Author: Nancy (CSW)

Petite Sirah featured photo

A Taste of California Petite Sirah’s Charm and Diversity

The current diversity and quality of wine around the world can be a bit overwhelming. Not that as a consumer I’m complaining, but it can be a challenge to taste wine from every region let alone every variety. The same applies to the quality and diversity of California wine in my experience. Petite Sirah is one of those varieties that […]

District 7 featured photo

District 7: Certified Sustainable Wines from California’s Monterey AVA

The more I read about District 7 wines the more impressed and curious to taste the wines I became. Some of the qualities that attracted me include: family ownership, certified sustainable vineyards and winery, 100% estate vineyards, a commitment to renewable energy and community support. Today we’re sharing four wines from District 7 that we received as tasting samples. District […]

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Nik Weis Rieslings for Your Fall Dining Enjoyment

Many wine drinkers stop sipping and pairing white wine with meals about the time the weather cools and they stop wearing white pants. That’s not the case in our house. We sip white wine all year long which means we’re enjoying them with meals year round as well. So, what wine is as easy to sip on its own while […]

Jean-René Germanier Humagne Rouge featured photo

Jean-René Germanier Humagne Rouge, Valais, Switzerland: A Taste of Something New

Oh. My. Goodness. This wine has everything I love in a red wine. It’s an unusual variety from a country and region that is unfamiliar to me and the flavor profile is right up my alley.  2017 Jean-René Germanier Humagne Rouge, Valais, Switzerland — light ruby in the glass with aromas of red cherries, raspberries and cranberries along with wet […]

Avani vineyard photo

Avani Winery in Australia’s Morning Peninsula: Wine with Energy

The first thing I noticed about Shashi Singh was her broad smile. It was evident even at a distance as she drove a small tractor along the edge of her Syrah vineyard. She had been working at the back of the vineyard and was dressed in work clothes and boots. She stepped off the tractor and welcomed us to her […]

Quinta da Fonte Souto featured photo

Quinta da Fonte Souto, Portalegre, Branco, DOC Alentejo

The Symington family have spent five generations establishing themselves first in Portugal’s Port world and then as makers of quality dry wines in the Douro Valley. They own 26 quintas in the Douro and as of 2017 have expanded to Portugal’s enormous Alentejo region in southern Portugal. Quinta da Fonte Souto is that property located in the Portalegre sub-region of […]

Geil Bechtheimer Scheurebe featured photo

2015 Geil Bechtheimer Scheurebe Kabinett, Rheinhessen

Weingut Geil is a family winery located in the village of Bechtheim in Germany’s Rheinhessen. Johannes Geil-Bierschenk tends 30 hectares of vines that include Riesling, Silvaner, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer, Kerner, Scheurebe, Rieslaner, Huxelrebe, Muskateller and St. Laurent in the family’s estate vineyards. Organic practices are followed. I’m pretty sure this is our first taste of Scheurebe and […]

Shelter Spätburgunder featured photo

2016 Shelter Winery Spätburgunder: a Taste of Baden

Shelter Spätburgunder is the middle-tier Pinot Noir made by Hans-Bert Espy and Silke Wolf at their small winery in Kenzingen, Baden. The couple farm just a few hectares of vines north of the Kaiserstuhl where the soils have transitioned from volcanic to limestone and loess. Growing conditions are a bit cooler here too, thanks to the influence of the Black […]

TerraNoble featured photo

TerraNoble: A Fresh Version of Carmenere from Chile

The first versions of Chilean Carmenere I tasted years ago were often characterized by generous fruit flavors, dense color, chewy texture and distinctive flavors of jalapeño or green bell pepper. Those flavors of jalapeño and bell pepper were pleasing in moderation, but I found them overwhelming in many versions of the variety. Recently I was re-introduced to Chilean Carmenere from […]

Sosie Wines First Things First featured photo

First Things First: Sparkling Roussanne from Sosie Wines

Sosie (so-zee) is a French word that translates to twin or spitting image. The name perfectly describes Regina Bustamante and Scott MacFiggen’s vision of making Northern California wines in a French style. Thanks to travels through France their palates are Old World in style, having been influenced by Bordeaux, Rhône Valley, Burgundy and Loire Valley wines. Given their affinity for […]