Carignan from 4 CA Regions: Bagias, Ridge, Sans Wine, Tercero
Once upon a time, Carignan was one of the most important grapes grown in France and the US. In 1961, French vineyards grew 185,000 hectares of Carignan reports AAWE. In 1971, California grew over 25,ooo acres of Carignane. Today? Not so much. Looking at this chart below you’ll see today’s popular grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are placed in number nine and number 16 in 1961, far behind Carignane.
“It’s the perfect blending grape,” says Ridge’s David Gates; that’s “why it’s still around.” According to Gates in a Carignan Day webinar in 2020, Carignan brightens acidity, brings out aromas, and pushes fruit flavors forward. This is a “bistro style wine with good tannins but not too much” says Gates, and it works on its own or blended.
In Monferrato, Piemont, Montalbera’s infinity salt water pool + bubbles + Art Predator= perfection
September 2026 was quite a month! While I didn’t win any major writing contests like I did in September of 2022 followed by my first press trip to Italy, September 2026 will still go down as an incredible month for wine, food, travel and adventure for this Wine Predator!
David Oliver’s Petaled Portal, an honorarium art project at Burning Man 2026
La Farra Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Rive di Farra di Soligo Millismato Extra Dry
“Like the lines of a novel, exciting and passionate, the rows of vines, clinging tenaciously on steep slopes or lying gently on the plains below, draw harmonious geometries.” La Farra
When I recently returned from Italy, I was greeted with samples of La Farra Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG. I’d been invited to join a ZOOM with the producer, but I was en route to California, and missed the call. I learned from their website that the Nardi brothers Innocente and Guido grow their grapes in the hills of Farra di Soligo, located in the heart of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG since in 1997.
These days, everyone knows Prosecco, the Italian sparking wine from the Veneto that’s now widely popular and available. Or they think they do! But do you know the difference between Prosecco, Prosecco DOC, and Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG? You should! For just a little more money, you can buy a special sparkling wine — Prosecco DOCG promises character. As I tell my friends, the “G” means “Gwendolyn Guaranteed”!
But what makes a Prosecco DOCG? And what makes Valdobbiadene DOCG sparklers something to search for? Continue reading →
Pairing Albariño from Spain and Uruguay: Seek Seafood + Crab Cakes
Is Albariño the ultimate wine for summertime seafood? One of Spain’s most popular white wines, Albariño grows in Galicia on the north-western coast of Spain, and in northwest Portugal. If you’re looking for an aromatic, crisp wine to pair with oysters, crab, anchovies, scallops, swordfish, clams, even sole with beurre blanc…. look no further than Albariño, a light, bright white with sea fresh minerality that works well with seafood. While Albariño is most well-known from Spain’s Rias Baixas region where it has grown for 900 years, it’s grown in wine regions around the world including South America’s Uruguay which is producing Albariño along its coast. Albariño has a medium-sized, thick-skinned berry that’s susceptible to mildew. The wine can be made in several styles with bright acidity, floral aromas, and on the palate, peach, apricot, and citrus. grapefruit.
And what better day than today– Albariño Day, in the middle of summer, during a global heat wave– to pour this refreshing white wine into your glass? Continue reading →
Art Predator Gwendolyn Alley leads an informal tasting of Gold Coast wines on the Gold Coast; photo by Karen McMahon
What better way to spend a summer day than tasting Gold Coast Wine Competition wines along the Gold Coast? Many California county fairs like the Orange County Fair and regions like the California Mid-State Fair are famous for their commercial wine competitions, and winning wineries proudly display their medals. Wineries large and small submit their wines to see how they stand side by side. Ventura County winemaker Steve Holt, a frequent judge, realized that the Ventura County Fair was missing something– a commercial wine competition that would celebrate and showcase local and regional wines, and even wines from beyond the central and southern coastal regions. Plus an opportunity to taste the wines!
Gold Coast red wines on the Gold Coast include Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, and merlot
So in 2024, Steve Holt started the “Gold Coast Wine Competition” Continue reading →
Vilarnau organic cava from Spain pairs well with seafood dishes like anchovies, halibut, swordfish
On July 12, join Spain and the world to toast International Cava Day and celebrate Spanish sparkling wine made in the traditional method from grapes indigenous to Iberia like Xarel·lo, Macabeo, Parellada. Cava comes in various styles from light, fresh and young perfect for tapas to older and more complex to pair with meals to sweeter versions; basically there’s a Cava to go with every occasion and dish. D.O. Cava also has pairing ideas: check out this chart or use it in Cava cocktails like these as suggested by D.O. Cava.
Here’s another reason to celebrate Cava: there’s a good chance that the Cava in your glass is organic.
