How Many Grapes in a Bottle of Wine?
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T O ORDER MORE FEA T URED WINES CALL 1-800-823-5527 TODAY ! Volume 17 Number 11 ©Vinesse Wine Club 2009 The SKU 15362 GrTh e Of f i c i aa l Ne w s lp e tt e r f O revine Vii N e s s e wii N e cl u b Me M b e r s How Many Grapes in a Bottle of Wine? • 5 Perfect Days in Rioja • Andretti Winery • Fromage Planning Guide • Pairing Wine and Steak • Santa Ynez Valley • Big City Wine Cellars G E T YOUR DAILY DOSE O F WINE NE W S A T www .VINESSE T ODAY . C O M 2 • The Grapevine • Visit vinesse.com OUR MISSI O N : To uncover and bring you wine gems d i to r s O u r N a l from around the world, which you’re e ’ J not likely to discover on your own, and which enhance your wine enjoyment. California Wine: Let’s YO UR GRAPEVINE TEA M : Intrepid Wine Enthusiast, Chief Taster and Winehound: Crush the Numbers Martin Stewart By Robert Johnson Chief Operating Officer (aka “The Buck Stops Here”): es, we meant to type n 110. That’s the number, at a Lawrence D. Dutra Y “Crush” up there minimum, of winegrape varieties Editor: in the headline. Yes, grown in California today. If you can Robert Johnson we know the commonly name more than a couple dozen, Wine Steward: used phrase is “crunch you’re doing very well. Many are Katie Montgomery the numbers.” But this quite obscure, limited to smaller-than- The Grapevine is published by Vinesse, is a column about wine, an-acre plantings. 822 Hampshire Road, Suite E, Westlake n 48. Of the 58 counties in Village, CA 91361; 1-800-823-5527. okay? And in the world Copyright by Vinesse, LLC. Printed in USA. of wine and grapes... California, that’s the number in which No responsibility is assumed for loss or we crush. winegrapes are grown. damage to unsolicited materials. n 20.7 million. That’s how many (Sorry. Didn’t mean to get carried people visit California’s wine regions Be good to the planet away there...) each year. Frankly, based on the Courtesy of Wine Institute and the previous stat, they’d have to go some RECYCLE California Association of Winegrape to not visit a wine region. Growers, a whole bunch of wine- n 820,000. The number of jobs in related numbers recently crossed my the United States that are created by CHAR T ER ME M BER desk... and some of them were pretty California wine. BENEFI T S : interesting. So, I thought I’d share of n 330,000. The number of those The Grapevine Newsletter few of them with you... jobs in California. n 2,843. If you read last month’s And finally, my favorite statistic of Premium wine selections at column, you know all... members-only prices that’s the number of n Between 600 and Wine tasting as a participant wineries in California 800. The number of on VINESSE’s Gold Medal (at the time Wine grapes, depending Award Panel Institute issued its primarily on their size Free subscription to VINESSE’s press release). but also their level of Cyber Circle Community n 4,600. That’s ripeness, that it takes Random giveaways of wine how many winegrape to make one standard and accessories growers there are in (750-ml.) bottle of Wine Finders Reward — California. Even with wine. identify a future wine selection a good deal of Something to think and earn a reward crossover with the about while munching wineries, that still on that Thompson Perfectly matched recipes for featured wine selections means there are a Seedless bunch at good many folks who lunch... Free wine tasting concentrate on nothing but growing grapes. Visit vinesse.com • The Grapevine • 3 Wining and Dining in the Big City ine Country” — be it in California, n Chicago — Vivere is the star of the three restaurants “W Oregon, Washington or locales housed in the downtown Italian Village. That’s because the around the world — typically is home to food is so impressive; the wine list is shared a number of wonderful restaurants. by the other two But there still are plenty of fabulous wine-focused establishments. For a restaurants in America’s and the world’s big cities. meal you’ll not forget, With that in mind, we begin a series of occasional try the agnolottini “Cellarmaster” excursions to destination restaurants where di fagiano (pasta wine shares the spotlight with the food. We’ll begin with rectangles stuffed with America’s three largest cities... pheasant). As for the n New York — Adour Alain Ducasse, inside The St. wine, with 600 Italian selections and 200 from the rest of Regis Hotel, has an elegant yet unobtrusive atmosphere the world, you’re bound to find something you’ll love. and a menu that features expertly prepared dishes that 71 W. Monroe, Chicago, IL; 312-332-4040 will dazzle, rather than overwhelm, the palate. Among our n Los Angeles — Montage Beverly Hills is home to favorites: hamachi, thickly sliced, embellished by bits of the popular Parq restaurant, but we prefer Muse, which avocado, apple, crouton slivers and green apple mustard. is located on the mezzanine level. The food is elegant as The wine list comes in two versions: one with about 600 opposed to fancy. The turbot, for instance, is served with selections, and the other with around 1,800. And if you’re nothing more than charred romaine and apples — and lucky enough to snag one of four available seats at the bar, it’s exquisite. The wine list includes 500 selections and is you can use touch-screen technology to learn everything focused on boutique producers, providing an opportunity you could possibly want to know about the wines. to try a bottle you’ve never had. 2 E. 55th St., New York, NY; 212-710-2277 225 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, CA; 310-860-7800 • Hand-crafted gems produced by little known or small estates • Limited-production bottlings • Under-the-radar wines you won’t find in supermarkets EACH SHIPMENT INCLUDES: • 2 or 4 bottles from all over the wine world • Detailed Tasting Notes for each featured wine THE ONE THAT • Latest edition of The Grapevine newsletter WINE COLOR MIX: Reds, Whites, or Both — Your Choice! STARTED IT ALL! FREQUENCY: Approximately Monthly PRICE: Only $12 Average Per Bottle Plus Shipping TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS CLUB, GO ONLINE TO WWW.VINESSE.COM OR CALL 800-823-5527 4 • The Grapevine • Visit vinesse.com ÉLEVANT SOCIETY™ It’s NOT FOR EVERYONE. IS IT FOR YOU? Vinesse created the Élevant Society to meet members’ demands for super-premium f you are of a “certain age,” you undoubtedly recall wines. While virtually all I watching Mario Andretti driving fast cars, often on ABC- members of the original TV’s “Wide World of Sports.” American Cellars Wine Club These days, Andretti is living life in There was a dirt track near his home were very satisfied with their the slow lane — or, at least, a slower in Nazareth, Pa., and his interests monthly selections, some lane — as the owner of Andretti almost immediately turned exclusively Winery in the world-famous Napa to racing. wanted more, and they Valley. And although Highway 29 is a He ended up racing for parts of five were willing to pay for it. far cry from “The Brickyard,” he has decades, winning just about everything settled into his second profession quite — the Indy 500, the Daytona 500, the EACH ÉLEVANT SOCIETY nicely. Formula One World Championship and SHIPMENT INCLUDES: Andretti says he doesn’t actually the Pike’s Peak Hillclimb. He won the remember the moment he fell in love Champ Car National Championship • 2 or 4 bottles — your with wine; it just happened over a four times and was a three-time choice — of super-premium period of time. It no doubt began while winner at Sebring. He was the National wines, mostly big and bold growing up in Italy, where wine is a Dirt Track Champion. He won races red varieties or blends part of everyday life. in sports cars, sprint cars and stock But when he was 15 years old, his cars... on ovals, road courses, drag • Detailed Tasting Notes for family immigrated to the United States. strips... on dirt and on pavement. each featured wine • Latest edition of The Grapevine newsletter FREQUENCY: Approximately Monthly PRICE: $69.99 Average Per Shipment Plus Shipping Andretti Still Knows How TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS CLUB, CALL 800-823-5527 OR VISIT WWW.VINESSE.COM. to Win... Now, With Wine Visit vinesse.com • The Grapevine • 5 In his quest for these vineyards. various championships, In each vintage, Pepi he traveled the world. His takes the finest hand- travels to exotic places — selected fruit to create combining great dining the Montona wines: with fine wine — led to an Estate Reserve his ultimate appreciation Chardonnay, an Estate of wine as one of life’s Reserve Merlot and a pleasures. Napa Valley Reserve The Andretti Winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon. 42-acre vineyard is The Napa Valley Series situated in the heart of is crafted principally Napa’s Oak Knoll District, from prized Napa Valley toward the southern fruit. The series includes end of the valley. This Mario Andretti an array of popular, exceptional location — benefiting from food-friendly varietals that please even WINES THAT MATCH the climate-moderating breezes and the most discriminating palate: Pinot THE SEASON.