Not knowing what I was going to write about this week for Beaconeers I pondered…over a bottle of 2002 Summers Napa Valley Zinfandel from the Villa Adriana Vineyard, the last bottle from a case we brought home after tasting and picnicking there. Then, after being greeted by a blast of flavor, I had my column. …
The Balkans are an ancient land that has given rise to such heroes as Orpheus and Spartacus. Since the Iron Age, some 3500 years ago, Thracians have long dominated Bulgaria and developed it into a mighty kingdom. The Thracians, legendary warriors of antiquity, were ready, willing, and able to hold their own against any foreign…
Just east of Cape Town is one of South Africa’s most prolific wine regions. Known as “Winelands,” it is a seemingly mystical land conjured from a fantasy tale. The landscape is fringed with craggy mountains whose peaks ascend high into the clouds. Green valleys are dotted with 300 year old camphor trees, fields of flowers…
Ever since its release, Dave Phinney’s Zinfandel based, “The Prisoner,” captivated the wine world. For many, it came as a surprise in 2010 when Phinney’s Orin Swift Cellars sold two of their most popular wines, Saldo and The Prisoner, to Chile’s Huneeus Vintners. According to Phinney, the sale is more of a partnership as Huneeus…
Riesling Wines are very interesting and allure many different types of wine drinkers. It has been my finding that people that are not really serious wine drinkers tend to go for the sweeter versions of this style of wine but it goes much deeper than satisfying non wine drinkers. There are many different styles of…
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. ” I come from the school of thought that terroir is everything. I had…
Toscana is arguably Italy’s most renown wine region. It is also the homeland of antiquity’s Etruscans, who in turn, greatly influenced the Romans and their culture. Tuscany is rich in history, culture, art, and scenic landscapes that are filled with rolling hills and some of the world’s finest vineyards. Tuscany is not only the birthplace…
My earliest recollection of Sherry was as a boy reading Edgar Allen Poe’s, “The Cask of Amontillado.” I immediately leaped to my feet and ran into my parents’ bedroom to ask what in fact was Sherry? After my mother’sbrief explanation, I accompanied her to the living room where from behind the bar, she produced a…
Our founding father’s certainly appreciated quality liquor. Most did not follow the colonial custom of drinking rum. Benjamin Franklin brewed beer. Thomas Jefferson was also a brewer and set up large vineyards at Monticello. George Washington had his own recipe for porter, a dark brown bitter beer brewed from malt that has been partly charred….
