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: wine review
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…
A Champion Is Crowned: The 2012 1WD Petite Sirah Taste-Off Finals
In a thrilling, tightly-fought contest, the 2009 Frank Family Vineyards SJ Vineyard Reserve Petite Sirah was crowned Champion of the 2012 1WineDude.com Petite Sirah Taste-Off tournament, edging out its Napa neighbor rival in the finals, the 2007 Stanton Vineyards Petite Sirah. The contest was widely dubbed “The Slapper Down In Napa” by the press, since…
The 2012 1WD CA Petite Sirah Taste-Off, Part Deux
Today continues the focus this week on The 2012 1WineDude.com CA Petite Sirah Taste-Off, reporting on the results of the second and third rounds of the single-elimination, sixteen-bottle tourney. Click here for background on the bizarre genesis of this thing, and the results of the first round (if you missed it, please read it, because…