Wines of the Month

 

Pinotage (The Signature Grape of South Africa)

 

Diemersfontein  2009

 

Sultry, Heady & Tantalizingly Delicious!

 

(Wellington, South Africa.)/$18-$22

 

The Pinotage grape is a cross between the Pinot Noir and the Hermitage (aka Cinsault) grapes – and it was created by a Stellenbosch University Professor of Enology, A. I. Perold, in 1925.  This hallmark expression of Pinotage is characterized by not-so-subtle hints of roasted coffee and dark chocolate…and it has earned so much praise and achieved so much popularity that a number of cognoscenti attribute this highly distinctive version of Pinotage from David Sonnenberg with having saved and lifted Pinotage from longstanding commercial obscurity.  Folks, not all Pinotage will taste like this…or be this amazingly wonderful…so seek this one out and give it a whirl.  Once you do…I’m certain of two things – 1) you too will be singing its praise — and 2) it won’t be your last bottle.  http://www.diemersfontein.co.za/

 

 

 

Petite Sirah   

 

Villa San-Juliette Vineyard & Winery 2009

 

Rich, Intense, Sensuous, & Succulent

 

(Paso Robles, CA)/$9-$12

 

Believe it or not, this amazing winery is the brainchild of Simon Lythgoe (of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance fame) and his business partner Ken Warwick.  After a few early years of trials and tribulations (all documented in the TV Reality Show Corkscrewed: The Wrath of Grapes), VSJ is now producing a collection of stunning wines…with this luscious Petite Sirah heading up my list of favorites!  Nigel and Ken had the insight and wisdom to simply hire the best.  And that’s exactly what they did in landing “Mr. California Winemaker” himself…the incomparable Adam LaZarre.  Indeed, after a near decade of heading up winemaking at the hugely successful Hahn Estates, Adam has found a new home “and piece of heaven” on the 168 acres that define

 

 

 

Villa San-Juliette. This intensely flavored vintage – that LaZarre affectionately refers to as Blueberry Motor Oil — is 85% Petite Sirah and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and it was aged for 16 months in a combination of new and neutral French oak.  For the money…around $10 everywhere…it’s literally one of the best varietal wines I’ve had — period!

 

http://www.villasanjuliette.com/

 

 

 

Carménère (Chile’s Signature Grape)

 

Alma de Chile   Private Reserve  2008

 

Deep, Dark and Devilishly Delectable!

 

(Aconcagua Valley, Chile)/$12-$14

 

From vineyards nestled amongst the rich and fertile foothills of the Andes Mountains, this 100% Carménère is a meticulously crafted exemplar of Chile’s Signature grape.  With fruit grown on small family vineyards by descendants of the acclaimed Don Francisco de Rojas winemaking family, this delightfully sultry and spicy rendition was produced in partnership with the Vincente family and Viña San Esteban.  With nine months of attended aging in a 50/50 combination of new French and American oak, the result is an award-winning Carménère that will tickle and tantalize the most refined and demanding of palates!  http://www.almadechile.com/newsite/aboutus.html

 

 

 

Shiraz   (The Signature Grape of Australia — known typically as Syrah in most other countries)

 

hazyblur  Kangaroo Island  2006

 

Luscious, Succulent & Simply Stupendous!

 

(Virginia, South Australia)/$30–$35 — Inspired by the sight of a blurry haze, “hazyblur” Shiraz was born, and suddenly — the world was a better place!  As a boutique winery with limited production, owners and founders, Ross and Robyne Trimboli, specialize in crafting artisanal wines that bear their personal attention…from vine to vessel. This spectacular 100% Shiraz — which was aged for 16 months in an 80% used combination of American and French oak — is no exception…and it serves up “sinfully delicious!”  This one’s a keeper that you might not want to share!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well a Very Happy NEW Year to all my readers, supporters, clients and friends. It’s been a crazy year with travels to the home of the worlds largest oilsands deposits- Ft McMurray, Alberta. My father was inducted into the local Hockey Hall of Fame with the Ft McMurray Oil Barons as founder of the team. A proud son  I am. I can’t leave out the summer excursion with my wife and two terrific kids up to Torch Lake in Northern Michigan. If you haven’t been there add it to your bucket list. Simply a sensational lake and also ranked as one of the top lakes in the world.

Last but not least was the family event of the year to Disney World. Totally worth it. My kids had the time of their life. My son keeps wanting to back to the “Tower of Terror” he just turned 5.

As for us here at Jeff Dicks Real Estate have a fabulous 2012. We look for to helping you Buy or Sell a home here in the Triangle area of North Carolina. Check out the daily headlines for December 30th/2012

TOP NEWS • Spain to fire opening salvos in austerity drive Spain’s centre-right government will announce billions of euros in savings measures, using its first decrees since sweeping to power at November elections to give the nation a foretaste of tougher austerity to come.

• China’s factories falter, pro-growth policies eyed China’s factory activity shrank again December as demand at home and abroad slackened, a purchasing managers’ survey showed, reinforcing the case for pro-growth policies to underpin the world’s second-largest economy. • Colombia sells state-run power firm for $415 million Canadian-owned BCIF Holding Colombia S.A.S. has won a bid to acquire a Colombian state-owned power company for around $415 million, the country’s finance ministry said on Thursday. • HSH Nordbank sues Ally, JPM over mortgage losses German lender HSH Nordbank has sued several banks, including Ally Financial and JPMorgan Chase, over losses on $130.2 million in mortgage bond investments, according to court documents.

 

Wake County Realtors need to pay attention to the new choice-based student assignment plan and how it may affect a homebuyers decision. The new plan goes into effect in 2012 and does away with automatic assignments to a specific school based on home address. Application’s begin Jan 17th/12 and the second round March 19th/12 for new arrivals, those who forget to apply and whom are not happy with their first assignment.  After April 9th/12 walk-in registration will be taken. Those relocating to the Wake County area of North Carolina should go to the Wake County Public School website for further details about the new plan.

If your relocating to Wake County and searching for Raleigh Real estate, or
Wake Forest Homes. Please contact us at Jeff Dicks Real Estate– Keller Williams

Two weeks until Christmas!  The end of the year is here and of course there is a
lot of talk of what the new year brings.  Here is a quick update of some of the
changes that could come about:

1) Once again the talk about increasing fees for FHA back loans.  If you
remember FHA is require to hold a certain amount in reserves and for the last
few years they have been well short of that amount.  Even though the recent
increase in fees has helped replenish the reserve fund, the forecast for more
defaults and costs has FHA saying they might have to raise the fees again.  The
rumors are that people with lower credit scores will be getting hit with most of
the increase. Borrowers know this could be on the way!! So make a move
now before costs increase even more.

2) After numerous attempts to lower the VA upfront fee, it now has been
restored to their original amounts until 2016.  So no decreases for VA
borrowers.  This program still remains one of the best programs available.

3) Is Fannie and Freddie on their way out?  The Mortgage Finance Act of
2011 if passed would create a new FDIC-like guarantee facility and once it
establishes value will be privatized.  This is one of the better plans that has
been introduced because this will allow a QRM (Qualified Residential Mortgage)
to only have 5% down payment.  The current QRM part of the Dodd/Frank Bill calls
for a 20% down payment for a QRM which will obviously hurt a already fragile
housing market if Freddie and Fannie are eliminated.  There is a lot involved in
order to eliminate Freddie and Fannies so we will see how all this plays
out.

4) Finally the major market mover…how will EU leaders handle their
financial mess and what affect will it have on the rest of the world.

Have a great week!

Chris Blount

Courtesy of Jeff Dicks Real Estate Keller Williams Realty

Search Raleigh Real Estate or Heritage Wake Forest Homes

 

The Wake Forest Board of Commissioners has approved a smoking ban in all Town parks and greenways, except in specifically designated areas.

The board adopted the ordinance last month during it sregular monthly meeting, joining a growing number of communities that have forbidden smoking in public parks. The smoking ban is designed to help reduce curb exposure to secondhand smoke and reduce litter.

The ban takes place immediately and includes a possible $50 fine. Signage will be posted throughout the Town’s parks and greenways informing visitors of the new ordinance.

Enforcement will take the form of requesting voluntary compliance. However, if a smoker does not extinguish a smoking product, park staff will remind them of the new policy and could request exiting the property if they choose to continue smoking. For more information about the smoking ban, contact Parks and Recreation Director Ruben Wall at 919-435-9561.

Courtesy of Jeff Dicks Real Estate

Wake Forest Homes For Sale

Heritage Wake Forest Homes

Very rarely do I have something at the tip of my tongue not be thankful for. The years continue to roll along and my kids continue to get taller as I shrink. I’m often reminded by my lovely wife Christine that we are very fortunate and as I like to say life gives you lemons if you continue to complain of life’s challenges.

I came across a snippet of Jon Gordon’s work today that I couldn’t help but share.

They are two words that have the power to transform our health, happiness, athletic performance and success. Research shows that grateful people are happier and more likely to maintain good friendships. A state of gratitude, according to research by the Institute of HeartMath, also improves the heart’s rhythmic functioning, which helps us to reduce stress, think more clearly under pressure and heal physically. It’s actually physiologically impossible to be stressed and thankful at the same time. When you are grateful you flood your body and brain with emotions and endorphins that uplift and energize you rather than the stress hormones that drain you.

Gratitude and appreciation are also essential for a healthy work environment. In fact, the number one reason why people leave their jobs is because they don’t feel appreciated. A simple thank you and a show of appreciation can make all the difference.

Gratitude is like muscle. The more we do with it the stronger it gets- Jon Gordon

Take note and you may just survive the holidays…….and beyond

 

Jeff Dicks

Jeff Dicks Real Estate

 

But while Canadian investors can get a glimpse of a wide variety of properties in the U.S., Europe and Brazil with the newly launched website, Canadian properties are not included.

The NAR said nearly 2.6 million international visitors searched for U.S. real estate alone on Realtor.com, with Canadians leading the list, followed by visitors from the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and India. The international site, www.Realtor.com/International, launched last week.

The site will not only allow Realtors to offer their expertise and knowledge to a broader knowledge, but also bring buyers and sellers together on a more global scale, said NAR President Ron Phipps.

“Foreign buyers understand the value of owning a home in the U.S. and can rely on a Realtor because of their global perspective and understanding of different cultures and real estate practices,” he said. “This collaboration with Move.com is just one of many ways Realtors can expand and grow their business globally.”

With Canadians leading the surge in U.S. purchases by foreign buyers, much of the sales focus has been on warmer, coastal states recently. The NAR said Arizona, California, Florida and Texas accounted for 58% of all U.S. residential transactions completed by international buyers.

Visitors to the NAR site can search properties for 11 countries in 11 languages. Along with the U.S. and Brazil, the site offers listings for France, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Serbia. Listings range from the multi-million price range to some homes for well under $10,000. A simple search variation allows prices to be listed in Canadian dollars.

Rentals are also offered on the site.

Canadian Real Estate- Editorial Team

Courtesy of Jeff Dicks Real Estate   View Triangle area Investment Properties

Get Picky — Insist on a Stickie!  

A couple of months ago, I wrote about sweet red wines…and
the rather curious…but nonetheless latest and greatest craze in the ever-changing
world of wine.  And guess what! Their
numbers have only mushroomed in the past few months!

 

Be that as it may, I thought I’d capitalize on the
obvious and burgeoning popularity of all things sugary and write a bit about the
true nobility of sweet wines…the “Stickies!”
Known commonly as dessert wines, Stickies
are exquisitely flavorful nectars that are simply God’s way of illustrating
organoleptic perfection!  

 

The never-miss-a-chance-to-coin-a-new-word
larrikin Aussies are recognized to have first minted the clever but definitive term
Stickie…a nickname befitting the
unctuous, syrupy — and yes — sticky nature that is common to dessert
wines.  To be technically factual, it’s
necessary for me to declare that the original use of “Stickies” first referred to Australian dessert wines made from
white grapes…but prone as we humans are to beg, borrow and steal a great idea,
the term Stickie these days is pretty
much a universally acceptable reference to all syrupy sweet dessert wines…from
Ports to Ice Wines.

 

Primo Stickies From
Around the World

Would it surprise you to learn that “really sweet” wines
are thought to be the earliest consistently-made and consumed types of wine?
There appear to be a number of reasons for that, but chief among them is that high
sugar levels minimized the negative impact of oxidation and helped preserve wines
for very long periods of time.   One of
the world’s oldest and most respected Stickies
is an ancient wine from Cyprus known as Commandaria…a
Stickie that dates back some 4000
years…and a wine that

was revered by the Knights Templar in the 12^th
Century.  It’s also known as one of the
world’s “noblest” Stickies for the
distinction it was

afforded by King Richard the Lionheart when celebrating
his marriage to Berengaria of Navarre.
He declared Commandaria to be the “Wine of Kings and the King of Wines.”

 

Other famous Stickies
of the world are the fabled Sauternes from Bordeaux, the Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eisweins
of Germany and Austria, the Ice Wines of
Canada and the US Finger Lakes, the Tokaji/Tokay
wines from Hungary and Slovakia, Vin
Santo from Italy, and the “fortified” Ports
and Sherries of Portugal and Spain respectively.

 

And Not to Be Forgotten…the
Also-rans!

There are countless other Stickies of distinction, for just about every winery will have a Stickie made from one or more of the grapes
they grow.  That said, Stickies get that way by one of five
basic methods: from grapes being infected
with Noble Rot, aka Botrytis cinerea, a harmless fungus that dries and
shrivels ripened grapes such that sugars, acids and flavors are intensely concentrated;
from non-infected grapes frozen on the vine such
that water is frozen but sugars and other dissolved solids are not…which
produces a more concentrated and flavorful must to be pressed; from non-infected grapes frozen after being
picked…which also produces a highly concentrated and flavorful must;
from non-infected very ripe to “raisined” grapes that are
picked far later than usual…which allows for a range of concentrated sugars,
acids and flavors (called Late Harvest
wines); or the Granddaddy of approaches – from grapes that have been dried (on or off-vine)…whose concentrated
flavors run from fruity to nutty.  Can
you say CA-CHING?!

 

A Stickie’s ultimate character is also tempered by the variety of grape(s)
involved, the addition of sweeteners (sugar, honey etc.) and aging
techniques.  Finally…for those who’ve never ended a meal with a Port,
an Eiswein or a goblet of gold from
Sauternes, you really do need to get with the program!  Pricey? Yes!
Worth it? You betcha’

A Festive Flight of

Fat Day Favorites!

White

Chardonnay

Big Vines   2009

Refined, Vibrant, Elegant, and
Mouth-watering!

(Carneros — Napa Valley, CA)  $12-$14 – First and foremost, this bright and
fruity Chardonnay expression is a “dreamboat of a wine!”  Then there’s the Big Vines pedigree — that
not only involves exquisite fruit from idyllic terroir but craftsmanship
overseen by two of Napa’s brightest winemaking stars — Michael Beaulac and
Scott McLeod (Wine Enthusiast’s 2009 Winemaker of the Year as well as the
doting genius behind both Rubicon Estate and Francis Coppola wines for 18
years).   Aged in stainless steel with no
malolactic fermentation, the result is a fruit-forward, beautifully balanced
and delicious wine that will both delight your senses and leave you with fond
memories.  This is Chardonnay as God
intended it to be…and for the life of me, I don’t know how Big Vines can sell
it for such an affordable price.    http://www.bigvinewines.com/

 

Reds

Valdiguié

J. Lohr Estates Wildflower   2010

A Fruit-forward, Soft & Supple Jewel
of a Wine!

(Arroyo Seco Appellation – Monterey,  CA)/$10-$12 When it comes to describing this
little gem of a wine, WOW is the best word that comes to mind.  While there might be a handful of other
California wineries that produce this deliciously fruity and slightly off-dry
wine, no one makes it better than J. Lohr’s renowned “red wine winemaker” Steve
Peck.  Reminiscent of the famed Crus from
Beaujolais — Morgon, Fleurie and Moulin-a-Vent –all made from the famously
luscious Gamay grape…this wine used to be called “Napa Gamay” until the Bureau of Alcohol, Tax and Firearms prohibited
the use of that term in 2007.  Instead, US
producers must now use the actual name of the grape — Valdiguié – a once-popular but now obscure varietal from the
Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France.  This
Vintage is 100% Valdiguié and about
20% of the

 

 

wine was produced using Carbonic
Maceration, where whole grape clusters are fermented together and without
benefit of added yeast.  It’s a
winemaking technique that features the fruit, achieves lower tannin levels and
results in a soft, supple and luscious wine.
It reminds me of the

German Dornfelder…the red grape (and wine)
for people who say they don’t like red wine!
It’s also one of the most versatile wines you’ll ever experience!   It’s the perfect “new wine” to try this
Thanksgiving!  I guarantee you’ll love
it!   http://www.jlohr.com/

 

Gamay

Georges Duboeuf   Beaujolais
Nouveau   2011

Fruity, Floral, Soft, and Yummy! 

(Beaujolais AOC–Romaneche-Thorins, FR)/$9-$12 Duboeuf’s
Beaujolais Nouveau is a perennial Thanksgiving crowd pleaser and one of the
best wine values you’ll find…period!
Look for the 2011 release on the traditional third Thursday of November
–which falls on the 17^th this year.
Also…be sure to call your retailer and reserve your fair share!

http://duboeuf.com/

 

Cabernet Sauvignon

Big Vines   2009

Superbly Supple, Sinfully Sensuous and
Stunning!  

(Napa Valley, CA)/$16-$18– It’s not
every day that I discover a refined and elegant classic Cabernet at such a
modest price point.  A Tasting Panel I recently
hosted unanimously judged this to be a $50 Cab – and as much as I wanted to let
them believe in my “generosity”… I buckled and let them know the truth. Medium
bodied, gorgeously translucent and beautifully balanced, this little gem still
has the legs of a Rockette and a finish that lasts through two big chews from a
French baguette!  If ever there was a
Cabernet that illustrates “typicity”…the extent to which a wine exhibits the taste
attributes of is varietal foundation…this 2009 Big Vines Cab is that wine!  With 50% of the fruit sourced from vineyards
in renowned Rutherford, 30% from Atlas Peak and 20% from Coombsville, it was
rested for 18 months in 30% new French oak.
Yum!  I can hardly wait to get that
next bottle!      http://www.bigvinewines.com/

Rick Davis

Courtesy of Jeff Dicks Real Estate

Heritage Wake Forest Homes For Sale

“Following last week’s euphoria over the European Summit plan, investors are
in a more skeptical mood this week,” said BMO Capital Markets. “In our view,
while the plan will help contain the risk of a European banking crisis and
financial contagion to other countries, it falls well short of resolving the
crisis.”

So Treasuries are starting off the day stronger as more investors are seeking
safety over riskier stocks.  This will allow us to see a little bit of
improvement in rates today.

Rate
update.  Remember these are start rates…credit score, LTV, and other factors
go into final rate.

30yr
Fixed rate 4.125%  APR 4.229%

15 yr
Fixed rate 3.5%  APR 3.765%

5/1 Arm
3.125%   APR 3.207%

30 yr
FHA Fixed 3.75%  APR 4.113%

Have a
fun and safe Halloween!

 

Chris Blount
Branch Manager
Integrity Mortgage/AES Lending

Courtesy Jeff Dicks Real Estate

Raleigh Homes Market Update