Daily Loaf

This time of year is ripe for ghosts, ghouls and scary tales, but don’t let witches brew distract you from great inexpensive wines. Halloween screams for some scary and spooktacular vino, and one of my all time favorites to drink on Halloween night is Vampire Cabernet Sauvignon. Vampire — like its counterpart, Dracula Wine — was at one time made in Transylvania, but has now moved operations to Paso Robles; that just bites, no pun intended.

Half the fun of drinking Vampire was the storied location where it was made. Thankfully, the change in venue has not resulted in ghastly juice.

I’m first enticed by the aromas of blood-red, ripe fruit. The scent calls to me and I can’t resist taking a small nibble, er, sip of the garnet colored liquid swirling in the glass. On the first taste I’m hit with a lip smacking, succulent flavor, with a finish leaving me wanting more. Just one thing to do: Read the rest of this entry »

Forget the tango – malbec is fast becoming the beloved icon of Argentina. I wrote about this humble red grape back in 2006, when it was creeping into the spotlight, but since then its popularity has spread like the macarena at a redneck wedding. And no wonder – malbec is practically perfect.

This disrespected French grape originally hails from Bordeaux, where it slaves for the hallowed cabernet sauvignon and merlot grapes. Winemakers use malbec to soften the often harsh tannins of its stout compatriots to create a balanced, heady blend. Bottled alone, it also fathers ferocious, robust reds in the obscure area of Cahors, under the alias “côt” (pronounced “co”). Read the rest of this entry »

So how does it happen that the director, star and co-writer of the 2004 hit film Sideways are all converging on St. Petersburg this weekend? They just needed a little sun? They heard about the wine list at the Vinoy and had to try it? Not exactly. Alexander Payne, Virginia Madsen and Jim Taylor are here to help The Studio@620 celebrate its fifth anniversary with a screening of the film at the Vinoy tonight and a discussion tomorrow at the Studio. The connection? Studio Co-Artistic Director Bob Devin Jones explained via email: Read the rest of this entry »