Douro Wines: More Than Just Port
Portugal Is More Than Just Port The Douro river valley is famous worldwide as being the home of Port wine. With the coastal city of Porto as the epicenter of the Port business, the vineyards of the Douro valley are upriver quite a ways. Did you know that Port houses also make still wines? They … Continue reading
Magnus Nilsson, Fäviken, Flygande Jakob and Swedish Comfort Food
Just For Fun! Ever since Netflix Chef’s Table season 1, we’ve been Magnus Nilsson fans. We decided when we visit Sweden, we’d go to Magnus’ restaurant. This summer, the stars aligned and we scored a reservation at Fäviken., so we worked our Sweden trip around our dinner. We loved rural northern Sweden as it reminded … Continue reading
A Tasting Tour of Paso Robles
Touring Paso Robles Via Wine I recently received a nice set of wines from Paso Robles Wine Country, highlighting the variety of wines being produced in the region. It’s been a few years since I’ve visited, so I was happy to get reacquainted Paso Robles through the wines! Disclosure: I received these wines as samples. … Continue reading
What is French-Style Season? #winophiles
The French Winophiles French-Style Season The French Winophiles are a group of French wine loving bloggers. You’ll always hear us gush about our appreciation for France, French wine, food, travel. We’re realistic, though, too. We recognize no one place in the world is perfect. Currently, we hear about the Gilets-Jaune and how demonstrations are disrupting … Continue reading
Harney Lane – When Big Flavors Need Big Wines
Tender Minnesota Palates Sometimes Call for Big Flavors For my personal tastes, I tend toward elegance, subtle flavors. I’m an old world (approach) wine lover first and foremost. I don’t cook a lot of super spicy foods, or big 3 layer hamburgers with cheese and chili and bacon and and and….. HOWEVER, I do love … Continue reading
Science Meets Biodynamics at Troon Vineyard
Biodynamics and Science General Manager Craig Camp and owners Denise and Bryan White could see the potential at Troon Vineyard in the Applegate Valley in southwestern Oregon. In a career-long involvement with all aspects of wine, Craig had become convinced of the value of biodynamics to produce superior wines showing their place of origin. When … Continue reading
Bonterra Shows the Way with Affordable Organic/Biodynamic Wine
Is Affordable Organic Wine an Oxymoron? I associate organic agriculture / viticulture as being better for workers and better for the health of the property, but it comes at higher cost due to more labor to produce a given amount of food/grapes/wine. Many younger consumers I know are interested in a sustainable approach in the … Continue reading
A Day in Chablis Pt.2 – A Visit to Château de Béru
The Camaraderie of Vignerons My favorite “aha” moment of the day was this: The 2016 harvest was a disaster at Château de Béru. An early killing frost devastated the majority of their vineyards, followed by hailstorms later in the spring. The silver lining to the 2016 weather was a story of the “Camaraderie of Vignerons”. When … Continue reading
A Day in Chablis – Part One: The Town & Chablis Grand Cru
Save Time for a Trip to Chablis When you trip to Bourgogne, save at least a day for Chablis. Physically separate from the Cote d’Or, you might be tempted to leave it for a future trip, but you would be missing a gem. On our last trip to Beaune, I set a aside a day … Continue reading
Explore Lesser Known Bourgogne at Domaine Chevrot & Fils
Explore a Lesser Known Village with Domaine Chevrot & Fils It’s difficult to think of any part of Bourgogne (Burgundy) as anything other than famous, and expensive. However, there are lesser known villages which offer beautiful wines at more reasonable prices. On my recent trip to Beaune, I made a point to spend time exploring … Continue reading
