Exploring the menu of life.
Every so often, you taste a wine that — to borrow a word from beer circles — is a “session” wine. You can drink it aaalllll day— in sessions by the pool, on the patio or on the couch. Sip after sip, it keeps on giving and never gets tedious. Occasionally, Sauvignon Blanc ... Read More »
Up the road from where I live in California is a winery that continues to impress, vintage after vintage: Dry Creek Vineyard. I did a search on my website and I’ve written about them seven times in the past eight years. That’s a lot, considering the number of wineries on this earth I could ... Read More »
A wine from Robert Mondavi needs no introduction. Their (in)famous family has been producing wines for decades in Napa Valley and their family feuds filled the gossip columns in wine mags for years. When they were acquired by the behemoth conglomerate Constellation Brands in 2004, I worried if the ... Read More »
Sometimes less alcohol goes a long way. Imagine sitting by the pool or enjoying a spring picnic with some cool white wine in the GoVino or plastic wine glass. Less alcohol will allow you to enjoy this scene a bit longer — lingering over tasty snacks or ogling the people at the pool. Kinda dreamy, ... Read More »
Many people bemoan the cost of drinking juice hailing from the great granddaddy of wine regions, France. Yes, Bordeaux and Burgundy reign as the pièce de résistance of vin from this country but when you pull your almost empty wallet out of these collectors’ areas many bargains can be grabbed.
Take ... Read More »
Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand’s white wine darling, was born in France’s Bordeaux region. But New Zealand put this grape on the American map, no matter what people say. And Matua Valley figured out how to bottle the New Zealand Sauv Blanc essence for less than $10. Impressive.
This ... Read More »
I remember the first time I tasted Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc — a sticky summer day on the patio at my favorite Tampa wine bar, Wine Exchange, circa 2000. A friend in the wine business bought us the bottle, saying that New Zealand Sauv Blancs would be the next big thing. He was right. This island ... Read More »
The 2010 vintage in Sonoma County was super cool. And I don’t mean it wore awesome shades and sported the latest fashions — but cold like in France’s Bordeaux region. The heat index just didn’t quite get high enough to ripen grapes to the point of super fruitiness with floral ... Read More »
Hess Collection is more known for its rich and extracted red wines (especially Cabs), but they a make mean white. The Allomi Vineyard sits at the base of Howell Mountain in a remote area of Napa Valley, spending its days in tourist-free peace. It’s an enviable spot. Can you say secret, trespassing ... Read More »
The Clif Family — yes, the same people who make the cand…er… “nutrition” bars — started making wine in 2004 after moving to Napa Valley. Like their bars, they source from sustainably and organically-grown vineyards (link) in northern California. Winemakers Sarah ... Read More »
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 »