Summer is upon us and the heat is coming coming down, making this the season for crisp, light, fruity white wines. This one fits the bill perfectly! Chardonnay is one of those wines that is really popular with many people, but also has a number of haters. I call those folks ABC wine lovers (i.e., […]
Wine Regions
Review: PassioneSentimento Bianco
Let’s get right to the point, this is a really cool wine. It’s made from Garganega grapes that are partially dried (i.e., like raisins) in a technique called appassimento. And it’s believed to be the only dry white wine produced in the Veneto region using this technique. Veneto, and Italy in general, has a lot […]
Review: Ron Rubin, Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
The Russian River Valley is known for outstanding Pinot Noir, bursting with bright red fruit flavors, elegant, vibrant and just plain scrumptious. That’s exactly what Ron Rubin delivers in this Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is a finicky grape variety, for which the vineyard site is critically important. The Russian River Valley, by […]
Review: River Road, Alexander Valley Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon
“I’m a fan of low alcohol, wines” says Ron Rubin, the vintner behind River Road wines. “I keep the alcohol in check to produce elegant wines that you can enjoy, glass after glass.” I too am a fan of low alcohol wines. I generally find them to be more food-friendly, more elegant, more accessible and […]
Review: River Road, Un-oaked Chardonnay
Last week I wrote about a Chardonnay from River Road, so this week I thought I’d write about a Chardonnay from River Road. But wait, this one is different! This is their Un-oaked Chardonnay. This wine is part of what River Road calls their “Heart Series” of wines, which they describe as “fun, innovative, break-the rules, […]
Review: River Road, Russian River Valley Reserve Chardonnay
I’m always interested in learning the stories behind the wines I try, whether that’s the story of the winemaker, the vineyard, the region or something else. The first thing that caught my attention when looking into this wine is that River Road winery is owned by Ron Rubin, who also owns The Republic of Tea […]
Review: Zen Garden Riesling
If you’ve followed me for long you likely know I love Riesling and gravitate toward German Riesling more than others. That’s not to say Riesling from other regions isn’t good, but let’s just say I’ve had good luck more consistently with Riesling from Germany versus some other regions. Germany has a long history of winemaking […]
Review: Louis Guntrum, Niersteiner, Riesling
When you see a bottle of wine sitting on the shelf at the wine shop you usually don’t know a whole lot about that wine. It may be a wine you’ve had before and you’re familiar with it. But there are so many different wines on the market, chances are good you stare at the […]
Review: Hopes End Cabernet Sauvignon
I saw a trends report a few years ago highlighting that how wines are defined is changing. Winemakers are getting more experimental, doing things like infusing wines or adding ingredients other than grapes in order to create unique-tasting wines. Certainly, traditional wines still dominate the market but you do see some things you never would […]
Review: Franzen, Elbling
It’s an exciting day for me. Why? Because I get to add a new wine variety to the list of those I’ve tried. That may sound silly, but it’s a big deal for grape nuts like me. A number of years ago I earned my membership in the Wine Century Club, which recognizes wine enthusiasts […]