Justice Grace Vineyards Shoe Shine Petite Sirah 2011 North Coast, California I met Eric Cohen, winemaker and owner of Justice Grace Vineyards, in May at a cheese-tasting event at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. His passion was obvious, but not just for wine. He’s most passionate about using his wine to promote social
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Extremely Rare Rare Red 2012 Black Blend Central CA I can’t lie, I think the name of this wine is hilariously death metal. Throw a few more adjectives in there, and it’d also be its own thesaurus. Although I’ve reviewed wines from the Scotto Cellars portfolio before, I have to admit to apprehension at that
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Two weekends ago, I checked out Urban Vines, an annual Oakland wine festival that highlights African American winemakers, a markedly underrepresented group. Its theme is “A Toast to Diversity,” and the event was founded by Sip & Swirl, an event planning company that specializes in urban-based wine, food, and travel. It’s also held in Chicago.
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Wente Vineyards Louis Mel Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2013 Livermore Valley, CA Wente Vineyards is a Livermore-based wine company and family estate vineyard whose roots, literally, extend back to the late 19th century. It’s a brand I’ve become familiar with in the past year, in part because they are featured on Delta Airlines and gave me
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Lay of the Land Sauvignon Blanc 2015 Marlborough, New Zealand Sauvignon blanc can be a hard sell for me, as I often find it to have broth-like qualities interfering with the crisp acidity that I crave. No such problem with winemaker Mike Paterson’s Lay of the Land, which came to me through my NakedWines.com order.
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When Bonny Doon Vineyards offered up a sample of the four rosés they debuted this spring, I had to say yes — and yes, sample means they were free to me (obligatory disclaimer complete!). The opportunity to compare four entirely unique blush wines was an offer I couldn’t refuse. I called in some friends to
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Scotto Cellars is a family-owned winemaking company based in California with vineyards in Amador County, Lodi, and Napa Valley. I received sample bottles of two wines in their Heavyweight line: the petite sirah and the cabernet sauvignon, both sourced from the greater Central Valley. Obligatory disclaimer: Sample means these wines were free to me, but
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Mauricio Lorca’s Angel’s Reserve Torrontes 2015 La Rioja, Argentina Wine Review: Brine sneaks into the clam chowder in this glass. The intense acidity makes me contemplate inserting sizzling grasslands into my next fantasy story. As the wine settles, cream comes in, making that chowder New Jersey in style, with enough vegetal taste to account for
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For the second year in a row, I took part in the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance Riesling Launch, a live-tweeting event that invites wine writers and bloggers to check out the newest vintage (2014) of the region’s signature grape varietal together, virtually at least, with the wineries. I received sample bottles of three different rieslings,
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Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe Française Superiéure 65 ABV Pontarlier, France Grown in the same region from which absinthe adulation reached its zenith during the American Prohibition and wormwood has its historic home, Vieux Pontarlier comes in with high expectations. Its bright yellow-green coloring derives from, I’m going to guess, the “natural flavors” that gather in the
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