While at drinks last night with a couple of friends at a swanky San Francisco bar, I drank a glass of wine that was utterly horrible.  Although it certainly didn’t ruin my evening — I had a great time catching up with my buddies — the purchase of this glass at $9 represented to me […]

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Here are events happening in wine country this weekend that we think are worth checking out:

Silver Oak Release Day, February 2, 9:00a.m. - 3:30p.m., at Silver Oak Cellars.  This Saturday, Silver Oak Cellars is celebrating the release of its 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  The tasting fee is $20 (usually $30), which is probably well worth the money if you’re […]

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As many of you know, the Italian version of the Pinot Gris grape is Pinot Grigio, and this unoaked version hails from the Isonzo appellation of Italy’s Friuli region, which is located in the extreme northeast of the country.   
On sipping, I found tart pear, green apple and lemon citrus flavors that lingered on, and even resurged momentarily, through a long finish.  True to the […]

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You might drive past the front entrance to Lazy Creek three or four times before you see it, but even when you turn into the driveway, you’re likely going to wonder whether you’re in the right spot.  That’s because when you arrive at the Lazy Creek property, you still have to drive another five minutes down a dusty, one-lane dirt road before reaching the […]

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We opened this bottle last night, and I can’t wait to fill up another glass this evening.  One of my favorite things about wine in general is that the same variety of grape grown in two different regions can produce wines with entirely different characteristics due to the influence of factors like soil composition and sun exposure.  If you’d like to experience this […]

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This past year I came up with the project of bringing a list of some of the best bargain bottles of 2007 - about 80 bottles long - to wine merchants to ask if they had anything in stock. 
It was through this effort that I managed to find the wine for which this posting is named: 2005 Turley Zinfandel Juvenile.  Going through my list with the manager of a local wine shop, it seemed that we were headed for […]

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This evening I attended a wine tasting that was hosted by Johannes Leitz, who runs the Josef Leitz winery in the Rheingau region of Germany.  It was a unique opportunity to sample German Rieslings that fully cross the spectrum of sweetness.  As you may already know, German Rieslings can be super sweet or completely dry (i.e., non-sweet […]

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Try this wine and you are guaranteed at least a “hmmmm.”  Think dark berries, must, tobacco, even a little bit of old leather; picture an old library, close your eyes and take a deep breath.  There are no tropical fruits or florals here. 
I was drawn to seek out a Rhône for today because I recently heard a bit about 2005’s having been a killer year […]

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