NO LONGER SIPPING: wine bars. Lou on Vine, the LA wine bar and purveyor of “delightfully armpitty” wines, is closing after six years [ LAT ]. In Harlem, Nectar wine bar has closed. tasting sized poursSPIT: Metrokane’s The Rabbit. SIPPED: reading. That LA Times is dropping stars for restaurant reviews? MORE >>

I'd also like to invite you all to contribute any of your tasting notes this year, and wish to thank you for following so faithfully. Well, tomorrow will make it three years since I started this wine blog. I'm working to cover more topics in 2011 and maybe even explore other media like video. Happy New Year, Dave Trieger Vigna Uva Vino MORE >>

From the coffee threatdown files: Starbucks will extend its wine bar concept with up to seven locations in Chicago. tasting sized pours wine writingSIPPED: imitation as flattery? Make it a venti vino? SeattleTimes ]. SPIT: stinky reporting. ” [ wineoscope ]. ANNOUNCED: sequences. Jim's Loire ]. MORE >>

Michael Madrigale, who runs the innovative wine program at Bar Boulud , has put together some “silent movies&# that show his nightly by-the-glass pours from large format bottles. tasting sized poursSIPPED: silence. SPIT: recycling bin. WANTED: empty bottles of 1982 Lafite in “best condition possible.&# Price: 2,900 yuan. MORE >>

Thus stores (and bars ) can use the system for dispensing tasting sized pours of expensive wines, amortized over days. Tags: tasting sized pours CHUGGED: Dornfelder. Nothing says par-tay like 4,000 liters of Dornfelder! Or so a German chef thought when he partially filled a 140,000 liter barrel for the first time in 400 years. MORE >>