Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock (750 ml, $15) lives up to its name but is balanced and flavorful. Two good values in Sherry, the medium intensity Dry Sack ($15) and Dry Sack 15 ($26), a complex, rich Oloroso. Grand Duque de Alba “Solera Gran Reserva” ($46), a smooth, rich Spanish brandy sporting deep aromas and flavors of nuts, caramel, butterscotch and brown spices. Lovers of cream liqueurs should skip the Baileys and seek out Crema de Alba ($25). Remy Martin 1989 Vintage Cognac is truly special and rare with rich, complex aromas and flavors and “only” $300 a bottle! You think that’s expensive? The amazingly concentrated and complex The Macallan 55 Year Old Single Malt Scotch is bottled in Lalique crystal and rings in at $12,000, which, come to think of it, makes the little splash I had worth about $240!
For more information, check out: http://www.foodandwine.com/promo/classic/
I first became interested in wine while I worked in numerous liquor stores during college in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. In the years following college, I researched, tasted, traveled to vineyards in California and Europe, participated in countless tastings. I began writing about wine in 1995 with a column in Out Front Colorado.
For me, wine is more than a drink. It is food. It is a connection to the earth. It is culture. There is just something amazing, even magical, about the transformation of grapes into wine. It is also remarkable how drinking wine with food enhances the taste and enjoyment of both. Appreciation of wine has become an integral part of my approach to life, which emphasizes balance, respect for nature, physical and emotional health, and an appreciation of our nature as social beings. In 2006, I was awarded a fellowship to the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers. 
From Jacques Pepin to Booby Flay, quite the ensemble at the FWC this year! Now if I could just get my hands on that Remy Martin….Temecula has it’s own version of a FWC that I plan on attending this year. 22 wines paired by local chefs. Maybe not as swank, but hopefully just as great!
Can’t wait to taste the chocolate bock from Samual Adams later in the year. Hopefully the cost will be less than $15! Wow it was great to ‘see you’ in the photos. Great to read as well.
Cari, if you do get your hands on a bottle of that Remy, you have to share! Cathy Jo, the Chocolate Bock really is delish and, at least it’s a750 ml bottle.