Category: California
Lodi Reds Redux; New Discoveries from California
After enjoying a class on Lodi wines at the annual SommCon® conference held each year in San Diego...
Read MoreMerlot and Malbec – BBQ, Beef and Pasta Wines
Over the past few months, we’ve tasted some 50 Merlot and Malbec wines, purchased from warehouse stores, local merchants and on-line discount sites. Here are nine that scored best and are good matches for food, mostly dishes...
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Syrah Smackdown: Appreciating a Sense of Place and Personality
The annual SommCon® conference provides sommelier-level education and training of wine...
Read MoreSauvignon Blanc Finds, $10 to $39
The following emerged as the best values, or offering fine style for a higher price, in tasting some 50 Sauvignon Blanc wines over the past three months. Wines were purchased from online flash sale merchants, big box stores and...
Read MoreBig Reds: BBQ, Picnic and Party Wines from $12 to $32
With many outdoor events scheduled as we headed into the Labor Day weekend, we sorted through notes on bigger wines we’ve enjoyed with barbecue, picnic and party fare. Here are 12 favorites. The selections include wines made...
Read MoreExploring New Worlds of Pinot Noir: California, Oregon, Chile, New Zealand
A global array of winemakers, owners, merchants, distributors and educators convene each March for the annual World of Pinot Noir (WOPN) event at the Ritz Carlton Bacara in Santa Barbara, to be joined by gaggles of wine geeks...
Read More32 Wines Under $23 for Spring Sipping, Picnic and Party Fun
The following wines rise to the top in price and value from among several hundred wines tasted over the past few months, from individual bottles with food at home to sampling through scores at trade tastings and industry...
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Lodi – the Motherlode of Affordable California Wines
Randy Caparoso, wine journalist, wine country photographer and columnist for The SOMM Journal, led...
Read MoreSingle Blind Tasting – Fun Exercise in Improving Wine Appreciation
Can a single blind tasting be of value to wine drinkers seeking to learn more techniques for identifying the similarities and differences in wines, while honing their individual palates and sensitivities? The answer is yes,...
Read MoreFrom Barbera to Zinfandel, Finding Values in Old and New World Red Wines
Recent tastings – foreign and domestic, remotely or in person — led us to wine discoveries from the Sonoma Coast, to the mountains of Argentina, sunny slopes of Rioja and emerging vineyards in Central Otago, New Zealand....
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Red Wines from Four Continents for Summer Sipping, $10 to $20
The following wines were selected from among several hundred tasted in recent months and scored...
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Bring in the Clones: Juggling Pinot Noir Vines, Styles
Pinot Noir is a mystery to many. How can wines made from the same grape differ so much in quality,...
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