4 Organic CA Cab Sauvignon

As summer yields to autumn, we transition to fall flavors, yet it can still be quite warm. What wine to drink and food to pair? Since it is California Wine Month, we decided to focus on iconic Cabernet Sauvignon grown organically or biodynamically. but from two lesser known regions, Continue reading →

2022 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc and Viognier

Did you know that the National; Park Service just celebrated their birthday? On August 25 in 1916 President Woodrow Wilson signed the act that created the National Park Service. This summer marks the second year of Pine Ridge’s partnership with the Nation Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). Projects include “the establishment of new national park sites including Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, new emergency fuel reduction treatments and historic legislation providing nearly $1 billion for the National Park Service to respond to climate change.” Continue reading →

Côtes du Rhône Organic Rosé Wines

When Sue came over to do Rosè from Provence paired with fish tacos for this month’s “Summer in Provence” prompt with the Winophiles, I discovered I was fresh out of Rosè from Provence! Instead of making a run for the store, I turned to France’s second oldest wine region, Côtes du Rhône, located just north of Provence, where recently Continue reading →

Sparkling Whites from Mendo’s Scharffenberger and Marche’s Mai Sentito Pair with Pizza

What are your favorite pairings with pizza? When I was a kid, it was root beer. When I was older, I loved sharing pizza and a pitcher of beer with friends, and famed Italian pizza chef swears by beer; he even has a signature beer available at his award winning restaurants 50 Kalo in Rome, Naples, and London.  Wine lovers like me turn to red wine, favoring Chianti or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, and if I can find it, Nerello Mascalese.  But on a warm summer night, I like Continue reading →

2 Red Pet Nats by Women Winemakers Paired with Pasta Bolognese and Fennel Flower Salad

Following years of drought, devastating floods bring more rain in a few weeks time than in the previous year. Sound familiar? Maybe a little like California in 2023? While we in California did experience floods that triggered an emergency declaration in many counties of California including Ventura where I live, today I want to call attention to the spring floods that came in May to Italy’s Emilia Romagna when the same amount of rain that might fall in seven months fell in two weeks in a series of storms, and people are still recovering. Continue reading →

What are South American “Native” Grapes? These days, everyone knows and loves Malbec from Argentina. In fact it is so widely identified with Argentina that it is easy to forget that it is not a “native grape” of South America but originally from France. Side by side, the two are very different, with the one from Argentina typically much more accessible and full of fruit as well as easier to find and affordable. Less well known but equally at home and flourishing in Argentina is Bonarda, originally from Savoy. A third grape that is making a name for itself in Argentina is Torrontes, a white wine grape with a convoluted history, but the one that actually is the most “native” as its heritage is the Criollas group of grape varieties which refers to American-born versions of the European grapevine. 

While Torrontes is typically enjoyed young, Continue reading →

2 Prosecco DOC Wines, Italian Inspired Small Bites

As I sit here working outside a cafe in a quiet “village” near California’s Lake Tahoe during a record breaking heat wave, I am drinking an iced espresso–with too much ice and not great espresso– and I remember all the bustling cafes I visited in Rome, Verona, Venice, and Bologna, the fun street scenes, and what they had in common: delicious colorful Prosecco spritzes made with Aperol, Campari, limoncello and other local appertivos served with snacks. How to create that experience back home? That’s what Sue Hill and I worked on last week in advance of Prosecco Week this week beginning yesterday July 17 and continuing until Sunday– plenty of time to get your Prosecco on! Continue reading →