As our last installment of 2017, the French Winophiles (#Winophiles) will feature dessert wines from France. It seems a fitting end to a year in which we covered a wide scope of topics that took us around the country through food, travel and history as much as tasting wine. Just as a dessert wine beautifies…
Category: Wine
A Match Made in Heaven: Blandy’s 10 Year Malmsey Madeira And Quesillo!
One sip of Madeira and I asked myself “why don’t I buy and drink this wine more regularly?” That question was the first thing that popped into my head when, after five years (according to my tasting notes) I opened a bottle of Blandy’s 10 Year Malmsey Madeira . It was one of two sample…
Wine of the Day: 2013 Bumgarner Cabernet Sauvignon #WBC17
Last month, I attended the 10th Annual Wine Bloggers Conference, which was held in Santa Rosa, California. The conference is a great opportunity to connect with my fellow wine writers, learn about ways to improve one’s writing, social media influence, photography, etc. Of course there is wine! Lots and lots of wine! As if we…
Lodi Chronicles: What Your Favorite Wine Enthusiast Really Wants This Holiday Season
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 What Your Favorite…
Wine of the Day; 2014 Silverado Vineyards Cabernet Franc Mount George Vineyard #CabFrancDay
This is an altogether delightful wine that combines California fruit with a harmonious structure that leans more toward the Old World This wine is a blend of 98% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1% Petit Verdot from the Mt. George Vineyard in the Coombsville sub-appellation of the Napa Valley. The Mt George vineyard, first planted…
Wine of the Day; 2011 Tablas Creek En Gobelet
This is a delicious, complex and distinguished wine I won’t soon forget. I wish I had more! The Tablas Creek Vineyard En Gobelet 2011 is a unique blend (29% Mourvedre, 27% Grenache, 26% Tannat and 18% Syrah) of four estate-grown varietals, selected from head-pruned, dry-farmed sections of their 120-acre certified organic estate vineyard. The grapes were largely harvested together…
Wine of the Day; White 2010 Lynmar Estate Chardonnay Quail Hill Vineyard
“This wine was pure joy to drink…It’s my favorite Chardonnay this year!” The 45-acre Quail Hill Vineyard includes 4 distinct blocks of Chardonnay. The largest – Block 14 – was planted in 1972 to the Rued Chardonnay Clone – known for its stunning floral notes; the remaining vines are Old Wente Clone, adding a weighty…
Lodi Chronicles: Five Fabulous Fall $20 or Less Lodi Wines #LodiWine
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. piece for Visit Lodi entitled Five $20 or less Lodi Wines To Try…
Ready To Elevate Your Beaujolais Game? Go Beyond Nouveau! #Winophiles
Every year, on the third Thursday in November, the world’s fastest wine, from picking to bottling, hits the world-wide market with tsunami of marketing hype. That wine is Beaujolais Nouveau. Beaujolais Nouveau Day is marked in France with fireworks, music and festivals. And it’s not just France. It’s worldwide phenomenon. In fact in Japan, which imports nearly…
A Taste of Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel #LodiWine #LodiOldVineZin #ZinDay
Happy National Zinfandel Day! I can’t think of better way to celebrate than tasting “Old Vine” Zinfandel from the self-proclaimed “Zinfandel Capital of the World” – Lodi! The Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (a.k.a. ZAP) are the driving force behind the annual observation of National Zinfandel Day (#ZinDay) Not only do they host Zinfandel themed events that…