On May 15, Stu and Charlie Smith, along with François Bugué, the Smiths’ associate winemaker, celebrated Smith-Madrone Vineyard & Winery’s 55th birthday. The celebration marked Stu’s signing of the paperwork in 1971 to acquire the Spring Mountain property that is home to Smith-Madrone’s vineyards and winery. Stu and Charlie started planting the vineyard the next year and their first vintage was […]
Peter Stafford-Bow does it again in his latest book, Black Odesa! You would think that after all the harrowing adventures Stafford-Bow’s character, Felix Hart, has been through he would relax and take it easy for a while. Well, he tried, but circumstances had other ideas. He thought life was grand, and then unexpected visitors showed up. That’s when everything started […]
Today we’re sipping wines made in three French wine regions. All are white wines with relatively low alcohol but very different flavor profiles. And, as you might expect from French wines, all are made to enjoy with food. Our tasting begins in Champagne before moving to the South West France and ends in the Loire Valley. Champagne everyone will recognize, […]
In 2021 Robert Hall Winery started an exciting vineyard trial intended to prove whether regenerative organic farming practices would succeed in the winery’s estate vineyard. Regenerative organic practices require organic farming as a baseline — requiring certified organic inputs and prohibiting the use of synthetic herbicides and pesticides. Additionally, it uses ground cover along with no-till in the vineyard and […]
The New Cafe Beaujolais Cookbook is more than recipes. It also takes a nostalgic look back the history of Cafe Beaujolais, a restaurant that has been serving meals in the quaint village of Mendocino on California’s north coast since 1968. As you might expect, Cafe Beaujolais has had several owners over the years, but none did more to establish the […]
Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse for a glass of bubbly, assuming you need one to enjoy a glass of bubbles. What I enjoy most about traditional method sparkling wines is their freshness and acidity, relatively low ABV and of course those energetic bubbles. They are beautiful in your glass and pair with almost any kind of food from appetizers […]
Our wine year is beginning in a delicious way with the tasting of a late release Sangiovese. Not just any Sangiovese, but a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano crafted responsibly by a winery that takes its social commitments as seriously as its commitment to biodiversity and healthy soils. And the Avignonesi Nobile di Montepulciano Late Release 2015 wine bottle label, and […]
It was my curiosity about the meaning of the book’s title, Stikky Wine, that led me to accept a copy for review. What did the title mean? Was it a book about sweet wines — stikky being a playful spelling of stickies, the Australian slang for sweet dessert wines? I doubted that. So what is Stikky Wine all about exactly? […]
During the crush of holidays that begin at Halloween and rush toward a celebration of the New Year, it can be a challenge to find time slow down and enjoy the season. A simple meal with a refreshing glass of wine on a quiet evening at home can be the perfect antidote to all that rushing around. Not that we […]
Over the years we have tasted many interesting wines made from mountain vineyards. It takes extra work to grow grapes at elevation, but mountain locations can provide significant elevation change, variable sun exposure, slope and soils all within a single estate. Starfield Vineyards is located in just such a special place. We recently received a selection of eight of their […]
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.
