Weekly Wine Show: Recent Episodes

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Incredibly fun discussion to kick off the first Court of Wine with amazing panelists:

Liz Barrett - https://whatsinthatbottle.com/

Sarita Cheaves - https://www.vinemeupdc.com/ and https://soundcloud.com/swirl-suite

Sandra Everingham - https://www.risingwinescollective.com/

Recorded 24 August, 2022

We discuss news and topics from the following articles:

Author: W. Blake Gray

Publication: Wine-Searcher

Date: July 18, 2022

Title: Direct Wine Shipping Comes Under Fire

URL: https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2022/07/direct-wine-shipping-comes-under-fire

Author: Paul Vigna

Publication: Pennlive.com

Date: July 15, 2022

Title: Wine Enthusiast decision has more than a few states feeling left out

URL: https://www.pennlive.com/food/2022/07/wine-enthusiast-decision-has-more-than-a-few-states-feeling-left-out.html

Author: Press Release

Publication: Wine Industry Advisor

Date: July 26, 2022

Title: Woodbridge® Debuts First-to-Market Wine Sodas

URL: https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2022/07/26/woodbridge-debuts-first-to-market-wine-sodas

Author: Harpers Editorial team

Publication: Harpers

Date: July 15, 2022

Title: Friday read: Why bulk is the hot ticket in the face of climate change

URL: https://harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/30467/Friday_read:_Why_bulk_is_the_hot_ticket_in_the_face_of_climate_change.html

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After more than two years away, I (Tony) am coming back to podcasting with my Wine in the News style show. I had intended it to be a spin-out from this podcast (which would also change), but with Betty not wanting to host a podcast currently, I will be renaming Weekly Wine Show to Court of Wine and will host the show here so back episodes can remain available. I hope you enjoy the new format! Cheers!

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This week we hit our 200th episode which is a huge milestone for us. We've made the decision to end Weekly Wine Show. It's a big decision and in this episode we reflect on our past four years and talk about what is next for us.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why did we start Weekly Wine Show?
  • One of the main reasons was we wanted to expand our knowledge of wine and thought a podcast was an interesting format for that learning.
• Did we accomplish what we wanted?
  • Yes, we've learned so much and made so many connections through the podcast. This helped us lay the foundation we needed for what is next.
• Why are we stopping now?
  • We've been putting out content non-stop for almost four years and it's time for a little break
  • Also, we originally started out this podcast to help beginners like us but we can no longer call ourselves beginners. So since it has fulfilled its purpose, we feel its time to move on.
• What's next for us?
  • Although we are ending this podcast, we will be releasing multiple new podcasts and new content in 2020.
  • By the end of Quarter 1: Court of Wine podcast! If you are looking to be a guest on the show make sure you fill out the guest form on the website.
  • Spring of 2020: An mostly interview style podcast gathering stories of people's wine journey's who have been bitten by the wine bug.
  • Late 2020: A wine history podcast focused on interesting stories told in a storytelling format.

Although we will next be releasing new content for a little while, we will be active on social media (mostly Instagram and Twitter) so follow us if you haven't already. We will be providing news and updates so you are in the loop when new content is launched. Also, if you are still subscribed to Weekly Wine Show in you podcast player you will get promos for the new podcasts before they launch.

Thank you all for you love and support. There is no way we would have keep releasing episodes for almost four years without you. We are excited with what 2020 has in store for us and our wine journey. So thank you for listening and it;s not goodbye, it's see you later. Cheers!

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*Note: If you’re just here looking for that offer link Tony mentioned, feel free to skip to the last paragraph.

Have you tried any wine clubs? We've tried a couple wine clubs or club-like retailers and were not thrilled but over the last year we've been testing out Naked Wines. If you've wondered whether a wine club could be valuable and worthwhile, Naked Wines might be your answer.

SPOILER ALERT: At the end of this episode, we're going to share an offer from Naked Wines that they give its members to share the service. You'll get a big discount on wine and we get a little bit too if you sign up, so feel free to consider this episode like advertising. That being said, if you've listened to Weekly Wine Show for any length of time, you know we have only accepted advertisements for a couple of episodes. We're extremely picky about what brands we represent and we need to be willing to spend our own money on that item or service if there's a chance our words would influence others to do the same. And in fact, over the last year or so, we've sent over $500 of our own money the way of Naked Wines, and now we're ready to tell you about our experience.

So what is Naked Wines and how does it work?

Naked Wines is a "customer-funded wine business". Club members, who they call "angels" pay a deposit of $40 per month in their naked wines account. This money sits in the Angels' account as a balance until they use it to purchase wines. But while it's there, Naked Wines uses it to fund winemakers up-front to be able to make wines, many wines which otherwise might never be.

The interesting part of this funding model is many winemakers work for other people and don't get to put their name on the label. They may not have the funds to invest in their own grapes, barrels, storage, and all the other costs involved in making wine, much less their cost of living while those wines are being made.

The situation might be even a bit dire, like the story of winemaker Katie Jones. If you want to hear more about her story check out the video from Naked Wines.

So far, according to their website, they have funded 159 independent winemakers in 14 countries. These direct relationships with winemakers results in lower costs for us because they benefit from economics of scale for buying wine bottling supplies. Also, since they're the considered the winery, there isn't the markup from a distributor and a retailer. They call it "wholesale prices".

So what do we like about Naked Wines?

First of all, you pick the wine you get, how much, and when (Not like other clubs that send to you on schedule). You order this wine from your house (you don't even have to put pants on) making it super convenient. Second, these are real, top-quality winemakers, some we've actually met or been to their "day job" winery. Also, there are a wide range of wines from all across the globe and pretty affordable prices like a Premier Cru Chablis ($24) and a vintage Champagne ($35). The wines overall have been top quality and of all the wines we've try there has only been a couple of wines we didn't love. They'll also let you know what wines to age so we have several bottles sitting in the cellar waiting for the right time to drink.

Another feature that makes Naked Wines unique is the money-back happiness guarantee. They will refund you for any wine you didn't love. We actually haven't taken the initiative to use this for the couple of bottles that weren't to our taste, but even so they proactively gave us an $11 refund to highlight the guarantee and encourage us to use it. They want happy customers.

Lastly, you're positively impacting winemakers, giving them a chance to make wines with their own name on the bottle or maybe to make something lesser known that wouldn't fit with their day employer's winery. Also, there website allow us to interact with winemakers and read their stories.

What don't we like about Naked Wines?

To start, when we signed up in late 2018, we were required to buy a case of wine in order to join. That first case we bought with the promotional offer was priced at their non-member price. This felt a bit deceptive and we almost didn't join. After a few weeks, they gave us the option to buy a smaller 9-bottle pack so we didn't have to invest as much money just to give them a try. Once we bought that first case, they put us on a "waiting list" to get into the club. We don't remember a believable explanation for why there was a waiting list, it seemed like an attempt to fake exclusivity.

Also, they send emails about promotional packs that feel a bit spammy and over time you learn to give them a glance and archive or delete them. We imagine some people like the promotional packs, they just haven't been appealing to us.

Before deciding to do this episode we also looked up naked wines on the Better Business Bureau. They have an A+ rating from the BBB, but only get 2 out of 5 stars from customer reviews. There were several pages of reviews and the vast majority seem to be people who somehow don't realize they will be charged $40 per month and were unhappy with it despite the fact you can get your money back or people who are unhappy with their wines and didn't take advantage of the happiness guarantee.

What are some tips for getting the most value?

First, if you are struggling to find wine they have wine advisors you can call. Once you start receiving wine make sure you are rating the wines you try because this feeds into their recommendations. It also helps to follow winemakers you like in the app or the website so you can get updates on when they release new wines.

Also, every month they offer a free promotional bottle (one they choose) to compete a case if you order any 11 bottles of your choice. So make sure to buy 11 bottles at a time do you get the free bottle. If the promotional bottle doesn't appeal to you, check the other options in their bottle picker.

If all else fails, use that happiness guarantee. Get you money back and pick out something different. Like I said, they want to make you happy.

If you're in the same boat we were in and want to try out Naked Wines, you can get $100 off $160 purchase for new members using our link. Remember, if you become a member they will be investing $40 a month into Angel account to use to purchase wine. If you sign up we receive $40 in credits to buy more wine and support our hobby. So this is a win - win - win situation. Cheers!

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With the holidays just around the corner, we have some sparkling wine recommendations to take the guess work out of selecting wines.

Big thanks to our friends at Palm Bay International and Taub Family Selections for providing us with samples for this episode. Although these wines were provided to us, the opinions and tasting notes in this episode are our own.

Budget Friendly Wines

Villa Marcello Millesimato Prosecco DOC Brut NV - priced around $17.

• Villa Marcello Prosecco DOC hails from the province of Treviso, one of the finest growing regions of Prosecco.
• Grapes: 85% Glera, 15% Pinot Bianco
• Light aromas and flavors of apple blossom, lemon, and dried hay
• This wine doesn’t have bread or yeasty notes - it’s fruity and floral, very delicate and elegant wine

Pere Ventura Tresor Brut Cava - priced around $16.

• This Cava is a Reserva which means it’s aged 15 months on the lees the same as non-vintage Champagne
• Light aromas of nectarines, fresh sage, minerality and yeasty notes
• Flavors of nectarines, fresh sage, white flowers and minerality
• Although we get a hint of breadiness in the nose, this wine is still very crisp and fruity
• We enjoyed this wine with a nice aged Gouda cheese but also would go with appetizers, hard cheeses, fried foods, and Asian cuisine

Something different

Ackerman Crémant de Loire Sparkling Cuvée 1811 Blanc Brut - priced around $22.

• The name of this wine comes from its beginnings. Ackerman was established in 1811 in the small town of Saumur in the heart of France's Loire Valley by Jean-Baptiste Ackerman.
• Blend of 70% Chenin Blanc, 20 % Chardonnay, 10% Cabernet Franc and each variety is made into wine separately in view of maintaining its typical features up until blending at the end of winter.
• This wine has light aromas of golden apples, white flowers and a hint of breadiness
• We got flavors of golden apples, peaches, lemon oil and white flowers
• Very fruit wine that we thought it paired really well with blue cheese
• We think that this is a unique blend of grapes that people might not be as familiar with.

Altemasi Brut, Trento DOC - priced around $24.

• The Trento DOC appellation is renowned for producing some of the finest sparkling wines in Italy and is known as the Italian alternative to Champagne
• 100% Chardonnay wine made in the traditional method that is aged on the lees for at least 15 months
• Light aromas of apples and bread almost like apple pie
• This wine has flavors of lemon, green apples with a hint of breadiness
• So when people think of sparkling wine from Italy they mostly think of Prosecco and Prosecco is super popular right now. So if you are looking for something different from Italy this would be a great option.

Splurge Wines

Boizel Brut Réserve Champagne NV - priced around $50.

• 55% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier
• The still wines from the year are blended with 30% of reserve wines kept from the previous two harvests, for consistency
• Post second fermentation, the wine is aged for three years on its lees, in bottle
• Intense aromas of bread dough, golden apples and honeycomb
• This wine has flavors of honeysuckle, green apples, lemon and a hint of bread
• We love the smell of this wine and the complex flavor profile
• Enjoyed this wine with Camembert and aged Gouda cheeses

Champagne André Jacquardt Brut Nature Expérience 1er Cru Blanc De Blancs - priced around $100.

• 100% Chardonnay wine
• 60% Vinified in stainless steel, 40% vinified in older Burgundy oak barrels. No malolactic fermentation. Five years aging on the lees before disgorgement.
• Aromas of red apple skins, bread, rose and minerality
• It’s the driest of the wines in this episode and has high acidity with flavors of pink lady apples, rose, lemon, and a funky yeasty flavor
• This wine is crisp, fruity, floral and complex
• A special treat for a special occasion

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This week we are talking about Brachetto d’Acqui. Brachetto d’Acqui is a DOCG in the Piedmont wine region of Northwest Italy.

Wine Recommendations

Risata Brachetto d’Acqui 2016 - priced around $16.

• Risata is a larger producer in the area - in fact they produce the #1 seller of Moscato d’Asti in America
• Aromas of candied red berries and orange
• It’s sweet with medium plus body, medium acidity with flavors of red berries and apricot preserves
• This wine has enough acidity to stand up to the sweetness but not syrupy
• It’s very lively, bright and a real treat
• It paired well with dark chocolate so this wine can handle more intensely flavored desserts

Rinaldi Brachetto d’Acqui 2016 - priced around $30

• This sweet wine has aromas of black cherries and strawberries
• It’s medium body, medium acidity and flavors of dried apricot and red berries
• This wine was lighter in flavor, more delicate than the previous wine
• We would recommend pairing with milk chocolate, fruit tarts and creme brulee.

Sources:

• WIne Folly
• Wikipedia
• Wine-Searcher
• Book: The Oxford Guide to Wine

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This week we are talking about Lebanon and its wine. Check out our wine recommendations for some amazing wines.

Wine Recommendations

Massaya Terrasses Baalbeck 2012 - priced around $28.

• Blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre
• Aromas of blackberries, pepper, cedar and bitter coco
• It’s dry with medium acidity and tannins with flavors of similar to aromas with the addition of mushroom or earthy notes
• The tannins provides a wonderful texture to the wine
• We thought this wine was at its best paired with food like a hard or semi hard cheese

Château Belle-Vue La Renaissance 2007 - priced around $45.

• This wine is a blend of 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon
• Very deep inky colored wine with aromas of blackberries and black cherries, dusty earth, and eucalyptus notes
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and tannins with flavors of dark berries, coco and spice
• Great textured wine with a lot of structure with a nice long finish

Sources

• Wines from Lebanon
• Tim Atkin
• Wine-Searcher
• 209 Lebanese Wine

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Every couple of months we take a pause on our normal format and talk about four wine we’ve enjoyed recently and want to share with all of you.

Wine Recommendations

Seaglass Unoaked Chardonnay 2017 - priced around $12.

• Fermented in stainless steel tanks, this Chardonnay did not undergo malolactic fermentation
• Light golden color wine with aromas of pineapple, apple, white flowers and tangerines
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, light body and flavors similar to aromas
• Crisp, light and refreshing wine great with light pastas, grilled fish or salads.

Perticaia Umbria Rosso IGT 2016 - priced around $15.

• This wine is a blend of Sangiovese, Colorino, and Merlot with aromas of sour cherries with a hint of earthiness
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and tannins with flavors of sour cherries, earth and black tea
• The tannins give a lovely smooth texture to the wine with a pleasant finish
• Great food wine to pair with salami, cold cuts and pasta

Las Nietas Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013 - priced around $25.

• This wine has aromas of cherries, baking spices a hint of earth
• It’s dry, light bodied with light tannins, medium plus acidity and flavors of cherries, red berries and rose
• This wine is delicate but needs a little time to open up with some oxygen for the flavors to really shine
• The new oak was perfectly done with just enough to give it some complexity but not overwhelm the wine and keep all those lovely red fruit flavors.

Les Lunes Wine Zinfandel 2016 - priced around $30.

• From Venturi Vineyard in Mendocino County California
• These vines were planted in 1948.
• This wine has aromas of red fruits and baking spices
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and tannins and flavors of red fruits like cherries and cranberries as well as a little earth
• This is a leaner style Zin than what you would get from other places in California like Lodi.
• Really fresh tasting, fruit forward wine with bright acidity

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This week we are talking about Wiener Gemischter Satz!

Wine Recommendations

Mayer am Pfarrplatz Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC 2016 - priced around $26.

• Blend of Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Rotgipfler and Zierfandler
• Pale Lemon color wine with aromas of lemon, tangerine, white flowers and a chalky minerality
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and flavors of lemons, apricot, white flowers and minerality
• Great crisp white wine with a lovely aromatic nose

Sources

• Austrian Wine
• Book: Oxford Guide to Wine
• Wine's Latest Runaway Hit? You've Probably Never Heard Of It.

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This week we are talking about Tokaji wine region in northeast Hungary.

Wine Recommendations

Kiralyudvar Pezsgő Henye Sparkling 2015 - priced around $29.

• Medium golden colored wine
• Aromas of golden apples, pears and fresh baked bread
• It’s dry with medium plus to high acidity with flavors of lime pith, toast and apple
• Great with a double cream brie cheese
• Crisp, fruity and bready and even with some age still have quite a bit of acidity

Megyer Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos 2013 - priced around $50.

• Winery Direct selection from Total Wine
• Deep gold hue with aromas of golden raisins, honey, dried apricots and dry hay
• This is a very sweet wine with flavors similar to aromas
• This is a real treat and great with buttermilk blue cheese or a great dessert on it’s own

Sources

• Wine Folly
• Wine-Searcher
• Book: The Oxford Companion to Wine
• Book: The World Atlas of Wine

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This week we are talking about the Wagram wine region which is a viticultural region on the banks of the Danube River in northeastern Austria.

Wine Recommendations

Wimmer Czerny Familien Wagram Roter Veltliner 2017 - priced around $22.

• This wine has a Pale lemon color white wine with aromas of golden apple, lemon, honeysuckle and minerality
• It’s dry with medium light body, medium plus acidity and flavors similar to aromas - lemon peel, honeysuckle and minerality
• This wine is fruity and crisp with some beautiful floral notes and a nice long finish

Josef Ehmoser “Wagram Terrassen” Gruner Veltliner 2018 - priced around $18.

• Aromas of lemon, lime, peach, orange blossom and minerality
• It’s dry with medium acidity and flavors of peach, minerality, white flowers and lemon rind on the finish
• Fruit, crisp and a really lovely long finish
• Food pairings: Appetizers, spring salads, delicate fish and other similarly light dishes

Sources:

• Austrian Wine
• Wine-Searcher

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Time for another Wine in the News! Check out the articles below that inspired the topics for this episode.

• Wine producers and US importers delay price increases - by Leslie Gevirtz, October 25th, 2019
• Dan Berger, On Wine: The imminent glut: The state industry is facing a major wine surplus - by Dan Berger, Sep 26, 2019
• California Wineries Plan Price Hikes - By W. Blake Gray. October 7th, 2019
• Carbonic Maceration Breaks Out of Beaujolais - By Vicki Denig, October 28th, 2019
• Sustainable Packaging Likely to Become Battleground for Premium Alcohol Producers, Says GlobalData - By Press Release - October 21, 2019
• The sommelier cheating scandal just won’t go away - by Wine Curmudgeon, September 12th, 2019

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This week we are talking about Getariako Txakolina or also known as Txakoli de Getaria.

Wine Recommendations

Gaintza Txakolina 2014 - priced around $20.

• This is the traditional wine of the region
• Slightly fizzy wine with aromas of green apple, lime and crushed granite
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, medium light body and flavors similar to aromas
• Crisp, tart, fruity and refreshing wine
• We loved this wine and it would pair great with seafood, salads, sushi and light vegetable dishes

Ameztoi Rubentis 2018 - priced around $22.

• Very light salmon color Rose with aromas of strawberries and pink lady apples
• It’s dry with a medium light body with medium plus acidity with flavors similar to aromas plus lemon
• This rose is its own style of rose - more tart, less floral, very crisp
• It’s like a Rose influenced white wine

Sources:

• Getariakot Txakolina
• Wine-Searcher
• Jorge Ordonez Selections
• Wikipedia

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This week we are talking about the Mosel wine region in Germany.

Wine Recommendations

Hild Elbling Sekt NV - priced around $20.

• This wine comes from the Upper Mosel area
• This wine has a pale lemon color with light aromas of lemon, apple, minerality and a hint of bread
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and flavors of lemon rind, apple peel and minerality
• This wine is crisp, intensely fruity and what I want in a sparkling wine
• Great with cheese and cured meats

Julian Haart Riesling “1000L” 2017 - priced around $22. 

• This wine has a little more sugar than would allow them to be legally called “Trocken,” or dry.
• It’s made from Fuder(s) or the traditional 1,000 liter barrel of the Mosel
• This wine has light aromas of lime, beeswax and wet rock
• It’s dry with medium acidity and flavors of lemon, grapefruit and minerality
• This has a nice round, soft texture thanks to that barrel aging
• Also, it’s fruity and not super complex but tasty wine

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This week we are talking about Chilean wine. Check out our wine recommendations below!

Wine Recommendations

Vina Aquitania Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 - priced around $20.

• Aromas of red fruits - cherries and strawberries, earth and some spice
• It’s dry with medium acidity, medium tannins, full body and flavors similar to aromas - red fruit, earth and spice
• fruit -forward wine, very approachable cab that still taste very fresh even after a few years of age
• Really well made, good quality Cabernet Sauvignon

Errazuriz Max Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2014 - priced around $ 16.

• Pale lemon color with aromas of peaches, minerality and a hint of white flowers
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and flavors of nectarine, minerality, white grapefruit, some salinity and a white flowers on the finish
• A really clean, crisp and refreshing wine and a fantastic Sauvignon Blanc
• To be honest we think they should be charging more for this wine, it’s one of the best Sauvignon Blanc I’ve had

Errazuriz Max Reserva Chardonnay 2013 - priced around $16.

• Aged for 10 months in French oak
• Medium gold color with aromas of lemon meringue pie
• It’s dry with medium acidity and flavors of lemon curd, grilled pineapple and white flowers with a long creamy finish
• The oak is very restrained
• We haven’t had an oaked chardonnay we’ve like this much in a long time
• Also priced around $16 which is seriously under priced for the quality of wine you are getting.

Sources

• Wine Folly: The Best Wines from Chile
• Vinepair
• Wine Folly: Chilean Wine
• Book: The World Atlas of Wine
• Book: The Oxford Companion to Wine
• Wikipedia
• Vine Connections

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It's time for another four wines episode! Every couple of months we talk about four different wines that we've been enjoying and want to share with all of our wonderful listeners.

Wine Recommendations

Domaine Bourgogne-Devaux Hautes Côtes de Beaune 2015 - priced around $25.

• These Pinot Noir grapes come from 50+ year old vines on average and is aged in barrel (10% new)
• Light garnet hue with aromas of cherries, earth a d a hint of baking spice
• It's dry with a light body, medium acidity and light tannins with flavors of cherries with a strong damp earthiness and rose notes
• What I would expect from a red burgundy - complex, not as fruity as New World Pinot

Broc Cellars Amore Rosso 2017 - priced around $28.

• 100% Sangiovese wine
• Light garnet hue with aromas of red fruits of cherries and cranberries
• It's dry with medium acidity, light tannins and flavors similar to aromas.
• We would describe this wine as light, fresh and fruity
• There are pizzas on the label so their taken the guesswork out of food pairing.

Browne Family Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2015 - priced around $32.

• This wine comes from the Columbia Valley in Washington state
• 100% Cab Franc, Aged: 22 Months in 35% New French Oak
• This wine has aromas of dried black fruits, dried sage and star anise
• It's dry, full body, medium plus acid and medium tannins with flavors of blackberry fruit leather, cedar and forest floor
• This wine is deep, intense, and bold.
• Not very fruity but lots of complex, interesting flavors
• Pair with food off the grill, beef stews or chili

Camins del Priorat 2016 - priced around $20.

• From producer Alvaro Palacios
• The wine is a blend of Garnacha, Carignan, Cabernet and Syrah.
• Aromas of blackberry, black plum and vanilla
• This wine is dry, full body, medium acidity, medium tannins and flavors of black cherry, black plum and vanilla
• Deep, intense wine that would be great for cool weather

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This week we are talking about the Cahors AOC wine region located in south-west France about 100 miles east of Bordeaux.

Wine recommendations

Matayac Cahors 2016 - priced around $13.

• Aromas of blueberries, black cherries and black pepper
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and medium plus tannins with flavors of black and blue berries, and a touch of flowers
• Juicy, ripe wine with some floral notes with nice structure perfect for pairing with food

Chateau Les Croisille Cahors Le Croizillon 2015 - priced around $19.

• Aromas of red berries like strawberries and raspberries, dusty earth and black pepper
• It’s dry with medium acidity and tannins with flavors of red plum, allspice and roses
• This wine is a little mellower in terms of acid and tannins than the previous wine
• Other otherwise very similar that the previous wine - very food friendly approachable red wine.

Sources

• Wine-Searcher
• Wine Guy
• Crocus Wines

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This week we are talking about Cannonau di Sardegna which is a DOC covering the entire island of Sardina.

Wine Recommendations

Cantina Santa Maria La Palma Le Bombarde 2016 - priced $14.

• Blend of Cannonau and Monica di Sardegna
• This wine has aromas of cran-cherry, dusty earth and black plum
• It’s dry with medium acidity and tannins and medium body with flavors of red fruits and earth
• This is a juicy, fruity wine with the right balance of acid, tannins and body
• Food pairings: ideal with red meats, game and mature cheeses.

Costera Argiolas 2016 - priced around $17.

• Aromas of red fruit, dusty earth and a touch of flowers
• It’s dry with medium acid and tannins with flavors of cherries, raspberries and earth
• Lighter in flavors and aromas than the previous wine but still very fruity

Sources

• Wine Folly
• Wine-Searcher
• Decanter
• Italian Wine Central
• Grape Collective
• Book: Wine Grapes: A Complete Guide to 1,368 Vine Varieties, Including Their Origins and Flavors

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This week we are talking about the Fitou AOC. Fitou is a small wine appellation in southern France that is a part of the larger Languedoc-Roussillon wine region area.

Wine Recommendations

Maison Carrel Sous la Montagne Fitou 2016 - priced around $25.

• Deep purple color wine with aromas of candied strawberries like red Australian Licorice
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and tannins and flavors of red fruits, rock, violets and kalamata olives
• Very fruit forward wine that smells sweet
• It’s young, wild and rustic - like a horse that hasn’t been tamed - we would recommend pairing with food or let it age for a few years to mellow it out.

Gérard Bertrand Fitou 2009 - priced around $20.

• Thanks to age this wine has the color of coca-cola like a brown-amber color
• This wine is also very sweet smelling of dried strawberries and raspberries as well as balsamic and walnut
• It’s dry with medium acidity and tannins with flavors of dried figs, molasses, balsamic reduction
• We could smell this wine all day long so intoxicating
• Wines like this makes us want to buy a bunch of wine to age and is definitely worth more than the $20 we paid for this wine

Sources

• Wine Searcher https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-fitou
• Wine Folly: Languedoc Roussillon Wine Region
• Languedoc Wines
• Fitou AOC
• The Guardian: Fitou Wine

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This week features our interview with viticulturist and winemaker Philippe Langner of Hesperian Wines our of Napa Valley.

Wines from Hesperian Wines - note that these wines were provided as samples to us but the opinions below are our own.

Anatomy No. 1 Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 - priced around $33

• Bordeaux-style blend of mostly Cab with a little Merlot and Syrah
• Aromas of black currents, red plum, blackberries, earth and leather
• it's dry with medium plus acidity and tannins with flavors similar to aromas - dark fruits, leather, with a little vegetal note on the finish
• This is a big, bold wine with structure bout a lot of juicy, ripe fruit

2015 Hesperian Cabernet Sauvignon - priced around $100.

• 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
• Deep purple color with strong aromas of fennel and dark fruits
• it's dry with medium acid and tannins with flavors of fennel, dark fruits and a herbal quality
• it's a less fruity cab and more herbal and mellow
• drink now through 2035

2015 Hesperian Cabernet Sauvignon Kitoko Vineyard - priced around $150

• 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
• Aromas of dark fruits, violets and dusty earth
• it's dry with medium acid and tannins and flavors of dark fruits, leather and a hint of baking spices
• Bold but refined Cab that is good to drink now or if you're willing to wait will continue to evolve until 2035

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Below are the articles we reference in this week's episode.

TTB Publishes NPRMs to Repeal Standards of Fill for Wine and Distilled Spirits

Bordeaux Vintners Convicted of Fraud, but Fellow Winemakers Cry Foul

France Is Changing Key Wine Regulations

Food colouring found in blue wines

Winery Lawsuit Ramps Up the Drama

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This week features our interview with Fin du Fresne the winemaker at Chamisal Vineyards and Malen Wines out of the Central Coast area of California.

Wine Recommendations - We received these wines as samples but the tasting notes and opinions are ours.

Malene Wines

2017 Rosé - priced around $22.

• A blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Rolle, and Syrah
• Aromas of strawberries, watermelon, minerality and a touch of flowers
• Dry, fruity and crisp with flavors similar to aromas with a creamy texture

2018 Old Vine Rosé of Grenache - priced around $35.

• Light salmon colored wine with aromas of red berries like strawberries and cherries as well as minerality and a touch of lavender
• This wine is dry with medium plus acidity with flavors similar to aromas - red berries, minerality and lavender
• Everything we want in a Rose - intensely fruity, crisp and delicious

2018 Rosé of Mourvedre - priced around $35.

• Aromas and flavors of minerality, strawberry, watermelon and lavender
• A dry style Rosé that is very light in aromas and flavors

Chamisal Vineyards

2017 Stainless Chardonnay - priced around $18.

• Medium golden colored wine with aromas of pineapple, golden apples and apricots
• it's dry with medium acidity and flavors of lemon, minerality and apricots
• A really great options for summer - fruity, ripe, crisp wine

2017 Monterey County Chardonnay - priced around $24.

• Light lemon color
• aromas of toasted oak, lemon and melon
• It's dry with medium body and acidity with flavors of lemon meringue pie, pineapple and apple
• Rich and creamy texted wine
• Although it's oaked and some of those flavors are there, the fruit is the star of the show

2017 Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay - priced around $35.

• Light lemon colored wine
• a light nose of lemon, white flowers and pear
• it's dry with medium acidity and flavors of toasted oak, pear and apple
• Subtle aromas and flavors with a lovely creamy texture

2017 Edna Valley Pinot Noir - Priced around $45

• Garnet colored wine with aromas of fresh cherries, a little earth and sweet baking spices
• It's dry with medium plus acidity with flavors of cherries, earth, baking spice and a bitter note on the finish
• very juicy, vibrant tasting wine with a fair amount of complexity.

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This week features our interview with David Eakle of Pope Valley Winery out of Napa Valley.

Wines featured in this episode - these wines were sent to us as samples.

2018 Sauvignon Blanc - a really wonderful representation of a warmer style SB with lots of stonefruit and tropical aromas and flavors, and is also a refined and delicate wine - so a great pairing with light seafood dishes.

2016 Sangiovese - great crowd pleader wine. This is your pizza pairing wine. Sangiovese is the grape of Chianti, and although this wine is not a Chianti, it tastes like it would pair with similar foods. We enjoyed it best when it was decanted for about an hour.

2016 Petit Verdot - This is a very intense, bold and savory wine with a lot of complex flavors and aromas going on.

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This week we are talking about the Dogliani DOCG and the Dolcetto grape.

Wine Recommendations:

Poderi Luigi Einaudi 2017 - priced $26.

• This wine is from a blend of Dolcetto grapes from the vineyards of the Einaudi estates which surround Dogliani
• Aromas of red licorice and spice
• It’s dry with medium acidity and medium tannins with flavors of red fruits, earth and a bitter almond note on the finish
• The aromas of this wine are almost candy like and we love the mix of complex fruit, earth and spice flavors in this wine.
• This wine gave us Beaujolais vibes but still it’s own unique thing.

Anna Maria Abbona Sorì dij But 2016 - $17.

• This dark violet wine has aromas of dark cherries and blueberries and earth
• It’s dry with medium acidity and tannins with flavors of dark fruits, earth and that bitter note on the finish that Dolcetto is known for.
• This wine is deeper more intense and complex than the first wine we talked about
• Both of these wine do not see any oak which was a surprise to us
• Recommended food pairing: marinated grilled skirt steak

Sources:

• Italian Wine Central
• Piemonteland
• Wikipedia
• Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliani
• Somm Select

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It’s time for another four wines episode. Every couple of months we talk about four different wines we've tasted recently and want to share with our listeners.

Wine Recommendations

Famille Hugel Gentil 2016 - priced around $12.

• This white blend has a light lemon color with aromas of lemon pith, nectarines, white flowers and minerality
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and flavors similar to aromas - stonefruit, lemon and white flowers
• This was is very aromatic - fruity and floral and a really light, crisp and tasty wine

Willamette Valley Vineyards Riesling 2017 - priced around $14.

• Light lemon color with strong aromas of stonefruit, lemon and honeysuckle
• It’s medium sweet and medium acidity with flavors of peach, apricot, and tangerine
• Ripe, fruity wine with just the right amount of sweetness and low alcohol for spicy foods
• This wine has a lot of food pairing options: Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and Indian as well as German-inspired dishes like sausage and schnitzel, Mexican dishes like Chile Verde and enchiladas, and desserts like fruit tarts and pies

Cantina Colli Euganei Extra Dry Prosecco 2017 - priced around $16.

• This sparkling white wine has a pale lemon color with aromas of lemon and white flowers
• This wine has a touch of sweetness with medium plus acidity and flavors of lemon rind, white flowers and pink lady apples
• Crisp, fruity and floral, an all around lovely wine that we believe would pair with a lot of different food options

Les Hauts de Trintaudon 2010 - priced around $15.

• This wine comes from the left bank of Bordeaux from Haut-Medoc region and is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot
• This wine has a deep garnet color with aromas of dusty earth, dark fruits and pepper
• It’s dry, full bodied, medium acidity and tannins with flavors of black cherries, vanilla, and black pepper
• The tannins in this wine are silky smooth and although it has some age on it this is still a juicy, fruity wine
• Food Pairings: pair with fat meats like Beef and lamb as well as earthy mushroom dishes

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This week we are talking about the Orvieto DOC which is an Italian wine region located in western side of Umbria in Central Italy.

Wine Recommendations

La Carraia Orvieto Classico 2017 - priced around $11.

• Light lemon color with light aromas of lemon, minerality and stonefruit
• It’s dry with medium acidity and medium intense flavors that are very similar to aromas
• This wine is light fruity and crisp
• So refreshing and great for a hot summer day which we’ve seen more and more of this summer

Rocca Delle Macie Orvieto Classico 2018 - priced around $9.

• Light lemon color with medium intense aromas of lemon, bee wax, white flowers and minerality
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and medium intense flavors of lemon, grapefruit, and peach
• This wine is very fruity, crisp and just a really delicious wine

Sources:

• Wine Folly
• Wikipedia
• Italian Wine Central
• Winebow
• Orvieto Consortium
• Vinepair
• Umbria Tourism
• Book: Oxford Companion to Wine

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This week we demystify the topic of aging wine. Check out the links below to read more about aging wine.

Sources used for this episode:

• Wine Enthusiast: What Really Happens as Wine Ages?
• Vinepair Guide to Aging Wine
• The Wine Cellar Insider: Complete Guide to Properly Cellaring Wine and Aging Wine
• Wine Folly: Deciding How long to Age Wine
• Wine Folly: Four Traits of Wine that Age Well
• Wine Spectator: Is It Worth It to Age Wines Anymore?
• Wikipedia: Aging Wine

Also check out Ep 095 to hear our interview with Steve Lutz of Lenne’ Estate. He talked about is thoughts on aging Willamette Valley

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This week features our interview with Theodora Lee or also known as Theo-patra, Queen of the Vineyards. She is the owner and founder of Theopolis Vineyards in Yorkville Highlands of Anderson Valley.

Wine Featured in this episode - These wines were sent to us as samples by Theopolis Vineyards.

2016 Yorkville Highlands Symphony - priced around $22

• Light lemon color white wine
• Aromas of peaches, mango and white flowers
• It's dry with light to medium body, medium acidity with light flavors similar to aromas - white flowers and peaches
• Very floral tasting wine with a long beautiful finish
• Great to pair with seafood, spicy food, Southeast Asian food or just sipping on the summer day.

2016 Estate Grown Rosé Of Petite Sirah - priced around $25

• This wine has a interesting deep orange/pink hue
• Aromas of fresh cherries, cranberries and roses
• this wine is dry with a light body, medium plus acidity and flavors pretty much the same as the aromas.
• This Rosé is very different from most rose wines we've tried - it's more intense with different flavor profile thanks to the Petite Sirah.
• Pair on a hot day or with foods like grilled meats, flavorful vegetarian fare, seafood, spicy foods and tomato laden Italian cuisine

2017 Yorkville Highlands Pinot Noir - priced around $42

• A light garnet color
• This wine has aromas of earth, cherries and cranberries
• it's dry with a light body, medium acidity, light tannins and flavors of cherries and earth
• This is a delicate and beautiful Pinot that gave us Willamette Valley vibes
• Pair with pork, salmon, tuna, and roasted mushrooms

2016 Estate Grown Petite Sirah - priced around $39

• Deep purple colored wine
• Aromas of black cherries, black plum and sweet baking spices
• it's dry with medium plus acidity and tannins, full bodied, with flavors of dark fruits, spice and dusty earth
• Smells sweet and fruity but taste more savory and the tannins give this wine a really lovely texture.
• A very lush and fruity wine and a great option is you are looking for something big and bold.
• barbecue, stews, braised and grilled beef, pot roast, veal, wild game, oxtails, charcuterie, lamb, sausage or dark chocolate

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This week we are talking about summer food and wine pairings. We were brainstorming ideas for episodes and we came up with the idea of picking four different foods we eat mostly in the summertime and pair with some past favorite wines.

Food and Wine Featured in this episode:

Hamburgers

• Tony's Pick: Harney Lane Old Vine Zinfandel, Lizzy James Vineyard
• Betty's Pick: Isabel Mondavi Cabernet Rose

Grilled Veggies

• Betty's Pick: Pierre Sparr Crémant D’Alsace Brut Rose - NV
• Tony's Pick: Shaya Arindo Rueda

Brats

• Tony's Pick: Domaine J. Laurens Les Graimenous Brut Crémant de Limoux
• Betty's Pick: Cartograph Wines Green Ranch Riesling 2017

Corn on the Cob

• Betty's Pick: Wente Riva Ranch Chardonnay 2016
• Tony's Pick: Medeiros Branco 2016

Sources:

• Wine Folly Tutorial on Burger and Wine Pairings
• The Kitchn's 5 Tips for Pairing Wine with Vegetables
• Serious Eats Ask a Sommelier: Best Wine to Pair with Sausage
• Chicago Tribune's How to Pair Wine
• Montreal Gazette's Pairing up Ketchup and wine

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Time for another Wine in the News episode! Check out the news articles below to read more about these topics.

Federal Interprovincial Shipping Restriction Eliminated After 91 Years by Mark Hicken published in Wine Law.CA on June 24th, 2019

US Supreme Court Ruling Should Boost Digital Wine Sales by Bill Swindell published in The Press Democrat on June 26, 2019

RUEDA TO CREATE ‘SUPERIOR’ CLASSIFICATION FOR OLD-VINE VERDEJO by Patrick Schmitt published in The Drinks Business on June 10th, 2019

Is Oak Over? by Jamie Goode Published in Vinepair on June 12, 2019

Is it Time For a New Natural Wine? by Christina Pickard, Published in Wine Enthusiast on June 12, 2019

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This week we are talking about Bulgaria a country in Southeast Europe.

Wine Recommendations - Big thank you to Grapes & Barley Imports for providing the wines for this episode. All but one of these wines are from the Thracian Valley.

Bulgariana Rose 2017 - priced around $13.

• This rose wine is made with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes
• Aromas of strawberries, raspberries, watermelon and minerality
• Its dry with medium acidity with flavors similar to aromas - lots of berry flavors
• Light in aromas and flavors but everything I want in a rose - fruity, crisp, really refreshing

Rough Day Chardonnay 2016 - priced around $9.

• This is an unoaked style of Chardonnay
• Aromas of tropical fruits like melon and apricots as well as some lemon aromas
• It’s dry with a light to medium body, medium plus acidity with flavors similar to aromas - mostly tropical fruits
• This wine is a light crisp unoaked chardonnay that perfect for summer

Bulgariana Pinot Noir 2014 - priced $15.

• The grapes for this wine come from a subregion of the Danube Plain in North-east Bulgaria
• Aromas of cherry flavored cigars, salmai, and coffee
• Its dry with medium body, medium plus acidity, light tannins with flavors of cherries, tobacco, coffee and dirt
• This pinot is a more fuller body style and less fruit than Pinots from other places. Not your delicate Pinot Noir like Burgundy or Willamette Valley - this Pinot has some teeth

Bulgariana Gamza 2016 - priced around $12.

• Made from the Gamza grape - which is a dark skinned variety used to make red wine found in Central Europe and the Balkan area. It’s also known as Kadarka
• Aromas of dusty earth, spice with a hint of black cherries and black plum
• It’s dry with medium acidity and tannins, full body and flavors similar to aromas - dark fruits, spices and dusty earth
• Very deep full wine that is not very fruity but a great texture to the wine with smooth tannins

Rough Day Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 - priced around $10.

• Aromas of black cherries, blueberries, dusty earth and spice
• This wine is dry with medium acidity and tannins, full body and flavors of earth and dark fruits
• This wine is all about the fruit - its very juicy, really approachable wine with smooth, satin like tannins

Winemaker’s Selection Un Double Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah 2012

• This is a part of Walmart’s private label program
• 50% of each Cab Sav and Syrah
• Aromas of dark fruits like black cherries and black plum as well as pepper
• It’s a dry, full bodied wine with medium acidity and tannins with flavors similar to aromas - dark fruits and spice
• This wine is very juicy, ripe, lush wine that is big and bold
• We pair this wine with an aged cheese and it really shined with some fatty food

Check out the website for Grapes & Barley Imports to learn more about where you can purchase these wines.

Sources

• Wine Folly
• Bulgian Wine
• Wikipedia
• Book: The World Atlas of Wine

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It's time for us to recommended so amazing wines we recently tasted. Cheers!!!

Hunky Dory Tangle 2016 - priced around $15.

• This wine is a white blend of 58% Pinot Gris, 38% Gewurztraminer and 4% Riesling
• Aromas of peaches and apricots, white flowers and a hint of lychee
• It’s dry with medium acidity, light body and flavors similar to aromas - stonefruit, white flowers and lychee
• Dry aromatic, light white wine for summer with enough acidity to pair with dishes like Pad Thai, curries or seafood dishes.

Unculin Bierzo Tinto 2017 - priced around $19.

• This deep red wine has aromas of candied cherries, raspberries and strawberries almost like red licorice and dusty earth
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, light to medium tannins, full bodied with flavors of red fruits, black pepper, mushroom and earth
• Very sweet smelling wine but it’s a dry, rich and more savory tasting wine

Famille Perrin Gigondas La Gille 2016 - priced around $24.

• We received this wine as a press sample
• From Gigondas which is one of the nine Crus in Southern Rhone area of France
• Reds from this area are sometimes referred to as a cheaper alternative to Châteauneuf-du-Pape
• Famille Perrin is one of the leading organic wine growers of the Southern Rhône Valley
• Blend of Grenache and Syrah
• This wine has aromas of dark fruits like black plum and blackberries as well as earth and baking spices
• It’s a dry, full bodied wine with medium acidity and tannins with flavors of black fruits, vanilla, earth and dark coco
• If we would have found this at a wine tasting, we would have totally purchase this.
• Very complex, well made and great balance and harmony between those velvety tannins and acidity
• Pair with dishes like meaty stews, braised dishes and lamb shanks, as well as burgers and sausages

Coturri Carignane 2016 - priced around $29.

• It’s technically a blend of mostly Carignane with Syrah and Petite Sirah
• Aromas black cherries, black plum and baking spices
• It’s a dry, full bodied wine with medium plus acidity and tannins with flavors of black cherries, black plum, blueberries and vanilla
• Loved the depth of fresh fruit flavors with great balance and complexity that keeps you coming back for another sip
• Recommended Food pairings: Roasted meats. Miso glazed tofu steaks.

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This week is the final week of our Greek wine series and we are talking about the area of Central Greece.

Wine Recommendation

Hermes White Dry Wine - priced around $11.

• Light aromas of lemon, peach and minerality
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and flavors of lemon rind, white peach and minerality
• This wine is a light crisp simple patio wine, if you are looking for something fruity and light on a hot summer day, this is your wine
• Pair with lighter seafood and vegetable dishes
• You can purchase this wine at Total Wine

Sources

• Wine-Searcher
• Wine Folly

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This week we are talking about Southern Greece which is defined by its hot Mediterranean climate so most of the vineyards in these areas are grown on the sides of mountains in higher elevation. Southern Greece includes the Kefalonia, Peloponnese and Crete areas.

Wine Recommendations

Lyrarakis Plyto Psarades Vineyard 2017 - priced around $20.

• Aromas of lemon, nectarine, minerality and white lilies
• It’s dry with high acidity and flavors very similar to aromas
• This wine needs food so this is your summer food wine and stands up really well to a salad with vinaigrette
• Once we added food to the mix this wine became amazing
• Also could pair with cream sauces, seafood and cheese

Boutari Moschofilero 2017 - priced around $14.

• Medium intense aromas of melon, clementine, jasmine with a hint of salinity
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity with flavors similar to aromas
• Another great summer wine - light and crisp
• Paired great with roasted corn and tomato salad
• Also great with pairs with delicate dishes such as sushi, salads or fresh fish

Sources:

• Wine Folly
• Wine Searcher

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This week we are continuing our series on Greek wine regions by talking about the Aegean Islands wine area.

Wine Recommendations

Domaine Sigalas 2017 - priced around $20.

• Aromas of peach, minerality and Lemon
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, light body with flavors of white peaches and lemon rinds
• Tony thinks there is a touch of tannins but I disagree
• Crisp and fruity very appropriate for summer and reminds me of Verdicchio wine from Italy
• Food pairings: Shellfish, Crab and Lobster and of course Mediterranean dishes

Gavalas Winery Santorini 2010 - priced around $25.

• Aromas of pear, minerality and honeysuckle
• This wine is dry, medium plus acidity, medium body and flavors of honeysuckle, pear, minerality and lemon rind on the finish
• This wine is older for a white wine and has a deep gold color. If you get an older vintage of this wine you need to decorate it for a while. The first day we tried this wine we didn’t like it and had some weird flavors. But the second day and some exposure to oxygen we ended up loving this wine.
• It still has quite a bit of acid and you can’t tell by tasting this wine that it’s eight years old
• Food pairings: seafood, white meat and light cheese

Sources

• Wine-Searcher
• Wikipedia
• Greek Wine Insider
• Vineyard's Greek Wine Map
• Wine Folly
• Book: Oxford Guide to Wine

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This week we are talking about Northern Greece. This is week two of our Greek wine series. Part one was a general overview of Greek wine history and information so be sure to listen to that episode if you haven’t already.

Check out Wine Folly's article for a great map of the Greek wine regions

Wine Recommendations

Alpha Estate Malagouzia Turtles Vineyard 2017 - priced around $19.

• Very aromatic wine with aromas of peach, honeydew, papaya, orange blossom and beeswax
• It’s dry with a light body, medium plus acidity and flavors similar to aromas - tropical fruits, floral and that beeswax again
• Love this wine especially not that we are finally getting some warm weather after a long winter.
• This definitely reminds me of summer - It’s light, fruity, crisp
• Reminds me of a warmer climate Riesling with those beautiful intense fruity aromas
• Food Pairing: Excellently married with green salads, baked vegetables, pasta, low fat fishes and a wide variety of Greek seafood

Domaine Costa Lazaridi Amethystos Rouge 2015 - priced around $20.

• This wine is a red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Merlot 20%, Agiorgitiko 10%
• It has aromas of red cherries, raspberries and a strawberry licorice smell as well as a little smoked meat and dusty aromas
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, medium tannins, full body and flavors similar to aromas - red fruits, earth and meat.
• the nose on this wine is super fruity and candy like which is really fun
• This wine is approachable and we believe who appeal to a lot of folks
• the Merlot really helps to soften the tight structure Cabernet Sauvignon tends to have as well as add more fruit flavors and aromas
• According to the producer, In the right conditions it can age past 2025
• Food Pairings: red meats like lamb but also red sauce beef casserole or soft mature cheeses like brie or Camembert.

Sources

• Wine Folly
• Wine-Searcher
• Greece Is
• New Wines of Greece
• Greek Wine Federation
• Wine Sofa

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This week kicks off a series of episode exploring Greece. This episode is an introduction to Greece and Greek wine history. In the following weeks, we will dive into some of the major wine areas of Greece.

Source for this episode:

Book: The Oxford Companion to Wine

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This week we talk recent wines news. Below are the articles that inspired this episode's topics.

California wine's new paradigm: Bright, juicy, translucent reds

Esther Mobley March 21, 2019 San Francisco Chronicle

Southern Oregon growers fight Willamette Valley wine purity proposals

By Pete Danko – Staff Reporter, Portland Business Journal Mar 21, 2019

Texas wine group wants to keep California grapes out of their bottles

Lynn Brezosky April 25, 2019 San Antonio Express News

Nine Spanish producers to leave the Cava DO

Richard Woodard, February 1, 2019 Decanter

The Danger of Biased Drinking Studies

By Liza B. Zimmerman | Posted Saturday, 02-Mar-2019, Wine-Searcher

The campaign to make alcohol ‘the new tobacco’

by Christopher Snowdon 28th March 2019, Spector Health

Very Good Dogs Sniff Out TCA Taint, Rescue Wine

February 14, 2019 Wine Spectator

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This week we explore of the country of Georgia and it's unique and amazing wines.

Wine Recommendations

Dila-o Rkatsiteli-Mtsvane 2016 - priced around $16.

• This is an Amber or "Orange" wine style, but made in a lighter style with only 1 month of skin contact. It is a perfect introduction to the style.
• Aromas of honey, tropical fruits like melon and apricots, spice and white flowers
• It’s dry with light body, light tannins, medium plus acidity and flavors of lemon drop, white flowers, apricots and slightly herbal
• Great acidity so it will be awesome with food
• It has the sour beer quality to it that we often get from orange wine
• Food pairings: Salads, Salmon and Poultry

Tchotiashvili Vineyards Mtsvane 2015 - priced around $28.

• Another orange wine but this one is a very deep amber color
• Aromas of honey, juniper, dried apricots and cigar ash
• This wine is dry with medium plus tannins and acid - the most tanninc non-red wine we ever had
• Flavors of meat (hot dog water?), dried herbs, hint of apricot with eucalyptus on the finish
• If you were blind tasting this wine, you might not know it was wine at all - the combination of flavors and tannins levels really confused us
• We’ve used the the phase “never had a wine like this before”, it hasn’t been more true than in regards to this wine
• It paired really well with southwest inspired roasted corn salad we made
• Decant and enjoy lightly chilled

Tchotiashvili Vineyards Saperavi 2015 - priced around $28.

• A deep purple colored wine with aromas of blackberry jam, coriander, dust and mint
• It’s dry with medium tannin and acid, full body with flavors of fresh blackberry and grilled meaty/savory component
• We argued whether this wine was more fruity or savory, Betty compared it to Zin
• It’s fresher in the taste than the nose and it’s bold and complex but still approachable

Sources:

• Book: The World Atlas of Wine
• Wines of Georgia
• Wine-Searcher
• Wikipedia

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It’s time for another four wines episode. Every couple of months we talk about four different wines that we really enjoyed and we're excited to share with all of you.

Pehhcora Pecorino IGT Terre di Chieti 2015 - priced around $12.

• Aromas of oranges, geraniums and minerality
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and flavors of orange oil, white flowers and wet rocks
• Really delicious, crisp, fruity and floral wine
• Complex but not too serious and great for lighter foods
• Food pairings: grilled fish, fresh cheeses and white meats.

Mansion Creek Cellars White Blend 2015 - priced around $28.

• Aromas of jasmine, apricots and orange blossom
• This wine is dry with medium body, medium acidity with flavors of grapefruit pith, apricot, and orange blossom
• A real lovely blend with a slightly creamy texture

Quinta do Ataíde Douro 2015 - priced aorund $26.

• We received this wine as a press sample
• Aromas of stewed blackberries, black plums and black currants, dusty earth and black licorice
• This wine is dry, fully body with medium tannins and acidity with flavors similar to aromas with a hint of prunes on the finish
• This wine is dark and luscious wine
• Really fantastic wine for sipping or pairing with red meats and strong cheeses, as well as Portuguese Wild Boar Stew (if you can’t find boar, pork will do)

Massolino Barolo 2014 - priced around $53

• This was also provided as a media sample to us
• This wine has aromas of plum, stewed black cherries, and dried Italian herbs
• It’s dry, light body, with medium acidity and tannins and flavors of of dark fruits, dried herbs and a bitter wood on the finish
• The tannins give this wine a lovely texture
• There is a lot of complexity in this wine and we think this wine either needs to be aged or enjoyed with food
• Pairing Option: Creamy truffle risotto, medium-mature cow’s milk and goat’s milk cheeses and red meats

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This week we are talking about Monterey County wine region. This area is part of the larger Central Coast AVA that stretches from San Francisco to Santa Barbara County. There are approximately 46,000 acres of wine grapes making it one of the larger growing area in California.

Wine Recommendations

Wente Riva Ranch Chardonnay 2016 - priced around $22.

• Aromas of golden apples, vanilla, melon and toasted marshmallow
• It’s dry, fuller bodied, with medium acidity with flavor similar to aromas
• Like the balance of acid, fruit and those oak aging flavors
• although it is fuller bodied the wine, it doesn’t feel like a heavy wine
• This is California Chardonnay done right

Birichino Malvasia Bianca 2016 - priced around $17.

• This wine has intense aromas of stone fruit, white flowers and orange
• It’s dry with medium acidity, medium body with flavors like the aromas- stonefruits, white flowers and orange oil
• Very unique and interesting wine, very fruity and intense wine

Hahn Pinot Noir 2016 - priced around $15.

• This wine has a light nose of red berries - cherries, strawberries and raspberries as well as sweet baking spices like Allspice as well as some savory, mushroom aromas
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, light tannins, light body and flavors very similar to aromas just more intense fruit and mushrooms notes
• We did really enjoy this wine but we think it’s best with food.
• This Pinot has quite a bit of acidity and needs some fat to cut through it and really elevate the wine - maybe something earthy with mushrooms or lentils
• It's a great Pinot for under $20

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• Wine-Searcher
• Monterey Wine Country
• Book: American Wine

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This week we are talking about the small AVA in California call El Dorado. El Dorado is a sub-appellation of the 2,600,000-acre Sierra Foothills AVA which is one of the largest appellations in California.

If you want to learn more about the Sierra Foothills, check out episode 160.

Wine Recommendations

RPM Wines 2014 El Dorado Gamay Noir - priced around $33.

• Light Garnet colored wine with aromas of dried cherries, balsamic and a hint of coriander
• It’s dry with light to medium body, light tannins and medium plus acidity with flavors similar to aromas as well as a bitter component to the finish, almost like radicchio
• This wine is starting to show it’s age but still is fruity
• We loved the candied cherries aromas, the nose in more intense than the flavors of this wine
• Although it’s not an intense flavored wine, more delicate, we think this would compliment food really well and could still be aged if you are looking to see how the aromas and flavors continue to develop over time.

Skinner Mourvèdre 2015 - priced around $30.

• For this wine we got aromas of red berries, dust, violets and graphite
• It’s dry with medium body, medium tannins and medium plus acidity with flavors similar to aromas, red fruit - cherries, strawberries, sandy dirt, violets with a hint of mushroom
• This is a really approachable wine and is more fruity in aromas than in taste
• We think this wine who do well with food: Beef and lamb dishes, Chili, Hard Cheese, dishes with earthy flavors like Mushrooms or lentils,
• Had a hard time finding the 2015 online but the 2014 and the 2016 is available on Skinner’s website.

If you are looking for some additional El Dorado wine recommendations check out our past episodes listed:

• Episode 54 on Viognier
• Episode 98 - Four Wines January 2018
• Episode 113 - Four wines May 2018
• Episode 145 on Orange Wines

Sources used for this episode:

• El Dorado Wines
• American Winery Guide
• Book: American Wine by Jancis Robinson and Linda Murphy

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This week we are talking about the Sierra Foothills
The Sierra Foothills is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. The total area of the appellation is 2.6 million acres within eight counties, making it one of the largest AVAs in the state of California.

Cruse Wine Co. Rorick Vineyard Chardonnay 2016

• This wine has aromas of melon, pineapple, nectarine, white flowers, beeswax and a hint of toasted nuts
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, medium body and flavors of lemon, white flowers and stone fruit
• It a well crafted and balance Chardonnay, it’s crisp, fruity with a really lovely texture
• Priced around $3

Forlorn Hope Heinzelmann Picpoul 2015

• This wine gave us aromas of green apple, pear, yeast and a hint of white flowers
• It’s dry with high acidity and flavors of lemon rind and pith, white flowers and yeast
• Very tart, too acidic on it’s own - most people probably need to pair this with food
• But we thought it was delicious, crisp, fruity with a hint of those yeasty flavors - a great sparkler
• fifty cases produced
• Priced around $45

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Below are the articles referenced in this week's episode.

Millennials Now Ruining Wine As Well
By W. Blake Gray Posted Friday, 18-Jan-2019, Wine-Searcher

Sensory tests suggest 'liking' wines made with native grapes a learned response
March 6, 2019, Source: Penn State, featured in Science Daily

The mysterious case of the cork-tainted carrots
Esther Mobley Feb. 7, 2019, San Francisco Chronicle

SAUVIGNON BLANC ‘SUFFERS FROM AN IMAGE PROBLEM’
8th February, 2019 by Lucy Shaw, The Drink Business

Constellation Brands to Discontinue 40% of Wine & Spirits Portfolio
BY LESLIE GEVIRTZ, February 21, 2019, Wine Enthusiast

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The day this episode is being released, March 15, 2019, is the 3rd year anniversary of this podcast. On March 15th 2016 is when we launched the first three episodes of the podcast. We’ve tried a lot of wine and learned a ton along the way. So we thought we would take a trip down memory lane and reflect on some of our favorite moments and learning from the past three years.

We did an episode similar to this way back in episode 43 if you want to go back and listen.

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This week we are talking about Alexander Valley AVA. Alexander Valley AVA is a Californian American Viticultural Area located in the northern end of Sonoma County. It is the largest and most fully planted wine region in Sonoma with 14,449 acres of vines out of 32,536 acres of land.

Wine Recommendations

Alexander Valley Vineyards Rose 2017 - priced around $15.

• Bright pink rose wine with aromas of strawberries, watermelon, raspberries and minerality
• It’s dry, unoaked style rose that has a light body, medium plus acidity with flavors similar to aromas - strawberries, watermelon and minerality
• Love the intense aromas and flavors
• This is everything I want in a rose - crisp, fruity, refreshing, takes my mind to summertime

Broc Cellars Carignan 2013 - priced around $30.

• Red wine with aromas of cran-cherries, cloves and dusty earth
• It’s dry with medium acidity, tannins and body with flavors of cherries, mint and leather
• Very approachable, interesting, unique wine - not a lot of old vine Carignan out there in California

Sources

• Wikipedia
• Alexander Valley Wine Growners
• Wine-Searcher
• Book: American Wine by Jancis Robinson and Linda Murphy

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This week we are talking about Santa Barbara County and it’s wines. We touched on this area in a couple of past episodes, specifically episode 50 on Central Coast Pinot Noir and episode 53 that featured our interview Clarissa Nagy of Nagy wines.

Wine Recommendations

Mer Soleil Reserve Chardonnay 2014 - priced around $28

• Deep golden color with with aromas of stonefruit, melon, ripe bananas and vanilla cream
• This wine is dry, full bodied with medium acidity and flavors similar to aromas - tropical and stonefruits and that creamy vanilla flavor
• Very cream, soft texture and the oak flavor is there put not strong which we appreciated - it’s just the right amount
• Also, you can tell this Chardonnay comes from the cooler climate that other parts of California because it has that acidity to balance out the fuller body and texture of the wine.
• Priced around $ 28
• You can purchase this wine at Total Wine

Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 - priced around $25.

• This wine was given to us as a sample
• Aromas of dark fruits - blackberry, black cherry and black plum as well as some green pepper notes
• It’s dry with medium acidity and medium silky, smooth tannins with flavors of dark fruits, vanilla and a hint of a vegetal notes
• Love the tannins in this wine - provides a great sensory experience
• You can also tell this wine is from a cooler part of california but the fruit aromas and flavors are ripe but don’t have a cooked or jammy quality to them.
• You can purchase this wine from Mucas & Lewellen's website

Sources

• Santa Barbara Vintners
• Book: American Wine
• Wine Searcher
• GuildSomm
• Los Olivos AVA

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It’s time for another four wines. Every couple of months we talk about four random wines that don’t fit in an upcoming episode. All four of the wines featured in this week’s episode were sent to us as press samples. But regardless if we purchase the wine or get it for free we always give our honest opinion and only talk about wines we really enjoyed.

Valdo 1926 Cuvee NV - priced around $14.

• This is a sparkling wine is made from 90% Glera, 10% Chardonnay
• Fresh aromas of tropical fruits - starfruit, papaya, and pineapple as well as some floral notes
• It’s off dry with medium plus acidity and flavors very similar to aromas - tropical fruits and flowers
• This wine is everything I like about sparkling wine fresh, fruity and crisp. The bubbles give this wine a soft and luxurious texture and it has just the right amount of sweetness
• Pair with wine with brunch, fresh fruits or dessert like a fruit tart

Maryhill Viognier 2017 - priced around $19.

• Aromas of pear, melon, nectarine and pineapple
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and medium light body with flavors of grapefruit, pineapple, and nectarine
• This wine is great if you want something crisp and light.
• It went great with Indian food but it does have 14% ABV so watch the spice level on your dish
• You can purchase this wine right from Maryhill's website

Tintonegro Uco Valley Malbec 2017 - priced around $17.

• Tinonergo mean black wine in Spanish which is fitting Malbec from Mendoza is known for its dark, blackish color
• Aromas of dark fruit, dusty earth and a hint of baking spice
• It’s dry with medium acidity and medium, smooth tannins with juicy, ripe flavors of dark cherries, blackberries and black plum
• If you are looking for a fruity and approachable wine this is a winner. Enough acid to pair with food and enjoyable on its - the best of both worlds.
• Food Pairing Option: Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Watermill Estate Mourvèdre 2012

• This wine has aromas of dark fruits , dusty earth, rose and Chinese 5 spice
• It’s dry with medium acidity, medium tannins and medium body with flavors of dark fruits, rose, salty mushrooms, with a hint of bitter greens on the finish
• A Lot going on in this wine - floral, savory, herbal
• Great great balance of acidity and tannins
• Don’t see a lot of varietal wines made from Mourvèdre so if you are looking for something unique this is a great option.

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This week we are talking about Montefalco Sagrantino . Montefalco Sagrantino is a wine and one of two DOCGs in the Umbria region, which is located in central Italy.

Wine Recommendations

Raìna Campo di Raìna 2013

• Hand harvested grapes
• Ageing: 24 months in large oak barrels, 12 months in stainless steel, 12 months in the bottle.
• Very ripe and juicy dark fruit aromas as well as anise and cigar
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, medium plus bordering high tannins that hit in the front of your mouth but are smooth and flavors of dark berries and a slight savoriness like mushrooms
• This is a young, very fruity, intense wine that I would recommend pairing with food
• Also decant this wine for at least a couple of hours. We did not like this wine at first taste but with some oxygen it really opens up and become something special
• Priced around $39

Colpetrone 2010

• Aged for 12 months in French oak and then another 26 months in the bottle before release
• Aromas of jammy dark fruits like blackberries, black currants and plum as well as anise and dry dusty herbs
• This wine is dry with medium acid and tannins some dark fruit flavors but not as intense as the aromas and flavors of leather and mushroom
• We thought this wine was perfect aged, still some fruity flavors and aromas and the time has smoothed out the acid and tannins enough to drink without food but still can stand up for bold food choices
• I couldn’t stop drinking this wine and this is a situation in which patience pays off.
• Right now you can get the 2011 vintage for around $27

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• Wine Folly
• Forbes
• The World Atlas of Wine
• Tenute del Cerro

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This week we are featuring my interview with Alan Baker and Serena Lourie, the founders and Owners of Cartograph Wines out of Healdsburg, CA.

You can check out more information about Cartograph Wines at their website

Wine Recommendations - These wines were sent to us as samples.

2017 Green Ranch Riesling - priced around $29.

• Hands down one of the best dry Rieslings I've ever had.
• Very fruity with flavors and aromas of citrus and stonefruits
• Healthy level of acidity making it a perfect pairing partner with seafood, pork or Thai dishes
• Delicious and worth you hard earn cash

2017 Starscape vineyard Gewurztraminer - priced around $29.

• I am a sucker for Gewurztraminer wine and this one delivers
• Very aromatic, fruit and complex with flavors and aromas of lychee (of course it's Gewurz) along with citrus, stonefruit and floral notes
• Complex, great acidity and a finish that won't quit
• Pair with Asian dishes and you won't be disappointed

2016 Cartograph Estate Pinot - priced around $68.

• Coming to you straight from the Russian River Valley, this is Cartograph first Estate Pinot
• Lots of red fruits: cherries, raspberries with hints of orange blossoms and a slight herbal quality
• Also the perfect balance of acid and tannins that coated my mouth and inviting me in for another sip (or glass or two)
• I think pairing this with a mushroom based dish will really make this wine sing

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This week we are talking about Côtes du Rhône white wines and the Grenache Blanc grape. In the cold weather months we tend to focus on lots of full bodied red wines and sometime we needs a break from the reds. We love white wines and winter is the perfect time to talk about medium to full bodied whites which is why we are talking about whites from Côtes du Rhône.

Check out episode 31 and episode 44 to learn more about Côtes du Rhône and for more great wine recommendations.

Wine Recommendations

Domaine de la Présidente Cotes du Rhone Grands Classiques Blanc 2015 - priced around $13.

• Nose of white flowers, paypa and minerality
• It’s dry with medium body, medium plus acidity and flavors of white flowers, lime and pineapple
• This wine is bordering on high acid so best to pair with food
• If you are looking for a white wine to showcase white Cote du Rhone wines this is it. It’s got ripe fruit, floral aromas and flavors, balance of body and acid - rich, not too light but not fat and flabby
• You can purchase this wine at Total Wine by clicking here

Domaine de la Présidente Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne Blanc Prestige 2015 - priced around $15.

• Nose of mango, apple and orange blossom
• It’s dry with medium body, medium plus acidity with flavors very similar to aromas - white flowers, tropical fruits, apple
• The nose of this wine is intoxicating smells very fruity and fresh given its age
• Plus, it has a great texture and weight to it without being too heavy, the blending with Viognier keeps this wine from becoming flabby.
• This wine can age 3-5 years after release so if you pick up a younger vintage and are willing to wait it will continue to develop and transform for the better over time
• You can purchase this wine at Total Wine by clicking the link here

Sources:

• Book: Wine Grapes
• Wikipedia
• Rhone Wines
• Wine Folly
• The Wine Collar Insider

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This week we are talking about Super Tuscan wine. Super Tuscans come from as the name suggests, the Tuscany region of Italy which is located in central Italy. “Super Tuscan” is a term used to describe red wines from Tuscany that may include the use of non-indigenous grapes, particularly Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

Wine Recommendations

Tenuta Monteti Caburnio 2010 - priced around $21.

• 55 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Alicante Bouschet, 15 % Merlot, 5 % Cabernet Franc, 5 % Petit Verdot
• Nose: Dark fruit - blackberries, black currant, black plums, floral (like lavender and rose)
• Dry, full body, medium plus acidity and smooth, soft medium level tannins
• Flavors: dark fruit, vanilla, touch of rose and lavender
• You can tell this wine has spent some time in oak and in the bottle - soft edges but still quite a bit of acidity so probably would be great with even more age
• We were not expecting the floral component - we feel this is a bit of French influence showing.
• This wine is complex and structured, can stand up to food or good for sipping on its own

Toccata Classico 2015 - priced around $29.

• This wine was given to us as a sample
• The grapes in this blend are 50% Sangiovese, 30% Cab Sav, 5% Merlot, 5% Freisa, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cab Franc
• Nose: sweet & smokey BBQ ribs, ripe black cherries and blackberries, vanilla
• Dry, full body, medium tannins, medium plus acidity
• Flavors similar to aromas, plus black plum
• This is an intense wine that needs food with big flavors and/or a bit of fat. Most people will probably want food with it.
• This one could also age a bit longer, especially if you want to accentuate those umami flavors.

Sources

• Wikipedia
• Wine Folly
• Vinepair
• Oxford Guide to Wine

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It's time for another Wine in the News episode. Below are the news articles we feature in this episode.

A new study shows that wine experts differ by geographic region

Public Release from Concordia University, January 14, 2019

Organic Grape Growing Harms Vineyard Soil, Says A Consumer Advocacy Group

by Thomas Pellechia, January 6, 2019

Somm Cheat Probe Going Nowhere

By Liza B. Zimmerman on December 5, 2018

A New Era for U.S. Wine-Labeling Laws

by Katherine Cole, November 26th, 2018

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This week we are talking about the region of Puglia in Italy and wine from this area from the San Marzano cooperative. Puglia is a long, thin wine region in the far southeastern corner of the 'boot' of Italy.

Wine Recommendations - We have four wine that were sent to us from the San Marzano Cooperative. Although these wines were given to us as samples we only give our honest opinions and talk about wine we enjoyed enough to purchase ourselves.

Il Pumo Primitivo Salento I.G.P. - priced around $9.

• Light aromas of red cherries and blackberries
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, medium tannins, and flavors of dark fruit, rosemary and bitter greens
• This wine starts with a punch of acidity but really fruit, approachable and great option to bring to a dinner party

Talò Salice Salentino D.O.P. - priced around $17.

• This wine has aromas of black plums and cherries, black olives, mediterranean herbs and a hint of dust
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, medium tannins with flavors very similar to aromas - black fruit, black olives, and herbs
• This is a fruit forward wine with some umamit flavors, fresh and approachable
• The tannins in this wine give it a luxurious texture very smooth and silky
• Also the acidity of this wine allows it to stand up to acidic foods like red pasta sauce but still enjoyable on it own

EDDA Bianco Salento I.G.P. - priced around $18.

• Aromas of tropical fruits like mango and pineapple, jasmine and minerality
• It’s a dry wine with medium plus acidity, medium light body with flavors like aromas - fresh pineapple and mango and white flowers
• We love the balance of ripe fruit and floral flavors and aromas and the crisp acidity of the this wine that lingers long into the finish
• The winemaking techniques that went into making this wine impart a soft texture - a really fun, and unique white blend

Anniversario 62 Primitivo di Manduria D.O.P. Riserva - priced around $34.

• Aromas of prunes, blueberries, black currants, vanilla, and pencil shavings
• This wine is dry, medium acidity and tannins with flavors of black plums, dried cherries, vanilla and wood
• This wine is big, bold and intense but the fruit and the oak flavors help to balance each other out
• Although it’s not Cab, it you like boldness California Cab you might like this wine
• This wine is for sipping by the fire, perfect for cold weather

Sources:

• Wine Folly
• Decanter
• Wine-Searcher
• Wines of Puglia
• Wine Spectator

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This week's episode, Betty interviews Jim Laughren, CWE to talk about his book; 50 Ways to Love Wine More: Adventures in Wine Appreciation. I had a chance to read Jim's book before we talked and really enjoyed it. I've been studying wine for the last couple of years and I found this book to be entertaining and informative. Also, I think this would make a great gift for someone who is just starting their wine journey.

Check out Jim's website to learn more and download a free aromas wheel!

You can also purchase the book through our Amazon Affiliate link and throw a few bucks our way.

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This week we are talking about the Limoux wine region which is a part of the larger Languedoc region in southwestern France. It’s a pretty small region with only about 20,000 acres of vines and has four AOC désignations: three for sparkling wine and one for still wines.

Wine Recommendations

Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux Brut - priced around $14.

• Nose: Minerality, golden apple, hint of bready quality
• Dry, med+ acidity
• Flavors: lemon, golden apple, white flowers, hint of bread
• Clean, crisp, and fruity with a touch of floral notes - very french.
• Aromas and flavors are similar but more intense in the taste vs. aromas.
• Check out wine-searcher to learn where you can purchase this wine

Domaine J. Laurens Les Graimenous Brut Crémant de Limoux - priced around $15.

• Nose: Green apple, almond, bread dough, minerality like wet rock
• Dry, med+ acidity (hits it the back of Betty’s jaw)
• Flavors: super bready, green apple
• Delicious - really lovely, crisp, great w/ everything.
• Check out wine-searcher to learn where you can purchase this wine

Antech Frisson Limoux Blanquette Méthode Ancestrale - priced around $19.

• Nose: Strong yeasty aroma, dehydrated golden apple and pear, a hint of white flowers
• Sweet, med acidity
• Flavors: golden apple, honey, golden raisin
• Liquid gold - so delicious!
• Sweet but still light, not syrupy at all.
• Buy this wine, you will not be disappointed!

Do you have any Limoux recommendation? Let us know in the comments below

Sources

• Wikipedia
• Wine-Searcher
• Languedoc-Wines
• Limoux AOC
• Wine Folly

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It’s time for another four wine episode! Since the holidays are right around the corner, this episode is all about sparkling wine.

We are no stranger to talking about sparkling wine on the show. Sparkling wine pairs well with many different types of food so it’s the perfect wine for bring to a holiday get together. We had a sparkling wine episodes last holiday season.

Wine Recommendations

Paringa Sparkling Shiraz 2013 - priced around $16.

• It’s a dark ruby red sparkling wine
• Nose of dark fruit, black pepper and a hint of soy sauce
• This wine is off dry, full body with light tannins and medium acidity with flavors similar to the aromas - black fruit, black pepper, and savoriness like soy sauce
• We’ve never had a sparkling wine like this before, there are not a lot of full bodied red wines make into sparkling wines
• You want to serve this wine cool but not cold
• If you want to purchase this wine click here

These next three wines were samples sent to us.

Côté Mas Crémant De Limoux Brut NV - Priced around $16.

• A blend of 60% Chardonnay, 20% Chenin, 10% Pinot Noir, 10% Mauzac that is made in the traditional method
• Nose: minerality, golden apple, golden pear, and a hint of yeast
• This wine is dry with medium plus acidity with flavors similar to aromas with the addition of some white flowers
• it’s really refreshing - it’s mineral driven and smells like a fresh breeze on a warm day
• The finish on this wine is delicious, refreshing and lingering that leaves you wanting more and make me so happy
• For more information on where to purchase this wine click here

Altemasi Trentodoc Brut NV - priced around $24.

• 100% Chardonnay wine made in the traditional method
• Light nose of pink lady apples (tart and sweet) and white flowers
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity
• And flavors of lemon peel, white flowers and crisp apples
• Very crisp, fresh, delicious wine that cups through fried food with intense flavors
• Check out the distributor's website here
• Learn where you can purchase this wine here

André Jacquart Rosé de Saignée Experience Brut Nature NV Premier Cru - Priced around $59.

• This is a grower’s champagne
• Nose of strawberries and cream as well as cherries with a hint of bready notes
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, light body with flavors of strawberries, rhubarb, and minerality
• Fruity, fresh, and crisp - this wine gives you what you expect from Champagne and a rose and delivers on the promise of an delicious and amazing wine
• Food pairing suggestions from the producer: pair a shrimp salad with paprika, goat cheese, cheesecake, strawberry cake.
• Learn more about where to purchase this wine here

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This week we are talking about orange wine. Orange wine is made all over the world so we are going to no focus on a specific grape or region but on how it’s made, where it got its start, what to expect and some tasty recommendations.

Wine Recommendations

Clos Saron Carte Blanche 2016 - priced around $35.

• Blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne, and Semillon
• Nose of stonefruit and herbs
• Dry with medium - body, medium + acidity, and medium - tannins and flavors of dried herbs, jasmine, and tangerines
• This wine is funky (funky like unexpected) fun, and for people who are nerdy about wine
• This wine seems polarizing - people will either like or hate it
• You can purchase this wine here

Don Chisciotte Fiano Campania 2014 - priced around $25.

• Lighter colored orange wine than the previous wine
• Nose of honeycomb, dried apricot, lemon drop, herbs with a little perfume smell
• It’s dry with medium acidity, medium - tannins with light flavors of white grapefruit skins, apricots and herbs and perfume on the finish
• Love the floral notes to this wine and though it added to its complexity

Sources

• Wikipedia
• Vinepair
• Wine Folly
• PunkDrink

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The Canary Islands is a collection of islands and an autonomous community of Spain in the North Atlantic Ocean. It’s located 70 miles off the west coast of Morocco making it the most tropical wine region in Europe. This week we learn a little more about this wine region and talk about some unique wines from the Islands.

Wine Recommendations

Viñátigo Gual 2013 - priced around $30.

• White wine from 100% Gual grape or also know as Malvasia Fina
• Deep golden color wine with strong aromas of wet rock, tropical fruits like honeydew melon and pineapple with hint of spice
• It’s dry with medium acidity and body and flavors similar to aromas - pineapple, melon with a little salinity that comes from the grapes being grown close to the coast.
• Very tropical, ripe wine but the acid is still there, it’s not a flabby wine.
• Food Pairings: Fish served in sauces and white meats.
• You can purchase this wine here

Envínate Táganan Tinto 2016 - Priced around $32.

• This red wine has a nose of cherries, raspberries and cranberries, wet rock and tar
• It’s dry with medium acidity and tannins and medium minus body and flavors of red fruits, lavender and salt
• People who like chanti will probably like this wine
• Food pairings: roasted meats, spicy foods, wild game
• You can find information on where to purchase this wine here

Sources

• Wine Searcher
• Vinepair
• Wikipedia
• Baccos Wine and Cheese
• Wine Folly

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This week we are talking about the small French wine region of Jura, located between Burgundy and Switzerland.

Wine Recommendations

Benedicte et Stephane TISSOT NV - priced around $35.

• White Wine with a nose of bread, green apple and golden pear
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and flavors very similar to aromas - green apples, golden pear but more yeast flavors than bread
• It’s what I want and expect from a Cremant - clean, crisp and fruity.
• Great food wine, cleansing your palate in between each bite

Marnes Blanches Côtes du Jura Savagnin En Quatre Vis 2016 - priced around $35.

• Light nose of pear skins, yellow flowers and under ripe mangos
• It’s dry with medium acidity, medium body with flavors very similar to aromas just more intense
• The colder the better with this wine and it’s really a food wine - you can drink it on it’s own but paired with the right food it really elevates this wine

Jean Bourdy Macvin du Jura Savagnin NV - priced around $37.

• Nose: orange zest, pear skins, yellow flowers
• Sweet wine with medium acidity and flavors of orange zest and dried fruits like apricots and mangos
• Very unique wine, we really loved the intense flavors
• This wine is dessert on it’s own but also pairs really well with a cheese plate
• Of course there is a lot of alcohol in this wine so drink responsibility
• Priced around $37

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• Wine-Searcher
• Wine Cooler Direct
• Forbes
• Oxford Guide to Wine

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Time again for another Wine in the News! Click on the links below to read about the topics and articles covered in this week's episode.

Master Sommelier test marred by cheating, leaving people 'devastated' from Wine Spectator

Feds shut down controversial Elouan wine labels from Oregon Live

PROSECCO DRINKERS ‘DON’T CARE’ IF IT’S DOC OR DOCG the Drinks Business

Is Less Really More for Wine Labels?  From Wine -Searcher

French Wine's Hybrid Dilemma From Wine - Searcher

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Côtes de Bordeaux is a subregion of the larger Bordeaux region in Western France. We covered Bordeaux in two previous episodes. This area of Bordeaux is on the hillsides of the right banks of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers and responsible for some amazing Merlot based red wines.

Check out episode 38 and episode 39 to learn more about Bordeaux

Château Puyanché Blanc 2015 - priced around $13.

• Nose: wax and apricots
• It's a dry wine with medium plus acidity and medium body with flavors of pineapple, white grapefruit, apricot and a touch of lime
• This wine has great acidity and very fresh and fruity but still some complexity
• We think most people are going to want to pare this with food because of the acidity - Bordeaux wines are elevated when paired with the right food
• You can find out where to purchase this wine here

Château Peybonhomme -Les-Tours Le Blanc 2016 - priced around $20.

• Nose: beeswax, golden apple, golden pear, bread and spice
• It’s dry with medium acidity, medium body and flavors of toasted marshmallow, pineapple and mango
• All these different techniques - the oak and lees stirring paired with the Semillon gives the wine roundness
• Even with some of the oak flavors coming through there is still that crisp, fruitiness with a little hint of spice
• You can purchase this wine here

Château Hyot 2015 - priced around $15.

• Nose: cherries, mushroom, and forest floor
• It’s dry with medium acidity, full body and medium firm tannins
• Flavors this wine is so savory with earthy mushroom flavors but still some dark fruit like blackberries and black plum
• Love this wine and it continued to open up and evolved with time so we would recommend decanting or open a little early to expose some oxygen
• You can find out where to purchase this wine here

Château Couronneau 2015 - priced around $19.

• Nose: very ripe dark fruits, vanilla and dust
• Dry with medium plus acidity, full body, medium plus grippy tannins with flavors similar to aromas - blackberry, black plum and vanilla
• Expected this wine to be a little bitter with the high level of tannins but it wasn’t and the with those tannins - the texture of the this wine is intense but a really enjoyable tasting experience
• Find out where to purchase this wine here

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This week we are talking about Rioja and Bodegas LAN. We talked about Rioja way back in episode 26 of the podcast. We were recently sent some wine from LAN and Thursday, November 8, 2018 just happens to be International Tempranillo Day so we thought it was a great time to revisit Rioja and learn more about Bodegas LAN and talk about their wines.

Wine Recommendations - These were sent to us by the good people at Bodegas LAN

LAN Crianza 2014 - priced around $14.

• Nose: red cherries, raspberries, spice and dust
• Dry with medium acidity and tannins with flavors similar to aromas with a hint of cedar on the finish
• We thought this wine was a great balance of tannins and acid.
• The Fruit and acid makes this wine very lively but has other complex aromas and flavors going on like the cedar and spice.
• Very tasty, approachable wine, this is solid traditional Crianza
• You can purchase this wine here

LAN Viña Lanciano Reserva 2011 - priced around $30.

• Nose: black cherries, blueberries, vanilla and baking spice
• It’s dry with medium acidity and medium plus tannins with flavors of cherries, blueberries, and wood - the oak is definitely there but fruity and the tannins are smooth
• This wine has deep/intense aromas and flavors with a beautiful long finish
• Even with its age there is still some fresh fruit flavors and could continue to improve with age
• There is definitely a finesse to this wine
• You can purchase this wine here

LAN Edición Limitada 2015 - priced around $50.

• Nose: black cherries, blueberries, dusty earth and a hint of spice
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, medium tannins and flavors of black cherries, blueberries, and a hint of bitterness on the finish like cedar or wood
• All the care taken to make this wine really shows
• The texture created from the lees and the fermentation is incredible - the tannins and silky smooth
• Also wonderful, fresh fruit flavors
• This wine could probably age until at least 2025 where it will continue to develop its complexity
• You can purchase this wine here

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It’s time for another Four Wines where we discuss four wines we tasted recently that don’t fit into an upcoming episode but we love and want to share with our listeners.

Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut - priced around $23.

• This wine was provided as a sample to us
• Nose: golden apples, bread and a hint of white flowers
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, light body and flavors of really ripe pear, stonefruit and white flowers
• This wine is everything you want in a sparkling wine: crisp - the acidity this there but the fruit softens it, ripe fruit - the fruit is grown in a warmer pocket of Alsace
• You can purchase this wine here

Domaine de Pouy Côtes de Gascogne 2017 - priced around $12.

• Nose - citrus mostly lemon, pineapple, white flowers and a hint herbal
• It’s dry, with medium plus acidity, light body with flavors of pineapple, lemon, and a hint of white flowers
• The nose of this wine is intoxicating and lingers
• This wine is light and crisp and shows that just because a wine is inexpensive and an IGP wine doesn’t mean you should discount it. This wine is definitely worth your time and money.
• We paired this wine with Lemon Broccoli Pasta and it paired beautifully.
• Click here to learn where you can purchase this wine.

Baileyana Firepeak Pinot Noir 2016 - priced around $30.

• Nose: cherry cola
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, light tannins, medium body and flavors of cherries and an herbal element to it like fresh fennel or arugula
• This wine is what we would expect from a Central Coast Pinot Noir- Cherry cola flavors and a little fuller body than pinots from Oregon or France, really tasty
• Food pairings: duck, salmon, turkey and chicken dishes and dishes with earthy vegetable like beets
• You can purchase this wine from the wineries website here

Hayes Valley 2016 Meritage Red Wine - priced around $12.

• Bordeaux Blend of 40% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Malbec, 12% Cab Franc
• Nose: Dark fruit like black cherries and blackberries and black pepper
• It’s dry with medium acidity, medium tannins, medium plus body with flavors of black plum, raspberries, black cherries and dried fennel
• Very juicy, fruit forward wine and the tannins are soft and smooth making this a very approachable wine that is a real crowd pleaser.
• Food pairings: Grilled Lamb with Goat Cheese, Mushroom Soufflé
• You can purchase this wine here

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This week we are talking our recent visit to the Maryhill and Cathedral Ridge wineries in the Columbia Gorge AVA. This trip was a post-excursion for the annual Wine Bloggers conference. In this episode we learn about the Columbia Gorge AVA and talk about the two wineries we visited.

Wine Recommendations - the two wines mentioned in this week's episode are from Cathedral Ridge winery

2015 Riesling - priced around $24.

• Nose: stonefruit, pear, minerality and a hint of rubber
• It’s off-dry with medium acidity and medium body with flavors peach, passion fruit, golden apple and pear
• Love the balance between sweetness and acidity and this fuller, ripe, warmer Riesling with all those stonefruit and tropical flavors
• You can purchase this wine on their website here.

2015 Cab Franc - priced around $44.

• Nose: red cherries and sweet baking spices
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity and medium tannins with flavors of red plum, red cherries and a hint of herbal on the finish
• Really juicy, ripe fruity wine and the smell of this wine is so delicious and intoxicating - inviting you to drink it
• Also the tannins are there but they are so smooth and they just gild off the tongue
• Not a lot of wineries make Cabernet Franc wine so love this delicious example
• You can purchase this wine here

Sources

• Wikipedia
• Oregon Wine
• Columbia Gorge Wine Growers

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We visited the Red Mountain AVA as part of the Wine Bloggers conference. We had the opportunity to learn a lot of Red Mountain as well as taste some amazing wines. We would like to say a big thank you to the Red Mountain AVA Alliance for hosting us and all the wineries involved in making this a wonderful experience. If you ever have the opportunity to visit the area, we would recommend it. The scenery is beautiful, the people are warm and friendly and the wine is amazing.

Also thank to JJ Williams for hosting us a Kiona Vineyards and Winery and Richard Holmes of Ciel du Cheval Vineyards for the vineyard tour.

Wine Recommendations

Tapteil Vineyard Grenache 2014 -p priced around $38. We received this wine free from the Red Mountain AVA Alliance

• Nose: Strawberries, raspberries and fennel
• It’s dry with medium body, medium acidity and tannins and flavors of raspberries, cherries, slightly vegetal with a hint of mushroom savoriness
• Great balance of tannins and acid. A very fruit forward wine but with this wonderful savory component making it complex but still approachable
• You can purchase the 2015 which is the current release here

Mansion Creek Cellars VIÑA ESPAÑOLA 2014 - priced around $37.

• This wine is a blend of Tempranillo, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Counoise
• Nose: Black fruit and cedar
• It’s dry, full bodied, medium acidity and tannins with flavors of black plum, basamic, black olives, mushrooms and a hint of spice on the finish.
• Very unique blend, less fruit driven and more savory which is not what we expected
• You can purchase this wine here

Mansion Creek Cellars Red Dog 2015 - priced around $47.

• A blend of 70% Tinta Cão, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Grenache-Syrah
• Nose is very floral with violets and rose a hint of black fruit
• It’s also dry, full body with medium acidity and medium plus tannins and flavors of black plum, leather and violets
• The texture of this wine is amazing, the tannins are very smooth and refine
• It's very complex and powerful in intensity but with these beautiful floral notes.
• We have not had a wine quite like this before, unique and special
• You can purchase this wine here

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We just returned from the Annual Wine Bloggers Conference at the Marcus Whitman Hotel in the town of Walla Walla in the Walla Walla wine region. We had an amazing time and learned a lot about Washington wine. Listen to this episode to learn about Walla Walla and our thoughts on the conference. We'll be talking more about our trip in upcoming episodes so make sure you subscribe to our podcast to get automatic downloads of our future episodes.

• Interested in attending a future the Wine Bloggers Conference? Check out their website for more information.
• Learn more about Walla Walla Wine at the Walla Walla Wine Alliance's website.
• Planning a trip to Walla Walla? Check out Visit Walla Walla for lots of helpful information

Sources:

• Walla Walla Wine Alliance
• Travel Walla Walla
• Wikipedia
• Wine Folly

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Time for another edition of Wine in the News. The articles mentioned in this episode and links are listed below.

Did winemaker Joe Wagner misrepresent where his Oregon Pinot Noirs came from?
Esther Mobley, September 27, 2018 from the San Francisco Chronicle

Not to Scare You, But … We’re All Going to Die
By Faye Flam, September 7, 2018 Bloomberg

Canned wine is no longer a fad, it's a $45 million business
Sarah Whitten, Sat, 1 Sept 2018 CNBC

NEW RIOJA CLASSIFICATION ‘ISN’T STRICT ENOUGH’
21st September, 2018 by Lucy Shaw, Drink Business

Couples who drink together tend to be happier together, study finds
Jack Webb August 28, 2018 from Indy 100

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This week we’re talking about the Douro DOC in Portugal. You might know this area as the Port region but there are also some really interesting red wines coming out of Douro. So we are going to focus that side of Douro for this episode.

Wine Recommendations – way back in episode 35, we recommended Douro wine so if you want another option check that episode out.

Lua Cheia em Vinhas Velhas Red 2015 – priced around $16.

• 100% Vinhas Velhas
• Nose: cherries, blackberries, pencil shavings and a hint of star anise
• It’s dry with medium acidity, light tannins and flavors of blackberries, black olives, and bitterness like a really good artisan olive oil
• Food pairings: It pairs well with game, roast meats and mild soft cheese
• Check out more information on where to purcahse this wine here

Niepoort Twisted 2015 – priced around $18

• Nose: blackberries and blueberries and a hint of wood and vanilla
• It’s dry, medium acidity and medium plus tannins with flavors pretty similar to the aromas – blackberries, hint of wood and vanilla with a slight bitterness on the finish
• Very juicy, ripe wine and the texture on this wine is lovely, very velvet like
• Food pairings: White meats. Vegetarian suggestions: noodles, pasta dishes.
• Priced around $18
• Purchase this wine here

Duorum Colheita 2014 – priced around $17.

• Nose: sweet candied blueberries, vanilla and star anise
• It’s dry with medium acidity and tannins and flavors of stewed blueberries, vanilla and a touch of bitterness
• This wine was like drinking a blueberry pie and it was delicious and easy drinking but still has some complexity
• Food pairings: cuts of steak, pot roasts, and hearty casseroles
• You can purchase this wine here

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• Wines of Portugal
• Port and Douro Wines Institute
• Oxford Companion to Wine

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This week we dive into Croatia and Croatian wines. This area of the world has a long wine history so we give you a short introduction as well as some awesome wine recommendations. We hope you enjoy this episode!

Wine Recommendations

Vina Skaramuča Plavac 2016 - priced around $17.

• Aromas of black fruit, black Pepper, leather, dust
• Medium acidity, med+ tannins
• Flavors of Black fruit, herbs, earth
• Fruity and inviting nose, good texture, and complexity of flavor
• Enough acidity to go with food but approachable on its own too
• You can purchase this wine here

Piližota Plavina 2016 - priced around $16.

• North Dalmatia controlled wine region
• 100% Plavina
• Nose of cherries, dust, raspberries, dried sage and oregano
• Medium acidity, med- tannins, medium minus body
• Flavors of cherries, earth, hints of chocolate and dried lavender
• This wine reminds us of a pinot noir - similar texture and crowd pleaser, but the nose is fruitier than the taste
• You can purchase this wine here

Zlatan Plavac Šibenik 2011 - priced around $22.

• Nose of black cherries, black plum, black pepper
• Medium tannins and acidity
• Flavors of Black fruit, a hint of black pepper with notes of dried herbs and smoke on the finish
• Very fruity on the nose and juicy ripe fruit flavors like biting into a ripe cherry or plum
• You can purchase this wine here

Sources:

• Croatian Fine Wines
• Book: The Oxford Companion to Wine
• Wikipedia
• Wine Folly
• Wine and More
• Travel Channel

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This week we are talking about the Burgenland wine region in Austria. We have talked about Austria in the past in episode 67 when we explored Grüner Veltliner.

In this week's episode we discuss:

• Review of Austria as a wine country
• Burgenland wine scope
• Regions of Burgenland: their climate, DACs and grapes
• Grapes and the wine they make: Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch and Saint Laurent (we talked about Saint Laurent in depth back in episode 77)

Wine Recommendations

Umathum Rosa Rose 2016 - priced around $22.

• Bright Fuchsia colored wine made from pretty even split of Blaufränkisch, Saint Laurent and Zweigelt grapes
• Nose: candied cherries, pear and minerality
• Dry, medium acidity and light body with flavors of cherries, pear and lemon rind
• So different from any other Rose we ever had - more intense in color and flavor thanks to a longer skin contact but the fruit and mineral flavors keep it fresh. Such a delicious wine.
• I was bummed we only purchased one bottle
• You can purchase this wine here

Markus Altenburger Blaufrankisch 2015 - priced around $22.

• Nose: candies cherries and raspberries and black pepper
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, medium body and soft medium tannins with flavors of cherries, raspberries and a hint of tobacco on the finish
• We love the fruity, intense nose on this wine and thanks to the healthy amount of acidity, this is your next go to food wine
• You can learn more about this wine here
• You can purchase this wine here

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it’s time for another four wines. Every couple of months we dedicate an episode to talk about four wines that we’ve really enjoyed recently that don’t fit in our upcoming episodes.

In this episode, we highlighted a couple of listeners as a way of saying thanks for all the support. Follow wine4fridays and uncoakingenglish on Instagram. They are awesome!

Wine Recommendations

Marques de Gelida Brut Gran Reserva Cava 2009 - priced around $20.

• Nose: toast, marigold flowers, pear and apple
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity with similar flavors as aromas - pear, apple, toast and marigolds.
• It’s fruity and floral and there is a hint of funk that adds to the charm of this wine
• This wine is smooth with no hint of bitterness.
• It’s a great value, definitely worth more than the $20 price tag
• The 2009 isn’t available but you can currently pick the 2012 up and drink it now or age up to 2020.
• You can purchase this wine on Wine.com

Laurent Cognard Les Bassets Montagny Premier Cru 2014 - priced around $38.

• This is a white Burgundy so this is made with Chardonnay
• Nose: vanilla, toasted bread and a hint of white flowers
• It’s dry with medium acidity, and medium body with flavors of vanilla, nectarine and lemon curd
• It’s got great balance of acid and fruit
• There is definitely oak used in making this wine but it’s not over the top. This is a great bridge between stainless steel Chardonnay and those big full bodied oaked Chardonnays from parts of California
• Food Pairings: white fish and shellfish, cream-based sauces. grilled fish, starches, butter, and toasted nuts
• You can purchase this wine from Wine.com

Pannonica Rose 2017 - priced around $14.

• This rose is a blend of Blaufränkisch, Pinot Noir, St. Laurent grapes all harvested by hand
• It’s a pale orange/pink color
• Light nose of raspberries, pear, lychee and minerality
• It’s dry with medium acidity and light body with flavors of strawberries and grapefruit
• It’s very fresh tasting, great for warm weather, delicious
• This blend of grapes are unique together so if you love Rose but you are looking for something a little different this is a great option.
• Food pairings: pasta, fish and chicken
• Priced around $14
• You can buy this wine on Vivino.com

Hunky Dory Pinot Noir 2016 - priced around $17.

• More intense in color than most PN we’ve seen with a medium intense ruby hue
• Nose: cherries, raspberries, black olive and mushrooms
• It’s dry with medium acidity and light tannins with flavors that match the aromas - cherries, mushrooms and black olives
• This wine tasted very fruity and soft - at first sip we thought it might be a little sweet but it still has the earthiness we come to expect from PN
• If you are looking for something affordable that is a good showing of the typical NZ PN style this would be a great option
• Food Pairings: lamb, beef, duck confit and anything to do with porcini mushrooms
• You can purchase this wine on Wine.com

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This week we're featuring our interview with Markus Niggli of Markus Wines out of Lodi, CA as well as some of his amazing wines. We met Markus back in 2016 when the Wine Bloggers Conference was in Lodi, California, where he was involved with the the pre-conference excursion we went on which was titled “ Old Vines and experimental wines”. Markus was indeed sharing fresh wines with higher acidity, made with grapes you wouldn't expect in a place many people believe is too hot to do so - wines like his Gewurztraminer, which we reached about back in episode 25, which you can listen to here.

You can learn more about Markus Wine Co here

Wine Recommendations - all of these wine were sent to us as press samples.

Joey Insieme 2017 - priced around $22

• White wine blend of Silvaspoons Vineyards: 95% Torrontes and Cain Vineyards, North Carolina: 5% Traminette
• Nose: Pineapple, orange blossom and wet rock
• Dry, medium acidity and fruity with flavors of pineapple, white peach, and flowers
• Great balance with fruit and floral flavors, great warm weather wine

Zeal Rose 2017 - priced around $22.

• Bright pink wine. A Blend of Borra Vineyards Gill Creek Ranch: 75% Syrah and Spenker Ranch: 25% Carignane
• Nose: minerality, dusty rose and strawberries
• Dry, medium plus acidity
• Flavors: strawberry, watermelon, pink grapefruit, and a hint of rose
• Very light tannins - it has the texture of running your hands along soapstone
• It’s crisp, fruity and complex

Blue 2015 - priced around $39.

• Red Blend of Borra Vineyards Gill Creek Ranch: 80% Zinfandel and Spenker Ranch:10% Zinfandel, 5% Petite Verdot
• Nose: violets, blueberries, blackberries, dust and sweet baking spice like cloves
• Dry, full body, medium plus acidity, medium plus, smooth but grippy tannins
• Flavors: violets, dusty earth, blackberries, dried plums and cedar
• Fruity and floral, lush wine
• This wine needs bold, earthy foods like red meats, mushroom and lentil dishes

Sol 2015- priced around $39.

• Red Blend of Borra Vineyards Church Block: 42% Petite Sirah, Borra Vineyards Gill Creek Ranch:
  37% Syrah, Silvaspoons Vineyards: 21% Mourvèdre
• Nose - pepper, strewed dark fruits - blackberries, vanilla
• Full bodied, dry wine with medium acidity, medium velvet tannins with flavors of blackberries, back plum, cedar and a hint of bitter tobacco
• This wine is juicy, ripe, bursting with dark fruit flavors and the texture is rich and creamy

Domo 2015 - priced around $39.

• Red blend of Borra Vineyards Church Block: 75% Carignane, Borra Vineyards Gill Creek Ranch: 15% Petite Sirah, 10% Syrah
• Nose: dusty, dried herbs, blackberry, black plum and black cherries - all the black fruits
• Dry, medium plus acidity, medium tannins, full body with flavors of sour cherries, plum, meaty with leather on the finish
• Fruity but not a fruit bomb - lots of complex flavors, this is definitely a food wine and a real crowd pleaser so it’s great for a dinner party.

Zeitlos 2015 - priced around $39.

• Red Blend of Borra Vineyards Gill Creek Ranch: 76% Syrah, 4% Viognier, Borra Vineyards Church Block: 12% Carignane, 8% Petite Sirah
• Nose: cherries with hints of violets and dirt
• Dry and full bodied with medium plus acidity, medium velvety tannins
• Flavors: plum, sour cherries, dirt and mushrooms

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This week we are talking about the lesser known and grown Piquepoul grape and the area it predominantly comes from.

Wine Recommendations

Richemer Piquepoul Cotes de Thau 2016 - priced around $6.

• Nose - chalky minerality, citrus - like lemon drop candy and a hint of honeysuckle
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, full body and
• Flavors - lemon and white flowers
• For a full bodied wine it very crisp and refreshing which allows you to enjoy during hot weather although it does have 12% ABV
• Not very complex in flavor but more complex in the nose and this wine really shined when paired with food

Félines Jourdan 2016 - priced around $13.

• Nose - lemon, tropical fruits, white peach and white flowers
• It’s dry with medium acidity, fully body
• Flavors - lemon, white flowers and melon
• The flavors of this wine are pretty subtle but it’s not a one note wine, it’s complex with lots of different fruit flavors going on. It’s really delicious!
• You can find information on where to purchase this wine here

Domaine Condamine l'Evêque La Dent 2015 - priced around $13.

• Estate bottled wine
• Nose - lemon, flowers a hint of minerality and spice
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, full body
• Flavors - lemon, white flowers and melon
• Delicious, crisp wine - probably the most acidic of the three wines
• You can find information on where to purchase this wine here

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• Picpoul de Pinet AOC
• Wine Folly
• Wine-Searcher
• That Useful Wine Site
• Washingtonian
• Vinepair
• Oxford Guide to Wine

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This week we are going to talk about Slovenian wine. There are some amazing and interesting wines coming out of this country. Since we are talking about a country instead a wine region, we are going to do a brief over but in the future we hope to circle back someday and cover specific regions from this up and coming wine country.

Wine Recommendations - all of these wines are from the Drava wine region!

Kobal Ptuj Sauvignon Blanc 2015 - priced around $18.

• Nose - Fruity and floral, tropical and crisp - Passion fruit, white grapefruit, floral like linen
• Dry, light body, medium plus acidity, flavors really match aromas
• It has light body but has teeth to match the flavor - as in intensity of flavors and aromas
• Wasn’t expecting the passion fruit
• We weren't expecting the passion fruit aromas and flavors and it has a tiny touch of tannins from skin contact.
• It’s absolutely delicious and very pleasant on it’s own or pair with light seafood in citrus sauce
• We purchase this wine from France 44

Kobal Penina Rumeni Muskat Brut 2016 -priced around $23.

• Yellow Muscat made in Charmat method
• Nose - fresh papaya, citrus and ripe peach
• This wine is dry with high acidity and flavors of lemon, papaya, mango, peach and a nice minerality
• This wine was very tart and unique and we love all the tropical flavors -
• Although the aromas and flavors are very ripe it still has lots of acidity
• Food pairing: pasta with a creamy sauce, salads, light appetizers made from vegetables and white meat, fish carpaccio
• We purchased this wine from France 44

Pullus Pinot Gris 2017 - priced around $17.

• Cooper colored rose wine
• Lots of minerality in the nose like stainless steel but also orange blossom, it smells like springtime
• It’s dry with medium body and acidity with flavors of melon, citrus and a hint of stonefruit with a long finish
• This wine has a really pleasure creamy texture thanks to fine lees contact
• We really struggle to find a Pinot Gris that doesn’t taste like flavored water but this wine has depth and complexity the really made it an enjoyable experience and had us coming back for more
• You can get information on where to purchase this wine here

Sources:

• The Wine Atlas
• Oxford Companion to Wine
• Wine Tourist Magazine
• Wikipedia
• Vino Slovenija

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This week we are talking about the region of Savoie. Savoie is a wine region in eastern France and it’s to the east of the region of Bugey which we covered in last week’s episode. It’s in the mountainous areas just south of Lake Geneva and it borders Switzerland. It's a small wine region has around 5,000 acres of vines translating into about 16 million bottles of wine a per year. The wine of Savoie are little known outside the area making up only 0.5% of French wines exported. Check out this week's episode to learn more about this region and it's unique grapes and wines.

Wine Recommendations

Labbe Abymes 2016 - priced around $13.

• White Wine made from 100% Jacquère grapes
• Nose: White Flowers, lemon
• Dry, Med acidity
• Flavors: Granny Smith apple, lemon, minerality
• Super fruity, the kind that tricks you into thinking it might be sweet at first
• Crisp, refreshing, light-bodied - great for hot weather and light dishes or cheese and charcuterie
• Priced around $13
• You can learn more about where to purchase this wine here

Maison Philippe Viallet Savoie Rosé 2017 - priced around $16.

• 100% Gamay light colored Rosé Wine
• Nose: light with lots of minerality, flowers, light red fruits
• Dry, med+ acidity
• Flavors: brown pear, hint of strawberry & cream, bitter almond on the finish
• Crisp
• You can learn more about where to purchase this wine here

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Bugey is a wine region in east central part of France just east of Beaujolais. It’s small in size and production with only a little over 1200 acres of vines and about 4 million bottles of wine produced each year. In this episode, we dive a little deeper into our French wine knowledge, exploring Bugey and it's wines.

Wine Recommendations

Bernard & Marjorie Rondeau Bugey Cerdon - priced around $22.

• This wine has a fruity and fresh nose of strawberries, minerality plus hints of cherry and yeast.
• It’s medium sweet with medium plus acidity and it’s tangy with delicate flavor of cran-raspberry
• The bubbles are soft and although this wine is sweet it’s still crisp which is what you want in a sweet wine
• Great for hot days on the patio and then some thanks to the low alcohol at 8% ABV
• you can purchase this wine by clicking here

La Cueille Bugey Cerdon - priced around $25.

• The nose on this wine is more mineral driven almost like licking a wet rock but also aromas of candied sour cherries, strawberry and not as fruity as the first wine
• This wine is less sweet and less acidic than the first wine with more concentrated, mellow flavors of cran-raspberry with a touch of honey
• you can purchase this wine by clicking here

Maison Angelot Bugey Mondeuse 2016 priced around $16.

• Deep ruby colored wine with aromas of blueberry jam, black pepper and a hint of dusty earth
• It has medium body, acidity and tannins with flavors of sour cherries, blackberry and dusty earth
• This wine is very unique - it was difficult to describe
• We thought pairing it with some fatty food helped the wine to shine more
• You can purchase this wine by clicking here

Sources:

• Wine Searcher
• Wikipedia
• Wine Folly
• Oxford Companion to Wine
• Eater.com
• De Maison Selections Inc.

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Time for another Wine in the News episode! Below are links to the articles feature in this episode.

• Napa's Measure C Is Dead; the War Over Hillside Vineyards Has Just Begun
• French winemakers say warning labels will ruin ‘the soul of France’
• How rosé became the most obnoxious drink in America
• MILLIONS OF BOTTLES OF SPANISH ROSÉ SOLD AS FRENCH
• Here’s why wine makers are ageing their bottles under the sea

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This week we are talking about the region Alto Adige - Südtirol, Italy’s northernmost wine region. The idea for this episode is thanks to the Alto Adige - Sudtirol region and Teuwen Communications, a PR and marketing company we have worked with in the past. They reached out to us asking if we were interested in exploring a selection of this region’s signature grapes. We enjoy learning about wines from lesser known wine regions so we thought this would be a great opportunity to talk about it with all of you.

Wine Recommendations - All of this wines were sent to us as press samples

Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio 2015 - priced around $13.

• This wine has a nose of peach, lemon and white grapefruit
• It’s dry with medium acidity and light body with flavors of white peach and grapefruit
• This is a great hot weather wine. This is a Pinot Grigio we can get behind!
• you can purchase this wine here

Tiefenbrunner Pinot Bianco 2016 - priced around $16.

• This wine has a nose of steely minerality, guava, sweet yellow apple and a hint of flowers
• It’s dry with medium acidity and light body with flavors of apple, guava and nectarine
• It’s light but complex in flavors, just the right amount of tropical fruit - not overripe and the floral component in the nose gives a freshness to the wine
• you can purchase this wine here

Cantina Tramin Gewürztraminer 2016 - priced around $26.

• This wine has an intense nose lychee candy, minerality and rose
• It’s dry with medium acidity and medium body with flavors of lychee, rose, apricot and a touch of spice
• Love the nose on this wine, very fruity and floral. This is what we know and love about this variety
• Since it’s dry and has quite a bit of alcohol, this is not your spicy food wine
• you can purchase this wine here

Elena Walch Schiava 2016 - priced aoround $17.

• This light Ruby colored wine has a nose of cherries, strawberries and cranberries
• It’s dry with light tannins, medium acidity, and light body with flavors of fresh red fruits like cherries and raspberries
• This is your summer red: light and fruity, serve it slightly chilled at a party on the patio
• You can purchase this wine here

Muri-Gries Lagrein 2016 - priced around $20.

• This is a very dark purple wine
• This wine has aromas of sweet baking spice, violets, and black fruits - blackberries, plum and black cherries
• It’s a dry, full bodied wine with medium acidity, medium plus tannins that coat your whole mouth but they are very smooth and flavors of dark fruit, violets and bitter almonds and leather on the finish
• There are a lot of aromas and flavors going on in this wine
• This is a big, bold wine so I wouldn’t drink this on it’s own on a hot day but I would definitely enjoy it with some barbecue
• you can purchase this wine here

Sources:

• Alto Adige Wine Region
• Wine Folly

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This week we continue our summer wine series with one of our favorite white wines for summer, Albariño. We covered Albariño way back in episode 15 which was published June 15, 2016, so click here if you want to listed to learn more about this region and it's wine.

Here are this week's wine recommendations - the first two wines were sent to us by Rias Baixas Albariño as press samples.

Serra da Estrela 2017 - priced around $16.

• This wine has a nose of lemon and white flowers
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, light bodied with flavors of unripened peach, pear, lime, lemon and a hint of grass and white flowers
• Very refreshing and crisp wine

Paco & Lola 2017 - priced around $20.

• This wine has light aromas of orange blossoms, beeswax, apricot and apple
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, light bodied and a strong lime flavors but also flavors of orange blossom, starfruit and it’s a little saltiness
• You can purchase this wine here

Martin Codax 2016 - priced around $13.

• This wine has a nise of white flowers, bosc pear and tropical fruit
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, light bodied with flavors of apples, tropical fruits and white peach
• Less floral and more fruit driven than the other wines recommended
• You can purchase this wine here

Nora 2016 - priced around $17.

• This wine has a nose of pear, white flowers like fresh linen, lemon zest and white peach
• It’s dry with medium acidity, light bodied with flavors of pear, white flowers and lemon
• This is a soft, delicate wine - flavors and aromas lighter than the other wines we recommended
• You can purchase this wine here

Sources:

• Wine Folly
• Rías Baixas DO

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We continue our summer wines series. Since it’s well into summer, we thought it was a good time to take about the new trend of canned wines. When picking wine to sample for this episode, we only purchased canned wine that was strictly wine. We decided to just stick with straight wine so we could make a fair comparison to other wines.

Wine Recommendations

Tangent Sauvignon Blanc 2016

• Nose of white grapefruit, lime, arugula and a hint of dry hay
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, light bodied with flavors of white grapefruit, lime zest and dry hay
• It’s crisp, light and refreshing - great for light dishes like salads, light cheeses and hot days on the patio
• Priced around $7 for a 375ml can which comes out to be $14 for a bottle of wine
• You can purchase this wine here

Alloy Everyday Rose NV

• This wine has a nose of wet rock and strawberries
• It’s dry, light bodied, medium acidity with flavors of strawberries and cream and grapefruit
• It’s light and fresh tasting, perfect to chill for the patio
• Priced around $9 for 375ml which come out to $18 for a bottle, you can also buy a four pack of this wine for $30 which is a little over 2.5 bottles
• You can purchase a four pack of wine here

Underwood Pinot Noir NV by Union Wine Company

• This wine has a nose of cherry, raspberry with a hint of dusty earth and dried oregano
• It’s dry with medium acidity and light body with flavors of cherry, raspberries, dried oregano, black olives and a hint of earth
• It’s fruity but tastes more savory and it doesn’t has as much acidity as I thought but still enough to pair on it’s own
• Although it’s a red still light enough to pair with you favorite summer dish and warm weather
• Priced around $7 for 375ml which comes out to $14 for a bottle
• You can purcahse this wine here

The Drop Red Wine NV

• Blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Syrah
• It’s dry, full bodied, with medium plus acidity and medium tannins and flavors of blackberries, blueberries, and mushrooms
• Fruit is there but this wine is so savory so this is your fatty, meat grilling wine
• Priced around $5 for a 250ml can which comes out to $15
• You can purchase this wine here

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This week we continue our summer wine series with white blends. A blend is really a wine containing two or more grapes which means there is an unlimited amount of options. Some regions are famous for their white blends and we’ve covered quite a few of them in previous episodes.

• Ep 068 – Soave
• Ep 044 – Winter Whites From Southern Rhone
• Ep 014 – Any Day is Special when you’re Drinking Cava!

Wine Recommendations

Anne Amie Vineyards 2015 Cuvee Amrita - priced $15.

• Blend of Riesling, Muller-Thurgau, Pinot Blanc, Viogner, Gewurtztraminer, Chardonnay
• This wine has a nose of Wet rock, lime, peach, starfruit and wax
• It’s off dry, a little fizzy with medium acidity and flavors of elderflower, honey, tangerine zest and lime
• This blend gives an interesting and complex fruit and floral aromas and flavors, it has a lot going on in terms of flavor but still light and with enough acidity to pair with food
• You can purchase this wine here

Field Recordings Hock 2017 - priced around $15.

• Blend of Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Riesling.
• The smell of this wine is intoxicating - an intense nose of lychee, lemon zest, apricot and pear
• It’s off dry with medium acidity, light bodied with flavors similar to aromas - Lychee, lemon, pear but lighter in intensity than the nose
• Love all the fruity flavors
• You can purchase this wine here

Höpler Pannonica Blanc 2016 - priced $12.

• Blend of Chardonnay, Gruner Veltliner, and Pinot Blanc
• Aromas of white flowers, lime and hay
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, light body, slightly fizzy and flavors of lime, white flowers and a hint of apricot
• Drier and crispy than the previous two wines, refreshing and very fruity with a touch of floral notes

Ares de Medeiros Branco 2016 - priced around $12.

• Grapes of this blend of Viognier, Verdelho, and Arinto de Bucelas
• Nose of white flowers, minerality, lemon and peach
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, light body and flavors of lime, lemon and white flowers
• This wine is light, crisp - more floral than the other wines - but still refreshing and perfect for pairing with foods
• You can purchase this wine here

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This week we continue of series on our favorite types of wine for summer with Riesling. Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany but it's grown all over the world.

We covered Riesling way back in March 2016 in episode four. Click here if you want to take a trip down memory lane.

Wine Recommendations

2016 Hogue Late Harvest Riesling - priced around $10.

• This wine has an intense nose of apricot, tangerine and lanolin
• It’s sweet, with high acidity and medium body with flavors of apricot, peach and tangerine
• 12.5% ABV but with the high amount of acidity and sweetness you can get away with pairing this with spicy food

Schlink Haus 2017 Riesling Kabinett Nahe - prcied around $12.

• This wine has a nose of peach, orange zest, and a hint of wax
• It’s medium sweet with medium plus acidity and medium minus body with flavors of candied orange and peach, apricot and honey
• This wine is sweet with ripe fruity flavors but not a flabby wine still lots of acidity with a long finish

Boundary Breaks Vineyard 2016 - priced around $19.

• This wine has a nose of Beeswax, nectarine, lime and green apple
• It’s medium dry so just a touch of sweetness, light body and medium plus acidity with flavors of peach, lime and green apple
• Because it’s medium dry with 12% ABV, we won’t recommend spicy food but lighter dishes or pair with cheeses
• This wine is light, soft and sophisticated with such a beautiful balance of flavors.

Nik Weis St Urbans-Hof Riesling 2016 - priced around $19.

• This wine really confused us at first. The nose starts with a burnt matchstick aroma and as it opens up you then get those fruity aromas of green apple, peach a little slate with we expected of the Mosel area
• It’s light bodied, medium sweet and medium plus acidity with flavors of green apple, minerality and light peach
• It has 10% ABV so this could be pair with spicy foods
• It’s sweet but lighter than the other German Riesling we talked about both in body in flavors

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• Wine Folly
• Bacchus Importers LTD

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We are start a new series talking about our favorite wines for the summertime. These next few episodes are going to be like our four wines episode but instead of four random wines, we're going to talk about wines from one specific place or grape and why we love to drink in the summer. We start the series with Vinho Verde. Way back 100 episodes ago we talk at length about Vinho Verde so feel free to check that episode out if you want to learn more.

Check out our episode on Vinho Verde

Check out the Vinho Verde DOC for more information

Wine Recommendations

Broadbent NV - priced around $8.

• This wine has a light delicate nose of honeydew melon
• It’s dry with medium acidity, light bodied with flavors of green apple and melon
• Very fruit, light, crisp, fresh, delicate, perfect for hot weather
• Light alcohol with only 9% ABV so this is the only wine we are recommending that I think you can get away with pairing with some spicy food

Quinta da Raza Raza 2016 - priced around $11.

• Nose of graphite and lime
• It’s dry with medium plus acidity, light bodied, and flavors of green apple, white grapefruit, white peach with a slight salinity
• Very refreshing wine, crisp and fruity - everything I want in a summer wine and expect from Vinho Verde but with a little more complexity in flavor than the previous wine.

Destino Fifth Empire 2017 - priced around $15.

• This is a winery direct selection from Total Wine
• Nose of fresh cut grass, lime, graphite and white flowers
• It’s dry, with medium plus acidity, medium body with flavors of grapefruit and a strong flavor of white flowers
• This wine is more floral drive vs. fruit like the previous wines

Portal da Calcada Reserva 2016 - priced around $15.

• Nose of lemon, wet rock and fresh arugula
• It’s dry, with medium acidity and medium body, with flavors of white flowers and lemon
• This wine has a complexity to it that you don’t necessarily get from lighter less expensive Vinho Verde.

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Time for another Wine in the News! Below are the articles we reference in this episode and links if you want to read more.

• ARGENTINE WINERY LAUNCHES WINE-BASED CRYPTOCURRENCY By Lauren Eads, June 4th, 2018 from The Drinks Business.com
• The Rebellious French Village Making Wine Banned by the E.U. BY ERIC J. WALLACE JUNE 04, 2018
• Everyday Wines: The Most Important Bottles You Will Drink By Eric Asimov March 22, 2018 New York Times
• Rosé: Wave hits Wall? By W. R. Tish over at Beverage Media Group, Apr 24, 2018
• The wine bots are coming by Liza B. Zimmerman, May 29th, 2018

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This week we wrap up our series on lesser known Spanish wine regions with the Toro DO. Toro is a Spanish DO for wines in the province of Zamora, which is in the northwest of Castilla y Léon. If you are looking at a map of Spain this area is in the west central part of Spain. The DO is named after an ancient settlement called Toro which is 40 miles east of the Portuguese border. Toro means bull in Spanish, although no one really knows why the town was named Toro. The area of Toro DO is about 154,000 acres but only 20,000 acres are vineyards with 14,000 acres registered with the Regulating Body of the DO.

In this episode we discuss:

• History of the Toro wine region
• Climate and Terroir
• Grapes and the wine
• Food pairings

Wine Recommendations

Teso la Monja Romanico 2013 - priced around $19. This 100% Tempranillo wine has been aged for six months in 100% new French oak. It has a aromas of blackberry, red plum, black cherry, dusty leather and beef jerky - smoky and sweet. It’s dry, with medium acidity and tannins and flavors of blackberry, mushrooms, coffee and leather. We thought it was a very balance wine and the nose is very fruity but the flavor not so much. This is a very savory tasting wine and I loved it.

You can purchase this wine here

Numanthia Termes 2014 - priced around $28. This wine is also 100% Tempranillo but aged much longer in oak, 20 months in fact. It has aromas of blackberry, vanilla and sweet baking spices. It's dry, with medium acidity and tannins with flavors of black plum and blackberries, vanilla, tobacco, and baking spices. This wine is also very balanced but more fruity than the previous wine. Both these wines benefited from fatty foods that cut through the acid.

You can purchase this wine here

Sources

• Wikipedia
• Wine-searcher
• Toro DO
• openingabottle.com
• Kitchn.com

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This is week three of our Spanish wine series and this week we are talking about the Valencia DO. The City of Valencia is Spain’s largest port and third largest city, located in the center of the Spain's east coast. It's also the name of one of five DOs located in the region of Valencia, which is the DO we are focusing for this episode. The Valencia D.O. was established in 1957 and is one of the largest in the Valencia region with around 45,000 acres of vines.

In this week's episode, we discuss:

• History of wine in Valencia
• Climate
• Sub-regions, their differences and their wine

Wine Recommendations

Celler del Roure Cullerot 2016 - priced around $17.

• Certified Organic White wine blend of all native Spanish grapes: Pedro Ximénez, Macabeo, Tortosina, Malvasía, Verdil, Merseguera, and others
• The nose of this wine has a lot of clean, steely minerality aromas as well as lemon and white lilies.
• It’s dry with medium high acidity, medium body and flavors of lemon and white flowers
• The acidity is lively and dancing on your palate - like pop rocks but with burst of brightness instead of candy
• We were surprised by the floral aspect of this wine, we expected more fruit - reminding us of freshly washed laundry with floral scented fabric softener.
• You can purchase this wine here

Atance Bobal 2015 - priced around $15.

• This is a red wine blend of organic grapes - 85% Bobal & 15% Tempranillo
• The nose is interesting with aromas of cherry, dust, black pepper and black olive. With the cherries and dust I thought it was going down the Pinot Noir roadbut then you get hit with this pepper aromas. The once you taste the wine the flavors are completely different from that of a Pinot Noir.
• It’s dry with medium tannins, medium acidity, and medium body with flavors of blackberry, leather, light drip coffee, olives
• It's a very Interesting combination of aromas and flavors - it’s savory but not in a mushroom, earthy way but more rustic in nature - definitely a Spanish Tapas wine, just don’t pair it with anything too vegetal.
• You can purchase this wine here

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• Wine-Searcher
• Valencia DO
• Cellar Tours
• Lens Gourmand Food and Wine
• Valencia Wine Consulting

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This is week two of our Spanish wine series where we take a journey to learn about lesser known regions. This week we are talking about Cariñena a Spanish DOP located in the Ebro Valley in Spain’s northeast region of Aragón,

In this episode, we discuss:

• Cariñena scope in the wine world
• Cariñena's history of wine
• Climate and geography of Cariñena
• Grapes and the wine of Cariñena

Wine Recommendations

El Jamon Garnacha 2015 - priced around $10.

• This wine has aromas of cherry, raspberry, cranberry and a hint of oregano.
• It’s dry, with medium acidity and tannins and lots of red fruit flavors- cherry and strawberries with a slight savoriness
• This wine is juicy and fruity, very approachable, a real crowd pleaser wine
• Pair with pizza or pork
• You can purchase this wine here

La Fea Blanco 2016 - priced around $10.

• This is a rare white wine from the area with light Aromas of pineapple, mango and lanolin or waxy aroma.
• It’s dry, light bodied with medium acidity with flavors of tropical fruits, white peach, grapefruit
• We thought this wine was crisp, light and refreshing. Loved those ripe tropical flavors but not a flabby wine - beautiful warm weather wine
• Great for pairing with light dishes - seafood, salads
• You can purchase this wine here

Sources

• Cariñena DO
• Wikipedia
• Cariñena, Spain’s Hottest Region! from Wine Enthusiast Magazine
• Wine Region to Watch
• Spanish Wine Country
• Daily Seven Fifty
• Wine Folly's Introduction to Soil Types

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This week starts a new series on Spanish wine regions. A couple of summers ago we did a series on Spanish wines which we really enjoyed. We love Spanish wine and wanted an excuse to drink more and learn about lesser known regions within Spain. So this week we are kicking things off with Ribera del Duero.

On this week's episode we discuss:

• Where is Ribera del Duero?
• Brief wine history of the area
• Climate and geography
• Grapes grown and the amazing wine it makes
• Wine classifications
• Food pairings

Wine Recommendations

Convento Oreja Crianza 2014 - priced around $25. This wine has aromas of black cherry, spice, vanilla and a hint of tobacco. It's dry with medium acidity, medium plus lush, smooth tannins with flavors of black plum, blackberries, vanilla and leather with a long finish. We love the texture of this wine, not as fruity as we were expecting but it has a lovely, long finish.

You can purchase this wine here

Quintana de Cue Crianza 2011 - this wine is a Winery Direct selection from Total Wine and is priced around $20. This wine has a nose of black cherry and a hint of red berries and dried fennel seeds and vanilla. It's dry with medium acidity, medium plus tannins and flavors of chocolate covered cherries and raspberries. We loved this wine, it's intense, fruity and complex.

You can purchase this wine here

Valtravieso Reserva 2011 - priced around $32. This is actually a blend of 90% Tinto fino, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot that spent 18 months in barrel and another 18 months in the bottle. This wine has aromas of black cherries, forest floor with a meaty undertone. It's dry, medium plus tannins, medium acidity and black plum and flavors of dark chocolate covered espresso beans. This wine has such a beautiful texture - satin like tannins and it's less rustic and more refined than the other two wines.

You can purchase this wine here

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It’s time for another four wines. Every couple of months we dedicate an episode to talking about four wines that we’ve enjoyed recently and want to share with our listeners. So let’s get into it…

Joseph Drouhin Mâcon-Villages 2016 - priced around $15. This white wine from Burgundy has aromas of lemon, wet rock, and white flowers. It’s dry with a medium plus acidity and flavors of lemon curd, white peach, white flowers and a hint of grass on the finish. This wine is light, crisp, very fruity - a great warm weather wine to pair with lighter dishes but could be enjoyed on it’s own.

You can purchase this wine here

Van Loveren Family Vineyards Neil’s Pick Colombar 2016 - priced around $7. This white wine has intense aromas of tropical fruit - pineapple, passion fruit, guava and red grapefruit. It’s off dry so just a hint of sweetness with medium bodied and medium acidity. The flavor of this wine was not are strong as the aromas but those tropical fruits still shine through in the taste We loved this wine and ended up sampling quit a bit that night we were tasting it. It was crisp, refreshing, very fruity, great wine if you love those ripe tropical flavors but with balanced acidity. It would be great on a warm day or pair with a strong cheese like a buttermilk blue cheese.

Findleton Estate and Vineyard Kevin’s Vineyard 2014 Pinot Noir - priced around $39. We received this wine for free from the the good people at El Dorado Wine association. This wine has an intense cherry nose with a little earth and white pepper. It’s dry with light tannins and medium plus acidity and light body with flavors of cherry, wet earth and mushroom. This is everything I love about Pinot Noir - fruit driven but the earthy and savory flavors are present. and has a fair amount of acidity but a balanced - enough to pair with or without food.

You can purchase this wine here

Freakshow Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 - priced around $20. I haven't met a Michael David red wine I didn't like. This wine has aromas of blackberry, black plum and a hint of vanilla. It’s dry with medium acidity and tannins - striking a really lovely balance in texture with flavors of black fruit and dark chocolate covered espresso beans. This wine is a very juicy and ripe what I would expect from a California Cab but not a flabby wine by any means.

You can purchase this wine here

Sources:

• Wine Folley Guide to Burgundy
• Robertson Wine Valley
• El Dorado Wines

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We have been using the ArT Wine Preserver since October 2017 and it's our go to wine preserving method . So when we had the opportunity to interview the founder of this product Ryan Frederickson, we jumped at the chance. Thank you to Ryan for sharing his knowledge of oxidation and wine preservation.

You can learn more about the ArT Wine Preserver here

You can purchase the Art Wine Preserver here

The Amazon link is affiliate link so we’ll get a few cents if you buy something but Amazon promises us it wont raise your price for the item. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do and thanks for supporting us!

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Every couple of months we talk recent wine news. Below are the new stories feature in this episode so click on the title if you want to learn more.

• California's Cabernet Cult Keeps Growing by Liza B. Zimmerman Posted Wednesday, 04-Apr-2018 on wine-searcher.com
• Wine Industry Under Attack in Napa by Dawn Dolan, March 23, 2018 from Wine Industry Network
• Battle for Napa Valley’s future: Proposed curb on vineyards divides county by Esther Mobley, April 8, 2018 in the San Francisco Chronicle
• How environment changes the taste of wine, Friday, 23. March 2018 in the Meininger’s Wine Business International
• Total Wine & More Sharpens Focus on Winery Direct by Cyril Penn, March 22, 2018 from Winebusiness.com
• New Polls Shows Broad Support for Laws to Protect Against Misleading Wine Labels Press release by The Wine Origins Alliance, March 5th, 2018 published in Wine Industry Network

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Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with Ken Friedenreich the author of the new book, “Oregon Wine Country Stories, Decoding the Grape.”

Before I interviewed Ken, I had a chance to read his book and I loved it. No matter where you are in your wine journey, it's a great read and I highly recommend it.

You can learn more about the book here

Ready to buy the book? Click here to order from Amazon and you won't even have to leave your house.

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This is our last week of our Australian wine series. In this episode we brief cover two regions, New South Wales and Tasmania.

In this episode we discuss:

• New South Wales' impact on Australian wine
• History of New South Wales wine
• Hunter Valley and it's wine
• Tasmania as a wine region

Wine Recommendations - Finding wine for these regions in the Twin Cities was a challenge. Most of the New South Wales wine was bulk wines and Tasmania is such a niche area, I was only able to find wine thanks to a wine buyer from a local shop.

Brokenwood Wines The Bunkhouse Semillon 2017 - priced around $20. This wine has a nose of fresh spring breeze, minerality and lemon pith. It’s dry with medium acidity and flavors of lemon and lime. It’s crisp and refreshing - especially after a long winter of drinking full bodied reds and the alcohol is low so great for warm weather.

You can purchase this wine here

Maison L'Envoyé Pinot Noir 2015 - priced around $25. This wine has a nose of cherry cola, black pepper and black dirt. It’s dry with medium acidity, light tannins and flavors that mirror the aromas; cherry cola, black pepper and black dirt. It reminds us of Central Coast Pinot Noir but not totally, it’s kind of its own thing. Be sure to pair with earthy dishes but the acidity level would allow you to enjoy this wine on it’s own as well.

You can purchase this wine here

Sources:

• Wikipedia NSW wine
• NSW Wines
• Australian Wine Country
• Wikipedia Tasmanian Wine
• Wines Tasmania
• Oxford Guide to Wime
• World Atlas of Wine

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This episode we are talking about a wine area unknown to most of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Western Australia.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Western Australia's wine impact
• The three major wine region of Western Australia: Swan Valley, Great Southern, and Margaret River
• Tasty wine recommendations - you might have a difficult time finding several options from this wine if you live outside of Australia.

Wine Recommendations

Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay 2016 - priced around $25. This 100% Chardonnay wine has aromas of spice, stonefruit, pineapple, yeast and lemon curd. It has medium plus acidity, it’s dry with flavors of strong lemon and a hint of vanilla. Such a great balance between fruit and oak - the oak is there but not a buttery style chardonnay. It’s fresh, crisp and we really love the acidity in this wine, it’s not flabby at all.

You can purchase this wine here

Madfish Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 - priced around $18. This wine is actually a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Syrah, and 1% Petit Verdot. This wine has aromas of blue and blackberries, herbal liqueur and a hint of cedar. It’s dry, full bodied with medium acidity and medium tannins with flavors of dark chocolate covered berries, dried herbs and bitter coffee on the finish. We loved how balanced this wine was between acid and tannins but you will want to decant - the flavors really open over time.

You can purchase this wine here

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This marks week three of our Australian Wine series and for this episode we focus on the state of South Australia. South Australia produces more than half of all Australian wine and some of the most prominent wine regions in the country.

In this episode, we'll discuss:

• When did grape growing and winemaking start in South Australia
• South Australia's many zones and regions
• Some awesome wine recommendations

Wine Recommendations

D’Arenberg The Hermit Crab 2016 - priced around $15. Lovely white blend of Viognier and Marsanne with aromas of chalky minerality, grapefruit pith, flowers and stone fruit. This wine is dry with medium acidity and medium body and flavors of toasted oak, white flowers and grapefruit. A nice nod to Rhone with just the right amount of oak to add flavor, texture and complexity but the oak doesn't define the wine.

Purchase this wine here

Mitolo Jester 2015 Shiraz - priced around $22. A 100% Shiraz wine that's aged in used French oak for 18 months. This wine has a nose of berries, a strong black pepper aroma, and a hint of meatiness. It’s dry with medium acidity, medium tannins and full bodied with flavors of black plum, black pepper, and black olives. The tannins are really silky and give this wine a lovely texture and the finish lingers for a long time and we thought this was fruity, complex but still easy to drink on it’s own.

Purchase this wine here

Tait Family Winery’s The Ball Buster 2014 - priced around $25. This wine has aromas of dark fruits, earth and herbal liqueur. It’s dry with medium acidity and medium tannins with flavors of stewed dark fruits, dusty earth and a hint of dark chocolate. This wine is intense, it’s not trying to be subtle (hence the name). We thought this wine was refine and the winemaker did an excellent blend - the Cab brings tannins and structure and the Merlot brings fruit and roundness to the wine.

Purchase this wine here

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Welcome to week two of our Australian wine series. This week we are discovering wines from the state of Victoria.

In this episode we discuss:

• Victoria's has a lot of wine diversity and a lot of wineries
• A little wine history
• Lots of wine zones/regions and a few facts about each area

Wine Recommendation (yes we didn't talk about Shiraz, don't hate on me)

Frisk Prickly Riesling 2017 - priced around $12. This actually a blend of 85% Riesling, 10% Muscat Gordo, and 5% Gewurztraminer. This wine has aromas of pear, white lilies, lemon and wax or lanolin. It's slightly fizzy, off dry with medium acidity and flavors are more citrus driven versus on the nose we thought the pear and flowers were more intense. All the flavor in this wine are in balance with each other. It has 10% ABV, it’s right on the cusp for pairing with spicy food. We really enjoyed this wine with Mexican food that had green bell peppers and jalapenos which can often be difficult in pairing with wine. I would describe this wine as soft and lovely which is not what people expect from Australian wine.

You can purchase this wine here

The Verdict Shinas Estate 2014 - priced around $25. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine has a medium intense nose of juicy black fruit - blackberries, black plum and black currants, with dusty earth and a herbal quality like fresh fennel. It's dry, with medium plus acidity, medium tannins and flavors of those black fruits but a savory undercurrent of soy sauce and mushrooms with a dried herb finish like bay leaves. If you are a California cab person you will really enjoy this wine - it’s big, bold with lots of juicy fruit flavors. A very affordable option, we thought it was better than a lot of cabs we have had at some higher prices so a great value.

You can purchase this wine here!

Chambers Rosewood Vineyards Rutherglen Muscat NV - priced around $18. Produced from Muscat a Petit Grains, or Brown Muscat as it’s commonly known, this wine has aromas of dried apricots and paypa. It's sweet, with flavors of golden raisins, honey, dried apricots and pecans almost praline like. This wine is dessert by itself and it has 18% ABV but doesn’t taste boozy so be aware and consume responsibly.

You can buy this wine here!

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This week starts a series of episodes on Australian wines and wine regions. We haven’t talked about Australian wines on this podcast yet so this topics is a long time coming. This week is going to be an introduction to Australia and it’s wine and over the next few weeks we will talk about different geographic areas and showcase some Australian wines from those larger regions. Australia doesn’t have a very long history in terms of wine but there is a lot of learning to unpack.

This week's episode we discuss:

• Short history of Australian wine
• Climate and Geography
• Grape varieties and winemaking
• Australia wine laws

Stay tune for upcoming episodes where we dive into specific wine regions.

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This is our last wine of our dessert wine series. This week we focus our attention on ice wines. Ice wines are risky, time intensive and expensive to produce but the results are delicious.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Where is ice wine made?
• History of ice wine
• Ice wine has standards
• Ice wine is difficult to make
• Grapes used and what to expect in ice wines
• Food pairings

Wine Recommendations

Heidmann’s-Bergweiler 2016 Polar Bear Eiswein - priced around $38 for 375ml bottle. This wine is made with Riesling grapes from the Rheinhessin area of Germany. It has a medium lemon color with medium intense aromas and flavors of lemon, slate or minerality, and a hint of flowers. It's full bodied with medium acidity, but a lighter ice wine style and not as sticky in texture compared to other ice wines.

This is a winery direct selection from Total wine which you can purchase here.

Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estates Vidal 2015 - priced around $24 for a small 187ml bottle so definitely special occasion wine. It's made with the vidal grape from the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario Canada. This wine is a deep gold color with a pronounced nose of Apricots, mango and papaya. This wine is very sweet, full bodied, medium plus acidity, with flavors of dried tropical fruits - think the trail mix you get with all those dried fruits - apricots, papaya, mango, and pineapple. This wine is bigger and bolder than the German wine, it's truly a dessert in itself, sticky but the acidity really balances the sweetness out to make it drinkable and enjoyable.

You can purchase this wine here

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Vin Santo is an Italian dessert wine traditionally from Tuscany
Italian Vin Santo is not related to Vinsanto the Greek dessert wine, even though they do have a similar name. In Tuscany, it’s mostly made from white grape varieties Trebbiano and Malvasia, and Sangiovese can be used to produce a rosé style known as "Occhio di Pernice" or eye of the partridge.

In this episode we'll discuss:

• History of Vin Santo
• How it's made?
• Flavor characterisitics
• Food pairings

Wine Recommendations:

Bellini Vin Santo 2009 - priced around $30. This wine is aged for at least 5 years in the barrel, giving it a medium orange color. It has a medium intense nose and aromas of honey, hazelnut, dried apricot and Dulce de Leche. This wine is delicious, sweet but not sticky and not as vicious as we expected.

This is a winery direct from Total Wine and you can purchase it here

Felsina Vin Santo 2004 - priced around $55 but worth every penny. Aged for seven years in the barrels and at least 6 months in the bottle before release, this wine has a medium amber color. It's intense with aromas and flavors of dried apricots and pineapple, also caramelized brown sugar, plus hazelnut on the finish. This wine is smooth, you can’t even taste the alcohol and I would describe it as liquid perfection.

You can find purchase information here

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This week's episode is all about Sherry. Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes and produced in a small region in South West Spain. We talked about another type of fortified wine, Port, back in episode 42. If you are interested in listening to that episode click here.

In this episode we discuss:

• Where does Sherry come from?
• History of Sherry
• How it's made
• Different styles of Sherry
• Food pairings - check out a handy food and Sherry pairing guide from Sherry.Wine

Dry Styles of Sherry: Light to Heavy

• Fino
• Manzanilla
• Amontillado
• Oloroso

Sweet Styles:

• Pedro Ximénez (PX) or Moscatel
• Cream

Wine Recommendations:

• Lustau Rare Amontillado Escuadrilla - priced around $30.

  • Beautiful amber color with 18.5% ABV
  • Average age is 12 years old
  • Aromas of burnt sugar or caramel, orange rind, kalamata olives and hazelnuts
  • It’s dry with medium plus acidity with flavors of intense hazelnuts, soy sauce, mushrooms, coffee and oak on the finish
  • This wine is very savory and salty with long complex finish that keeps going
  • It’s not like any other wine we’ve had before
  • Serve slightly chilled, 55-57F

• Cesar Florido Moscatel Especial - priced $14 for 375ml bottle.

  • Truly a dessert wine using the Moscatel grape and 17.5% ABV
  • Nose of buttered pecan, brown sugar, vanilla and herbal liqueur
  • It's sweet but not too sweet, full bodied with medium acidity and flavors of pecans, stewed prunes and orange peel
  • Long finish and the flavors come in stages and lingers long after the wine is consumed
  • Like a warm hug, perfect for a cold, winter day

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This week starts a series on dessert wines and this episode we are talking about Sauternes. Sauternes is a sweet white wine from a region in Bordeaux by the same name. A while back, we did a two part episode on Bordeaux. Those episodes talked about history of wine in the area, classification system and climate and geography.

Check out our previous episodes on Bordeaux:

• Ep 038 – Bordeaux and Aquitaine
• Ep 039 – Bordeaux Reds and the 1855 Classé

In this episode we discuss:

• What is Sauternes and where does it come from?
• Noble Rot - it sounds gross but it’s cool
• Why are botrytized or Noble rot wines so expensive?
• When did Bordeaux start making this wine?
• What to expect from Sauternes?
• Food pairings

Wine Recommendations:

Chateau Tuyttens 2011 - Priced around $25.This wine is a deep golden color with aromas of dried apricots or apricot skins and honey. It’s has medium to medium plus acidity, it’s very full bodied with flavors of candied peach, honey, almond and a bit of funk from the botrytis. It’s delicious and very sweet but not cloying.

Find out where you can purchase this wine here

Chateau Doisy-Vedrines 2011 - Priced around $25. Also deep golden color with aromas of apricot, honey and light peach. It has medium acidity, full bodied with flavors of honey, intense apricot, light peach and almond. This wine tastes decadent and both of these wines has similar aromas and flavors but different in which aromas show through stronger.

Purchase this wine from Total Wine here

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Welcome to our 100th episode! This is a special episode to celebrate the “big 100” which is a bit of a milestone for a lot of podcasters so this episode we have:

• Voicemails and emails from you, our listener community
• Brief updates about new ways to listen
• We touch on a few things we've learned over course of our first 100 episodes
• What we're excited for in our wine journey for 2018

People featured in this episode:

• Clint in Scottsdale, AZ
• Mark from Connecticut
• Kevin from Michigan
• Chuck in San Diego
• Casey from Minnesota
• Christine from Australia
• John (sorry he didn't tell us where he is from)

Other items mentioned in this episode:

• Treveri Sparkling Gewurztraminer
• Chuck's blog - Exploring.wine
• Cram Flashcard App
• Tunein echo/alexa skill - Say “Alexa play weekly wine show on tunein”
• We are on Spotify!!!
• Wine Bloggers Conference

Thank you for 100 episodes and we look forward to the next 100 episodes! Cheers!!!

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Time for us to catch up on some wine news! Check out the links below to read the articles feature in this episode.

• Sonoma’s city council imposes moratorium on new tasting rooms By CHRISTIAN KALLEN in the Sonoma News, December 11, 2017

• Esteemed California Sustainable Winegrowing Program Lodi Rules™ Goes International by Wine Industry Network, January 17, 2018

• Bogle Requires Certification Winery says grapegrowers must abide by Lodi Rules by Jane Firstenfeld, Wines and Vines, January 4th, 2018

• Wine and liquor fraud: NY state fines big alcohol distributor in 'pay to play' scheme by Don Cazentre, Syracuse.com December 20, 2017

• Walgreens is Now a National Drop-off Location for Wine by Liza B. Zimmerman, winebusiness.com December 11, 2017

• A $1,000 bottle of wine grows in Brooklyn on a first-of-its-kind rooftop vine
  by Rene Brinkley, CNBC November 16, 2017

• Calling time on the Champagne flute by Felicity Carter, Meininger's Wine Business International, November 30, 2017

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This is our Four Wines episode for January 2018, our chance every couple of months to share recommendations with you for wines we’ve recently enjoyed but weren’t for an upcoming episode.

Wines featured in this episode:

Alvarez de Toledo Roble 2009

• 100% Mencia grape and aged for 10 months in American and French oak barrels
• Deep purple color
• Medium intense nose of black plum, blackberries, pepper and a hint of floral and smoke
• It’s dry, full bodied with medium plus acidity, light tannins and flavors of black plum, fennel, leather, and a little smoke
• This is a food wine and pair well with cured meats like hard salami
• With the amount of acid we think this could probably be aged longer
• Priced around $10

Domaine de l'Espigouette Vieilles Vignes Côtes du Rhône

• A blend of 70% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, 5% Carignan, 5% Cinsault
• This wine has a nose of black cherry, blackberry, dried prunes, dusty earth and a hint of floral like lavender
• It’s dry, with medium plus acidity, medium - tannins and medium bodied with flavors of blackberry, lavender, dried bay leaf, pepper and a hint of wood
• Really nice blend - complex but not overpowering
• Fruit forward and lots of acid but still can be enjoyed on it’s own.
• Great with a red pasta sauce or pizza
• Priced around $14

Smithereens by Skinner 2015 White Blend

• This wine was given to us for free at the WBC
• This is a blend of 50% Grenache Blanc, 21% Viognier, 19% Roussanne, 9% Picpoul and 3% Marsanne
• It was aged for 11 month, 60% in neutral french oak and 40% in stainless steel
• Aromas of white peach, white flowers, and golden apple
• It’s dry with medium acidity and body
• Flavors of crisp apple, flowers, and yeast
• The texture and body of this wine is perfect for colder months and has a beautiful balance between acidity and body
• We think this would pair well with lots of food - roasted root vegetables or Greek food but can still be enjoyed on it’s own
• Priced around $18
• you can purchase this wine here

G.D. Vajra Langhe Rosso 2014

• From Piedmont
• Blend: Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Barbera, Albarossa, Freisa, and Pinot Noir
• This wine smells like a bouquet of flowers - mostly rose with a hint of sweet dried fennel/black licorice- almost like the Good and Plenty candies! The label features a bouquet of flowers.
• It’s dry with medium acidity, light tannins and ripe juicy red plum and blackberry flavors, candied orange peel and rose
• This wine is also fruit forward and floral and we loved the complexity in flavors this wine brings.
• It’s a little lower in acid compare to the other reds wines featured in this episode so if you are looking for a sipping wine to drink on it’s own, this is the wine
• Priced around $16

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463). If you can’t leave a voicemail, you are welcome to email us at weeklywineshow@gmail.com.

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This week’s episode features our interview with Wayne Bailey, owner and winegrower at Youngberg Hill.

“Youngberg Hill creates authentic wines and experiences in our tasting room and Inn that will have you fall in love with life again." Oregon’s premier wine country estate and one of Wine Spectator’s favorite locations; set on a 50-acre hilltop surrounded by exquisite vineyards and views. We have an amazing 28-year old vineyard that is farmed organically. We are well known for producing award winning wines. As passionate farmers and winemakers we are thrilled to share, educate, and talk wine. We care for our wine and guests with respect. We are proud of our ‘Green’ approach to wine country living and look forward to sharing it with you.”

Wine featured in this episode: these wines were sent to us for free by Youngberg Hill.

Youngberg Hill Chardonnay 2015

• Light nose of toast, toasted marshmallow and flowers
• It’s dry with medium bodied, medium acidity with flavors of grapefruit pith, cheese, vanilla and a little smoke
• The oak is there but not heavy handed
• Priced around $40

Youngberg Hill Nastasha Pinot Noir 2014

• Beautiful ruby color
• Aromas of black cherry and dusty earth
• It’s dry with light tannins and medium plus, almost high acidity with flavors of black cherry, black plum, earth/dry dirt, dried herbs with a long finish
• To me, this is a real fruit forward, juicy black fruit wine, although a light bodied wine - it’s more ripe Pinot Noir - like Wayne said 2014 was a warmer year in Willamette
• Priced around $50

Youngberg Hill Jordan Pinot Noir 2014

• This block of vineyards is pretty much right next to the Nastasha block.
• Aromas of candied black cherry, sweet baking spice like cloves and star anise and dried earth
• It’s dry, light bodied with light tannins, medium plus acidity and flavors of black plum, black cherry, earth/ forest floor, and mushroom on the finish
• Similar to the Nastasha but more earthy flavors vs. fruit
• Priced around $50

You can learn more about these wines and purchase them here

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463). If you can’t leave a voicemail, you are welcome to email us at weeklywineshow@gmail.com.

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This episode is the third in a series of interviews from producers in Willamette Valley. In this week’s episode we are featuring our interview with Tom Fitzpatrick, the winemaker from Alloro Vineyard.

Wine feature in this episode:

2016 Riesling - priced around $30. This is probably one of the best dry Rieslings we've tried. This wine has beautiful aromas of fresh linens, beeswax and white peach. It's dry, with medium plus acidity and flavors of grapefruit, nectarine, white flowers and lime. This wine is everything you want in a Riesling; it's crisp, fruity, and complex. Well done, Alloro!

2015 Chardonnay - priced around $34. This wine has aromas of fresh toasted coffee beans, sweet golden apple, lemon rind and a hint of herbal quality to this wine. It’s dry, with medium acidity, medium plus body and flavors of salted caramel, lemon pith and a hint of smoke. Such a wonderful balance between the oak and fruit.

2014 Pinot Noir - priced around $35. This Pinot Noir is delicate and feminine with aromas of cherry, dust, dried leaves and a hint of baking spice. It’s dry, with light tannins, medium plus acidity and lots of red fruit flavors of cherry and cranberry with that dusty earth I love.

2014 Riservata Pinot Noir - priced around $45. This wine is more intense in flavors and more structured than the other Pinot Noir and it's a blend from special barrels picked by Tom. It has aromas of cherry, plum and dusty earth. This wine is dry, with medium plus acidity, light tannins and flavors of cherry, black plum, dried rose petals and a salty, meaty flavor - like mushrooms soaked in soy sauce.

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463). If you can’t leave a voicemail, you are welcome to email us at weeklywineshow@gmail.com.

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This episode is the second in a series of interviews from producers in Willamette Valley. In this week’s episode we are featuring our interview with Steve Lutz, owner and winegrower from Lenne’ Estate. Lenne’ Estate grows “death-defying Pinot Noir in the Yamhill Carlton AVA”

Wines featured in this episode: These wines were provided to us for free.

2014 Pinot Noir - priced around $45. This wine has a medium intense nose of black cherry, wet leaves, dried fennel seeds, and dusty rose petals. It’s dry with light smooth tannins and medium acidity, with juicy, ripe flavors of dark cherries and blackberries. We could tell that 2014 was a warm year in WIllamette Valley because this wine is showing the presence of dark fruit instead of the red fruits like cherry and cranberry we are used to seeing from this area.

2016 Chardonnay - priced around $40. This wine has just the right amount of oak flavors but still allows for the fruit to shine, with medium intense aromas of vanilla, toasted marshmallow, lemon, and apple blossom. It’s dry with medium body and acidity, with flavors of toast, lemon meringue pie, and a little smoke.

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463). If you can’t leave a voicemail, you are welcome to email us at weeklywineshow@gmail.com.

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This episode is the a first of a handful of interviews from producers in Willamette Valley. We are kicking it off with our interview with Mike Bayliss from Ghost Hill Cellars.

Ghost Hill Cellars is located in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. It’s “a fifth generation century farm and estate vineyard, sustainably tended by the Bayliss family and the ghost of a murdered gold miner.”

Wine Featured in this episode: These wines were provided to us for free

2014 Pinot Noir Blanc - priced around $25. This wine is a beautiful rose gold color made with no skin contact. It has a medium intense aromas of cherry licorice, sweet baking spices like star anise with cherry cola like aromas. This wine is dry with medium plus acidity and medium body with flavors of white flowers, lime pith, cherry, some minerality and a hint of dry hay. Thanks to the crisp, acidity we thought this would make a great food wine with poultry or pork based dishes.

2014 Bayliss-Bower Pinot Noir - priced around $42. Lots of cherry aromas in this wine but also aromas of dusty earth and sweet baking spices. It’s dry with medium plus acidity and light tannins with flavors of cherry cola, earth and dusty rose of the finish. Tony says he also got flavors of a chocolate colored candied orange peel (Betty not so much). This wine has an understated elegance to it and it’s definitely more of a Burgundy style Pinot Noir.

2014 Prospector’s Reserve Pinot Noir - priced around $55. This very small production (141 cases) is a blend of six barrels selected by the winemaker. It has medium intense aromas of dusty earth, rose and cherry cola. This wine is dry with medium acidity and tannins, with flavors of cherry cola, chalky minerality and a hint of orange. It's elegant and again in that burgundy style but bolder and more complex than the previous Pinot Noir.

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463). If you can’t leave a voicemail you are welcome to email us at weeklywineshow@gmail.com.

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We are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview several producers from Willamette Valley in Oregon. So over the next handful of episodes we will be share those interviews and some great wines with our listeners.

This is all thanks to Carl Giavanti from Carl Giavanti Consulting who we met at last year’s Wine Bloggers Conference in Lodi, CA who connected us to these producers and provided us with an opportunity to sample their wines.

If you are a long time listener you know we’ve done a few interviews in the past and it’s been a goal of ours to feature more interviews on this show. We are always interested in learning why people decide to get into the wine business and learn more about this journey and what inspires them. But before we start those episodes, we wanted to release this episode to give our listeners a short introduction to Willamette Valley.

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463). If you can’t leave a voicemail you are welcome to email us at weeklywineshow@gmail.com.

Sources:
Willamette Wines

Wikipedia

Wine Folly

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The holidays is a great excuse to drink Champagne (as well as a Tuesday) but buying Champagne can feel overwhelming; it’s expensive and you might often feel like you're going to mess something up. Not to worry, we have three recommendations that you can’t go wrong with and something for everyone. We want to give you some options to take with you to holiday time with friends and family (or for just yourself is ok too).

In this week's episode we discuss:

• Why is Champagne is expense?
• How it Champagne made?
• About the blend (mostly)
• Classifications

Wine Recommendations:

Bonnet-Ponson Brut Premier Cru NV - priced around $40. This wine has a deep golden color with aromas of sweet earth, a sweet apple, pear skins and a hint of chalkiness. It has high acidity with flavors of lemon, grapefruit, apple, white lily, and yeast with a long finish.

Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée - priced around $50. This wine is a medium golden color with medium intense aromas of brioche, floral and golden apple. It has medium plus acidity with flavors of yeast, floral, green apple and lemon rind with a medium finish. This wine went amazing with salty and nutty cheese like an aged manchego cheese.

Laurent-Perrier Brut Millésimé 2007 - priced around $80. A wine with a medium golden color and aromas of toast, almond, golden apple and pear. It has high acidity with flavors of floral, apple and lemon pith with a medium finish. This wine has the potential for long aging and a great option for a special occasion.

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463). If you can't leave a voicemail you are welcome to email us at weeklywineshow@gmail.com.

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This week we are talking about our recent trip to the tasting room at Breathless wines in Healdsburg which is in Sonoma County

Breathless wines was started by three sisters and focuses on making high quality sparkling wines using Méthode Champenoise. We visited their tasting room and got an opportunity to chat with Sharon Cohn one of the founders.

We really enjoyed our time at Breathless and we think it’s worth a visit if you are in the area. We had the opportunity to taste four of their wines at the winery and below is one of our favorites.

Breathless Wines Brut NV - priced around $25. With an almost rose color this wine smelled like baked apples and toast. It has flavors of citrus, pink grapefruit (got some bitterness) and apple with a pleasant finish that lingers.
We thought this wine was light, refreshing, crisp, with a hint of tartness, it's not over the top and great with food or on it’s own.

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463).

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In this episode, we talk about our visit to Sterling Vineyards in Napa Valley. Sterling Vineyards was founded in 1964 by Peter Newton, an Oxford Scholar, paper tycoon and London Financial Times writer from England.

Sterling Vineyards sits atop of a mountain overlooking a valley in Calistoga. They have aerial tram which is the only one of its kind in Napa Valley, offering amazing views as visitors on your way up to the winery. When designing the winery, the planners needed a way to transport visitors and staff to the hilltop winery with minimal impact on the hill, and decided on the tram.

Once we got up the mountain and into the winery we enjoyed the Platinum Experience. This included a one hour food and wine education tasting. We had a flight of four of their small production reserve wines, one Chardonnay and three Cabernet Sauvignon wines, each paired with an amuse-bouches. The thought behind this experience is that food pairings help keep the wine flavors on your plate longer and change how you perceive the texture of the wine.

We enjoyed all of the food and wine pairings but the one that really blew us away was the Chardonnay pairing. Their 2014 Reserve Chardonnay was paired with house made ricotta cheese with agrumato olive oil and lemon zest. Chewing the wine with the food really changed the flavor of the wine and brought out the fruit of the chardonnay. It’s definitely a pairing that we are going to recreate in the future. This experience is not cheap and will set you back $95 per person.

If you re not able to spring for the Platinum Experience, the General Admission experience was also wonderful. The $35 fee includes a ride on the aerial tram and self-guided tour of the lower portion of the winery. During the tour there are different stopping points where someone pours you wine, which is awesome, and you learn about each stage of the wine making process. You can also enjoy the view of the valley from their patio area.

Something that you don’t normally get at Sterling is time with their Director of wine making, Harry Hansen. Tony was able to capture Harry talking about a newly release wine from Sterling called Iridium as well as his philosophy around wine making. So in this episode, we play some of that conversation.

Overall, no matter what experience you choose, I believe Sterling Vineyards is worth a visit the next time you visit Napa Valley.

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463).

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Recently we attended the annual wine bloggers conference which allowed us to spend some time in Sonoma and Napa Valley. These next few episodes will cover some of the information we learned as well as some of the wines we sampled.

This week we discuss:

• Where is Napa Valley?
• Wine production and impact
• Climate and geography
• Grapes grown and why the focus on Cab?
• What to expect from Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabinet Sauvignon

Wines and Wineries featured in this episode

Chardonnay:

• J. Moss 2015 Los Carneros - $42
• Handwritten Wines 2016 Los Carneros - $55
• Castello di Amorosa 2016 Reserve, Napa Valley - $50

Merlot

• J. Moss 2013 Napa Valley - $64
• Castello di Amorosa 2014 Napa Valley - $42

Cabinet Sauvignon

• J. Moss 2013 Coombsville - $84
• Handwritten Wines 2014 Los Carneros - $100
• Handwritten Wines 2014 Stags Leap District - $115
• Castello di Amorosa 2006 Il Barone Napa Valley - $185

Unusually Napa Valley wine varieties

• 2014 Nichelini Family Winery Chiles Valley Petite Sirah - $43
• Antica 2014 Napa Valley Antinori Family Wine Estate Atlas Peak Pinot Noir - $35
• Hess Collection Small Block Series 2016 Mount Veeder Gruner Veltliner - $28
• Silverado Vineyards 2016 Miller Ranch Yountville Sauvignon Blanc - $25
• Schramsberg 2013 Querencia Napa Valley Brut Rose - $55

A big thanks to Napa Valley Vintners, Castello di Amorosa and Las Alcobas for hosting us as well as all of the wineries who shared their wine with us!

We’re coming up to our 100th episode and to celebrate, we want to make you part of the show! Call into our new voicemail and tell us how the podcast has impacted you, or a short, fun story from your wine journey, or something you’ve learned about wine that’s made a difference for you. The number to call is 937-889-WINE (937-889-9463).

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Four Wines is our chance every couple of months to share recommendations with you for wines we’ve recently enjoyed but weren’t for an upcoming episode. This week is all about California wines and we have four tasty and affordable options.

Belle Glos Pinot Noir Blanc Oeil De Perdrix 2016 Sonoma - priced around $22. In France, this wine is traditionally known as oeil-de-perdrix, which translates to ‘eye of the partridge’ and refers to its pink and copper color. This is a Rosé wine with berry aromas almost like strawberry rhubarb as well as fresh mineral with hints of floral notes. This wine is fruity, light, and crisp with a strong strawberry flavor, with a touches of vanilla-cream and floral notes. The vanilla cream comes from the winemaker using French oak to ferment part of the juice before bottling. Serves as a refreshing break from heavier wines of the cold season.

Church and State Wines Lost Inhibitions 2014 California White - priced around $20. This wine has a fairly aromatic nose of stone fruit, minerality, melon, and rose. A blend of Chardonnay, Muscat of Alexandria and Sauvignon Blanc, it tastes rich with flavors of white peach, citrus, intense floral notes, plus hints of dried grass on the finish. It's round and complex and although this wine is intensely aromatic, it’s still light enough to pair with lighter dishes - seafood, fresh cheese, or buttered popcorn - or sip on its own.

Carmenet Reserve Pinot Noir 2015 - priced around $9. Typical California Pinot Noir aromas of cherry cola with dried herbs like fennel seed and sage. This wine is so savory with a strong mushroom flavor but still has light cherry and dusty notes. We thought this wine was not as acidic as I would expect from a Pinot Noir and it's not jammy and flabby either, nicely put together.

Michael David Freakshow Red Blend 2014 - priced around $20. This deep, dark wine has aromas of dark fruit, spice, pepper and smoke. It's full bodied with medium velvety tannins and medium acidity that striking a nice balance of textures. This wine has flavors of black plum, blackberry, pepper/spice and jammy fruit. It's high in alcohol with 15.5% ABV making it a jammy, ripe wine but not too overpowering. There is a lot of hype around red blends currently, and this lives up to that hype.

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This week we explore the Livermore Valley AVA. Livermore Valley AVA is located just 35 miles east of the San Francisco Bay and is part of the larger Central Coast AVA.

In this episode we discuss:

• History of wine in Livermore Valley
• Climate and geography
• Grapes grown and wine style (or lack there of)

Wine Recommendation
Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay 2016 - priced around $15. This wine is fermented in 50% neutral American oak barrels and 50% in stainless steel tanks. It has a light nose of tropical fruit like pineapple and flavors of tropical fruit, green apple and toasty oak on the finish. This wine is medium bodied with medium acidity and we thought this wine was the best of worlds (fruit and oak). It’s everything you want in a California chardonnay - crisp, fruity but still that creamy texture.

Murrieta’s Well The Whip 2013 - priced around $24. Aromatic nose of melon, pear, floral and a touch of minerality, this wine is a unique white wine blend of mostly Semillion and chardonnay. It's medium bodied with medium plus acidity with layered flavors of stonefruit, melon, lemon, floral and bitter almond. It’s fruity but dry, and mellow but still crisp with a heavy texture. It’s more of a sipping wine for us, and it almost reminds me of a Bordeaux blend.

Concannon Vineyards 2014 Petite Sirah - priced around $20. This wine has a aromas of dark fruit, brownie and black pepper. It has medium silky tannins and medium plus acidity with flavors of black and blue berries and spice. This wine is mellow and is similar in style to the Shannon Ridge Petite Sirah we recommended in our Lake County episode. A great cool weather wine, fruity but not jammy and can work in multiple situations - food maybe with a burger or sipping on it’s own.

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Time for us to catch up on some wine news! Check out the links below to read the articles feature in this episode.

• Deadly fires hit wine regions in Spain and Portugal by Amanda Barns from Decanter, October 19, 2017

• Sorting Fact from Fiction: An Important Message from Wine Road Executive Director, Beth Costa, About the Wildfire Situation in Sonoma County Wine Country from the Wine Industry Network, October 18, 2017

• Amazon Dealt a Distribution Blow by W. Blake Gray from Wine-Searcher, September 29th, 2017

• Should City put stopper on tasting rooms? by Jason Walsh from the Sonoma INDEX-TRIBUNE, September 21, 2017

• Tasting room embargo sours over recusals by Jason Walsh from the Sonoma INDEX-TRIBUNE, October 3, 2017

• European vine rules stunt Italian winemakers' ambitions by Isla Binnie
  from Reuters, October 4, 2017

• Study Reveals That Wines Sealed with Cork Are Perceived as 15% Better in Quality Than Screwcap a Press Release from the Wine Industry Network Advisor, September 27, 2017

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This week we explore Mendocino County, California. Mendocino County is an appellation that makes wine from grapes grown mostly in Mendocino County, California and is a part of the larger North Coast AVA to the west of Lake County . Mendocino County is huge covering 2.4 million acres and almost 19,000 acres have is grapevines, which accounts for about 1% of the land use in the county.

In this week's episode we discuss:

• History of wine in the region
• AVAs of Mendocino County
• What makes this place so special (aka climate)
• Grapes grown

Wine Recommendations

Roederer Estate Brut NV - priced around $24. This wine was aged a minimum of two years on the yeast and that aging is apparent in the nose with aromas of toast, pear, minerality and golden delicious apples. It has medium plus acidity so it's a great pairing with food like sushi, cheese, appetizers or potato chips (one of our favorite pairings). It’s light, clean and crisp with flavors of green apple skins, lime and white lily. It was amazing and sadly, we only purchased one bottle.

Toad Hollow Vineyards Chardonnay 2016 - priced around $14. This is 100% unoaked Chardonnay with a very light nose of melon like honeydew, mango and some minerality. It has a medium acidity and medium bodied with flavors of melon, mango and green apple skins. This wine isn’t the CA Chardonnay style that we’ve come to expect but it’s also not Burgundy, it’s kind of it’s own thing. We thought it was light and crisp, with a pleasant finish - inviting you to sip this wine over and over again.

If you tuned into the news, you know about the fires devastating parts of the North Coast including areas of Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino County. The Community Foundation of Mendocino County has set up a fund to provide disaster relief and recovery services in the aftermath of the wildfire that is affecting that part of California. You can go to their website to donate.

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This week we continue our journey into California wine country with Lake County. Lake County is an appellation of origin designating wine made from grapes grown in Lake County, California, which is east of Mendocino County and north of Napa County. This area is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, but around 40 varieties are grown in the appellation.

This week we discuss:

• History of Lake County wine region
• Lake County grapes in other area wines
• Climate, geography and what makes this place so special

Wine Recommendations

Shannon Ridge 2015 High Elevation Petite Sirah - priced around $20. This wine is made from 100% Petite Sirah and spent 9 months in French and American oak. It has aromas of star anise, black currant and minerality. It’s full bodied with medium acidity and medium plus tannins with flavors of blueberry, cranberry, coco, wood, and a touch of green. We love the texture of this wine and it's pleasantly complex. To us, it's kind of like drinking a dark chocolate covered blueberry and it's an interesting style of Petite Sirah.

Find out where to purchase this wine here

Looking for another Petite Sirah from Lake County? Check out episode 30 of our podcast.

Jed Steele’s Shooting Star Merlot 2011 - priced around $14. This wine has a nose of red and dark fruits like plum and baking spice. Also, a fuller bodied dry wine with medium plus acidity and medium tannins. This wine is fruit forward which is what I would expect from a merlot but still complex with flavors of red and dark fruit, spice and vanilla. It’s a soft and round wine without being flabby and still has quite a bit of acidity so it probably could age longer. The 2011 might be hard to find because their 2014 is the current release.

Find out where to purchase this wine here

Did we peak your interested in Lake County wines? Or were are already a fan? Let us know you thoughts on this episode and any recommendations by leaving us a comment below.

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Paso Robles Wine Country AVA was established in 1983 and located in San Luis Obispo County, California. It's a part of the larger Central Coast area north of Santa Barbara County. With approximately 40,000 acres of wine grapes. it's known for its history with varieties like Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Rhône-style wines.

This week on the podcast, we discuss:

• History of Paso Robles wine
• Paso Robles's large size and diversity in terroir
• Newly formed sub-AVAs
• Grape varieties and wine style

Wine Recommendations

Opolo Summit Creek Zinfandel 2015 - priced around $19. This wine is 100% Zin sourced from 9 different vineyards all in Paso Robles. Lovely nose of dark fruit, blueberry, baking spice like clove, as well as leather. It's dry with medium acidity and medium level of smooth tannins with flavors of freeze dried strawberries, blueberry jam, and a little dark chocolate. We thought this wine was very easy drinking, it’s ripe, juicy and lush. It has a decadent feel, almost desert like and this wine is 16.5% ABV but doesn’t taste like it so be careful!

Justin Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 - priced around $27. Paso Robles is also known for their affordable, tasty Cabs and look no further than Justin. This wine has aromas of black cherries, flowers like violets, and a smoky charred smell with a touch of anise. It's dry with a full body, medium plus acidity, medium smooth tannins and flavors of cherry, black currants, vanilla, baking spices and toasty oak. You can taste the oak aging on this wine but it’s done with such finesse and care. This wine lives up to the hype of California Cabs. This is a great cool weather sipping wine. Great balance of fruit vs. oak and acid vs. tannins. Buy now and drink soon!

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This episode starts a series focused on California wine regions. We spent most of the summer learning about wines from Europe and now we are looking to explore wines from the state that produces about 85% of US wine, and we’re starting with the Russian River Valley.

The Russian River Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Sonoma County, California. There are more than a million acres of land within Sonoma and the region produces twice as many grapes as Napa. With such a diverse landscape, it’s difficult to make generalizations about the region so we are going to focus on just one of its 12 AVAs.

This week's episode we discuss:

• Where is Russian River Valley and what's its impact?
• History of wine in the region
• Climate and geography in the Russian River Valley and its impact on the grapes grown
• What to expect from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines in the Russian River Valley

Wine Recommendations:

Frei Brothers Reserve Chardonnay 2015 - priced around $20. This wine is definitely a bridge between what you would expect from California and Burgundy style Chardonnay. This wine has a beautiful lemon color with aromas of baked apple and a touch of baking spice and reminds me of fall.
It's medium bodied with quite a bit of acidity so pair it with food like soft/young cheeses and dishes with cream or butter sauces. We experienced flavors of baked apples, almost like apple pie with a nuttiness to it. The malolatic fermentation is evident in the smooth and creamy texture. The oak flavors are there but it’s not heavy handed - there's a real finesse to the wine.

Kenwood Vineyards Pinot Noir 2014 - priced around $18. This wine has aromas of cherry cola, star anise, and dusty earth. Beautiful balanced wine with medium body and medium acidity. It tasted so savory, with flavors of mushrooms and smooth, soft tannins that gave us a velvet texture on the tongue. This wine can pair with all kinds of food, especially with mushroom or meaty dishes, or enjoyed on its own just sipping.

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Priorat is a Spanish DOQ (translates to “Qualified Appellation of Origin”), located in the north-eastern part of Spain, in Catalonia. This is on the Mediterranean side of Spain, only about 10 miles from the Mediterranean sea. DOQ (also called DOCa outside of Catalonia) is the top “qualification level” for Spanish wine regions, and Priort is one of only two DOQ wine regions in Spain, along with Rioja .

Although Priorat is a small region, with 4,700 acres of vineyards from about 600 growers and 100 wineries, their wines are big, bold and known as some of the best red wines that Spain has to offer. This week we dive into the region to learn what makes Priorat such a special place.

In this week's episode we discuss:

• Where is Priorat?
• What grapes are grown?
• Wine history of this area
• Climate and geography
• Flavor characteristics and food pairings of red Priorat

Wine Recommendations

Black Slate Porrera 2011 - priced around $20. This one needed to breathe - nose wasn't so great at first… so we put it through the aerating decanter and it still took an hour to open up.
Black slate is an apt name, it'll stain your teeth and it had that dusty minerality you'd expect from the name. The nose is sweet and pungent with plum, raisin, black pepper, and pipe tobacco. It tastes is dry, with medium acidity and medium plus tannins. This wine is fruity and savory at the same time, with flavors of dark berries, leather and dark chocolate.

Clos Mogador Nelin Priorat Blanco 2010 - priced around $60. This is a white Priorat so it's special because there are so few white Priorat wines. This six year old wine has a deep golden color. The smell of this wine is intoxicating with aromas of fresh apples, baking spices like vanilla and star anise and it has a nutty quality as well. It has medium acidity with intense flavors of apples, vanilla, minerality and baking spices. We loved this wine and though it had a beautiful balance between the fruit and other flavors and we really didn’t taste the age, in fact it tasted very fresh to us. This is well worth the price for a special occasion.

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Time for another four wines! We have a little of everything this episode, red, white and rose but all French wine and all fantastic. Our tasting notes are below.

Domaine de Bellevue La Galoche Beaujolais Rosé 2016 - priced around $15. This beautiful pink colored rose wine is made from 100% Gamay. It has strong fruity nose of strawberries, watermelon and some minerality. It's a light bodied, dry wine (although the fruitiness really tricks you into thinking it's sweet) with crisp acidity and flavors of strawberries with a touch of flowers. This is everything I love in a rose - dry, crisp, super fruity, what I would call a fancy patio wine. It's unique because most wines from this area are red but with the popularity of Rose wines I would expect to see more of these wines coming out of Beaujolais.

Château Larose - Trintaudon Haut-Médoc 2010 Cru Bourgeois - priced around $24. Strong aromas of blackcurrants, dried herbs, oak and dusty notes. It's a dry wine with medium plus acidity, and medium, smooth, lingering tannins. This wine is full bodied, dark and lush with flavors of dark fruit, leather and dirt. Decant this wine with a couple of hours and pair with your favorite fatty meat or hard cheese.

• Read more here

Willm Pinot Gris Reserve 2015 - priced around $13. This is one of the most complex Pinot Gris I've ever had! Intoxicating nose of honey, apple, slate, and stonefruit. It's medium sweet (try with with some spicy Thai or Indian food) with a medium plus acidity and a creamy texture. We tasted flavors of citrus like lemon, mineraity, stonefruit, apple and a touch of honey. This wine really does the fruit justice very ripe and crisp.

Chateau Puech-Haut La Closerie Du Pic - priced around $26. A blend of Syrah and Grenache, this wine has aromas of dark fruit like plum and blackberry. It's full bodied and has light tannins, lighter acidity and flavors of mushrooms, dark fruit and cocoa nibs. t’s lush, dark and doesn't taste like a wine with 15% ABV making it easy to over indulge. A really great sipping wine and a great option it you’re looking for a dry red wine you can just drink without thinking about food pairing.

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This week we head back into obscure wine grapes and regions with Greco di Tufo. There is still some warm weather left so don’t break out your sweaters and cabs just yet. We have one more crisp summer weather wine to talk about.

Greco di Tufo wine is made from the Greco grape and it's ancestor is thought to have been brought to Southern Italy by the ancient Greeks. Although the grape variety is permitted in blends in several DOCs in southern Italy, it shines in the Greco di Tufo DOCG in Compania. Therefore our focus this week is the Greco di Tufo DOCG region.

This week we discuss:

• History of the Greco grape
• Why is the Greco grape so confusing?
• Where is Greco di Tufo and why is it so special?
• Flavor characteristics of Greco di Tufo wine

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This week’s episode we are talking wine news. The articles listed below are featured in this week’s episode:

• Alcohol as a study tool? Drinking after learning boosts memory by Beth Mole ARS Technica August 3, 2017

• New Zealand: thousands of bottles of allegedly fraudulent wine exported by Eleanor Ainge Roy The Guardian August 5, 2017

• The year in California wine by Mark C. Anderson SF Gate August 21, 2017

• Blue Wine Is Finally Coming to the U.S. by Rafael Tonon Eater August 25, 2017

• This Wine Brand Wants Hardcore Bikers Drinking its Rosé by Megan Graham Ad Age August 4, 2017

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If you are a listener of the show for any length of time you know we love to talk about rare or unknown grape varieties and regions. This week is no exception with the rare and mysterious grape from Austria known as Saint Laurent. It’s a highly aromatic dark-skinned wine grape variety used in blends and varietal wines. As of 2013, there are about 5,000 acres of St. Laurent vines with major plantings in Austria, Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Many compare it to Pinot Noir but to us, that is a short-sighted comparison. St. Laurent is unique and therefore we believe it should stand alone in it's critique.

In this week's episode we discuss:

• St. Laurent's grape lineage
• Why it's a challenging grape
• What does St. Laurent wine taste like?
• Food pairings

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Over the next couple of weeks we’re changing pace from summer whites and trying some delicious red wines that can be enjoyed in warmer weather. Cinsault is a red wine grape mostly used in blends like the reds of the Southern France and there is a lot of it! As of 2010, there were about 90,000 acres of vines making it the 25th most grown grape.

This week's episode we discuss:

• Where it's grown?
• What climate is best?
• Flavor characterisitics
• Food pairings

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If you’ve listened to the podcast in recent weeks, you may have noticed a small focus on Italian white wines as well as white wines in general. It’s not that we don’t enjoy reds in the summer, but rather, we wanted to give you some light, crisp wine options for summer instead of the usually sweet wine or Pinot Gris that dominate the shelves in wine shops. So this week we continue that journey into lesser known varieties with a white wine and grape from Southern Italy called Falanghina.

This week's episode we discussed:

• The history of the Falanghina grape
• Campania wine region
• There are actually two different Falanghina grapes!
• Flavor characteristics
• Food pairings

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This week we're talking about Vermentino. Vermentino is a light-bodied white wine and grape that grows mostly in Italy on the island of Sardinia. There is about 22,000 acres worldwide so it's not a very common grape variety and information on this wine hard to come by.

This week's episode we discuss:

• where Vermentino gorwn
• Sardinia, Italy
• Vermentino di Gallura DOCG
• Flavor characterisitics
• Food pairings

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This week we’re talking about a wine region in Italy you probably haven’t heard of called Lugana which produces a light, dry white wine of the same name. We were able to get our hands on a couple of bottles and found it to be a perfect addition to our summertime wines. So let’s get into it.

This week we cover:

• Where is the Lugana DOC?
• Geography and climate
• What grape is in Lugana and why is it so confusing?
• Styles of Lugana
• Flavor characteristics and food pairings

Wine Recommendations:

Ca Lojera Lugana 2016 - priced around $20. This wine has aromas of Asian pear, flowers and lime. We experienced a crisp acidity and lighter body with flavors of flowers and lime. We really enjoy the lime flavor and thought this wine served chilled makes a perfect crisp summertime wine to add to your collection.

We purchased this wine at France 44.

Ottella Lugana 2015 - priced around $20. Lovely aromas of wax, slate and a touch of flowers, this wine has lots of acidity and flavors of lemon and arugula. We thought this wine was zippy, crisp, and tart almost lemonade-like making it very appropriate for summer.

We purchased this wine at France 44.

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It's time again for another four wines episode. A time to talk about four different wines we've enjoyed recently that don't fit in an upcoming episode but we love them so much we had to share with you. These wines are awesome and definitely worth trying out this summer. Check out the recommendations and tasting notes below. Cheers!

Bründlmayer Brut NV - priced around $35. This wine has a nose of fresh bread, menthol cigarette, and pear. It has high acidity with a medium body and flavors of apple, pear and hotdog water. I know it sounds gross and a little funky and a bit weird but it's oddly, surprisingly captivating. Also, it's not fruit forward and not as fresh as we were expecting.

Purchase this wine here

Teutonic Wine Company’s Recorded in Doubly 2015 - priced around $15. This white wine is 100% Muscat which means it’s super aromatic, a rare gem from Willamette Valley! It's straightforward - floral and fruity, with aromas of honeydew, rose and tangerine with flavors of lemon, rose, honeydew and tangerine. It's medium-dry with medium acidity and body. Great served chilled on a hot summer day or with your favorite spicy dish.

Purchase this wine here

Faustino V Rioja Reserva 2010 - priced around $20. This full body red is a beautiful balance of acid and tannins with aromas of blue & Blackberry, cherry, dates, star anise, dried sage and touch of oak. It reminds me of a sweet and smoky BBQ with flavors of forest floor, soy sauce and dried cherry with lots of fruit and umami flavors. The texture of this wine is very smooth, almost velvet like and makes a great pairing with grilled red meats.

Purchase this wine here

Poet’s Leap Riesling Columbia Valley 2015 - priced around $20. This is not what you would expect from am American Riesling with aromas of whoopee cushion, pear and flowers. It's off-dry with a touch of sweetness with flavors of flowers, honey and apricot. It has almost high acidity and will make the back of your throat water. Also, it's not super fruity, in fact this wine is more about the flowers and honey flavors.

Purchase this wine here

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This week's episode we are talking wine news. The articles listed below are featured in this week's episode:

• Rioja Grapples With How to Define Its Best Wines By Eric Asimov New York Times May 25, 2017

• P.F. Chang's Created Two Wines to Pair with your Favorite Asian Food By Sarah Whitten of CNBC June 8, 2017

• For Total Wine, it’s total war against alcohol regulations By Dan Adams Boston GLOBE MAY 20, 2017

• Record number of English and Welsh wine companies launched in 2016 By Rob Davies, The Guardian Monday 29 May 2017

• “Getting Really Good at Wine Tasting Can Help You Learn How to Trust Yourself” By Melissa Dahl New York Magazine May 11, 2017

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his week we are talking about German Sekt. Sekt means sparkling wine in German and in our opinion you can never have too much Sekt in your life. As you know we love all sparkling wine, but Sekt is not the easiest to find. This is because Germans love their sparkling wine, so much that the annual (German) per capita consumption of about five liters (of sparkling wine) is the highest in the world. Most Sekt doesn’t leave the country; in fact as of 2011, of the 420 million liters of Sekt that was produced, Germans drank nearly 80% of it - this translates to almost 450 million bottles! Even with it's short supply outside Germany, you can still find some fine examples that express their varietal and place.

In this week's episode we discuss:

• Scope of Sekt wine and it's production
• The rise of Sekt in Germany
• How to pick out a quality bottle of Sekt
• major grapes and flavors
• Pfalz wine region in Germany

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This week we continue our series on lesser known white wine varieties with a french wine called Muscadet. The name of this wine is rather confusing; not named for the region it hails from (Pays de la Loire) or the grape used (Melon de Bourgogne). Some believe the name originates from people believing the wine had a "musky" aroma but that is also confusing since the flavors of this wine are subtle and anything but musky.

In this week's episode we discuss:

• Melon de Bourgogne the grape. Where did it come from and how did it end up in Loire?
• The sub-region Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine
• Muscadet has different rules than other French AOCs
• Sur Lie winemaking technique
• Flavor Characteristics and food pairings

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Once one of Italy’s most famous white wines, Soave has had its ups and downs, and can now be a little tough to find. Fortunately, there are some great Soave out there if you’re willing to look. Mostly made from the Garganega grape, Soave dedicates 20,00 vines to this once popular wine.

This week's episode we discuss:

• Where is Soave?
• Why is Soave the perfect place to grow Garganega?
• Soave's bad reputation and what they are doing to overcome it
• Wine styles, flavor characteristics, and food pairings

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We enjoy discovering wines made from lesser known grapes or regions so this episode we talk about Grüner Veltliner, which after this episode might be your new favorite summer white wine. Grüner Veltliner is a grape that makes a dry white wine by the same name that is grown almost exclusively in Austria. The name translates to “Green Wine of Veltlin” - an area in the lower Alps during the 1600’s that is now part of Valtellina, Italy. There are about 50,000 acres of Grüner Veltliner worldwide with over 75% of Grüner Veltliner wines coming from Austria. The rest of the vines are mostly in Slovakia, Czech Republic, and parts of the US.

In this week's episodes we discuss:

• History of Grüner Veltliner
• Austrian Wine Country
• Flavors characteristics and styles of Grüner Veltliner
• Food pairings

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This week we’re talking about the sparkling wine Crémant d’Alsace. You know we have a love affair with sparkling wine so we’re excited to talk about this region and its delicious wines. We did talk about the Alsace wine region in episode 21 of this podcast when we covered Gewürztraminer.

This week we discuss:

• What is Crémant wine?
• Review the method for making Champagne
• Alsace the wine region and it's terrior
• Crémant d’Alsace scope and styles
• Flavor characteristics
• Food pairings

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It's time for another edition of Four Wines! About every eight weeks or so we spend an episode talking about four random wines we drank recently. These wines might be varietals or regions we covered in a previous episode but the wine is so delicious that we can't keep it to ourselves. This week's episode takes a journey to Italy and the Western part of the US.

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New Zealand is known as the “Sauvignon Blanc capital of the World” which we covered way back in episode seven of this podcast. For this episode we're going to learn more about New Zealand wines and focus on the second biggest varietal after Sauvignon Blanc, which is Pinot Noir.

In this week's episode we discuss:

• History of wine in New Zealand
• Climate and Geography of New Zealand
• Sustainability in New Zealand Winemaking
• Pinot Noir in New Zealand and why it grows so well.
• Flavor Characteristics of New Zealand Pinot Noir
• Food Pairings

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Summer is fast approaching which means it’s time to swap your boots and Cabs for sandals and light fruity wines. Some our favorite warm weather wines are dry Rosé. Rosé is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. They're made from a wide variety of grapes and can be found all around the globe. It can be made still, semi-sparkling or sparkling and with a wide range of sweetness levels from highly dry Provençal rosé to sweet White Zinfandels and blushes. Since there are so many types of Rosé wines, in this episode we are going to talk about winemaking techniques, flavors and recommend some awesome Rosé wine from four different regions.

In this episode we discuss:

• Different production methods of Rosé wine
• Brief history of Rosé wines
• Flavor characteristics
• Food pairings

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This episode we bring you interesting wine news for Spring 2017, plus our reactions and opinions. Articles we cover:

• “Ignore the Snobs, Drink the Cheap, Delicious Wine” by Bianca Bosker. New York Times.

  • Summary: Bianca Bosker says mass-produced, committee-designed wines deserve love too.

• “Wine Legislation Roundup: A Consumer's Guide to 2017 State Politics” by Emma Balter. Wine Spectator.

  • Summary: We touch on bills being considered in Indiana regarding a tax break for beer made with locally grown ingredients, and labeling standards in Texas

• “Minnesota wineries challenge state law requiring use of homegrown grapes” by David Chanen. Star Tribune.

  • Summary: Two Minnesota wineries are suing the MN Department of Public Safety over a law that says 51% of a MN winery's production must come from grapes grown in MN.

• “How a biotech start-up is making expensive wines without grapes“ by Chris Morris. CNBC

  • Summary: Ava Winery, a start-up out of San Francisco, is making wine without grapes. They analyze the molecular profile of a famous wine and recreate it by combining “amino acids, sugars, ethanol and other elements.”

• “The Contrarian Cellar” by Matt Kramer. Wine Spectator

  • Summary: Opinion Piece. Matt begins with a story about an experienced trophy-wine-drinking friend he tries to impress with little-known wines when they get together and how the latest attempt was amazing. He says it was a triumph of the “Contrarian Cellar”, that you too can have one because it’s feasible and affordable. You need to be willing to do a bit of research and drink w

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he first Friday in May is International Sauvignon Blanc Day; to honor this popular grape variety, we’re going to explore major regional Sauvignon Blanc styles and their flavors.

In this week's episode, we discuss:

• Where Sauvignon Blanc comes from
• How the vine grows
• Winemaking styles
• Food pairings
• Three main regional styles, where to find them and flavor characteristics

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May is Finger Lakes Wine Month and to celebrate, this episode is all about Finger Lakes!

New York state makes more wine than any other US state after California, and it's centered around the Finger Lakes AVA, which was established in 1982 and includes 11,000 acres of vineyards. It's the largest wine-producing region in New York State, located in Upstate New York, south of Lake Ontario and is home to 130 wineries producing about 90% of the state’s wine.

This week we discuss:

• The History of Finger Lakes wine region
• Climate and Geography of Finger Lakes
• Diversity of wine grapes in the Finger Lakes

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This week is part two of a two part series on Burgundy. This week we continue our journey and talk about one of the best wines we ever had, ever.

In this week's episode we discuss:

• Modern History of Burgundy
• Wine regions and wine classifications
• Flavor characteristics of white Burgundy
• Food pairings

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Burgundy is all about two grapes: pinot noir and chardonnay, which is the only aspect of Burgundy that is simple. Everything else can be complex and confusing to the average wine lover but we are using the next two episodes to break down some of that confusion. Burgundy has such a long history of wine and vine cultivation so we are only going to scratch the surface. We hope you enjoy this episode.

In this week's episode we discuss:

• Early history of Burgundy wine
• Climate, Geography and grapes
• Red Burgundy flavor characteristics
• Red Burgundy food pairings

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Time for another edition of Four Wines! If you're new to our show, every couple of months we like to pause and take an episode to talk about wines we love that do not fit into an upcoming episode. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed researching for it!

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People view Pinot Grigio as a super light, thin, patio-pounder. Well, this may be the case for a good chunk of the mass produced wine coming out of Northern Italy but if you are quick to generalize, you'll miss out on some fabulous wines. There are so many variations of this wine throughout the world that it cannot be boxed into one type or one style. Pinot Grigio (A.K.A. Pinot Gris, which translated from French literally means "grey pine cone"), has so much more to offer the world than how it's often stereotyped. In this episode we dig deeper in the Pinot Gris grape and the wine it produces.

In this week's episode we explore:

• What countries are the major producers of Pinot Grigio?
• It's relationship to Pinot Noir
• History of the Pinot Gris grape in Europe
• The many styles of Pinot Grigio
• Food Pairings

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This week is all about the unique grape that is Nebbiolo. Since it's light in color people often mistake it for a tame wine but this wine is anything but tame. It's big acid and tannin structure require some serious aging and don't even think about drinking this wine without some serious decanting or at least opening the bottle a couple hours before enjoying. Although it might not provide instant gratification, this wine is a must try if you are looking for a serious food wine.

In this week's episode we discuss:

• The History of Nebbiolo grape
• How's it's grown and where it thrive's
• Italian Nebbiolo Regions
• Wine Flavors and Characteristics
• Food Pairings

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Viognier is an overlooked wine. I think part of the reason is because people have difficulty pronouncing the word and they don't want to sounds stupid. This wine is worth sounding stupid for and do not worry - in this week's episode we say Viognier about 100 times so by the end you'll be an expert.

In this week's episode we explore this revived Rhône variety:

• History (or lack of) of Viognier
• How it grows and where it grows
• Winemaking techniques
• Styles and Flavor characteristics
• Food pairings

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Clarissa Nagy is the winemaker and founder of Nagy’s wines. She has been making wine through her own label since the early 2000’s in Santa Maria Valley which is located in Santa Barbara County, California. We’ve discussed her 2012 Pinot Noir on episode 50 of this podcast and we look forward to sharing the rest of her wines on upcoming episodes. We got a chance to interview Clarissa recently and learn more about her wine journey.

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In early episodes, we covered some wine news but we haven’t done so lately, so this week we’re bringing you an episode of wine news. We’ve come across some interesting wine news recently which either taught us something new or showcases a fresh perspective worth talking about. Since this is a new episode format, please send us your feedback at weeklywineshow@gmail.com and let us know whether or not we should do more episodes like this every once in awhile.

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Recently we attended the Cold Climate Conference held yearly in Minnesota. This conference is geared towards grape growers and wine makers. During the conference we learned a ton about cold climate grapes, challenges in wine-making and tried some excellent wines.

You might ask, why do cold climate or hybrids grapes need to exist? Grapes like Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon have been tried and failed in areas like Minnesota even when the vines were buried during the wintertime. It’s simply too cold. Even in places like Vermont and parts of New York state, the large swings in winter temperatures can easily damaging those vines, making it extremely risky to grow and profit from.

Much to our surprise, the cold climate wine industry is starting to boom. A 2014 study found that the cold-climate grape-growing and winery industry is estimated to have a $401 million economic impact nationwide. That number will continue to grow so it's only fitting that we dive a little deeper into this up-and-coming wine industry.

In this episode we discuss:

• Brief History of American Hybrids
• Where Northern Hybrids came from
• Challenges in wine-making with cold-climate hybrids
• Wine Characteristics and Styles
• Our biggest take-aways from the conference

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Central Coast is a huge wine region spanning 250 miles down the coast from southern San Francisco to the tip of Santa Barbara County. Central Coast is a series of valleys running east to west leaving it open to coastal fog and afternoon breeze. Normally I hear California and visions of hot weather and big wines come to mind, but Central Coast's cool climate gives us wines reminiscent of Old World Burgundy. With high acid and refined fruit, Central Coast Pinot Noir is the ultimate expression of terrior and the winemaker's artistry.

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Sicily is know more for than it's beautiful scenery and the Godfather. This island also produces tons of a wine. In fact, it's the three largest producer of wine behind the Veneto and Emilia Romagna regions. In terms of red wine, Nero d'Avola is Sicily's crown jewel of dry, food friendly wines. Brought over over by the ancient Greeks, "Black of Avola" has been a staple of Sicilian wine for centuries and the subject of this episode.

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This week we take a trip back to Loire to talk about Vouvray. Vouvray is both a place and a rich aromatic white wine in the middle Loire Valley area made from Chenin Blanc grapes.We did cover Chenin Blanc from South Africa in a previous episode, so if you are looking to learn more about New World and warm climate style Chenin Blanc wines check it out.

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This week is another four fabulous wines that we loved! Check out the tasting notes and details. 

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Columbia Valley is a special place. It sits in the same latitude as Burgundy but the terrior is so different. Columbia Valley seems like the ideal place to to grown grapes; dry, lots of sunshine and low nutrient soil causing the vines to grow deep. Thanks to it's large size, if it's Washington wine, it's Columbia Valley.

This week we tackle the Columbia Valley AVA and we discuss:

• The size and scope of Columbia Valley AVA
• The History of Washington wine
• Terrior of Columbia Valley
• The wines of Columbia Valley

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Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is not just an obscure wine from a tiny part of Italy. It’s the second most planted red grape in Italy (second to Sangiovese) and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is one of the most exported DOC wines from Italy. It’s approachable a

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This week's episode we revisit Southern Rhone but focus our attention on white blends and the Costières de Nîmes AOC. This podcast episode we dive into review of Southern Rhone, Costières de Nîmes AOC, major white grapes in Southern Rhone, history in Southern Rhone, and styles of white blends and flavor characteristics.

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We launch our podcast in early 2016 and it have been a crazy year. We've learned a lot and drank a lot of tasty wine. It's hard to pinned down what our favorites from 2016 but in this episode we attempt to do just that.

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Port is the most famous wine from Portugal. It's a sweet, rich, and delicious fortified wine that is meant to be sipped and savored. We like port because it goes well with a lot of desserts making it a nice fit for this time of year. In this episode we discuss the history of Port, the Douro Region, how Port is made, styles of Port, flavor characteristics, and food pairings.

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This week's episode is all about sparkling wine!!! We cover Champagne, Cremant, Cava, Prosecco, and Moscato d'Asti. 

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In this episode we discuss the Piedmont region of Italy, it’s geography and climate, the history of the barbera grape, where the barbera grape grows and how it thrives, flavor characteristics of Italian barbera wine, and food pairings.

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Since Bordeaux is the largest wine region in France and there is so much history to this great region, we decided to split our coverage of this topic into two episodes. Check out last week's episode first before diving into part two. This week we cover the 1855 Classification, Claret wine, grapes that make up red Bordeaux wine, classifications of Bordeaux wine, and dominant flavors and food pairings for red Bordeaux.

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In this episode, we discuss Bordeaux as the one of the largest of most prestigious wine region in the world, about the geography and climate and how it affects the wine, the early history of Bordeaux, the importance of Bordeaux to Britain, and white Bordeaux: grapes, styles, flavor characteristics and food pairings.

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We have 36 Episodes behind us, and if you’ve been with us from the beginning or listened to any of our early episodes, you know we started this podcast because we decided to get serious about wine and we wanted to invite you to learn along with us. That’s 36 episodes learning about wine regions, grape varieties, taste characteristics, and pairing those wines with food. Focusing on pairing wine with Thanksgiving dinner is an opportunity to review some of what we’ve learned, and it gives us a chance to apply it.

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This week's episode is unique. We had the privilege of viewing the film Decanted A Winemaker's Journey a few weeks ago which is being shown at this year's Napa Film Festival. This episode features an interview with Nick Kovacic, director of the film and Steve Reynolds, winemaker at Italics winery. 

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It's time again for another Four Wines episode. Tony and I get the opportunity to try wines outside of those for podcast research and we want to share a few that we are digging. It just happened that all these wines are European and contain native grape varieties. The wines featured in this episode are Cantine Colosi Nero D’Avola 2014, Esporao Quinta dos Murcas Assobio Red 2013, Geil Scheurebe Kabinett 2015, Orion Wines 'Zensa' Fiano

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Petite means small or dainty but the petite sirah is anything but dainty. This grape makes wine that is big and bold with intense fruit flavor. Petite sirah makes some pretty awesome wine so I was shocked to read that there is only about 10,000 acres worldwide, most of which are in California. So we are here to spread the petite sirah love! 

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So this week's episode is all about celebrating Merlot wine. We discusss the history of Merlot and where the name came from. Merlot is a sensitive grape but it'll grown wherever, Warm climate Merlot vs cool climate Merlot, Flavor characteristics and Food pairings.

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In this week's episode, we'll discuss Cabernet Franc; where it comes from and where's it grown, Loire wine region of France, Chinon AOC and why it's a great place to grow Cab Fran, flavor characteristics of Cab Franc from Chinon and food pairings

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In this episode, we discuss Côtes du Rhône AOC and red wine it produces, history of wine in the Rhône region, differences between north and south Rhône, Côtes du Rhône classifications and food pairings

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Most of the wines we drink these days are research for the podcast. Not that I'm complaining, but this means that if we try a wine at a tasting or a friend's house, it might not fit into an episode. These wines can be forgotten so we had an idea to switch up the format of the podcast this week to include a few wines we're enjoying right now.

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This week we discuss Monastrell (or you might know it but it's French name Mourvèdre). This wine is the third most grown red grape in Spain and makes a big, bold, meaty wine meant to be enjoyed with food. Since it's origins are Spanish, it's only fitting that we included in this series. We hope you enjoy. Cheers!

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We continue with week three of our month of Spanish wines. The Garnacha grape has its origin in the Argon region of Spain (part of the Calatayud DO and makes some beautiful, low tannin, easy drinking wine. Spanish Garnacha was the first red wine we really fell in love with. It was only a matter of time before we dedicated an episode to these wines.

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This week's episode is all about crisp, dry white wines from Rueda wine region in Spain.

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In this episode we discuss Rioja region of Spain and recommend some excellent Rioja Crianza wines!

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This is part two of a series focused on the wines of Lodi. A couple of weeks ago, we attended the Annual Wine Bloggers conference and wanted to share some of our experience with you. Although Lodi is the self-proclaimed "Zinfandel capital of the World", this episode focuses on wineries working with some lesser know varieties grown in Lodi.

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We attended the Annual Wine Bloggers Conference in Lodi, CA this past week. During our time, we met winemakers, farmers and people from the Lodi Wine Commission and it was clear from the beginning that these people have immeasurable passion for wine and the land it comes from. Over the next couple of weeks we hope to highlight some of their stories.

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This week is all about South African Chenin Blanc (aka Steen) wine!

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This week is all about a light-bodied red wine that’s similar in taste to Pinot Noir made in Beaujolais region in France!

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This week we discussed the highly aromatic wine, Gewürztraminer!

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This week we rediscover a once beloved wine in America, Lambrusco!

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This week's episode we discussed the floral, aromatic white wine that originated in Argentina, Torrontes.

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Vinho Verde is not a grape or a blend, It's a region! Listen as we discuss region and history, grape growing and winemaking, quality levels, characteristics of Vinho Verde wine, and food pairings.

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It's prosecco time!!! This week we talk about where prosecco is made and it's terroir, how prosecco is made (Charmat, Method Traditional, and Col Fondo), quality and sweetness levels, the Bellini, and food pairings

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This week is all about Zin!!!

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This week's episode is about Albariño! 

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This week is all about a great alternative to Champagne, Cava!!!

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This week is all about wine gadgets and accessories!

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It's Malbec Time!!!

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This week, it’s all about Chianti!

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This week's episode explores California Chardonnay including the history of the grape, styles of winemaking, and wine recommendations.

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In this episode, we discuss Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, Oregon

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This week's episode learn rosé winemaking, food pairings and how to serve dry rosé, history of winemaking in Provence and Provence's terroir (climate, soil, geography)

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In this episode, we talk about general facts about Sauvignon including its origins, food pairings, and Sauvignon Blanc grown in New Zealand

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This episode we discuss basic guidelines for pairing wine and food together so you feel confident and impress your friends.

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In this episode, we explore the wild world of sweet red wines. We'll discuss what makes a red wine sweet, why do red wine lack strong tannins but are still red in color, and food pairings.

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Listen to this week's episode and learn about where did Riesling wine come from, sweetness levels, German ripeness categories, food Pairings, and major Riesling styles.

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Listen to this week's episode to learn about*Moscato grape facts and origin, food pairing,three major styles of Moscato wines, and h*ow to serve Moscato wines.

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In this episode we discuss the six step process that the pros use to drink wine and common wine terms used. Of course there is no wrong or right way to taste wine but the formal way used by the pros can reveal more about the wine in your glass.

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In this episode we discuss the article  “Top 10 Tips From The Blue Collar Wine Guide” . The author writes  “Wine has a lot to learn from beer. Beer is approachable…” Often wine has the image of being snobby and unapproachable and beer not as much. So we dive deeper into this topic.

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This episode is an introduction to who we are and what is this podcast all about!