Category: Recent Columns

Once upon a time Napa Valley was a place of pastoral legend. Blessed with the bucolic beauties of wooded knolls, forested slopes, springtime fields dappled with mustard flowers, summertime’s lush greenery, the valley aflame in reds and yellows come fall. The human presence was a smattering of vineyards and family-owned wineries, dairies, cattle ranches, walnut groves, plum-tree orchards. Continue reading →

The pandemic shook the wine world—as it did everything in the world. More to the point, it accelerated trends forever changing the wine landscape. Examples: Continue reading →

When you think quality California wine, Napa and Sonoma leap to mind. Today, a sound argument can be made to include Paso Robles in the conversation. Continue reading →

Some people are intimidated by wine choices for the big Thanksgiving family feast. There is no reason for discombobulation. Continue reading →

November and December are the heaviest wine-buying months of the year. People not into wine—or even alcohol—indulge during the harvest feasts of Thanksgiving and Christmas and the bacchanalian excesses of New Year’s. Continue reading →

The recent death of Fred “Two Buck Chuck” Franzia, gave me pause to think about what the average, non-wine-geek enjoys in an occasional glass. Continue reading →

Every few years I recklessly throw caution and good judgment to the wind and confront pairing wine with Halloween candy. So here it goes. Continue reading →

As the leaves don new colors and the great harvest feasts and festivals approach, the demand for bubbly continues to increase. A soaring trend. Continue reading →

Decanting wine is a strategy you often find recommended. Here are some of the whys and whens. Continue reading →

Are wines made in the vineyard or the winery? The answer is both, but today more wine professionals say soil, grapes, and the skill of grape growers to deliver the personality of their acres is the essential component. Continue reading →