Pinot Noir
With cool, wet winters, warm dry summers and the marine influence from the west, the coastal Willamette Valley of Oregon is perfect for growing pinot noir grapes.
Dr. Loosen’s Oregon Wine Adventure
The Loosen Family wine estate in Germany is famous for it’s rieslings. Closer to home, Ernst Loosen – one of the rock stars of [...]
Paso Robles
“There is no question that a decade from now, the top viticulture areas of Santa Barbara, Santa Rita Hills and the limestone hillsides west of Paso Robles will be as well-known as the glamorous vineyards of Napa Valley.”
—– Robert M. Parker, Jr. June 30, 2005 issue of Wine Advocate
El Paso de Robles – [...]
3 Wine Price Points – One Great Winemaker
While searching out the next “diamond in the rough” of good, affordable wine, it’s best to take in two considerations: the land the grapes are grown on and the style of the winemaker. One of the top winemakers in the world is 71 year old Aubert de Villaine.
Monsieur [...]
2005 Celler de Capcanes “Mas Donis” Barrica Montsant
Wine from old vines grapes grown on volcanic slopes in north eastern Spain. The life span of a grape vine is about 120 years, and the Granache and Syrah used in this wine come from vines that are over 80 years old and over 30 years old, respectively. [...]
Merlot
Merlot is back! For the past decade the step sister to Cabernet Sauvignon has been pushed to the back burner by the big, beefy California Cabs – but no more. Merlot has been brought to the forefront with the help of some great Washington wine makers and the perfect fruit grown in the Columbia Valley. [...]
Wine & Chocolate
Wine and chocolate pairing has become popular – especially for Valentine’s Day. Many wineries will serve truffles from local chocolatiers that seem to match up perfectly with their port or late-harvest zinfandel or merlot. Restaurants and wine bars across the country have begun special wine and chocolate tastings. You don’t have to spend [...]
2007 Domaine Lafond Roc Epine Lirac
As Twisting Vines has previously noted, 2007 was a great year for Rhone wines. The three grapes that go into the region’s famous Châteauneuf du Pape are Grenache, Mourvédre, Syrah.
The Domaine Lafond produced a terrific Châteauneuf du Pape that received 91 points from Robert Parker. Although the wine has come [...]
2007 Wine
One of the best vintage years for wine – worldwide, was 2007. These wines are now coming to market and with wine prices dropping, there are bargains to be had!
California reds have been slow to come down, but winemakers will have to start discounting in order to reduce inventory. Buyers that once spent $20 [...]
Four Vines Wines
Paso Robles winemaker Christian Tietje is a hedonist. He is passionate about wine: making it, drinking it and bringing people together to enjoy it.
A former chef, Chris fell head over heels for old vine Zinfandel, and founded Four Vines in 1990 with a plan to make four “killer zins” from the four top [...]
