Aldo Clerico and Bagna cauda
Aldo Clerico grew up in the heart of Barolo country in his family’s vineyards in Monforte d’Alba in the Langhe in northern Italy. He studied accounting in college, but in 2004 he returned to his roots to become a wine maker:
“After all, he has Barolo ‘in his blood’, Continue reading
MAHA biodynamic wines: the latest vintage
From our filling breakfast at the bustling Cow Girl Cafe in downtown Paso Robles, we weren’t sure which route to take in our VW van to get to Villa Creek and MAHA Estate on Peachy Canyon, and our trusty GPS didn’t make it all too clear either. Continue reading
#MerlotMe
October means #MerlotMe time — and here on Wine Predator we are having a Merlot-palooza! No Sideways looks at Merlot around here! So far we have harvested a case of Merlot wine samples to taste and pair, and along with my fellow wine pairing weekend group of wine writers (see below), we hope to inspire you to harvest a bottle or two of merlot for your own table!
So go ahead and #MERLOTME!
AmByth wines, olive oil, vinegar, and pairings
As we bounced along on the narrow, straight dirt road in our 1990 VW Westfalia camper van, with a very steep oak wooded hillside to the left, and a rolling dry cow pasture rising to our right, I was sure we’d gone the wrong way. The sign that said AmByth with the arrow? Maybe we should go back and check. And then the road came to an abrupt end in a clump of oak trees with a climb up to the right and the left. To the left was a green gate and another small sign: AmByth.
“AmByth is the Welsh word meaning ‘forever’. We view it as our legacy,” states AmByth Estates founder Phillip Hart.
Visintini Amphora Friulano
Italy has a long tradition of fermenting wine in clay vessels, particularly in the northern part of the country. Known as anfore, orci or giare, they stacked and traveled well in the days before oak barrels. Continue reading
Winemaker Heather Pyle Lucas at the Lucas Zinstar CCOF (organic certified) old vine vineyard in Lodi
So far this summer, Sue and I crisscrossed California visiting El Dorado County, Lodi, and Santa Barbara County, then I traveled to Oregon on the prowl for a certain type of wine. It’s not red, nor white, nor orange, nor sparkling, nor sweet. In fact, it’s all of the above. What we are looking for is SLOW WINE, wine that will qualify for the Slow Wine Guide, Continue reading
Wine made in clay vessels? Sure, in ancient times! But today? Yes! Commonly called amphora, wine made in clay vessels are made around the world in modern times. This month the Wine Pairing weekend crew of wine writers are exploring this topic and you can scroll down to see the list of exciting titles with links to participants who will be posting by Sat. August 14 at 8am — just in time for our twitter chat on the subject using the hashtag #winepw. Find the discussion questions below.
Wine made in Amphora goes by many names Continue reading
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 