A wine blend you may have come across at some point in your life is Syrah-Viognier. It may not seem intuitive to add a white wine with intense, perfume-like aromas (i.e., Viognier) to a full-bodied red wine with concentrated dark fruit, spice and tannic characteristics (i.e., Syrah), but it works… really well. The Viognier, which […]
Styles
Review: Marquês de Borba Colheita White
I am what some might call a wine nerd. Part of what drives my interest in wine is curiosity. I love being able to explore different regions, different grapes, different production methods and more through the context of wine. Wine regions that use native, regional grapes is one of the things I often look for […]
Review: Bracco Bosca, Ombú, Moscatel
You may have heard of Moscatel, also known as Muscatel, Muscat or Muscat of Alexandria. You may have even tasted one before. But it’s unlikely that you’ve had one like this! Moscatel, Muscat or whatever you prefer to call it, is typically vinified into a sweet wine. It’s also one of the grapes used to […]
Review: Bonterra Sauvignon Blanc
It’s mid-March and we’ve already had our first taste of spring here in Cincinnati. We’ve had some warm days, getting into the 70s. The magnolia trees and daffodils are blossoming. And I’m seeing buds on bushes and grapevines around my yard. That first taste of spring makes my palate crave more summer-oriented wines, like Sauvignon […]
Review: Porta da Ravessa Special Edition White
Inflation. It’s everywhere you look these days. Recently, the price of eggs seems to be the item I hear people talking about the most. But inflation is impacting prices across the board. As a result, shoppers are changing how they shop, whether that’s buying less, using more coupons, only buying things when they’re on sale […]
Review: Pam’s UN-Oaked Cabernet
When I came across the wine I’m reviewing today, I was super curious and interested to taste it. This wine comes from Ron Rubin Winery in Sonoma, California. I’ve reviewed some of their wines before and I’ve always been impressed with them, including Pam’s UN-Oaked Chardonnay. The 2021 vintage of Pam’s UN-Oaked Cabernet is the […]
Giménez Méndez Alta Reserva Tannat
How much do you know about Uruguay? I have to admit, until recently I didn’t know much about Uruguay, other than the fact that it’s a small country on the Atlantic coast of South America, south of Brazil. One of the side effects of being a wine geek, who loves to try wine from different […]
Review: Domaine Bousquet Reserve Organic Cabernet Sauvignon
I’ve written about Domaine Bousquet wines many times over the years. They are a producer that consistently makes good wine at reasonable prices and does so while being good stewards for the environment. Sustainability is often one of the themes I highlight when I write about Domaine Bousquet, but one of the things I haven’t […]
Bonterra Pinot Noir – Regenerative Organic Certified Wine
It’s become almost ubiquitous for wine producers to talk about sustainability. I appreciate the fact that producers recognize the importance of it, but I often find myself skeptical. Anyone can claim to practice sustainability. There is no legally-binding definition for sustainability and it’s totally plausible that some producers could use the term as a part […]
Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau Rosé
Thanksgiving is almost here and that means we’re in the peak of Beaujolais Nouveau season. The drop date for this year’s vintage (i.e., Beaujolais Nouveau Day) was just last Thursday, a week before Thanksgiving. While the origins of Beaujolais Nouveau have nothing to do with Thanksgiving, it’s a happy coincidence that Beaujolais Nouveau wines happen […]