You know the deal; the more some folks learn about a topic, the more shortcuts/slang/acronyms/initials/technical jargon can be tossed around. I’m here to help you understand those sometimes mysterious words and phrases, thus – Wine Words Demystified! This week’s term is Carbonic Maceration… According to Wikipedia… Carbonic maceration is a winemaking technique, often associated with the French wine region…
Wine of the Week: Raventós i Blanc “L’hereu” Brut
Every Thursday I feature a wine I particularly enjoy, whether it’s something new and different, is a great value, or from a producer worth checking out. For this week, my Wine Of The Week is the 2011 Raventós i Blanc “L’hereu” Brut. The Winery The family of producer Raventós i Blanc, has been winemaking in the Catalonia region…
Best Wines To Pair with Hot Dogs
According to Days of the Year, tomorrow, July 23rd is Hot Dog Day. Though I love hot dogs, I must confess they are a guilty pleasure. So, I don’t eat them often. But when I do eat a hot dog, I want to make it worth the calories and fat. And by hot dog, I…
Best Wines For A Summer BBQ Party #SundaySupper
This week’s #SundaySupper theme is a Summer BBQ Party. Perfect. That’s because Summer is my favorite season. Always has been. I love the warmer weather, the longer days, my favorite fruits (yes – including wine grapes;-)} and vegetables are ripe or ripening. And I get to use my Weber grill more often than not. Which…
Rosé of the Week: Donkey & Goat Isabel’s Cuvée Grenache Gris
Summer is officially here! Rosé season is in full bloom, although truth be told, it’s Rosé season for me pretty much year-round for me! With that in mind, I’m cranking up my annual series of weekly “Drink Pink!“ Rosé tastings. It’s my quest for the best Pink Porch Pounders! This week’s rosé is the 2013 Donkey & Goat Isabel’s Cuvée Grenache…
9th Annual Urban Wine Xperience
One of the things I love most about living in the East Bay. It’s a wine-lovers paradise. Napa Valley, Sonoma, the Santa Cruz Mountain, and Livermore Valley wine regions are all within a 90 minute or so drive. Even so, I frequently find myself also taking advantage of the East Bay’s Urban Wine Country, which includes a dozens of…
Ceviche and Tablas Creek Picpoul Blanc
You want to know the difference between winos and foodies? Winos are more likely to pick a wine, then decide which food to pair with it. Foodies are more likely to pick the food, then (maybe) decide which wine to pair with it. I’m a wino ( granted – with latent foodie tendencies), so when I…
#DrinkPink Rose of the Week: 2013 Dashe Cellars Grenache Rosé
Summer is officially here! Rosé season is in full bloom, although truth be told, it’s Rosé season for me pretty much year-round for me! With that in mind, I’m cranking up my annual series of weekly “Drink Pink!“ Rosé tastings. It’s my quest for the best Pink Porch Pounders! This week’s rosé is the 2013 Dashe Cellars Grenache Rosé. The…
Wine of the Week; 2010 Tercero Verbiage
Every Thursday I feature a wine I particularly enjoy, whether it’s something new and different, is a great value, or from a producer worth checking out. For this week, my Wine Of The Week is the 2010 Tercero Verbiage. The Winery Tercero Vineyards is located in Los Olivos, California. Larry Schaffer is the owner/winemaker. Schaffer left a successful career in…
#DrinkPink Rosé of the Week: 2013 Big Basin GSM Rosé
The Winery Big Basin Vineyards is a family owned and operated winery. Founder Bradley Brown is Winemaker and Proprietor (and Vineyard Manager), while his sister Wendy Brown is co-owner and provides business management expertise. The winery was founded in 1998 on a historic site in the Santa Cruz Mountains next to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The…