moon - Blogs - Tripatini2024-03-29T14:21:48Zhttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/moonMy Favorite Tastings at Sun Wine Fest 2011https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/my-favorite-tastings-at-sun2011-02-01T20:39:27.000Z2011-02-01T20:39:27.000ZSteve Mirskyhttps://tripatini.com/members/SteveMirsky964<div><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008591462,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img height="305" width="275" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008591462,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" alt="9008591462?profile=original" /></a>This past weekend’s <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mohegansun.com/sitelet/winefest/">Sun Wine Fest at Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Casino</a> was a bonanza of top chefs demonstrating their skills on stage to packed audiences, a surprising variety of beer & liquor tastings, and of course a vast treasure trove of wine sampling. My strategy for this 2-day event was to spend Saturday roaming at will without an itinerary. I wanted to give myself the “kid-in-the-candy shop” experience first and then get more focused on specific brands on Sunday. This turned out to be smart timing since the Sunday crowds were thinner and wine vendors were more accessible for questions. Here are my picks which may not all represent best of class but have intriguing heritages and exceed my standards of great taste:<br /><br /><strong><span class="font-size-3">Rosa Regale</span></strong><br /><br />This rare <a target="_blank" href="http://www.winegeeks.com/grapes/93">Brachetto</a>, a semi-dry red sparkling wine cherished by the courts of Europe over two centuries ago, owes its reincarnation to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.banfivintners.com/">Banfi Vintners</a>. Legend has it that both Julius Caesar and Marc Antony presented Cleopatra with several gourds of Brachetto. The empress then had her lovers drink the wine in order to unleash their passion.<br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://vday.rosaregale.com/">Rosa Regale</a> is made in one of Italy’s smallest production zones, the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.italianmade.com/wines/doc10001.cfm">Brachetto d’Acqui Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita</a>, commonly referred to as DOCG. It is crafted from 100% Brachetto grapes grown exclusively at the La Rosa Vineyard in the town of Acqui Terme located in the Piedmont region of Italy. The single red rose on the label reflects this single origin.<br /><br />With a delicate bouquet of rose petals, Rose Regale offers sensuous flavors of fresh raspberries and strawberries. Its effervescence is softer than champagne but yields a persistent and delicate pink froth. Its lively garnet color makes other sparklers pale in comparison. Served chilled and with a low alcohol content, it serves as the perfect partner throughout the entire meal...especially dessert!<br /><br /><strong><span class="font-size-3">Chocolate Box 2008 Strawberry Chocolate Sparkling Shiraz</span></strong><br /><br />Traditionally a Christmas wine, from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.barossa.com/">South Australia’s Barossa Valley</a>, this oak aged Sparkling Shiraz is dark garnet in color with purple hues. Enticing ripe raspberry and plum aromas with sweet licorice hints supported with light toasty oak add a subtle layer of complexity and balance. Full bodied yet light on the tannins, you’ll get an explosive mouthful of flavor. This will definitely pair with chocolates of any kind.<br /><br /><strong><span class="font-size-3">Cocoa di Vine</span></strong><br /><br />An intoxicating blend of chocolate and wine, <a target="_blank" href="http://opiciwines.com/wine/cocoa-di-vine/chocolate-wine/">Cocoa di Vine</a>‘s chocolate flavors are produced at one of the top <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008591497,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img height="247" width="332" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008591497,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-right" alt="9008591497?profile=original" /></a>creameries in the United States. The wine is a blend of Torrontes, Pedro Ximenez, and Moscato produced at a US winery as well making this an all-American drink. Rich, velvety-smooth chocolate combines with vanilla and caramel undertones. Best served chilled. Can be stored at room temperature for 6 months or up to a year when refrigerated. This would be perfect for a ready-made mud slide…just add Cocoa di Vine and ice to the blender.<br /><br /><span class="font-size-3"><strong>House Jam Wines</strong></span><br /><br />Their <a target="_blank" href="http://www.housejamwine.com/">Chillin’ White and Smooth Red</a> have been accused by some as being the perfect pairing for a sorority party. Perhaps not one of the most sophisticated wines on the market but that’s the point. Lacking the subtle complexities that make other wines such treasures, House Jam’s Chillin’ White, a semi-sweet sparkling wine made with robust white grapes producing abundant sugar levels along with pear & peach accents and their Smooth Red, a spicy balanced tannin with cherry fruit flavors and a light sparkle make both perfect for tasty cocktails. Get started with House Jam Remixes, creative improvisations on the classics.<br /><br /><strong><span class="font-size-3">Black Rock Vintners 2008 Petite Sirah – Paso Robles</span></strong><br /><br />This being a wine festival in Connecticut, I wanted to try out a local winery that I hadn’t already tasted. Little did I know <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008591892,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img height="388" width="294" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008591892,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" alt="9008591892?profile=original" /></a>that we have an urban winery here in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport. Sourcing their grapes from across the country, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.blackrockvintners.com/">Black Rock Vintner</a>‘s 2008 Petite Sirah really stood out with an intense concentrated but approachable oak aged array of berry and plum. A lingering finish of chocolate and a slight tobacco sweetness lingers on the palate. This one vintage alone made it obvious why Black Rock has been awarded so many medals from across the globe!<br /><br /><strong><span class="font-size-3">Ed Hardy Wines – Sangria</span></strong><br /><br />You simply can’t overlook the elaborately colored tattoo labels on the entire <a target="_blank" href="http://www.edhardybeverages.com/index.html">Ed Hardy lineup</a> but their Sangria seduced my taste buds and sent me looking to buy a bottle of my own. Bursting with the sun drenched flavors of a hot Spanish summer, this Sangria is a refreshing blend of red wine, citrus fruit flavors, and a special spice extract. Don Ed Hardy, “the godfather of modern tattoo” runs the winery operation along with designer Christian Audigier who brings Ed Hardy’s vibrant, rebellious images to life on the bottles. Best served well chilled and pairs nicely with grilled meat.<br /><br /><strong><span class="font-size-3">Wines That Rock – 2006 Dark Side of the Moon Cabernet Sauvignon</span></strong><br /><br />Pulsing rock music emanated from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.winesthatrock.com/">Wines That Rock</a>‘s table with a flashy electric guitar on display as a giveaway prize. This naturally attracted my attention but upon further inquiry, this was more than a marketing gimmick. Music is an integral part of how Wines That Rock are made. Take their 2006 Dark Side of the Moon Cabernet Sauvignon for instance. Wine maker Mark Beaman listened to this Pink Floyd album over and over on his iPod to formulate a Cab that’s hauntingly dense with a timeless character. Like the songs packed with complexity, this varietal has aromas of black currant and cherry followed by rich flavors of cassis, toasted vanilla bean, and hints of chocolate. Just like the album, this rich dry red wine is best enjoyed often with hearty chicken dishes, beef and lamb, and red sauced pasta.<br /><br /><blockquote><em>photos courtesy of Steve Mirsky and featured wineries</em></blockquote></div>Jack London and Mehttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/jack-london-and-me2010-12-29T21:30:00.000Z2010-12-29T21:30:00.000ZLinda Ballouhttps://tripatini.com/members/LindaBallou<div><p><span class="font-size-2"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008581285,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="640" class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008581285,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9008581285?profile=original" /></a></span><span class="font-size-2">As I trotted behind my guide along the trails that Jack London once rode, I imagined myself as one of the many friends he led on horseback rides through his 1,400-acre Beauty Ranch in the early 1900s. We galloped through stands of eucalyptus, madrona, and towering redwood trees that shaded fern-filled glens just as Jack described them in his novel The Valley of the Moon. Delighted with each new vista I, too, felt “vitalized, organic” as I overlooked vineyards in their tidy rows stretching to the foot of the purple Sonoma Mountains. We cantered over a rise to see the lake that Jack and Charmian, his wife of eleven years, swam in on sunny afternoons. I saw myself gliding with them through the clear water then drying on a hot rock in the sun, cooled by the wisp of a breeze.</span> <span class="font-size-2"><br /><br />Like young Jack London, I went from California to the Northwest while in my teens. Unlike Jack, it was not my idea of a great adventure. My parents, determined to homestead in Haines, Alaska, rudely uprooted me and took me to a world populated by loggers, fishermen, and Tlingit Indians. At thirteen, I hadn’t read Jack’s White Fang or The Call of the Wild. I didn’t know I was walking in the famous author’s footsteps when I took the narrow gauge train that snakes up the Whitehorse pass into the Yukon. I had no idea it was the alternate route for the Chilkoot Trail Jack climbed carrying 150-pound pack during the Gold Rush of the 1890s.</span> <span class="font-size-2"><br /><br />A decade after my family’s shift to the North, Hollywood chose to use the more accessible Dalton Trail from Haines to the Klondike to re-enact the fabled climb of the stampeders up the ice steps of the Chilkoot Trail in the movie White Fang. Every able-bodied person in my hometown was hired to re-create the famous scene Jack described. Even then, while everyone in town swaggered about bragging about his or her role in the film, I still had no personal awareness of Jack London. He was simply an adventurer who captured the grit of the Northwest in children’s books.</span> <span class="font-size-2"><br /><br />It was not until my own personal call to adventure took me to Hawai'i that I tasted the vitality of Jack’s writing. I found solace in the gentle beauty of the Islands and envied the athletic bodies of the Hawaiians and their connection with the sea and nature. While living on Kauai, I came to respect and admire their culture and began to delve into the history of old Hawai'i. It was here that the seed for my historical novel, Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawai'i, took root. In my research, I was pleasantly surprised to find Jack London’s Hawaiian stories.</span> <span class="font-size-2"><br /><br />Jack London made the “blue-water crossing” to the Territory of Hawaii in 1907 from San Francisco on the barely sea-worthy Snark. “The sailor on horseback” sailed for two years throughout the South Seas collecting adventures for his stories. Over a period of thirteen years he returned many times to Hawai'i, his favorite resting spot. He showed great aloha (love) for the Islands and delved deeply into the stories of the Kanaka and the myths of old Hawai'i handed down in the chants of elders. While writing my fictionalized account of the life of Ka'ahumanu, the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great, who rose to be the most powerful woman in old Hawai'i, I read Jack’s Hawai'i stories for inspiration and insight into the minds of the ancients. I studied the techniques used by the master of engaging writing and prayed that what I absorbed would filter through my own writing.</span> <span class="font-size-2"><br /><br />After roaming the globe Jack came home to his Beauty Ranch where he died at forty from uremic poisoning. After my ride, I sought out his simple gravesite surrounded by a weathered wooden fence. By this time I had read all of Jack’s major works and a couple of books written about him. I felt a spiritual connection with a man who died a century ago. It seemed he had been with me all my life, forging ahead of me, sharing his insights, giving me guidance from the grave. For me there was no time between us. The man who religiously wrote a thousand words a day had departed in silence. No one spoke at his service, as though there were no more words left to say.</span> <span class="font-size-2"><br /><br />Years after my visit to Beauty Ranch, I found the memory of Jack London again at the Huntington Hartford Museum in Pasadena. I was drawn to a collection of letters written in his hand. “Writing is about action, struggle, conflict and resolution,” he said. Jack spent many hours reading the work of novices, editing their pieces and giving words of encouragement. Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face as turbulent emotions rose from deep inside. Writing, often a thankless, unnoticed endeavor, had great urgency for me once more. I wanted to thank Jack London for his kindness and generosity of spirit. Though I don’t possess the fire to blast through life like a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, as Jack London did, I do strive to write consistently. I try not to be afraid to write about what is important to me and to be honest with my readers. I look to him for strength on those days when my soul cries, tired.<br /><br /></span><span class="font-size-2">First published at <a href="http://www.YourLifeisaTrip.com">www.YourLifeisaTrip.com</a></span></p></div>