California’s Livermore Valley AVA is situated about 35 miles east of San Francisco Bay. The valley has an unusual east-west orientation within the Coast Range that allows cool, maritime breezes to be funneled inland through the valley from the bay. The region is still quite warm with ample sunshine and cool nights. Valley floor and mountainside vineyard locations boast well-drained […]
All things considered we have had a relatively mild summer in Central California. After recently experiencing the heat and humidity of a heat dome in the Midwestern US, we have a new appreciation for temperatures in the mid-90s with relatively low humidity. We also have an appreciation for sipping chilled white wine on a warm evening and today are sharing […]
Hey French You Could Have Made This Wine But You Didn’t is a wine with a very long name and more than a bit of attitude. This new wine, made by Pasqua in northeastern Italy’s Veneto region, is a multi-vintage blend of Garganega along with Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon. It comes with a graffiti-inspired label similar to the PassioneSentimento wines […]
It’s hard to remember a year more difficult than 2020. The loss of my parents marked the most sorrowful years for me personally, but collectively this is the most difficult year I can remember. The bad news has continued since February and the worst may not be behind us. Coronavirus, COVID-19, stay-at-home and social distancing became part of my everyday […]
My travels to the Dolomites in northeastern Italy are limited to the wine in my glass. But I have to say that virtual travel is one of the great pleasures of wine. The Dolomites, with their jagged peaks, steep slopes, valleys cut by glaciers and alpine rivers, have created a complex terroir that defines Trentino-Alto Adige. Today we are tasting […]
This is my happy time of year. The days are long, the weather is warm, and I’m including more white wine in my sipping rotation. Today we have five white wines from around the world that are perfect for summer. You may enjoy them so much you’ll want to sip them all year long like I do. We received these […]
Pinot Grigio has earned a reputation as a light, flavorless white wine. My friend recently told me a story that perfectly illustrates that reputation. Her friend, who when confronted with a wine list lacking wines familiar to her, orders Pinot Grigio because at least she knows what it will taste like. Water. Not exactly an enthusiastic endorsement of the variety. […]
Both the Kautz family name and Ironstone Vineyards are familiar to me, as they are to many residents in and around Lodi where I associate the Kautz name with farming and viticulture. The sprawling Ironstone winery, located in the Sierra Foothills town of Murphys, is a destination winery. In addition to wine tasting and the wine cave there is a […]
On a recent Saturday afternoon, with yard work complete, it was time to sit on the patio and relax. As shade moved over the patio we also realized it was wine o’clock. Time for a glass of wine and something to eat.
I pulled the bottle of Peter Zemmer Pinot Grigio from the refrigerator and grabbed my favorite wine glass, a Zalto Denk’Art Universal glass. It required a firm grip and a bit of muscle to remove the screw cap from the bottle of wine. I poured an ounce or so into my glass, put the screw cap back on the wine bottle and placed it in the refrigerator.
As I turned my attention to the glass of Pinot Grigio, the most amazing aromas greeted me — even before I lifted the glass to my nose. This was my first hint that this Pinot Grigio, grown in Alto Adige (and sent to us as a tasting sample), was no ordinary Pinot Grigio.
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.