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The October Wine Newsletter Sent Friday, October 6, 2006 View as plaintext
The Wine School Newsletter for October


The October Wine Newsletter 2006
Good morning, everyone! Thanks for re-subscribing to the newsletter. Its got a whole new polish, although I think I lost a few of your emails on the way. Oh well, that's what I get for spilling coffee on the computer server. Anyone out there still think I am not a klutz? 
 
You probably didn't get our amazing September Newsletter --only about 100 folks got it before the computer was fried. The newsletter contained a rather big sale (still going on, FYI) and a ton of good wine picks for PA. Here is the link: The "33" October Sale
 
Warmest,
 
Keith
The Wine School of Philadelphia


School Highlights

The Eccentric Cellar Class.  Give a guy a credit card with a 10K limit to buy wines... and what do you expect happens? He ends up buying a few for himself every week. Turns out that I have collected some crazy stuff... wines that rock my world, but are completely unknown to the world at large. So, come down for a great little class. I think Brian Freedman (our golden child, nee Wine & Spirits, Wine  Spectator) will teach this crazy class. I will be on hand to add a little, er, color commentary from next door.

 
Di Bruno's Cheese & Wine Events! We have joined with Di Bruno Brothers to put on wine & cheese events . They will be a bit more social than the typical Wine School class, and they will be hosted at Di Bruno's Rittenhouse location. Will be fun!  Get the info here.

The Swank New Classroom. Finally, the renovations are done (mostly...) and our new classroom at 2008 Fairmount is read for action! We upgraded & expanded our current classroom, at the same time. You really should check it out... its also slated to be the boardroom for the American Wine Foundation. The first class in this new classroom will be the Eccentric Cellar class.
 
The Blog.
Yeah, its about time I started writing a blog: Under the Glass. 


The Wine Reviews

Is it me, or are holidays crafted to make you feel like crap? I am sure I would love Halloween if I appreciated kids, candy, and chaos. Probably would like Valentines day if wasn't a diabetic bachelor, too, but I digress.

 

I have collected here a few of my favorite "big bang/low buck" wines. A little something to keep the fire burning bright and maybe turn down those cackling kids into background noise.
  
 
The Cheap & Scary Monsters
Big Burly Reds for About Ten Bucks  

The Spanish Creatures

Tintoralba 2004 Higueruela
More fruit than a box of juice. More jam than grandma's cupboard.  Nearly as thick as a strawberry shake. Grind a little black pepper over the foam, toss in a chunk of licorice, and there you go.  Quite a bit of fun in this glass.

 

Castano 2003 Hecula
Year after year, a consistent rocker for the money. Lovely fusion of complex fruit flavors and Provencal lavender that build to a chilling frisson . Finish evolves from dark fruit to a caramelized fig.

 

Borsao 2004 Tres Picos Grenacha

I last wrote about the "Tres Picos" three years ago (in the December '01 Newsletter) and my option has remained the same regardless the vintage: this is an amazing value. A bold & spicy bottle with just enough earth surrounding its lush jammy fruit.
 
Find the wines with our "Wine Finder" 


Australian Beasts

TrevorJonesOldTawnyPort Jonesy
While the sound of an OldJonesyPort may kindle ideas of crazy drunken hobo nights, the reality is a bit less ruckus.  This is a gloriously decadent tawny-style dessert wine. Flavors of toasted almond and candied citrus keep the core note of pure maple syrup in check.  A party, but not in a cardboard box.

 

D'arenberg 2004 The Stump Jump Red
Some may call this a Rhone blend, some may call it a GSM, but many will just call it wonderful. Yeah, that was way too corny. Onwards: this is a "must have" cheapie for many, many of the folks here at the school. Much more earth-driven and herbaceous than the other wines on this list. Not for someone who prefers the bigger fruit, but for those hankering for some old-world accents, this is a very good buy.

 

Wishing Tree 2004 Shiraz
When I want to show how good a ten dollar bottle of Shiraz can be, I often pull out this one. This is the Anti-Yellow Tail. There are actual wine flavors in this one: Tannin! Spice! Earth!

 

Rutherglen 2004 Shiraz/ Petite Sirah
This winery is quickly becoming near and dear to my heart (I fell in love with their Marsanne /Viognier blend a few weeks ago). This oddball blend may end up in our Eccentric Collection class (there is almost no Petite Sirah grown in Australia, after all) this wine fuses the rich blueberry/black pepper of the Sirah with the blackberry/white pepper of the Shiraz. Full of stuffing, too.

 
Find the wines with our "Wine Finder" 

 
 
The Wine School of Philadelphia

Stuff...
 
Wine & Health 
 
Wine must be a magical elixir. Otherwise, how can we explain why a restaurant wine list often turns a CEO into a pouting child? 
 
I have seen powerful doctors in bespoke suits turn into doe-eyed wall flowers with nothing more than quick twist of a corkscrew
 
 
Gift Certificates
The holidays are coming, you might want to buy them now.
 
Oh, and since so many people noted that they HATED expirations in our last survey, we removed the expiration from all our gift certificates (even the ones folks already have). More about our gift certificates...
 
 
The Dark Side of the Wine Glut 
Wine prices are at an remarkable low right now, and that is a great deal for us wine drinkers. Problems come in when the prices are too low.
 
This is happening in the Australian wines right now, with wine prices spiraling down due to the joint pressure of a major wine glut and market pressures.
 
 
 
The Wine Classes
Brand New For October!
We have a few killer ones coming up, including a few Director's Cut classes, a few cool classes, and we have added a ton of 101 classes to the mix:






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