Cafes & Wineries

"Attention : Beau Jarvis

  Dear Beau :

 

 
   Doug forwarded his e-mail and your response concerning the use of
the Brick House wine label.  As Doug has already noted, Brick House is
a trademarked wine label since 1994.

     I
understand this is a small project, that you are buying wine from
Crushpad, and that they are designing and labeling this project. 
However, you are not allowed to use a trademarked name on your label,
and you are particularly not allowed to publish it in any form
- including your web site/blog.  Since your label design is now
circulating on the internet with our name on it, we have to ask you to
do two things immediately:  The first is to remove any image of a
Brickhouse or Brick House wine from your web site, and the second is to
stop using the label, period.

  Please
understand that our wish is not to harass a small group of wine lovers.
We are literally a mom-and-pop operation ourselves, and we encourage
all wine lovers to learn as much as possible about making wine.  But
trademark law is very specific, and if we do not vigorously defend our
trademark as soon as we become aware of an issue, we can lose it.

  So please, enjoy your wine, but use your own creative ideas & labels. (ed.’s emphasis)

  Wishing you the best and awaiting your reply,

 

  Melissa Mills ,  Co-Owner, Brick House Wines & Vineyards"

Who new Brickhouse = Brick House?

She’s a brickhouse, she’s mighty mighty, just lettin’ it all hang out.

She’s a brickhouse, yeah she’s the one, the only one, built like an amazon.

Break it down now!

B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse B***khouse

Original post by beau

And the winning design is:

All the Juice Crew-ers should expect to receive their cases in the very near future.

Original post by beau

And the winning design is:

All the Juice Crew-ers should expect to receive their cases in the very near future.

Original post by beau

There are those who cling to the ‘romance′ and ‘tradition′ of popping the cork prior to imbibing.  Then there are those who think such ‘romance′ and ‘tradition′ are ridiculous if these totems potentially mean stinking, spoiled wine.  Both camps have valid points.  I’m a sentimental, shmoopy sucker for the romance involved in popping the cork.  But then, If I’ve dropped 40 or 50 clams, and my just-popped bottle of wine smells like a box-full of soggy, old Boys Life magazines, I set up camp amongst the pro screw-cap crowd.

Must the wine lover chose between faulty corks and sterile Stelvins when it comes to bottle closure?  Would that there were a closure, which could preserve in an aesthetically appealing manner.  Thank the cosmos for Vino-Lock.  This glass stopper is much prettier than a Stelvin and, of course, more reliable than cork oak bark cylinders.

Just a few weeks ago I took home the first glass-stopped wine to appear in the wine shop.  I loved it.  And the wine wasn′t too bad either.

Cusumano IGT Sicily Merlot 2006 ($12) - A simple, exuberant Merlot made more appealing by its aesthetically cool glass stopper.  This inky-purple wine offers scents of cherry jelly and baked strawberry.  Its flavors a simply tangy fruit.  Cusumano Merlot is nothing if not pleasant and eager to accompany pizza.

Technorati Tags: italy, merlot, wine

Original post by beau

If you happen to dwell in the land of hard copy, check out the current issue of Salt Lake Magazine.  Whilst neglecting Basic Juice in cyberspace, I have been nurturing it in the world of print.  Alas, I am still struggling to multitask.

For those who eschew paper, have a look at the extended, ‘Author’s Cut’ of the article below the fold.

This I Sip



Chances are you’ve read many a wine article wherein the author recommends a particular bottle or two.  What exactly does one do with such recommendations?  Do you accept them on blind faith, dutifully seek out said bottles and schlep them home?  Of course you do!  We all do.  Everyone trusts and accepts expert opinions on all manner of topics – movies, restaurants, music and, of course, wine.  However, there comes a time when one realizes that expert opinions on matters of taste, are essentially just that – opinions.  For example, recall the last time you sat through a painfully bad, critic-recommended film and thought, “I’ll never follow that guy’s advice again.”  Experts and critics may know more about their specialty than you, but your tastes may be dramatically different.  Taste, particularly when it comes to wine, is exceedingly personal.  An expert may guide you in a general direction, but the final arbiter of taste, is you and your palate.  The take home message is this:  It pays to know a wine critic’s palate before plunking down 10/20/30 bucks for a bottle you may very well despise. 

Over the coming months, I will recommend hundreds of wines in this space.&nbsp Some you will adore, others may be consigned to the dubious category of “cooking wine.”&nbsp However, I will always do my best to explain what I like about a particular wine.&nbsp I will open my mouth - as it were - and attempt to expose every nook and cranny of my wine palate.&nbsp I don’t expect readers to employ oeno-faith and blindly follow my recommendations.&nbsp Rather, at some point, I hope our tastes connect and a wine idea put forth in this column, yields exciting discovery and fond memories.&nbsp So, in lieu of a personal introduction, allow me to introduce my wine palate, in two parts.&nbsp This, I sip – the whites.

It’s An Acquired Taste – Everyone has that one beloved specialty food that makes others cringe (Think: Kipper snacks, Brussels sprouts or Vienna sausages).  “It’s an acquired taste.” You say.  I love dry Sherry.  It’s wonderfully weird wine – slightly nutty, aggressively tangy, delightfully funky and very much an acquired taste.  My favorite Sherry combo is utterly simple: An Amontillado Sherry (Lustau Los Arcos Amontillado, $18) with oven-roasted almonds is a fiesta of out-of-the-ordinary flavors.  If you’re the type who relishes the challenge of acquiring tastes, give Sherry a try.



Cheap and Cheerful - Let’s face it; acquiring taste is demanding work.&nbsp Occasionally, I long for something uncomplicated.&nbsp Wine doesn’t need to be complicated.&nbsp There are plenty of good, simple wines.&nbsp When I would rather sip than ponder, I go for budget-priced Austrian Grüner Veltliner (Berger Grüner Veltliner 2005, $12).  This wine is simple, refreshing and exceedingly flexible with food.  Budget Grüner compliments almost any entrée exiting the oven or flying off the stovetop.  Cheap and cheerful wines like this don’t catalyze any epiphanies.  Rather, they cause one simply to remark, “That’s good.”



I’m Feeling Naughty – Admit it.&nbsp Every so often you yearn to do something off-the-wall - something naughty.&nbsp Of course, following through on such impulses can lead to a heap of trouble.&nbsp When I yearn for naughtiness, I grab a bottle of decadent Alsatian Gewurztraminer (Domaine Weinbach Cuvee Laurence, $40).  Gewurz-based wine has a tendency to grab one’s schnozz and hypnotize with scents of lychee, apricot, mango and honeysuckle.  The talented vintners in Alsace often introduce a layer of naughty to this decadent wine by incorporating a small portion of overripe grapes into the cuvée.  The result is wine with an added scent dimension best described as earthy (or dirty).  The indulgence doesn’t end here.  These wines possess a very thick & cheek-coating mouthfeel.  Indeed, drinking such wine feels a little bit naughty.  Try Gewurztraminer with salmon sashimi and commit an indulgent act of gastronomy.

Other White Palate Pleasers

Acquiring That Taste: Aveleda Vinho Verde NV, $8; Lopez de Heredia Vina Gravonia Crianza 1995, $25; Feudo Arancio Grillo Sicilia 2005, $9

Cheap and Cheerful: Saint M Riesling 2005, $10; Segura de Viudas Brut Cava, $9; Santa Julia Torrontes 2006, $7

Naughty, Naughty: Kalin Cellars Chardonnay Cuvee LD 1995, $33; Twisted Oak Viognier, $26; Pine Ridge Chenin Viognier 2006, $12



Coming in Part II, I introduce a few of my preferred, palate-pleasing red wines.

The Reds coming in Part 2

Business in the Front, Party in the Back

My Imaginary Smoking Jacket

Comments/Questions: Email Beau at beau@basicjuice.com

Find more wine ideas at basicjuice.blogs.com

Original post by beau

The judges have narrowed the field down to three finalists.&nbsp To the Juice Crew members: Please vote for your favorite label by sending a message to me by 5 December.  I will tally up the votes and announce the winning design shortly thereafter.  Thanks to all the contestants!

Design 1

Design 2 (font + label concept)

Design 3

Original post by beau

For those who have been around the wine blog-o-sphere for a few years, the Caveman’s blog was a gem.&nbsp Bill Z. offered world class wine knowledge with a down-to-earth attitude.&nbsp Like many blogs (this one included) the Caveman posted less regularly, and then poof!&nbsp it became frozen in time (kind of like Han Solo in Empire).&nbsp

Well, my pal Bill, the Caveman, is back and writing for the Montreal Gazette.  It’s good to see his voice is being appreciated by those lucky folks in Quebec.

&quotIt was my first evening back working the floor as a sommelier. I was invigorated after an exceptional week touring and tasting wine in France’s Languedoc-Roussillon.

My second table that night was a couple from France, so I started going on and on about the place, even recommending to them one of my favourite wines from the region. They looked at me and said, "Yes, it’s beautiful there, but we would never drink their wines."

Read the rest of the column here.

Good on ya Bill!

(Aww Bill you look like Big Parks!)

Original post by beau

I’ve often wondered why New Zealand was anointed/anointed itself as the land of Sauvignon Blanc.  To be sure, NZ SB has been quite successful as an import to the US wine market (and certainly names like ‘Monkey Bay′ don’t hurt its mass appeal to the garanimal-wine-loving crowd).  However, I think this success has come at a price.  Kiwi Blanc has overshadowed every other grape variety.  And this is a very sad thing.

Think about it.  When was the last time you sampled a New Zealand Riesling or Gewurztraminer?  These grapes have found a very cozy home on the Islands way down under.  In fact, while I find most New Zealand Sauvi Blanc, easy-to-enjoy, I also find it a tad bit uni-dimensional (see here for a great descriptor of NZ SB).  I have discovered extraordinarily sublime Riesling and intoxicating (in the figurative sense of the word) Gewurz.  Think I′m nuts.  Take this little NZ non-SB challenge:

Huia Gewurztraminer 2006 - A chewy, thick wine, which echos the Alsatian style but with a bit less earth

Villa Maria Riesling 2005 - A remarkable feat of a wine.  This Riesling stews together new world heft with teutonic crispness.

Am I alone in thinking the OenoKiwis might want to diversify their white wine portfolio?

Original post by beau

Are you the Mac-daddy/-mommie when it comes to creativity? 

Have you ever looked at all the blasé wine labels out there and thought, "I could do so much better."? 

Well, here’s a chance to explore your creative side and score a case of a soon-to-be classic red wine - Juice Crew Red.

So far, the J.Crew has nicknamed our maturing vino, "The Mighty Brick."&nbsp I think we’d like the label to reflect her personality (perhaps listening to a little Rick James could inspire potential label designers out there):

"So all and all, the blend has resulted in what we wanted - a rich rhone style wine with some backbone. The different varietals playing nicely in the sandbox. Great dark color, long sexy legs and built to party"

Here’s the deal - submit a label design, which reflects our sexy Rhone brickhouse and you could win…1 case of JC Red.  Now that’s what I call a case for creativity!

Details: Submit* your design entry by November 15, 2007.  The editor will select 4 designs to be voted on by Juice Crew members and Basic Juice readers.  The winning designer

*by submitting a design, designer retains no rights to design, but will be credited by name

Gentlepeople, start your creative engines..

Original post by beau

Thanks Larry!  You have been key in introducing a robust, evocative descriptor into the hoity-toity lexicon of wine:

"But Sen. Larry Craig’s contention — made just after his arrest in a restroom sex sting — has permeated the public consciousness, showing up as more than just the punch line to late-night talk show jokes.

The online Urban Dictionary defines ”wide stance” as a euphemism for a closeted homosexual. David Kurtz of the blog ”Talking Points Memo” called Craig’s wide stance claim ”The Best Legal Defense of 2007.” And Beau Jarvis, who writes about wine, travel and food on the blog ”Basic Juice,” notes that the phrase has become less than innocent and proposes ”cleansing” it by using it to describe a well-balanced wine."

Do you have a favorite wide stance wine?

Bonus France pic:

Lady Lib’s wee sis.

Original post by beau