Wolfgang Puck is famous among winelovers for his nuanced dishes and his brilliant wine pairings. But what are his favorite wines? Get the answer from Puck, winner of the Wine Spectator Distinguished Service Award and also famous for his charity work.

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Product Description
Pek Preservino makes wine preservation portable. Enjoy wine by the glass without the pressure to finish an uncorked bottle. This portable wine preservation devise keeps your bottle at the peak of freshness in just 3-easy steps. Insert the nozzle in to the custom cork, inject the gas and remove the nozzle…and you’re all done! High-purity argon preserves your wine for days to follow. Includes two reusable custom corks and one argon gas cartrridge. Boxed in handsome carrier to bring along to restaurants or to give as a great wine lover’s gift. Extra Stoppers and Argon Cartridges are available. Size: 2″H x 10-½”W x 7″D

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With winter well and truly on us in the southern hemisphere we thought it a perfect time to look at three fortified wines ideal for nights in front of a fire. We check out a tokay, a muscat and a port style that are each brilliant at ridiculously inexpensive prices given the quality.

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Wine News

Puglia: Tormaresca (Marchese Piero Antinori) are building a brand new winery in Puglia to meet there needs from the 600ha of grapes they harvert from their Bocca di Lupo and Castel del Monte estates. The new production plants covers a whopping 13,000 square metres and will cost 12.5 million Euros.

Death by Wine: 2 amateur winemakers in Roiffieux, northern Ardeche have died of carbon dioxide poisoning last week while treading grapes. The pair ( Daniel Moulin & Gérard Dachis) died because of poor ventilation for fermenting grapes. But Pendarves Estate REW Ltd which produces the wine must first convince the European Commission to include its special vinification process on the new statute as part of the wine regime reform.

Resveratrol Enhanced: “Functional” wines enhanced with added resveratrol are being sold on trial in Australia and could be available in UK stores next year. They contain up to 100 times the natural levels of esveratrol found in wine.

Winery News

NONE THIS WEEK!!!!!

Wine Events

31st October

Halloween Party and Wine Tasting @ Water 2 Wine in South Austin 4036 South Lamar, Suite 100 Austin, Texas 78704 (U.S.A.)

Seattle Wine-Halloween Party and Wine Tasting @ All Things Wine
4605 NE 4th St Renton, WA 98059 (U.S.A.)

Save The Children Charity Wine Tasting & Dinner with Robert Joseph @ The Tithe Barn Ditcham near Petersfield, Hampshire GU31 5RQ (U.K.)

Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival @ Downtown Carefree 101 Easy St Carefree, AZ 85377 (U.S.A.) http://www.thunderbirdartists.com/

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A bog standard table wine that’s got no redeeming character to speak of. It is a bit on the tart side and not very pleasant to drink. This is one best left on the shelf.

This wine is a blend of 80% Syrah  and 20% Grenache grapes.

Cost = 4 Euros a bottle

Domaine La Galine

Further info:

Vinification : Harvested by hand. Traditional vinification method. Selective destemming. Separation of each variety. Maceration of more than 25 days for the Syrah of shist and Grenache. Carbonic maceration of about 14 days for the remaining Syrah.

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A wine from Chateau Maison Noble of Saint-Martin du Puy. This Bordeaux Superieur is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes. On the nose it is classic Bordeaux, woody hint a touch of cooked berries. On the palate it is rich and fruity (Dark Plum,Damson) with just a hint of woody tannins and a soft spice note in the finish.

Cost = 4€ a bottle

Winner of a bronze medal at the Concours General Agricole 2008 Paris.

Chateau Maison Noble

About Chateau Maison Noble:

This feudal castle of the XVth century has always been surrounded by vines. Demolished during the Revolution and then rebuilt on the cellars of the former castle in the XVIIIth century, the estate was bought by Michel Pelissié, who has been working on reconstructing it since 97. After a busy career, much of which was spent in the Public Works sector, he is today the head of the Jean-Nouvel Architecture group. This great wine-lover and epicurian from the Périgord region was looking for a nice property to buy for his future retirement. He likes horses, “old stones”, nature and good wine and when he came to visit the estate, he noticed the excellent terroir above all. This hilltop standing above a silico-calcaire plateau and planted with vines that have been well looked after, is part of an estate of thirty hectares in all with a beautiful charterhouse and outbuildings which enjoy a view down into a green valley with grazing for horses and a river in the distance. The principles of reasonable agriculture are applied here - no chemical herbicides or fertilizers. The wine-making process is traditional and the wine is aged in barrels in a nice little cellar in cut stone. The Bordeaux Supérieur Red has a lovely deep, dark red colour and is very tasty with the Merlot grapes giving red fruit aromas. Half the harvest was put in barrels for 7 to 8 months and the wine is tannic and promising.

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Product Description
Following on the success of The Little Green Book of Golf Law, this fascinating book takes a look at how the world of wine, vineyards and wine drinking has intersected with the law. Modeled after a case of wine, this book contains 12 chapters each examining a specific topic. The book broadens anyone’s appreciation of the wine industry, and will be a welcome addition to any wine enthusiasts or lawyers library.

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Allegory of Taste 1613 Oil on canvas Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT.

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Gary Vaynerchuk checks in on the Willamette Valley to taste 2 whites and 2 reds.

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Wine comes in at the mouth
And love comes in at the eye;
That’s all we shall know for truth
Before we grow old and die.
I lift the glass to my mouth,
I look at you, and I sigh.

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Wine News:

Mafia WIne!!!! HBO have licenced the trade mark ‘The Sopranos’ to Vesuvio Wine Import Company of New York who are stating to import wine from Italy. The range includes a Chianti DOCG, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir priced between plus for Mafia dons a Chianti Classico. ~ I’m it will not be long before we see a ‘Sex and the CIty’ Chardonnay !!!!!!!!

More Italian Wine!!!! Banfi’s 2003 Brunello, confiscated in April as part of an investigation into commercial fraud regarding grape illegal blending have now been cleared and will be shipped world. The wine was cleared after exhaustive tests proves it was 100% Sangiovese grapes.

Budget Bordeaux. Wine merchants are calling for a massive (and fair) drop in the price for next years en primeur. Many Bordeaux wine producers have been getting away with murder of the past years by offring inferoir en primeur at ridicules prices. It would be go to see them offering the en primeur at a decent market price.

AMAZON WINE. After whats seems months and months of gossip and false starts, it looks like Amazon.com will be ready in a matter of weeks to start retailing wine in the U.S.A.

China Wine. The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) may welcome China to its ranks in 2011, when the country is offering to organise the OIV congress. Since the event can only be held in a member country, negotiations are speeding up to enable China to join the Organisation shortly.

Winery News:
Trophy for Best Pinot Gris: Blackenbrook Reserve Pinot Gris 2008 at the New Zealand International Wine Show http://www.blackenbrook.co.nz/

Wine Events in November:
‘Institute Of Masters Of Wine - Annual Claret Tasting’ ~ Vintners’ Hall, London, Wednesday, November 05, 2008 At 09:45
New Zealand Winegrowers Winter New Release Tasting ~ he Penthouse, New Zealand House, 80 Haymarket, London, Wednesday, November 05, 2008
India Wine Challenge 2008- New Delhi Round ~ New Delhi,India
Sotheby’s Auction - Fine And Rare Wines, Spirits And Vintage Ports ~ 34-35 New Bond Street, London

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****If you have Wine News/Winery News or a Wine Event that you would like added to this weekly section, please contact with the details****

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Product Description
The original - uncorks bottles in seconds. The Black Rabbit Corkscrew from Metrokane is quick like a bunny! It will pull a wine cork in 3 seconds flat. After uncorking, the Rabbit Corkscrew quickly and easily ejects the cork from the worm. This popular corkscrew has been redesigned with a precision metal gear mechanism that’s laboratory tested to last through more than 10,000 uncorkings. The black ergonomic design with soft rubber grip pads puts an end to awkward wine bottle opening. Used by professionals. Set comes with a foil cutter in a presentation box. Carries a 10-year manufacturers warranty. Also available in Silver. This corkscrew is synthetic cork friendly.

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This week we look at a wine which uses a closure that might just signal the end of corks on high end wines… and the wine inside the bottle isn’t half bad either! As well we look at a great Shiraz with lovely chocolate characters and a semillon/sauvignon blanc from a region known for producing great versions of the blend.

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A refreshing Coteaux du Languedoc white wine from the Ormarine Winery of Pinet. This wines got wonderful apple notes and is fresh and fruity. Nice acid balance means it is even from start to finish.

Winner of a medal at the Vinalies Internationales 2008 (Paris)

Cost = 3€ a bottle.

© Richard Randall

About Ormarine Winery:

The Pinet Wine-farmers were Ormarine’s predecessors in the vinification and commercialisation of Picpoul de Pinet. The wine is made from a grape that is recognised as producing premium quality wines. It was originally called Piquant-Paul, then Picapulla, and then Piquepouille, and is know today as Piquepoul. The Ormarine Winery wine-growing area is on a unique site only a few yards from the Mediterranean and backed by the garrigue .Pinet is a municipality in Hérault County with a population of 950, some six miles from the town of Agde and the coast and six miles from the town of Pézenas.
Facing the sea, it is in the historically very ancient wine-growing area where the grape was originally found and where it won its spurs, thus entitling it to the name Picpoul de Pinet that has since become its appellation.

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