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The J Vineyards 2010 Pinot Gris has a fabulously creamy mouthfeel but offers up a snappy, crisp finish. Medium-bodied and dangerously easy to slurp on a hot day. Aromas of honeyed peach, red apple and honeydew melon follow onto the tongue with a splash of lemon and ripe apricots. Almost Viognier-like in body and flowery aroma but with a lot more food-friendly acidity. Gorgeously well made and now, thankfully easy to find. Read more: Wine review: J Vineyards 2010 Pinot Gris California When I look at wine lists in Italian restaurants, it’s tragic that the Chiantis are are so damn expensive. Even for the lowest “Chianti” classification (what’s this?). I simply refuse to pay $40 restaurant pricing for something worth $15. So the other night, feeling the urge to spend more wisely, I ordered something a little different to pair with my savory red sauce, a Rosso di Montalcino. Read more: Wine review: Il Poggione 2008 Rosso di Montalcino Tuscany is home to Chianti, likely the most famous wine region on the planet. The straw baskets have been discarded for sleek bottles and modern winemaking went mainstream here about 20-25 years ago. Santa Cristina, made by Italy’s Antinori wine family, is most definitely part of this modern revolution yet still maintains a traditional Chianti style. Read more: Wine review: Santa Christina 2009 Chianti Superiore Proving that Petite Sirah is on the way up in the wine circles, J Lohr is confident enough in this grape’s popularity to produce a single-vineyard offering — from the warm growing region of Paso Robles. Read more: Wine review: J Lohr 2008 Petite Sirah Tower Road Paso Robles Dry Creek Valley grows some of the best Zinfandel in California and Quivira lies in the middle of it all. When I visited their biodynamically-farmed vineyards in Sonoma County a few years ago, I was pretty awed with everything they produced. Read more: Wine review: Quivira 2008 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley In Europe, gender equality in the wine world still hovers in the Middle Ages, but strong-willed females have made progress. In 1975, Maria Martinez, a warm-hearted yet tough survivor, began her wine career in Spain’s Rioja region. After only four years of working in the cellars, she earned her spot among the esteemed winemaker ranks, and has since been crowned “the Queen of Rioja” as the head winemaker at highly respected, 135-year-old Bodegas Montecillo. For the average wine drinker, a grape is a grape. That is, if a bottle’s label says Pinot Noir, then that’s the grape the wine sprang from. ‘Nuff said. But geeky swillers know there are rules which allow for minimal percentages of a given grape to be labeled by its variety. But what most people have not been schooled on is that for almost all grapes, like the clans of West Virginia, there are many different clonal cousins of said grape. Read more: Send in the clones: Wine grapes and their offspring Of all the French wine regions, Alsace (ALL sass) is the easiest to understand. Unlike other regions, it labels its bottles by varietal name, making the selection — and pronunciation — less problematic. This Pinot Gris from Zind Humbrecht is nearly perfect. Read more: Wine review: Zind Humbrecht 2009 Pinot Gris Full-bodied and elegant, La Craie Vouvray explodes with fragrant fruit: peaches and apricots drizzled with honey, earthy chamomile. It has a burst of sweetness on the tongue but finishes dry and luscious. The best of both worlds. Read more: Wine review: La Craie 2009 Vouvray This California winery boasts a fantastically talented French winemaker who crafts decidedly European-style white and red wines. In essence: food wines with more acidity. This is a “grown-up” Sauvignon Blanc. Read more: Wine review: Matanzas Creek 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma (California) |
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