It was a pleasure to judge at the 2024 El Dorado Commercial Wine Competition this past week. Our panel was comprised of a viticulturalist, a technical winemaker, a wine writer and me, an educator (DipWSET and Certified Sommelier) and the Wine Director (buyer) for several fraternal wine organizations. We worked well together and gave each wine our full attention and careful consideration, detailing the attributes present. We always requested a taste from a second bottle if there was any question about the condition of the wine as we wanted to ensure the wineries were able to put their best foo ..read more

The goal of this tasting event was to learn about the terms Toscana and Super Tuscan and the wines in those categories, what Superiore implies, to explore the Wine Classification system in place in the region, how IGT began so producers did not have to label their wines as simply table wine, as well as ‘meeting’ some of the players in this class. For the tasting experience, we moved from wines with Sangiovese in the blend to all Bordeaux varietals, and finally circled back to Tuscany, finishing with Antinori’s Tignanello. It was quite a journey. While this was an ‘armchair’ adventure, the pict ..read more

The creation of Bolgheri wines began quite recently in wine history with Sassicaia created in 1968, Tignanello in 1971, and Ornellaia’s first release in 1985. They were labeled ‘Super Tuscans’ and introduced Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to the blend. French oak barrels were utilized where Slovenian Oak was the standard. Crafting wines using varietals not allowed, the wines could only be labelled ‘vino da tavola’ (table wines) as they did not comply with DOC rules that required a high percentage of Sangiovese. These ‘rebel’ vintners brought notoriety and fame to thes ..read more

As part of a road-trip around France, I planned a short stop in Sancerre to taste the wines and learn more about the producers. While the landscape greeting us was miles of gently rolling hills, dotted with farms and small towns, the sight of fields of rapeseed was breathtaking (canola oil is a vegetable oil made from the pressed seeds of rapeseed). It looked like millions of fluorescent highlighters had been dumped in the fields. Blooming during April and May, we caught the crop at its brilliant best! Drawing close to our destination, the landscape began to change, vineyards popped up and we ..read more

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When we moved to the Bay Area, I took a few cooking classes and Chef indulged our group, bringing in a Riedel representative to do a comparative wine glass tasting.  I was very skeptical that a glass could make any difference; however, the bonus of attending the seminar was it included 4 Riedel Vinum glasses.  I was hooked!  The basic premise is that you take 4 glasses (a Bordeaux, Pinot Noir, an Oaked Chardonnay, and a Sauvignon Blanc) and you ‘sniff and taste test’ each of the varietal wines one at a time.  Beginning with the wine in the correct varietal glass, subsequent ..read more

I am certainly looking forward to enjoying Thanksgiving Dinner with family and friends. However, I am going to change up the wine offerings this year. As the dishes served are standard Thanksgiving fare offered and anticipated as well as those family favorites, I do not want to mess with the menu or the family ‘food traditions.’ To keep it simple, I will be serving the following: For the happy hour (before the serious eating commences): Veuve Cliquot Demi Sec NV – this Champagne is lush on the palate and has enough sweetness to soften the acidity with just a touch of yeasty character. The mous ..read more

To all of you who knew I was undertaking the WSET Diploma in Wine (a journey that takes 2 to 3 years), I am humbled to announce that I received notice I had passed the final leg in my journey, D3 Still Wines of the World (also fondly know as ‘the Beast’). I can now proudly use the post nominal title of DipWSET. I want to thank all of you that were kind enough to support me and to ask how things were going as I proceeded on this path as you all know how passionate I am about this. I also want to call out those of you who patiently listened as I stressed over giving the WSET what they wanted to ..read more

I miss the ‘walk around’ consumer and industry tastings! In Covid-19 times, wineries are selling you an abbreviated selection of their collection, complete with a login so you can taste along with the winemaker via Zoom.  It is fantastic that some methodology exists where at least we can taste; however, two to six wines from the same producer (and possibly the same vintage) with the winemaker extolling the virtues of his or her wines simply leaves me wanting more.  I want to taste other wines alongside so I can sense and taste the different expressions of a grape crafted by different ..read more