A Nice Budget Mourvèdre

You might like to try a Mourvèdre, but you say you don’t have $50 burning a hole in your pocket?  How about $15?   I wanted to see if I could find a Mourvèdre (French or American) that is widely available and less than $20.  I haven’t found a French one yet, but the Cline Cellars … Continue reading

What’s Mourvèdre?

The Mourvèdre grape is widely used as one of the blending grapes in Southern Rhone wines such as Côtes du Rhone and Châteauneuf du Pape; wines we enjoy.  To get a sense of Mourvèdre at center stage however, we need to look beyond the Rhone. Bandol is a town in Provence and its red wines must … Continue reading

Salmon, Risotto & Gevrey-Chambertin: A Meal to Remember

We’ve come to the end of our virtual tour of Burgundy, with a nice finish.  I’ve been working on my risotto skills this winter, and  I think I finally figured it out with this dinner; still a bit chewy but not too much.   In fact, it felt like a very nice restaurant meal.  Not bad … Continue reading

A Tale of Two Malbecs

Meatloaf & Malbec Julie’s folks are visiting for the holidays, and her mom made meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner; comfort food at its best.  I don’t have a lot of experience with Malbec, but I had a couple of bottles on hand to begin exploring, just waiting for the right time.  We tried an … Continue reading