…from a Sonoma newspaper. It’s interesting to note the differences in approach between the two wineries to their podcasts. I hope more will follow the lead of these pioneers in coming weeks.

Sorry for the late notice, but I will be at the Twin Cities Food and Wine Experience for most of the day tomorrow. From 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, I’ll be one of the 50 volunteers from Twin Cities Uncorked handing out wine glasses and giving directions as you walk in. After 1:00 pm, I’ll be tasting and writing furious notes for this blog and podcast. If you are there, look for me; it would be great to see you.

HRM Rex-Goliath, “Giant 47 Pound Rooster�?, Shiraz 2004 ($8) - Very dark purple in color with intense aromas of raspberry and plum; mouth-filling plum and black pepper flavors with some spice and fine tannins, finishing a tad hot for a 13.5% alcohol wine. A nice house Shiraz that could standup to wild boar and other hearty fare Score: 8/10

I’m finishing up some consulting work today and looked over the wine podcasts now listed on iTunes. Much to my delight, I found several new-ish wine podcasts to sample, the most surprising was the video podcast from Ridge Vineyards. There are so many, that I broke up the old “Wine & Food Podcasts” category on my right menu into two separate ones and dropped the beer podcasts (well, Screwtops is still listed, but they occasionally talk about wine and were launched just days after this show so I didn’t have the heart to press the delete button). I have my playlist loaded up with many of these new entries and will be blogging about some of them soon. What started with this show just 14 months ago has blossomed into over 20 podcasts and counting…

On today’s podcast, I focus on the wines of France’s Alsace region and review, “The Emperor of Wine�?, by Elin McCoy.

Show Notes:
00:21 - Welcome
00:33 - Alsace Overview
03:19 - Tasting Notes
03:34 - Pierre Sparr, Pinot Blanc “Reserve�?, Alsace 2003 ($12) #
03:53 - Trimbach, Riesling, Alsace 2003 ($17)
04:20 - Hugel, Gewurztraminer, Alsace 2003 ($18/gift) *
04:54 - Best Tasting *
04:59 - Best Value #
05:05 - Review of The Emperor of WIne
08:31 - QPR Wines Drawing
09:21 - Contact Details
09:57 - Next Show Theme

Feedback: winecast@gmail.com | Audio comments: +01-206-33-WINE-9 (+01-206-339-4639)
Copyright 2006 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Direct mp3 Download
Direct aac Download (enhanced for iPod)

 

 Standard Podcast [11:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The theme for March’s Wine Blogging Wednesday has been posted by Jathan over at the recently remodeled Winexpression blog. Next time out, the 19th in the series of monthly wine blogging goodness, Jathan has chosen the varietals of France’s Rhone region for his “When in Rhone�? theme. Although we are not limited to wines made in France from the more than 20 varietals grown in the region, I’ll be choosing a blend and maybe another obscure unblended varetial from the Rhone. Looks like another trip to Solo Vino is in order over the next couple of weeks.

Join us for the blogging and podcasting fun on March 8th.

As I mentioned on my latest podcast, I have joined the Backbeat Podcast Network who will represent my podcast to sponsors. I have been looking for a way to earn a bit more money from the show and Backbeat brings their web advertising expertise, while I can devote full energies to producing the podcast. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, click the “sponsorâ€�? menu item on the top of the blog. I’m excited to be joining Backbeat as one of their charter podcasts and look forward to a long and successful partnership.

Humanitas, Cabernet Sauvignon, Monterey Country 2003 ($15) - Dark purple in color with black cherry and blueberry aromas and a hint of spice from some oak; juicy dark fruit and white pepper flavors finishing with fine tannins. A very good Cab and a great cause to support. Score: 8.5/10

Tyler has posted a summary of last week’s Wine Blogging Wednesday event over at Dr. Vino. Another great turnout with 44 bloggers posting about their favorite wine stores and the wines they found there. There was even another local blogger who picked Solo Vino to feature; small world

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that Don Sebastiani and Sons have started to podcast. Although not as educational as first entrant Goosecross Cellars, Sebastiani makes up for it in volume with 34 podcasts now on the feed. Not to worry, the longest is about 2 minutes and the content, from the dozen or so I’ve listened to, is an audio version of their wines’ shelf takers. Hope they continue with some regular programming and this doesn’t become a one-shot deal produced as a cool feature of their new, well done website.