Instead of packing in all of our holiday cheer into just a few short hours around the Menorah I say we find a few days to really live in the season. And what better way to do that than with a fine glass of wine?
Thanksgiving is the time of year we give thanks- we give thanks for mountains of delicious foods that we are only lucky enough to be around once per year, we give thanks for Grandmothers that don’t know the meaning of “I’m full,” we give thanks for stretchy pants that don’t press on our tender, overstuffed stomachs. And for many folks it is also a time to give thanks for some really good wines.
Our palates change with the seasons. As Autumn rolls around our wine lustings change from vibrant whites and tasty roses to wines of more substance, more style and certainly more body.
Being a breakfast at any time kind of guy, I often think about what wines to pair with the tasty but often rich foods that roll onto the dinner table in the guise of being breakfast. Of course there are the old stand-bys such as a mimosa or perhaps even a Bloody Mary if you really want to spice things up. But wine? Or at least wine without orange juice in it? Now that really is a quandary.
Spring has sprung. The smells of spring have reached our nostrils- fresh mulch, hyacinth blossoms, spring rain. And there is nothing that smells, feels, tastes and mimics spring more than a cool and refreshing glass of white wine.
Families everywhere will be sitting down together to celebrate the upcoming Easter holiday, and what better way to usher in the end of Lent than with a big meal and a great bottle of wine?
As many people across the nation are still digging out from under record snowfalls it hardly seems the time to start thinking about light white, crisp rosé and fruity red wines that tickle the palate and speak of warm days and spring flowers, but we Winegeeks like to stay ahead of the curve. So here are our recommendations wine-wise as soon as you start to see Signs of Spring.
With Valentines Day around the corner, it is time to start looking for something to share with that special someone in your life. Guys- don't be a guy and wait until the day of to find your gift. That last minute scrambling will only result in another snuggie knock-off and an unhappy wife. Let's not have a repeat of last year.
The hectic holidays have come and gone and it is time to settle into the doldrums of winter with your honey, some comfort food and a really good bottle of wine. Cold weather and icy conditions practically cry out for a big and robust red, something with the body and structure to stand up to hearty winter fare, but also something with the fruit, weight and richness to warm the bones on the very coldest of evenings.
For over 100 years Vilmart & Cie has quietly produced some of the world's finest Champagnes from a sleepy Hamlet called Rilly in the Montagne de Reims. Finally the world is beginning to take notice. Read on as we delve into why one Champagne is really THAT much better than every other.
Since 1982 Bodegas Montebaco has been producing scintillating wines from the dusty plains along the Duero River in central Spain. Their attention to detail, quality vineyards and sparkling, state-of-the-art winemaking facility help them to produce beautiful wines year after year.
Tony Soter left Oregon in 1975 to start a life in Napa Valley. Almost three decades later he has returned to the Pacific Northwest. At Soter vineyards in the Yamhill-Carlton district of Willamette Valley Tony crafts some of the world's finest Pinot Noirs, proving that yes Mr. Wolfe, you can go home again.
Since 1935 the house of Gaston Chiquet has produced some of the finest Champagne the world has ever known, all the while keeping an eye on tradition, quality and (Gasp!) terroir, which has become sort of a dirty word in Champagne. Read on as we extoll the virtues of the grower-producer in our latest Winery of the Month.
Jean-Marc Brocard started with one hectare of vines in a little town in Chablis in 1973. Today he produces some of the finest wines that Burgundy has to offer. Read on to find out this man of humble beginnings became one of Burgundy's brightest stars in our latest Winery of the Month.
A project by Orin Swift called <I>The Prisoner</I> is the wine equivalent of sliced bread, with fans lining up around the block like a movie premier to get it the day it is released. Read on as Orin Swift creator Dave Phinney lets us in on a few of the secrets to his success in our latest Winery of the Month feature.
In the sea of sparkling wine that is Cava production in Spain, one winery rises above the rest like a lighthouse of hope for a palate drowning in mediocrity. A member of the Raventós family first created Cava, and now the current generation has perfected it. Read on as we celebrate the greatest Spanish bubbly of them all in our latest Winery of the Month.
Robert Kamen is a man who has always followed his dreams, be they crafting fantastic wines from the steep slopes of Mount Veeder or penning some of the most loved movies of our time. Either way, his products never disappoint, so grab some popcorn and sit back as we give a first run to our September Producer of the Month.
In 1992 Andrea Franchetti used his knowledge, vision and inspiration to create Tenuta di Trinoro in a sleepy farming community in the far southern reaches of Tuscany. It is a good thing he did, because now the wines of Tenuta di Trinoro and its sister estate in Sicily Passopiscaro are some of the greatest in all of Italy. Read on as we celebrate the creativity, genius and of course the wines of Andrea Franchetti in our latest Winery of the Month.
What started as 260 cases of Wente clone Chardonnay from a little vineyard in Sonoma has turned into some of the greatest Chardonnays and Cabernets in all of California. Read on as we find out just how David Ramey went from being a cellar rat in France to one of the the Golden State's greatest winemakers.
Vinum Cellars is a great American Success Story about a couple of guys who got together and maxed out their credit cards to follow their dream. Oh, and they made some fantastic wines along the way. Read on as winemaker Richard Bruno explains why Vinum Cellars is our latest Producer of the Month.