New Zealand wine is less than a month away and we are gearing up across the country!

Bloggers in NYC and San Francisco will be participating in the live event that will be broadcast from the Kenmore Live Studio in Chicago. WCTV will be joined by Alastair Maling of Villa Maria Estate and delicious cuisine from famed Chicago celebrity hot spot Sunda.

One Winery that will be featured among many is Pegasus Bay, located within the Waipara Valley and run by the Donaldson family. I tasted the Pegasus Bay 2007 Waipara Valley Pinot Noir recenlty which was luscious. It had beautiful blackberry, blackcherry notes on the nose with a sweet/spicy palate of ripe berry characteristics and a velvety prolonged finish. This Burgundian style Pinot would be a perfect pairing with a nice earthy, roasted duck dish.

Watch WineChannelTV and get ready for NZ Wine Day!

You can register now to watch the event online at http://klsnzwineday.eventbrite.com .

Cheers,

JustJess

New Zealand Wine Day is less than a month away, February 5th, so mark your calendars and get some Kiwi wine ready to drink and celebrate with!

I popped a bottle of Escarpment Kupe Pinot Noir in preparation for the big day, and this wine is a winner. I met with Larry McKenna, WineMaker for Escarpment, in Denver for the Complexity New Zealand Wine Launch. From his passion I could see why the winery is so successful and producing award winning wines year in and out.

Escarpment is situated in beautiful, picturesque Martinborough overlooking the Aorangi Ranges. The name Kupe on this Pinot Noir has a great story behind it,  which according to Maori legend he was “the great Polynesian voyager who discovered New Zealand… Kupe left his three canoes, Nga Waka, on top of the range, giving rise to the now familiar landmark of the district, the three flat-topped hills on top of the range, which resemble unturned canoes. This warrior and his story provide the inspiration for the vineyard’s distinctive brand and logo.”

Besides having a great story, the wine is fantastic. This is a Burgundian style Pinot with great depth, and it’s earthy mushroom and dark plum notes were delicious.

Watch WineChannelTV in action…and get ready for New Zealand Wine Day too with some Escarpment Pinot Noir!

Cheers,

JustJess

Each month I attend a fantastic BYOB dinner with some of the top Chicago wine lovers around. We always visit some place a little bit out of the way,  not some where you’d normally visit. This month we visited Sun Wah BBQ which is know to have the best Chinese BBQ in the Windy City. I have to admit, when I first saw the dodgy sign outside I was a little skeptical.

But, once I saw the ducks hanging from the window I knew I was going to be in a for a memorable night at this hidden hot spot. It definitely reminded me of my days living in Nyc near Chinatown.

At Sun Wah we feasted on that hanging Duck, which was actually from Indiana, and amazing bottles of wine all night long.

I brought with a bottle of Belle Glos Pinot Noir from the Clark and Telephone Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley, California that I had received a few weeks earlier from Frank Gutierrez. Frank was a guest on my weekly #WineChat Show on Thursday evening’s, and he is the social media/film director for the Wagner Family which represents Belle Glos among many other fantastic  wines.

We had more dishes that I can remember but the Duck carved tableside was the stand out for sure, and it went perfectly with the brown spice and sweet oaky notes in the earthy Pinot I brought with.

Watch WineChannelTV eating duck, drinking wine and having a great time at this must visit Chinese spot!

Cheers,

JustJess

Before heading to Denver to meet with the New Zealand wineries at the NZ Complexity Event, I was reading through one of my favorite Andre Domine wine books I studied while becoming a Certified Sommelier entitled “Wine” to brush up on any wineries that may be there.  Lucky enough, almost half of the Kiwi wineries listed in the book were there and it was quite an honor to meet with them!

The Complexity Wine Event kicked off with a lecture/tasting by Steve Smith MW of Craggy Range Winery,  located in Hawkes Bay. Smith prides himself on his Bordeaux style of wine-making, and I got a chance to sample some of his finest wines

One that left a lasting impression on my palate was the Gimblett Gravels Te Kahu, which means ‘the cloak’ in Te Reo Maori. It refers to the mist that envelops Craggy’s Giants Winery in the Tuki Tuki Valley. The mist stemmed from a legend and was supposed to protect a mythical Maori maiden from the sun as she visited her lover Te Mata.

Smith felt this blend of four varieties gives a true expression of the Gimblett Gravels Vineyard. The wine has rich black fruit flavors and a long structured finish complete with dusty tannins representative of the area.

Watch WineChannelTV with Smith as he talks about what his hopes are for the inaugural Complexity event and New Zealand!

Cheers,

JustJess

Sipping great New Zealand wine, talking Rugby and dancing the traditional Haka dance in Denver is my ideal kind of event. The Complexity New Zealand event this past weekend helped New Zealand make a name for itself, and in a big way!

I traveled to Denver to attend the Complexity New Zealand wine event with around 60 of the top wine opinion leaders in the nation, along with over 20 NZ wineries. The event was very educational, we tasted over 40 types of wine the last day, and had a few memorable dinners with chefs flown in from New Zealand along with their Kiwi food.

Larry Mckenna, winemaker of Escarpment Vineyard in Martinborough NZ, was one winery that met with WineChannelTV while in Denver and was excited to talk about their wine.  Escarpment Vineyard was founded in 1999 as a joint business collaboration between Robert & Mem Kirby (of Australia’s Village Roadshow) and Larry & Sue McKenna.

I tasted the 2006 Escarpment Pinot Noir which as Larry mentioned was a great vintage, and was evident in its smooth, well balanced taste that would perfectly pair with duck or venison. This wine was inspired by the classic Burgundian style and it’s elegant earthiness was delightful.

Watch WineChannelTV in Denver sipping some great New Zealand Pinot Noir!

Cheers,

JustJess

Winemaker Rollin Soles of Oregon’s Argyle Winery has made quite a name for himself in Oregon Pinot Noir country, even though he got his start all the way over in Switzerland.

I met with Rollin at the Peninsula Hotel in Chicago for an Exclusive Argyle Winery Pinot Noir Tasting. We tasted 8 Pinot Noir’s, and learned that Rollin’s wines have been ranked in the Top 100 Wines of the World by Wine Spectator 11 times…and counting!

He discussed the two families of Pinot Noir’s he has created; the Nuthouse, which originates from the winery’s history as a hazelnut processing plant,  and Spirithouse which got it’s name from a woman who had died near the winery in 1908 and supposedly still haunts the area.

The 1995 Nuthouse was one of  my favorite wines of the day. Lone Star Vineyard is the primary source for Nuthouse Pinot Noir, with its warm climate and characteristic intense, black/red fruit bomb flavors and firm finish.

Take a look at Rollin and Wine Channel TV in action to see if he has a favorite out all of his wines!

Cheers,

JustJess

WineChannelTV and JustJess will be heading to Dallas on February 28th for a one of a kind event with The Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier.

The Raiser Grazer will be held on Sunday, February 28 at the Fashion Industry Gallery from 6-9 p.m. Les Dames d’Escoffier is an international organization of professional women in the fields of food, fine beverage, and hospitality.

How cool will this event be? Here is a sampling of the “Women Stars”:

• 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).

• Tickets to the Les Dames Raiser Grazer are $50 after February 26 and at the door or available online in advance for $45.  The website address is www.LDEDallas.org.

Stay tuned for more videos all week leading up to the big event on Sunday, February 28th.

I look forward to highlighting this special occasion and seeing how the women of the wine and food world are continuing to rock the world with business savvy ways!

Here are some great wines I was fortunate to taste featuring Ceja Vineyards; special thanks to Amelia Ceja!

Cheers!

JustJess

Valentine’s day is notoriously known for providing a difficult wine pairing. Chocolate really doesn’t seem to go with anything, as Bill Nesto MW points out at the Vino2010 event.

If you’re willing to seek out the right wine for this special occasion without worrying about whether or not it will clash with the chocolate you’ve already purchased, then there are plenty of varietals worth pursuing.

You might go with something that has a clean finish and would compliment the bitterness of a dark chocolate with a nice vintage port like Taylor’s. If you’re not a port fan, then mix things up with some Inniskillin IceWine to go with those chocolate dipped strawberries to compliment the juicy flavor of the fruit.

As for whites, Chardonnay is the kind of wine that you can never really go wrong with when paired with a nice, well done cheese platter; the two combined will bring out the best flavors in each other.

And If you must drink a red wine, then go for the sexy Petite Syrah. A great option in this line of thinking yet a bit pricier is a favorite of mine, Stag’s Leap Petite Syrah. Its smoky, berry flavors would be great with that steak dinner and a delicious alternative to the usual Cab Sauv and steak pairing.

Remember, there’s nothing wrong with experimenting a little in this department, but don’t try to get too crazy with the wine and chocolate pairings. It may be better to pair the wine with your dinner, and leave the chocolate for afterwards when the bubbles have settled a bit.

Watch this video clip of WineChannelTV and JustJess talking with Master of Wine Bill Nesto on his wine picks for chocolate, what works and doesn’t, and what his LAST glass of wine would be !

…And, I want to know- What wine pairings are you choosing for the big day?

What ever you choose Just Remember – Wine is just a conversation waiting to happen.

Cheers!

J

Ever wonder what a REAL wine tasting that’s run by a Master of Wine is like ? JustJess and the WineChannelTV team captured it all and more at the Vino2010 conference just for you .

This Italian Oltrepo Pavese Pino Nero, aka Pinot Noir, tasting was conducted similarly to how I practiced everyday when I was studying to become a certified sommelier at PCI in San Jose with Master Sommelier David Glancy.

I felt back at home as soon as they started dissecting each wine- A glass by glass examination starting with the color, to nose to palate, with such colorful descriptions you only dream about hearing.

I was in wine heaven…My colleagues were along for the ride as well . They’ve been to so-called wine tastings at friends’ houses or at their local wine bar, yet they never really got what I meant when I’d say that was just a gathering of friends drinking. Now, FINALLY, they understood what I was talking about from my days in San Jose and didn’t look at me like I was crazy:)

If only the spit sinks and magnified lighting was at each spot…

To get a full feel of what I’m talking about, only video will do justice !

Take a look , let me know your thoughts and if you’ve been a part of a wine tasting led by a master of wine or master sommelier. There is a big difference and you’ll only know once you experience it…trust me !

Cheers!

J

An Australian wine tasting was calling my name here in Florida.

So I got some gas and drove my Red jeep an hour out to St.Petersburg, FL to visit Uncorked Fine Wines Store.

After nearly missing it, this small, shi-shi shop was like a small hidden gem at first.

They were serving about 5 wines , it was $10 bucks to get in and you received a free glass. If you come back with the glass it’s only 5 bucks. Not bad.

But, the tasting was exactly that. A taste. More like a sip of each wine. After driving an hour I wanted more !

The Centennial Bong Bong Red Wine was the winner of the night.

Check this video out to see what I’m talking about…a little bit too tight of quarters for my big personality but the wine made up for it !