i've upgraded!

 I've switched over to Wordpress for my wino rhino blog. Needed to make some changes and Blogger just isn't doing it for me anymore. Please change your RSS feeds and blog rolls according. Thanks, see you on the other side!

http://thewinorhino.wordpress.com

tuesday wine news

photo courtesy of Dr. Vino

In honor of #traveltuesday I thought I'd share a bit of interesting news that affects all you travelers out there ... which, sadly, no longer includes me since I've already taken my dream vacation and cannot afford another one until I'm old and senile. If you're looking for the best plane to enjoy a quality glass of wine on, then look no further. Business Traveler magazine just announced the Cellar in the Sky awards, naming the best airlines to find a quality wine that will make your trip a little more pleasant.
According to Business Traveler, Australian airlines are the way to go. One of their flagship airlines, Qantas, won several awards at the competition, including best overall cellar for business and first-class travelers, as well as general consistency in what they offer their guests. Qatar airlines had a strong showing this year, though not as strong as last year with the Wine on the Wing awards that Global Traveler magazine featured.
Not surprisingly, American airlines (overall, not just AA) did not fit the bill. What, so you DON'T enjoy Sutter Home or Barefoot on your 10-hour plane trip? Our mistake, we'll just give you some Korbal "champagne" instead.
The original article is featured at The Economist.

new year, new hair, new me

 
Well, I'm back from Paris and back to the real world. I tried some wonderful wine, had a wonderful time with my (now ex-)boyfriend ... but unfortunately dreams cannot last forever. There was a special wine I tried that I'll be sure to write about tomorrow. But for now, I'm just trying to wake up from the dream world. Back into the real world. *sigh* It's going to be a long year.

ringing in the new life

Would it be possible to go back a couple weeks with a time machine and add an extra hour to each day? A 25-hour day sounds so much easier for blogging when you have finals, Christmas and 50+ hour work weeks for the holidays. I swear my mind has reached the brink. Well, luckily in a little over 25 hours I will be boarding a plane for Paris, France! I'll be in Paris for 9 days; seeing the sights, trying the food, seeing the boyfriend. Oh, and did I mention they have wine in France? Yeah, not sure if I mentioned that. It's so easy for that tiny detail to slip my mind :).
Speaking of wine and France, for Christmas my wonderful boyfriend surprised me with the best present of all ... a bottle of French wine for every day I'm in Paris! It's always wonderful when the person you love knows exactly what makes you bubble.  I can't believe after all these months, the trip has finally arrived! I'm so excited I can barely stand it ... I'm up at 5:30am, for gosh sakes!
So what better way to celebrate a trip to a foreign land than to enjoy a well-established California red wine, to remember the homeland? I decided to treat my friends with a special bottle from my collection, a 2007 Justification Red Blend from Justine Vineyards in San Luis Obispo. It was a present from my previous employer, Chris Conley at Tarpy's Roadhouse in Monterey. And what a present it was! I've always been fond of a good California red blend ... as I've said in many of my blog entries previously. I feel like if it can be blended, it should. And Justin Vineyards' Justification knows how to blend in all the right ways.
The color was a deep berry with a bit of a browned edge around the halo. The nose carried strong notes of sweetened black pepper ... quite a bit, I might add. There were also tart cherries, cinnamon, boysenberry, and just the slightest whiff of bacon fat. The mouth was hardly any different. The cherry was much more pronounced, with intense berry notes that carried through into a strong but not overwhelmingly tannic finish.
I'd had this wine before, and needless to say was not disappointed by the 2007 vintage. I recommend this wine for anyone who needs a strong pairing wine that is intense but versatile.