
How we're gonna make it work when it hurts,
When you pick yourself up,
You get kicked to the dirt,

Trying to make it work but,
Man these times are hard,

But we're gonna start by,
Drinking old cheap bottles of wine,
Sit talking up all night,

Doing things we haven't for a while,
A while ya,
We're smiling but we're close to tears,
Even after all these years,
We just now got the feeling that we're meeting for the first time.

Ooooo
[x3]

Yeah.....
Drinking old cheap bottles of wine,
Sit talking up all night,
Saying thing we haven't for a while,
We're smiling but we're close to tears,
Even after all these years,
We just now got the feeling that we're meeting, for the first time

ooooo...., yeahh for the first time
(ooooo....), oh for the first time,
Yeah for the first time,
(just now got the feeling that we're meeting...
For the first time)

[x4]
Oh these times are hard,
Yeah they're making us crazy
Don't give up on me baby

Iago's Defense of Wine

"Come, come, good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used;

exclaim no more against it."

                                                            -Iago

                                                             Shakespeare, Othello 

 Laurence Fishburne and Kenneth Branagh in the 1995 adaptation of Othello

Sleeping Bear Dunes is GMA's "Most Beautiful Place in America"

Photo from http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/best_places_USA/

Good Morning America voted Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes the "Most Beautiful Place in America"! Visitors can find activities for any season, hiking and canoeing in warm weather and skiing and snowshoeing in cold weather. While you're there, stop by the nearby Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery to see why the "Most Beautiful Place in America" is also one of our favorite places to Tour and Taste!

Grow Grapes!

"Here is a picture from our August family vacation in wine country. Our daughter Rachel, 9, is apparently trying to convince the grapes to grow faster at Foppiano Vineyards."

-Brent & Terrie

Paso Robles wine tasting trip

D'Anbino Vineyards and Cellars

Eberle Winery

 

"Once a year, I plan a trip to CA Wine Country for my husband and a few friends.  Here are samples of our 'tasting and touring' in March 2011 in the Paso Robles area.  We use your magazine as a resource for trip planning." 

-April

Comfort, TX   

Photo Contest Entry!

Happy Birthday to Tama!

We'd like to send out a heartfelt "Happy Birthday" to our lovely colleague Tama Takahashi! 

In honor of her birthday we enjoyed delicious bento box lunches from Spiritland Bistro, paired with a crisp and refreshing 2009 Guglielmo Pinot Grigio--soon to be featured in the Touring & Tasting Wine Club!

For dessert we fell hard for Crushcakes--lemon, vanilla, coconut, and chocolate...soo yum! The chocolate cupcake went especially well with the Riverbench Pinot Noir.

Again, Happy Birthday, Tama! We appreciate all the work you do for us :)

Our Production Manager Tours Monterey County! (part 2)

About a month ago our Production Manager Lisa Walker enjoyed a whirlwind tour of Carmel-By-The-Sea, Carmel Valley, and Monterey. She experienced some of the best the region has to offer in wine, food, and fun! Below is "Part 2" of her adventure:

On Sunday, after finishing up in Carmel Valley, I ventured into Monterey's Cannery Row. Warned that I would be overwhelmed with tourist traps I stepped a little off the main road and stumbled upon the Pierce Ranch Vineyards tasting room on Wave Road. Fashioned from an old house, the tasting room still features the original hard wood floor. I was greeted by vintage music from a vintage record player, and the cool, friendly tasting room host, Jesse. Not only did I feel at home with the quaint atmosphere, but I was pleased to find a refreshing change in the wines poured. Pierce specializes in Spanish and Portugal varietals, and I was thrilled to taste the 2008 Cosecheiro, a blend of Tempranillo, Touriga, Graciano, and Petite Sirah, and an unfamiliar white like the 2009 Albarino.

By far, Pierce was one of the best tasting experiences I've had in a very long time! And for those of you local to the area, or visiting soon, Pierce now hosts live music on Friday nights. A great accompaniment to the artistic wines and hip/vintage atmosphere at Pierce.

A fun thing I discovered in Monterey is the "Cannery Row Wine Walk". Baywood Cellars, featured above, along with Pierce, Scheid Vineyards, A Taste of Monterey, and Bargetto are all located within walking distance of each other on or near Cannery Row. Experience tasting at all five tasting rooms with a "passport" and get it stamped at each location. Turn in your completed "passport" at the final tasting room and be entered to win a case of wine! Visitors can also take advantage of 10% discounts on wine and gifts at each of the tasting rooms. 


And when you are done tasting, head on over to the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. This was my first visit, and I had high expectations as friends and colleagues had been hyping this marine marvel to me for years now. Let's just say the experience far exceeded my expectations...

Beautiful right?! Imagine it right in front of you! The Monterey Bay Aquarium also offers annual pass holders a private wine tasting and live music during summer evenings. I had my fair share of wine for the day, at this point I was ALL about the sea creatures :)

As if my day--and weekend--hadn't already been a great success, the tastiest portion was still ahead. I had heard such rave reviews of Christopher's Restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea, from both locals and visitors, that I stayed an extra night so I could head BACK to Carmel and try it for myself. I started with a salad of grilled asparagus on a bed of greens with roasted red peppers, olives, feta cheese, and a balsamic drizzle. That only paved the way for my entree--pan-seared breast of Muscovy duck with a berry-brandy sauce, side of green beans, and wild rice risotto. It is absolutely mouth-watering to be reliving the dining experience right now! Christopher's was superb and a definite MUST visit on any trip to Carmel! (I had some Petite Sirah from my visit to Pierce earlier. It was a perfect pair with dinner!)

 

Monterey County, you did me well! For anyone looking for a weekend getaway--or longer--I would definitely recommend this wine country experience! Until next time...

Cheers,

LW

Touring & Tasting in Northern Virginia

Cooper Vineyards in Louisa, Virginia celebrated the grand opening of a new solar power tasting room on March 11, 2011.  The winery is on the "Heart of Virginia" wine trail. 

Our Production Manager Tours Monterey County! (part 1)

A few weekends ago, our Production Manager Lisa Walker, enjoyed a whirlwind tour of Carmel-By-The-Sea, Carmel Valley, and Monterey. She experienced some of the best the region has to offer in wine, food, and fun! Below she documents her favorite spots:

 

One of the highlights of my Carmel-By-The-Sea wine tasting experiences was at Caraccioli Cellars on Dolores between Ocean and 7th (for those of you who don't already know, Carmel doesn't have any numbered addresses!) Caraccioli is a new edition--like most of the tasting rooms--to downtown Carmel, and a welcome edition it is! I tasted a flight of6 of their wines, two sparklings, two Chardonnays, and two Pinot Noirs--and they were all delicious! Their wines are not, however, for the bargain wine buyer, falling in the $30-$60 range. But the tasting was very generous, and in a lively, modern-sheik ambiance.

Some of the other wineries I visited downtown were Winfield Gallery/Figge Cellars--I love the wine/art combo!; Cima Collina--extremely friendly tasting room host Allie; and Pepe's Vino Napoli. 

One of my favorite tasting stops in Carmel-By-The-Sea, wasn't wine at all! The Cheese Shop in Carmel Plaza is filled with more cheese than you can possibly fathom, with free tastings of about 5-7 of them. Though I just tried the cheese here, they do also feature a wine bar at the rear of the shop. After all the two are inevitable partners!

On day two I ventured into the beautiful Carmel Valley. I had never been here before and was pleasantly surprised with the lush, country-esque feel of the valley. There is quite the wine tasting village in the small town of Carmel Valley. I was only able to stop at two, but loved the different styles of the tasting rooms at Joullian--more quaint and country, and Joyce--hip and warehouse-like. You'll definitely see which is which. Both, though are equally worth stopping through for a taste!

Stay tuned for part two of my wine/food/travel adventure. To come: Cannery Row Walk, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the restaurant I was dying to try so much so that I headed BACK to Carmel-By-The-Sea!

Cheers,

LW

Wine Blogger's Conference 2011

Taste red wine.  Write about it.  Repeat.  It was live wine blogging in the conference room of the Omni in Charlottesville.

Keynote speaker Jancis Robinson is a legendary wine writer for the Financial Times of London, shown here with Touring & Tasting National Brand Manager,  Dan Weldy.

Annette Boyd and Mary Catherine Searson of the Virginia Wine Marketing Office

Tamra Talmadge-Anderson of Virginia Tourism

Touring & Tasting attended the 2011 Wine Blogger's Conference in VA!
Dan Weldy: So what is a Wine Blogger's Conference anyway?

I aimed to find out when I visited Charlottesville, Virginia July 22-24 where they rolled out the red carpet for 325 wine bloggers at the downtown Omni Hotel. 

Virginia has arrived as a wine region in America.  The region "gets it" when it comes to touring and tasting.  Virginia's convention planners were approached about hosting the 4th annual wine blogger's gathering about a year in advance.  The first three were in California and Washington.  They won the hosting rights over Paso Robles, California and Finger Lakes, New York.

If you host a convention of let's say...plumbers in your city, the tradesmen travel in, stay at hotels, have a good or bad time, complain or rave about the weather, and go home and tell people in the office, their families and a few friends what it was like.

NOT SO when you invite wine bloggers to come to town.  First of all, none of them have to "earn" their way into the meetings in terms of credentials, certification, education or experience.  You just have to own a laptop computer, set up a website where you can write, and consume wine.  It's the Blogosphere we live in and it reaches far beyond the subject of wine.  We live in a new media world with lots of laptops, lots of voices, and in this setting, lots of wine. 

It would not be a misstatement to point out that wine bloggers are hobbyists.  It is not a career.  They are supporting themselves in other occupations.  The only media people earning full time paychecks writing about wine today still work in print (sorry bloggers). 

The bloggers are "wine communicators," as one speaker so designated.  It's really a good thing.  Blogging is an exercise in freedom of speech that would make Thomas Jefferson proud. 

If you search out blogs of attendees at the conference, you will read positive and not-so-positive reflections.  The opinions expressed about the Wine Blogger's Conference are all over the place.  You will discover some quite creative writing too.  I met one blogger from Portland who writes all of her wine blogs from the perspective of her dogs.  They have creative blog names like, RedWineDiva, GrapeOccassions, DallasWineChick, Vintwined, and Wineoscope, which focused on the science of the wine process.  I did not meet anyone with a blog called WineHangover, but it could have been pretty popular after this weekend.

I was impressed with the producers of the conference www.zephyrAdventures.com, the exhibitors and sponsors www.virginia.org and virginiawine.org for their all out effort, the staff at the Omni hotel who poured enough wine to fill Lake Anna, and the friendly wine bloggers I met along the way www.WineBloggersConference.org. 

Wine criticism is slightly out of my reach at this time.  Wine communication regarding the experience of touring and tasting is within my grasp and I am happy to share what I observe when I'm on the quiet, dusty roads that lead to America's home grown wineries.  In this posting, it starts with the Wine Blogger's Conference in Charlottesville, Virginia. 

Last Weeks WINNER!

Congrats GREG and WINSTON! You are last weeks FREE WINE WINNERS! Well, Greg is. Sorry Winston, no wine for you!

Keep sending those pics in wine lovers, and we will keep giving away free wine!

Wine in the News

French monks of the Lerins Abbey on an island in the Mediterranean make about 30,000 bottles of wine in between their religious duties.

For only the second time in two decades, wine ties beer as the top choice when U.S. drinkers are asked whether they most often drink liquor, wine, or beer.

Electronic tongue identifies Cava Wines

Photo from www.wineterroirs.com

Wine Tasting Road Trip

"The first is from the Winderlea tasting room in the Willamette Valley (which we found thanks to Touring & Tasting magazine) and the second is Barrel Fence Winery, directly across the road from Winderlea. Today, we’re off to explore the Rogue Valley, OR."

-Teresa R