Wine guru and Web celeb Gary Vaynerchuk, best known for his high-spirited Wine Library TV review site, will drop by the Wine School of Philadelphia this Thursday at 4:30 p.m. to sign copies of his first book, Gary Vaynerchuk’s 101 Wines: Guaranteed to Inspire, Delight, and Bring Thunder to Your World.
-Quoted from City Paper's Clog
The Summer Foundation sold out a few weeks ago, but I just added 6 more seats. If you want them, make sure to register soon.. Classes begin Thursday, July 3rd.
For registration & Information: Summer Foundation Program
We are proud to offer a new series of cooking & wine pairing classes. Our new classroom at Foster's in Old City sports a cutting edge demo kitchen!
Check out our lineup of cooking & wine classes right here.
The Wine School has begun a wine club for major supporters of the school. If you are a current or former Advanced Program student and want details about the club, please email Beth Case at beth@vinology.com
We have released our Academic Calendar for the Fall!
I never thought the day would come, but here it is, in all its perplexing, fat-streaked glory: I’m taking a break from ham. It even feels weird to type that. I’m. Taking. A. Break. From. Ham. Nope–no easier. Maybe it’s the residual cottony lard still coursing through my newly thick fingers. Or the remaining salty stench pouring from my every pore. Or the fact that, whenever I hear a word whose sound is vaguely reminiscent of “Iberico,” I weep like a diehard Jagger fan at a one-night-only Stones show.
My new Angie is a pig, and I’m not ashamed to say it.
I just returned from a weeklong trip with Keith and a number of other Wine Schoolers to Priorat, about two hours from Barcelona. More details will certainly seep out during classes and in blog posts over the coming weeks–stories of flash-fried sardines, heaping plates of wood-grilled meats (including the best damn rabbit kidney I’ve ever snapped between my molars), barrel tastings of wines that will likely never see this side of the Pond–but for now, it’ll have to suffice to say just this: We back. And for the time being, the pigs of Pennsylvania are safe from my hammed-out maw.
Brian Freedman
Prices are for PA. Prices in other states will vary. To find any of these wines, make sure to use our Wine Finder
$11.99
A rather unique bottling from the Central Coast. The price is great and the wine is rather perfect antidote for sweltering. Tangerine and coconut in a vibrant package. Offers impressive intensity coupled with a light framework. The pricing is about 30% lower in PA than elsewhere.
$12.99
I am very happy to see this wine on the shelves. Edna Valley is a great place to find high quality white wines in Australia. This Riesling drinks like a fine Spatlese Trocken from Mosel. Fire, Petrol,and Granite are the predominant aromatics, with a razor-like acidity that is balanced by its extraction of citrus and peach. The pricing is about 25% lower in PA than elsewhere.
$29.99
An intense modern style Champagne that should cost about twice the current PLCB price. Excellent mousse, this sparkler exudes almond and dough with a leesy roundness on the palate that gives way to lime & green apple. The pricing is about 45% lower in PA than elsewhere.
$48.99
True to its Grand Cru lineage, this Chablis is an intense terroir-driven aristocrat. Layer upon layer of stone aromas give way to apricot, iron shavings, pear, and toast. It offers the richness of the hot vintage, but not the limpness. Like many Grand Cru Burgundies, this offers an intense experience. The price is about half of what it should be.
$14.99
An exceptional Shiraz of complexity and intensity. A nice balance is struck between the fresh blackberry and its jellied strawberry notes. A pleasing edge of black tea and tannin overlap the roasted flavors of dark coffee and licorice. The pricing is about 15% lower in PA than elsewhere.
I just got back from several weeks in Spain, a week of which was spent exploring the wilds of Priorat. One of the shining moments on that trip was the day we spent with Salus Alvarez, the winemaker at Vall Llach.
While I knew and respected his wines already, I was stunned by the quality of the '05 and '06 vintages. After lugging back a full case of their wines in my luggage from Spain, I was rather nonplussed to discover that the PLCB just picked up a major shipment of their wines... and at prices lower than I paid at the winery. Oh well.
$19.99
Oh, buy buy buy this beauty. An elegant Priorat, and an incredible value, it offers layers of tobacco, black olive, fennel, and black fruit on layered framework of tannin. The pricing is about 25% lower in PA than elsewhere.
$34.99
Similar to the Emruix, but will need a minimum of seven years in the cellar. The minerality of ancient Carignan and the oxidized complexity of old vine Grenache are the center pieces of this wine.
The addition of Cabernet Sauvignon gives this wine the structure and balance of a fine Bordeaux. Nearly as profound as the '05, but not quite. The pricing is about 25% lower in PA than elsewhere.
$19.99
The Aussies are a great resource for excellent value dessert wines. Similar in structure to a 10-year Tawny from Portugal, this bottle offers roasted nuts and figs and milk chocolate. Serve this after dinner on a rainy summer evening.
Prices are for PA. Prices in other states will vary. To find any of these wines, make sure to use our Wine Finder