If you know anything about Uruguayan wines, you know about their tannat, because there is something special happening there with that grape: the terroir simply tames it and elevates it. But white wines? Yes! When Europeans settled along the coast of Uruguay, they planted the grapes they knew from home. From Galicia in Spain, they brought Albarino, from Germany they brought Riesling, and from France they brought Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. Regardless of the grape, you’ll find, like we did, that the white wines of Uruguay reflect their proximity to the sea by expressing salinity, minerality, and a distinct character.
I live in North America on the coast where the sun and the moon sets on the Pacific Ocean and it is rarely humid. Uruguay is in South America where the sun and moon rise in the Atlantic Ocean, and it is often humid. But both coastal regions unite in a few important ways: Continue reading →
On the night of the time change 17 years ago, my life changed when I started blogging in that extra hour over on Art Predator, an online version of a newspaper column I had in Ventura County for several years in the late 1990s.
with Antonella Manuli in Lombardy Italy after speaking at the Wine Media Conference 2022; I visited her winery in Tuscany in June 2023 and again in May 2024
This morning when I went online to prepare for tonight’s tasting with Sue Hill (four amphora wines: three wines from Georgia and one from Portugal as well as preparing for a ZOOM at noon about Uruguayan wines), I was greeted with this message:
“Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com! You registered on WordPress.com 17 years ago. Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging.”
And oh, what a flight it has been! Over the years I’ve traveled and written about wine at Burning Man, Italy, Portugal, France, Canada, Egypt, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and more!
3 Alta Marfa wines with pairings for Texas Wine Month
Texas is a big state with a diverse landscape across its territory so believe it or not, there’s plenty of places that wine grapes grow– including near Marfa in west Texas!
TBH, with all the BS in Texas with regards to women’s reproductive rights and immigrant rights, etc etc, I’ve been saying NO WAY JOSE to Texas travel and wine samples. But so many Texans are standing up, and with friends headed to TX in April for the eclipse, I decided to go, and of course I wanted to include wine tasting on the trip. With October being Texas Wine Month, I figured it was time to write about the wines of Alta Marfa.
Nizza? Gavi? Are these nicknames for winemakers or grapes or places or what? If you’re really into Italian wines, you may already know that just like Barolo is a high quality Nebbiolo grape made into wine from certain areas of Piemonte, Nizza is a high quality Barbera grape grown in certain areas of Piemonte and made into Nizza wine, while Gavi is a high quality wine made from the Cortese grape grown in certain areas of Piemonte. Simply put, a a Nizza Barbera is a guarantee that is is possibly the best Barbera you’ll find and taste!
1979 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin La Grande Dame and 2005 Nicolas Feuillatte
When I saw a bottle of 1979 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin La Grande Dame at a neighborhood garage sale, I noticed right away that the level of liquid on the bottle was well below the cork– NOT a good sign! You want to see the the bottle is pretty full so that the liquid touches the cork. But I figured for the right price it would make a good story. When he said Continue reading →
On Saturday, October 12, Château Dauzac in Margaux France hosted the 12th World Wine Tasting Championship sponsored by French wine magazine, La Revue du Vin de France. Italy made a surprising win by a huge margin of 28 points over Switzerland and Taiwan who tied for second place with 140 points. Japan came close with 138 points.
4 Biodynamic Oregon Wines with pairings: duck breast with blueberry sauce, fall salad, squash and mushroom risotto
We’re falling for biodynamic wines from Oregon this autumn paired with a fall menu of favorites. We have four very different but all stellar wines from four wineries that have been leading the United States in biodynamic and organic practices. Bonus: Continue reading →
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 