Wine of the Week and Amazing Value: 2011 Rio Madre Graciano

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 Rio Madre Graciano.  This week’s wine is something different and a great value too! The Winery This wine is produced…

Wine of the Week; 2008 Unti Vineyards Grenache

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.  My Wine Of The Week is the 2008 Unti Vineyards Grenache. The Winery Unti Vineyards is a small family-owned and operated winery that specializes in Zinfandel, Rhône, and Italian varietals.  The…

Wine Words Demystified; Barrel Fermented

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 phrase is Barrel Fermented.. According to Karen MacNeil‘s The Wine Bible: Used to describe a wine – usually a white…

Wine Words Demystified: Viscosity

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 word is Viscosity.. According to Karen MacNeil‘s The Wine Bible: The character some wines posses of being somewhat syrupy and…

Wine Words Demystified: Free-Run Juice

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!  Since harvest is in full effect here in Northern California, I’ll be featuring harvest related terms the next several weeks!…

Wine Of The Week: Ancien Pinot Noir Red Dog Vineyard

The 2010 Ancien Pinot Noir Red Dog Vineyard is my Wine of the Week (“WoW”) for September 8th-September14th. The Winery Ancien Wines is a Napa based winery founded by Ken and Teresa Bernards.  Ken is the winemaker.  Like so many winemakers, he has a background in science. He worked his first harvest in 1986, while still pursuing his degree in chemistry at…

Castello di Amorosa Gewürztraminer – A Winning Trio

When I received media samples that included a trio of 2011 Castello di Amorosa Gewürztraminer, I was intrigued.  First, Gewürztraminer, it isn’t a well-known, or for that matter appreciated grape varietal ( I enjoy it ).  I like what Karen MacNeil says about Gewürztraminer in the Wine Bible… Like Lucille Ball or Goldie Hawn, Gewürztraminer is a…

Wine Of The Week: 2009 Lone Madrone Points West White

The 2009 Lone Madrone Points West White is my Wine of the Week (“WoW”) for August 26th-August 31st. The Winery Lone Madrone is located in Paso Robles.  It was founded in 1996. It co-located with Kenneth Volk Vineyards, and the oh so cool Fat Cat Farms where they been growing organic herbs for 20 years (they have over 30…