Recently, we were watching an episode of In Wine Country that reported that an increasing number of new wineries have set up shop in Oakland, California – rather than in the more usual, but pricier, wine producing areas like Napa or Sonoma – in hopes of keeping costs (and prices) down.  These wineries typically source (i.e., purchase) their grapes from vineyards across California and then produce and bottle their wines inside the city […]

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This past weekend, we returned to San Francisco after a couple of days in North Carolina attending our law school reunion, and when we first stepped outside of the airport’s doors, we were stunned to find summer weather — 80 degrees, completely clear, bright blue skies, and amazingly, the smell of Eucalyptus, which is so prevalent in this […]

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What a week we’re having over here.  I attended a trade-only tasting in Los Gatos organized by the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association and had the opportunity to sample some truly glorious wines, the most notable of which were Burgundian-style Pinots, Chardonnays, and — though I’m not usually a fan — a fabulous Barbera.  More on […]

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Two weeks ago, a couple of old friends from our New York days, whom we met on vacation in Argentina but haven’t seen since we left NYC, dropped by our place in San Francisco to say hello.  It had been almost exactly three years since we had first met at our charming little bed and breakfast in Buenos Aires and, later that week, shared delicious, […]

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This is not the thick, syrupy Syrah that many wine drinkers out there may be accustomed to.   Nope, we’re talking about the more elegant French version, which usually — but not this time – costs a lot more.   
The Domaine la Bastide Syrah 2005 has a beautifully attractive ruby color, and flavors and aromas of plum, earth, licorice, smoke, and black pepper.  […]

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We enjoyed our last Bordeaux from a couple of weeks ago so much that we thought we’d give another one a try, but this time from the highly regarded 2005 vintage.  The result was something very, very different, which became apparent to us even from smelling the cork.
Whereas the previous Bordeaux’s defining features were its earthiness and elegance, we felt the Château Charron was best […]

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Ok.  The price is not a typo, and as soon as you get a whiff of this one, you may have an even harder time believing me.
While the Argentines make a lot (and probably most) of the world’s Malbec, the grape actually originated in France.  As you might expect, the French version is of a different style: subtler in body, less […]

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Bonarda, an Argentine grape, accounts for more acreage than Malbec in Argentina.  Despite this, I’d guess that most people in the U.S. probably haven’t heard of it.  In fact, I have to admit that I am speaking from experience: up until I came into possession of this bottle by gift a few weeks ago, I hadn’t heard of […]

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