Fifty years ago, Soave was the most popular Italian wine in the U.S., it even outsold Chianti. Soave (“swah-vay”) is an Italian white wine made of Garganega (“gar-GAN-nehgah”) grapes grown around the village of Soave in Northern Italy. Soave means ...
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behind the cork
2017 Ravines Wine Cellars White Springs Dry Riesling ($22.95) Ravines Wine Cellars is an artisanal winery in the flourishing, world-class wine region of the Finger Lakes, located in upstate New York. It is the passion of Morten & Lisa Hallgren...
Read more →When a recipe calls for wine, one option is to use ‘Cooking Wine.’ But, have you ever wondered if ‘Cooking Wine” is the same thing as drinking wine? Well, there is such a thing as Cooking Wine. You’ll generally find it in the grocery store near the ...
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behind the cork
2017 Ravines Dry Riesling ($17.95) Ravines Wine Cellars is an artisanal winery in the flourishing, world-class wine region of the Finger Lakes, located in upstate New York. It is the passion of Morten & Lisa Hallgren, a European Winemaker/O...
Read more →Having just wrapped up the holiday season when a lot of Champagne and sparkling wines are enjoyed, I came across a Blanc de Blanc Champagne. At first it seems that ‘Blanc de Blanc” is just a fancy name for a French Champagne. But, this is just anothe...
Read more →Recently, I posted a piece discussing how fermentation and aging affect a wine’s aroma. But, it was brought to my attention that the terms aroma and bouquet are different when it comes to wines. So, here’s a quick summary of each: Aroma - Each grap...
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behind the cork
2018 Mazzocco Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon ($18) This Cabernet Sauvignon is produced by Mazzocco in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma Valley. Perched on a saddle between the acclaimed valleys of Dry Creek and Alexander, Mazzocco is renowned fo...
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general
Last time we looked at Baco Noir, a hybrid grape that produces a medium-bodied red wine. But, there’s also a Baco Blanc, a white wine grape. Both of these hybrid grapes were developed by François Baco. Baco Blanc was developed in 1898 by crossing ...
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behind the cork
2014 Amador Cellars “Farmhouse Red” ($27) Amador Cellars, located in Plymouth California (Amador County) is truly a family-run winery. It showcases Mediterranean wines, Tuscan architecture and a friendly tasting room staff that includes the famil...
Read more →It’s always exciting to me to ‘discover’ and new wine grape. And, while doing some recent reading, I came across Baco Noir (BAH-koh NWAHR), a grape I’d not previous heard about. Baco Noir got its start in the early 1900. It’s a hybrid grape meaning...
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