Winery Profiles

Allegrini Estates – A Family of Red Wines From Northeastern Italy

Allegrini Estates a large wine producer by almost any standard (1 million cases per year), is a family-woned winery with a long history. The estate was founded in 1858, though family winemaking dates back 500 years. Production has been handed down through the generations since. The estate is located in the village of Fumane within Valpolicella Classico, near the city of Verona in northeastern Italy (find Venice and go due west to find Valpolicella).

St. Jorge Winery – Portuguese Varietal Wines in Lodi

St. Jorge Winery – Portuguese Varietal Wines in Lodi. We recently had the most interesting visit to this picturesque Lodi winery. St. Jorge Winery (1) produced its first vintage in 2008. We have tasted St. Jorge wines in the past. Several times someone has brought a bottle to an annual crab feed we attend. We have always liked the wine, usually a Verdelho, and have been curious to try their other wines. We decide to take a trip out to the winery to see what their wines are all about.

Clos Du Val – A Bit of France in the Napa Valley

On a recent spring day, I took a trip to Napa Valley with friends to do some wine tasting. We wanted to stop at a winery we had not visited before, and chose Clos Du Val. Located on the Silverado Trail in the Stags Leap District AVA (American Viticultural Area), Clos Du Val was established in 1972 by American entrepreneur John Goelet and French winemaker Bernard Portet. The pair made an extensive search for the perfect location to produce Bordeaux and Burgundy style wines and chose what would become Stags Leap District and Los Carneros AVAs.