Wine Review: Veramar Vineyard 2014 Cabernet Franc

"Decanter Magazine awards the family its seventh consecutive medal for Cabernet Franc, competing against the best wines in the world." That's what the Veramar Vineyard's website (http://www.veramar.com/) has to say about their Cabernet Franc. And, as somebody that reads Decanter far more often than the other wine rating and news sites, I'm impressed. I'm also a big fan...

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Wine Review: James Charles Winery & Vineyard 2014 Viognier

Is Viognier the best wine with lobster? It's gotta be, right? I say it is. Some say that a buttery Chardonnay is, but you're already having butter with the lobster so why would you go with a buttery Chardonnay? Sounds redundant and stupid. Viognier. Best wine with lobster. Remember that. It's also the pride and joy of Virginia viticulture and winemaking. From what I've...

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Wine Review: Bogadi Bodega & Vineyard 2014 Seyval Blanc

Virginia is for lovers. And for strongholds in uprisings against governments. It's also got the longest history of winemaking in the United States of America (Texas and California made wine much earlier but weren't a part of the USA until much later). Wine from the native species' of grapevines had been made there since the early days of English colonization. Many attempted...

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Soil and Wine - Part 3: Roots Among Rubble

This is the conclusion of my Soil and Wine series of articles. Part 1: Starstuff and Seashells started with the creation of the Earth, how it got its water, how life changed the planet with organic matter, and then covered volcanic soil and limestone. PART 2: Terroir and Texture started with whether or not you could taste the soil in your wine, then explained...

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Wine Review: Ventisquero "Grey" Glacier 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon

For the last decade or so the general rule of Chilean wine was that you can double the price of a bottle and that's what wine of the same quality would cost coming from one of those classy California appellations. For the most part that theory is still going strong, although it's no longer a guarantee. There is no doubt in my mind that Chile is absolutely the top producer...

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Wine Review: Ventisquero "Grey" Glacier 2013 Carménère

Hey look! It says Glacier on the label! Massachusetts is temporarily a big piece of glacier at the time that this review is being written! Lots of snow and ice! Hurray! I hate the cold. Fuck off, cold. Die. Drinking Carménère is like drinking an extinct grape. It was a blender in the French region of Bordeaux until that a-hole louse phylloxera killed it in the 1800's....

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Soil and Wine - Part 2: Terroir and Texture

In Part 1: Starstuff and Seashells we started with a complete geek-out on the creation of the Earth, how it got its water, how life changed the planet with organic matter, and how wine connects us to all of it. Then we moved on to volcanic soil and limestone, because they really can't be placed into one soil type when categorized into soil texture. IMAGE SOURCE: jamesonfink.com By...

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Wine Review: Bodegas Veganzones 912 de Altitud 2014 "Tierra Arenosa" Rueda

Spain's Denominación de Origen of Rueda is southwest of Ribera del Duero. The region surrounds the town of Rueda and it's been making wine since the 11th century when the Verdejo varietal was brought from North Africa and planted there. For most of its history in winemaking, Rueda was focused solely on that Verdejo grape until phylloxera came to town in 1890 and stuck...

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Wine Review: Alonso del Yerro 2010 Ribera del Duero

It's been well documented that perhaps my most favorite wine region in the world is Spain's Ribera del Duero (if it's not tied with France's Loire Valley). It's also been well documented that I love Tempranillo, and in Ribero del Duero they call their Tempranillo by the name Tinto Fino. So when RiberaRuedaWine.com contacted me about reviewing a Ribera and a Rueda I...

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Soil and Wine - Part 1: Starstuff and Seashells

Earth was born with our Solar System 4.5 billion years ago by the gravitational collapse of a molecular cloud, which was created by the death of a star, on the outskirts of the 13.2 billion year old Milky Way Galaxy. So our star, the Sun, is actually a second or third generation star. IMAGE SOURCE: lospecchiostorto.com For its first billion years our planet was...

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When a plan comes together.

"Halfway done with the hour, bottle halfway gone. I love it when a plan comes together." - Joey Casco CSW/C...

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February Wine Pick: Sandeman Fine Rich Madeira

This WINE PICK of the month was written for the Luke's of Cape Cod website. I always like to make my February wine pick a fortified one because that's the month where we get most of our snow here on Cape Cod. Fortified wine is strengthened with spirits, usually brandy, so it'll keep you warm and toasty between shovelings. Madeira is a Portuguese island far...

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