How much do you know about Southern Oregon Wine? For most people (and myself included), Oregon wine means one grape and one region: Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley. But not only are there a great diversity of wines being produced within the Willamette Valley, you can also find many exciting wines made in the [More]
25 Reasons to Drink Pet-Nat
Update: Pet-Nat Week 2013 is July 10th-14th. If you’re in NYC check out the (free!) tasting schedule. Visiting Vine Wine in Brooklyn, NY, and seeing my friend Sarah Chappell provided my introduction to the world of Pet-Nat wines. What the heck is a Pet-Nat wine? Well, it’s sparkling. (Hooray! I’m listening with rapt attention.) I’ll [More]
A Review of Red Obsession: A Documentary about China and Bordeaux Wine
The documentary Red Obsession concerns one of the most talked-about topics in the wine business: the rise of China in the international market and its penchant for top-flight Bordeaux. Wines that cost thousands of dollars per bottle are bought at headline-producing rates. The title of the documentary, with its play on red wine and Communist [More]
The Corner of Thinkable and Drinkable: 3 Views of Frasca and Scarpetta
Last year I attended a very memorable lunch at Seattle’s The Coterie Room featuring the food of Frasca and the wines of Scarpetta. (Check out the recap.) Restaurant and winery owners Bobby Stuckey (the sommelier) and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson (the chef) held court, both equally entertaining and inspiring. So it was with great pleasure that I recently [More]
Discovering Brazilian Sparkling Wine in New York
Confession: I’ve never had a wine from Brazil, let alone a Brazilian sparkling wine. But, thanks to a blogger event sponsored by Snooth, I am off to New York for a weekend of seminars, as well as to attend the People’s Voice Wine Awards Grand Tasting. Besides getting to know the wines of Brazil, I’ll [More]
Hipsters, Horses, Skin Contact, and the Wines of Chile
While on a recent blogger trip to sample the wines of Chile, I had the added bonus of seeing a city that really impressed me on my previous visit: Valparaiso. Above the city you can wander the streets and come across all kinds of fascinating graffiti and street art. (Check out my slide show for [More]
Wine on Airlines: Will Ferrell, Graham Greene, and Sekt on Lufthansa
Wine on airlines? My typical perspective: nothing like having a captive audience to make the unremarkable palatable. Recently I flew Lufthansa on an international flight (to head to Spain on a sponsored trip with Segura Viudas) and was impressed with a couple offerings. The first was a French white wine, the 2011 Reserve de la [More]
Red Obsession: A Conversation about Bordeaux, China, and Culture
I intended this post to be a review of the documentary RED OBSESSION (and one will be forthcoming). It concerns one of the most talked-about topics in the wine business: the rise of China in the international market and its penchant for top-flight Bordeaux. These wines cost thousands of dollars per bottle, and are being [More]
