Buying wine online has emerged as a go-to option for both casual drinkers and connoisseurs alike. Though many retailers are just a click away, the sheer volume of choices can be overwhelming. In this post, I share my personal strategy for buying online, born out of my years as a Pacific Northwest wine lover and […]
The Willamette Valley Chardonnay Article that Never Was
December, 2019. The table was set. I had 25 Willamette Valley chardonnays chilled and ready. Each chardonnay hailed from one of the seven sub-appellations (also known as nested AVAs or sub-AVAs) within the valley*, and nearly all sub-AVAs had three or four wines to represent it. Three notable somms from the Twin Cities had arrived […]
Tasting Terroir for a Tiddlywink? Value Bordeaux Excels
Wine drinkers and non-drinkers alike know the term “Bordeaux.” Images of stuffy cigar lounges filled with haughty white folk come to mind, or perhaps an expansive and expensive cellar full of out-of-reach wines for us, everyday people. An honest look at the whole of Bordeaux, however, reveals a large winegrowing region filled primarily with modest […]
The Death of Yeast Adds to Chardonnay and Sparkling Wines
Alcohol has been celebrated with awe for millennia. This mysterious transfiguration of sugar has inspired lore and legend, even religion, until the 19th century when Louis Pasteur proved that yeast is the mechanism at play. We now understand, in winemaking, a variety of yeast strains carry out the primary conversion of grape sugar into alcohol. Only a few wines, however, utilize the yeast post-fermentation to […]
Three Lodi Wineries Offering Authenticity and Intrigue
The Lodi region of California has grown wine grapes for over a century. This history has both burnished and oxidized its reputation. Lodi has some name recognition, but for a specific niche: high octane zinfandel and bulk filler for the kings, queens, and princes to the west, nearer the cool coast. Both because of and […]
Honest Wine without Waving “Natural Wine” Banner
Most grocery stores, chain liquor stores, and national restaurants sell wines made by the millions of cases—wines made with a recipe, a process more akin to making soda than wine. In contrast, “natural” winemakers have staked their claim as the antithesis to corporate plonk. While “natural wine” is a loose stylistic description, it is generally […]
Minnesota in the Willamette: Minnesotans Staking Claim in Oregon’s Famed Pinot Noir Region
Pinot noir that seduces with satin-and-lace elegance. Riesling worthy of her exalted status as Queen of the White Wines. Chardonnay that walks a tightrope with both energy and grace. These are the kinds of wines coming out of arguably the most exciting wine region in the United States today—Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Over the years, several […]
9 Winter Wines for the Holiday Season
Cool Canadian winds have whisked in the holiday season, and with this churn comes a shift in wines to the more savory and layered. Many choose to jump directly into the depths-of-winter wines, like cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel. Instead, try something more transitional this month—wine that honors the elements, pairs with a variety of foods, and piques […]
First-Rate Second Wines
Caymus, Grgich Hills, Haut-Brion. These wineries, and others of their ilk, have worked tirelessly to build brand awareness. They start by crafting memorable and compelling wines, as all great wineries must. Then they travel, in the flesh and digitally, telling their story from hilltops and dales. With this work they build recognition, and garner top-tier […]
People’s Wine
Real wine is hard to find. The charade that populates most store shelves is a group of elixirs, created to poke and tickle the right taste buds. Made in the vein of Pepsi or Fritos, these commodity wines typically showcase excessive fruit, residual sugar, and serious chugability. These are circus wines with circus labels, and […]