Nancy (CSW), Author at Pull That Cork

Zinfandel – Interesting History, Interesting Wine

April 30, 2013 by Nancy (CSW) Comments are Disabled

The Thursday night tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton featured Zinfandel. We live in the heart of Zinfandel country. Lodi, just 15 minutes north of Stockton, has significant plantings of Zinfandel as do the Sierra Foothills. The tasting included five wines from the Sierra Foothills and one from Lodi. It was our mission to identify the Lodi wine in the group.

Rosé – Not Just to Make Fun of Anymore

April 25, 2013 by Nancy (CSW) Comments are Disabled

As the weather begins to warm, we naturally start to think about what to drink during the summer months. During the warmest months, I prefer lighter wine in general. Rosé always comes to mind. The Thursday night tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton was, of course, Rosé.

Lodi Rules^TM — What Does That Mean?

April 22, 2013 by Nancy (CSW) 1 comment

We recently had the opportunity to participate in an online tasting of wines sourced from vineyards that have been certified as sustainably grown through the Lodi Rules^TM certification program. The tasting was organized to celebrate Earth Day by the Lodi Winegrape Commission and Charles Communications Associates on behalf of growers and vintners in the Lodi Appellation. The wines were provided to us, we tasted them and shared our impressions via Twitter during the tasting.

Syrah – That Affordable and Approachable Wine Varietal

April 18, 2013 by Nancy (CSW) Comments are Disabled

The Thursday night tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton was all about Syrah. We tasted five Syrahs, four of which were from California, one from southern Oregon. George and Gail were unavailable to do the tasting, so Alan presented these wines. Let’s see what we can learn about Syrah.

Celebrating Malbec World Day

April 17, 2013 by Nancy (CSW) Comments are Disabled

In case you didn’t know, April 17 is Malbec World Day. So designated by Wines of Argentina since 2011. Wines of Argentina is an organization that promotes Argentinian wine worldwide and assists Argentinian wine producers it developing their export strategy.

Wines That Begin With “V”

April 11, 2013 by Nancy (CSW) Comments are Disabled

“V” wines were the topic of our Thursday night tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton (1). Does this mean grape varieties that begin with “V”? Or, maybe it’s the winery or region that begins with “V”. Let’s see.

Heitz Cellar Winemaker’s Dinner

April 8, 2013 by Nancy (CSW) 2 comments

We recently attended a Winemaker’s Dinner at the Brookside Country Club. The five-course dinner was prepared by Executive Chef Chris Isert and wines were provided for each course by Heitz Cellar. Kaj Hallstrom, Northern California Sales for Heitz Cellar was present to tell us about each of the wines. A long-time employee, and one of only 16 Heitz Cellar employees, […]

Tannat — One of Our New Favorites

April 6, 2013 by Nancy (CSW) Comments are Disabled

This is a varietal we were introduced to by our good friend, Dave. One Monday night, a couple of years ago, he brought a bottle of 2008 Pasos Vineyards (1) Tannat. It was inky dark, had complex dark fruit flavors with eucalyptus and perfumed scents. The tannins were substantial, but well integrated. We loved the combination of fruit flavors and big tannins. This experience with Tannat was enough to prompt us to look for it on wine lists and in wine stores.

Barbera — Italy vs California

April 5, 2013 by Nancy (CSW) 2 comments

The focus of the tasting Thursday night at Fine Wines of Stockton was Barbera. We tasted four Italian and two California offerings. Will the California wines have a style of their own, or will they taste similar to the Italian wines? We shall see.

The Rhone Rangers – Old World Inspiration, New World Innovation

March 28, 2013 by Nancy (CSW) Comments are Disabled

Our wine education continued recently at the San Francisco Weekend Celebration of American Rhone Wines. This two-day event was sponsored by The Rhone Rangers (1), “a non-profit educational organization, dedicated to promoting the enjoyment of Rhone varietal wines produced in the United States”.