El Bloggo Torcido - Twisted Oak Winery

What I Learned On My Summer Vacation...

So while the rest of the world was sweltering in more than 2 weeks of triple-digit temperatures, yours truly was relaxing in the cool climes of Lake Alpine, CA.  Trying to take advantage of that last chance to unwind and shed the chains of the wine biz before it all starts over again with the impending Crush!!  Well it worked!  I'm sure that none of you care about what a winemaker does on vacation, but unfortunately for you I have a set of keys to this here blog!

Let's see...where to start??  Oh, how about the fact that it never got above 84 degrees!  Or the countless hours of kayaking fun with the kids.  Or maybe it was the refreshingly cool water that balanced out the 84 degree days.  Could it have been the disgusting amounts of food that my wife (a fantastic chef and caterer) so lovingly prepared?  Or the fact that we drank copious amounts of wine, beer, margaritas and bourbon (not the kids, naturally).

I could tell you about the impromptu visit we had from our good buddies Matt Hatcher (of Hatcher Winery), Jennifer Berry and River Klass (of Grounds and Firewood restaurants) who brought up his sailboat to give the kids rides.  That night we had an incredible meal along with Twisted Oak AND Hatcher wines.

Well...you get the idea...it's the kind of useless stuff a winemaker wastes his time on while on vacation...after all, it's like the man said, "It takes a lot of beer and tequila to make wine."

-Fermento

Pimp Daddy on the Street in AZ

Today's dispatch is from Pimp Daddy (aka Boy), who is (what else?) pimping our hootch down in cool Arizona:

Get outta the sun and enjoy a nice glass of Twisted Oak Viognier with Ali, the owner of Uncorked in Scottsdale. 16427 N Scottsdale Rd Ste 130, Scottsdale, AZ 85254 .... 480-699-9230.. Your Twisted Pimp Daddy decided to get out of the heat in CA and head to Arizona to cool off. My buddy, Ali, was able to oblige and offer me a cold glass of  Viognier. Just what the weather man ordered. I'll be walking the desert streets today placing more Twisted Oak in more retaurants and wine bars..

You may even see our Red Rhone Blend show up at Kai in the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass this September.. Kai is the hottest restaurant in the Desert, so to speak.

If you chance to be at the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain for the Chef Ming , (yes, that Chef Ming from "Simply Ming" TV series), Shrimp Master Class on August 12th you will get to enjoy our own Verdelho with one of the courses. Well Ciao for now. The streets are calling.. Pimp Daddy (Go Shrimp Daddy!)

Live to Drink 100!

There are scads of different grape varietals out there in the world, and it would seem that nearly all of them are made into wine somewhere in the world.

I came across this fun web site the other day called the Wine Century Club. To join the club, all you have to do is submit an application saying that you have tasted wine made from 100 different varietals. Blends are OK, the point is that you have tasted them!

Download their application and see how many you have tried! You might be surprised.

I worked my way through their list and determined that I had actually tasted 44 so far. I can't decide if I am amazed I have tried so many or dismayed that I have tried so few...

The good news is that Twisted Oak is here to help. Our wines (current releases and planned releases) use one or more of these 16 different varietals:

• Albarino
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Carignan (coming soon!)
• Graciano (coming soon!)
• Grenache
• Grenache Blanc (coming soon!)
• Marsanne
• Mourvedre
• Petit Verdot
• Petite Sirah
• Rolle (coming soon!)
• Roussanne
• Syrah
• Tempranillo
• Touriga Nacional (coming soon!)
• Verdelho (pictured above)
• Viognier

As far as the rest... when I find a source for Assyrtiko, Bombino Bianco, Cserzegi Fuszeres, Frappato, Gaglioppo, Gros Manseng, Pigato, Uva de Troia, or Xynomavro - I'll let you know!

The Adventures of Pierre Poulet

Long-time Twisted Few Lori and Eric Bausback took a little jaunt over to France recently for a friend's wedding, and they travelled with another friend, Pierre Poulet.

Here's a nice portrait of them taken by their friend Benoit at Chateau Demigny in the Burgundy Region:

This next one they captioned "Well, if you insist but Twisted Oak is better!"

We understand that Pierre is now "...on his way with Twisted Few Garth and Chris to Columbia (yes, the one in South America)" and that "...he has already changed his name to Paulo Pollo." Thanks Lori and Eric!

Whites with a Twist in Phoenix!

The Copa Habana in Phoenix, AZ is having a "Whites with a Twist" tasting on July 22nd 6-8pm featuring our award winning 2005 Verdelho.

I'm not sure whether they are refering to our attitude, or our "Easy Access" (*) Twist-Off top, but the lineup does look yummy and eclectic. If you find yourself in the middle of the Sonoran Desert later this month, do check it out!

(*) Perfect for picnics and drive-in movies, if you know what I mean...

101 New Uses for a Wine Glass?

The things you find on the internet...

An evening several years ago we were up at the Red Hill winery site (before there was a winery) drinking some wine and waving and pointing, as people do when presented with a blank canvas of dirt.

Not being total heathens we brought nice stemware. At some point Scott decided to rinse the red out of his glass before pouring a white. A little swirl and a shake...

Ping!

The stem snapped and the bowl went flying into the weeds. I was certain it was just Scott overdoing it, but sure enough five minutes later ping! I did the same thing.

If I only knew now to what great uses I could have put those stemless bowls. Here's one:

MacGyver Tip: Amplify your cell phone with a wine glass

Got any more?

Uh Oh. We Been Founded Out!

Got a couple nice mentions this week from some folks who blog about wine blogs and web sites, and sometimes they even blog about blogs that blog about wine blogs and web sites...

First up, Tom Wark in his Fermentation blog, says: "...another winery that is really doing an outstanding job communicating their irreverent perspective on life and wine via their relatively new blog."

Then, Mike Duffy (*) of The Winery Web Site Report mentions that we "...seem to have taken to the medium, rubber chicken and all."

I'd like to thank them both for the kind words and to encourage everyone to give their blogs a look.

(*) No relation to erstwhile (and hopefully also future) Twisted Oak cellar rat Matt Duffy. At least, I don't think there is. Then again, I've never seen both of them at the same time...

Play, Misty, for Me

"We wanted to show you how Misty enjoyed playing with her Twisted Oak chicken at the cabin in Arnold.  No chickens were harmed in the taking of this picture."
Photo by Sue and Angie Mainieri, Arnold, CA - thanks!