Living in Europe, I am often inundated with questions concerning the California wine scene. After all, we do have the reputation of abounding with new and innovative ideas for wines. In fact, when my stateside friends come for a visit, they are expected to pay tribute to this self-proclaimed Caesar. My friends are quick to…
When I am asked about my preferences in wine, my usual answer is, “Italian wines are my forte and Spanish wines are my heritage. However, Georgian wines are my passion.” Another of my passions, in the world of wines, is “terroir. online pharmacy doxycycline no prescription pharmacy ” I come from the school of thought…
Only $4.99 for a soup starter, with some roasted chicken and Hickory Farms Ham Summer Sausage added in, this was a good soup. The freeze-dried veggies plumped up, the rice cooked and it was plenty spicy and flavorful on its own. But it wasn’t what I’d call Jambalaya by a long stretch – it was…
I am sure that it has crossed your mind on many occasion why wine smells and taste certain ways. What I also find interesting is that wine smells and tastes like virtually every fruit except grapes. With this in mind, how do vintners develop aromas of vanilla or flavors of cherry? The answer is quite…
A wise man once said that before one can understand anything properly, one has to learn how to love it. For me, this holds true with both wine and women. It seems that the bulk of my time is spent with the pleasurable task of trying to understand the qualities and complexities of wine and…
I often receive emails asking what are some of my favorite California wines and why I don’t review more of our gems. For the record, I have a preference for Sonoma County, and a penchant for the Russian River Valley. You guessed correctly, I am passionate about Pinot Noir. I also feel my colleagues…
Quintessa (All blends using Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenere) 2010 Both aromas and flavors of spiced-up blueberries, freshly cracked green peppercorns, rich Swiss dark chocolate and firm tannins. 2009 Woods after the rain, blackest of blackberries, sautéed mushrooms, black licorice, fresh anise and balanced tannins. 2008 This had…
In this, maybe my sixth visit to Del Dotto, I knew winemaker Gerard Zanzonico had a plane to catch so I suggested we skip the barrel tasting and limit ourselves to whatever he had in bottle. So what did he do? He pulled barrel tastings and put them in bottles for us to taste. The…
What’s in the bag? That is the question that was asked of the GOTN folks at our last tasting. Most of the active members have been with the group for quite a while and are fairly savvy wine drinkers. So I ask you, what better way to challenge our wine senses than to sample and…