behind the cork
2015 Z. Alexander Brown Uncaged Pinot Noir ($12) This Pinot Noir sources its grapes from Monterey County, Napa County and Sonoma County. Not a bad set of sites for growing Pinot Noir! The back label states “…wines that offer big and bold flavors,...
Read more →Last time we examined what can be learned from looking at a wine’s color. Different colors can indicate the wine’s body and its age. White wines can vary from straw white to deep brown. And, these visual clues can immediately tell you something abou...
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behind the cork
2016 Rancho Sisquoc Santa Barbara “Sisquoc River Red” ($10) Now here’s a red blend that recently caught my eye. Not because of any fancy label or special promotion in the store. According to the Rancho Sisquoc website this is 35% Cabernet Sauvign...
Read more →You may have seen it. Someone with a glass of wine looking very closely at it. Or even slightly tipping the glass of wine over a bit to take an even closer look. Well, there are several things that can be learned by just looking at your wine. And, ...
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general
The grape growing cycle is currently at the point where berries (the actual term for individual grapes) begin to turn color. This marks the point at which the grape vines move from berry growth to berry ripening. The term for this stage is called ...
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behind the cork
2016 Oremus Mandolás Furmint ($25) Tokaj (toe-kay) is Hungary’s most famous and respected wine region, mostly due to its super sweet, botrytized Tokaji dessert wines. But, a new set of wines has emerged from the Tokaj region that are dry. This of...
Read more →Wine and cheese pairs so well. As we learned last time, the proteins and fats in cheese help to tame the tannin in red wines and creamy soft white cheeses tend to balance the bold acidity that can be found in white wines. But, not all cheeses work w...
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behind the cork
2015 Feudi di San Gregorio Rubrato Aglianico ($19.99) Aglianico (Ahl-YAH-nee-koh) is a native grape to southern Italy. This one, from Feudi di San Gregorio, is from the Campania Irpinia region of Italy, near Mount Vesuvious. After being hand-harv...
Read more →Wine and cheese. They just go together. But, there’s actually a pretty good reason that this pairing typically works together so well. Let’s start with red wines. They can be rather tannic due to the stems, seeds and stems of the grapes. Tannin is ...
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behind the cork
2017 Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina ($22.99) I always enjoy learning something new about the wine world and this 100% Falanghina from Feudi di San Gregorio in Italy is just another example. Prior to this bottle, I was not aware of the Falanghin...
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