Category: Rhone
So 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 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 MoreAdventures in Viognier
Enjoyed a recent blind tasting of Viognier with the Carmel Valley Wine Club, San Diego, tasting No. 306 over 32 years. Previously done in person, now on Zoom, which has reduced the banter and camaraderie but improved tallying...
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 MoreRobust Red Wines to Complement Your Mastery of the Grill
In getting an early start on firing up the barbie as the days get longer and the nights warmer, we’ve been sampling more robust red wines that can be a match for grilled foods. The dishes ranged from burgers and bratwurst to...
Read MoreIn Search of Good Red Wine Blends — Traditional to Creative
One strategy for calibrating your palate is to taste wines made from the same varietal grape and decide on styles you like. This is best done blind, where a co-conspirator buys the wines and another puts them in numbered brown...
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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 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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Zinfandel, Rioja and Rhone Adventures in Red Wines
Looking for new adventures in matching red wines with food? We reviewed tasting notes from...
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Big wine country: 13 reds to match with BBQ, pasta, pizza
With the grilling season officially launched this past Memorial Day weekend on barbecues all over...
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Palate-Pleasing Reds $9 to $15 from Three Continents
The following are highlights from wines tasted and Tweeted during the past two months on good finds in red wine values in Cabernet Sauvignon and Rhone blends from the U.S. and France, plus a big grapey Shiraz from Australia. Among the missing: val…
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Burger, BBQ and Brownie Wines to Please the Palate and Pocketbook
Yes, that???s right ??? wine with Brownies! Big, rich Cabernet Sauvignon wines, Syrahs and blends with higher alcohol content titillate the taste buds when paired with brownies or other rich chocolate dessert (truffles). Of course, they also go well w…
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