VINEgeek

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is winding down and pink has been everywhere. Even the NFL got in on it in a big way. So maybe that’s why I noticed this wine on an end-cap display at my local supermarket. It’s from Cline Cellars (a winery that regular readers will know I am a fan [...]

I was turned on to this wine by Sam Scarpari, an Aussie winemaker (Seraphim Wines), wine vlogger and Twitter-friend (@SeraphimWines). One night, I had just tasted a not-so-good Tempranillo from California and tweeted something to that effect, asking the Twitterverse if anyone had had a good example of the grape from the Golden State. Sam [...]

I picked this up while browsing at Spec’s when I saw that it had Viognier in the blend. It’s not very common for white and red grapes to be blended together – the biggest exceptions being old-school Chianti and Côte Rôtie. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Zin/Viognier blend. Let’s see what it’s like. [...]

As I’ve noted in earlier posts, I’ve been a big fan of Cline wines since my very first trip to wine country in the mid-90s. Theirs was my first introduction to Mourvèdre and I’ve been a “Mourvèdre-head” ever since. Producer: Cline Grapes: 100% Mourvèdre Appellation: Contra Costa County Vineyards: From a 9-acre block of 100+ [...]

I picked up the Food & Wine Wine Guide 2010 the other day. I’ve always enjoyed these guides and have picked them up every other year or so. For each major region they provide an overview of the style of wines produced along with recommended wines and tasting notes. It’s necessarily general given that it’s [...]

The theme of this month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday #62 (hosted by Dale Cruse at Drinks Are On Me) is “A Grape By Any Other Name”. The idea is to taste a wine labeled with a lesser known name of an otherwise common grape. Now this is the sort of thing that I’d normally stew over [...]

If you’ve read any of my posts, you’ve noticed that after the tasting notes and overall assessment I include a “free association”. It’s usually an image of some sort (sometimes a song or video) that conveys something about the wine. Sometimes its very literal, like a photo of pink balloons for a rose wine that [...]

As sales of Port have been trending downward, many Port houses are using a portion of their grapes to produce red table wines. I like Port, but I drink it maybe a couple times a year and almost always at a restaurant by the glass. So I love this trend. I love that they use [...]

Producer: Trevor Jones (Boots label) Grapes: Grenache Appellation: Barossa (Australia) Vineyards: Old bush vines Winemaking: This wine sees some time in French oak, but just how long isn’t clear from the label or website. Alcohol: 14.5% Price: $12-13 My tasting notes: Very light color. Bright nose of pine forest, cherries (cherry cough syrup, really) and [...]

I recently opened a bottle of wine from Volteo with temperature-sensitive ink in the label that turns blue when the wine is at the optimal serving temperature (a la Coors Light). Note in addition to the outline of the horse and rider, the phrase “Drinking Temperature O.K.” appear on the side. The example animation above, [...]