Spring means my garden is full of nasturtiums, lemons, salad greens, mint, lavender, roses, and rosemary! The volunteer tomatoes are just getting rosy. And pairs so well with spring? Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre, in the Loire Valley, it’s ancestral home! Even though it is fall right now in New Zealand where the grape has made its mark, New Zealand and the rest of the world including Chile is paying attention to this zesty, herbal white wine because the first Friday in May is Sauvignon Blanc Day!
Sauvignon Blanc flowering in Fillmore, Ventura County, CA April 2022
So what are some of our favorite pairings for this food friendly wine?
Wine from Chile has long been recognized as affordable and awesome. Here are four Cabernet Sauvignon from two regions ranging from $20-$45 that over deliver for you to consider for your next beach or backyard BBQ. While you’ve probably enjoyed a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon before since almost 100k acres and 20% of the Chilean vineyards, you may not have paid much attention to the region or compared them. Generally speaking, a typical Cabernet Sauvignon from the Maipo region offers red and dark fruit with polished tannins and juicy freshness while Cabernet Sauvignon from Colchagua Cabs brings to the palate darker fruit, structured tannins, and moderate freshness. The Maipo Valley includes the historic core of vineyards that you may be familiar with, so it may be time to compare with the Colchagua Valley to learn more about the differences and similarities between climate, soils and, ultimately, terroir management.
4 Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon from 2 Regions
A brief introduction to two regions and two wines from each: Continue reading →
As Earth Month winds to a close, consider moving toward more sustainable wines, including those you can find in the Slow Wine Guides. One such winery is certified organic Girasole, which means sunflower in Italian, founded by Charlie Barra, and who has an organic winery named after him, Barra.
Happy Earth Day Every Day! This year, we’re saying cheers to our planet with a picnic in the park with Domaine Bousquet Charmat Brut Rosé: vegan, gluten-free, sustainable, made with respect for human and environmental rights as certified by Fair for Life, and certified organic by Ecocert.
All those certifications take time and money, but they are worth it says Domaine Bousquet co-owner, Anne Bousquet: Continue reading →
Easter and French wine, oui! Easter and French wine and TACOS? Que c’est ridicule! or is that si, señora? While it might sound questionable, a taco bar is a fun way to feed a large gathering, and we already know we LOVE chicken mole tacos with Bordeaux wines, and shrimp tacos with French rose, so why not a taco bar for Easter with instant pot Barbacoa, fried shrimp and lobster bites, marinated chicken, and grilled fish? Continue reading →
Why is “Malbec World Day” celebrated on April 17? Because on this day in 1853, President Domingo Faustino Sarmiento of Argentina tasked French soil expert Michel Aimé Pouge with transforming the Argentine wine industry with new grape varietals, including Malbec. “Malbec World Day” started as “Día Mundial del Malbec” or “Malbec throughout the world”. Continue reading →
“L’chaim!” is a Hebrew toast meaning “To life!” The new wine “Alavida” from Argentina’s Domaine Bousquet celebrates life in several languages right there on the label. Its name plays off the Spanish “A la vida!” which also means “To life!” If you’re looking for a wine that’s organic AND kosher AND affordable, meet Alavida, Argentina’s first USDA-certified organic and kosher wine, one of only a few wines worldwide to achieve this unusual status that’s also vegan, gluten-fee, and Ecocert-approved, and now in the US just in time for the first night of Passover tomorrow, Friday April 15, 2022, and Malbec Day Sunday April 17.
2021 Domaine Bousquet “Alavida” Malbec, Tupungato, Mendoza, Argentina
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 