During the month of October, Whole Foods Market (“WFM”) is promoting wines and cheeses of France. You’ll find a bountiful selection of both at 300+ Whole Foods locations in 42 states. As part of their promotion, Whole Foods Market has provided select members of the French #Winophiles group with a case of French wines and a gift card to…
Category: Wine
Lodi Chronicles – Get Your Rhone on in Lodi Wine Country
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 blog posts I’ve written for Visit Lodi here. I recently wrote a piece for Visit Lodi that featured 10 Rhone varietal…
Champagne Chronicles Redux; A Week In Champagne, A Lifetime Of Memories #Winophiles
Dreams do come true. When I first got into the “wine thing”, as I call it, I dived head first into the pool of knowledge. One of my resources was Karen MacNeil’s The Wine Bible, and one of my favorite chapters in that vinous tome is “Champagne“. Inspired by what I read about Champagne in the…
Wine of the Day: 2013 Carlisle Grenache Rossi Ranch #GrenacheDay
2013 Carlisle Grenache Rossi Ranch – This delicious and distinctive wine shows a depth I’ve seldom experienced with Grenache! This wine is a blend of 91% Grenache and 9% Mourvèdre sourced from the Rossi Ranch Vineyard, which was planted in 1910’s by Carlo Rossi. From the winery.…This wine is one of several surprises in 2013. Normally…
Wine of the Day: 2014 Tercero Mourvedre Rosé Vogelzang Vineyard
2014 Tercero Mourvedre Rosé Vogelzang Vineyard – The wine has held up beautifully…It’s taken on a savory element that I adore and wish I found in more Rosé wines! Fruit for this wine was sourced from the biodynamically farmed Vogelzang Vineyard in the Happy Canyon AVA, east of the the city of Los Olivos. The grapes…
Wine of the Day: 2013 Abadia Retuerta Selección Especial Sardon de Duero
2013 Abadia Retuerta Selección Especial Sardon de Duero…if this a well-balanced wine, harmonious and very expressive wine is any indication of the quality of wines coming out of the region, it’s a region I’ll be seeking out! A blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah and other red varieties such as Merlot and Petit…
Family Wine Makers Tasting Favorites
I recently attended the Family Winemakers of California (“FWC”) Grand Tasting in San Francisco. The FWC is the trade advocate for California’s “small family” wineries (according to this year’s program, case production ranged from 200 to 200,000! ). A huge tasting like this brings in trade, media, and wine lovers from across the country. There were…
Wine of The Day: 2016 Gen del Alma “Ji Ji Ji”
2016 Gen del Alma “Ji Ji Ji”; This lithe, interesting, delicious and structured wine brings to mind Cru Beaujolais! This blend of 50% Malbec and 50% Pinot Noir was all hand harvested from a single vineyard in Gualtallary, a high-altitude wine region situated within Tupungato in the northern reaches of Argentina’s Uco Valley. The vineyard, planted…
Wine of the Day: 2016 M. Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Rosé
2016 M. Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Rosé; This wine embodied everything I love about rosé ! It’s crisp, refreshing, utterly quaffable and delicious! My tasting notes follow Pale pink color with salmon highlights and strawberry, watermelon, white peach, wet stone and a kiss of garrigue aromas. On the palate it’s between light-bodied, dry, crisp and refreshing with…
My Favorite Under $20 Pét-Nat; Patrice Colin “Les Perles Gris” #Winophiles
This month the French Winophiles are exploring affordable ($20 or less) French wines. I must confess that when it comes to affordable wines, Spain and Chile are top of mind for me. France is not; with two exceptions – the Loire Valley and Beaujolais. For this month, I turn to the Loire Valley for…