Running a restaurant in the United States, and more specifically, in the mid-west, I’ve had to become extremely familiar with the Chardonnay varietal. In fact, I’d say that beyond Sangiovese (it’s an Italian restaurant), I’d say that chardonnay ranks second in total volume of wines I’ve tasted. I’d bet that I’ve tasted more chardonnay than […]
Tonight we’re continuing our look at riesling, and heading back to Germany. This one from Weingut Josef Leitz is from the Rheingau region of Germany. Rheingau basically translates to mean “Rhine region” and this region is situated along the banks of the Rhine river. Riesling is also the dominant grape here, accounting for nearly 80% […]
I’ve commented before on how riesling gets a bad rap in the US, particularly domestic riesling. I’ve also commented that it’s often a misunderstood wine in the US. Consumers might taste an overly-sweet, poorly made domestic riesling and they slander the varietal as a whole. This is unfortunate, but I think the tide is turning […]
Last week we reviewed a nice — and very affordable — German riesling from the Rheinhessen region, Fritz’s Riesling. And tonight we’re checking out another riesling from the Rheinhessen region. The Weingut Groebe estate was established way back in 1625, so these folks have been making riesling for more than a few years. You might notice […]
One of the things that bums me out about the US wine scene (for lack of a better term) is how so many people dislike riesling — or at least think they dislike it. But it’s really a wine that’s not well understood by many people, particularly in the US. I too have been guilty […]
In days past there was a regular monthly occurrence called “Wine Blogging Wednesday” when wine bloggers from around the world would all write about a common theme. There was also a “host” to the event who would write up a summary of all the participants so that you could go to one place to find all the […]
Pinot Grigio gets a bad wrap. And I think I’m partially to blame. Having run an Italian restaurant with a very comprehensive wine list, I was compelled to offer a pinot grigio (or even two) on our list. But, man it was hard. Pinot grigio is, in all honesty, my least favorite wine on the […]
Since the last review we did was an updated vintage of a wine we’d previously reviewed, I thought we would continue that trend this week with another. Not too long ago we reviewed the 2009 Peñalolen Sauvignon Blanc and we’re already checking out the 2010 vintage of this wine. How can that be? A 2010 […]
One of the highlights of my trip to Austria this past fall was the grüner veltliner (pronounced GROO-nah velt-LEE-nah, with your best Germanic accent). We traveled up the Danube river one day and tasted grüner veltliner from the Wachau and Wagram regions, which are beautiful areas with terraced vineyards along the shores of the Danube. […]
This is an intriguing wine. It’s classified as a Sauvignon Blanc, and at 80% of the blend, that is technically accurate. But Clif’s winemakers, Sarah Gott and Bruce Regalia blend in 4 additional varietals to create a wine that offers layers, complexity, and distinction. Those expecting typical sauvignon blanc characteristics won’t be disappointed, but The […]
