Author: Nancy (CSW)

Photo of Robert Hall ROC® Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon wine bottles on a table with plants in the background

Regenerative in the Glass: Robert Hall’s First ROC® Wines

The two wines we are tasting today are the first made by Robert Hall Winery to earn the Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC®) designation. Both wines are available exclusively at Whole Foods. We received these wines as tasting samples.   Robert Hall Winery’s journey to Regenerative Organic Certification began in 2021 with a 48-acre block of vines surrounding the winery in […]

Featured photo of Villa Sandi Proseccos (Treviso Prosecco DOC and Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG on a table with trees in the background

Villa Sandi Prosecco: Sparkling Wine for Everyday Enjoyment

There is much to like about Prosecco — it’s easy drinking, low in alcohol, affordable and it sparkles. Its affordability makes it practical for everyday occasions and you needn’t feel guilty using it to make a mimosa or other cocktail — that’s how it’s meant to be enjoyed. Today we’re tasting two examples made by Villa Sandi, provided as tasting […]

Photo of 2022 Smith-Madrone Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley wine bottle and glass of wine on a table with trees and a fountain in the background

2022 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon: Cabernet for a Special Birthday

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 […]

Photo of a bottle and glass of 2025 Peter Zemmer Vernatsch-Schiava, Südtirol-Alto Adige DOC wine with flowers in the background

Peter Zemmer Schiava: A Red Wine to Sip Chilled

We may not have quite reached the summer equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, but summer weather is definitely here. We’ve just returned from the Midwest where the temperatures were in the 70s and 80s with similar humidity. The landscape was beautiful and green, but that humidity was not very pleasant. We’re now back to the dry heat we are used […]

Photo of three bottles of wine, Champagne Mandois Bruit Origine, Domaine Tariquet Classic, Joseph Mellot Clos du Pressoir, on a table with flowers in the background

Three French Wine Regions, Three Distinctive White Wines

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, […]

Photo of 2024 Maison Lorgeril Ô de Rosé, Languedoc wine bottle and stemless wine glass on a table with a chair and bench in background

There’s No Better Time Than Now for Pink Wine

Rosé is welcome in my glass regardless of the season, but, in springtime a gorgeous rosé reflects the color and vibrance of the season especially well. And just as I have an equal appreciation for both vibrant and delicate colors in our garden, I appreciate rosés of every shade. Today we are sipping a Languedoc rosé that is as perfumed […]

Photo of a bottle of Campo Viejo Tempranillo, a glass of wine and two red wine cocktails on a tray with lemons and oranges

Campo Viejo Tempranillo for Sipping and Socializing

We’re returning to Spain’s Rioja wine region again for another sip of Tempranillo. This time the wine is 100% Tempranillo, once again made by Campo Viejo. In anticipation of warming weather this tasting comes with two cocktail recipes using Tempranillo that are commonly enjoyed in Spain. Both are easier to make than sangria, not as boozy and perfect for a […]

Photo of six wines bottles of O'Neill Vintners Conventional Farmed and Regenerative Farmed wines from 2021, 2022 2023 vintages.

Robert Hall Winery’s Regenerative Organic Trial: A Summary and Wine Tasting

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 by Julian Lopez cover photo on a white background

The New Cafe Beaujolais Cookbook: A Cookbook that Might Also Inspire a Trip to Mendocino

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 […]

Photo of a bottle and glass of 2018 Campo Viejo Reserva, Rioja DOCa on a table with a chair and lemon tree in the background

Affordable Tempranillo: Discovering 2018 Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva

One of the many things I learned during weekly wine tastings at a local wine shop years ago is the pleasure of discovering a delicious wine for not very much money. It has become increasingly enjoyable as I have watched the price of some wine reach a crazy expensive level. The Tempranillo blend we’re tasting today definitely fits the delicious-wine-for-not-very-much-money […]