Recently returned from a whirlwind (whirlwine?) few days in snowy, cold, loveable New York City attending VINO 2015. (This was a sponsored media trip, BTW.) Let’s get straight to the cool wines that I discovered. Well, it wasn’t like I found the Ark of the Covenant, just that these wines were new to me. I [More]
Cabernet Franc suffers the fate of not being Cabernet Sauvignon. It doesn’t have the reputation, familiarity, nor the sheer numbers of bottles available compared to the more famous Cabernet. Wait, what? What is this staid romance about standing up for a grape?!? Let’s get to the part where we all have lampshades on our heads! Let me [More]
If you’ve been a faithful reader of this blog, there is one thing you know without a shadow of a doubt: I am a staunch defender of the Champagne flute as my preferred vessel for sparkling wine enjoyment. Wait, you didn’t know that? OK, we can rectify that later. But first I want to give [More]
I spent two years working at Seattle’s Bottlehouse and there are many wonderful things I can say about this charming wine bar. But most germane to this blog post and episode of my Wine Without Worry podcast is the seriousness shown for cheese. They have a dang cheesemonger there! And while Bottlehouse does a great [More]
Very excited to be leaving for New York at the crack of dawn on Super Bowl Sunday to attend VINO 2015. When it comes to wine geekiness, this celebration of the wines of Southern Italy means Russell Wilson times Tom Brady times Katy Perry levels of excitement for me. This sponsored media trip will [More]
Since I’ve been on a theme of anthropomorphizing wines, I can’t help but continue when thinking about the 2013 Allegrini Valpolicella. Hailing from the Veneto in Northern Italy, Allegrini’s estate vineyards surround the pictured Villa della Torre. Nice digs, eh? So what do I mean when I call this wine “friendly”? Many things. First and [More]
After running through a trio of 2012 Pinot Noirs from Oregon’s Youngberg Hill received as samples, I was struck by one thing they all had in common: richness. These are not lacy, delicate wines! A quick internet search about the 2012 vintage in Oregon turned up a post where these words were trotted out to describe [More]
My never-ending thirst for all things sparkling rosé led me back to an old friend with a look that stirs up feelings: Jané Ventura Reserva de la Música Rosé 2011. It’s a Cava (the term used for Spanish sparkling wine) made from Garnatxa Negra. You might have heard of this grape by a more familiar name: [More]
