Last Thursday night at the Wine 2.0 Spring Fling at Crushpad in San Francisco (photoessay here), I chanced to meet Linzi Gay, Marketing Director of Clif Bar Family Winery. I was glad to meet her and get an advance taste of the Clif Bar wines she was about to pour. After all, I had just […]

Oops - should I have said that? Whoa, I’ve just blown my cover!!!
Uh-oh. Now I’ve gone and done it! Suddenly, it’s cloak and dagger time! Sheesh, I’m going to have to spend the remainder of my days constantly looking over my shoulder for Impy the Midget!!
But seriously: there’s an organization called The Wine Spies, and […]

Saturday evening was a busy one in my wine world. Not only was it the last Saturday of February and therefore this year’s Open That Bottle Night - the ninth annual - but it was also the night my friend Vindu brought me a case of Juice Crew Red.
Vindu wasn’t due to arrive until much […]

 
“Decant today, and you will smile tonight.”
 

I’m no Chandler Bing. And yet upon first sniffing, then tasting this 2004 EOS Reserve Petite Sirah from Paso Robles, I was culturally compelled to say:
Oh. My. Gawd!

The long-running sitcom, Friends, featured Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing. And strangely, now I do too. Photo source: toppics4u.com

Our friend Chandler also said:
I’m not really good at giving […]

To tack onto yesterday’s post, here is a brief list of some of the syrahs I’ve been enjoying lately, including a recap of the two syrahs I detailed yesterday. Get yourself one or more of these warm and sensuous beauties, grab a lucky friend, and enjoy your Autumn!
2003 Martella Syrah, Fairbairn Ranch
Ruby red color and […]

 
That’s Calaveras County highlighted on the map. It’s about two hours’ drive east of the San Francisco Bay.
Napa and Sonoma are two locales that commonly spring into people’s minds around here when the wine country is the topic of discussion. But while both appellations are certainly world-class destinations with world-class wine production, there is much more […]

 
A colleague took a look at me this morning and commented on the buzz cut I’d given myself. “You’re ready for summer!”, he remarked.
That I am. But I think a more interesting warm-weather transformation for me is when I realize that it’s time to open a bottle of chilled white wine.
I’m practically a dyed-in-the-wool “red” […]

9 Winehiker Points*
I’ve resisted buying boxed wine. Like many, I’ve maintained the perception that boxed wine could not offer much better than bottom shelf quality, that no good wine could come in a box. Still, I’m a practical sort of guy; the notion that a boxed wine can stay fresher longer has its appeal. Indeed […]

2000, 1st bottling: 20 winehiker points
2000, 2nd bottling: 18½ winehiker points
President’s Day Weekend will find me galavanting to Paso Robles for a four-day winehiking-go-round. I’ve got a couple of good hikes lined up for the nine winehikers who are joining me, plus a couple of scheduled tastings at two of the local Paso wineries.
One of […]