Category Archives: California

What’s Your Sign? Sun or Soil?

Posted on January 6, 2013 by

There are wines of the sun, wines of the soil, and wines of the test tube. I enjoy the first, love the second, and try to avoid the third. It’s not that simple, of course. Wine never is, or we … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, California, France, Wine | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Chicken in Cream Sauce

Posted on December 14, 2012 by

Dinner on Austrian Airlines made me think of California chardonnay. Not that I wanted any, as the fruity, simple zweigelt was fine, but the in-flight entree en route from Washington to Vienna was chicken in cream sauce and that always … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Wine | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

It all begins with an idea …

Posted on November 14, 2012 by

The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History will unveil a new exhibit next week called “FOOD: Transforming the American Table 1950-2000.” A major part of this exhibit – which anyone who eats or drinks should visit – covers the … Continue reading →

Posted in California, DrinkLocalWine.com, Eastern US, Food and Drink, Local Wine, Regional Wine Week, Virginia, Washington Post, Wine | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Hurricane Sandhi

Posted on October 29, 2012 by

For the record, hurricanes suck. Especially this one, named Sandy, though at this hour (8 pm ET Monday October 29) we haven’t seen the worst of her. After all, I still have power to write a blog post with. But … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Pinot Noir, Rants, Too Much Alcohol!, Wine | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Steven Spurrier on American wines

Posted on October 18, 2012 by

During my interview with Steven Spurrier at the Virginia Wine Summit in Richmond earlier this month, I asked him about his impressions of U.S. wines, 36 years after his famous Paris tasting put California on the world wine map. The … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Local Wine, New York, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, Washington Post, Wine, writers | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Winemakers do a number on Wine Spectator

Posted on September 18, 2012 by

Call Central Casting and request a flamboyent French winemaker who epitomizes joie de vivre and bonhomie, and they’d probably send you Jean-Charles Boisset. Boisset is the scion of a famous Burgundy family who in recent years has embarked on a … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Film, France, Humor, Wine, Wine Humor, writers | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Worth Reading: The Local Wine Edition

Posted on May 18, 2012 by

Catching up on the reading, there’s lots out there about local wine:   Eric Asimov of the New York Times joins the locavore/locapour debate this week with a well-reasoned piece about the reluctance of consumers to consider local wines even … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Colorado, DrinkLocalWine.com, Eastern US, Local Wine, New York, Weblogs, Wine | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Worth Reading: Provoking Adam Lee

Posted on May 6, 2012 by

Some fun and interesting keyboard musings this week: W. Blake Gray indulges in his favorite sport – provoking Adam Lee of Siduri with a post about low alcohol levels. It’s a great way to boost your comment totals on a … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current Affairs, DrinkLocalWine.com, Local Wine, Parker, Pinot Noir, Weblogs, Wine, writers | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Touring Sonoma vineyards with Greg La Follette

Posted on April 23, 2012 by

During my visit to Sonoma County last month, I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon and evening with Greg La Follette, producer of acclaimed pinot noir and chardonnay from Sonoma and Mendocino counties. We trundled around the lower Sonoma … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Pinot Noir, Terroir, Washington Post, Wine | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Worth Reading: And well, listening and viewing too

Posted on April 21, 2012 by

The Best of the Rest in wine this week: The countdown is on to DrinkLocalWine.com 2012 in Denver next Saturday, so The Wine Curmudgeon and I do a prospective look at the conference and a retrospective glance at how the … Continue reading →

Posted in California, DrinkLocalWine.com, Local Wine, Uncategorized, Virginia, Weblogs, Wine, Wine Humor | Tagged , | Leave a comment