Pictured here is the view from the "Tasting Deck" at Esterlina Vineyards, a tiny, mountaintop, boutique property making world-class wines. Green rolling hills, mammoth redwoods, untamed rivers, the wild Northern California coast-plus all of the great...
Shattering misconceptions is one of life's great joys. One common misconception involves the belief that all rieslings are heavy, sweet, dum-dum wines that all come from Germany. While the world's greatest still do come from there, great rieslings are currently...
Legend has it that shiraz originally came from ancient Persia. Sadly, present-day Iran has outlawed the production of wine. So regardless of its true origins, the much heralded grape has no home there. My first experiences with wines made from the syrah/shiraz...
As infants, we wean on mother's milk. Upon our demise, it's back to pablum. But, oh, those year's in the middle! We develop our palates over a lifetime, and breadth of experience is key here. With wine, everyone starts with lighter, sweeter, simpler wines....
Known as Zinfandel here, it was the most widely planted California varietal during the original "wine boom" of 1878 to 1889. Some say the Croations first brought it here, some say the Greeks. In Southern Italy, it's Primitivo. I was lucky enough to get styled...