Notes about the wines we have tried recently.
Today’s Cellar Note takes us on a tasting tour of four Spanish wine regions: Rías Baixas, Rueda, Rioja and Jerez. All four wines are imported by Gonzáles Byass USA and all are priced under $20 per bottle. We received all four wines as tasting samples. After five generations in the wine business, Gonzáles Byass remains family-owned. What began in 1835 […]
There is something to be said for the comfort of familiarity. On the other hand, the exhilaration of new discoveries should not be underestimated. We recently discovered this for ourselves when we enjoyed a bottle of Brkić Greda Žilavka, both a new wine region and grape variety for us, with a delicious mushroom pasta dish that was also new to […]
Today’s Cellar Note includes two varietal wines and a red blend that highlight the large number of grape varieties grown in Santa Barbara County. All are produced by Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards, a winery established and owned by two long-time friends and their families. All three wines, which we received as tasting samples, are sourced from Lucas & Lewellen estate […]
Every bottle of wine made by Concannon Vineyard comes with a long family history of winemaking in the Livermore Valley. That history includes the development of three Cabernet Sauvignon clones that are now widely planted in California. Today’s Cellar Note offers a taste of Concannon Cabernet Sauvignon, from Paso Robles, and a brief telling of that family history. The wine […]
Today’s Cellar Note takes us to the Marche region of Italy and provides a taste of Verdicchio, a grape variety closely associated with the region, which lies along the Adriatic Sea. We received both wines as tasting samples. 2017 Garofoli Macrina Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore, Marche — pale straw in the glass with generous aromas of oat […]
As I sit writing this Cellar Note today’s temperature is expected to break the triple-digit mark. Strategies to keep cool will be needed. Umbrellas will be up on the patio and the misters turned on. Something cool in the glass will be required. We recently received three wines as tasting samples that will do nicely. These wines will keep you […]
Nerello Mascalese will forever be connected in my mind to Sicily and more specifically Mt. Etna. Not so much because it is, along with the white grape variety Carricante, the signature red grape of the Etna DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata), but because the striking natural beauty of Mt. Etna. Several years ago we spent three weeks traveling around Sicily. […]
In today’s Cellar Note we share our tasting notes for two wines made by Andrew Jones. To be honest, Andrew Jones is a new winemaker to us and, as it turns out, his story is pretty interesting. Both wines are tasting samples that came to us by chance — a chance encounter on Twitter with Mark Aselstine, co-owner of Uncorked […]
Rosé is wonderful for so many reasons. It is a beautiful color in the glass and can be light and refreshing or carry more flavors and complexity. It’s as variable as the grape varieties used to make it and the best examples have ample acidity. Rosé pairs well with a variety of food, depending on its style, and I rarely […]
I haven’t had a wine from Israel for many years so it was a pleasant surprise to have the opportunity to try some sparkling wine from Israel. I wasn’t aware they even made sparkling wine until I was offered some samples from the Golan Heights Winery. Golan Heights Winery History The first vineyards in the Golan Heights were planted in […]
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.
