Podcast: Will Henry – Vineyard Gone Wild

Introducing California’s First Pinot Alternative Grenache is a very interesting and challenging grape.  A wine made from 100% Grenache can have the weight of a Pinot Noir: a medium to light bodied red. I t doesn’t normally lend itself to making big, tannic wines.  (Side note: a lot of the Grenache that you see in stores…

The Controversy over Wine Scores For many decades now, wine critics have been reviewing wines, and wine consumers have been following their guidance.  This fact is hardly surprising given the sheer number of wines on our supermarket shelves, and the high prices we encounter when walking down the aisles.  None of us likes to make…

Thoughts on the Wettest of Vintages The vineyards are flooding.  Southern California is currently experiencing what the forecasters are calling “the largest weather event in the last six years.” (Let’s just forget about “Stormageddon” two years ago – too bad they used that one up already). Some of the vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley…

One of my father’s favorite sayings is that most wines are consumed on the way home from the liquor store.  He is saying that tongue-in-cheek, of course, but says it to make a point: while many wines are meant to be aged, few are actually consumed more than a year after they are bottled, and…

There is nothing more compelling than natural beauty. Ad men always have said that sex sells (such as this photo, above, of Lane Tanner enjoying a “Pinot bath”), but these days, natural sells almost as well. Natural cosmetics, natural clothing, natural foods, and now natural wine. But just how natural do you want to go?…

Is wine good for you? The pendulum always swings when it comes to what foods and beverages are good for your health. I remember in the 70’s we were told that fat was bad, and along with that came cheese, avocados, butter, and bacon. Oh, the horror. People switched to margarine. I remember tubs of…