I’ve recently been doing a short series on Carménère, highlighting the new styles winemakers are producing from this once thought to be lost grape. It was once one of the grapes used to produce Bordeaux until 1867, when a pest called phylloxera destroyed most of the vineyards in Europe and completely decimated Carménère vineyards there. […]
Varietals
Review: In Situ Reserva Carménère
Last week I published a post about Luma Chequén Gran Reserva Carménère and highlighted the new approach many producers in Chile are taking with Carménère. In a nutshell, producers are embracing the pyrazine qualities of Carménère to showcase the true essence of this grape. So as not to repeat myself, you can read that previous […]
Luma Chequén Gran Reserva Carménère
Let me begin by saying, “I was wrong about Carménère.” This is not the first time I’ve had to admit being wrong and it won’t be the last. But fortunately, I’m willing to own up to it when I’m wrong and change my thinking… which, in my humble opinion, is more important than being right […]
Review: Virgen, Organic Red Blend
It’s interesting to think about the idea of organic products when you look at it through the history of time. 100 years ago, most things that you could buy in a supermarket would be considered organic, by current standards, but they weren’t marketed that way because it wasn’t something people thought about at the time. […]
Masciarelli, Colline Teatine Rosato
Rosé can be made from any red wine grape. It’s produced by pressing the grapes and fermenting the juice without the grape skins. Red wine, on the other hand, is fermented with the skins of the grapes along with the juice, and the deep red color comes from the skins. Although rosé can be produced […]
Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re like me and seek out good, bargain-priced wines. Finding those hidden gems is sometimes about knowing a specific brand to seek out, sometimes it’s about knowing a certain region that delivers good QPR (quality-to-price ratio) and sometimes it’s knowing the right grapes to seek out. In […]
Review: Domaine Bousquet Gran Organic Cabernet Sauvignon
A good bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon can be pricey. You can easily spend $35, $50, $80 or more for a single bottle. But you don’t need to spend that much to have a great bottle of wine. This Gran Organic Cabernet Sauvignon from Domain Bousquet has a suggested retail price of $18 and I would […]
Alto de la Ballena, Tannat Viognier
A wine blend you may have come across at some point in your life is Syrah-Viognier. It may not seem intuitive to add a white wine with intense, perfume-like aromas (i.e., Viognier) to a full-bodied red wine with concentrated dark fruit, spice and tannic characteristics (i.e., Syrah), but it works… really well. The Viognier, which […]
Review: Marquês de Borba Colheita White
I am what some might call a wine nerd. Part of what drives my interest in wine is curiosity. I love being able to explore different regions, different grapes, different production methods and more through the context of wine. Wine regions that use native, regional grapes is one of the things I often look for […]
Review: Bonterra Sauvignon Blanc
It’s mid-March and we’ve already had our first taste of spring here in Cincinnati. We’ve had some warm days, getting into the 70s. The magnolia trees and daffodils are blossoming. And I’m seeing buds on bushes and grapevines around my yard. That first taste of spring makes my palate crave more summer-oriented wines, like Sauvignon […]