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…
Tag: Wine Tasting
A Taste of Albariño from Rías Baixas #RiasBaixas #Albarino
A few weeks back, I was sent ten bottles of Albariño from the Rías Baixas in preparation for a virtual tasting organized and moderated by Snooth last week. While I was delighted to receive the wines, my thoughts quickly turned what I’m I going to do with 10 virtually full bottles of Albariño after the tasting? Clearly,…
A Taste of Lodi’s Sustainability and Diversity #EarthDay #LodiWine
Earlier this month, in honor of Earth Day, I took part in a Facebook Live tasting of wines certified by Lodi Rules™ for Sustainable Winegrowing Program. It was part of the broader April is California Wines: Down to Earth Month, an initiative to promote earth-friendly California wines made with sustainable winegrowing and winemaking practices. The objective of…
Livermore Valley Winegrowers #BarrelsBottlesBrews
The last weekend in March, my wife and I attended Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association‘s Barrels, Bottles & Brews with a friend. Barrels, Bottles & Brews is a two-day event that offers amateurs and aficionados of beer, wine and spirits the opportunity to sample all three over the course of a couple of days for $45 (advanced)/$55…
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…
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…
Wine of the Day: 2013 Fields Family Wines Old Vine Zinfandel
“On the palate it’s medium-bodied, elegant, fresh and focused with a harmonious cool climate Zinfandel character.” Dark ruby color with exuberant kirsch, black raspberry, bramble and spice aromas. On the palate it’s medium-bodied, elegant, fresh and focused with a harmonious cool climate Zinfandel character. It shows ample kirsch, pomegranate, and peppery spice flavors wrapped…
Wine of the Day: 2012 Rombauer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Selection
While Rombauer is best known for their Chardonnay, over the last few years they have been refining their red wine program Fruit for the 2012 Rombauer Diamond Selection Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from the Rombauer estate vineyards and top grower vineyards in Stags Leap, Calistoga, Atlas Peak, St. Helena and Howell Mountain AVAs. It is…
A Ligurian Red Blend: 2015 Azienda Agricola Terre di Levante Rosso Liguria #ItalianFWT
My wife and I spent just over three weeks in Italy last October. So I was thrilled when I saw the theme for this month’s Italian Food, Wine and Travel (#ItalianFWT) group of bloggers features Coastal Wine, Food and Travel! “Perfect” I thought because among the multitude of highlights of our trip was time we spent…
Wine of the Day; 2015 Peter Zemmer “Rollhütt” Pinot Noir
2015 Peter Zemmer “Rollhütt” Pinot Noir – If you’re looking for an Old World Pinot Noir for under $20 …look no further! This wine hails from the Suditrol sub-region of the Alto Adige DOC, which borders Austria and Switzerland in northern Italy. Grapes for this wine were sourced from vineyards in the immediate vicinity of…