Touring Champagne with Sustainability in Mind
The Challenge of Growing Grapes in ChampagneThe Champagne region is located at the northern limit of where wine grapes will grow. The climate is classified as cool continental, which means grape growers in Champagne contend with a short growing season with frequent rain throughout the year. The weather brings threats of spring killing frost, hail, … Continue reading
Old Vines at Nicolini Ranch: The Movie
Jancis Robinson’s Old Vine Wine Writing CompetitionYou may remember my excited post from earlier this summer. My entry to Jancis Robinson’s 2021 wine writing competition was selected for posting on Jancis’ website. While I didn’t make it into the finals, my goal was to be posted so I consider it a huge success! Here’s a … Continue reading
Obsidian Wine Company’s Adventures Redefine the Tasting Room
Press Release Turns into a VisitThis spring, I received a press release detailing a new approach to winery visits and tasting. My interest was piqued as I did a little research on the winery, Obsidian Wine Co. Since I was headed out to Napa in May for a WSET exam, I contacted the PR person … Continue reading
Our Südtirol – Alto Adige Gewürztraminer Surprise
Our Gewürztraminer SurpriseThis post started out as a normal “pairing wines with dinner” until it was hijacked by this Gewürztraminer at the firepit on a late summers evening. Intrigued? Read on. I love wines from the Südtirol – Alto Adige region of Italy. Nestled up into the lower slopes of the Dolomite mountains, the wines … Continue reading
My Article on JancisRobinson.com!
Among wine enthusiasts, Jancis Robinson is household name. Awarded the Master of Wine title in 1984, she is author or co-author of several classic wine reference texts used by wine students worldwide including Wine Grapes, Oxford Companion to Wine, World Atlas of Wine. Her website, JancisRobinson.com offers both free and subscription based content for readers … Continue reading
Pair that Tawny Port with a Campfire
Pair Tawny Port with a Summer CampfireSometimes, just relaxing in a comfy setting is all you need for a perfect pairing. Put a bit of a chill on the bottle, go out to the fire and enjoy! If Tawny Port, or Port in general is new to you, here’s a link to a primer on … Continue reading
Where’s Jeff?
The final Stretch – WSET DIPLOMA Julie here, Jeff’s wife. I don’t write much for Jeff’s blog, but Jeff is a bit tied up for the next few weeks. He’s preparing for the final of six tests for the WSET Diploma certification. And while I don’t know much about wine, I can give you a … Continue reading
Under the Radar in Croatia with Franc Arman Teran #WinePW
Under the Radar in Europe with Wine Pairing WeekendThis month, our Wine Pairing Weekend group is exploring under-the-radar wine regions in Europe. Wines from classic regions like France and Italy are well understood by many wine drinkers, but Georgia? Romania? Moldova? Take a look further down in this post to a whole list of links … Continue reading
Willamette Valley Wines – Affordable Oregon with Union Wine Co.
Union Wine CompanyThe mission at Union Wine Company is to show that Oregon wines can be both affordable and high quality. We recently had the opportunity to sample a variety of their wines to see for ourselves how successful they have been. We also tried to look into a few details as to how they … Continue reading
A Different Take on Castilla y León #WorldWineTravel
World Wine Travel Visits Castilla y LeónMarch brings our group to the Castilla y León region of Spain. Not quite as well known as Rioja, but well established wine regions include Ribera del Duero, Rueda, Toro, and Bierzo. Our group will have lots to explore! I’ll be taking a slightly different tack, looking for winemakers … Continue reading