Author: Nancy (CSW)

photo of wine bottles of 9diDANTE Purgatorio and Inferno

9diDANTE: Wine-Focused Vermouth Made in Piedmont

Vermouth might seem like a step away from wine, which is the focus of Pull That Cork, but 9diDANTE isn’t just any vermouth. It is a wine-focused vermouth. According to European law vermouth must be 75% wine and 9diDANTE founder, Alex Ouziel, takes the wine component of his vermouths as seriously as he does the 27 botanicals that are also […]

CV Wines photo of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Studium wines on a table with trees in the background

CV Wines: It’s All About the Vineyard

CV Wines takes its name from the Continental Vineyard, a 2500-acre property located 13 miles east of the city of Paso Robles. The vineyard was planted before the establishment of the Paso Robles AVA in the belief that the region was capable of making high-quality wines. In 1973 a group of Hollywood actors that included Wayne Rodgers, James Cann, Jack […]

Photo of bottle and glass of 2019 Tenuta Calimaia Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG on a table with fountain in background

A Sangiovese to Sip for Fall

As the wind blows through the trees in our backyard, the leaves now rustle in a way that sounds more like fall than summer. Mornings are cool and damp. Fall is definitely in the air, in spite of warm afternoon temperatures. It’s time to think about introducing more red wines into our usual white wine lineup. Sangiovese is a delicious […]

Photo of bottle and glass of 2023 Flora Springs Soliloquy, Napa Valley on a table with trees in the background

Flora Springs Soliloquy: A Harmonious Sauvignon Blanc Blend

Soliloquy is one of Flora Springs’ two flagship wines; the other, Trilogy, is a red blend. You would expect a Napa Valley winery to have a flagship red wine, but maybe not a flagship white wine. The folks at Flora Springs, however, are particularly proud of Soliloquy, also the name of the Sauvignon Blanc clone that is the basis for […]

Photo of two Sicilian white wine bottles and glasses of wine on a table with trees in the background

Sicilian White Wines for a Sip of Something Different

Sicily lies just off the toe of Italy’s boot. Having just enjoyed watching more than two weeks of Olympic sports, I can’t help but think of Sicily as the rugby ball (or misshapen soccer ball) at Italy’s toe. Sicily is more correctly described as the largest island in the Mediterranean and is home to a variety of indigenous white and […]

Photo of Corvezzo Prosecco DOC Rosé and FIOL Prosecco DOC Rosé wine bottles on a table with trees in the background

Pink Prosecco: Yes, I’ll Have a Glass!

We are sipping pink wine again today. While I’m happy to sip rosé any time of year, summertime is when we most often enjoy rosé. If you add bubbles, and in one case organic certification, you have the perfect summer sip. We received both wines as tasting samples. Not wanting to miss out on the rosé craze, sparkling rosé has […]

Photo of three Domaine Bousquet rosé wines on a table with garden in background

Organic Rosé for Summer Sipping: Sparkling or Still

Sipping a chilled rosé is a refreshing way to keep cool on a warm afternoon. Rosé is also appealing for its beautiful color and its lively, fresh flavor profile that pairs well with food. As a bonus, rosé is often relatively low in alcohol. All three of the wines in this tasting, which we received as tasting samples, have these […]

The Book of Rosé: Reading About Rosé While Sipping Rosé

For someone who appreciates wine, time spent reading a beautiful book about rosé, while sipping rosé, makes for an enjoyable afternoon. The book now in my lap, published by Rizzoli New York, The Book of Rosé: The Provençal Vineyard That Revolutionized Rosé, is just such a book. The glossy pink cover is adorned with what looks like an ecru wine […]

Photo of wine glass and bottle of 2023 Pink Flamingo Gris de Gris in a garden setting

Pink Flamingo Gris de Gris: More than Just a Pretty Label

The Camargue is situated along the coast of southern France south of the city of Arles between two forks of the Rhône River. The Petite-Rhône forms the western boundary and the Grande-Rhône forms the eastern boundary of what is the largest river delta in western Europe. You may be familiar with the Camargue horse, a stocky, grey breed indigenous to […]

Photo of 2023 Domaine Bousquet LO CA Chardonnay and Malbec bottles and glasses of wine on a table with garden in the background

LO CA: Domaine Bousquet’s Low-Calorie Wines

One thing you may have gathered about the folks at Domaine Bousquet, from reading about them here and elsewhere, is that they never stand still. Jean Bousquet’s goal from the very beginning was to farm organically and make the best quality wines possible in Mendoza’s Uco Valley. Jean’s daughter Anne Bousquet and her husband Labid Al Ameri have for some […]