Dessert wines are sweet wines served with, or instead of dessert. Dessert wines are also known as “stickies” because picking the grapes makes the workers hands sticky. The term originated in Australia, but has become ubiquitously synonymous with dessert wines around the world. There are essentially two types of dessert wines, fortified and late harvest. In…
Tag: Wine
T.G.I.F. Champagne and the like – 2008 Korbel Natural
For this week’s “T.G.I.F. Champagne and the like” tasting, “I’m going back to Cali”. Korbel, was founded in 1882. They are one of the few US producers that include “Champagne” in the name of their products, rather than sparkling wine. That’s because of a loophole in US laws that allows “semi-generic” products such as sparkling…
September Is California Wine Month
Governor Jerry Brown has proclaimed September 2011 as California Wine Month. There are some interesting stats in the proclamation. “Our state’s wineries create jobs for 330,000 Californians and revenue from retail sales of $18.4 billion, including $1.14 billion in exports sales to 122 countries…and bring an estimated 20.7 million tourist…each year” This post from NorCal Wine…
T.G.I.F. Champagne and the like – 2008 Antech “Cuvée Eugénie” Crémant de Limoux
This week’s virtual trip around the world of sparklers takes me back to France, specifically the Languedoc-Roussillon region that is renowned for great quality-price ration (“QPR”) wines. I must confess that, so far, I’ve only enjoyed Crémants (as sparkling wines produced in France, but outside of Champagne are known) from the region. The Crémant de…
T.G.I.F. Champagne and the like – Gruet Brut Rose Sparkling Wine
As Gomer Pyle would say “SUprise, SUprise – a sparkler from New Mexico! Gruet makes both Vintage, and Non-Vintage sparkling wine, and still wines. A family who previously made Champagne in France established it. While traveling through the Southwest in 1983, they fell in love with New Mexico and decided to produce sparkling wine here…
HOW TO TASTE WINE: What Are Themed Wine Tastings?
Do you know what the six basic wine tasting themes are?
What Are Livermore Valley Wines Lacking?
Almost each night, I have the pleasure of selecting a wine for the evening. It’s mostly based on the meal. Last night, dinner was Filipino-Style Marinated Grilled Steak, and I was in the mood for a red. I decided on the 2008 Steven Kent Fratello, a juicy blend of Barbera, Petit Verdot, and Merlot. …
Grenache Smackdown…10 Wines; 1 Winner!
Have you ever had Grenache as a stand-alone varietal?
Can “Better” and “Best” wines be found at “Destination” Wineries?
Can great wine be found at a “destination” winery?
Muscadet in Tomales Bay
Have you tried Muscadet? It’s great with seafood, especially oysters, clams, and mussels!