Clik here to view.
Delicious Bites and Sips from the ZAP Epicuria Food and Wine Pairing Evening
When sommeliers talk about wines that pair well with food, Zinfandel doesn’t usually make the top ten list. Nonetheless, there are many foods for which it’s a great match. Each year at the ZAP!...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wines that Age Well - An Overview by Variety and Region
Whether you are stocking a wine cellar for bottle-aging wine or just shopping the “old and rare” section of your favorite wine shop, there are a few things you should know: How does wine change over...
View ArticleWine Tasting in Paso Robles - 5 Can’t Miss Wineries in Northwest Paso
NorCalWine’s tasting guide to Paso Robles continues. This week we’re off to what I’m calling northwest Paso Robles. It could also be described as the wineries of Adelaide Rd. This article will detail...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How Many Wines do Critics Taste per Day?
The wine critic has decided whether or not to taste blind and has selected glassware. How many wines will she taste in a day? I frequently hear people suggest that wine critics' judgement is impaired...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Recapping an Epic Tasting of 1968 Cabernet Sauvignon
Why taste of a bunch of wines from all the way back in 1968? Is it a stunt or for bragging rights? No, it’s for the love of wine and the history of wine. My friend, Rich Meinecke, who organized the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Coppola Acquires Inglenook Name for Rubicon, Hires Phillipe Bascaules
Francis Ford Coppola, owner of Rubicon Estate Winery, acquired the Inglenook trademark from The Wine Group this week. The purchase fulfills Coppola’s longtime dream of reuniting his historic estate...
View ArticleWine Tasting in Paso Robles - My Top 4 Picks in Southwest Paso
Today’s post offers my best recommendations for wineries in Southwest Paso Robles, near the intersection of 46 West and Vineyard Drive. I’ll also tell you where to grab a good lunch. Tasting Wine in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Good Wine: A Matter of Degrees?
I tried a wine the other day at a walk-around trade tasting. It was an unoaked California Chardonnay. The winemaker poured it for me from the bottle displayed on the table. I brought the glass to my...
View ArticleGet ready for the Annual Family Winemakers of California Tasting in SF on Aug 23
While much of the sheer volume of California wine is produced by very large corporate wineries, the vast majority of wineries in the state are family owned. It is those small, unique wineries that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How Critics Taste Wines - Glassware
Stemware companies will tell you that the glass a wine is served in can make a big difference it smells and tastes. They’re right. The shape, thickness and micro texture of a glass determines how...
View ArticleFall Back on Spring Mountain
It was the kind of pre-Thanksgiving day that makes us feel very fortunate to live in this area. Somewhere in Wisconsin, moon boots were stepping gingerly out onto snow-covered lakes to see if the ice...
View ArticleClik here to view.
California Cabernet Aging Potential - It’s Not About the Years, it’s the...
People, especially Americans, put undo focus on some numbers. Every week news outlets tell us which movies had the biggest box office revenue. They don’t tell us what the films are about or if they’re...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mendocino Sparkles
”We’re trying to be a picnic wine, not trying to be fancy,” Signal Ridge Vineyard owner Roger Scommegna told me as I sipped his non-vintage Signal Ridge Bubbles last Sunday night. “There are already...
View ArticleClik here to view.
6 Ways to Re-Use Empty Wine Bottles
Unless the wine you drink comes out of a box, you probably empty a least a few bottles every month. And you probably drop the empties into a recycling bin. That’s a responsible thing to do, though...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On "Unexpected Napa Valley Wines"
In 1968, the value of Napa County’s beef production was virtually identical to that of its grapes[1]. There were 1,336 productive acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, but 1,492 acres of Petite Sirah....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Which California Counties Added the Most Vineyard Acreage in the Past Five...
In honor of California Wine Month, I'll be providing a variety of details about the scope of the state's wine industry. Last week, I published California Wine by the Numbers. Today, We'll look at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Getting the Wine Bloggers Conference We Deserve
I attended this year’s North American Wine Bloggers’ Conference in Santa Barbara last week. This was the fifth WBC I’ve attended. Some parts of the conference were truly excellent, many were...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Biodynamic Cabernet of Grace from Wise Acre Vineyards
A hundred chocolate-brown feathers litter the ground before the barn, the only remaining traces of a bobcat’s midnight chicken dinner. Seemingly unaware of their narrow escape, the remaining heritage...
View ArticleJess Jackson, Founder of Kendall-Jackson, Dead at 81
Jess Stonestreet Jackson, Jr. (February 18, 1930 - April 21, 2011) Jess Jackson died at home, in Geyserville, CA on April 21, 2010 after a long fight with cancer. He was 81 years old. Born in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Spotlight on the Calistoga AVA
The Calistoga AVA became effective on January 7, 2010. Though it was the 15th region within the larger Calistoga AVA to achieve official TTB recognition, Calistoga has produced high-quality grapes and...
View Article