Wining by Proxy...Kobrand Tour d'Italia - Icons of Italian Wine...

Sometimes the Goddess of Wine must send her First Acolyte, JD, to taste wine in her place. Last week, just a day before his knee surgery, JD attended the Kobrand Tour d'Italia 2013 tasting, Icons of Italian Wine at the Sofitel in Los Angeles. Here is his report:

Attended the walk-around tasting at this final stop of the tour. There had been hints of a seminar but could never confirm or connect. As I discovered after I checked in for the tasting and as certain questions were asked during the tasting, there actually was a seminar earlier somewhere in the hotel. Those are usually very educational. Who knows what it covered?

I started with the whites.

Masi Agricola Masianco from Veneto, a blend of 75% Pinot Grigio and 25% of another unfamiliar Italian grape called Verduzzo which added some nice acid and citrus notes.

Wining in Chianti...um...in Beverly Hills, that is...

The Goddess and JD were invited to a special tasting event. The Consorzio Vino Chianti was coming to town! We met at the luxurious Mr C Hotel in Beverly Hills for a special seminar with C. Scott Carney and the Consorzio staff where we tasted through 9 wines, were tested on knowledge and palate, and then fed in a most delicious fashion, after which most of us trooped upstairs for a trade tasting of delightful Chiantis and Vinsantos looking for distribution in the US.

From the Consorzio's website: The Chianti Wine Consortium was established in 1927 by a group of wine growers from the Provinces of Florence, Siena, Arezzo and Pistoia, and later expanded its operations to include the entire production region. It was legally recognized by the Production Regulation of 1967, and incorporated into the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin – DOCG).

Over 2,500 producers, cultivating more than 10,500 hectares of vineyards and producing 550,000 hectoliters of Chianti, are protected by the Consortium which, due to its tradition of representation and operations, has been appointed as the official monitor of Chianti by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies (MIPAAF) by the ministerial decree of 22 May 1978, which was later reconfirmed for the other denominations within its sphere of responsibility in 2003 and 2004, and whose members receive the same representation.

Special January Promotion from TorreBarolo - I want to go!!!

Got an interesting email this a.m. from yet another Megan who owns a gorgeous rental property in Italy that she's trying to keep filled. So she's having a drawing!!

Here are the details from her Facebook page - become a fan and you are automatically registered for the drawing!

January promotion: win 3 nights @TorreBarolo

How? If you aren’t already a Fan of TorreBarolo on Facebook, simply become one by the end of January and you automatically will qualify for the drawing. If you are a Fan of TorreBarolo already, then easy, just continue to support the TorreBarolo Fan’s Page with your comments.

The rules:
1. As of January 31st, all names on the Fan page will be entered into a hat and we will draw a name. If the lucky winner is unable to redeem their prize, then we will draw a 2nd winner … and so on;
2. The prize of 3 nights at TorreBarolo has a value of €375 and is not redeemable in cash. As is standard at TorreBarolo, a security deposit will still be requested upon check-in;
3. The availability period for the winner’s 3 night stay runs from Feb 5th, 2010 to March 31st, 2010; TorreBarolo1 280x187 January promotion: win 3 nights @TorreBarolo
4. If the winner removes him/herself from the TorreBarolo Fan’s page before their 3 night stay, the winner forfeits their winning;
5. After staying at TorreBarolo, the winner will be requested to enter a review on the TorreBarolo website as well as on TorreBarolo Fan’s page;
6. The winner will be contacted via Facebook directly to their message inbox;
7. The final winner will be announced on the Fan’s page on Feb 1st.

Cheers!