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Porter Creek Vineyards
May 23rd, 2016
“Porter Creek is like a snapshot from Pinot's past… The approach Davis takes is the opposite of the modern style; it's nuanced, pure in its fruit and informed by his time in some of Burgundy's greatest cellars. It harks back to a much defter view of what Russian River could yield.” -Jon Bonné, San ...
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Why the Canary Islands Remain the Perfect Storm of Wine Cool
May 17th, 2016
This just in from PUNCH's "Crib Sheet," your monthly shortcut to what's hot in wine right now, in four bottles, courtesy of Jon Bonné.
This month: the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago off Africa that is home to a grab bag of volcanic wines. ...
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Why the Canary Islands Remain the Perfect Storm of Wine Cool
May 17th, 2016
Welcome to "Crib Sheet," your monthly shortcut to what's hot in wine right now, in four bottles, courtesy of Jon Bonné. This month: the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago off Africa that is home to a grab bag of volcanic wines.
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Radikon & Tavijn among top selections in Vinitaly's “Wine Without Walls” competition at Vinitaly
Apr 20th, 2016
Two of our wines were amongst the top selections in the recent “Wine Without Walls” competition at Vinitaly this year. This is a new competition that was established by Alice Feiring, who was one of the judges. The competition focused on natural wines. The other judges were Pascaline Lepeltier from ...
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Quilceda Creek: One of the American Classics
Apr 12th, 2016
Among the few industries in the United States that have survived all the shifts in generations, technology, fashion, social change, wars, industrial advances, collapse, and rebirth, few have done so as well as wine. The first Europeans to explore the United States around 1000, Vikings, called it ...
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Oro de Lidia Reposado Scores Double Gold Medal!
Apr 6th, 2016
The Fifty Best held a “blind” tasting of 20 reposado tequilas with a panel of 17 judges. Strict tasting rules were applied, and the scoring was done on a 5-point system, with 5 as the best. Double-Gold, Gold and Silver medals ...
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Cairanne Gets Its Cru On
Mar 29th, 2016
Cairanne, in France's Rhône Valley, has been elevated to cru status—placing its intense, spicy red wines in the same company as those of Gigondas and Châteauneuf-du-Pape (though they still cost far less).
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Bud Break on the Old Hill Ranch
Mar 29th, 2016
Old Hill Ranch is a special haven of California’s history. Planted in the mid 1800’s, it is in the running for the oldest vineyard in Sonoma. It has been dry-farmed, organically farmed, and meticulously preserved by the Bucklin family over the most recent decades of its long life.
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Small-Scale Distillery Crafts Big-Flavored Spirits
Mar 17th, 2016
Vivacity Fine Spirits of Corvallis finds growing success in handcrafted libations imbued with Northwest essences
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Harvest Report: 2015 at Occhipinti
Mar 14th, 2016
2015 Harvest Report from Occhipinti
Harvest started on September 20th, 2015. Because of a hot summer, it was a long wait to get to the grapes to ripen. This led to a bit of uncertainty in some moments: we know the excess of heat does not help photosynthesis, and that plants protect themselves by ...
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Going Green: CA Winemakers Lead the Way
Feb 17th, 2016
Alex Davis of Porter Creek Vineyards, along with Lou Preston & Matt Norelli of Preston Vineyards, discuss natural winemaking with Slow Food USA.
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2016: The Year of Spätburgunder! (aka German Pinot Noir)
Feb 1st, 2016
German Pinot Noir (a.k.a., Spätburgunder) has been receiving attention from many quarters lately, some within the trade (Jancis Robinson, John Gilman, Tyler Coleman, Jon Bonné), and some in the mainstream (Forbes Magazine’s #1 trending wine topic for 2016). At a time when Burgundy prices have ...
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VDP Estates Offering High Praise for the 2015 Harvest
Dec 22nd, 2015
Healthy grapes and bright acidity are considered just as important as Oechsle measurements in today's wines
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Eater Reports: Great Lakes Distillery’s Pumpkin Spirit is an “Awesome Bottle”
Oct 15th, 2015
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Profile: Domaine Chevrot et Fils
Dec 18th, 2014
People have described Domaine Chevrot to me as ‘the DRC of Maranges’. So eventually I was lucky enough to get the chance to visit. The domaine is in Cheilly-lès-Maranges, with a commanding view of the Maranges hillside – from here you really do have a view similar to the hill of Corton...
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A Lighthearted German
Nov 19th, 2014
David Bowler, an importer and distributor with many German wines in his portfolio, offered another reason for the disappearance of kabinett. He points to the increase in the German thirst for dry rieslings. “They’re letting the vineyards go longer and riper ...
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Domaine Chandon de Briailles (Savigny-les-Beaune)
Aug 19th, 2014
The Chandon de Briailles cellars this year contained some of the ripest wines I have ever had the pleasure to taste here, but the wines have retained a lovely sense of purity and precision to their underlying terroirs that is rather remarkable at these rather high octane levels. In many cellars, I ...
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German Pinot Noir Road Tour
Aug 19th, 2014
August 25 – September 1, 2013
Are you up for a European wine tour this summer? Germany’s Rieslings have gone cult. And German Reds are close behind. Pinot Noirs from Germany are in break-out mode. They’re rocking the competition at international blind tastings and setting the cognoscenti abuzz. ...
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Rooted in Rioja, Traditions Gain New
Aug 19th, 2014
HERMANOS PECIÑA Fresh, expressive wines. (José Pastor/Vinos & Gourmet, Richmond, Calif.)
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Tasting Highlights: Vacqueyras
Aug 19th, 2014
Outstanding reds and excellent values from an oft-overlooked appellation of the Southern Rhône. Includes Bowler producer: Domaine la Monardière.
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Jancis Robinson Wine of the Week - Patrick Piuze Chablis
Aug 19th, 2014
It's always a thrill to encounter a promising new producer, and I'm indebted to Steve Daniel, who used to be the head wine buyer at Oddbins in its glory days, for steering me towards Patrick Piuze, a French Canadian who was introduced to the culture of ...
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Notes from a Recent Trip to the Canary Islands
Aug 14th, 2014
The top of Pico del Ingles on Tenerife, with a view of the Atlantic.
Close your eyes. Imagine standing on one of the world’s largest volcanoes, wiggling its black volcanic sand between your toes and looking out over the ...
