Archive for May, 2008

 

Road Trip: Ballpark Wine

Friday, May 30th, 2008

During our cross-country road trip, we have been taking in some sporting events, mostly Major League Baseball games. Actually, our first ballpark was not a ballpark at all, but Churchill Downs, the famous horse track and site of the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky. On Derby Day, they served a choice of Fetzer Chardonnay, Zinfandel, […]

Filed under: American Wine, Red Wine, White Wine, Wine Travel |

 

What you like is what’s most important

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

Wine rating services, wine critics, wine journalists, and wine bloggers are useful but don’t follow them blindly. Learn which critics tend to like what you like and then let them lead you to some new wine possibilities. Remember, in the end, it’s what tastes good to you, what you like that counts. While the points […]

Filed under: General Wine Information |

 

Is Shiraz/Syrah the next Cab?

Monday, May 26th, 2008

“I’m a big fan of Shiraz…great quality and value.” –Francis Ford Coppola While virtually every wine lover is familiar with Syrah from the Rhone Valley in France and Shiraz [sha-RAZZ] from Australia, I am more and more impressed with the quality of Shiraz/Syrah from areas not traditionally known for this grape, such as Washington and […]

Filed under: American Wine, Australian Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, California Wine, Chilean Wine, French Wine, Shiraz/Syrah, South African Wine, Washington State Wine |

 

Road Trip: Mid-America

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

In recent weeks, we’ve reported from the road on winery visits in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Tennessee and Kentucky. Today, I’ll report on our wine tasting visits in Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Nebraska. On the way out of Cincinnati, Ohio, we stopped at Ohio’s oldest and largest winery, Meier’s Wine Cellars. It was almost […]

Filed under: American Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dessert Wine, Five-Bangs For Your Buck Wines, Lesser Known Varietals, Missouri Wine, Nebraska Wine, Norton, Ohio Wine, Port, Red Wine, White Wine, Wine Century Club, Wine Travel, Wines NOT To Buy (1 & 2 Star), Wines Over $25, Wines Under $15, Wines Under $20, Wines Under $25, Wisconsin Wine |

 

Private Tasting: Cabernet Sauvignon

Wednesday, May 21st, 2008

We recently had another one of our double-blind private tastings. All we knew when we sat down for dinner was that these two wines were red, but we did not know their region of origin or varietal. For a more complete description of how we set up these private tastings, please refer back to my […]

Filed under: American Wine, Australian Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, Five-Bangs For Your Buck Wines, Red Wine, Washington State Wine, Wines Over $25, Wines Under $10, Wines Under $15, Wines Under $20, Wines Under $25 |

 

Storing your wine

Monday, May 19th, 2008

“What is the definition of a good wine? It should start and end with a smile.” –William Sokolin The two biggest dangers to wine are wide temperature fluctuations and high temperatures for a sustained period of time. For wines that you plan to consume in the next week to the next year, which will probably […]

Filed under: General Wine Information |

 

Robert Mondavi, 1913 – 2008

Friday, May 16th, 2008

Robert Mondavi, winemaking legend and Napa Valley pioneer, passed away this morning at the age of 94. Mondavi played an integral role in putting United States wine on the map worldwide. We are very grateful for all he did for the wine industry. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. May he rest in […]

Filed under: Wine News |

 

Road Trip: Tennessee and Kentucky

Friday, May 16th, 2008

Our next stops on our road trip across these United States of America were Tennessee and Kentucky. We headed for Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and visited three Tennessee wineries, Mountain Valley Winery, Apple Barn Winery, and Smoky Mountain Winery. My opinion after these three visits is that Tennessee is not yet serious wine country. The only wines […]

Filed under: American Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, Kentucky Wine, Lesser Known Varietals, Red Wine, Shiraz/Syrah, Tennessee Wine, Viognier, White Wine, Wine Travel, Wines NOT To Buy (1 & 2 Star), Wines Over $25, Wines Under $15, Wines Under $20, Wines Under $25 |

 

Toast to the Northwest

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

This event, held last weekend at the Dempsey Indoor on the University of Washington campus, brought together two of my favorite things, Huskies and wine. As a graduate of the University of Washington, I am a tried and true Husky fan. In fact one of my favorite pastimes is attending UW sporting events with my […]

Filed under: American Wine, Argentine Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, Five-Bangs For Your Buck Wines, Idaho Wine, Malbec, Merlot, Oregon Wine, Red Wine, Sangiovese, Shiraz/Syrah, Viognier, Washington State Wine, White Wine, Wine Activities/Events, Wines NOT To Buy (1 & 2 Star), Wines Over $25, Wines Under $10, Wines Under $15, Wines Under $20, Wines Under $25 |

 

State of Washington is shooting itself in the foot!

Monday, May 12th, 2008

Protectionism was one of the main causes of the Great Depression, yet we seem to have to relearn that lesson over and over again in both national and state politics. Here in the state of Washington, our legislators once again this year failed to listen to the lessons of history and pass a bill (SB6384) […]

Filed under: General Wine Information |