It was the Instagram image below, shared by Heritage Oak Winery, that prompted me to email Tom Hoffman. Tom is the winemaker at Heritage Oak Winery which he owns and operates with his wife Carmela. They farm 106 acres of vineyards planted to 25 varieties along the north bank of the Mokelumne River in the Lodi’s Mokelumne River AVA. The […]
Every glass of wine is an adventure in aromas, flavors and textures – at the very least. If you are at all curious about the wine in your glass, there is the added bonus of exploring geography, wine classifications, grape varieties and winemaking techniques. I can’t help but examine the label of every wine I drink; and I am always […]
Torrontés and Malbec are Argentina’s best-known wine grape varieties, at least to those of us that are the focus Argentina’s export market. Of the two varieties, Malbec is definitely better known, but Torrontés is perhaps more distinctive. I remember my first taste of Torrontés years ago, I was floored by the floral aromas and flavors. Malbec, which originated in France, […]
LoCA, the Lodi Winegrape Commission, recently held a wine tasting titled “How Do Lodi Wines Compare to the Best In the World? (A Blind Tasting with a Panel of Professional Wine Educators)” as a prelude to their annual Zinfest celebration. I was pleased to be a guest at the tasting and put my blind tasting skills to the test. It […]
If you have tasted Chardonnay made in California, chances are Wente family ancestors had a hand in developing the Chardonnay clone that produced that glass of wine. As much as 80% of Chardonnay grown in California is made with or derived from the Wente clone. That’s a pretty amazing statistic and a very good reason for Wente Vineyards to be […]
Albariño. Are you familiar with it? The white winegrape is grown extensively in the Rías Baixas region in northwest Spain; in fact the variety represents nearly all of the plantings in this cool, coastal region. Albariño produces a crisp, dry white wine with a range of flavors that include citrus, melon and stone fruit to delicately floral with an interesting […]
Quite by accident I stumbled upon the announcement of an upcoming natural wine tasting in Oakland, California on March 12, 2017. The event, called The Second Brumaire, will be held at the Starline Social Club from 12 – 5 pm, is open to the public and costs $20 to attend. Below is a list of wineries from Europe and the […]
Yes, savory. If you’re looking to pair wine with something sweet (other than your Valentine) then you’ve landed on the wrong blog post. Another search will yield lots of articles giving you wine pairings with chocolates or desserts. In fact, you will probably find lots more pairings with something sweet than savory. That’s the very reason I’m suggesting a savory […]
Are you familiar with Beaujolais, the French wine region dedicated to the Gamay grape variety? If you enjoy fruit-forward wines with relatively low alcohol levels, juicy acidity and silky tannins then you really should become acquainted. We recently participated in a tasting of Beaujolais that demonstrates the range of wine production in the region by a single producer. We received […]
Today’s the day. December 4. Cab Franc Day. Also known as #CabFrancDay on Twitter. The day officially designated to celebrate the grape variety Cabernet Franc.
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.