VineBuzz

Les Clos de Paulilles is the winery, restaurant, and B&B of Jean & Bernard Dauré in Banyuls, in a communal wine-grape growing area within the larger AOC of Banyuls that also encompasses the communes of Côte Vermeille, Cerbère, Collioure and Port-Vendres, sitting in the penumbra of the Pyrenees on the Mediterranean coast, a few kilometers north of Empordà, Catalonia, Spain.

Spicy and aromatic dim sum needs to be balanced with a wine whose likeness in body and nose stands with a floral fruit forwardness, acidity to cut the animal oils, and a long smooth mineral palate that complements the entire meal.

For 5 months I have been monitoring visitor intentions in many different AVAs and aggregates thereof for the hospitality sector of northern California winecountry.  The VinTank Social Connect system has been a real lifesaver, allowing me to craft the record selection language from blogs, forums, discussion groups, websites, micro-blogs, and social media platforms.  Recent improvements to this system have improved both the quality as well as the number of qualified records found.

The word from Wine Enthusiast is out.  They have named Virginia one of the world's top ten wine travel destinations.  Alix Bryan, WTVR.com/CBS6 Web Producer published a video replete with testimonials by Jason Tesauro, Bartholemew Broadbent, and other dignitaries.  It might have been edited to modify audience perceptions of the intended positions of those speaking.

Every industry has emerging brands struggling to break out of their confines. Bold ideas in cross-breeding can propel their escape from those bonds.

#LanguedocDay totally rocked November 10, 2011. Two days ahead, it all came together.

Rick Bakas (@BakasMedia) partnered up with Tia Butts (@WineInkByTia) from the Benson Marketing Group (who organizes events in the U.S. for CIVL, Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Languedoc).

The @NapaMarriott provided their internal patio as our venue, and some excellent food pairings.

The last time I made this stop on Trancas in Napa, something said that it needed closer, more intimate examination. Sitting there in one corner of the wine department, a pair of 8-port Cruvinets took care of their patients:

At the Raymond Vineyards and Winery, a jewel in the crown of the Boisset Family Estates, the company practices its' core values every day as they work toward converting more of their vineyards toward biodynamics. Several months ago, I had the pleasure of a long afternoon chat with Jean-Charles Boisset, the president of the company. He made it clear that their commitment to making wine biodynamically is the strongest pillar in their philosophical structure and an unassailable strategic principle.