Taking the world one wine at a time.
Grapes 65% Zinfandel, 20% Petite Sirah, 9% Carignane, 3% Mataro, 2% Alicante Bouchet,1% Grenache and a partridge in a pear tree. Facts You know what I’ve always admired about Ridge? It’s that they manage to “do Zin” without making me feel like feeling I’ve just been molested by blackberries and alcohol. True story. The Ridge 3 Valleys in the only wine blended from multiple vineyards, rather than being sourced from one specific vineyard, in…
Read More
Not my most eloquent of headlines…but I think it gets the job done. The Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance recently announced they are starting a new campaign to educate wine drinkers on the difference between Sonoma Coast and Sonoma County. A survey of 1,000 US consumers has shown that, when choosing a wine to purchase, very few wine drinkers differentiate between Sonoma County and Sonoma Valley. “We know that Sonoma Valley has very distinct…
Read More
Grapes 100% Pinot Noir Facts Good Pinot Noir is hard to find. Actually that’s an understatement. Good Pinot is a NIGHTMARE to find, and when you do find it you end up paying a premium. Sure, you can find Pinot for under $15 retail; but to be absolutely truthful, they generally don’t do the grape justice. I’m not saying that you ALWAYS have to spend upwards of $50 on a bottle (the price of…
Read More
I’m going to go out on a limb and say this is my first vegetarian pairing. Of course I couldn’t make the WHOLE meal vegetarian…I’m just not quite there yet…not that I want to offend any carrot munchers that might be reading this! Since the Grilled Eggplant with Garlic-Cumin Vinaigrette is a Mediterranean-esque recipe, I decided to throw some lamb into the mix. You don’t eat enough lamb! I’ve already decided this for you. You…
Read More
Grapes 100% Pinot Noir Facts Ok, let’s get something straight from the start! There’s Pinot and there’s Pinot. The perception of Pinot Noir by most wine drinkers has been so skewed, thanks to grocery store brands, that it’s not even funny! Sure, wines such as the Fulcrum aren’t “everyday gluggers,” but if you really want to know what Pinot Noir SHOULD taste like, you need to be willing to occasionally invest a little…
Read More
It’s dishes like this that make you question why you even go out to eat. Seriously.There was a decent amount of prep up-front on this recipe, but the beauty is that it can be made a day or two ahead of time, and if you have a large party, the quantities can be easily modified. Once you get the initial prep out of the way, the rest is a piece of cake!
Read More
Grape 100% Cabernet Franc Facts A well-made Cabernet Franc is without a doubt one of my favorite wines; although very few wineries produce a pure varietal wine from this little-know Bordeaux grape, and it’s usually overshadowed in blends by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Pure expressions of Cab Franc are fairly difficult to find, but I can’t encourage you enough to try and seek out a bottle for yourself and let me know your thoughts!…
Read More
It’s been a busy few weeks for Lady Gaga! First the announcement that she’s the first person to ever reach 20 million followers on Twitter, and now this! The pop icon was spotted in Sonoma County last week, and is allegedly interested in buying a property in the area with a view to making her own wine. “My favorite way to catch up with friends is to have wine and food nights. We cook together…
Read More
Fiji water’s owners buy Sonoma’s Landmark Vineyards Fiji Water’s owners announced this week the company’s second California winery acquisition in less than a year. Fiji Water and parent company Roll Global are buying Sonoma’s Landmark Vineyards, known for high-quality Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah (a winery featured on this website). The deal includes the winery, inventory and an 11-acre vineyard. The sale price was not disclosed. In December, Roll Global purchased its first…
Read More
This is a featured post from Gary Vaynerchuk’s Daily Grape Newsletter Grape 100% Pinot Noir Rating 91 Points Price $68 MSRP Gary’s explanation: California Pinot Noir producers have one man to thank for the ability to routinely price their wines over $50: Rex Pickett. The author of the book-made-movie, Sideways, single handedly skyrocketed the popularity of Pinot Noir almost overnight with his $71 million grossing blockbuster. Yet so much of the…
Read More
Grapes 83% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Syrah, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot Facts Good God I love this stuff! Probably my favorite all time Merlot, and not just due to the cool bottle! It’s also probably my most recommended wine for someone looking to give a bottle as a gift. The Handprint Merlot can really be considered the signature wine out of the whole Meeker lineup. Each bottle is touched…
Read More
Following on from yesterdays post, the following is part 4 of 4 of a post made by a friend of mine, Lucas Meeker – Assistant Winemaker at Meeker Vineyards in Sonoma. The post originally appeared on professional Q&A website Quora.com. The question Lucas answered was: What are some Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of Owning a Napa Winery? My annotations throughout the article appear in the form of: [Notes like this], and as always I’ve…
Read More