“Garagistes” is a name given to a group of Bordeaux winemakers who produce wines in small batches, often in garages — hence the name. These winemakers are often producing wines designed to be consumed soon after production and not aged, being a bit less tannic and more fruit forward than what is typical of Bordeaux […]
Reviews
Franz Keller, Schwarzer Adler, Pinot Blanc
I love a good pinot blanc, yet surprisingly I discovered upon starting to write this review that this is the first still pinot blanc I’ve reviewed on the site. I’ve done some reviews of sparkling wines, but no still wines. I suppose that could be because I don’t come across a whole lot of pinot […]
Domaine Bousquet, Gaia, Tupungato White Blend
People often ask me what my favorite wine is. And that’s an impossible question for me to answer succinctly. I don’t have a singular favorite. I’ve tasted many wines that have wowed me in the moment and I have several “go to” wines of different varieties. But not one single wine I can identify as […]
Domaine Bousquet, Gaia, Red Blend
It’s always nice to come across a wine producer with a feel good story. Such is the case for this wine from Domaine Bousquet in Argentina. The history of Domaine Bousquet began in 1990, when a third-generation winemaker from Carcassonne, France visited the Tupungato district in the Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina. He found there what he […]
Blue Fish Sweet Riesling
There it is, right there in the name of this wine, something I generally avoid. No, I’m not talking about fish. I’m talking about sweet riesling. Don’t get me wrong, I love riesling. I mean I LOVE riesling. But I tend to stick with dry or off-dry riesling most of the time. And when I […]
Matt Parish Cabernet Sauvignon – Stellar
Honestly, I don’t drink a lot of Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s that it’s often priced at a point that’s beyond what I want to pay for a bottle of wine. For most good Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon you’re looking at $50+ a bottle and if that’s what […]
Domaine De Oliveira Lecestre, Chablis
Over the past couple months I’ve reviewed a number of wines from the discount supermarket called Lidl and this is yet another wine from their stores. Lidl began opening stores in Germany in 1973 and just this year began opening stores in the US. I was recently talking with a wine industry insider and mentioned […]
O’Vineyards, Trah Lah Lah
I often review wines sent to me as media samples and always include a disclosure of that fact in those reviews. In this case I need to provide several disclosures, so let’s get that out of the way up front: This wine is produced by the family of a friend of mine, Ryan O’Connell The […]
Mac Forbes, Yarra Valley Pinot Noir
Lately, I’ve been reviewing a number of wines sent to me to review from Lidl grocery stores and I have yet another one for you today. This one is a pinot noir from the Yarra Valley region of Australia. Pinot noir is one of the most lauded grape varieties for wine. It also has a […]
Côte Orelia Blanc de Noirs, Bargain Bubbly
A few weeks ago I was reviewing some wines from Lidl. They sent me a few samples from their holiday collection to check out and I have one here to share with you. This one is a sparkling wine called Côte Orelia, Blanc de Noirs. In my opinion, no holiday should be celebrated without sparkling […]