Hip Tastes Blog http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/ en Copyright 2008 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:03:45 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss "Huge Blocky Goose" Makes Great Pinot label_pinot_2006.jpgOkay, so the goose doesn't exactly make the Pinot, but Toulouse Vineyards' mascot is most definitely a goose, and their Pinot is without a doubt off the charts (though admittedly made by human hands). I absolutely loved the 2006 Toulouse Anderson Valley Pinot Noir my sister picked up in Mendo recently, and which I had the pleasure of quaffing a few days ago in the baking hot Central Valley, where I'm visiting my family. The newish operation (their first vintage was 2002) is run by Vern and Maxine Boltz, a retired Oakland fire chief and United airline stewardess, respectively, and Toulouse Vineyards represents

]]> http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/07/huge_blocky_goose_makes_great.html http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/07/huge_blocky_goose_makes_great.html Winning Wines Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:03:45 -0800 Why Men Fetishize Wine accidental.jpgI've never picked up a wine book I wanted to quote more than Lawrence Osborne's deliciously entertaining tome, The Accidental Connoisseur: An Irreverent Journey Through the Wine World. In it, the Brit - who right up front gamely cops to a serious distrust of his own sense of taste - sets out to visit several of the world's foremost wine regions in search of answers to his own burning question - what exactly is taste? - as well as more (less?) controversial issues like "why do men fetishize wine, and woman don't?"

]]> http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/07/why_men_fetishize_wine.html http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/07/why_men_fetishize_wine.html Goods & Gadgetry Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:24:13 -0800 Announcing: The Rock & Roll Tasting 8.15.08 ht_rocknroll.gif
We've done Green. We've done Grill. Heck, we've even done Saints & Sinners, Salty & Sweet and All White. But we've never rocked like this before.

Join a whole bunch of Hip Tasters at vintage-cool SF night spot Pink as we party to the sounds of updated arena rock (think Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar On It) while noshing on sushi rolls and sipping summer-appropriate whites, pinks and bubblies. And with our first-ever dance party going down from 9pm-10pm, this will be a Hip Tastes you definitely won't want to miss. PS: the 3 best dressed (as in rock dressed) Hip Tasters will go home with Best Dressed honors and a free gift. Booyah! See you there.

Tickets & 411

]]> http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/07/announcing_the_rock_roll_tasti.html http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/07/announcing_the_rock_roll_tasti.html Events Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:28:19 -0800 Extreme Wine Touring Audir8II.jpgGiven the surge of interest in so-called adventure tourism, it's no surprise that extreme activities have finally made their way to wine country. From mellow outings like deep-sea fishing and balloon rides to truly adrenaline-pumping options like skydiving and trapeze training, the options themselves are as varied as the highs they inspire.

Baby You Can Drive My Car
One of the most hair-raising things you can do in wine country is get behind the wheel of an Audi R8 and brave the hairpin turns and dramatic elevation changes at Infineon Raceway just south of Sonoma. We like Audi's all-inclusive package, which encompasses a wine country back roads tour, two nights' five-star lodging for two, catered meals and a day of racing along the breathtaking...

]]> http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/06/extreme_wine_touring.html http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/06/extreme_wine_touring.html Ramblings Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:21:31 -0800 Courtney & Hip Tastes @ St. Helena Public Library Tomorrow, 6/25! winelogo_shpl.jpgHey folks, if you're in or around Napa tomorrow please come out and join me along with four other wine authors as we chat and sign our wine books published in '07. Part of the St. Helena Public Library's 1st Annual "Books on Wine Festival," the event will be the first of its kind for St. Helena, and I'm totally tickled to have been included! Refreshments start at 6, author presentations are at 7 and author signings begin at 8:15. Besides Hip Tastes, other titles featured include "A Moveable Thirst," "New Classic Winemakers of California," "The Art of Terroir" and Small Plates, Perfect Wines." More info at shpl.org - I'd love to see you there!

]]> http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/06/courtney_hip_tastes_st_helen_p.html http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/06/courtney_hip_tastes_st_helen_p.html Events Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:05:04 -0800 Under the Texan Sun texas1.jpgTexas has long been known for many things - BBQ, the Alamo, Dynasty, a fantastic music festival called South By Southwest (to name just a few) - but until recently something the Lone Star State most certainly was not known for was its wine. On the heels of this year's well-attended Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival, however, that's all changing.

]]> http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/06/under_the_texan_sun.html http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/06/under_the_texan_sun.html Regional Spotlight Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:13:02 -0800 Design My Wine: Roberto Cavalli cavallibox.jpgWoop, looks like another celeb designer has gotten in on the wine design thang. Busy Italian designer Roberto Cavalli - famous for his flamboyant, figure-hugging frocks worn by adventurous celebutantes on many a red carpet - has just released Roberto Cavalli Selection, a Tuscan IGT made with the assistance of Italian wine guru Carlo Ferrini. Just about 5,000 bottles were made of the debut vintage, 2004, a portion of which come in this appropriately flamboyant box covered in leopard print used in the designer's 1996 Spring/Summer collection and...

]]> http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/06/design_my_wine_roberto_cavalli.html http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/06/design_my_wine_roberto_cavalli.html Winning Wines Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:15:00 -0800 I'm On View from the Bay - Woo Hoo! vftb6.jpg
As part of the promotion for the recent Uncorked! Wine Festival at Ghirardelli Square - at which I gave a food and wine pairing seminar to a packed room at Cellar 360, so fun! - I appeared on the Bay Area's popular day time talk show, ABC's View From the Bay. In this clip also featuring View From the Bay's Nick Smith and local chef Kasey Passen, I chat about the festival and wine pairings for two delicious dishes prepared by Kasey - a summer salad and super rich chocolate dessert. Pictured here, a very funny moment at the end of the segment when Nick couldn't fit his hands into the gloves they gave him to roll the chocolate - we were all cracking up.

The clip should be live for about 60 days. Enjoy! Click on "continue reading" for the link.

]]> http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/06/im_on_view_from_the_bay_woo_ho.html http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/06/im_on_view_from_the_bay_woo_ho.html Ramblings Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:20:43 -0800 Oxbow Odyssey: A Taste of the Options at Napa's Newest Market oxbow.jpg















If the flurry of construction that's been underway along the waterfront in downtown Napa is any indicator, the once-sleepy city is on the brink of becoming a major tourist destination. And the Oxbow Public Market - at just three months' old one of the newest additions to the downtown area - may be one of the city's most promising new arrivals. Read on for the scoop on our favorite purveyors in this venue that looks poised to become the next big thing in a whole new Napa.

]]> http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/06/oxbow_odyssey_a_taste_of_the_o.html http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/06/oxbow_odyssey_a_taste_of_the_o.html Regional Spotlight Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:51:08 -0800 On Food & Wine, Fondly: Flowers for Ms. Waters Cab_and_chezp.jpgThis is the first in a series of wine & food memories I'll be penning in the coming months. Enjoy ;)

The first time I went to Chez Panisse (to be honest, it was the Cafe at Chez Panisse, as I was a budding entrepreneur at the time and the cafe at lunch time was all I could afford) I brought a bouquet of roses for Alice Waters. I didn't know if she would be there, and I was rather embarrassed at my juvenile display of adoration (after all, I was all of 26 by then, and ought to have been well beyond the era of proffering gifts to authority figures, much like a schoolchild might offer up an apple to a first grade teacher)...

]]> http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/05/flowers_for_ms_waters.html http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/05/flowers_for_ms_waters.html Ramblings Thu, 29 May 2008 10:20:46 -0800 Almost Famous: Celebs Put New Spin on Wine rsicewine2.jpg"From Major Leaguers to major religious leaders, celebrities of all stripes are catching the wine bug these days, lending their names and likenesses to bottles, participating in the promotion of the wines and sometimes even cuing up the blends themselves. And while celebrity wines are hardly a new phenomenon, the most recent influx of offerings brings with it a surprisingly diverse mix of celebs, not to mention a fascinating blend of prices, styles and blends to boot...

]]> http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/05/almost_famous_celebrities_put.html http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/05/almost_famous_celebrities_put.html Winning Wines Thu, 22 May 2008 12:45:29 -0800 RIP Robert Mondavi (1913-2008) rmw2.jpgJust a little shout out to the great man who worked so hard - and did so much - to make a name for California wine. Not only did Mondavi run his eponymous winery for decades, he helped introduce Americans of all stripes - not just the snobs! - to the modern wine lifestyle. For more on this legend, check out Alan Goldfarb's recent article on Mondavi at Appellation America.

What a fantastic guy. We'll miss him.

Click here to read my list of his top contributions to wine at WineCountry.com

]]> http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/05/rip_robert_mondavi_19132008.html http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/05/rip_robert_mondavi_19132008.html Hip Tasters Mon, 19 May 2008 17:55:25 -0800 Looking for Merlove In All the Wrong the Places merlove.jpg











Merlot lovers, rejoice! A new documentary film made in response to the post-Sideways Merlot backlash (read more on that here) is about to debut. That's right, Merlove, made by Napa filmmaker Rudy McClain, is set to screen Tuesday, May 27th at COPIA in Napa. The film apparently includes footage of renowned Merlot makers from...

]]> http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/05/looking_for_merlove_in_all_the.html http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/05/looking_for_merlove_in_all_the.html Events Fri, 16 May 2008 15:52:13 -0800 A Sprightly Rose for Spring kellerlogo.jpgKeller Estate's Syrah-based 2007 Sonoma Coast Rose is a delight. I'm always searching for a rose from California that's not too pink and not too sweet (not to mention a lot of fun to drink & great with food) and this one fits the bill just right. Made for the winery founder's 75th birthday, this medium pink-hued quaffer offers up delightful aromas of watermelon Jolly Rancher candy (always a favorite), caramel, chamomile, rose water and a kiss of pink grapefruit...

]]> http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/05/a_sprightly_rose_for_spring.html http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/05/a_sprightly_rose_for_spring.html Winning Wines Wed, 14 May 2008 14:38:00 -0800 Buff Women, Drink Those Blubbery Dudes Under the Table fatman3.jpgEnjoyed this new article at DivineCaroline about women's physiology vis a vis that of men and how this impacts our ability to compete with guys in, oh say, a drinking contest. The results aren't in our favor (sorry, ladies) unless you happen to be a very buff woman paired off to compete with a fat guy of roughly your same height. Here's a brief excerpt from the piece, and link to check out the rest:

"Winning a drinking contest, or just being able to gauge how many drinks you can have while still remaining vertical, depends on numerous factors, including regularity of drink, that day's food and sleep intake, and genetics. But based just on gender...,

Photo Credit Simone Van Den Berg | Dreamstime.com

]]> http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/05/buff_women_drink_those_blubber.html http://www.courtneycochran.com/blog/2008/05/buff_women_drink_those_blubber.html Hip Tasters Sun, 11 May 2008 17:50:28 -0800