Owner Ross Halleck blends old world sensibilities into his California wines. Discovering new (to me), artisan, family-owned wineries is one of the best perks of being in the wine business. But sitting down for a beautifully paired luncheon at a top-notch restaurant with both a well-known sommelier and a winemaker … that’s just spectacular. Some …
For me, the most beautiful setting in all of Los Angeles is the Getty Villa in Malibu. It’s just about my favorite place in the world, and I was pleased to see that the Villa was selected for the 9th Summit of the Americas dinner on June 9th, where President Joe and Dr. Jill Biden …
Iris Vineyards in Oregon’s Southern Willamette Valley When Aaron Lieberman took the job as head winemaker for Iris Vineyards in Oregon’s southern Willamette Valley in 2008, little did he know that in 2020 he’d be doing pre-fermentation thermovinification treatment (that’s heating the wine must till almost boiling) on his Pinot Noir bottlings to remove smoke …
Sannio is a wine-producing sub-region of Campania, an area in the west of Italy, located on the “ankle” of the boot-shaped country. Campania produces wines made from ancient grape varieties with equally ancient-sounding names like Aglianico, Falanghina, Coda di Volpe, Fiano, Greco di Tufo, and Piedrosso. These grape varieties have been making a comeback in …
“Wine refreshes the stomach, sharpens the appetite, blunts care and sadness, and conduces to slumber.” — Pliny the Elder I learned during my years-long study to achieve my WSET Diploma that Italy did not become a nation state, or one unified country, until 1861. This had never sunk in during my high school history classes; …
Soon after I visited Southern Oregon as part of the 2021 Wine Media Conference (WMC21) this summer, the Oregon Wine Board released the 2020 Vineyard and Winery Report, which confirmed some of the thoughts I had during my weeklong visit to this beautiful wine region. Some of my thoughts were not so good, based on the …
The recently held Wine Media Conference (WMC) 2021 brought wine writers to Eugene, Oregon, this year, and as always, the excursion prior to the main event was a highlight, providing an in-depth discovery of one specific region in the state. Along with about 25 other wine writers, I chose to take a closer look at …
This year’s in-person Wine Media Conference finally landed us attendees in Southern Oregon. Postponed for a year due to COVID, the annual event never fails to impress and amaze, giving us the opportunity to dive deep into a wine region … usually one that I’ve never been to. Southern Oregon gets overshadowed by the northern …
Mendocino County, in Northern California, is a land of great natural beauty, with small towns and meandering country roads. As a wine region, Mendocino is less pretentious than say Napa or even Paso Robles, having maintained some of its hippie vibe. It’s a wonderful place to grow vines, as I discovered during a visit to …
One of the lesser-known wine regions of Italy is called Marches, or Le Marche in Italian. Not a super-well-known region outside of Italy to most people, it is nonetheless home to one of my favorite Italian white wines called Verdicchio. To my delight, more and more people are appreciating these sea-influenced, crisp and minerally whites, which …