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Intense, Complex, Balanced Wines Expected from Monterey County
Save for a few almost raisin-like grapes clinging to vines in a handful of cold-climate regions — earmarked for sweet dessert wines — the wine grape harvest for 2015 is over in the Northern Hemisphere....
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A Merlot-Friendly Pork Loin Recipe
A pork loin often is served with Chardonnay, but because of the garlic and rosemary included in this recipe, this dish is absolutely sublime with Merlot — and do we have some exceptional Merlot pairing...
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Wines to Open With the Thanksgiving Feast
No matter what some wine pundits may say, there is no one “perfect” variety of wine to accompany the Thanksgiving holiday feast. So, what to do? Here are two basic strategies: Pour your favorite vino —...
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Wine Affinity: If You Like, You Might Like…
I was first exposed to the concept when I was writing the wine column for the Sonoma County Independent. The Independent was a weekly publication that would be categorized as an “alternative weekly.”...
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Can Champagne Help Prevent Alzheimer’s?
According to research conducted at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, the answer to the question posed in the above headline is: it’s possible. The University of Reading is ranked among...
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Wine Touring… and Animal Viewing… in Australia’s Pyrenees
The Pyrenees region of Australia — not to be confused with the Pyrenees mountain range that separates France and Spain — offers beautiful views, fresh country air and a welcoming climate for winegrape...
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Have a Zinful Good Time in California’s Lodi Region
Located between San Francisco and the Sierra Nevada mountains, Lodi wine country makes a great day trip — or a destination in its own right. Over the past decade, fourth- and fifth-generation...
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A Lesson Learned in the Pacific Northwest: All Great Wines Begin in the Vineyard
There are certain grape varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon (among reds) and Chardonnay (among whites) that take well to barrel fermentation. There are others, such as Riesling, that would have their...
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A Classic Pairing: Chicken Divan and White Wine
Many classic dishes, like Chicken Divan, are packed with fat and calories. That’s certainly true of the original version which, despite its French-sounding name, actually was created for a contest by a...
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Shafer Vineyards: A Star of the Stags Leap District
Shafer Vineyards traces its beginnings to 1972 when John Shafer left a 23-year career in the publishing industry and, with his family, moved to the Napa Valley to pursue a second career in wine. It was...
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5 Fun Facts About Chardonnay… Plus a Wine Story About Charlemagne
Emperor Charlemagne (who probably preferred the name Charles the Great) became the first Holy Roman Emperor in 800 A.D., culminating a career that had seen him unite most of Western Europe and serve as...
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Dutton-Goldfield Introduces Wine-and-Sushi Pairings
Wine may not be the first beverage that comes to mind when serving sushi. When it is, the wine typically conjured is Champagne because of its refreshing mouthfeel. But at Dutton-Goldfield Winery in...
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The Culinary Value of a Well-Made Wine
I was chatting with a winemaker who is based in southern Oregon the other day while we ran through four of his current releases. Because he has been both a full-time winemaker and a part-time...
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Take Me Out to the Ball Game: Missed Vinous Opportunities
Happy 5th of July! I hope you enjoyed some safe and sane fireworks last night, some quality time with family and friends, some good food and some good wine. Chances are, however, that the “good wine”...
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Kicking Off the Harvest Season in Carneros
The Tognetti-Bayview Vineyard in the Carneros region of California’s North Coast kicked off the 2016 grape harvest for sparkling wine specialist Schramsberg. The first grapes were brought in on August...
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4 Lessons Learned from an Amazing Grilled Cheese Sandwich
The mention of a grilled cheese sandwich in yesterday’s blog reminded me that during my last year living in Chicago, I had the opportunity to try Graham Elliot Bowles’ take on the American comfort food...
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How to Stock Your Home Wine Cellar (or Rack)
When you’re first “getting into” wine, learning about all the different varieties and growing regions and aging regimens and customs can be a daunting experience. At the very beginning of what, for...
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One More Reason to Love Lambrusco
So, remember last week’s blog about Lambrusco? There’s something I forgot to tell you. On average, Lambrusco has between 20 and 25 percent fewer calories than other wines you’re probably drinking on a...
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Wines for Celebrating National Taco Day
It’s pretty safe to say that the first taco I ever ate came from Taco Bell. Which would make perfect sense, since that chain is credited with introducing the taco to people across North America...
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Embracing Columbus’s Sense of Adventure
When I was growing up (which, admittedly, was a long, long time ago), we were taught that Christopher Columbus discovered America. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Perhaps you had to memorize the same...
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