The Essence of Wine: Pepper
Image © 2012 Leigh Beisch
Lives were lost. Empires were built. The new world was discovered. All for the sharp spark of taste with the power to transform mere food to cuisine. It's hard to imagine the shock and astonishment that must have accompa...
Next Week: My First Wine Trip to Germany and Austria
I've always wondered just how many Rieslings I could taste in a single day before my teeth cracked and fell out of my face. I'm about to find out. In a couple of weeks I'll be headed to the frigid banks of the Rhine to engage in what can only be call...
Wine, Rap, and the Power of Product Placement
No one should ever underestimate the power of the American media and entertainment universe. Pinot Noir producers tried valiantly for years to increase consumption of that grape variety by the American public with little success. Then a fun little mov...
Spottswoode Estate, Napa: Current Releases
Great wines are always tapestries of story, with people and place making up the warp and weft of their fabric. When a family stays long enough in one place, they grow roots that can never fully come free from the soil. Such a connection doesn't take c...
2012 World of Pinot Noir Tasting: March 2-3, Shell Beach, CA
Everyone's definition of idyllic varies, but for many people it doesn't get much better than standing on the cliffs above the Pacific ocean on a warm evening, watching the sun go down with a glass of Pinot Noir in hand. If that sort of thing gives you...
Vinography Images: Creatures in the Fog
Creatures in the Fog
ALEXANDER VALLEY, CA: A dormant Zinfandel vineyard looks like strange creatures shrouded in winter fog in Sonoma County.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Download this image by right-clicking on the image and selecting "save link as" or "save targ...
Critically Tasting Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir
One of my unbroken refrains here at Vinography has to do with the value of large public wine tastings as opportunities to educate the palate. There's just nothing like the chance to taste a lot of wines side by side to teach you a thing or two -- abou...
The Essence of Wine: Cherry
Image © 2012 Leigh Beisch
Biting into a perfectly ripe cherry represents one of life's perfections of flavor and sensation. The firm skin parts under a modicum of pressure, and a gorgeous melody unfolds on the tongue &emdash; high notes of juicy ...
2012 Pinot Noir Summit: February 25, San Francisco
Every January, unbeknownst to most wine consumers, a group of wine writers, sommeliers, and other wine industry professionals spend the entire month doing nothing but tasting Pinot Noir. Over many successive days, through rigorous double-blind tasting...
Vinography Images: Sunset Chardonnay
Sunset Chardonnay
SANTA BARBARA, CA: A Chardonnay vineyard in full fall color near Los Alamos in Santa Barbara County at sunset.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Download this image by right-clicking on the image and selecting "save link as" or "save target as" and t...
2012 Anderson Valley Alsace Varietals Festival: February 18, Boonville, CA
Based on what you read about in the paper, magazines, etc, you'd think that pretty much the only wines that California produces are Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. Oh yeah, there's Syrah, but who buys that anymore?
Calif...
Ehlers Estate, Napa: Current Releases
Who ever heard of a non-profit winery? In Napa no less. The first time the folks at Ehlers Estate told me they were, I laughed. But yes it's true. In the midst of Napa, there is a small winery that feeds all its profits back into the cardiovascular re...
