September 1 is #CapClassiqueDay, a day set aside to celebrate South Africa’s premium sparkling wines. Cap Classique is made using Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) — the traditional method (as in Champagne) where the second fermentation takes place in the bottle. These sparkling beauties are made in a variety of styles, from grape varieties that you might expect and a few […]
During uncertain times a glass of wine can offer not only a sense of calm, but also the comfort of familiarity. Cue Kenwood Vineyards. Today we’re sharing two Kenwood wines, both sent to us as tasting samples. Kenwood Vineyards is a familiar name to wine drinkers in California and beyond. Kenwood Vineyards was established in 1970 as a family business […]
Wine has the undeniable ability to elicit memories of people, occasions and travel. Sometimes it is a particular variety, other times it’s the name of a wine that is so memorable. In the case of Windrun Pinot Noir it is both the name and the variety that hold special memories for me. So, as you might imagine, I’m pleased to […]
We’re celebrating this #PinotNoirDay in true wine geek fashion with a tasting of three Pinot Noirs made by a winery with a history closely tied to Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. In fact, I’ve read in several places that Gary Farrell, the man and the winery, helped establish the Russian River Valley’s reputation for fine Pinot Noir. We received these […]
I hope you are ready for another wine day celebration, because Pinot Noir Day (#PinotNoirDay) is right around the corner on August 18. We want to make sure you have Pinot Noir in your glass so, to that end, today we have a recommendation for you: 2017 Theopolis Vineyards Pinot Noir, Yorkville Highlands, Mendocino County. Theodora R. Lee is the […]
Black Stallion Estate Winery is situated not far from the Napa River along the southern end of the Silverado Trail in Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll District. The winery makes its home in what was a large equestrian center called the Silverado Horsemen’s Center. There is more history to tell about the family that owns Black Stallion Estate Winery and the […]
Carrie Wynkoop established Cellar 503 out of a passion for Oregon wine and necessity. Specifically, she looked for a wine club that curated wines from small, boutique wineries throughout Oregon and couldn’t find one. So Carrie put her enthusiasm and knowledge of Oregon wines together with her prior business experience and established Cellar 503 in 2015. I recently met Carrie […]
Several days ago we opened a very special bottle of wine: Colmant Absolu Zero Dosage NV. Peter eased the cork from the bottle and poured both of us a glass. As we watched the bubbles rise in our glasses many fond memories of visiting Colmant Cap Classique & Champagne in South Africa’s Franschhoek Valley came back to us. There is […]
For some reason I have always had it in my mind that 100 percent varietal wines should receive more respect than blended wines. Maybe because the varietal name appears on the label as opposed to red or white blend. Or maybe it’s because, from a non-winemaker’s point of view, it appears varietal wines are more challenging to make because the […]
Portugal’s Alentejo wine region is a warm one. João Barroso, Director of Sustainability for Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Program (WASP), recently told a group of wine media and writers during a teleconference that the region routinely experiences some of the warmest temperatures in Europe. It is also prone to drought. These factors coupled with climate change prompted the region’s wineries […]
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.