Category: California
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Taking it Easy with Smith-Madrone

Better late than never; isn’t that what they say. In late fall I received a sample shipments of three wines from Smith-Madrone. I actually did not realize it was that long ago until I recovered the information sent with the wines. Wow, time flies! Through my own lack of diligence these wines ended up behind…
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It’s All In The Clone

How much do you know about clonal selections and blending in winemaking? Though some of you may know quite a bit, most of us know very little. However, not only do I love to drink wine, I also love to learn about all areas of wine making and pass my learnings on to you. In…
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A Leap of Faith with Claiborne and Churchill

Back in early November I received a box of media samples that immediately had me excited. Three beautiful California wines with fresh and clean labels and well-prepared trade sheets from an unfamiliar winery, Claiborne and Churchill, were sent for review from Parker Sanpei and Associates. As I anticipated opening these three wines I wanted to…
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Life is Good with Loring Wine Company

The holiday season is filled with good wine, food and friends. Even though Thanksgiving was a few days away we once again gathered with our friends Cherie and Mark to wine and dine. Furthermore, since they love Pinot Noir as much as we do, I wanted to introduce them to an excellent Pinot Noir producer:…
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Old World or New World: What’s Your Style

Lately I have seen a lot of discussion of an ongoing topic in the wine industry: old world style winemaking versus new world style winemaking; or as eloquently summed up in From Vino Verde to Barolo with Love’s recent blog posting, Hand or Land? In this thought provoking article Foxress explores different perspectives on wine…
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Merryvale 2010 Merlot: Not Just History Repeating
Recently my husband and I attended a Merryvale wine tasting at one of our favorite wine stores; WineTastics. This particular wine tasting was unusual because we are members of the Merryvale wine club and have many bottles of their fantastic wine in our cellar. However, due to the exceptional quality of Merryvale wine we have…
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Celebrating Memorial Day with Cakebread 2012 Rubaiyat
Memorial Day is a time of gratitude for all the brave men and women who lost their lives in battle protecting the rights each American enjoys today. It is a day of mourning and recognition but for many American families it is also an unofficial entry into summer; and summer means outdoor cooking! This year we…
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Butter and Spice make Friday Night Nice
We have an annual spring tradition with our dear friends Cindy and Robert: Greek food and wine! Zorbas is a local Greek restaurant owned and operated by Pavalous Guiatas. Zorbas’ mission is simple: to serve authentic, home-style Greek food from family recipes. Eating at Zorbas is like dining at a friend’s house; the atmosphere is…