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The word you’re likely to hear most often while visiting the Douro wine region is schist. There’s a lot of what the Portuguese call schist in the Douro (though in English we’d call most of it slate), and the product of this rocky terroir is undeniably fantastic. There are a couple of special places in the Douro, however, where the …

The day before yesterday I was in Livermore Valley at Jim Concannon’s life tribute. And now Marvin Shanken of Wine Spectator is gone. Marvin R. Shanken, if you don’t know, was one of the most influential American publisher and founder. His magazine is from of M. Shanken Communications. I’m wiling to bet nearly everyone in […] The post Marvin Shanken …

Introduction What would surprise you about Japanese wine? How has climate change transformed Japan’s once-frigid Hokkaido into one of its most promising wine regions? How did a chance encounter in a Japanese wine bar lead to a winemaker rediscovering a wine he’d almost forgotten making? How did a 13-year-old samurai smuggled out of Japan become California’s celebrated Wine King? In this …

San Francisco and its immediate surrounds have never been more packed with places where a thirsty wine lover can sit down to a great glass of wine. Almost 20 years ago, I started keeping track of local wine bars, of which there were only a handful. Since then, that number has exploded to more than 60, and there are roughly …

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. What the Land Becomes NextRequired reading about Napa. The Most Bizarre Tale in the …

I don’t know about you, but I love me a good acronym. S.O.R.B.E.T stands for Sonoma Organic Regenerative Biodynamic Educational Tasting, and it’s put on by a group of like-minded Sonoma winemakers and winegrowers who have gotten together to highlight their county’s progress towards more ecologically minded ways of farming and winemaking in an era where greenwashing is also on …

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 week included a new sparkling wine from the folks at Jackson Family Wines, …

Fall colors at the Pintas vineyard in Portugal’s Douro Valley decorate the ancient stone terraces surrounded by greenery. In the midst of the nearby evergreens, a single tree flames orange in the forest. The Pintas vineyard is more than 70 years old, and like many of the old vineyards of the region, features more than 40 different grape varieties. INSTRUCTIONS:Download …

Remembering Jim Concannon (1931 to 2026) This is my personal remembrance of Jim Concannon, from our Concannon Vineyards history. He lived from 1931 until October 12, 2026. I worked with him for 10 years, long ago. Jim Concannon Took Me Home For Peanut Butter & Jelly, and we just chatted, with no wine stress. We […] The post Jim Concannon …

If there were a competition for California’s geekiest winemaker, I’m sure Michael Cruse would make the final round. His willingness to dive into the minutiae of (mostly sparkling) winemaking is unparalleled in my experience, something I’m reminded of when I show up to taste at his office, where a 4-foot-by-6-foot poster charting all the metabolic pathways known to science occupies …

Introduction Why does a Manhattan cocktail and a hamburger make an insanely great pairing? Can strongly brewed black tea really scratch the itch for whiskey in a non-alcoholic Old Fashioned? How did the arrival of drinking straws make new types of cocktails possible? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Kara Newman, the author of …

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. Wine: It’s the People’s DrinkEric gets it exactly right. Pedro Parra: We need to …

Opportunities to taste top Burgundy wines in San Francisco are rare and getting rarer. The cost of the wines, the sometimes shrinking quantities in which they are produced, and the degree to which they really don’t need any promotion to sell amongst the collectors, restaurants, and stores all clamoring for allocations means they generally just aren’t made available for tasting. …

Aldeia de Cima Is Spectacular   I’m warming up to St. Martin’s Day with Aldeia de Cima. I know I’m ahead of the schedule (November 11), but I’m ready now. I’ve been fortunate to visit Portugal’s Alentejo region a couple of times, and I always anticipate the celebrations. My most recent trip was a few […] The post Warming Up …

A mysterious artifact behind the winery at Mateus Nicolau de Almeida in the Douro Superior region, with a hillside of old vines and the roofs of Vila Nova de Foz Côa peeking over the hill. The Douro Superior region is the highest-elevation portion of the Douro wine region, which covers the portion of the Douro River right up to the …

Introduction France has Champagne. Italy has Prosecco. Spain has Cava. So what’s the new Canadian sparkling wine style that’s just launched? Will Canadians remain loyal to domestic wines once American wines return to store shelves? Is the wine industry making a costly mistake by assuming young drinkers will turn to wine as their incomes grow? How could boxed wine change …

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. Masked robbers steal wine worth over $5m from top Italian vineyardBiggest wine theft ever, …

Two nights ago, it was hotter than Hades. I could smell a sniff of smoke in the air and had to investigate. We can never be too prepared. It was from Lake County… 58 miles far away. When air travels, my nose just knows that fire aroma has arrived, given fire evacuation experiences. I put […] The post EHLERS ESTATE …

My daughters were raised on Barbies. During those autumn days, when the girls would go to bed, I’d get out one of my tiniest number crochet hooks, and follow a pattern for Barbie clothes. It would take hours to create one dress… It was like the lost art of tatting, if you know what that […] The post Cacophony of …

Dear AI, Our syncing in AI? We’re not quite there yet? Me to Jose Diaz: via our Facebook Messenger: “Do you want any more of these bubble?” BUBBLES: Valdo Marca Oro, Prosecco, Doc, Brut, we had it yesterday, and hadn’t finish it. https://www.facebook.com/valdo.spumanti Today is another day, and another bubbly opportunity. Still delicious, quenching my […] The post VALDO PROSECCO …