Wine with an interesting story to be told is always a great conversation just waiting to happen.

While walking through Wal-Mart, I spotted Toasted Head Chardonnay for $11.97 and I had a feeling there was a good story behind this name !

This Chardonnay comes from the Dunnigan Hill AVA in Yolo County, a little west of Napa in California. It’s warm climate provides for a nice even ripening, and resulted in aromas of toasted vanilla, peach and pineapple. The palate is very acidic and a bit creamy with hints of butterscotch, lemon and vanilla. This would be a perfect compliment to creamy pasta dishes, roasted chicken and white fish.

The name also comes with a great little story. As they state on their site, “Toasted Head is named for the age-old practice of toasting barrel heads …that imparts a mellow, toasted flavor to barrel-aged wines.”

And that fire breathing bear on the label? Its inspiration derives from artist Robert Shetterly which he drew for a poem called “Speaking Fire at Stones.”

Good wine and an interesting story is what I am all about

I have to admit, I’ve had better wines at even under ten bucks than this Chardonnay, but try this out for yourself and let me know what you think!

Cheers,

JustJess

If Warren gets it, Why can’t all wine makers!

It’s simple math according to Warren. Warren and Empire Distributors.

Everything Warren Buffett: CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL: Charlotte …Now it appears he’s also considering a deal with Warren Buffett. Kahn is co-owner of Empire Distributors Inc., soon to be acquired by a subsidiary of Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, according to Wine & Spirits Daily. Kahn and his brother, …

Everything Warren Buffett: WINE AND SPIRITS DAILY: More on Buffett …WINE AND SPIRITS DAILY: More on Buffett Buying Empire. FILED MARCH 5, 2010 Dear Client: As we first reported yesterday, a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has struck a deal to purchase Atlanta-based Empire Distributing, …

And from my new friend at Vinography, whom I met at Vino 2010 in NYC
An Open Letter to Warren Buffett, Wine and Spirits Distributor …

An Open Letter to Warren Buffett, Wine and Spirits Distributor. Dear Mr. Buffett, Congratulations on your purchase of Empire Distributing, and roughly 25% of the wine and spirits distribution business in Georgia and North Carolina that …

WineChannelTV March Wine Madness

Take a peek at our March Newsletter and highlights:

http://mim.io/ca2c2

Check back this month for exclusive video interviews with American Wine Divas!

America’s Wine Diva’s were shining bright in Dallas on Sunday, February 28th at the Fashion Industry Gallery for the Dallas Chapter of Les Dames D’Escoffier 21st Raiser Grazer Women Stars of Food and Wine.

Jessica Altieri of WineChannelTV had the microphone and camera rolling at the event. “Just Jess” met with the stars of the wine industry including California’s Joy Sterling (Iron Horse Vineyards), Dolores Cakebread (Cakebread Cellars), Janet Trefethen (Trefethen Family Vineyards), Robin Lail (Lail Vineyards), Amelia Ceja (Ceja Vineyards) and Kathryn Hall (Hall Wines), as well as our own Texas wine luminaries -  Susan Auler (Fall Creek Vineyards), Gina Puente-Brancato (La Buena Vida Vineyards and La Bodega Wineries), and Caris Turpen (Lightcatcher Winery).

Kathryn Hall and Jess Altieri

This week WineChannelTV will be releasing the exclusive video interviews with each of the above Women Wine Stars, and give you an inside glimpse on their involvement with the Raiser Grazer and how they continue to rock the wine world.

Virtual Vino, Millenials and Social Media were the hits of Day 2 @vino2010 in NYC…

…All things that WineChannelTV and JustJess are about !

JustJess and Tom Mastrianni of Wine & Dine with Mastro !

A few kings of the wine-social media world were in attendance including, Doug Cook the twitter search creator ( @ablegrape ) , Alder Yarrow aka the first wine blogger ( @vinography ) Steve Raye, Susannah Gold , Susanna Crociani and CBS Radio star, among other things, Anthony Dias Blue.

Virtual Vino Panelists- including Doug Cook @ablegrape and Alder Yarrow @vinography

Look for videos to come with these panelists soon…!

…Along with the big debate that occurred over opinions vs. facts in the wine blog-o-sphere …what are your thoughts, and where does VIDEO fit into everything !?

Cheers!

JJ

WineChannelTV’s Just Jess (Jess Altieri) attended Vino2010, the largest Italian Wine Event in the U.S. , at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC for a rock-star Day 1 of the convention !

The event was kicked off with one of the world’s TOP wine educators, Kevin Zraly, who had many great things to say about the Italian wine industry and how the U.S. is a huge part of it. According to Zraly Italy is the #1 producer in the world, while the U.S. is the #1 consumer of wine. Wait till you see my interview with Zraly , the press conference, and see why I deemed this the superbowl of wine events…only no one loses

Many more great interviews took place with top wine educators and industry leaders that gave lectures @vino2010, including MW Bill Nesto whom led a very informative lecture on Pinot Nero. But the juicy part of Nesto’s knowledge came out after the lecture when he filled me in on his top chocolate and wine pairings just in time for Valentine’s Day.

All in all, a great day 1…now off to dinner at Le Cirque..doesn’t get better than that!

Stay tuned to WineChannelTV.tv all week long for the top coverage and interviews at Vino2010!

Cheers!

JustJess

PS follow my LIVE tweets @winechanneltv !

Who do you have helping you pick out the perfect wines for your Christmas Dinner? I’ve got special help as you can see here! So let me pass along some of my helpers hidden wine secrets.

JustJess and her Secret Wine Team

Pairing Wine with Christmas Dinner

The key to choosing the right wine for any holiday meal is to select a wine that complements the meal that you are serving, rather than contrasting it. The wine selections that you make should mesh well with the meal options that you have chosen. For this reason, planning your meal ahead of time is the best way to ensure that you make the right wine selections.

Christmas meals happen to be a well suited time for experimenting with new wine flavors, because different party guests will have unique tastes and preferences when it comes to whites, reds and other specialty wines. Here is a look at some of the more versatile white and red wine varieties that are well suited for a Christmas dinner party. This is not a strict guide to pairing wine with Christmas meals, but it should steer your own choices in the right direction.

When serving ham with Christmas dinner,
- Some examples of white wines that are worth sharing include Gewurztraminer and Riesling, as both are excellent choices.
- Some examples of red wines that are worth sharing include Beaujolais Nouveau, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir or Tempranillo.

When serving turkey with Christmas dinner,
- Some examples of white wines that are worth sharing include Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc or Viognier.
- Some examples of red wines that are worth sharing include Beaujolais Nouveau, Syrah or Shiraz, Zinfandel or Pinot Noir.

When serving goose with Christmas dinner,
- Some examples of white wines that are worth sharing include Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.
- Some examples of red wines that are worth sharing include Tempranillo, Zinfandel or Red Burgundy.

For non-traditional meal choices such as serving prime rib with Christmas dinner,
- White wines tend to have difficulty holding up when it comes to the flavors found in red meat dishes.
- Do not be afraid to experiment with different red wine varietals.
- Some examples of red wines that are worth sharing include Tempranillo, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel.

If you are unsure about the type of wine to use when hosting a Christmas dinner party, it would benefit you to choose a couple of different selections. With several wines to choose from, your guests will be able to select what suits their tastes and your guests are much more likely to all be satisfied with the selection. Choosing a single bottle of wine that suits all tastes is not easy, after all. When you select several unique varietals and give your guests a choice, the dinner party will surely be enjoyed all around.

There’s no right or wrong way to pair wine with a Christmas meal as long as everyone enjoys themselves!

And remember Wine is Just a Conversation waiting to happen”. Join JustJess on “WineChannelTV.tv” each week!

It’s great to be in the video space; and its only going to bet better thanks to the launch tomorrow of new music video site, Vevo. Just to remind you where it all started; Check out the MTV launch day video/promo for August 1, 1981…

Check out the juicy details here: http://bit.ly/5kB7Ty

We’re pumped at WCTV to be on the cutting edge of new video for the wine market and beyond! How cool is that video from MTV Launch Day! Anyone feel old? Not me!

The Wine 2.0 EXPO in New york City at Webster Hall was all that you would expect from an event in NYC; big and bold. Let’s face it; in my book, outside of Viva Las Vegas, there’s no better place to get your groove on than the Big Apple. Congratulations to the Wine 2.0 team for making this happen and everyone who participated. I’m excited about the vibe going into next year and the people that are going to make online wine communities bigger and bolder.

Without further noise, here are some great interviews from the event. Check out all the videos from the event here at: http://bit.ly/wctvwine2expo

WineChannelTV and Smoke Wallin – Wine 2.0 from Jessica Altieri on Vimeo.

It’s the gift giving season. Giving thanks and more. I find myself getting into this “state of mind” a whole relaxing process in itself. Choosing whatever is on special online or at the local wine store really isn’t going to do it. But first, you have to get in that zone. yes, a state of mind before you head out for the gift. Choosing the right wine is a blog post for later on this month. but for now, what do you do to get in that “wine state of mind”?

Watch this video; the whole video, Raul is amazing and it gets really, really good at about the 4 minute mark. Relax, get in a wine state of mind!