Many casual wine drinkers I know only think of Tuscany when they think of Italian wine, but the number of different wine regions in Italy and the varying styles of wine you can get from those regions is mind blowing. While I have many “favorite” Italian wine regions, one of them that many Americans are […]
Styles
La Bastarda Pinot Grigio – Crisp and Tangy
My experience with pinot grigio has been hit and miss. And when it comes to pinot grigio under $10 per bottle it is more often a miss than a hit. I would also say that wines with kitschy branding are more often misses than hits. With all of that bias to influence me I approached this […]
Kruger-Rumpf, Rockin’ the Trocken Riesling
A couple weeks ago I wrote about Bex riesling from the Nahe region in Germany. It’s a region that produces phenomenal riesling and yet I’ve only written about those rieslings a handful of times in the 10 years I’ve been doing this. And here I am, two weeks later writing about another Nahe riesling. This one […]
Becker Landgraf, Gau-Odernheim Spätburgunder
I’ve often heard people say you can’t find good, low-cost pinot noir. I beg to differ. Most pinot noir lovers I know tend to fall into one of two camps: 1) California pinot noir fans, or 2) Burgundy pinot noir fans. Now there are going to be some stylistic differences between the two, which may […]
Bex Riesling – Tasty Nahe Riesling
It’s time for another riesling review. Why? Because riesling is awesome! When it comes to awesome riesling, I mostly gravitate toward German riesling. Most of the German riesling I come across come from the Mosel or Rheinghau regions, but if you love riesling there’s another region of Germany you should know: Nahe. Residing along the banks […]
Castillo de Monséran, Garnacha – A Tasty Bargain
Last Friday I joined an online tasting for #GarnachaDay. It’s a day when you can drink garnacha, just like any other day, except it’s called #GarnachaDay. It’s one of those special days invented by marketing/PR folks to give us a reason to talk about their wines. Seems as good as any other reason to taste […]
Ferraton Père & Fils, Samorëns Côtes du Rhône, Rosé
Summer is still with us and it’s still prime season to enjoy a rosé — although, I enjoy rosé year round. Some of the best rosé comes from the Rhône region in southern France. One of my favorite appellations there is Tavel, an appellation that creates only rosé and some phenomenal ones at that. But while […]
J. Bäumer Rhein Riesling – Pure Deliciousness
It’s the height of summer and it’s hot outside. Humid too. This kind of weather was made for riesling. Crisp, light, cooling, with gentle stone fruit flavors and soft floral aromas. It’s like summer and riesling were made for each other. It amazes me how frequently I still encounter people with misconceptions about riesling. Far […]
Antigal Uno Malbec – Old World Style
Malbec is the wine most wine drinkers in the US associate with Argentina, although malbec isn’t the only wine produced in Argentina nor is Argentina the only region to produce malbec. As you may know, malbec is one of the six grape varieties permitted in Bordeaux wines and it is the dominant grape in wines […]
Ferraton Père & Fils, Côtes du Rhône, Samorëns Rouge
One of my “go to” regions for great value (i.e., good quality at a reasonable price) is southern France — and more specifically Côtes du Rhône. I’m sure part of this has to do with my taste preferences, but I’ve also found that more often than not I can find good wine from this region […]