Yearly Archives: 2015
Podcast: New Zealand Pinot Noir With Sam Neill of Two Paddocks at IPNC
A pleasure to sit down for a bit of an early morning chat with Sam Neill, Proprietor of New Zealand’s Two Paddocks. We were both in McMinnville, Oregon, for the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC, where I was an invited media guest and he was the Master of Ceremonies) and conversed in the bucolic backyard of a local [More]
How Does Chardonnay Age Under Screwcap? Kumeu River Wines at TEXSOM
When I attended TEXSOM, one of my goals as far as the seminars I signed up for was to embrace new experiences that would broaden my understanding about the world of wine. Actually, more like shine a light on a place, a person, and a process unbeknownst to me. This is why I chose to attend [More]
How To Drink Red Wine in the Summertime
I went to one of my favorite spots for wine in Seattle, Le Caviste, to meet up with Dana from Foodie Saveur. Was it hot outside? Yes. Did I drink red wine? Indeed. Dana was so intrigued by my willingness to drink red wine during a day of elevated temperatures she asked me to share [More]
Wild Beers, Oak Barrels, and Microbes at TEXSOM
Howdy from Dallas where I’m at TEXSOM, a most excellent beverage conference with a strong wine focus. But one cannot live on wine alone. Which is why I decided to get wild with beer. Not wild like pool-party in the 105 degree heat wild. (Well, it’s actually just a few people chilling and drinking beer [More]
TEXSOM Preview: From Chianti to Carignan and Even Cold Beer
Hey there! I am off to Texas to attend TEXSOM this weekend. What is TEXSOM? I like how the Twitter profile for the event puts it: “Annual event for beverage pros from around the world held in Dallas, Texas in August. That’s right August! #TEXSOM” (In other words, we know how hot it’s going to [More]
What Should Cabernet Sauvignon Taste Like?
Seems like a pretty basic question, huh? An iconic and omnipresent red wine grape like Cabernet Sauvignon should be pretty easy to identify taste-wise. Yet both winemaker and wine drinker have a wide variety of ideas on what Cabernet Sauvignon should give you in the glass and in your drinking hole. Taste is subjective, after [More]
How Not To Sell A Wine, A Love Story
How Not To Sell a Wine: Put a South African white wine in a Bordeaux bottle Disclose no grape names on the front label Have the current release be the 2008 vintage If you think I’m being glib, these sentiments came straight from Anthony Hamilton Russell, owner of South Africa’s Hamilton Russell Vineyards, along with Southern [More]
Fossil and Fawn on Pints and Panels: Cool Oregon Pinot Gris
I’m a big fan of the Oregon wines from the teeny-tiny (for now) operation that is Fossil & Fawn. I sent a bottle of their 2014 Pinot Gris to my pal Em over at Pints and Panels. We met at the SAVEUR Blog Awards ceremony (at a distillery…world’s collide!), where she took home the Editor’s Choice [More]
