Travel is great fun and so is wine. Combining the two can be twice the fun. As we planned our trip to Africa, we knew we would be tasting many wines from South Africa. In fact we extended our stay to do just that. But, we also wanted to try and find wine from at least one of the other countries we would be visiting. We succeeded in tasting four interesting wines from Bushman Rock Estate in Zimbabwe while we were in Botswana. What a great wine adventure!
Baobab Safari Lodge is situated above the Chobe River in Botswana along a broad open forest that slopes toward the river. It isn’t far from the Ngoma Bridge which reaches between Botswana and Namibia. In July the river forms a series of narrow channels in the area due to decreasing water levels. High water is generally in April and May after which it begins receding until January when water levels again begin to rise.
The flying time between California and South Africa was a grueling 22 hours in length for us (not counting a 4-hour layover). We tried hard not to think how long a time that really is. To that end, we officially began our trip with a toast made with Graham Beck Brut NV, what else? We have had this delicious South African sparkling wine made in the Method Cap Classic style (South Africa’s Méthode Traditionnelle) several times. It is always delicious and just what we wanted to celebrate the beginning of what we expected to be an exciting vacation.
Bounty is the key word in this month’s Wine Pairing Weekend theme. There is so much to choose from at the Farmers’ Market these days that it can be a bit difficult for me to focus. Everything looks good and I want to bring all of it home with me. Same goes for the choices from our wine cellar. Decisions, decisions.
Maison M. Chapoutier is a family-owned winery (and négotiant business) located in Tain-l’Hermitage in the northern Rhone. The family’s winemaking history dates back to 1808 and is closely linked with Hermitage. Though the family’s winemaking roots are in the northern Rhone, current winemaking interests also include vineyards in Alsace, Portugal, Australia and the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France.
Pete and I have wanted to visit Africa for a long time. It’s something we have talked about over the years, often in the afternoon with a glass of wine in hand, in our back yard. Vacation day dreaming! But finally our plans turned from wistful thinking to planning…over a year of planning actually.
Those of us who are regular tasters at the Thursday night wine tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton know one of George’s great loves is Sauternes and cherries. Not just any cherries mind you. They must be cherries that are not overly sweet, just a touch of tartness is what’s desired to counter the sweetness of the Sauternes.
Rosé is one of the things I like the most about summer. Every year we look forward to seeking out new, and familiar, rosés to enjoy as outdoor temperatures rise. I love rosé for many reasons.
If you’re like many people you think of Lodi as red wine country and Zinfandel country in particular. And while it is true the majority of wine grape production in Lodi is red, there is quite a variety of white grape production as well. Some exciting white wine is being produced in Lodi and this tasting includes just a sampling of those wines.
Ryan Sherman loves to talk wine, but he loves making wine even more. He grew up in Lodi which means an exposure to vineyards and winemaking was inescapable. He grew up with kids whose parents were farmers and winemakers, though his parents were not. Ryan’s family was in real estate and he pursued a career in commercial real estate himself. He eventually circled around to winemaking, establishing Fields Family Wines with partner Russ Fields in 2008.
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.