Unoaked Chardonnay is fairly common, but the same cannot be said for unoaked Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet is almost always made by fermenting and aging the wine in oak barrels of various types and ages. Winery owner and beverage specialist Ron Rubin is clearly not following the crowd with his line of UN-Oaked wines; Pam’s UN-Oaked Cabernet Sauvignon recently joined Pam’s […]
One of the many lessons I learned during weekly wine tastings at a local wine shop is that there are many very expensive bottles of wine that taste really good, especially from Napa Valley. It isn’t particularly difficult to find those wines, but what takes a bit more effort is to find those really good wines for less money. What […]
ETTORE is an organic winery located in the Sanel Valley near Hopland in California’s Mendocino AVA. The 64-acre estate, with 35 acres of vines, has been certified organic since 2005. Today we are tasting two wines from the 2018 vintage, which we received as tasting samples. The Sanel Valley lies along the Russian River in the southern part of the […]
Since 2007 Davis Bynum Winery has been a member of the family of wines owned by Rodney Strong Wine Estates. By the time Davis Bynum sold his winery to Rodney Strong it had a well-established reputation for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley. Today Rodney Strong winemaker Greg Morthole has the responsibility of carrying on Davis Bynum’s […]
If you are familiar with the wines made by Jordan Vineyard & Winery in Healdsburg, California then you need no excuse to enjoy their wines. You already know Jordan’s focus is on two wines: Russian River Chardonnay and Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. You know Jordan doesn’t follow trends; their focus has always been on elegance and balance. In case you […]
Cava has its origins in the Penedès region of Spain near Barcelona and is made in four zones around the country. Both local grape varieties and those used in Champagne are used in winemaking and as a result Cava offers a unique flavor profile along with mouth-filling bubbles. Today we are tasting a range of Cavas to help us understand […]
Opening a bottle of sparkling wine takes a bit of additional care and attention, but the reward is a glass of wine made more beautiful by its lively bubbles. Once you sip that wine the bubbles fill your mouth adding texture and energy, in addition to a variety of flavors. And there is something mesmerizing about simply watching the bubbles […]
Including the word family in a winery’s name is the most direct way to indicate the enterprise is a family operation, but it’s certainly not the most creative way to do so. Eight at the Gate, however, might be the smartest way I’ve seen to include family in a winery’s name. How is that you might wonder? Well, when two […]
Brothers Stu and Charles Smith have been making wine on Spring Mountain above Napa Valley since the early 1970s. The mountainside location sets Smith-Madrone apart from the valley and so does the brothers’ winemaking style. They make Cabernet Sauvignon in an elegant, old-world style along with lively, oaked Chardonnay and Riesling — yes, Riesling, because they both really love Riesling. […]
Franciacorta is a small wine region that lies in northern Italy’s Lombardia (Lombardy) region. Only sparkling wines made here using the traditional method, metodo classico, may be called Franciacorta. Chardonnay, Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) and Pinot Bianco are the main grape varieties. Erbamat, an indigenous white variety with naturally high acidity levels, has also been approved recently. Why should you […]
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.