Spain | San Diego Wine Guru

Rioja Shines; Fine Red Wines from Spain, $15 to $156

by Tom Gable | Oct 31, 2021 | Classics, Discoveries, Spain, Values | 0

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...

Robust Red Wines to Complement Your Mastery of the Grill

by Tom Gable | Apr 30, 2021 | Argentina, Baja California, California, Discoveries, Rhone, Spain, Values | 0

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...

Easy Sipping Spring and Summer White Wines

by Tom Gable | Mar 31, 2021 | Burgundy, California, Champagne, Discoveries, France, New Zealand, Spain, Values | 0

With warmer weather in the offing and restrictions easing on getting together in crowds of more than four and spaced at two-meter intervals, it’s time to explore lower-cost, tasty wines to have handy for any group gathering or...

In Search of Good Red Wine Blends — Traditional to Creative

by Tom Gable | Nov 30, 2020 | Argentina, Baja California, Bordeaux, California, Chile, Discoveries, France, Italy, Rhone, Spain, Values, Washington | 0

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...

Summer Whites: Easy Sipping Party Wines, Plus a Few Complex Classics

by Tom Gable | Aug 31, 2020 | Australia, Baja California, Burgundy, California, Classics, Discoveries, France, Germany, New Zealand, Oregon, Spain, Washington | 0

The following white wines rose to the top of our tasting leaderboard the past three months, scoring for overall quality of the wines and values delivered. Most are widely available, except for classics from the cellar and...

Values from Four Nations in BBQ Wines

by Tom Gable | Jul 31, 2020 | Argentina, Baja California, California, Chile, Discoveries, Spain | 0

With Americans firing up the home barbecue and indoor grills more than ever before, we searched for good values in hearty BBQ wines to enhance the fun. We would typically suggest adding to beach parties and picnic fare as well,...

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,...

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....