Parable Wines

June 4, 2024.Reading time 6 minutes.

There are some ideas that are widely considered to be universal truths. Lessons that traverse cultures and time, regions and religions. These are often bigger than what can be fully expressed in a few phrases, and require room to make one’s own. They are multi-faceted lessons, condensed to an image. One that can be held, […]

Side Projects-CrossBarn Winery by Paul Hobbs

June 3, 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

Photo used with permission from CrossBarn Winery

{These wines were provided as media samples, no other compensation. Thoughts are my own.} This is a second installment in a series about side projects by established winemakers. I hadn’t been home for quite a while, not in winter in nearly a decade. It was late January and darkness had fallen long before I arrived, […]

A Charming Appellation-Gigondas

April 5, 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

{Wines were provided as media samples, no other compensation. Thoughts are my own.} When I began enjoying wine, I’d extend my trips to the store by perusing the wine aisles. Perhaps I’d enjoyed a specific wine and wanted to find out more about the producer. Sometimes it was a new grape. I’d find the section […]

A Thrilling Ride-Sidecar-G-Force

March 21, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

{This wine was provided as a media sample, no other compensation. Thoughts, opinions are my own.} Speed, gravity, acceleration. If you’ve ever been a passenger in a vehicle that takes the curve with gusto, you’ve had a taste of G-force. It requires you to both hold on tight and let go. There is a push/pull […]

Mixing Things Up-Sparkling Wines for Valentine’s

February 12, 2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

{Wines were provided as media samples. I received no other compensation. Thoughts, opinions are my own.} There was a time I put a lot of effort into the day. Handmade cards, a new dress, a decadent meal, a splurge on a bottle of Champagne. These days, it looks a lot different. I still make something […]

Warming up with Washington Wine

January 29, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

It has been unusually cold here this winter. For Austin, that is. While mentioning temps in the 20s and 30s might elicit a guffaw from my friends up north, we are not as equipped here in Texas. We’ve burned a lot of firewood, busted out the scarves, and opened up some big, red wine. Two […]

A Vastly Different Holiday-Don Melchor

January 17, 2018.Reading time 6 minutes.

{The wine was sent as media sample. I received no other compensation. Thoughts, opinions are my own.} The tree was trimmed while Harry Connick crooned. The stockings were hung, the nativity set in place. But this year there were a few major changes. For one, my children had asked THE question. They’ve been surmising for […]

“No, not ‘Red Rum,’ Red WINE!”

October 30, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

Can you imagine the terror? You are just settled in with a bowl of popcorn and a few fun-size and you ask your son to get you the bottle of red wine from the kitchen. There is a long pause. A cackle. He comes around the corner, glazed eyes carrying a bottle you don’t recognize. […]

A Bouquet of Rosé-Ridgeview Estate

September 20, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

When enjoying your favorite sparkling wine, what type of glass do you reach for? Traditionally, one would choose from a flute or a coupe, allegedly an ode of sorts to Marie Antoinette. While it has been a discussion for a while in the wine community, it has become more of a mainstream discussion of late. […]