Bastille Day in Bordeaux
Too busy for a post this week - so instead, a quick question: What renowned Medoc château is named after the tower in the photograph below?
Secret From North Italy Alps – Lagrein Wine
The seventh edition of the World Atlas of Wine, edited by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson (thanks for the gift, Lisa Hazard!) informs me that the Lagrein grape, grown around…
Modena, Italy – Sparkling Lambrusco and Superb Food
In late May, after attending a nephew's wedding near Venice, then exploring Italy's northern Dolomite Mountains - I considered how best to spend the rest of the trip. I looked…
The Season for Rosé Wine
For those of you interested, even peripherally, in French wine, I suggest you subscribe to the web log The Riviera Grapevine - Pronto! In recent posts, Chrissie has written about rosé wine from southern…
Etrsucan Wine, and New Blog Format
A 2013 article from Smithsonian Magazine tells, basically, how French wine originated in Italy. Before Roman society blossomed, the Etruscan civilization shone as a bright light of ingenuity, innovation, and…
Fresh Video from Southern France Wine Country
Last spring I spent time rambling through the Languedoc and Bordeaux regions of southern France. The brief video below includes not only shots of vineyards (conspicuously absent of greenery), but…
California Dreamin’ – and Good Wine
For a few weeks I visited friends living near California's coast who love wines: Californian, French, Italian - all. They love to socialize and share. North to south - here's…
Sonoma’s Rockpile Ridge – Hot Terroir
An hour north of San Francisco sprawls Sonoma County - with a million agriculturally rich and beautiful rolling acres, seventy miles of coastline along the Pacific Ocean - and 14…
Fresh Chilean Wine Appellation for the Maule Valley
Winemaker Andrés Sánchez just wrote from Chile. He shared news about a new appellation in the Maule Valley that applies to wines based on the Carignan grape (Andrés and I met…
Happy Fourth Anniversary – Vino Expressions!
Today - St. Patrick's Day - marks the fourth anniversary of the launching of the web log - Vino Voices. The site was originally titled Vino Expressions - to match…