The Wine Minute with Jonathan Mitchell - Sake!

I love shopping in Japantown. Problem is I always end up buying the expensive sake! Today I got excited and bought 2 of my favorites, a Kikusui Junmai Ginjo (2nd highest level of rice polishing) and a Waketaki Junmai Daiginjo (the highest level of rice polishing).
These are both big, rich, and full-bodied sakes that will stand up to pretty much any foods. Drink them cold, my friends! Kanpai!

Wine Minute with Jonathan Mitchell, featuring Kurt Knutsson (The Cyber Guy)

Up at the Esquire House in the Hollywood Hills, I was shooting segments for KTLA's Kurt "The Cyberguy" Knutsson. I brought a couple of great wines to pair with music. One was Wente's "Riva Ranch" Chardonnay, which I paired with the new Dave Koz CD. They are both bright and sunny and would be great on a picnic up in wine country.
We had a blast shooting the segments and Kurt, being a fan of "The Wine Minute", offered to tape one for me. Here it is! What a guy! :-)

On the set with KTLA's Kurt "the Cyberguy" today @The Esquire House.

The Wine Minute. Finding the perfect wine to go with SPICY food!

One of the great perplexing wine questions of all time is WHAT wine goes with hot and spicy food? In this Wine Minute, I explain why Viognier  (VEE-OH-NYAY) is such a great match for Thai, Chinese, Mexican, etc.
The slight sweetness of a Viognier offsets the heat of the chilis. You don't believe me? Just try one. Let me know what you think.
And don't forget to have FUN with wine!!  :-)

The Wine Minute - Musigny Burgundy / Pinot Noir

2001 Musigny Crand Cru Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue - Here's a fantastic Burgundy selection! If you're not familiar with Burgundies, give this video a watch!  :-)

I am very lucky to be Musigny-worthy! The wine was paired with grilled mushroom pizza, and was to die for. Life's simple pleasures, right? Elegant Pinot Noir and pizza. A great combo. Have it today! And don't forget, Have FUN with wine!!

Me enjoying an incredible Burgundy

The Wine Minute, featuring Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva!

In this video, I pair one of my favorite Italian wines, Ruffino Riserva Ducale Gold,  with grilled Halibut and roasted garlic! The natural sweetness of roasted garlic really brings this Italian beauty to life. I highly recommend this combo! :-)

Cheers, and Buon Appetito!

Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva!

Grgich Hills Estate Chardonnay- Come GET some!

Vintage: 2007

If you haven’t had a bottle of Grgich chardonnay in a while, do yourself a favor and stop reading this right now and go buy a bottle, then come back and read this. Yeah, it’s okay. I’ll wait…

I have known about Grgich Hills wines for most of my adult life, yet for some reason, maybe because they were so readily available, I assumed they were common wines. A couple of years ago I sat down with the Southern California Grgich rep. for my restaurant and tasted through the lineup. Boy was I wrong!

The Grgich chardonnay straddles the perfect line between “old world” style fresh and  crisp and “new world” style rich and buttery! It is fresh and clean yet rich and full-bodied, with gorgeous apple, pear, and ripe melon notes.

The winemaker, Mike Grgich made headlines around the world in 1976, when his Chateau Montelena Chardonnay beat out all the great French white Burgundies in the “Tasting of Paris” contest. When it comes to chardonnay, he knows his stuff!

He also makes a dynamite Fume Blanc, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon. But don’t just take my word for it. Go GET some! Salut!

The “Original” Wine Minute

Here is the "original" Wine Minute with Jonathan Mitchell. I had this idea sitting around in my backyard one day with my new video camera. I thought since I spend so much time as a sommelier talking to people about wine, why not post some of my ideas on Youtube so I could reach more people? alas, TWM was born! :-)