If you’re into movies, I’m sure you know the name Francis Ford Coppola as a great director. And if you’re into wine, you’ve probably noticed that his name is on some wines too. In fact, he’s behind more wine than you may realize. In addition to the wine that bears his name, he is also […]
This past week, issue #10 of Mutineer Magazine hit the shelves, including my Wine Steals column which is all about Zinfandel in this issue. There’s one Zinfandel I didn’t include in the article, despite the fact that it may be the one wine more people ask me about than any other and that one is […]
One of the things that wine geeks like me get geeked out about is tasting wine varieties that we don’t get to taste every day. Here’s a red blend that’s packed with four varieties that are native to Sicily. Those varieties include Frappato Nero, Nerello Cappuccio, Nebello Mascalese and Nero d’Avola, blended at 25% of […]
These days, a lot of wine consumers are turning to South America for some outstanding wine values—and in particular, they’re turning to Chile and Argentina. When it comes to Argentine reds, Malbec is king. But there’s another variety that’s widely grown in Argentina that you may want to try. It’s called Bonarda. And, in fact, […]
I’ve done numerous wine reviews for which the background involved a family-run winery passed down from one generation to the next, but this one is a little different. The roots of Martellotto Wines go back for generations and began in Italy, but the story now continues in California. Greg Martellotto’s grandfather immigrated to the US […]
Carménère , or Carmenere, was once one of the grapes of Bordeaux. It was always a problematic grape, due to late ripening, but brings some unique qualities to the wine in which it’s used. In particular, it’s known for giving a green pepper characteristic to wines, which is intensified when the grapes are harvested under-ripe. […]
Viña Valdivieso originated as Champagne Valdivieso way back in 1879. It was the first producer in South America to make sparkling wine, and didn’t even begin producing still wine until 1980 when they expanded and formed Viña Valdivieso. The grapes for this Carménère are from Central Valley, which means that they aren’t from one region, […]
Viu Manent is a family-owned winery in Colchagua Valley, Chile. Founded in 1935, it originally under the name Vinos Viu. Seventy-some years after its inception, the winery is still run by descendants of its founders. The grapes for this wine come from a vineyard named La Capilla, near the town of Peralillo. It’s 100% Carménère […]
There’s a thing that wine bloggers do called “Wine Blogging Wednesday.” It’s an event that happens once every month… usually on a Wednesday. The idea is that several wine bloggers all write about the same topic that day. Then there’s a host, who summarizes the collective thoughts and points you to all the writers for […]
Espiritu de Chile is a joint venture between A. Racke from Germany and Aresti Vineyards in Chile. And while they have a long list of awards, accolades and good reviews from well-respected reviewers I don’t expect they’ll be adding the 2007 Classic Carménère to that list. I guess not all the wines I review can […]
