Wine of the Day: Bruno Paillard Champagne Brut Premiere Cuvée

This cuvée is a perennial favorite – It’s refined, ebullient, and balanced  Disclosure: This wine was provided to me as a media sample. I received no compensation for this post, and all opinions presented are my own. This wine is a blend of exclusively first pressing – the purest juice – Pinot Noir (45%), Chardonnay (33%) and Pinot Meunier (22%), part…

It’s Time To Go Beyond The Last Course with Sweet Bordeaux Wines #GoGoldenBordeaux

We tend to think of the sweet wines of Bordeaux as dessert wines and as a “classic” pairing for foie gras. However, many of these wines are only lightly sweet and even the richer bottles are well-balanced by acidity. They are good as aperitifs or paired with savory courses throughout a meal.  – Fred Swan…

A Taste of French Inspired Holiday Food and Wine #Winophiles

This  month the French Winophiles (#Winophiles),in conjunction with our sponsor Vignobles & Signatures group of French wineries, are exploring French style seasonal food and wine. I’m especially excited to dive into this month’s theme because my wife and I have, on many an occasion, discussed how fun it would be to be in France during the…

Wine of the Day: 2014 Smith Madrone Chardonnay

Year in and year out, this distinguished wine is one of my favorite California Chardonnays! This wine is 100% Chardonnay crafted from 42-year-old dry-farmed vines on Spring Mountain.  It was 100% barrel fermented and raised for 9 months in 100% new French oak Color – Pale straw yellow Aromas – Apple, pear, lemon curd, almond, and toasty…

A Distinctive Duo Of Italian Sparkling Wines #ItalianFWT

The theme this month’s Italian Food, Wine and Travel (#ItalianFWT) group of food and wine writers is Italian Sparkling Wines.  Check out my invitation post for a quick overview of Italian Sparkling wines, but I think the main thing you should know about Italian sparkling wines is that they are as diverse as Italian cuisine. To underscore…

Preview: Exploring Italian Sparkling Wines #ItalianFWT

The theme for the December Italian Food, Wine and Travel (#ItalianFWT) group of food and wine bloggers is Italian Sparkling Wines.  While many are familiar with the charms of  seemingly ubiquitous Prosecco,  if you dig a bit deeper you’ll find the world of Italian sparkling wines is just as diverse at Italian cuisine! Here’s a quick overview of…

Wine of the Day: 2014 Fields Family Wines Zinfandel Stampede Vineyard

When historic old vine fruit is put into a very talented winemaker’s hands,trust and believe, a very memorable, complex and structured wine will ensue! Disclosure: This wine was provided to me as a media sample. I received no compensation for this post, and all opinions presented are my own. Fruit for this wine sourced from…

Exploring Italian Sparkling Wines #ItalianFWT

The theme for the December Italian Food, Wine and Travel (#ItalianFWT) group of food and wine bloggers is Italian Sparkling Wines.  While many are familiar with the charms of  seemingly ubiquitous Prosecco,  if you dig a bit deeper you’ll find the world of Italian sparkling wines is just as diverse at Italian cuisine! Here’s a quick overview…

Wine of the Day: 2014 Ridge Vineyards Jimsomare Zinfandel #Zinday

This is a delicious, harmonious wine with an exotic character from an area not well-known for Zinfandel – the Santa Cruz Mountains! Since the late 1960s, Ridge has made small quantities – ranging from five to seventeen barrels of wine from this 19th century vineyard that is part of their Monte Bello estate.  The vines,…

Lodi Chronicles: Five Lodi Wines for Your Thanksgiving Table

As you may know if you follow this blog,  I’ve been contributing to Visit Lodi! Conference & Visitors Bureau blog.  Visit Lodi is the official travel website for Lodi, California.  From time to time I share the blog posts I’ve written for Visit Lodi  here.  My latest piece written for Visit Lodi is entitled Five Lodi Wines…