My last post heralded a sudden change in my luck. Over the years I’ve been consistently unfortunate in playing games of chance such as bingo, raffles, or the lottery. That’s why I was surprised (shocked) to come up a winner twice in the past month, first for a set of tools from Avina Wine Accessories, and then a quartet of glasses crafted by Luigi Bormioli … Continue reading Winning! Part 2: Luigi Bormioli Italian Glassware
Last September, I was lucky enough to tag along with the #winestudio gang as it visited the Mendoza vineyards of Achaval-Ferrer. As you might suspect, the focus of that virtual voyage was Malbec, the Bordeaux grape that has reinvented itself in the southern hemisphere, wooing wine lovers with its ripe fruit flavors and budget-friendly prices. What most surprised me during our four-week adventure though, was … Continue reading Mendoza Beyond Malbec – The Vineyards of Achaval-Ferrer (#winestudio)
Come a certain hour (five o’clock, anyone?) I bet most of us look forward to uncorking a bottle of our favorite wine and celebrating a productive day. But what about those pesky, early-morning hours? You know, when our palates are sharpest and can distinguish nuances of flavor that might be lost on us later in the day. After all, it’s the reason most official wine … Continue reading Wine Lovers and Tea: A Natural Match
As one of the first wineries to receive an operating license after prohibition, the Meeker Vineyard could be considered a member of Dry Creek Valley’s old guard, a testament to tradition in one of the most-respected American Viticultural Areas (AVAs.) The Meeker family traces its winemaking roots back to the 1980s, when Charlie Meeker (then a Hollywood film producer) and his wife Molly … Continue reading Dry Creek Valley Delights: The Meeker Vineyard (#WineStudio)
The first week of December brought lots of excitement, including a spirited celebration of #CabFrancDay engineered and hosted by Lori Hoyt Budd of Dracaena Wines. For those of us who love the grape as well as those who are new to it, Cab Franc Day served as an interactive forum in which we all expanded our knowledge. We learned about new producers in classic regions; … Continue reading Super Fast, Super Good – Sausage and Potato Pan Roast with Dracaena Wines Cab Franc (and a few other match-ups!) #WinePW
It’s Cabernet Franc Day! December 4 has been designated International Cabernet Franc Day – a move sure to please lovers of the grape, which is often overshadowed by its more famous offspring, Cabernet Sauvignon. As one of the primary grapes of Bordeaux, Cab Franc shares top billing with Merlot in the soft, elegant wines of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol, arguably the stars of Right Bank … Continue reading Cabernet Franc – Brilliant Soloist, Essential Ensemble Member (#CabFrancDay)
November 24th is International Carmenère Day! Are you familiar with the history of this grape, most closely identified these days with Chile? Well, it hails from the Médoc region of Bordeaux, for starters. But back in the late 1800s, when the phylloxera louse laid waste to the vineyards of France, many winemakers set sail for South America in an effort to rebuild their dreams of … Continue reading Carmenère: A Case of Mistaken Identity or “What’s Franc Got to Do with It?”
