INTRODUCTION On our trip to Lichtenstein in the fall of 2011 we visited the Hofkelleri Des Fursten Von Liechtenstein in Vaduz. This is the winery and vineyards belonging to the Prince of Liechtenstein (to read about that click here). Here we had a wonderful visit and tasted some lovely, elegant wines. In the […]
Click here to read entire article »April 2, 2012 Fig & Olive, West Hollywood, CA I recently attended a media and trade tasting of wines from the Côtes de Provence sponsored by the Counseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence (Provence Wine Council). Listed below is information about this organization: “The Conseil lnterprofessionnel des Vins de Provence (CIVP), known in the United […]
Click here to read entire article »Left to Right: Adeline de Barry, Chateau de Saint-Martin; Aurélie Bertin Teillaud, Chateau Sainte Roseline; Valérie Rousselle, Chateau Roubine This past September on a great trip that covered 10 countries in 18 days my wife, Laurie, and I, along with our friends and neighbors, Jim and Marcia Wolfe, spent a week on the Côte d’Azure […]
Click here to read entire article »The Ojai Vineyard was started in 1983 by Adam Tolmach along with his wife Helen. Adam had been a partner with Jim Clendenen in starting Au Bon Climat in 1982. Prior to that time, he was the enologist at Zaca Mesa winery which was one of the early pioneer wineries in the Santa Ynez Valley. It was there that he met Jim Clendenen. He remained a partner of Au Bon Climat until 1991 as he continued to develop his winery.
Click here to read entire article »I recently attended a new release trade tasting in Los Angeles for New Zealand wines. Some 26 wineries were represented and there were well over 100 wines available to taste in a 3 hour period. These types of tastings are a way to get a general idea of the wines. But, for me, they are not an opportunity to write detailed notes on each wine.
Click here to read entire article »Beaujolais is one of my favorite “under the radar” wines. By that I mean not many people take it seriously. Most people think of it as a light, simple, fruity wine. This is usually based on their experience with Beaujolais Noveau. Beaujolais Noveau is the first French wine to be released each year. The grapes are harvested in August-September, the wine is fermented for a short time and released to the public on the third Thursday of November which is designated “Beaujolais Noveau Day”. This day is heralded around the world and the Beaujolais is widely available. The reason is simple. Beaujolais Noveau is made in a large quantity accounting for about 1/3 of total Beaujolais production. And, while most are simple and of little interest, there are some that can be very fruity, zesty, and balanced and make a lovely wine for early consumption to accompany a wide variety of foods.
A few years ago I was in Napa and stopped by the Dean & DeLuca store. In perusing through the myriad of wine racks, I was taken by the Cabernet Sauvignon section. It was huge! I was struck by not only how many bottles were priced at $100 or up, but how many I had never heard of. In the latter category, I counted 20 or 30 and gave up. As I left the store, I could not help thinking “This has gone too far. How many people are there to support the market?” It looked like a market top.
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