Last month Riesling marked its 589th birthday. Loved around the world, it originated in a vineyard in Rüsselsheim, Germany. Count Katzenelnbogen logged the first evidence of the Riesling grape, near the Rheingau region on March 13, 1435. It began a new age of white wine in Germany. Riesling was much better quality than typical for the time, was more resistant to frost, and had a much fruitier aroma.   Riesling has been a favorite of ours for many years (but less than 500!). It can be finished in a variety of styles, from bone dry to semi-dry to late harvest and even ice wine. It thrives ..read more

You may know Grenache, or Garnacha as it is known in Spain, as a luscious red wine. But what about the lesser-known white Garnacha? We open two bottles to explore. If you are a wine lover, chances are you’ve tasted Grenache, a red grape that’s grown around the world, most notably in France’s Rhône Valley, California, Australia, Italy (where it is called Cannonau), and Spain, where it is called Garnacha (or Garnatxa in Catalonia). It’s also widely used in rosé. Red Grenache is used in the famed Châteauneuf-du-Pape blend in France, regional blends (with Cariñena), and in the GSM (Grenache, Mou ..read more

Wines from Rioja and Rueda featured at fashionable dinner. Whenever I receive a group of wines to review, we usually gather friends and hold a wine dinner. That was the case with wines we received from the well-known Spanish winery Marqués de Cáceres. My wife, the Green Dragon, decided to add a twist, “We’re going to make this a dinner in white!” Dîner en Blanc is a worldwide event spanning six continents in which people have a meal dressed in white in a temporary dining setup in a public space. Diners are required to provide their own food, tables, chairs, and tablecloths. So, I guess we pr ..read more

You may need to do a doubletake on this photograph. Yes, it is a bottle and glass of Pinot Noir, but it is a glowing, platinum gold color. This is the Prisoner Wine Company’s white Pinot Noir, Blindfold. It is also labeled Blanc de Noir, meaning a white wine created from red grapes. I picked this up from the closeout section of a local grocery. They have some very good wines so I usually swing by the wine section to look for bargains. Red wines derive their color from contact with the grape skins (maceration). For white wines, the grapes are pressed and the skins are removed before fermentati ..read more

The new year is underway and the holiday scene has passed by in a blur. But here are three reasons you can enliven any day to a special occasion. We recently sampled three delightful wines from Italy. They run the gamut from a refreshing white to a Piedmont red to an Asti sparkler. Riva Leone 2021 Gavi DOCG The Piedmont region, in the northwest region of Italy, is best known for dynamic reds like Barolo and Barbaresco which are based on the Nebbiolo grape. It also produces a couple of my favorite whites, Gavi and Arneis. We were pleased to pop open the 2021 Gavi from Riva Leone. Gavi is made ..read more

Familia Torres, a well-known winemaking family in Spain, has been producing wine for more than 150 years and five generations. Torres was the first foreign winery in Chile and they produced the first Pinot Noir in that country. Miguel Torres Chile today is under the guidance of Miguel Torres Maczassek. Their wine business in Chile is built on three pillars: organic farming, sustainability, and innovation. Their goal is to reach net zero emissions by 2050, a tall order for any winery. In 2021 they attained a 35% reduction in CO2 emissions per bottle with a goal to reach a 60% reduction by 20 ..read more

The many colors of Rioja wines If you are a lover of Spanish wines, you may save your Rioja for special occasions. These wines can be big and bold with notes of leather and American oak best suited for hearty meat-centered meals. We recently tasted three wines that smashed that stereotype. Follow us on X, formerly Twitter El Coto is the largest vineyard owner in the Rioja DOCa and is considered one of Spain’s best-known wine brands. We opened a red, a white and a rosada (rosé) and found a trio of accessible and affordable wines. Sipping White Rioja Only nine percent of wine in Rioja is white ..read more

Felix Hart is at it again. The wine buyer for Britain’s largest supermarket chain is the witty and adventurous star of Peter Stafford-Bow’s Felix Hart novels. Eastern Promise is the fourth installment and they all have been incredibly enjoyable to read. Eastern Promise sees Felix being reassigned to the kitchen and bathroom accessories department as part of a radical reorganization by a new CEO. Along with his assignment to procure a splashback-proof toilet seat, he also receives a life-changing amount of money to investigate a billionaire suspected of wine fraud. This is another Felix Hart r ..read more

With our daughter, a very accomplished vegan chef, in town. Her creation needed a special bottle, so we reached for a white wine from Lugana in Italy. The Lugana region is in the northern part of the country, on the south shore of Lake Garda and near the Dolomite Mountains. The grape is Turbiana, thought at one time to be Trebbiano or a clone of Verdicchio. Testing has since proven it is it’s own distinct variety (although closely related to Verdicchio). The cooling winds from the Dolomites and the moderating effect of the lake allow the grapes to develop wonderful structure. The mineral-rich ..read more

Photos and article by          Dave Nershi, CSW The Crest of the Blue Ridge AVA is perched on the Eastern Continental Divide. North Carolina’s newest AVA, it spans 215 acres and features seven wineries with more on the way. Warm days and cool mountain nights coupled with the right soils and quality water provide a favorable combination for producing quality grapes and wine. The wineries are a short drive from Hendersonville, NC, a vibrant Blue Ridge mountain town that offers a popular downtown with shops, boutiques, galleries, restaurants and pubs ..read more