Specialists vs. GeneralistsBack in the day, if you wanted to be a winemaker, there were two career trajectories. You could either become a generalist or a specialist. That meant either working …
Anyone can become a wine expert with a decent work ethic and a little support. Wine is not rocket science. If you have the drive, you can become a winemaker or …
Spend a few minutes listening to a sommelier speak about wine, and you’ll soon be enchanted by their talk of aromas and bouquets, lesser-known wine valleys, and silky tannins. It may …
Seven Hills Red, Walla Walla ValleyA Bordeaux-style blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and aged for two years in mostly older oak barriques. Cedar and wildflowers frame a classy move into old-world …
The second stop on our small group wine tour out of Barcelona was at Finca ca n’Estella Winery. Owned by the Rabetllat i Vidal family since 1964, the third generation currently …
Okay, so John McKeever reached out to me a while back. Remember Delco Proper on Comedy Central? He was the director and star of that show. Apparently, he attended a class …
Why does California get all the love when Columbia Valley wine is fantastic? The pat answer is that California has been growing grapes longer, and it’s a core feature in America’s …
From King Louis XIV’s palace to Napa Valley’s vineyards, rosé wines have always been a part of wine-drinking culture. This article offers the essentials of rosé, how it’s made, and what …
Out of Florence As we traveled out of the bustling city of Florence and up a series of hills, my significant other and I were glad we had not opted to …
Cloudlift Cellars “Halcyon” Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia ValleyThe gritty backbone of tannins with a whiff of burnt sage and cedar. Plump red fruit flavors take a backseat to eucalyptus. There is great …
Through my winery excursions, I seek to explore the different ways in which positive winery experiences are evoked. An extra pour, a particularly engaging or knowledgeable person pouring, a free loaf …
Another Mystery WineI took a deep dive while trying to figure out who made this wine. I hadn’t heard of Stonehedge before tasting this monolithic Cabernet Sauvignon. The label seems to …
Le Terroir Daronton is a cooperative winery that includes about 200 winegrowers in the Southern Rhone. They don’t make a generic “Cotes du Rhone”; instead, they focus on village-designated wines. These …
HaroThe town of Haro has a long winemaking history, and Bodegas Berceo is its figurative heart. Berceo’s wine cellars were dug under the city streets, repurposing tunnels that dated back to …
Robert BrittanRobert Brittan is best known as the winemaker responsible for Stags’ Leap Winery’s Petite Sirahs. Those inky monsters redefined the grape as a luxury Napa Valley wine. Throughout the nineties, …
A Mystery Bottle Out of nowhere, a 90-plus rated wine shows up on the wine shelves at the local wine & spirits store. As a wine critic, I like to know …