I have mentioned many times the desire I have to build a reasonable sized wine cellar in my house. Living in Arizona it's not as if I can just stick a few cases of wine in my garage and expect them to keep for more than a few minutes during our hot and dry summers.

I have been investigating a few cooling options for my future cellar and have come across many different cooling system units. One that seems to be among the top of the line options is called WhisperKOOL. As we have discussed in previous posts, temperature and humidity control are essential to the proper aging of your wine, and WhisperKOOL has a reputation among professionals for a high level of accuracy and control.

WhisperKOOL offers several different options and ranges that include self-contained units, split systems, and fully ducted systems.

If your thinking of searching for a cooling unit for your home cellar, it's vital to contact a professional that can help you make the right decision as to which size and type unit will work best for your space. Remember, maintaining the proper temperature and humidity is key to aging your wines properly.

Click on the link in the second paragraph for a in-depth look at the different units available. There's also a really educational video contained on the webpage as well. Cheers~

I got this invite today in my inbox. I think it will be an amazing tasting event! Here's what the e-mail said:

"It started with an off-hand comment and quickly turned into an all-out vinous shouting match.  Insults about respective mothers drinking White Zinfandel.  Glasses of rosé dumped on one another.  Frankly, it was a very pathetic showing of mutual outrage.  But after watching Rocky IV a few weeks ago (only the best movie ever), we had an inspiration for how to resolve our differences.  What am I talking about?

The Crushpad vs. City Winery head to head tasting on June 30th at City Winery in NYC.

We're going to each pour 7 wines, tasted blind by the audience, who will have a say in who takes the champion belt.  Ali vs. Frazier; Drago vs. Balboa.  Pick your all-time favorite bout, but my guess is that it will pale into insignificance compared to this battle.

Please note that there are only 80 tickets available and they are only $55 through Thursday (then they go to $75).

Get tickets here.

...Michael"

I first tried this single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from Chile's Ledya Valley in an amazing "blogger tasting" conducted by several amazing vintners from Chile. It was a tasting focused on Chilean Sauvignon Blanc and the many different soils and climates it is made in there. Check out the tasting notes here.

Anyways, this bottle during the tasting seemed a bit off for everyone in the group, so they graciously decided to send out another bottle for everyone to re-taste. (Pretty cool if you ask me!)

The really unique thing about this particular wine is that it's partially aged in oak and is wild fermented. They used 500-liter French oak barrels for a total of 6 months, didn't add any yeasts, nor did it undergo malolactic fermentation.

On the nose I get a quite distinct tone of grapefruit, that combines with a pronounced grassiness and minerality.

On the palate the wine is slightly viscous in texture but maintains it's high acidity, which is of course  quite typical of the varietal and the cooler climate SB's in general. The mineral characteristics translate onto the palate where the wine displays flavors of citrus, kiwi, and a touch of toast. The finish is quite long and powerful and perhaps flaunts a touch of it's 14% by volume!

I really enjoy this wine and how they've taken a different approach to winemaking and crafting a unique wine. What's great is that although the wine is fermented in oak, they didn't overdue it or over-spice it. It's pretty well balanced and has nice complexity. 88 points


Click here to find out more about this wine

I wanted to pass along an invite I received to a fantastic series of events that is taking place this month in five US cities.

The Burgundy Wine Board has put together an amazing tasting event in New York that will feature the Chablis winegrowers, wine merchants, and the Chablis cooperative. This tasting which is to take place on June 14th will offer a unique opportunity to meet and exchange with the Chablisiens.

Anyone that works in the wine trade and lives in Washington, Chicago, Boston or Miami will also be able to attend, upon reserving your spot, a training seminar on the fundamentals of Chablis Wines.

New York, Monday 14th June 2010

Training seminar: 10.30 am to 12 pm Grand tasting: 12 pm to 5 pm

Tribeca Rooftop

2 Desbrosses Street, New York, NY 10013

(between Hudson & Greenwich Street) 

 Subway station: Canal St. (1 train)

Washington DC, Tuesday 15th June 2010 

1st session: 1.30pm to 3.00pm or 2nd session: 4.00pm to 5.30pm

Marriott Renaissance Hotel

999 Ninth Street NW Washington, DC 20001

Chicago, Wednesday 16th June 2010 

1st session: 10.30am to 12.00pm or 2nd session: 2.00pm to 3.30pm

Marriott Downtown

540 North Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60611

Boston, Thursday 17th June 2010 

1st session: 10.30am to 12.00pm or 2nd session: 2.00pm to 3.30pm

Boston Park Plaza Hotel

50 Park Plaza at Arlington Street Boston, MA 02116

Miami, Friday 18th June 2010 

1st session: 1.30pm to 3.00pm or 2nd session: 4.00pm to 5.30pm

J W Marriott Miami

1109 Brickell Avenue Miami, FL 33131

Please confirm your participation before Sunday 13th June

Invitation for trade professionals and media only

Please contact Jonathan Beresford (Fleishman-Hillard) By email: Jonathan.Beresford@fleishmaneurope.com By phone: +33 1 47 42 48 08 To learn more about Chablis wines www.chablis.fr To learn more about Burgundy wines www.vins-bourgogne.fr