The Summer That Wasn’t Here on the west coast of California we’ve had a cool summer. It happens every so often. I remember the summer of ’73 was cooler, yet. Anyway, we’ve been wondering how this will effect this year’s harvest. Growers will try to keep their fruit on the vine as long as possible [...]
Montes According to Robert Parker, Montes has figured out how to produce terrific red wines at bargain prices. Maybe it’s their famous night harvests or the sounds of Gregorian chants played in the cellars as the wine is aging. (See Twisting Vines April 23, 2009) Montes has brought wine production in Chile to the forefront [...]
Some Prices are Starting to Going Up If you haven’t noticed, prices continue to creep upward. A quick trip to the mall for a sale will have you asking, “This is on sale? This is the same price it was a few months ago!” Price increases are most noticeable at the grocery store. Coffee, eggs, [...]
Peggy Fleming San Jose native, Peggy Fleming and her husband, Dr. Greg Jenkins are serious about wine. In 1999 they planted an acre of Chardonnay in their Los Gatos backyard in the Santa Cruz mountains. Four years later, the newly formed Fleming Jenkins Vineyards & Winery produced its first vintage – Chardonnay from their backyard [...]
2007 Justin Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles From the same winery that makes Isosocles and The Orphan (See March 2, 2010 Twisting Vines), Justin gets high scores for it’s Cabernet. Dark red color. Aromas of cherry, plum, spice and leather, with a hints of tobacco and leather. Fruit forward with layers of tart cherries and blackberries. [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
