behind the cork
2013 Rabbit Ridge Allure de Robles Rhône Style Blend ($6)  This Rhône style blend is a perfect fit for Behind the Cork ™ - Wine of the Week. It’s affordable, it’s attainable and it’s a ni...
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general
Reading a wine label can be confusing. There’s a lot of marketing being done to try to get you to buy a wine. Everything from fancy artwork to cute names. And then there’s the back label that describes all about the aromas, flavors and quality of t...
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behind the cork
2014 Foggy Veil Hillside Red Blend ($13) This blend of 75% Syrah and 25% Grenache from Santa Barbara County is another unexpected winner. In the Rhone tradition, this blend has the big fruit, medium tannin characteristics of the Syrah with the Gre...
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behind the cork
Z. Alexander Brown 2014 Russian River Valley Uncaged Pinot Noir ($13) The Russian River Valley is renowned for its delicious Pinot Noir. And this is another fine example. With aromas of red fruit such as raspberry and cranberry, this Pinot Noir le...
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behind the cork
2014 Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel ($10)  Just having featured “Old Vine Zinfandel - Is it Better?” I thought it would be good to bring back a wine that was featured in this blog last year. Th...
Read more →Often, you’ll see the words “Old Vine” on the label of a Zinfandel. But what does it really mean and does it equate with a better wine? First, you need to realize that “Old Vine” is not a regulated term. It can appear on any bottle of wine. Most in...
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behind the cork
2012 Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Sonoma Chardonnay ($15) This is an “Estate” wine meaning that Rodney Strong grew the grapes, crushed them, fermented, aged and bottle the wine. This Chardonnay has the nice fruit flavors of golden delicious apple and ...
Read more →Germany is the home of Riesling, and still produces nearly half the world’s Riesling. But there’s another region that is well-known for its Riesling and that’s Alsace [Ahl-zahs] in France. Alsace is located east of Paris, along the border with Germa...
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behind the cork
2013 Hook or Crook Napa Valley Red Blend ($7) I’m always curious when I come across a new label at Trader Joe’s. This one caught my eye so I brought it home. While they don’t specify the grapes used, this is a full-bodied red with a real nice set...
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general
German Rieslings can be a bit confusing. Last time we took a look at the basic styles of German wines. Most notable was the German term “Trocken” that means dry (no residual sugar). So, if you are looking for a German Riesling that is not sweet, ...
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