Ever have one of those evenings when you just don’t feel very decisive about the type of wine you want to drink? When the weather is very warm my choice is easy: white wine or rosé. As the weather cools I’m all in for red wines. It is during the in-between seasons that I feel most indecisive. I’m not ready to give up on white wine and rosé, but it may be too warm for a heavy red wine.
We don’t drink very much Grüner Veltliner. When we do it is usually at a wine tasting, a wine bar or in a restaurant with a diverse wine list. We always make a point of drinking adventurously when we dine out, as we do when at home, but on a daily basis we just don’t think of Grüner Veltliner. That’s a shame.
The Labor Day has come and gone signaling the end of summertime. Some will have their white clothes safely stored for next summer. Many more of us will continue to wear our white clothing year-round flaunting the rules just like Coco Chanel. Happily there is no such rule prohibiting the enjoyment of white wine year-round. If that were the case I would ignore that rule as well.
I am always drawn to a wine with an interesting backstory. And while every wine has a story my personal bias is going to take me in the direction of family winemaking and organic or biodynamic viticultural practices. Or in the direction of a winemaker resurrecting a forgotten style of wine. Winemaking in Old World wine regions using indigenous varieties will catch my eye […]
The best way to learn about a wine region is to visit the region, see the lay of the land, talk to the winemakers and taste the wines. When travel to a region isn’t possible virtual travel along with wine tasting can be an effective way to learn about a winery and by extension the wine region. We recently participated in a virtual tasting which included four wines provided to us as tasting samples. The virtual tasting was hosted by Snooth and we had the opportunity to taste the wines made by winemaker Robbie Meyer at Murrieta’s Well Estate Vineyard in the Livermore Valley as he told us about his winemaking and answered our questions. It was the next best thing to visiting the winery.
For the longest time I thought of Champagne as a strictly celebratory libation. What is more festive than a glass of bubbly to celebrate a marriage, a birthday, or a new job? A still wine just doesn’t have the same impact. Over time, though, I have discovered how versatile Champagne really is. Looking beyond the bubbles to the bright acidity (that wine made from cool-climate grapes often possesses) and complex flavors (that come from extended lees aging) you will discover Champagne pairs with a wide variety of food — and not just appetizers. Champagne is just as delicious with a meal as a still wine.
Wine from South Africa is the theme for our August Wine Pairing Weekend group of food and wine bloggers. The challenge was posed by Sarah of Curious Cuisiniere. Sarah and Tim Ozimek recently returned from a trip to South Africa which was the inspiration for their choice of themes.
On a recent Saturday afternoon, with yard work complete, it was time to sit on the patio and relax. As shade moved over the patio we also realized it was wine o’clock. Time for a glass of wine and something to eat.
In this, our final post, we take you along as we sit down with winemaker Mitch Cosentino to create a blended wine.
Day 2 of the Masthead blending project promised to be busy. We gathered in front of the Scotto Cellars’ tasting room in downtown Lodi early that morning. Our first stop would be Scotto Cellars’ winemaking facilities.
We enjoy wine, food and travel. Pull That Cork is a chronicle of our wine adventures, the food and wine pairings we create and our travels which are increasingly organized around wine.
