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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I triuly enjoy being employed at the new Fat City!!!
I made these this weekend, albeit without the Pickling Spice. They are fucking tremendous. Wish I had local cukes, but alas they looked good and crispy at the store the other day. Here is more: they were ready within 12 hours. Now, I suspect they will…
Like Jason, I’ve been told by people who would know that HoG and Tang Dynasty are the most authentic Chinese food restaurants in town. One woman described HoG as “home cooking.“ Its tofu Pad Thai is perfection. Jason is also spot on that Mandarin Wok is…
After seeing the documentary “Food Inc.“ I may never eat meat that’s not local again, and am seriously considering the vegan option. Check it out.
I wouldn’t be too quick to discount this place simply based on its location or plastic eating utensils. I’ve been told that this place is one of the more authentic Chinese restaurants in town by a couple of different people who would know. That’s not to say…
It’s mediocre—not bad, but pretty much standard campus fare. “Plastic fork cuisine” is pretty apt. I have no experience searching for food from a vegan perspective, but for omnivores (or even vegetarians), I’d say there are at least five better Chinese and Thai places around town, maybe more.
When I was an undergrad, I too occasionally had enough money for a cheap greasy spoon (chopstick) meal. On those occasions, I felt mildly celebratory about not boiling or microwaving my own dinner. It looks like this meal came in Styrofoam, with a plastic fork. There are…
As a relatively recent convert, I very much look forward to dining at this restaurant, and to the rest of your series! An excellent, marvelous idea…thank you!
Hey, thanks for this info. I’ve never been able to make a good Margarita and it’s always confounded me, so I’m eager to try your suggestions. I think my problems have been mainly not using the fresh lime juice (usually just from laziness) and the tequila itself…
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It’s been a while since we’ve seen you. I wanted to let you know that our “Hunters’ Feast” will be starting February 19th. In addition to our full dinner menu, we will offer wild boar schnitzel, roasted rabbit legs, vennison tenderloin & a variety of wild game…
Well, reader, I’m not quite sure what to say. Sounds like you and Elsinore have some issues to work out amongst yourselves. I’m just going to sit back and let that happen.
Its cool Annie, I know deep down you don’t give a shit, but yer being gracious. Check out the new Clipd Beaks, or Brian Jonestown Massacre, or Black Ryder from Australia. Yer right though, Chemicals is one song that acually says nothing. Usually, music that doesn’t really…
Who played?
I triuly enjoy being employed at the new Fat City!!!
I made these this weekend, albeit without the Pickling Spice. They are fucking tremendous. Wish I had local cukes, but alas they looked good and crispy at the store the other day. Here is more: they were ready within 12 hours. Now, I suspect they will…
No Iowa coverage?
For anyone interested in this stuff, there is aniInteresting show on tonight, Mon, Feb 8, on WILL TV, Blueprint America. about infrastructure, comparing Spanish gains in rail to American decline, with Detroit as, as usual, the basket case.
To the poster above - Your a Dead Soul. (giggle, giggle) No, really, think about it.
Jared played this on WEFT Sessions in September 2008, and in a year mistechtrophic songs I think this was my favorite of the year—this simple version of “I_Refute_Technology.mp3“ with acoustic guitar, electric bass, and two voices, it’s a good song. Musician, cover thyself!
Great job Suzanne. I really like how you sum up how George is a man stuck in his past and unwilling to explore his future. Thanks for your concise, thoughtful writing.
I’m proud to see you young girls getting out there! Wow - that takes motivation and courage. Glad to see you’re getting some press too.
Like Jason, I’ve been told by people who would know that HoG and Tang Dynasty are the most authentic Chinese food restaurants in town. One woman described HoG as “home cooking.“ Its tofu Pad Thai is perfection. Jason is also spot on that Mandarin Wok is…
Almost every issue this amendment attempts to address is merely a symptom of a much bigger, and unsurprisingly, much more difficult to solve problem: Voter apathy. You want to force term limits because voters generally don’t care enough to throw out bums who come off as…
After seeing the documentary “Food Inc.“ I may never eat meat that’s not local again, and am seriously considering the vegan option. Check it out.
I wouldn’t be too quick to discount this place simply based on its location or plastic eating utensils. I’ve been told that this place is one of the more authentic Chinese restaurants in town by a couple of different people who would know. That’s not to say…
It’s mediocre—not bad, but pretty much standard campus fare. “Plastic fork cuisine” is pretty apt. I have no experience searching for food from a vegan perspective, but for omnivores (or even vegetarians), I’d say there are at least five better Chinese and Thai places around town, maybe more.
First the Detroit Freep links. Keep term limits: http://www.freep.com/article/20100204/OPINION05/2040400/1068/OPINION/Keep-limits-Longer-time-in-office-wont-fix-state Repeal term limits: http://www.freep.com/article/20100204/OPINION05/2040403/1068/OPINION/Repeal-limits-Experience-is-not-an-evil-thing Second. I don’t have a real strong opinion on term limits, but generally think they do more harm than good. However, I have no proof of that. But, my experience, from working in government…
When I was an undergrad, I too occasionally had enough money for a cheap greasy spoon (chopstick) meal. On those occasions, I felt mildly celebratory about not boiling or microwaving my own dinner. It looks like this meal came in Styrofoam, with a plastic fork. There are…
As a relatively recent convert, I very much look forward to dining at this restaurant, and to the rest of your series! An excellent, marvelous idea…thank you!
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It’s been a while since we’ve seen you. I wanted to let you know that our “Hunters’ Feast” will be starting February 19th. In addition to our full dinner menu, we will offer wild boar schnitzel, roasted rabbit legs, vennison tenderloin & a variety of wild game…