Category > Wine Punk
Judging for this the 2009 Illinois State Fair Wine Competition occurred in our humble Urbana this week. Twelve judges tasted around 300 commercial wines produced from all over Illinois. I've had the pleasure of judging this completion for the last several years. As a whole, these wines possessed the highest overall quality of any set yet. The full results are available soon at illinoiswine.com. The following wines ended up with top honors decided by modified consensus of all the …
| Once upon a time, wines bore the name of where they came from, and perhaps a vintage. Producers, single vineyards and types mattered less than the all-important place. This labeling system cemented the reputation of wines we all know: Chianti, Bordeaux, Champagne. Each of these regions built around their style, with the best wines expressing the place. It's not that a sparkling chardonnay/pinot noir blend isn't good; rather, ordering a bottle of Champagne is way sexier. When you buy …
With respect for the time-honored tradition of end of year naughty/nice lists and all those pesky resolutions, I present my own list of several wines I enjoyed drinking in twenty-o-eight. These are in no particular order and range in flavor. Take these as a shopping list for next year. Nort Noir NV Kickapoo Creek Winery, Edwards, Ill. Illinois may develop a reputation for producing top-flight dessert wines. This port-style wine really makes that a reality. It beautifully combines power …
Warning! Querciabella Chianti 2004 only got 91 points from Parker. That’s only an A-minus. Only an A-minus! Never mind that reviewer Antonio Galloni said, “…[it] offers outstanding overall balance…setting a new benchmark for elegance in Chianti Classico.” Does this mean that Chianti is doomed to be just a successful, albeit barely honor roll, wine forever? If 9 out of 10 defines the benchmark for this classic Tuscan appellation, should they just rip out their vines and plant almonds? What …
Most wineries in Illinois moonlight as something else. Winery/pie shop. B & B and tasting room. Wine shop/coffee house. Whatever the arrangement, these conjoined operations offer some insight into the mind of the winemaker. My experience is that good wine usually accompanies a good secondary (or tertiary) product. So the absolute value of one’s Chambourcin = the absolute value of one’s fudge, etc. This brings us to Kickapoo Creek Winery. Their model is Winery/nursery/wedding hall. Sometime back, a friend …
For those of you who missed the trip to Matthiessen State park (one that may remain open even if Blago has his way) for Vintage Illinois this weekend, here’s the wrap-up. Funny, even pithy, t-shirts told wine wisdom. Lots of Harley guys who aren’t really Harley guys but fall into the tax bracket that allows for buying a ‘renegade’ lifestyle. Sunday was a totally chill atmosphere ripe for drinking good wine under a tree with a picnic all day …
For those of you who don’t mind crowds and want get your Illinois wine on, Vintage Illinois pours next weekend, September 20-21, at Matthiessen State Park. And while entry is only ten bucks, you must buy $1 tickets for each pour. This gets pricey fast. However, pours usually are more than enough to get a good taste and then share with a friend. (Hopefully my companions won’t mind sharing more than just my witty company.) And kids, remember a …
I realized that my childhood came full circle watching my critter run around the U-Pick grapevines at Mackinaw Valley Vineyard in Mackinaw, Ill., yesterday. My mother took me on seemingly endless trips each summer to pick fruit for that year’s jellies and jams. Memories of hours spend romping through Willamette Valley strawberry and blackberry fields still color attitudes about what food and wine ought to be. So standing in a long row of beautiful fruit watching my daughter cram …
Last summer, I made my family take a two hour detour to Genoa, Ill., so I could snag the perfect wine for our concert date. Chambourcin, like so many grapes, offers a spectrum of styles, depending on how the vintner crafts the vintage. Our double bill of k.d. lang and Lyle Lovett needed a classy, yet country summer red (we were only eating saucisson after all) that we could drink chilled at the hot outdoor venue. I made my …
Years ago, a Father’s Day gift led Matt Schulte to join his brothers and father as a home winemaker. Once he realized that local fruit made the best wines, he took the family green thumb and planted some vines: first Norton, Chambourcin, Chardonel and then others. Matt produced the first vintages in his basement. Guests brought blankets and chairs and sat on their hill overlooking the Mississippi lowlands. Everyone drank delicious wines from nearby. Thus Spirit Knob Winery began. …
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Nice article, Emily! When I get to the CU area, I’ll be sure to give this place a try.
Sorry about the lack of address and hours. All I can say is duuuh
“...who aren’t so savvy with the google…“ You know, the way I’m not so savvy with the typing. That page I linked is one of the best things I’ve seen on the internet, though.
Yeah, I did a little googling and found it. I’d forgotten that there was finally something going into the Boston’s space. But when I was reading the article I was thinking that that kind of info would have been nice for the people who savvy with the google: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/facebook_wants_to_be_your_one_true_login.php#comments
Mike — Here you are: http://champaign-taste.blogspot.com/2010/03/kaiyo-japanese-restaurant.html
I am embarrassed to say that I gorged on sushi at Kaiyó over the weekend. (Who wants to eat one more grain of vinegar-scented rice? Not I!) In any event, if you’re looking for quantity over quality, Kaiyó is the place to go. ...if you’re looking for…
Some basic info like location and hours would be awesome for articles like this.
The sushi has been great everytime I have been there. The rest of the food varied. I hope the uneveness is just growning pains because when it is all good the resturant is amazing. For the price you can always find something to eat that is tasty.…
I find this very interesting, as I went there twice and definitely had a different experience. The first time I went the sushi was OK, the second time I went the sushi was terrible, the service was terrible, and the place didn’t seem clean. I will definitely…
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I didn’t know that the LED was created here. That’s awesome.
It’s a total shame this is only during working hours! It sounds great, but I’m one of those who can’t slip away very readily during the 9-to-5. Next time, a request: weekend events, please?
After going over this composition I major in a lot on how to draft articles. As a graduate, I have neveraccomplishrd one natural paper and always use custom dissertation. What a shame! But now I have backbone in writing. Thank you.
Nuts. Sorry I saw this, um, 15 minutes before CULitFest (my term!) begins. However, one deficit - no beer. SP.com 1, UIUC 0. In all seriousness, hope it goes well!
This is federal money, yes. But it is money going to a network that is going to be owned by an inter-governmental of the two cities and the University, not by the federal government. If you’re worried about the local governments spying on us, that’s fine, but…
Prediction: Selection Sunday 2011, Illinois will be vying for a real #1 seed.
bhrama- thanks for the promo. it is true, crane and badger will be playing on friday at mike and mollys w/ the chemicals and tractor kings. we will be playing first. show starts at 10pm. come on out. rock will be had.
Heard there is a new rock band (Crane & Badger-2nd show) playing @ Mike’s this Friday night. Certified rock-styley.
Change is the only constant thing in this world. Change is just an indication that a particular place is improving or not. It is a good thing that there is a room for a change but it must be a change for the better. It is just…
Now that Olympian is probably a given, they’re going to have to rename the section between Willow and 45. Any suggestions? Now lets get onto Urbana’s next road to nowhere. Airport Rd., They want to extend it from Bartlow west to Lincoln thru 3 farm fields. One…
Good stuff as always! I like the theory Zelina presented…curious to see how it plays out with Sawyer, Jin/Sun, and Kate…
I found that cake thing about a year ago. It’s pretty amazing. Happily, it didn’t stick as a habit ‘cause I *still* made a mess with the flour and cocoa and all that ...
Foreigner had Double Vision, now that’s vision.. It is interesting today how diverse people’s music taste has become. Take 107.1 for instance, depending on what time of you’re listening to it you can hear indie, top 40 alternative, hip hop, and alt country all in the same block of…
In case you think I’m crazy and Obama loves you - http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/03/us-declassifies-part-of-secret-cybersecurity-plan/
YOU PEOPLE
“Evaporated.“ Never said that but cool…. Yes, I do know. But people have wanted to be Elvis for 60 years. And I think what is hipper these days is the switch around. Ya know, how every one in the band “kind of” plays “everything” and switches around…
Make a mental note now - This is for federal control of the internet. It will be phased in. There is a cybersecurity bill in congress right now. just watch…
i just found this article, and am so happy about it! mark is a wonderful person!!
*Shrugs*
Cheesy Computers with evaporated Beats and Samples may not be your taste and I can appreciate that…but in some cases they are born out of necessity. Do you know how hard it is to find a drummer these days? Do you know how hard it is to find…
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I like Kaiyo A LOT, but at Sushi Kame (next to the art theatre) you can get an absolute shitload of good sushi, plus miso, and a bit of noodles in a vineagar cucumber salad for $21, and you know it was made just for you. I…