Decoding a Wine Label – Part 1
I was having dinner recently with friends who happen to be wine novices. They enjoy wine, love trying new things and are learning what they do and don’t like about both red and whites. But most of all, they are very interested in increasing their wine knowledge. I mentioned...
Who are Crljenak Kastelanski and Tribidrag?
It’s our good friend, Mr. Zinfandel. Thought to be a native California grape, Zinfandel’s origins actually belong to the country of Croatia. The varietal also spread it’s wings to southern Italy, where it is grown and known as Primitivo....
2016 Michael David Petite Petit
You want them big? You want them hearty? When it comes to this value gem, there is nothing petite about this rocking beauty. Deep Purple in color and jammin’ like the band of the same name, the depth of dark fruit like blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry, blueberry and...
Cline Cellars Critters
At Cline Cellars in the Sonoma Valley, instead of pesticides and herbicides, 1500 sheep and 500 goats roam the vineyards, tasked with removing invasive weeds. In spring, they munch on new growth between the vine rows. During summer months, sheep clear the weeds from the vineyard floor while chomping...
Wine – Change is in the Air?
Why doesn’t a particular wine, from the same varietal, grown in the same vineyard, produced by the same vintner, taste consistently the same year after year? Your favorite Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay or Pinot Noir from 1999 to 2001 or 2015 to 2016. Any number of factors could challenge this...
What grape varietals make up Spanish Cava?
The 3 main grapes that are in Spain’s famous sparkling wine are Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parelleda. But in some instances, Chardonnay is now being included in some blends. A stark difference from true French Champagne which uses Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier exclusively. Cheers!...
2017 Drylands Sauvignon Blanc
With warmer temperatures right around the corner, it’s almost time to shutter the hearty red wines and start thinking Spring and Summer. Be gone Old Man Winter, to us that means enjoying warm sunshine, blue skies, whites and roses. It’s not hard to find a crisp and citrusy New...
Wine Punch Down
You can always recognize a winemaker during harvest by the purple arm he has for weeks on end. During wines initial fermentation, a solid cap forms from skin, seed and stem solids rising to the top. This cap must be broken a 2 to 4 times a day to...
Wine Myth’s ??? Part 2
#6…. Removing The Cork And Letting The Wine Breath Makes It Taste Better…. By simply removing the cork from a bottle of wine and letting it sit upright for as long as you feel necessary has little or no effect on the taste of the wine. It would be...
Did You Know……. Fact #5
That German producer Schloss Johannisberg hosts the oldest Riesling vines in the world, first planted in 1720. The winery dates back to 768 AD when their first harvest yielded a mere 6 liters of wine. This property is so renowned, it was once purchased by Napoleon in 1806....