Tasting Notes

Tasting notes for individual wines.

ArrowandBranch featured

Arrow&Branch: A Numismatist’s Winemaking Dream

Numismatist. Not your everyday word. Thanks to Steve and Seanne Contursi, the creative couple behind Arrow&Branch winery, I recently learned the meaning of this difficult-to-pronounce word and had the opportunity to taste their Arrow&Branch wines. It is because of Steve’s success as a numismatist (a coin collector and trader) that the Contursis are able to realize their dream of owning […]

Ferraton Samorens featured

Ferraton Père & Fils: A White and Rosé for Everyday Enjoyment

Maison Ferraton Père & Fils was founded in 1946 with the purchase of a small vineyard in Hermitage. Today Ferraton Père & Fils is a relatively large producer making a range of wines. Estate vineyards in Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph are farmed biodynamically. Wine production from these esteemed vineyard locations represents only a small part of total production. We won’t […]

Villa Maria Featured Photo

Villa Maria: A Taste of New Zealand

The origin of the name Villa Maria has been a curiosity to me since first I first read the wine bottle label and realized it was a New Zealand wine. The name never quite fit with its New Zealand origin. I remember several years ago searching the Villa Maria website for a clue as to its origin. The founder of […]

Terrunyo Sauvignon Blanc Featured

Terrunyo Sauvignon Blanc | Block 5

Terrunyo is a range of wines made by the well-established Chilean producer Concha y Toro. Terroir is the focus of this range. Specific vineyard blocks in prime locations for each grape variety have been identified and are the source of grapes for these wines. The range includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère and Syrah in addition to Sauvignon Blanc. This Sauvignon Blanc, […]

Vivanco: A Taste of Rioja

When you think of wine from Rioja you probably think primarily of Tempranillo. Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo (Carignan) are the usual blending partners for Tempranillo in the region and these wines are great partners for roasted or braised meat. I love them with lamb. Red wine production predominates in this region of northern Spain that straddles the Ebro River, but […]

Grilled chicken and rose

Grilled Chicken and Rosé, of Course, for #winePW

After missing several Wine Pairing Weekend get-togethers we are back with our monthly food and wine pairing group of bloggers. We missed everyone! Camilla, who blogs at Culinary Adventures with Camilla, challenged us to fire up the grill and devise a food and wine paring. No problem, we love to grill and do so quite often when the weather is […]

Locations wines beginning with C

Locations Wines That Begin With C

Dave Phinney is a worldly winemaker. His Locations range, known for their distinctive labeling that identifies the country of origin, includes wine from Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Argentina, California, Oregon, Washington, Texas and Corsica. Whew. That’s a lot to keep track of, and a lot of airline miles accumulated in a year. We have tasted most of these wines and […]

Sutro Co Wine Tasting

A Unique Vineyard Tour & Tasting Experience: Sutro Wine Co.

We recently made the acquaintance of Alice and Eliot Sutro, the couple behind Sutro Wine Co. We had the opportunity to taste their wines and tour the Warnecke Ranch which is the source of the grapes for their wines. We began in the vineyards below Chalk Hill, with Alice, and finished in Healdsburg, where Eliot joined us, for a wine […]