The following three wines from Paul Dolan Vineyards are made by Mendocino Wine Co. located in Ukiah, California. We received all three wines as tasting samples. These wines are of particular interest to me because they are made from organically grown grapes. Whenever I buy food, and I consider wine to be food, I look for organic options. So, naturally, […]
LoCA, the Lodi Winegrape Commission, recently held a wine tasting titled “How Do Lodi Wines Compare to the Best In the World? (A Blind Tasting with a Panel of Professional Wine Educators)” as a prelude to their annual Zinfest celebration. I was pleased to be a guest at the tasting and put my blind tasting skills to the test. It […]
If you have tasted Chardonnay made in California, chances are Wente family ancestors had a hand in developing the Chardonnay clone that produced that glass of wine. As much as 80% of Chardonnay grown in California is made with or derived from the Wente clone. That’s a pretty amazing statistic and a very good reason for Wente Vineyards to be […]
As the weather warms and summer approaches I admit I’m thinking more about drinking chilled white wines than red wines. But, there are those occasions when I do look for a delicious red wine. I’m thinking about backyard parties held in the cool of the evening that include grilled tri-tip, lamb chops, skirt steak or sausages. Add a tomato-based barbecue […]
Albariño. Are you familiar with it? The white winegrape is grown extensively in the Rías Baixas region in northwest Spain; in fact the variety represents nearly all of the plantings in this cool, coastal region. Albariño produces a crisp, dry white wine with a range of flavors that include citrus, melon and stone fruit to delicately floral with an interesting […]
This wine was received as a tasting sample. Vermentino is a white grape variety that is grown in northwestern Italy, France, Sardinia and Corsica. It is known by several names: Rolle in southern France where it may be a component in rosé, Pigato in Liguria, Favorita in Piedmont and Vermentinu in Corsica. The variety is native to Italy and produces […]
As much as I enjoy oven-roasted beef, pork or chicken, there is no substitute for outdoor grilling in terms of flavor. With the weather improving quickly it’s time to fire up the grill and begin to think about the wines to pair with your outdoor meals. This trio of Malbec (received as tasting samples) produced by Trivento in Argentina cry […]
This wine was received as a tasting sample.2014 ARIDUS Malbec — dark ruby in the glass with generous vanilla, caramel and ripe blackberry aromas. Rich flavors of ripe blueberries, plums and blackberries combine with hints of dusty earth, smooth tannins and a lingering finish. This wine is bright, fruit-forward and warming. 15.2% abv. $35 Red meat is the perfect pairing […]
As our small aircraft approached the airstrip near Damaraland Camp I was struck by the similarity of the landscape to the American desert Southwest. The wide, flat table-top mountains have those familiar, exposed, horizontal layers of colored rock. But, unlike the American southwest, the rusty red earth is dotted with green euphorbia, white ash bushes and the occasional, lone shepherd’s […]
Springtime brings a welcome renewal in our garden after the dormancy of a cold, wet winter. The lawn and shrubbery are an intense green this time of year with azaleas adding pink, red and coral accents. At about this same time of year our supply of rosé dwindles to one or two bottles. We begin searching the shelves of local […]
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.
