with Kathie Lee and Hoda
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A few months ago I was contacted by the producers of the Kathie Lee & Hoda segment of NBC's the Today Show. They wanted to know if we would be willing to send them some custom labeled wine samples for the show. I ummmed and errrred for about 3 nanoseconds before calmly replying along of the lines of "Oooooohhh, yes please! Really? Oh MY GOD!!! National TV. You're kidding right? Oh MY GOD!!!"

We were provided with some fairly standard promo shots of the show's host and I handed these off to Derrick and the design team to see what they could come up with. After a few misfires, they really got into the project and produced some outstanding designs. We printed and shipped these off to Brutocao Cellars who applied the labels to a selection of their wines and shipped them to the Today Show. We then waited for the call to let us know when our product would be shown.

On Friday, a customer on the east coast called Brutocao to ask about the custom labeled wine they had just seen on the Today Show. A flurry of calls ensued and TV's were switched on around the Province. With the three hour time difference, the segment had not started here yet. But, once again, we were to be disappointed. Breaking news in local elections led to the relevant segment of the show being usurped and we all mised out moment of glory on National TV. Fortunately, MNNBC offers online recordings for public viewing so we were finally able to catch the show and I have embedded a link for your enjoyment.
 

 

While the PR benefits of the segment were diminished somewhat by the show's decision not to mention our business name or show our website address, it was still great to see our product shown in such a favorable light. The wine stayed front and centre for the entire eight minute segment and the labels looked great! Kathie Lee and Hoda obviously enjoyed the humor in the labels and we will soon be launching versions of the labels for customers to personalize themselves with their own photographs. For those of you who would like a closer look at the labels, here they all are.

 

 

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It's time has come....
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In February, the Winter Olympics will be held here, in British Columbia, for the first time. Unfortunately, it will be the same old boring events - skating, skiing, hockey, etc. This is a shame. I feel that drinking has been seriously overlooked by the IOC but that this may be because we have failed to sportify our pastime. So, put your thinking caps on and send me your ideas. Here are three to get you started.

Speed Tasting

Competitors, wearing skates, would make their way around the oval, stopping every half lap to taste and identify a series of wines. The athlete completing the course in the quickest time would win but time penalties would be applied for innacurate spitting and failure to identify a wine.

Downhill Stumble

After consuming 3 bottles of Okanagan Merlot, competitors would make there way down a treacherous, slippery road and be required to pass thorugh a series of gates. Missing a gate would result in a time penalty.

Hurling

After drinking 6 bottles of Okanagan Merlot, competitors would line up and...well, perhaps not.

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Featuring the work of acclaimed wine cartoonist, Doug Pike.
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Doug Pike has forged a reputation as a leading cartoonist in the divergent fields of finance and wine. His work has been published in numerous places including Forbes magazine and the Wine Advocate.

Robert Parker, in his foreword to Doug's new book - Gone With the Wine - writes;

"Doug has a real feel for the psyche of the serious wine nut (and his/her long suffering spouse) and never fails to poke fun at them with a deft hand and his own trademark brand of humour"

So, after that somewhat longwinded introduction, it gives me great pleasure to announce that some of Doug's best wine cartoons are now featured in our newest collection of wine labels. I have pasted a few examples below but take a few minutes to check out the full collection on our websites. You can purchase view the labels only at www.stoneycreekwinepress.com or custom labelled wine at www.customwinesource.com. Either way, I am confident these wonderful labels will bring smiles to your guests, friends or clients when you present them with a bottle.

 

When looking at the website, you will note that all of the labels are fully customizable and you can even change the caption. Change the name in the caption to poke fun at a friend or even yourself, or even create your own unique caption.

Boy, this sounds more like a sales pitch than a blog article. That's because it is. Go on, buy some wine, buy some labels, you know you want to.




 

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Helping to protect and preserve our national bird
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When preparing their nest, Loons are extremely casual, exhibiting the lack of fussiness often found in water birds. A bit of flat ground on the shoreline, some debris caught in the branches of a fallen tree, almost anywhere will do. So, when mother nature decides to create a suitable nesting site, she takes it in her stride and simply blows down a tree. But, when humans decide to get involved, things get a little more complicated.

The board of the Friends of Bridge Lake recently decided to manufacture a small number of loon nesting platforms in the hopes of combating the decline of these beautiful birds on our lake. Extensive research revealed several different designs and we settled on one that seemed to offer durability and ease of manufacture in a lightweight package.

It costs about $200.00 to build a single platform so local vendors were approached for assistance. The incredibly generous folks at TIM-BR Mart in 100 Mile House provided materials for the construction of four platforms at no cost to the society (I am sure that everyone associated with the Friends of Bridge Lake or who is concerned about the Loons will join me in thanking TIM-BR Mart for their generosity and make every effort to patronize their fine store). Materials for a fifth platform were purchased from Interlakes Building Supplies and Paul Brown, the owner, gave us a discount of $100.00 which was greatly appreciated.

Having taken delivery of the materials, a date was set and the construction crew met at Karl's house to start the process. The plans were produced and the first step was to cut four foot sections of poly pipe and fill them with insulating foam. Simple! We cut up the pipes, stood them on end, and filled them all with the sticky yellow foam before retiring to Karl's deck to admire our handiwork and enjoy some coffee and cake while the foam set. If only it were that easy. The foam started to expand and was soon bubbling out of the tops of the pipes. Frantically, we scurried about, scraping the excess foam away and scanning the directions on the cans where we learned that the foam would take 24 hours to cure. It was a slightly disheartened, but still determined group that broke up and headed home to try and remove the incredibly sticky foam residue from hands, clothes, shoes, and yes, even hair.

The following day, we all returned to discover that the foam had continued to bubble away at the top of the pipes but had, at last, hardened. Encouraged, Karl lifted a pipe from the ground, only for the contents to slither out all over his lawn. It seems that insulating foam requires ready access to air in order to set properly. It was a disaster. Every pipe was the same and, not only had we wasted a day and several cans of insulating foam, but the pipes were covered in sticky residue and still needed stuffing with foam to aid buoyancy. Dejected but not beaten, Karl stuffed the pipes with bits of solid foam insulation, and we got to work on the construction which was fairly straightforward, if time consuming.

The platforms are basically four foot squares of four inch poly pipe with a four inch thick sheet of foam insulation in the middle. This is wrapped in chicken wire and then the whole contraption is wrapped in snow fencing to provide a framework for plants to root themselves. The platforms are anchored with concrete blocks. The plans can be found here <LINK>.

Over the next few days, five platforms were created. Two were taken to Bridge Lake, planted with reeds and swamp grasses, and towed out to their final destinations, while one was placed on Henley Lake. I managed to avoid being involved in this stage of the process but Karl insisted I help with the final two, and despite my best attempts to avoid it, yesterday I joined him and Doug to plant and install the remaining platforms on Bridge Lake...during a snow storm.

We met at the Greenall Road access, added soil to the platform and planted a motley collection of swamp grasses. Anchor ropes were attached, the platforms were secured to the stern of my little fishing boat, and cold, wet, covered in Chironomids, and with very little Loon love in my heart, we set out to place the platforms. At this point I am wondering what wine would pair well with roast Loon - there you go, it's certainly weak but it's a wine connection. Perhaps I should post this under "Wine and Food".

Previous scouting trips had revealed possible locations (sheltered from prevailing winds, unlikely to attract human interference, and offering multiple escape routes) and they turned out to be ideal. We placed them both without incident, in each instance watched by the very loons we were hoping to attract, and headed home, a job well done.

The Loon is our national bird and is protected by law. Unfortunately, its numbers are declining and we need to do whatever we can to prevent their disappearance. The success of efforts to preserve the Bald Eagle is a testament to our ability, not only to bring a species to its knees but, more importantly, our ability to bring it back from the edge. The Loon is not yet classed as an endangered species in British Columbia, but it still needs our help. It is my sincere hope that Loons will nest in some or all of the platforms and that they will prove more secure than those sites so casually and easily provided by Mother Nature.

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But nobody ever sends them
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Wine and cheese revisited
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A little over a year ago I wrote a short post about my inability to pair wines with cheese. Since then I have experienced more success and and now relate to those you following my struggle that I have successfully overcome by inability to pair wine with Brie. I think I was simply being too fussy. Many wines pair well with Brie (Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, and Gewurztraminer for example). Perhaps it is just that no wine pairs spectacularly with Brie unlike, say, Cabernet Sauvignon with a big, fat, juicy peppered strip loin. Anyway, moving on.

I mention the cheese thing because our trip oaround the World of Wine seems to be evolving. At first it was a simple crusty roll and a slab of gouda but yesterday Derrick brought in three cheeses and a fresh baguette, while Jesse unveiled a package of Margaret's Date and Walnut Crisps which were quite delicious. It appears that my simple wine tasting has been usurped and transformed into a full blown social event. It is now practically a meal which, despite some initial misgivings, I find myself enjoyiong more and more. So, starting next week, the cheese selection will become part of the regular experience and subsequent write up.

In another evolution, Melinda selected yesterday's wine allowing me to join the others in having a crack at identifying it. Being a kind-hearted soul, she went easy on us and presented a very pleasant dry German Riesling which we were able to identify as such. So, from now on we will rotate the wine selection duties and include comments on the cheeses and other dishes presented.

For the record yesterday's cheese bopard contained the following;

Port Salut
Cantenaar
Oka

It was generally felt that all three cheeses paired reasonably well with the riesling.

Winery: Kendermanns
Country: Germany
Vintage: 2004
Varietal: Riesling
Price: CAN$15.00



 

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Guilty?
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According to www.duifoundation.org, "Roughly 33% of Americans are involved in an alcohol-related crash at some point in their lives. In 2006, the number of people who died in traffic crashes involving alcohol accounted for 41% of the total number of traffic fatalities. That same year, 1.46 million arrests were made concerning people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs."

These are terrifying statistics. Not only because of the death toll attributable to drinking under the influence, but because of the suggestion that so many of us are guilty of such gross idiocy - with a serious degree of shame, I count myself as one of these idiots.

I have a fairly low tolerance for alcohol that leads me to suffer the most terrible vomit-ridden hangovers when I do over-indulge and so have something of a natural DUI preventative. Despite this, I have, I am sure, driven when I should not. I suspect for many of us it is simply a matter of convincing ourselves that we are not THAT incapacitated, and that we will be safe so long as we drive slowly and with maximum concentration applied to the task at hand, and it's only a mile to the house, and.... This is bullshit and we know it. It is time to stop.

So, in the spirit of this post, I would ask anyone reading this blog to consider the following questions;

1. Have you ever driven while under the influence of alcohol?

2. If your answer to the first question was a shame-faced 'YES' (and statistically speaking, that would be most of you) and given that in 2006, 13,470 poeple lost their lives in the US in alcohol-impaired driving accidents (Of these 351 were children, killed as passengers, bicyclists, or pedestrians) how does this make you feel?

3. If your answer to question two was something along the lines of "Like a piece of shit", are you willing to make a personal commitment never to drive under the influence again?

If you answered 'Yes' to the final question, I congratulate you and urge you to keep your promise. I, for one, cannot imagine the horror of living with the death of a child on my conscience and will, from now on, take responsibility for my actions and not drive if I am in any doubt whatsoever as to my sobriety.


 

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As an English bobby might, but probably would not, put it.
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I have not written for a while as I am a lazy basket. But, I have been keeping up on the numerous blogs I follow (because, frankly, they are better written than mine) and over the last couple of days two of my favorite bloggers have made very inflammatory and entertaining posts that I thought I should share.

Firstly, Tom Wark, in his blog Fermentation, had this to say.

http://fermentation.typepad.com/fermentation/2009/04/i-feel-better-now.html

Tom has been waging war on the three tier system of alcohol distribution for years now and deserves a great deal of respect for his efforts no matter how demented he sometimes seems. And I use the word 'demented' in the most respectful and encouraging way.

And then, proving that madness is, in fact, contagious, Tyler Coleman (more commonly known under the pseudonym Dr. Vino) had this

http://www.drvino.com/2009/04/15/the-xd-files-an-exchange-not-seen-on-erobertparkercom/

and this

http://www.drvino.com/2009/04/16/changes-at-the-wine-advocate-correspondence-with-parker-and-miller/
 

to say about, and to, the folks at Wine Advocate. At first I figured it must be a joke but now I'm not so sure. It reminds me a bit of the hype surrounding the Blair Witch Project when it came out (Is it real?).

I guess I will just sit back and watch the story unfold. Enjoy.





 

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Wines that don't taste the way they should
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In his blog today, Steve Heimoff wrote a piece entitled "Oops! When famous wine writers get it wrong". The piece references a few examples of wine experts mistaking the one wine for another, whether in terms of varietal or region of production. He goes on to suggest that "wine writers not only have to review to the best of their ability, they also have to be great historians, students of popular culture, with an aptitude for science and geology and — above all — transcendent writers."

At first I thought this was just the usual back-handed complimenting that goes on all the time - "Oh yes, I can be such a buffoon. I'll neve forget the time I mistook an '86 Duckstuffer Lot34 Pinot for a Lot 26! Ha Ha" - but on further investigation with the aid of Mr. Dictionary, I realized that Steve is on to something here. Miriam Webster suggests four possible definitions for the word 'transcendent'.

The first is 'exceeding usual limits' and generally speaking, I think most wine writers do indeed exceed the usual limits when it comes to wine...consumption that is. I suspect this is why much that is written about wine, and I include my own incoherent ramblings in this assessment, is such utter crap.

The second is 'being beyond comprehension'. Need I say more?

Anyway, that's not why I mentioned Steve's piece. The reason I did so is that our Around the World of Wine Tour moved back to Eastern Europe yesterday and stopped in the Czech Republic to sample a wine that nobody would be able to recognize, not even Steve. It was, so the label claimed, a Pinot Gris but I refuse to believe it. If they had claimed it was a Chardonnay, I might have been able to accept it, but this wine was like no Pinot Gris I have ever tasted. It had a very weak nose with barely a hint of vanilla and the taste was equally bland.

Having said all that, the wine received 3 out 5 'I Like It's" which just goes to prove that wine reviews are purely subjective as Steve suggests and, equally, completely pointless.

My recommendation to you is this; try as many different wines as you possibly can, ignore all wine reviews, and stock up on the wine YOU like, not the ones Robert Parker or James Suckling or Alice Feiring or Steve Heimoff or Jancis Robinson or anybody else says you should like.

Winery: Znovin Znojmo Winery
Region: Znojmo
Country: Czech Republic
Vintage: 2005
Varietal: Pinot Gris
Price: CAN$11.88
 

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China Revisited
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After a brief (thankfully) stop in Hungary, we whipped back to China this week to sample another bottle of Great Wall 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon. The last time we did this, the wine had corked, turned, soured, whatever...it sucked. But THIS time, things were different. The wine showed the same Bordeaux-like qualities I had experienced previously and was generally well received.

Jamie noted the wine's redness (i think he was kidding), Derrick appreciated its intensely fruity nose, I found a little leather, and the everyone recognized the somewhat dry, astringent mouthfeel. Nobody guessed it was a Cabernet though but that is not really surprising as this wine tastes like a blend. And given the lack of regulation in China, it probably is. The question is, what is it blended with? Merlot? Cabernet Franc? Pineapple juice? Overall, the group appreciated the wine with 4 out of 5 liking it.

As a follow up, we headed south to Galilee in Israel where we sampled a Yarden 2006 Muscat from Golan Heights Winery which is one of the most interesting wines I've tasted recently. While all of us recognized the wine's overwhelming aroma, none of us could put a name to it. The best we could come up with was something like a honey peach and grapefruit smoothie. I know that sounds disgusting but I actually liked it, although most of the others unfortunately failed to recognize its unique charms. Other than that the wine was really sweet, as you might expect from a Muscat, although it did not overwhelm the wine. Overall, 2 out of 5 "I Like It"s.

At the end of the tasting, I corked the remains of both bottles and left them overnight. And today, after a very cold round of golf, a buddy and I cracked them open and finished them off with interesting results.

The Great Wall Cabernet had softened measurably, losing much of its initial astringency. Now, my experience of wines is generally limited to those designed for immediate consumption and priced accordingly so I know very little about wines designed for aging. However, my impression is that this wine, already 6 years old, would possibly improve with even more aging. I could be, and probably am, wrong. The Muscat had not changed a bit which is not really a surprise I guess for such a sweet wine.

The Wines

Winery: COFCO Huaxia Great Wall Wine Co., Ltd.
Region: ChinaChangli, Hebei?
Country: China
Wine: Greatwall
Vintage: 2003
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Price: CAN$14.00

Winery: Golan Heights Winery
Region: Galilee
Country: China
Wine: Yarden
Vintage: 2006
Varietal: Muscat
Price: CAN$25.00

Next, it's back to Eastern Europe...wwhheeeeee

 

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