Tag: Grenache
Enjoying 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 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 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 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 MoreEasy Sipping Spring and Summer White Wines
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...
Read MoreExploring South African Red Wines
Blind tastings help calibrate your taste preferences (if you like it, it’s good, no matter what the experts say or how much it costs). This was reinforced recently in a blind tasting of eight wines from South Africa by a...
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...
Read MoreValues from Four Nations in BBQ Wines
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,...
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...
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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...
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