Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
Cite des Civilisations du Vin, Bordeaux
"The building does not resemble any known shape because it's an evocation. Not of wine itself, but of the soul of wine," explain architects Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazieres from French firm X-TU.
When fully unveiled in 2016, the eco-building that will be the Cité des Civilisations du Vin nestled on the shores of the Garonne will offer a total surface area of 14,000 m2 including 750 m2 for temporary exhibits and 3500 m2 of permanent exhibit space.
The laying of the first stone was celebrated on June 19, 2013 during Vinexpo Bordeaux. Slideshow Below.
INFO: citedescivilisationsduvin.com
SlideShow HERE
- Inauguration June 19, 2013 Cite des Civilisations du Vin in Bordeaux
- Mayor of Bordeaux Alain Juppe and Anouk Legendre, architect of Cite des Civilisations du Vin
All photos c. Paige Donner
@LocalFoodWine
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Tuscany Food & Wine app by Acqua Panna
Ahhh... summer is at long last nearly here. Dream vacation destinations are beginning to dance through our heads like sugar plum fairies in wispy toutous as the languid summer months of promised sunshine begin to magically reveal themselves before us.
Tuscany. Tuscany, the land of Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Tuscany, where cold-pressed virgin olive oils beckon as seductively as do its wines and terroir.
Dream vacations, can, however, at times, be more effort than joy, a corelation thoroughly dependent on planning and resources. So if this is your first Tuscan Escape, not to worry. The region's wine producers and local government tourism agencies have gotten together to form a welcoming platform called Tuscan Taste.
Tuscan Taste is a series of outreach events and organized hospitality platforms to make your visit to and exploration of Tuscany as effortless as it is enjoyable. The brand was developed in collaboration with the region's main wine Consorzi to communicate the Tuscan values of quality, beauty, sustainability, taste and tradition.
Why a butterfly: Tuscany springs from the map to become a butterfly. A messenger to the world, heralding the quality of Tuscan wines. Heralding the traditions of a glorious region, and of a culture of winemaking built up
through the centuries. A culture that, right here in Tuscany, has created some of the very best wines in the world. One butterfly, ten, a hundred, even more – as many as there are Tuscan wines. Butterflies fluttering
their wings to take the message of Tuscan wines to the world, and to new and exalted heights.
For the billion and a half of us on the planet right now who are SmartPhone oriented, especially when we travel, we have this fabulous new Tuscany Food & Wine app by Acqua Panna at our fingertips as of this Spring.
The app is offered free for iOS devices and in addition to offering things to do and see - nature, art, history - in the region, it also features mouthwatering pictures and descriptions of local foods, cuisine, dishes, restaurants, and, of course, wines and wonderful wine pairings.
Wines are especially highlighted in the Tuscany Food & Wine app where it features a guide to the many local wineries as well as detailed descriptions of the wines' composition such as alcohol percentage, grapes used and where you can find the wineries for a cellar visit and tasting.
The GPS enabled "Around Me" feature spotlights the restaurants, sites, wineries and other points of interest within a few kilometers of your current location. For those who want to immerse themselves in the languid deliciousness that is the Tuscan Summer, there is even a glossary included on the app that explains the various abbreviations denoting the artisanal Italian local food products and wines which helps you to understand their exact origin and stamp of quality.
OK, then. All set? The app is available for download at:
Long considered the best still mineral water for enhancing all the nuances of wine and food, thanks to its smooth, elegant taste, Acqua Panna represents all the power of nature in the heart of the Tuscan Apennines, with 1300 hectares of natural preserve, a unique aquifer, and a long history of culture, passion and love for the environment.
Acqua Panna
http://www.acquapanna.com
www.facebook.com/acquapanna
About Toscana Promozione
Toscana Promozione is the Economic Promotion Agency of Tuscany, established in 2000 by the local government. Thanks to a network of professional associations, institutions, enterprises, universities and research centers, Toscana Promozione is, today, a concrete platform for overseas enterprises interested in doing business in or with Tuscany.
@♥Chérie Du Vin
Follow us On Tumblr * Follow Us On Twitter * Like Us On Facebook
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Panda Bears And The Climactic Re-zoning of Wine Regions
by Paige Donner
What do panda bears and wine have to do one another? Now that's a question I never imagined I'd be posing here on my Local Food And Wine blog. But, according to the recently released (April 8th, 2013) study from the Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences (Lee Hannah, lead scientist) panda bears be one more species that is affected by adaptations humans likely will undertake in response to global climate change impacting wine-producing regions.
Let me explain... [More INFO on Local Food And Wine]
In the PNAS.org study of 4/8/'13, Wine, Climate Change and Conservation, several scenarios are outlined as to how our current trajectory of global warming i.e. climate change is impacting the earth's wine regions by 2050. In one scenario they state that the,
Area suitable for viticulture decreases 25% to 73% in major wine producing regions by 2050.
OK... so what about the Panda Bears?
This PNAS report includes discussion of how adaptation can mitigate some of these climate change effects on wine regions. Adaptation can take the form of tailored viticultural practices, adaptive irrigation techniques, and also planting at higher elevations to name a few.
In China, where viticulture and the planting of vineyards are firmly in a development phase, this could mean rapid adaptation so as to anticipate regional climate change. In plain English what this means is that some of the areas that are most suitable for high-quality wine grape cultivation in China are the same areas that are the natural habitat for giant panda bears.
... China is not known for its European-style wines, but it
is among the fastest growing wine-producing regions in the
world. It has significant areas suitable for viticulture (Fig. 1), and these areas are in the same mountains that are habitat for the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). Future conservation efforts for the giant panda need to incorporate consideration of viticulture as a potential land use and viticultural suitability trends in response to climate change. - PNAS.org April 8, '13 Hannah
It seems that we may be seeing pictures of Giant Panda Bears popping up everywhere in the coming decades as the new poster child of climate change, just as we've seen polar bears and melting ice caps in the past decade.
For more information about this topic go to PNAS.org or take a look at this short (3') doc film preview. You can also LIKE Facebook.com/wineandclimatechange.
Follow us On Tumblr * Follow Us On Twitter * Like Us On Facebook
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Crate and Barrel Vancouver Opening
This past week, Crate and Barrel opened its doors in Vancouver, B.C. to celebrate its sixth Canadian store opening. Guests in attendance enjoyed wine and hors d'oeuvres as they shopped Crate and Barrel’s newest collections with friends and family.
Crate and Barrel is a global leader in the home décor retail industry, offering contemporary, affordable housewares in 100+ stores in almost every major North American market.
Photo Caption: Crate and Barrel celebrates its Vancouver, B.C., Canada store opening
Crate and Barrel Oakridge Center
650 West 41st Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Z 2M9
Follow us On Tumblr * Follow Us On Twitter * Like Us On Facebook
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Cristal Vibrations
by Paige Donner
This title actually began as a chapter heading for my journal entry about my visit to Champagne Louis Roederer in Reims. But I liked it so much that I'm using it here, too. It just works so beautifully. It describes simply what Cristal, the legendary champagne by Roederer, is all about. Or, more precisely, what Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, Roederer's Chef de Caves - that's Cellar Master or "winemaker" in French - does with his wines.
Read Entire Post HERE + Picture Gallery
It was at the cellars in Reims where I was treated to a guided tour by none other than Mr. Lécaillon. Yes, a visit to the cellars where Cristal is made, where a million bottles of the golden elixir lay resting before disgorgement, and by the very man who blends this most famous of the world's champagnes.
Unbelievable. Or, rather, Unforgettable.
It's required a fair amount of reflection to settle upon a term as to how to describe the man who elaborates the world's most famous, and perhaps loved, champagne... Read Entire Post HERE + Picture Gallery
Cristal is a wine. It is a celebrated champagne. The most celebrated on Earth, in fact. And it is a singularly unique vibratory energy. It's a frequency. It's a vibration. It's the Cristal Vibration.
Lécaillon imprints his wines with this energetic vibration. Or, more precisely, he orchestrates the energetic vibrational imprint that nature has already made on the grapes - via the crayères (chalky champagne soil and cellars), the sun exposure, the placement of the vines the climactic conditions of that year - and allows its essence expression in his champagnes...
Read Entire Post HERE + Picture Gallery
Join my 12,402 Followers
♥Chérie Du Vin. You will LOVE my wine picks!
Follow us On Tumblr * Follow Us On Twitter * Like Us On Facebook
Monday, March 4, 2013
Napa March And April Events - Art and Taste of Yountville
Yountville will host the 20th Annual Taste of Yountville weekend celebration March 14-16, 2013 to showcase the town's finest food, wine and arts. Taste of Yountville will culminate in a town-wide block party on Saturday, March 16, 2013. Admission is free, tasting tickets will be $1 each. In addition to Saturday's signature block party event, the Taste of Yountville weekend will play host to several special events throughout Yountville.
For more information click here or call the Yountville Chamber of Commerce
April 1 - 30, 2013
Visit Website
And be sure to check the Special Events Calendar (like for bASH in St. Helena April 13th!!) to help you plan your trip itinerary....
A celebration of the elemental connection between wine and the arts, this month-long program satisfies cultural cravings with an exploration of winery art installations, pop-up exhibitions and tastings. Introduced in April 2011, Arts in April offers special access and packages to enjoy The Napa Valley Collection, making it the perfect time to get a dose of Napa Valley culture with your Cabernet.