Welcome to Unfiltered, Unfined! Truth in agriculture is the ultimate truth. At Unfiltered, Unfined w

I'm pleased to announce that I am now officially the Colorado Editor for Tasting cheap hotel reservation Panel Magazine (www.tastingpanelmag.com). In that capacity I will continue to craft feature stories but will also be providing monthly briefs on Colorado restaurants for national publication. If you wish your restaurant to be considered for these articles please cheap hotel reservation email me at:
The Chilean Terroir Experience offers cheap hotel reservation independent, behind-the-scenes tours of Chile for up-and-coming wine professionals. These are on-site, intensive learning opportunities specifically designed for sommeliers, wine buyers and wholesalers who have shown potential and have indicated an intention cheap hotel reservation to pursue a career in wine.
A trip is scheduled for October 6 - 14, 2012, led by acclaimed wine educator and Tasting Panel Contributor cheap hotel reservation Stuart George and Contributing Editor Benjamin Weinberg. Planned stops include the terroirs of Maipo, Aconcagua, Cachapoal, Colchagua, Curicó, Maule, Casablanca, San Antonio and the capital city of Santiago itself. Sponsorship is provided by Brandabout, a wine marketing firm based in Santiago with specialized knowledge of Chile, and Wine On The Road, an international provider of wine-country tours.
We believe that the ultimate way to learn about regional wines is to go to where they are made. The Chilean Terroir Experience is uniquely designed to provide first-hand, in-depth access to wineries and wine makers who are setting the standards for the next generation of wine professionals. While we accept students from around the world, tours are conducted in English and are particularly oriented to students from the UK and USA.
Weinberg s Wine Notes #214 A Cognac Column I don't ordinarily write about spirits in this space but I was just privy to an experience that changed my mind.  Camus is one of the last independent, family-owned Cognac houses, embodying 150 years of passion handed down through five generations.  I was recently sent samples of eight different Camus Cognacs and after tasting them with my good friend Paul David (www.winepairings.biz), I have a lot to report.
Cognac is grape brandy that is exclusively produced in a specific geographic area of southwest cheap hotel reservation France near Bordeaux.  The appellation (AOC) was delimited by the French government in 1909 and the process consists of four distinct phases: harvest, distillation, aging and blending.  There are three officially recognized grades of Cognac.  V.S. stands for "Very Special" and is aged after distillation for at least two years in oak barrels.  "Very Superior Old Pale," or V.S.O.P., cheap hotel reservation is aged at least four years and "Extra Old" or X.O. at least six-and-a-half years.  One last note suggested retail prices for all of the spirits reviewed herein are based on a 750mL bottle size.
At the beginning of this Cognac conga line is Camus Elegance V.S., a honeyed elixir layered with iodine, malt, smoke and honey.  Relatively light but full of flavor and not particularly expensive.  The Elegance V.S.O.P. is much more briny, with hints of apricot, peach and brown sugar and still not particularly expensive when compared to its peers.
The Ile de Ré, an island that is the most westerly part of the Bois a Terroirs portion of the Cognac cheap hotel reservation growing region, lies off the west coast of France in the Charente-Maritime department.  Brandy enthusiasts say that this island imparts a particularly maritime influence to the taste of the resulting spirit.  I have to admit that I'm not sure this is really true.  Most Cognacs I taste have some amount of brininess present cheap hotel reservation on nose or tongue or both.
In fact, Camus's Ile de Ré Fine Island cheap hotel reservation Cognac screams white pepper, honey, clove and anise without any especially high level of saltiness.  The Ile de Ré Double Matured has lots of cinnamon sugar, black pepper and mace, while the Ile de Ré Cliffside Cellar is the most saline of the three, also offering vanilla bean and butterscotch on a lengthy palate.
As we head toward the finish line we come to the cream of Cognac, those allowed to be labeled X.O.  I have to admit that my particular weakness for Cognac is based on this limited production portion of the pie.  Basically, I love X.O., and Camus's The Elegance X.O. speaks to me.  It's tawny in tone with hints of orange peel, allspice, and even red fruits such as cherry and raspberry.  The Borderies X.O., also a real winner, cheap hotel reservation overflows with honey and rock sugar alongside vanilla, talcum and marshmallow cream.
The final Cognac at this memorable tasting was labeled Extra Elegance, a sophisticated blend of various high-end brandies from all over Cognac.  This elixir is dark orange in color.  While it looks heavy, it is in fact ethereal, exuding orange cream and pecan brittle from the initial attack through an intense, briny finish.
While the Cognacs in this taste test were all served neat, the spirit cheap hotel reservation can also be enjoyed cheap hotel reservation in cocktails or on the rocks.  Younger versions seem to work better in cocktails while the more mature bottles should be appreciated alone in a squat glass to fully appreciate distinctive qualities.  But no matter how you enjoy Cognac, it definitely deserves a place in your liquor cabinet.
With Wine On The Road (www.wineontheroad.com), my wine-focused, luxurious, behind-the-scenes touring company, you can enjoy the ultimate wine country excursion with special access to top winemakers and their incomparable wines.  Wine On The Road offers intimate wine country tours that combine award-winning wines and exquisite dining and lodging with uniquely local flair and flavor.
Planned cheap hotel reservation excursions include Burgundy, France, as well as Italy's Tuscany and Piedmont cheap hotel reservation (www.wineontheroad.com/piedmontunfiltered.php).  Please go to www.wineontheroad.com for more information. cheap hotel reservation You can also book private groups in wine country world-wide cheap hotel reservation or request more information on any of these tours by emailing me at benweinberg@wineontheroad.com.
The Chilean Terroir Experience (www.wineontheroad.com/chileanterroirexperience.php) offers independent, behind-the-scenes tours of Chile for up-and-coming wine professionals.  These are on-site, intensive cheap hotel reservation learning opportunities specifically designed for sommeliers, wine buyers and wholesalers who have shown potential and have indicated an intention to pursue cheap hotel reservation a career in wine.
A trip is scheduled for October 6 14, 2012, led by acclaimed wine educator and Tasting Panel Contributor Stuart George and Contributing Editor Benjamin Weinberg.  Planned stops include the terroirs of Maipo, Aconcagua, Cachapoal, Colchagua, Curicó, Maule, Casablanca, San Antonio and the capital city of Santiago itself.  Sponsorship is provided by Brandabout, a wine marketing firm based in Santiago with specialized knowledge of Chile, and Wine On The Road, an international provider of wine-country tours.
We believe that the ultimate way to learn about regional wines is to go to where they are made.  The Chilean Terroir Experience is uniquely designed to provide first-hand, in-depth access to wineries and wine makers who are setting the standards for the next generation of wine professionals.  While we accept students from around the world, tours are conducted in English cheap hotel reservation and are particularly oriented to students from the UK and USA.
July 11th, 2012 | Tags: behind , bois a terroirs , borderies , camus , charente-maritime , cliffside cheap hotel reservation cellar , cognac , double matured , elegance , extra , extra old , fine island , franc , french , ile de re , luxur , note , recommend , scene , tast , tour , unfilter , unfin , v.s. , v.s.o.p. , very special , very superior old pale , visit , weinberg , wine , x.o. | Category: Articles and Columns , Ben's Blogs , Weinberg's Wine Notes
Welcome to Unfiltered, Unfined! Truth in agriculture is the ultimate truth. At Unfiltered, Unfined we are dedicated to providing the most relevant, user-friendly wine, beer and spirit-based content available.
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cheap hotel reservation In reference to any wine prices I publish in my writings, they are based on the lowest generally available cheap hotel reservation prices I find in the U.S. at the time of publication. I use commercially cheap hotel reservation available wine searching software such as Winesearcher Pro and Global Wine Stocks in my analyses, cheap hotel reservation and as such, these prices may not be available to consumers in all markets.