I logged on tonight planning to post a summary of all the Merlot reviews I’ve done recently, in order to show how they all stack up to each other and help you pick the best bargains. When I pulled up my tasting notes database I saw that I had neglected to post a review of […]
Today it’s nothing fancy. Just a quick and dirty review. This Merlot is one of the best sellers at one of my favorite wine shops. It’s a great price, and so I wanted to see what made this so popular. To be honest, that still seems to be a mystery to me. I would call […]
When I see a wine named “Fat Bastard” I don’t know what to expect. My first impression is that wine is all about marketing shtick and has no real substance. But then I think that perhaps the winemaker just has a good sense of humor. There’s no real way to know without giving it an […]
Although New Zealand and Oyster Bay are both best known for Sauvignon Blanc, it’s the Oyster Bay Merlot that has captured my attention. I first tasted this Merlot at the first ever North American Wine Blogger’s Conference last October. At that conference there was an open tasting of 100 wines from New Zealand. Most of […]
When you see the label on the Dancing Bull Merlot you might think that the design looks similar to that found on Rancho Zabaco Zinfandels. Well, it is… and the two are related. Rancho Zabaco, part of the E&J Gallo portfolio, has been around since 1996 and has developed a good reputation for Zinfandel over […]
Last fall, Sebastiani Vineyards was one of the wineries I visited on my trip to Sonoma County. If you’re ever doing a wine tour in the area I would recommend giving them a visit as they have a beautiful wine room with enormous old redwood casks. It’s a sight to see. Sebastiani is a family-owned […]
Red Truck is a relatively young wine brand, but one I seem to see everywhere I go. Perhaps it just stands out on the shelf with the big red truck on the label and I notice it more than other brands. I have to give them credit for creating a memorable brand identity that breaks […]
I’ve tried a number of wines from Barefoot Wine and to be honest, I have a love/hate thing for them. I love the affordability of their wines. But I dislike the fact that their wines are non-vintage. I’ve mentioned this before, as well as my position that I don’t expect consistency when there isn’t a […]
Last month we reviewed the McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate Shiraz which was a good Shiraz—especially for the price. And today we’re giving the Merlot from this brand a try. Like the Shiraz, the grapes for this Merlot come from the New South Wales region in Australia, and more specifically the Riverina region within New South Wales. […]
Today is Earth Day and there are actually a number of different environment-related topics that I could write about relevant to wine. Sustainable agriculture, organic wines and bio-dynamic wines are a few topics that come to mind. But I’m going to write about a less sexy topic—packaging. Actually, packaging can be sexy, but it’s something […]
