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13 December, 2021

Touring the Yamhill-Carlton Nesting AVA

Touring the Yamhill-Carlton Nesting AVA
Posted in : Bars and Tasting Rooms, Champagne / Champenoise Style, Chardonnay, muller gruner, Other Sparkling Wine Types, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Sparkling Wine, Tasting Rooms in Yamhill-Carlton - OR, Wine, Wine Media Conference 2021 on by : The Gourmez

In August, I visited the Yamhill-Carlton, Oregon, subregion, also known as a nesting AVA, within the Willamette Valley American Viticulture Area (AVA). This day trip was part of the 2021 Wine Media Conference (WMC), one of several optional post-excursions that the conference offered. Pro tip: The WMC excursions are often the best value of the
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6 August, 2019

Sonoma County Small-Lot Wineries with Big-Time Backgrounds

Sonoma County Small-Lot Wineries with Big-Time Backgrounds
Posted in : Bars and Tasting Rooms, Other Red Blends, Other Sparkling Wine Types, Other White Blends, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Sparkling Wine, Tasting Rooms in Sonoma - CA, Travel Guide for Sonoma - CA, Travel Sponsored Stays and Tours, White Wine, Wine on by : The Gourmez

Last fall, via a press trip sponsored and hosted by the Wine Road of northern Sonoma County, I was introduced to some absolutely wonderful Sonoma wineries that are well worth your visit. Obligatory disclaimer: Being on a press trip means that these visits and tastings were free to me. Each of the wineries I’m profiling
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8 January, 2019

A Winter Wineland Field Guide for Field Blends

A Winter Wineland Field Guide for Field Blends
Posted in : Bars and Tasting Rooms, Dining in Healdsburg - CA, Dolcetto, Other Red Blends, Pinot Noir, Primitivo / Zinfandel, Tasting Rooms in Healdsburg - CA, Tasting Rooms in Sonoma - CA, Travel Guide for Sonoma - CA, Travel Sponsored Stays and Tours on by : The Gourmez

It’s time for a midwinter trip on the Wine Road of Northern Sonoma County! Once a year, the Wine Road puts on the Winter Wineland celebration, a delightful invitation to hit up as many of their boutique, family-owned wineries and/or major label, large-scale producers as you desire along this beautiful stretch of wine country. The
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14 December, 2018

Ten Years of Mt. Beautiful Vintages

Ten Years of Mt. Beautiful Vintages
Posted in : Chardonnay, Dining in San Francisco - CA, Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Restaurants, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, White Wine, Wine on by : The Gourmez

Did you say vertical tasting? That’s an irresistible invitation for wine bloggers. We love to compare and contrast different vintages from the same winery, to ponder the sometimes subtle, sometimes great, differences between them.  Make it five vertical tastings in an evening, at a restaurant I’ve never tried before and from a wine region with
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19 November, 2018

New Zealand Wine: More in the Queue than Sauvignon Blanc

New Zealand Wine: More in the Queue than Sauvignon Blanc
Comments : 1 Posted in : Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz / Syrah, White Wine, Wine on by : The Gourmez

This past April, I took my first deep dive into New Zealand wine. Yes, I’ve had plenty before, but I hadn’t had the chance to explore them at depth until New Zealand Winegrowers, the national organization representing all 1,500 NZ-based winegrowers and wineries, invited me to this tasting. Obligatory disclaimer: That means I paid nothing
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3 May, 2018

Tasting along Northern Sonoma County’s Wine Road

Tasting along Northern Sonoma County’s Wine Road
Posted in : Bars and Tasting Rooms, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Dessert Wine, Petite Sirah, Pinot Noir, Primitivo / Zinfandel, Red Wine, Shiraz / Syrah, Tasting Rooms in Sonoma - CA, White Wine, Wine on by : The Gourmez

The Wine Road is a professional association of over 250 wineries and lodgings based in northern Sonoma County. At 40 years and counting, it’s rather long-lived for a California wine country organization! The Wine Road is also a Taste Award-winning, biweekly podcast from hosts Marcy Gordon and Beth Costa. Beth has been the executive director
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14 March, 2017

Left Coast Cellars Wines

Left Coast Cellars Wines
Posted in : Other Sparkling Wine Types, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Sparkling Wine, White Wine, Wine on by : The Gourmez

Obligatory disclaimer: Left Coast Cellars provided these wines for my review for free. My experience with Left Coast Cellars (website here) is not a long one…but it has certainly been a fruitful one. And I didn’t even intend that to be a wine pun. Ivy Hover is Left Coast’s marketing director, an A+ person, and my
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4 October, 2016

Exploring Pinot Noir of California

Exploring Pinot Noir of California
Comments : 2 Posted in : Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Wine on by : The Gourmez

Which Pinot Noir Region Marks the Spot? Pinot noir isn’t a favorite wine varietal of mine, but since I moved back to California in 2013, I’ve been intrigued by how pinot noirs of different winegrowing regions can be markedly different here. The grape is typically used to produce light-bodied, low tannin wines with light fruit.
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9 November, 2015

Uncorked Ventures Wine Club

Uncorked Ventures Wine Club
Comments : 4 Posted in : Carignan, Food, Grenache Blanc, Other White Blends, Pinot Noir, Product Reviews, Red Wine, White Wine, Wine on by : The Gourmez

The world of wine is huge. Finding a wine you enjoy often feels like searching for that proverbial needle in the haystack. If there’s one thing my recent Finger Lakes wine bloggers trip taught me, it’s that there are whole regions of wineries that wine writers like myself have barely heard of, much less sampled
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