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…

Elevating Weeknight Fare with Crémant d’Alsace #Winophiles

With the holiday celebrations and gift giving right around the corner,  this month the French #Winophiles are diving into Crémant.  Our host this month is Kat Wisnosky of Bacchus Travel & Tours. What, exactly is Crémant? “Crémant” is the French term for traditional-method  sparkling wines made outside of the Champagne region. This means that the second fermentation,…

Wine of the Day: 2014 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Evangelho Vineyard

…this wine is a great exemplar of an ancient-vine field blend wine! A field blend of Zinfandel, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Palomino, Alicante Bouschet and Mission from the Evangelho vineyard planted in the 1890s that features own rooted, head-trained, vines planted in Delhi sands and dry farmed. The vineyard is a viticultural survivor, it you can believe…

Wine of the Day: 2015 Lua Cheia em Vinhas Velhas Insurgente

If you haven’t been drinking Portuguese wines, I dare you to try this wine, and not want to buy more! This wine is a 50/50 blend of two indigenous Portuguese grapes – Touriga Nacional and Alfrocheiro.  The grapes are from one of Portugal’s most prominent wine regions, the Dão, located just south of the famous Douro Valley (home of…

A Taste of Lirac – Rhone’s Undiscovered Cru

If you like Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are looking for great value, look no further than Lirac! They are most certainly wines worth seeking out! Disclosure: The wines in this post were provided as a samples. No other payments were involved and all opinions expressed are my own. About Lirac It’s located just across the  Rhône river from the…

Exclusive Pre-Release of “Somm 3”; Napa Valley Style!

If you’re a fan of the “Somm” documentary series, here’s your opportunity to see the latest release – “Somm 3” Napa Valley style!  The Cameo Cinema in St. Helena has the exclusive theatrical pre-release of SOMM 3 beginning Friday October 19 through Thursday, October 25, with three shows daily, at 2:00, 5:00 and 7:45 p.m. Producer &…

Penne Boscaiola Paired with 2015 Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot #WinePW #MerlotMe

This Penne Boscaiolo recipe tastes like a weekend meal, but could be put together on a weeknight.  I paired  it with Merlot with excellent results! Disclosure: Wine provided as a complimentary sample by Duckhorn Vineyards. No other payments were involved and all opinions expressed in my blog posts are my own. Do you know that October is Merlot Month?  You’ll…