Category Archives: California

Tasting SLV and Mouton with Warren Winiarski

Posted on March 16, 2015 by

During my recent visit to California, I had the pleasure of visiting Warren Winiarski, founder of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and a Napa Valley pioneer whose Cabernet Sauvignon won the famous Paris Tasting of 1976. We first met a few … Continue reading →

Posted in Bordeaux, California, Direct Shipping, Wine | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Fifty Years of American Winemaking, All in One Hour on October 29

Posted on October 20, 2014 by

The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History is 50 years old this year. As part of the birthday celebrations, the museum’s food and wine history project will host a discussion of “Fifty Years of American Winemaking” on Wednesday, October … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Local Wine, New York, Oregon, Wine | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Summer Wines with Soul & Substance

Posted on July 25, 2014 by

The weather is unusually pleasant for mid-summer this week in the Washington area, leaving me thinking of warm days and cooler nights, those wonderful “diurnal swings” that supposedly contribute to well-balanced wine. But since the 2014 Virginia and Maryland wines … Continue reading →

Posted in Bargain Wines, Burgundy, California, Cheap Wine, Chile, Colorado, France, Wine | Tagged | 1 Comment

50 States of Wine – Le Metro Underground Goes Cross Country

Posted on July 14, 2014 by

Earlier this year, after I wrote about the difficulty of finding the so-called “New California” wines, I was introduced to Aaron Epstein, a San Diego-based entrepreneur and new father who operates Le Metro. Wine. Underground, a subscription direct-to-consumer retailer. To use … Continue reading →

Posted in Cabernet Franc, California, Colorado, Eastern US, Local Wine, Rants, Riesling, Sparkling Wine, Texas, Virginia, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Wines to Defy Winter’s Last Blast

Posted on March 25, 2014 by

The calendar says Spring, but Ol’ Man Winter isn’t done with us yet. Tuesday’s forecast for the Washington, D.C., area calls for 1-2 more inches of the white stuff, timed not to give us a day off like that last … Continue reading →

Posted in California, France, Italy, Rosé, Spain, Washington Post, Wine | Tagged | Leave a comment

Take that, Virginia wine!

Posted on February 7, 2014 by

Virginia wine took a slap in the face Thursday, in this article in The Washington Post. The article described how newly inaugurated Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) is trying to establish good relations with legislators from both parties by hosting daily … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current Affairs, Local Wine, Virginia, Washington Post, Wine | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Bordeaux: Too little, too late? It Depends(c).

Posted on January 28, 2014 by

My Washington Post column last week, which I posted here yesterday, generated considerable comment on the web and in emails back to me. Steve Heimoff, Wine Enthusiast’s California reviewer, took issue on his blog with the thought that Bordeaux could ever appeal to U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bordeaux, California, France, Rants, Uncategorized, Washington Post, Weblogs, Wine, writers | Tagged , | 10 Comments