The label on a wine bottle is a consumer’s first introduction to the wine. Some wineries take a conservative approach, others not so much.
We recently sat in on a saké and cheese pairing hosted by Charles Communications Associates. The online tasting featured saké made in Forest Grove, Oregon by SakéOne as well as saké imported from Japan by SakéOne. Each of the four sakés was paired with a different cheese provided by Marin French Cheese Company, Laura Chenel and Rogue River Blue Cheese. As we discovered during the tasting, saké makes a great partner for cheese.
Today is International Tempranillo Day. An entire day dedicated to the enjoyment of Tempranillo wine. If you’ve never enjoyed the variety, it’s a good time to do so. If you’re already a fan of the variety, it’s the perfect time to enjoy your favorite Tempranillo or maybe find a new favorite. Here are five delicious choices from Lodi for your #TempranilloDay celebration.
The Bechthold Vineyard is 25 acres of Cinsault planted on the west side of Lodi — in the Mokelumne River sub-appellation of the Lodi AVA. This own-rooted vineyard was planted in 1886 by Joseph Spenker. Fortunately the soil on the west side of Lodi is particularly sandy (sandy loam to be exact), and too well drained to allow phylloxera a toehold. That good fortune, along with the family’s desire to preserve this part of their farming history has allowed this gem of a vineyard to remain productive at 128 years of age.
Almost everyone looks for good value with every purchase they make. Wine is no exception. Do we all enjoy those special $40 and above wines? Absolutely. But the reality is most of us cannot afford to drink them on a daily basis. So, we look for the best value possible for our every day wines, so we can still afford to drink those more expensive wines for special occasions. Purple Wine Company knows this about us. And to that end, have produced a line of inexpensive, everyday wines for us to enjoy.
Karl Wente is fifth-generation winemaker at Wente Vineyards, and was recently named in Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s 40 Under 40: America’s Tastemakers. Winemaking isn’t Karl’s only passion, he also has a serious interest in music. Let’s see how wine and music go together.
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.
