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Introduction How is Provence far more diverse as a wine region than just Rosé? Why has Rosé struggled to be taken seriously by wine professionals despite its enormous popularity with consumers? Does Provence make the best Rosé in the world or simply the best Rosé in its style? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Liz …

Hello and welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I spend each week exploring the internet for everything published about wine online, and here’s all the stuff that I think would be worth your valuable time. An English rival to Prosecco?There’s something happening in Kent. The Vines that Survived the …

This is Part II of a lengthy piece on South African wine. Read Part I here. In Part I, I used the anarchic camaraderie of the Zoo Cru to illustrate something fundamental about South African wine: its unusual culture of collaboration. But collegiality alone cannot explain the country’s astonishing momentum. South Africa’s excitement comes from a convergence of ancient landscapes, …

Way out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the Azores Islands of Portugal host a remarkable and distinctive approach to viticulture. The grapevines are grown in cracks and fissures found or made in the solid volcanic lava beds that surround the island, and to protect the scraggly vines from the incessant winds, individual vines and small groups are surrounded …

Introduction How do our personal memories shape the aromas we recognize in wine? What incredible Argentine wines are people missing when they focus only on Malbec? Why do food and wines from the same region often pair beautifully even when they break the usual rules? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Marisol de la Fuente. …

Introduction What’s the difference between a wine that’s lean and one that’s thin? Why is asking for a “smooth” wine one of the least helpful ways to describe what you actually want? What’s the fastest way to learn more about wine without feeling intimidated? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Maryse Chevriere, author of …

Hey, Want To Go To France? When asks that question, I immediately had to renewed my expired passport in San Francisco, at the San Francisco Passport Agency. In order to get it renewed, I didn’t even blink an eye. I was one of the first ones in and was definitely THE last one out. (Yes, […] The post Do You …

There aren’t many tastings in California where the wine trade lines up more than an hour in advance of the doors opening. But that’s precisely what happens ahead of the annual Oakville Winegrowers event in Napa Valley. Why? Because for many, myself included, this tasting is the sole opportunity each year to taste many of Napa’s most sought-after and exclusive …

Hello and welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I spend each week exploring the internet for everything published about wine online, and here’s all the stuff that I think would be worth your valuable time. How Fires Ravaged One of Europe’s Most Exciting Wine RegionsRough times in Sierra de …

Some creative stonework greets visitors at the ArmAs winery in the Aragatsotn region of Armenia, carrying on a tradition of wine representation stretching back more than a millennium. The Kingdom of Armenia was known throughout the ancient world for its wine, and references to wine can be found everywhere, carved into stone, worked in metal, painted on frescoes, and more. …

SAMPLE: As I wrote this, I was sipping Bodega Bouza’s Uruguay Tannat 2020 ~ Use this link to jump to thoughts below. Montevideo A Strategic Port Like so many other places, Uruguay’s history began with Indigenous people and Spanish colonization. European settlement expanded during the 17th and 18th centuries. Spain established Montevideo, Uruguay in 1726, […] The post WINE: Uruguay …

Hello and welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I spend each week trolling the web for everything published about wine online, and here’s everything that I think would be worth your valuable time. Climate change could redraw California wine country mapsIt already has. The maps haven’t caught up. Why …

The first thing you see when you walk into the foyer of Famille Joly – Coulee de Serrant in Savennières clearly sets the stage for everything that comes next. Joly makes wines of another age, as the ancient farm implements suggest, and the cow horns make the biodynamic focus clear. You’re likely to be greeted by a member of the …

Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up on my doorstep asking to be tasted. I’m pleased to bring you the latest installment of Vinography Unboxed, where I highlight some of the better bottles that have arrived recently. This past week included a couple of Napa’s best white wines in the form …

Hello and welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I spend each week trolling the web for everything published about wine online, and here’s everything that I think would be worth your valuable time. These Winemakers Are Starting Over. Will the Third Time Be the Charm?I hope so. Regan is …

You know what’s better than a wine tasting event that features some really excellent producers of low-intervention wines? Two days of that kind of event plus some thought-provoking panel sessions to go along with it. That’s what you’re going to get this coming weekend with the Unfiltered Wine Festival hosted at Donkey & Goat Winery in Berkeley. Billed as “A …

The Savennières appellation is one of the Loire’s smallest, both in its overall size (roughly 350 hectares) and in its plantings, as only around 170 of those hectares are planted. Consequently, there’s no such thing as a spare vine when it comes to the region’s energetic and delicious Chenin Blanc. These two vines out front at Domaine du Closel might …

Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up on my doorstep asking to be tasted. I’m pleased to bring you the latest installment of Vinography Unboxed, where I highlight some of the better bottles that have arrived recently. This past week I tried two more of the current releases from Raventos i …

A new episode of the I’ll Drink to That! wine talk podcast was released recently. Episode 504 features Cory Empting. Cory oversees Harlan Estate, BOND, Promontory, and The Mascot, all in the Napa Valley, in his role as Managing Director of Winegrowing at Domain H. William Harlan. Wildfires threatened the lives of Cory Empting’s family in 2017. Less importantly but also significantly, …

Hello and welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I spend each week trolling the web for everything published about wine online, and here’s everything that I think would be worth your valuable time. Highway to Hella CheninA review of an excellent event. Remembering Italian Winemaker Franco BernabeiNot well known …