Category: Discoveries
Pinot Noir Discoveries, from Values to Burgundy Classics
With the continuing and rapidly rising cost of Burgundy wines, we continue to search for fine Pinot Noir from around the world. We’ve found some winners in Oregon and New Zealand, with their own sense of place and styles that...
Read MoreSo Many Wines, So Little Time
Readers often ask where I get my wines, particularly after posting tasting notes on some great values from around the world. Start with the big box stores (e.g., Costco) and local wine merchants. For expanding my horizons and to...
Read MoreEnjoying an Old Favorite, New Discoveries in Paso Robles
Good friends had rented a house in Carmel for three weeks and invited us to spend a few days there and enjoy the town and golf at local courses. We thought we would turn it into our first road trip and tasting adventure since...
Read MoreValues in Oregon, California and New Zealand Pinot Noir
In going through tasting notes looking for fine values in Pinot Noir, wines from these regions tended to shine: Willamette Valley, Oregon; Russian River Valley, Sonoma; Santa Lucia Highlands, in Monterey County; and further...
Read MoreFun summer sipping with Rosés and white Rhone varietals
After tasting through an ever-broadening array of Rosé wines over the past two months, we were pleased to find several excellent values, including some with depth and style. Our favorites were mostly from Cotes de Provence and...
Read MoreExploring the Wines of Santa Barbara, California
The Santa Barbara County Vintners Association visited San Diego recently for a trade and media tasting featuring wines from 10 members, including wineries and wine families with more than one label. The vintners are on a...
Read MoreRioja Adventures Round Two; Classic Reds, Sprightly Rosados and Crisp Blancos
Our base was the Hotel Marques Riscal, in Elciego, a tiny town on the road to the bigger destinations of Laguardia, Haro and Samaniego. MARQUES DE RISCAL The Marqués de Riscal City of Wine, in Elciego (Álava), includes: the...
Read More
Discovering Rioja: fine values in high quality aged wines
Matt Kramer, long-time columnist for The Wine Spectator and author of a definitive book on...
Read MorePre-Dessert: Discoveries in Portuguese Table Wines
Most wine drinkers are familiar with the fine dessert wines from Portugal but don’t often consider exploring the country’s excellent table wines. They may not be as easy to find as Oporto dessert wines, which are in wide...
Read MoreFavorites from 2021 — Classics and Values
It’s always memorable to go through our tasting notes for the year. We recorded the notes during a wide range of tasting experiences, from trying new wines at home, to dinner parties with friends, to trade tastings, industry...
Read MoreRioja Shines; Fine Red Wines from Spain, $15 to $156
Ranking wines during blind tastings can provide some eye-openers, to coin a phrase, particularly with wines from different vintages and a wide range of prices. One group in San Diego, the Carmel Valley Wine Club, held its 302d...
Read MoreExploring New World Pinot Noir, $12 to $88
The following notes are from Pinot Noir wines tasted from the New World over the past six months and rated as good, very good and excellent. For background on Pinot Noir in the New World, versus its home in Burgundy, France,...
Read More