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 […]
Cold Climate Grapes Take Root in Waconia
As a thunderstorm rolls across the prairie, Ben Banks rests a finished bottle flat and deftly hand-labels his new vintage release. Disturbing the zen of the moment, he looks up to give me a warm handshake. Banks leads the winemaking at Sovereign Estate, his family’s winery established in 2008 on the north shore of Lake […]
A Note on Jancis Robinson’s Craft Wine Concerns
Jancis Robinson recently wrote an article defending winemaking as an innately “craft” process*, and displayed deep concern over beer and spirits capturing the hearts and taste buds of the younger generations of craft beverage consumers. Robinson clearly feels threatened by the upswing in craft beer and spirits. The threat may be real, but the source […]
Is Vivino a Dependable Source?
I have recently witnessed an industry wine buyer for a Minnesota retail account and a multitude of wine consumers using Vivino to make wine buying decisions. For full disclosure, I am a “Featured User,” a designation given by Vivino to highlight a user worthy of extra attention. Most Featured Users are wine writers or influencers. […]
Riesling Rising – Weinbau Paetra
Willamette Valley Pin . . . No. Stop there. Riesling. Willamette Valley Riesling. For winemakers and the wine obsessed, this combination brings little surprise. For most, Riesling sounds like an afterthought in the land of world-class Pinot Noir. Enter Weinbau Paetra. Buy, pop, swirl, and see. Bill Hooper worked his way into a few fine […]
Between the Lines: “It’s ‘Best of Times’ To Be in the Industry Says WSWA Chief”
Distributor Consolidation Harms Producers A few months back, Leslie Gevirtz of Wine Enthusiast interviewed Craig Wolf, president of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America.¹ Wolf strikes an upbeat tone, and Wine Enthusiast largely maintains that confident tenor. A closer reading, however, provides evidence that Wolf has reason to celebrate . . . at the expense […]