Wine Bazar

We just saved several thousand dollars, ten thousand kilometers of travel, and an infinite amount of jet lag just for a French lunch. Rich and I could have flown to Paris for a lunch of Croque Monsieur, Pate de Campagne, and Calamar accompanied by wines from the Languedoc. Instead we headed to Cafe Campagne in the Pike Place Market where we had an over the top gourmet Croque Monsieur, an exceptional rustique Pate and Calamari Al Limone or Piccata followed by an amazing Tarte Tatin. The calamari tasted like the luxurious Spanish Angullas in an Italian Piccata sauce of lemon and capers - exquisite perfection. The pate consisted of course chunks of liver and meat with all the classic accompaniments of cornichons, mustard, picked onions, and olives. You would never find this in France - bistro food prepared at a three star level.

And the wine! Jake Kasseff, winner of first place in the Chaine des Rotisseurs 2006 Jeunes Sommelier Competition and Directeur du Vin at Campagne and Cafe Campagne put together a mind blowing wine tasting menu of incredible wines from the Southern French Languedoc, home of the infamous “lake of wine,” but also home to beautifully made wines true to “terroir.” What an accommodating list of glass pours. You can have a 2 oz. “taste “or a “full” glass at 6 oz. I took advantage of the opportunity to taste a “flight” of 2 oz. “tastes.” The 2004 Cabardes Chateau de Pennautier was medium bodied and balanced with hints of vanilla and berry fruit. The 2003 Minervois “La Syrah” Villerambert Julien was light, fruity and spicy. The 2001 Minervois “La Reserve de Sirus Chateau La Croix Martelle had a beautiful perfumed cassis nose. The 2003 Corbieres “A” d’Aussieres Domaines de Aussieres seemed a little flat. The 2005 Coteaux de Languedoc Pic Saint Loup Classic Bergerie de l’Horus was bigger than the others and smelled of smoke and tobacco. To cap this tour de force from the Languedoc, we tasted the 2004 Cotes du Rhones Villages from Perrin & Fils which was much better than other wines and vintages from this same producer. This one had a great entry into the mouth followed by good black fruit flavors and a slightly tannic finish. You can tell that Jake had a lot of fun putting this selection together. With the Euro/Dollar exchange rate so favorable to the Europeans, perhaps it makes more sense to fly 10,000 kilometers from Paris to Seattle to experience three star bistro cooking and Jake’s meticulously chosen Languedoc wine selections. Kudos!

Original post by SeattleWineBlog

Tis the season for wine competitions- newspapers, fairs, magazines. Making the decision what is the right competition or whether to compete is difficult. And for good reason. You never know what the outcome will be. One taster loves you, the next thinks you are not worthy of mentioning. Then, if you have a varietal that is not mainstream, well, you never know what you are going to be compared to. For example, Tempranillo. The standards are from Spain and even there they are going through a major evolution- so I say standard somewhat loosely. There are not that many of us making Tempranillo yet, so these wines get lumped in as Miscellaneous Red. That can make coming up with a fair evaluation a challenge even for the most experienced of tasters. So, I am challenged- any comments, recommendations- how do you look at competitions?

Take a look at Tempranillo wineries and vineyards @ www.tapasociety.org/ - this is an organization that is growing and gaining some momentum. When I started with this group there was just a handful, now there are four. A recruitment drive is on, so I expect we will see this list grow.

I also wanted to share a couple of sites that are promoting varietals and appellations : www.avawine.com and www.appellationamerica.com - another good source for domestic Tempranillo as well as other fun varietals.

Well, it is time for a glass of wine and watch the rain- Cheers from the Mustang Winemaker

Original post by The Mustang Winemaker

We now have an amazing new datafeed for our affiliates. Have you been looking for a feed of all our current offers? Something that is always updated? Well we have something for you. Below is an example of our EZ Coupons Datafeed that you can find at http://mywinesdirect.converseonfeeds.com.

You only need to add one small bit of java script to your pages. It’s pretty easy.

The promotions update automatically when we update them. You can choose to show only coupons, only sales or only rebates or any combination of those promotions. Once you add the code to your site, it will always be current!

Coupon Feed



Sales Feed



Original post by Jamie Birch

Need something new to rave about?Your visitors will love our new wine sampler pack featuring 4 red wines and 2 whites.To give you more to celebrate, these wines SHIP FREE!! Log into your LinkShare affiliate account for links to this pack, today.

Original post by Robin DeCato

Are your visitors looking for a tasty meal that’s a breeze to prepare and a fantastic wine to serve with it? If so, allow MyWinesDirect to help.

This month, we’re featuring Finca El Retiro Malbec, a robust Argentinian wine, to accompany a delicious Portabello and Sausage French Bread Pizza. See MyWinesDirect for receipe details and to place your wine order, today.

Original post by Robin DeCato

Are your visitors looking for a tasty meal that’s a breeze to prepare and a fantastic wine to serve with it? If so, allow MyWinesDirect to help.

This month, we’re featuring Finca El Retiro Malbec, a robust Argentinian wine, to accompany a delicious Portabello and Sausage French Bread Pizza. See MyWinesDirect for receipe details and to place your wine order, today.

Original post by Robin DeCato

Take advantage of these great March contests to boost your sales and earn exclusive coupons, custom wine packs and a custom landing page. Find out more below:

Earn an Exclusive Coupon with MyWinesDirect!
Many of you have asked how to get a MyWinesDirect exclusive coupon to promote on your site. Well, here is your chance to earn one of these highly coveted coupons that are sure to help lift your sales in April. Generate 10 sales in March and earn an exclusive offer tied directly to your site to promote in April.

We will create a custom wine pack for you to promote in April!
You’ve asked for it and now your wish has been granted, generate 25 sales in March and we will create a custom wine pack with your site name on the pack to promote to your customers.
You will also receive an exclusive coupon.

Does a customized landing page sound good to you?
What would be better than promoting your very own custom wine pack from MyWinesDirect on a custom landing page? Generate 50 sales in March and we will create a custom wine pack and landing page just for you in April.

To find out more contact us at: mywinesdirect@converseon.com

Original post by Stephen Robinson

Well, it has been a couple of weeks since I have written. Sometimes time just slips by…………

Saturday was a total lunar eclipse and it was my birthday! Unfortunately I was not able to see the eclipse here in California, but my birthday arrived none the less. I won’t say how many years I have lived- more than I imagined and that I feel have passed. Nice day, sun was shining, birds out building their nests, and I made an incredible dinner. Duck breast with orange sauce that I made from oranges out of my yard, wild mushroom risotto, and steamed broccoli. Dessert was my favorite Dagoba chocolate.

This week is the week I will be bottling the 2006 Rose’. I will be picking up a sample for evaluation today, tomorrow it will be filtered, then Wednesday into the bottle. My baby has grown up and is ready for the world!

The 2005 Tempranillo will be getting labels this week as well. This will give me a chance to give it a taste and see where it is now that it has had some time to rest.

Well, now it is time to go back to my day job- more winemaking!

Cheers until next week- the Mustang Winemaker, another year older

Original post by The Mustang Winemaker