Search Results for 'oak farm'
SPECIAL REPORT Argentina
The Sommelier Journal April 2009 Catherine Fallis, MS Argentina is the eighth-largest country in the world—and the largest of all Spanish-speaking countries—in terms of land mass. Thanks to the majestic Andes Mountains, brilliant year-round sunshine, and plentiful pure, clean water, Argentina is also home to some of the finest and most pristine grape-growing […]
2019 LODI ZINFEST BLIND TASTING
May 23, 2019 | Randy Caparoso 2019 ZinFest Blind Tasting: How Lodi Zinfandels compare to some of California’s finest Round 1 (of 3) wines in ZinFest Zinfandel Blind Tasting (special thanks to Suzanne Ledbetter for photos in this article) The 2019 Zinfandel Blind Tasting – taking place on May 17, the Friday before […]
SUMMER WINES FROM LODI
Lodi grape growers and winemakers produce some of the best Zinfandels in the world. Two hours inland from San Francisco, temperatures climb and the sun shines bright all summer here, allowing grapes to ripen perfectly year after year. But thanks to cooling effects of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, running from the Central Valley directly to […]
BADIA A COLTIBUONO
blog | April 9, 2020 – 4:51pm | By Catherine Fallis Etruscans in the first century and later Romans produced wine here in the sun-drenched hills of Gaiole in Chianti in the heart of Tuscany. In 1051 St. Giovanni Gualberto, founder of the Vallumbrosan order of Benedictine monks, established the abbey, or “Badia” of Good […]
INTERVIEW Doug Shafer, Shafer Vineyards, Napa, California
The Sommelier Journal October 2009 Catherine Fallis, MS For this premium producer, it’s all about sustainability, balance, and paying attention to the little things. Wines from Shafer Vineyards, in the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley, are highly sought after year after year by top collectors and restaurant wine directors around the world. These awe-inspiring […]
INTERVIEW Heidi Peterson Barrett, La Sirena, Napa Valley, California
The Sommelier Journal June 2008 Catherine Fallis, MS For a woman who changed the face of California wine, Heidi Peterson Barrett is decidedly unassuming. As we sat chatting on the deck of a coffee house in St. Helena, Calif., the light in her dazzling green-blue eyes danced with excitement. She was coughing from a second […]
INTERVIEW Josh Jensen, Calera Wine Company, Mount Harlan, California
The Sommelier Journal July 2009 Catherine Fallis, MS Limestone is the magic ingredient for this neo-Burgundian winemaker perched atop the Gabilan Mountains. Calera had been on my radar from the earliest days of my wine education. I had read about it in the textbooks for Harriet Lembeck’s wine course, a prerequisite for my job at […]
INTERVIEW Gary Pisoni, Pisoni Vineyards & Winery, Gonzales, California
The Sommelier Journal March 2009 Catherine Fallis, MS Gary Pisoni is larger than life. Meet him once, and you’ll never forget him. Apparently, I had the same effect on him. As we sat on the shaded deck and barbecue terrace at Pisoni Ranch in the southern Santa Lucia Highlands, he and his son Mark […]
THE LADIES OF VINO NOBILE
A select group of sommeliers, wine merchants and journalists were invited to a presentation yesterday at St. Vincent Tavern & Wine Merchant in San Franciscohonoring “The Ladies of Vino Nobile,” Virginie Saverys, the new owner of Avignonesi, and her winemaker Ashleigh Seymour. Belgian Virginie Saverys was an investor in this well-known Tuscan estate since 2007, […]
Sassicaia’s Flying Wine Maker Dottore Sebastiano Rosa
Sassicaia is a wine known and loved the world over. From a beautiful coastal hamlet in Tuscany, this Super Tuscan blend is hands down Italy’s most famous wine. It is also the world’s second most counterfeited wine after Chateau Petrus. So what is behind this success story? In 1948, the Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta began […]
WINERY SPOTLIGHT Cantine Borgo di Colleredo, Molise, Italy
The Sommelier Journal September 15 2010 Catherine Fallis, MS A meticulous producer has helped put Molise on the wine map. If nothing else can be said about sommeliers as a group, one thing is certain: they are passionate about seeking out new wines, meeting new winemakers, and discovering off-the-beaten-path producers in remote areas. Importer Stephen […]
SPECIAL REPORT Chianti Classico
The Sommelier Journal August 2008 Catherine Fallis, MS Tuscany is one of the world’s most established and aristocratic wine regions. Because its reputation is never in question, winemakers here can afford to look at the big picture—where they want to be for the next several generations—unlike those in up-and-coming areas, where the pressure to make […]
DISCOVER FRANCIACORTA – ITALY’S MOST SERIOUS SPARKLER & A MOST WORTHY HOLIDAY WINE
NewsAllSpiritsWineCocktailsBeerLifestyle More Recipes Videos Vintage Alcohol Ads Field Trips About Us Discover Franciacorta Italy’s Most Serious Sparkler & A Most Worthy Holiday Wine Early on in my wine career the Champagne started flowing. I knew I would have a long love affair with this fine, elegant, and expensive sparkling wine. I just didn’t know how […]
SUMMER WINE SUBSCRIPTIONS YOU’LL WANT TO TRY NOW
Food and Wine Catherine Fallis Sun Aug 2 While many things in our lives have been upended this year, one thing remains in place — our love for wine! And that love becomes even stronger when we have the convenience and security of having some one else pick it out for us. But with the […]
THE MONK’S ELIXIR – Unique Sagrantino DOCG is Ripe for Discovery
Planet Grape The SOMM Journal October November 2015 While tourists flock to artistic, medieval Perugia and Assisi, landlocked Umbria’s bucolic green rolling hills provide idyllic growing conditions for spicy olives, lentils, wheat and spelt, and the tartufo nero (black truffle) di Norcia. Black pigs roam the verdant hills and lush forests, along with deer, sheep and cows. […]
INTERVIEW Terry Theise, Berkeley, California
The Sommelier Journal May 31 2012 Catherine Fallis, MS The famed importer’s philosophy emanates from a respect for the land. Terry Theise is a man after my own heart: passionate champion of underdogs; perfume lover (with scarce opportunities to wear it); seeker of balance in wine, people, and life; natural educator and co-conspirator; and bon vivant whose […]
Super Tuscan Blend
Super Tuscan wines are either Sangiovese-dominant (Sangiovese is the mainstay of the area and most famous for Chianti), blended with the international Cabernet Sauvignon, the opposite, or somewhere in between. A Super Tuscan may be Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, or even Chardonnay for that matter, single varietal or blend. It is not an official, regulated […]
Southern Italy Fall Release Report
From the hot, dry, challenging 2012 vintage across Italy’s south and islands, look for success stories including the 2012 Cusamano Benuara Sicilia IGP $18, Nero d’Avola with 30% Syrah, a nice crossover style for glass pours and the holiday table. The 2012 De Lucia Falanghino Sannio DOC $22 from Campania, is a round, creamy, […]
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS AVA FALL EVENTS
PRESS RELEASE SANTA CRUZ, CA – The Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association (SCMWA) announces 7 upcoming Fall events. Saturday, August 24 – Taste of the Mountains Celebrates Santa Cruz Mountains Wines. Enjoy an afternoon of tasting and discovering wines from small, local boutique wineries of the Santa Cruz Mountains in one location. Taste wines from […]
PINOT FEST 2015 – A PUBLIC TASTING OF SEXY WINE
Billed as “The Great Big Bacchanalia,” Pinot Fest is one of the most anticipated wine tasting events of the year. It is rare to have winemakers and winery principles from some of the top names in California Pinot Noir in the same room (technically 3 rooms, but still). Fifty-eight wineries were present. Organized by Pat […]
Planet Grape’s Top Ten Champagnes of 2014
Glass of Bubbly, Champagne & Sparkling Wine Magazine Issue 4, December 2014/January 2015 Planet Grape sends me out to host private and corporate wine events, which often include a Champagne sabering performance (see picture with black French silk hand-feathered gown styled by Material Goods as I saber Krug Champagne for Sinegal Estate Winery’s Harvest Party […]
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