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Home > Blogs > Uncorked > Archives > 2006 > January > 05 > Entry
Over the (Oak) Barrel with Madonna
My Riedel runneth over today, so I offer up a trio (I can’t get away with writing the words “threesome” and “Madonna” in the same post, can I?) of news items for your consideration:
First, Madonna — we assume you’ve heard of her — is joining forces with …
…Celebrity Cellars for commemorative editions of wine in her honor, according to a news release that graced my e-mail inbox Wednesday. The bottles “will be labeled with a beautiful photo of Madonna illuminated by a mirrored disco ball” which comes from a recent photo shoot for her “Confessions on a Dance Floor” CD. The series will include California cabernet sauvignon, pinot grigio and a de-alcoholized wine called UnWine.
Hey, you heard it here first.
At least Madonna can boast some serious family wine connections, unlike some of the other artists that have Celebrity Cellars collectibles such as Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead and Frank Sinatra. Madonna’s father, as you recall, founded Ciccone Vineyard & Winery in northern Michigan.
Secondly, speaking of no-alcohol wines, we received this query from frequent Uncorked contributor Cynthia, whom we”ve helped out before with food-and-wine pairings and other topics. Here’s her question:
Ok, I admit it. I overindulged during the holidays and am now committed to a few weeks on the wagon. Are there ANY decent non-alcoholic wines out there yet? I tried Fre a few years back but I wasn’t impressed. A nice dinner just doesn’t seem the same without a glass of something besides water!
Anybody got any suggestions for Cynthia?
And finally, thanks to another regular contributor, wine baron Matt Perrone, for tipping me off to the newly released 2004 Barrel Report on WineBusiness.com on trends on the use of oak in wine. I know my palate has shifted mightily on this subject over the years, from fully embracing the heavily oaked wines in my youth to being barely able to tolerate oak if it’s noticeable — especially in white wines — today. Thoughts?
Thanks, and cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Comments
By spratt
January 9, 2006 12:02 AM | Link to this
Unless you were drinking enough wine to greatly (wrongly) influence your day-to-day goings ons….THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR WINE. There are ways to preserve the wine of an opened bottle so that one may have one glass with a meal and then savour the wine at the next meal.
By Bob
January 6, 2006 1:19 PM | Link to this
Well.. the celebrity cellars thing has to be one of the worst ideas I have ever heard of. It would seem from the looks of their web site they are making money at it. I guess its true that there are plenty of suckers out there. I do like their “un-wine� idea though. :) How appropriate. I suspect that their “real� wine would be real swill for those foolish enough to buy and then actually open one. As far as alcohol-free wines go, I have had the misfortune to taste a few. None of them were worthy of comment. I would suggest moderation rather and abstinence as a plan. If is it strictly a calorie issue I would cut back a few more in the food area and enjoy a glass of good wine with what I did eat. On the ‘oak front’ I have always been more middle of the road. I have never thought of heavily oaked chards as anything but an interesting curiosity. Small tastes of them can be interesting but do always leave me wondering why anyone would do that to a wine. On the other hand I don’t have a problem with there being some clearly detectable oak influence in wines either if it adds to the complexity rather than whacks you up the side of the head. I did enjoy the article. It provided a lot of interesting reading though it gets pretty tedious with its charts by the end.
By MJ
January 5, 2006 10:58 PM | Link to this
For Cynthia - wish I had better news than this, but… Check out Robin Garr’s Wine Lover’s Page - cut and paste this url: http://www.wine-lovers-page.com/cgi-bin/quest/ga.cgi?q=62 It is a quick synopsis of non-alcoholic wines. The only three US producers, of any size, I believe are Ariel, Fre, and Inglenook St. Regis. Internationally, probably the best known is Carl Jung wines from Germany, but I can’t recall seeing those on the shelf anywhere in the Midwest. I’d go with a lower alcohol wine instead like a German Riesling Kabinett or QBA or a Moscato D’Asti from Italy if white wines will fit the bill.
By cathy
January 5, 2006 2:37 PM | Link to this
Madonna’s step-mom, Joanie (rhymes with Ciccone) is really a nice lady… I met her at the winery. I can’t help Cynthia with her query this time, but I have my own question: When is Fleurs de Fete 2006 scheduled? It isn’t posted on the Wellness Connection’s website yet. Thanks!