Standing in between fifth generation Livermore wine producer Karl Wente (who is light, with executive-style, thick brown hair, and built like an NCAA basketball player) and his best friend (who is dark, soft-spoken, and built like an NCAA basketball player) is a bit like what I imagine standing at the bottom of a well might…
Category: overachiever wines
Ma(i)n Of La Mancha (Airén It Out With The World’s Most-Planted Grape)
In Spain’s La Mancha winegrowing region, there is a saying (and no, it’s not “Don Quixote slept here,” though that’s a reasonable guess): “Nueve meses de invierno y tres meses de infierno.” Which means, “nine months of Winter, and three months of hell.” This is how the locals describe the climate of La Mancha, where…
The Greatest California Vineyard You Don’t Know About (Communing – And Drinking! – With Old Souls In Lodi)
Well, you may actually know about it, but that would certainly put you in better shape than I was when my friend and sommelier legend Randy Caparoso kidnapped me from Premiere Napa Valley in February, insisting that I spend some time in Lodi to see some down-home, old school wine farming. What I wasn’t entirely…
Minerals And Mustachios (Can Muscadet Be Aged For The Long Haul)?
The short answer to the question posed in the title, for the impatient among you, is “Yes.” At least 35 years, in fact (maybe more). The long answer is considerably, well, longer… and a lot more complicated, but those who choose to brave its circuitous path will be rewarded with tidbits of French wine family…