Olson Ogden Wines

return of the killer tomatoes!

2009-07-16T04:00:00-07:00

the tablehopper provides me with weekly reminders of how fortunate I am to live in the Bay Area. Each week she provides inside intel on all things wonderful and edible in this city from new food at the Ferry Building (Thursday markets are back!) to special happenings at local restaurants around town. For example, we are knee deep in heirloom tomato season and the tablehopper reports on the "Return of the Killer Tomatoes Cart " at renowned restaurant Bix. You can enjoy some heirloom tomatoes sliced tableside and served with hand-pulled mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, and basil during dinner nightly, or for lunch on Fridays. Don't read this blog hungry.

a history of the corkscrew

2009-07-15T04:00:00-07:00

Who invented the corkscrew and when? Another Wine Blog answers this and other pressing questions in a fascinating account of the history of the waiter's tool. Very cool! Check it out here.

we like wine with american cheese

2009-07-14T12:45:47-07:00

No, no - not THAT American Cheese! We love wine with local and regional artisan cheeses like Bayley Hazen Blue produced by Jasper Hill Farm and just about anything produced by our beloved local Cowgirl Creamery. I recently came across this book by Clark Wolf on the James Beard Foundation's blog Delights and Prejudices and ordered it immediately from Amazon.

In 1976, Clark Wolf ran a little cheese shop at the base of Nob Hill in San Francisco; in 1980 he became the manager of the San Francisco branch of the legendary Oakville Grocery. In American Cheeses: The Best Regional, Artisan, and Farmhouse Cheeses, Who Makes Them, and Where to Find Them, Wolf shares his expertise on where the best American cheeses are made (dividing the country into sections), how cheese is made, how to store it and how to serve and enjoy it. Read more on the Delights and Prejudices blog.

BYOW - bring your own wine

2009-07-05T05:17:51-07:00

When I go out to dinner I like to bring my own bottle of wine. I absolutely love the site goBYO.com where you can find a nearby restaurant where you can bring your own bottle. Just enter your zip code for nearby restaurants, corkage feeds, phone numbers, cuisines, price ranges, days open and maps. There are also links to restaurant websites and reviews. Bon Appetit!

cork wine bar in our nation's capitol

2009-07-02T08:40:59-07:00

My wife and I went out to dinner last night at Cork Wine Bar in the U Street corridor neighborhood of Washington, DC. It came recommended by a relative who lives in the area. Overall, we liked this place and had a great time. The food and wine were delicious and the staff were well informed, friendly and gave us the right amount of attention. The ambience was welcoming and it was full of patrons but not overly so. Only complaint, no California wines on the menu but that aside, we still found many wines to like. I sampled a couple of Spanish red blends from Terra Alta and Priorat regions while my wife enjoyed a white Puligny-Montrachet. The food was served as small plates. To start we shared a plate of prosciutto along with an avocado, pistachio, toasted pistachio and sea salt on grilled bread concoction. We found that putting a slice of the prosciutto on top of the avocado dish was really good. We also shared their homemade french fries (awesome!) and their dusted calamari and rock shrimp dish. I also sampled the pan roasted organic chicken breast served in a preserved lemon with garlic targon jus on my own as my wife is not a big chicken fan. I finished off the evening with an excellent glass of Banyuls. If you are looking for a wine bar in DC, I would check this place out. -- by John

death cab for cutie's "grapevine fires"

2009-06-29T14:06:35-07:00

Drinks Are On Me recently posted this video from Death Cab for Cutie. The song “Grapevine Fires” is a true story that recalls the 2007 wildfires in California that destroyed 1,500 homes, burned 500,000 acres of land, killed nine people, and injured 85 others including at least 61 firefighters. The grapevine in the title refers to the Grapevine freeway in California but still, it is interesting to hear a song by a popular band referencing wine. Drinks Are on Me's Dale Cruse added this interesting bit: After the incident a local newspaper reported, “Three months after smoke from wildfires carpeted California’s vineyards, some winemakers in the thick of harvest are reporting grapes giving off unusual odors that may be signs of smoke taint.” Check out the video above and the lyrics at Drinks Are On Me.

california's best lesser known vineyards

2009-06-25T18:13:38-07:00

The San Francisco Chronicle had an article by John Bonne this past Sunday on some lesser know but really good vineyards in California. Two vineyards mentioned in the article, Alder Springs and Manchester Ridge, we started getting fruit from with the 2008 harvest. We get Syrah and Pinot Noir from Alder Springs and Pinot Noir from Manchester Ridge. The wine we have in barrel from these vineyards at this early stage is stunning. I can't wait for the finished wine in early 2010! -- by John

olson ogden pouring events this week

2009-06-21T20:54:41-07:00

We have a busy schedule of pouring at Olson Ogden Wines this week. Tomorrow, June 22nd, Tim Olson will be at the California Wine Merchant in San Francisco pouring our pinot noirs as part of the Pinot Days satellite series tasting events. I will be at the Jug Shop in San Francisco the following day, June 23rd, pouring our pinot noirs for the same reason. On Wednesday we will be at Uncorked Events 3rd Anniversary "Best of the Best" tasting at Ruby Skye in downtown San Francisco pouring some of our 2007 vintage wines. On Thursday, June 25th, Tim will be pouring our pinot noir again at the Pinot Days Winemakers Table Hop dinner at Pres A Vi restaurant in the Presidio of San Francisco. And then on Sunday, the grand tasting event for Pinot Days, we will be pouring our pinot noirs for all to taste. At the Uncorked Event on Wednesday, June 24th, and at the Pinot Days Grand Festival Tasting on Sunday, June 28th, we will be offering some unique promotions for our wines. Don't want to spill the beans but if you will be at either of these events, don't forget to stop by and check these out. You won't be disappointed! Hope to see you this week at one of these events. -- by John

updating the wine supply chain

2009-05-28T12:46:34-07:00

Interesting opinion article on the Wines and Vines website about our country's three tier distribution system for wine. It was written by Tom Wark who is the Executive Director of the Specialty Wine Retailers Association. I don't know Tom, never met him but he makes a good argument to update the three tier distribution system to reflect the realities of today. He also argues producers and retailers should be working together to update and overturn our prohibition era alcohol laws. Reminds me of the early Internet days when the automobile manufacturers were all set to sell cars direct to consumers over the Internet. It never happened. The middle man, the car dealerships, had strong ties to the state legislatures and, fearing a loss of business, were able to effectively set up roadblocks to making direct car sales a reality for automobile manufacturers. Sound familiar?! It is too bad because if it had happened, we would probably be looking at a far healthier automotive industry today, middle men included, than we are now with taxpayer bailouts, forced bankruptcies and shotgun mergers. I hope the wine industry can learn from other industries and not repeat the same mistakes. -- by John

the french toasters are at it again

2009-04-26T22:10:30-07:00

I just finished ordering barrels for this year’s harvest. As if life isn’t complicated enough these days, the French have found a way to make oak barrels more complicated than it needs to be. After years of ordering French oak barrels by forest (i.e. Allier, Nevers, Troncais, etc.) they have a new system. Or at least some Coopers do. The word on the street is that the French Terroir Police are on high alert that some unscrupulous coopers are selling barrels with wood from places other than what is stated on the barrel. So many coopers are now selling barrels by grain tightness instead of by forest or source of origin. Yet other coopers are still selling barrels by forest just like in the past. As always with the French, there is much disagreement about the true nature of all this forest business. The different stories I hear accomplish one thing for sure: Winemakers are talking about the changes and wondering what all the fuss is about. The coopers are getting a lot of PR over this although it is unclear whether it is ultimately positive or negative. If you ask me, the French have certainly created and shared with the world many great things, not the least of which are wine, art, food and fashion. But more than anything else is one certainty, the French are great Marketers! -- by Tim