Differentiation-Paso Robles Wines

September 7, 2019.Reading time 10 minutes.

{Photo Courtesy of Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. These wines were shipped as media samples. I received no other compensation.} The beginning of the new school year is a time of gathering. Gathering information, identifying needs, discovering gifts. With a vast array of personalities, interests, backgrounds, and strengths, I have to find a way to […]

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 […]

Variety in the Rhone Valley

March 19, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

From Vienne to Avignon, the varieties vary. The Rhone Valley produces some of the most widely recognized blends. Beginning in Roman times, the region became synonymous with quality wines. Wine ranging from those worthy of Popes to those you can open on a Monday, just because. French labels can be confusing, intimidating even. If you […]

A Wish at Murrieta’s Well

June 12, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

Wishing for something new in your glass? A unique variety or take on a well-known grape? Toss a coin in Murrieta’s Well and you’re sure to find something delicious. I recently participated in a Snooth Virtual Tasting of Murrieta’s Well wines. I was grateful to be selected, along with several writers from around the country, to […]

I’d Love to be Stuck in Lodi

November 10, 2016.Reading time 3 minutes.

If John Fogarty feels dread at being “stuck” in Lodi, he may not be a wine lover. I know, I know, the song was written long before Lodi became a wine-lover magnet, but I can’t think of one without hearing the other. I recently participated in a Snooth chat with four wines from Lodi, California, […]

Go for Garnacha-Monday Wines

September 19, 2016.Reading time 5 minutes.

On Friday evening, several wine writers participated in an online tasting in celebration of Garnacha Day. Haven’t heard of it? Perhaps you have. Garnacha is the Spanish name for Grenache. A thin-skinned, medium body grape with notes of red fruit and baking spices, orange zest and herbs. And that’s just the red grape. We also […]

Nothing Blue about Pink Monday

May 2, 2016.Reading time 3 minutes.

Spring is in full swing, the temps have been rising but your price point doesn’t have to to get a great bottle of wine. It’s been a while since I’ve covered Monday wines. The truth is, I haven’t been drinking as much. If I have, it has been on the weekend, thus Weekend Wines. Saturday was Ladies’ […]

Passage Way-Passaggio Wines

March 29, 2016.Reading time 4 minutes.

A passage way symbolizes an opportunity, a decision, the unknown. The phrase conjures several images, several responses. The primary image for me is that of a spring forest, a damp and trodden path, fresh vibrant leaves blocking out the sun, low in the sky. Dew covered ferns line the path. At my furthest point of vision, there […]

Savory and Sassy-Texas Tuesday

September 15, 2015.Reading time 3 minutes.

I have a tendency to hold on to things. A letter (ok, 20) from high school, jeans that MIGHT fit again (cough, cough), and wine. In some circumstances it can be a good thing. After all, the fashion from middle school is coming back around. In others, well, what can I say…I’m sentimental. When it comes to […]