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Article: It's Riesling Week!
Poor old Riesling. It's a noble grape and the genesis of some of the finest and most complex wines in the world. It is also incredibly versatile. Riesling is used to make everything from...
Article: Solving a Food and Wine Pairing Puzzle at Tadich Grill
Finding a good wine pairing for cioppino is a challenge. Cioppino is essentially a stew made with tomatoes, wine and all kinds of seafood — but always a lot of shellfish. There’s usu...
Article: Robert Mondavi Winery’s Garden to Table Experience Offers Fun, Food and Hands-On Culinary Instruction
Robert Mondavi is perhaps the most revered figure in the modern history of California...
Article: Avoiding Hometown Palate aka Throwing a Dinner Party
When Grand Prix motorcycle racers crash and go sliding down the track on their back, they have to be very careful when standing up. Their brain has become accustomed to the high speeds of...
Article: 2007 Wente Pinot Noir Reliz Creek Arroyo Seco
Wente Vineyards is known primarily for its Livermore Valley winery and vineyards. However, they have held vineyards in Monterey County for decades. The vast majority of...
Article: 1986 Ridge Petite Sirah Essence California
When you think of Ridge wine, you probably think of either their balanced and flavorful Zinfandel-based wines or their iconic Bordeaux-inspired Monte Bello red blends. Perhaps...
Article: 2006 Robert Mondavi Winery Sauvignon Blanc I Block, To Kalon Vineyard Oakville, Napa Valley
The To Kalon Vineyard in Napa Valley’s Oakville District was established shortly after the end of the American Civil War. H.W. Crabb, an Ohio native who had come west to mine for gold but switched to farming after 6 months, bought land there in 1...
Article: 2005 Tayerle Troubador
Tayerle is a small wine brand which sources grapes and then makes the wines at facilities in Oakland, Paso Robles and Sonoma. Founder Loren Tayerle has worked on the...
Article: 2008 Blackstone Zinfandel Winemaker’s Select California
The 2008 Blackstone Zinfandel Winemaker’s Select is solid yet inexpensive wine that is worthy of serious consideration for your backyard BBQs or “pizza and a...
Article: 2008 Olson Ogden Marsanne Margaret’s Mandate Stagecoach Vineyard Napa Valley
As Summer approaches many wine enthusiasts start moving from red to white. That doesn’t have to mean a steady diet of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc though. There’s a wide variety of... varieties from which to choose. Whether you’re looking for a solo...
Article: 2000 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
I perused our wine cellar Friday night looking for a versatile red wine. I wanted one with fairly moderate alcohol to bring to dinner that night in Livermore at the
Article: 2007 Ravenswood Zinfandel Vintners Blend California
It’s always nice to be able to recommend wines that are below $10 because they are just plain good, rather than “good for the money.” I tasted the 2007 Ravenswood...
Article: 2008 Paraiso Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands
I first tried this wine during a tasting room survey of the Santa Lucia Highlands. I tasted several very good wines that day. However, the 2008 Paraiso Pinot Noir Santa...
Article: Wine of the Day: 2008 JUSTIN Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles
After a brief hiatus due to a schedule that didn’t allow for careful, blind tasting of wine, we’re back with our daily wine reviews. First up is the 2008 JUSTIN Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles. I tasted this in a blind flight of six Cabernet Sau...
Article: 5 Thoughts on a Day of Wine Tasting in Napa Valley
I spent a full day wine tasting in Napa Valley yesterday. I didn’t have any particular events there I needed to attend or people I had to meet. I went with a couple of industry friends who h...
Article: Wine of the Day: 2000 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Napa Valley
I was at The Jacksonville Inn on Saturday night thinking rib-eye and looking for an appropriate wine. The Jacksonville Inn is a restaurant,...
Article: Wine of the Day: 1996 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard
When I’m at New Sammy’s Cowboy Bistro in Talent, Oregon, I like to take advantage of their extensive but extremely reasonably priced wine list by drinking great aged wines. The last time I was there, I drank their last bottle of 198...
Article: Hospice du Rhone 2010 Auction and Realized Prices
A lot of wine events these days include silent auctions. These auctions typically help sustain the non-profit organizations putting on the event and are therefore quite important. And sometimes...
Article: 2007 Pinot Noir Woodenhead Buena Tierra Vineyard Russian River Valley
Woodenhead is a Russian River Valley winery that mostly makes Pinot Noir, though they also release a few Zinfandel wines. Woodenhead says that their winemaking is...
Article: 2005 Swanson Vineyards Merlot Oakville, Napa Valley
2005 is the final vintage of Swanson Merlot to include Syrah in the blend. The winemaker, Chris Phelps, believes that the Syrah tended to be too...