Category: France

A Sampling of Fine Burgundy Reds from 1998 to 2011

by Tom Gable | Jun 30, 2020 | Burgundy, Classics, France | 0

In tasting some 100 Burgundy wines over the past six months and from eight vintages from 1998 to 2011, we’ve compiled our top 20. Each exhibited the wonderful characteristics of its climat, even in awkward vintages. In going...

18 Chardonnays for Spring and Summer Sipping

by Tom Gable | Apr 30, 2020 | Argentina, Burgundy, California, Discoveries, France, Values | 0

The following wines were selected from tastings over the past three months for a combination of quality, style and price. Sources were local grocery stores, wine merchants, online discount houses and a warehouse store. Prices...

Burgundy Wines – Hunting for Quality in Less Famous Appellations

by Tom Gable | Dec 31, 2019 | Burgundy, Discoveries, France, Values | 0

It’s a good day that starts at 9 a.m. with an introduction to the wines of Burgundy. Or you could...

Syrah Smackdown: Appreciating a Sense of Place and Personality

by Tom Gable | Nov 29, 2019 | Australia, California, Discoveries, France, Rhone, Washington | 0

The annual SommCon® conference provides sommelier-level education and training of wine...

Bordeaux: Introduction to Second Labels, Second Wines and Petit Chateau

by Tom Gable | Jul 31, 2019 | Bordeaux, Classics, Discoveries, France, Values | 0

Confused about second labels, second wines, third labels and petit chateau in Bordeaux? Mary...

32 Wines Under $23 for Spring Sipping, Picnic and Party Fun

by Tom Gable | Apr 30, 2019 | Argentina, Australia, Bordeaux, California, France, New Zealand, Oregon, Rhone, Values, Washington | 0

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...

Single Blind Tasting – Fun Exercise in Improving Wine Appreciation

by Tom Gable | Jan 31, 2019 | Argentina, Australia, California, France, New Zealand, Spain | 0

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,...

Understanding Dry White Bordeaux

by Tom Gable | Dec 25, 2018 | Bordeaux, Discoveries, France, Research | 0

SommCon®, the annual conference and exposition for sommelier-level education and training of wine professionals and serious enthusiasts, returned to San Diego in November. The conference offers a strong educational component for...

From Barbera to Zinfandel, Finding Values in Old and New World Red Wines

by Tom Gable | Nov 4, 2018 | Argentina, Australia, California, Discoveries, France, New Zealand, Oregon, Spain | 0

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....