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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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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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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It’s been two weeks since the 2015 Wine Bloggers Conference (WBC), my second WBC and my second time being truly impressed with the events that Zephyr Adventures organizes. The elite sponsors for this year’s WBC—the Finger Lakes Wine Country Tourism Marketing Association, Corning Enterprises, and the Elmira Corning Regional Airport—went above and beyond in introducing
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In a day and a half, I’ll be heading east to the 2015 Wine Bloggers Conference. This is only my second WBC, and I’m going in large part because I won Quini’s grand prize at the last WBC in 2015, meaning that Quini is paying for my hotel stay & blogger registration fee.  (What’s Quini?
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I hope it’s been a pleasant Saturday for you so far, readers. This is just a quick note to let you know that I’ll be participating in the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance’s launch of their 2013 Reislings in a short 3 hours from now, from 7 to 9 PM EST, which is 4 to 6
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Buitenverwachting Rhine Riesling 2008 South Africa Even after much swishing, the nose is elusive. Some grass, some lime, maybe. I thought it was bubbly at first, which definitely confused me, but it’s just so bright of a wine that it seems bubbly.  The lime from the nose is there with mellow grapefruit and mint. It’s
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Wine: Lindemans’ Bin 75 Riesling 2008 Region: Australia On first sip, I like it. A lot. There’s a mild sweetness that contrasts with its acidity. Fresh honeydew and tangerine notes linger. There’s some flower in the party, too — perhaps lavender, but I’m no expert at guessing floral notes.

Pacific Rim Dry Riesling Other stuff on the label: Bonny Doon Vineyard I don’t often comment on labels but this one deserves special attention. The artwork is quite perplexing and I can’t hazard a guess as to its meaning. Just let it be said that the Santa Cruz area, where Bonny Doon Winery is housed,
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