Shiraz | San Diego Wine Guru

Easy Sipping Party, Picnic, and Patio Wines Under $30

by Tom Gable | Aug 31, 2023 | Argentina, Australia, Bordeaux, Burgundy, California, Discoveries, France, Oregon, Values, Washington | 0

We do much of our searching for good values in quality wines at different Costcos in our region and screening discount daily offers from online merchants or big retail chains that help wineries clear inventories as new wines...

Warming Up to Good Values in Winter Reds

by Tom Gable | Nov 30, 2021 | Argentina, Australia, California, Italy, Values | 0

Beef stew, pasta with meatballs, ribs, BBQ, Tuscan bean stew, meatloaf, boeuf bourguignons and more – winter dishes in need of matching to a bolder red wine with a decent price. Fortunately, local merchants, warehouse stores,...

Exploring South African Red Wines

by Tom Gable | Feb 27, 2021 | Discoveries, South Africa, Touring | 0

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...

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...

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...

Big Reds: BBQ, Picnic and Party Wines from $12 to $32

by Tom Gable | Aug 31, 2019 | Australia, California, Discoveries, Uncategorized, Values, Washington | 0

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...

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,...