Summertime is fast approaching and bringing warmer weather. And when it comes to enjoying wine in the summer, I love crisp, tropical whites like sauvignon blanc. Like many wines, sauvignon blanc can vary depending on where it’s grown and the vinification techniques. But most people I know who enjoy sauvignon blanc like it to be […]
Styles
Handcraft Inspiration Red Wine – Intensely Aromatic
I’ve been saying for the last few years that red blends are where it’s at when it comes to getting rich, flavorful wines at bargain prices. And the number of California red blends on the market has been exploding recently. This is a relatively new one from Handcraft Wines. Although you don’t see it mentioned […]
R8 Wine Co. Chardonnay – Simply Good
For a guy who is not that into chardonnay, I’ve found myself writing about a lot of chardonnay lately. It’s not that I have anything against it, it’s just that exciting to me as a wine varietal. But I’ve had some good chardonnay, some great chardonnay and some bad chardonnay over the years. This one […]
Vinkara Kalecik Karasi – Easy & Delicious
Back in the Fall of 2012 I visited Turkey for the European Wine Bloggers Conference and had my first Turkish wines. But after returning I haven’t written about Turkish wines at all, for a couple reasons. One is that there weren’t that many Turkish wines that really impressed me. Although there’s a long history of […]
Marsala – Much More than a Cooking Wine!
Are you familiar with a wine called “Marsala?” What comes to mind when you think of that wine? Is it Chicken Marsala? You’re not alone and that’s a major challenge for this Sicilian wine region. In fact, go do a Google search on Marsala. What results do you get? I’m going to guess that you […]
Hardys Nottage Hill Chardonnay – Complex and Balanced
Chardonnay is one of those wines for which you have seemingly endless options. It’s grown in pretty much every major wine region of the world and the store shelves are lined with brand after brand. With so many options it should be no surprise that there’s also a wide range of quality and styles. And […]
StickyBeak Toscana – A Light, Tuscan Sangiovese
When I saw the name of this wine, it immediately made me think of Australia. And it turns out that the name StickyBeak is an Australian wine term. But StickyBeak wine is not from Australia. Most wine under this brand comes from California, except for this one which is from the Tuscany region in Italy. The […]
Picket Fence Pinot Noir – Light & Easy
When it comes to cheap wine, a lot of it comes from a handful of big companies. Although you probably don’t realize that because those companies own a lot of different brand names. Picket Fence is one of the brands in the portfolio of Bronco Wine Company, one of the biggest producers of cheap wine […]
Calcu Carménère – Clumsy, but Enjoyable
I’ve been posting carménère reviews lately and here’s another bargain carménère from Chile. This one comes from the Colchagua Valley, a region known for its red wines – including carménère. The spice is pretty heavy on the nose of this wine. It’s loaded with nutmeg, clove, toasted oak and vanilla. That’s backed up by plenty of blackberry, blueberry […]
Maquis Carménère – Big, Dark and Delicious
Following up from the last review, here is another Chilean carménère. This one comes from Maquis in the Colchagua Valley. The story of Maquis dates back almost 90 years to when the first vineyards were planted on the estate. For most of its existence the owners only grew grapes to sell to other winemakers, but in […]