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Comment by Jacy Meyer on August 21, 2009 at 6:08am

And what about the fabulous Czech wines?!? ;) We are gearing up for our fall wine festivals all over the country. Most popular offering at these "vinobranis" is burcak, or young wine. Tasting like a sweet juice, this not quite fermented wine goes down nice and quick, and packs a late arriving punch. You'll find the biggest and best vinobranis in Moravia, the eastern half of the country. The cities of Znojmo and Mikulov have the biggest. In Bohemia, whose wine isn't as appreciated, Melnik holds the most popular vinobrani. Intrigued? Learn more here: http://www.wineofczechrepublic.cz/en.html

Comment by Karl S Mann on August 20, 2009 at 11:16am

I know Brunello 06 is supposed to be superior - about the current one I'll tell you after my return - I'm there after and even still during harvest

Comment by David Paul Appell on August 20, 2009 at 10:34am

Interesting...how about the vintages?

Comment by Karl S Mann on August 20, 2009 at 10:27am

Reduction of US and British tourists - but now more visitors from Belgium and Germany. That ever climbing EURO has an impact!

Comment by David Paul Appell on August 20, 2009 at 10:03am

Karl, I think I speak for all of us when I say, "assolutamente!!" Any sense of how this year is shaping up in Italy, and southern Europe generally?

Comment by Karl S Mann on August 20, 2009 at 9:57am

I am off to Italy in October and will be visiting several vineyards:
Giacomo Vico, Burlotto (Piemont), Castello di Poppiano and Il Pogiolo (Brunello Beato) in Tuscany. Looking forward to it and would be happy to report about my experience if interested.

Comment by Jordan Simon on August 17, 2009 at 9:21pm

Hey David. All 50 states have a winery. North Dakota was last on the list. Several produce fruit wines rather than grape (vinifera, lambrusca or hybrid). Other noteworthy wineries include Maine's Bartlett (superb Bordeaux-like blueberry, and crisp pear) and Hawaii's Tedeschi (noted for a semi-dry pineapple sparkler!). For that matter, there are several home-made wines throughout the Caribbean, on such islands as Nevis, made from tropical fruits similar to Schnebly Redland's (guava, carambola, mango, sea grape, et al). And I always believe in supporting the local economy when I drink :-)

Comment by David Paul Appell on August 17, 2009 at 8:46pm

BTW, how many of you know that we actually have a winery in South Florida? Check out the latest writeup, in this past WE's Miami Herald:

Florida's Wine Country

Just about any day of the week in South Florida, you can find a shop hosting a wine tasting -- if traditional wines like Pinot Grigio and merlot are what you're looking for.

But if you're looking for tastes that are outside the mainstream, Schnebly Redland's Winery in Homestead serves wines made of tropical fruits -- carambola, mango, guava, passion fruit, lychee, avocado and the like.

``All our wines are grape-free,'' boasts one of the servers at Schnebly's tasting bar, pouring a taste of a sweet-ish wine made from carambolas.

Most of the wines are on the sweet side, but they're not cloying and are more complex than the sweet jug wines you'll find at the grocery store. If you take a sip and roll it on your tongue and think it tastes of guava, that's because it is made from guavas.

Peter and Denisse Schnebly farm more than 100 acres of tropical fruit orchards in southern Miami-Dade County. They started making wine from the blemished or overripe fruit that they couldn't sell, and in 2005, began selling the wine. Now they produce about 40,000 bottles of tropical fruit wines a year.

The winery opened a new tasting room two years ago and offers tastings every day: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Cost is $6 for a glass and tastes of five still tropical fruit wines, $7 for the ``special tasting'' of dessert and sparkling wines. Any time you bring back the glass, you get a free tasting.

The grounds also have coral waterfalls and large tikis where you can picnic or sip wine; the winery markets the location for weddings and other events. On some Friday evenings, Schnebly hosts Cool Summer Nights, with live music (next one is Aug. 28, with the band Pacific Rhythms).

Schnebly Redland's Winery, 30205 SW 217th Ave., Homestead; 305- 242-1224; www.schneblywinery.com.

Comment by Karl S Mann on August 9, 2009 at 9:45pm

Biondi is great, but I prefer some of the smaller producers...Il Poggiolo hat the "Beato"...I still have a 1990 Marchesato degli Aleramaci Riserva at home. I have a feeling that prices will come down, the Euro is making big dents in their biz...good for in the future. Wines have always been over priced here in the US

Comment by Jordan Simon on August 8, 2009 at 3:49pm

Biondi-Santi is considered the greatest Brunello, but given the price, I prefer Altesino.... Monastrell is indeed found fairly widely now in better U.S. wine shops. Unlike Mourvèdre, it's rarely blended in Spain. But the best results are from old-vine plantings. I've also tasted some intriguing dessert Monastrells, that recall Port without quite as much intensity and complexity, as well as sparkling Monastrells which recall the better sparkling Shiraz from Oz... Some California "Rhone Rangers" such as Bonny Doon and Cline have also experimented with Mourvèdre, though again it's usually blended as in the Tablas Creek Châteauneuf-du-Pape homage.

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