Seven bottles of wine for seven people…Twas a splendid OTBN17! Of all the wine “holidays” (Cabernet Day, Chardonnay Day, etc), Open That Bottle Night (“OTBN”) is my favorite. That’s because it’s a great opportunity for fellowship around food and wine, and making memories with the special people in our lives. OTBN was created by former Wall Street Journal wine…
Wine Of The Day; 2013 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Don Melchor
2013 Don Melchor – “It shows enticing cassis, black cherry, blackberry, vanilla and extra dark chocolate with espresso bean flavors”. Concha Y Toro’s Don Melchor vineyard is situated at an altitude of 2,145 feet, at the foot of the Andes Mountains on the northern bank of the Maipo River. It is part of the Puente Alto (“high…
Two Tastes of Sicily’s Autochthonous Grape – Nerello Mascalese! #ItalianFWT
This month, the Italian Food, Wine, and Travel Group (#ItalianFWT) is making a virtual return visit to Italy’s southernmost wine region, and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea – Sicily! I decided to focus on Nerello Mascalese (pronounced “nair-rello mask-ah-lay-zay” ), an autochthonous (a.k.a. indigenous; but I love the way it looks and sounds) grape variety most…
Sicily – So Nice, We’re Doing It Twice: The Preview #ItalianFWT
Join the Italian Food, Wine, and Travel Group (#ItalianFWT) on March 4th as we virtually return to Italy’s southernmost wine region, and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea – Sicily! We’ll be posting and chatting about our discoveries on Saturday March 4th, 2017. Italian Food Wine and Travel is a bloggers group that focuses monthly on…
Wine of the Day: 2007 Bonny Doon Vineyard Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard
2007 Bonny Doon Vineyard Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard – “The flavors are just as enchanting, if a bit feral, as the aromas showcasing boysenberry, black and red currant, olive, smoked meat and dark roasted nut flavors”… I must confess that when I purchased this wine, and I noted the vintage (almost 10 years old) and the…
Sicily – So Nice We’re Doing it Twice! #ItalianFWT
Join the Italian Food, Wine, and Travel Group (#ItalianFWT) on March 4th as we virtually return to Italy’s southernmost wine region, and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea – Sicily! We’ll be posting and chatting about our discoveries on Saturday March 4th, 2017. Italian Food Wine and Travel is a bloggers group that focuses monthly on…
Get Your Zinfandel On At The 2017 Zinfandel Experience
I don’t know about you, but I always look forward to turning the page on a new year! It feels like a “fresh start” for me on many levels. Not only is it a time for me to recommit to various goals, it’s also a time for me to look ahead and do some planning,…
No Reservations Wine Tasting: Silver Trident Winery
My wife and I do more than our fair share of wine tasting. We’ve hit all the major wine regions in California (and a few minor ones too;-), along with some tasting in Oregon, Washington State, Spain, Italy and Champagne. From time to time we have a wine tasting experience that stands above the rest,…
Lodi Chronicles: Pairing Wine and Chocolate Lodi Style
As you may know if you follow this blog, I’ve been contributing toVisit Lodi! Conference & Visitors Bureau blog. Visit Lodi is the official travel website for Lodi, California. One of my latest features on the Visit Lodi website is about pairing wine and chocolate . It’s entitled Pairing Wine and Chocolate Lodi Style. It’s…
A Taste Of Equavinity Wines
Equavinity Wines is a collaboration between two Sonoma icons — zinfandel impresario Bruce Patch and Russian River Vineyards, one of West County’s most recognizable wineries. I’ve previously featured Bruce Patch Wines on this blog (see “Additional Reading” below). I was impressed with the wines. So when Bruce Patch asked me if I was interested in receiving sample…