More often than not, my WOTW is a wine that I’m crushing on because of its combination of structure, deliciousness and food friendliness. Sometimes, I chose a WOTW based on the aforementioned factors, and because the wine evokes memorable experience the for one reason or another. That’s the case with the 2016 La Rioja Alta…
Wines of the Week: Two Terrific Syrahs for International Syrah Day
Syrah first appears in the historical record in 1781 outside the Rhone village of Tain-l’Hermitage, Tablas Creek Vineyard In honor of International Syrah Day, I’m sharing two terrific Syrah cellar selections. History of Syrah Syrah is one of the oldest established grape varietals in the Côtes du Rhône region of southern France, and the sixth-most-planted…
Wine of the Week: 2011 Ridge Petit Verdot Torre Ranch
This week’s Wine of the Week is a cellar selection that’s been resting peacefully my cellar since 2014. According the Ridge, 2011 is the first time Ridge bottled Petit Verdot as a mono-varietal wine. (Note: Ridge also bottled Petit Verdot as a mono-varietal wine in 2012, but none since then) Bottle note: “For twenty-one of…
An Unconventional Style of Primitivo – 2020 Produttori Di Manduria Electric Bee Primitivo #ItalianFWT
This month the Italian Food, Wine and Travel group’s continues its virtual tour of Italy with a visit to Puglia. Lynn of Savor the Harvest is our host this month (read her invitation post here) About Puglia Puglia is located on the eastern shores of southern Italy, in what is often referred to as the…
Wine of the Week: 2020 Quinta da Fonte Souto
This week’s Wine of the Week is a terrific white blend from one of Portugal’s leading wine companies – Symington Family Estates. 2020 Quinta da Fonte Souto Disclosure: Wine provided as a media sample. No other compensation was involved. All opinions are mine. This wine is a blend of 75% Arinto/25% Verdelho. 60% of the blend…
2019 Palazzo Tronconi ‘Fregellae’ + Cicchetti #WinePW
Italy has the world’s richest variety of individual wine styles, distinctive terroirs and indigenous grape varieties The World Atlas of Wine, 7th Edition The mission for the Wine Pairing Weekend group of writers month? Find a bottle of wine made from a grape variety you haven’t tried before. Even for a wine geek like me,…
Aeris Etna Bianco Superiore + Seafood Pasta #ItalianFWT
This month the Italian Food Wine and Travel group is taking a virtual trip to Sicily. Our host this month is Camilla of Culinary Cam. You may read her invitation post here. Sicily – An Overview: Sicily has a rich viticultural heritage. Sicilians have been making wine since before Greeks conquered the island in 750…
Ten Questions With Giovanna Prandini of Lugana’s Perla Del Garda
I’ll always remember my first sip of a Lugana wine. My wife and I visited Italy for about a month in 2016. While in northern Italy, we visited the city of Bolzano. There, in a tiny wine bar, I spied a wine from a region I wasn’t familiar with – Lugana. Of course, the wine…
How I Learned To Expand Champagne’s Role At The Table #Winophiles
Champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wines are Champagne More than any other month, December is a time to celebrate. Be it holiday gatherings with family and friends, year-end bonuses, or perhaps reflecting on the year that was. Sparkling wines, above all else, are the adult beverage of choice the wines for celebrations,…
Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon: A Juxtaposition of Maipo and Colchagua
Cabernet Sauvignon is both the most widely planted red variety in Chile and the grape credited with putting Chile on the world stage. While it accounts for just over 20% of all vineyard plantings in Chile, the lion’s share of Cabernet is grown in the Central Valley. Within the Central Valley wine region, which spans…