Winemaker Ross Rankin has proved himself a patient man. This wine project began in 2007. Every year he tasted, considered the flavors, decided not to bottle. Finally, the flavors he desired were there. He bottled and has now released his 2007 Winged Paradise Mountain Syrah.
Our exploration of the 2010 Bordeaux vintage continues with a tasting from the Margaux AOC at a recent Thursday night wine tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton. We will continue to taste our way through the 2010 Bordeaux vintage all during the month of October.
We recently had the opportunity to taste six wines from South Africa, many of which were new to us. We joined together with other participants via Twitter to discuss the wines. The event was sponsored by Whole Foods Market as part of their promotion of Wines of South Africa. Tasting new wines always provides the opportunity to learn about the location and history of the producing wineries. I enjoy this part almost as much as sipping the wine.
I first became aware of the global social media event #MerlotMe via Twitter. It’s a social initiative to remind us to enjoy Merlot during the month of October. We recently celebrated Merlot with a few of our wine friends. It was fun!
October has been declared Bordeaux month at Fine Wines of Stockton. Every Thursday night during the month, we will be tasting a group of six Bordeaux from the 2010 vintage. Yipee. This is my favorite series of tastings every year.
A recent Thursday night wine tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton highlighted wines from southern Oregon, specifically from the Applegate Valley AVA. Area wineries produce mostly a modest volume from a large range of wine varieties. Interesting wines.
Karyl Wilhelm, winemaker at Wilhelm Family Vineyards, is a woman on a mission. She makes an astonishing number and variety of wines. Her husband, Kevin, is the vineyard manager. They planted their vineyard in 2005. The quality and quantity of their vineyard has improved every year as Kevin learns what works best in the vineyard.
We recently participated in an online tasting of 2012 Finger Lakes Rieslings. It was an informative conversation with the winemakers who talked about the vintage and the production of their Riesling. We were sent five 2012 Rieslings to taste as we listened to the winemakers and tweeted our thoughts and questions. It was a fun and informative format.
This was our second visit to Dos Cabezas WineWorks. In 2011 it was the first Arizona winery we visited on our first tour of the Sonoita wine area. Six wines were on their tasting sheet that August, all red, one a fortified dessert wine. This year we enjoyed tasting through the since-expanded tasting sheet, eleven wines in all.
Pete discovered a hybrid Bed & Breakfast called Xanadu Ranch GetAway located just south of Sonoita. We decided to spend two nights in Sonoita to be close to area wineries. We were able to book two nights in the Bunk House at Xanadu. I’m so glad we did.
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.
