Category: Uncategorized

JeT 2020 Wine Launch [Castello Di Montepo]

What a lovely surprise – I received a personal letter from Jacopo Biondi Santi and Tancredi Biondi Santi announcing the launch of their JeT 2020 vintage – what a nice touch!

Here is a unique backstory on this wine.

  • This wine was created out of passion and innovation
  • The initials “JeT” represents Jacopo and Tancredi
  • This wine was developed with oenologist Donato Lanati after 3 years of research
  • The Sangiovese Grosso “BBS11” clone is the innovation of the Family – an off-the-skin vinification at low temperatures
  • This variety is typical of the Tuscan Maremma’s territory

Soil: coarse-grained Galestro

Altitude: 300 – 500 metres a.s.l.

Variety: Sangiovese grosso BBS11 100%

Tasting notes

This elegant rose from Castello Di Montepo is pale blush and soft rose in colour; it exhibits freshness with the intensely of fruit and floral notes which all transforms on the palate; impressive structure, well-balanced through to a long lingering finish.  Delightful!

91/100

#CastellodiMontepò #natura #Maremma #castello #Toscana #italianwine #italianwinelover #terroir #winemaking #winelovers #wineglass #CastellodiMontepò @castellodimontepo #winery #awardwinning #Tuscany #winemaker #Jetrosé #Sangiovese #rosèallday #JacopoBiondiSanti #TancrediBiondiSanti

Covid-19 Vaccine Passports Are Coming…..What Will That Mean?

Sometime soon, you might arrive at an airport or a stadium or a restaurant, open an app or flash a card, and be admitted to a place or experience that was denied you during the pandemic. You will have just deployed a vaccine passport, a certification of either vaccination status or immunity following a natural infection that confirms you no longer pose a risk to others.

“Soon” is right now in Israel, where a passport debuted in February that lets vaccinated people attend events and patronize restaurants and gyms in the country, and in Estonia and Iceland, where proof of vaccination allows non-citizens to enter without quarantine. Soon is probably the near future for other rich countries that vaccinated their citizens early—including in the United States, where the Biden administration has committed to the concept of vaccine passports and is pushing the Department of Health and Human Services to set standards for competing private-sector products.

….continued…https://www.wired.com/story/covid-19-vaccine-passports-are-coming-what-will-that-mean/

Source:  Wired

#science #VaccinePassport #vaccine #covid19 #travel #travelnews #Monday #travelnews #instatravel #mondaymotivation #mondaymood #mondayvibes #travelgram #traveltheworld

 

Liberty Games launches limited-edition perfume ‘Eau de Pub’  

Liberty Games has just launched a new signature perfume intended to transport us all back to fond memories of our favourite pubs.

Closing of pubs has been well-documented throughout the pandemic, and one manufacturer has decided to tap into our nostalgia and desire to get back to our local pub with a new perfume.

The scents of ‘Eau de Pub’ are described:

“Included in the perfume are obvious scents of woody cedarwood, surrounding you in strong wood smells of spilt beer on the wooden bar top. This is accompanied by a sense of warmth from the Amber notes, reminding you of a roaring open fire, as you walk in through the doors of a packed full pub.

“Tobacco notes have been included to set the scene of the smokers who have just come in from having a cigarette outside and leather smells were included to remind you of the big leather sofas and bar stools.

“The various craft gins being consumed can be smelt through a slightly sweet smell from the added vanilla and notes of Patchouli bring a more musky, spicy and sweet mix bringing back the memories of the variety of craft beers on offer.”

“This sweet smell also reminds you of the sweet sticky floors and carpets near the bar and there have been undertones of citrus added to bring back the antibacterial smell from tables that have just been cleaned and the toilets in the distance.”

So, if you want a perfume that’s going to leave in a deep reverie about a pint in the local with friends and family, Eau de Pub might be for you!

Stuart Kerr, Technical Director at Liberty Games states:

”Everyone is missing being in the pub with their friends or family, and getting back into that pub atmosphere is something Brits are really looking forward to when restrictions are lifted. But until then, we wanted to bring the pub to you, by creating this exclusive pub themed fragrance that will

Register to win a bottle of the limited-edition perfume https://www.libertygames.co.uk/store/pool_tables/features/eau-de-pub-toilette/

#sunday #sundayfunday #sundayvibes #sundaymood #pubs #pubsofinstagram #pubsoflondon #pubsmatter #pubsofIreland #pubstory #pubsoftheworld

 

 

The “Old Vine Conference” The First Series Launches March 23

A new initiative has just been launched to support the global group of winemakers and viticulturists engaged and working with the world’s oldest vines.

The “Old Vine Conference” in March is the first in a series which will take place throughout 2021, bringing industry professionals together to share knowledge, build alliances and develop new tools to preserve, protect and nurture old vine vineyards.

Leo Austin, Sarah Abbott MW and Alun Griffiths MW have launched The Old Vine Conference – a non-profit organization that seeks to highlight the work of old vine pioneers, advocate the scientific and oenological case for old vines, help build old vine wines into a recognized category amongst consumers and slow the loss of important old-vine vineyards worldwide.

The first event will take place on March 23 and 24, hosted and moderated by Tim Atkin MW, Dr Jamie Goode and Sarah Abbott MW. It is free to attend. The conference will bring together some of the most respected old vine advocates from around the world to share their experiences and views.

Speakers include:

Rosa Kruger (founder) & André Morgenthal (project manager), the South African Old Vines Project. The project grew out of a commitment to raise the living standards of vine workers through recognizing the value of their work. It has become a benchmark for the national protection, certification and marketing of old vine wines.

Faouzi Issa, co-owner and winemaker, Domaine des Tourelles, Lebanon. Faouzi has championed a return to native and regional varieties in the Bekaa Valley, using indigenous old vine Merwah and Cinsault brought to the area by Jesuits in the 1800s. His 70-year-old bush vines demonstrate immense affinity for the region’s terroir and climate and reveal a practical path forward for local winemakers.

Salvo & Simone Foti, I Vigneri, Etna – Salvo and Simone have successfully created a collective of 30 growers with a mission to preserve the ancient vineyards of Etna and Eastern Sicily. In the process they have reinvigorated a community and once again made vine growing into a realistic vocation for the region’s youth.

Elias Lopez Montero, winemaker and co-owner of Bodegas Verum, the family winery and distillery near Ciudad Real.  Elias has nurtured their ancient bush vine Airen and makes acclaimed wines in the original clay tinajas installed by his grandfather.

Following the conference, a global schedule of old vine tastings and vineyard visits will be developed, together with a crowdfunding project to support viticulture heritage sites in danger.

Sarah Abbott said: “In recent years, a group of old vine pioneers around the world have made immense efforts to preserve viticultural heritage, highlight the science of old vines and re-invigorate local communities of small growers. These are some of the most important initiatives in our industry. Our research has shown that many otherwise passionate wine lovers still don’t understand or value old vines, often dismissing the term as a marketing gimmick.”

“The result is unbalanced industry economics and the loss of irreplaceable old vines year after year. If you are passionate about heritage, science and taste, please work with us to create a new wine category and sustain the world’s most valuable old vines.”

Leo Austin said: “We can change the economics of old vines and through that change the lives of grower communities around the world. It requires us to build a credible old vine category and develop consumer demand – but it can be done. We hope to build support and together we’ll make a difference.”

To reserve https://www.oldvines.org/program-speakers

23rd March 2021 – 11:00 – 14:00 GMT

24th March 2021 – 17:00 – 20:00 GMT

 

 

Gordon Ramsay launches his own brand of California Wines

Gordon Ramsay has built his reputation on being exuberantly critical of other people’s cooking—but pleasing the celebrity chef with your wine pairings just became a whole lot easier – he launched his own wine brand.

“Gordon Ramsay Signature Wines” are crafted by their namesake chef in collaboration with winemaker and Master Sommelier Chris Miller at Seabold Cellars in Monterey, California, where the wines are produced. The online shop at GordonRamsay.wine – which is the only way to purchase bottles outside of at Ramsay’s U.S. restaurants – launched March 10 with eight offerings: 2019 Rosé, 2019 Sauvignon Blanc, 2018 Chardonnay, and 2018 Pinot Noir, all from Monterey (priced at $20, $25, $30, and $35 respectively), a 2018 Chardonnay Reserve from Sonoma County ($45), and three 2018 Cabernet Sauvignons from California ($28), from Santa Cruz Mountains ($45), and a Reserve from Napa ($60). Bottles can also be purchased in three seasonal shipments as part of “The Ramsay Wine Club” which features additional discounts and other perks.

Ramsay partnered with Miller in 2018, aiming to make high-quality, old-world-style wines he could serve to complement the food at his restaurants. “It’s a little surreal for our humble little winery to be working with someone as prominent as Gordon,” Miller told Food & Wine. “We’re excited to share these wines with both his fan base and wine enthusiasts alike. We hope the introduction of this project creates an opportunity for more people to experience or be introduced to California wines, and that it will yield a greater appreciation for the quality and diversity of the wines produced here.”

Only a few hundred cases of each bottling are being made, with total production pegged at a mere 2,000 cases. The brand says they “source our grapes from sustainable and organic-practicing vineyards” and use minimal intervention winemaking: “native yeast fermentations, no ‘adjustments,’ restrained use of oak, little-to-no fining or filtration, and responsibly minimal sulfur usage” for final products that are “balanced, complimentary with food, and always 100 percent vegan.”

“Passionate winemakers in California’s cooler climate regions are producing delicious, balanced wines, and my time in California has convinced me that Californian wines stand with the best in the world. Christopher Miller is a master of his craft, so working with him has been amazing,” Ramsay told us via email. “Wine is a complex marriage of art, science, and tradition all captured together in a glass, and I am very excited to join in that tradition with Gordon Ramsay Californian wines. Until now the wine has been served exclusively at my restaurants in Las Vegas and Tahoe, so I’m very excited it’s now available to anyone to enjoy with a delicious meal or on its own with friends and family.”

Beyond additional winemaking details and tasting notes, the Gordon Ramsay Wines website also features at least three complementary recipes for every bottle, from options like truffle