As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Carménère is a variety once used in Bordeaux wines that has recently made a resurgence. It was always a difficult grape in Bordeaux, due mostly to late ripening. And then it was wiped in France, in part by a phylloxera infestation in the 1880’s. For years it was considered […]
As I think back on the wines we’ve tasted over the past year, one stands out in my mind as being really interesting… and I’m just now getting it posted to the site. Perhaps it stands out, in part, because we tasted it near the end of the year, but it is also just a […]
This past weekend I did a blind tasting with about 20 wines. They were grouped according to variety (i.e. all the Cabernet Sauvignon at once, all the Pinot Noir, etc.) There were a few surprises coming out of the tasting and this was one of them. There are some brands that are seen practically everywhere […]
Washington State interests me more and more as a wine region, and I wish I saw more wine from that region on the shelves of my local wine shops. I expect that over time I’ll see more of it showing up in my mid-western locale. I’ve previously reviewed the Bridgman Chardonnay, and I need to […]
In winery years, Doña Paula is still relatively young, with it’s roots going back to just 1997. It was actually founded by Grupo Claro from Chile, owners of Viña Santa Rita, as they diversified operations into Argentina. You could say it was a good investment, as demand for Doña Paula wines has driven the winery […]
Being as into wine as I am, I get into a lot of conversations about wine and I’ve noticed that there are a few names that come up time and time again. One of those names is Layer Cake, and that’s particularly related to their Shiraz. I meet people everywhere who are nuts about Layer […]
It seems that in all the wine shops I visit, Don Miguel Gascón is the Malbec that I see everywhere. Perhaps that’s because it’s distributed by wine powerhouse, EJ Gallo. It’s named after the original founder of the winery, who moved from Spain to Argentina in 1880 and began building the winery in 1884. The […]
Tercos is a relatively young wine brand, but the men behind it have a long family history in the wine business. The winery is owned and operated by Pedro and Patricio Santos, sons of Argentine winemaker Ricardo Santos. Ricardo founded the Norton winery in the 1970’s and in more recent years has been producing wine […]
As I continue this series on Malbec I’m struck by the fact that it seems like it’s just been within the past ten years that most of us in the US started to notice Argentine wines, and the rise of Malbec seems to be at the crux of that. But wine has being produced in […]
While there are several characteristics to wine that I enjoy discussing and writing about in reviews, my quest ultimately boils down to two critical measures: 1) Is it good? And 2) Is it affordable? The sweet spot is when a wine does well in both measures. But when it comes to wines I’ll recommend, it’s […]
