Tasting Notes

Tasting notes for individual wines.

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 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 […]

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 […]

Photo of four Livermore Valley AVA wines on a table with trees in the background

Livermore Valley Wine: A Blend of History and Family Winemaking

California’s Livermore Valley AVA is situated about 35 miles east of San Francisco Bay. The valley has an unusual east-west orientation within the Coast Range that allows cool, maritime breezes to be funneled inland through the valley from the bay. The region is still quite warm with ample sunshine and cool nights. Valley floor and mountainside vineyard locations boast well-drained […]

Photo of Alileo Young Bianco and Syrah boxed wines on a table

Alileo: Wine from Sicily’s West Coast in a Box

Many wineries are turning to bag-in-box (BIB) packaging for their wines to reduce their carbon footprint among other things. BIB wines are lighter to transport, take up less space and keep wine fresh longer than glass bottles. Alileo is one such brand packaged in a box. In addition to BIB, Alileo packages sparkling wine under crown cap and cork and […]