Rioja is a wine region located in northern Spain (between Bilbao and Madrid) that is highly regarded for its Tempranillo, which comprises the majority of the plantings in the region. Garnacha, Carignan and Graciano are also planted and are most often blending partners to Tempranillo.
To say Casey Flat Ranch is remote is an understatement. The 6000 acre ranch is located in the Vaca Mountains northeast of Lake Berryessa and the Napa Valley. This remote area of Yolo county has a wine producing history dating back to the 1860s, but the Capay Valley AVA was only recently declared in 2002.
The Alsace region is tucked into the northeast corner of France right along the border with Germany. The wine of the region, along with everything else, is influenced by both countries which makes for some very interesting wines.
Earth Day and Organic Prosecco, what a brilliant pairing! What’s even more brilliant is how flavorful and fresh this wine tastes. Bubbles are among my very favorite wines, so to be able to enjoy a bubbly made with organic grapes on Earth Day literally made my day.
Most wine drinkers are not excited about finding sediment, crystals or anything else in the bottom of their drained wine glass. I keep an open mind about these things. Admittedly it doesn’t happen too often, mostly just some sediment with an older red wine (which makes me very happy as I appreciate the transformation an older red wine makes in the bottle), but recently I was treated to a little surprise.
What a spectacular day! The weather was much too warm for early April, but perfect for an outing to the Richmond side of San Francisco Bay. Can’t say I had ever been to Richmond before, just driven through the city on the way to somewhere else. So, when I noticed the Rhone Rangers celebration was to be held in part at Craneway Conference Center and Pavilion at Ford Point, Richmond I was curious.
We have found much to like about the 2010 Bordeaux vintage. Lots of fruit flavors, a variable amount of complexity, plenty of tannins and modest wood influence, to name just a few of our favorite qualities. We continued our tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton with Bordeaux from Saint-Julien.
Are wine judges consistent in their judging? Should they have to pass a certification course?
This is the second seminar we attended as part of the San Francisco Weekend Celebration of American Rhone Wines, which was sponsored by The Rhone Rangers. This seminar was intended to showcase Mourvèdre. Seven winemakers presented and talked about their wines. The seminar was moderated by Jon Bonné, Wine Editor, San Francisco Chronicle.
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”.
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.