Weekly Wine Show

This episode starts a series focused on California wine regions. We spent most of the summer learning about wines from Europe and now we are looking to explore wines from the state that produces about 85% of US wine, and we’re starting with the Russian River Valley.   The Russian River Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Sonoma County, California. There are more than a million acres of land within Sonoma and the region produces twice as many grapes as Napa. With such a diverse landscape, it’s difficult to make generalizations about the region so we are going to focus on just one of its 12 AVAs.   This week's episode we discuss: Where is Russian River Valley and what's its impact? History of wine in the region Climate and geography in the Russian River Valley and its impact on the grapes grown What to expect from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines in the Russian River Valley   Wine Recommendations: Frei Brothers Reserve Chardonnay 2015 - priced around $20. This wine is definitely a bridge between w

Priorat is a Spanish DOQ (translates to “Qualified Appellation of Origin”), located in the north-eastern part of Spain, in Catalonia. This is on the Mediterranean side of Spain, only about 10 miles from the Mediterranean sea. DOQ (also called DOCa outside of Catalonia) is the top “qualification level” for Spanish wine regions, and Priort is one of only two DOQ wine regions in Spain, along with Rioja .   Although Priorat is a small region, with 4,700 acres of vineyards from about 600 growers and 100 wineries, their wines are big, bold and known as some of the best red wines that Spain has to offer. This week we dive into the region to learn what makes Priorat such a special place.   In this week's episode we discuss: Where is Priorat? What grapes are grown? Wine history of this area Climate and geography Flavor characteristics and food pairings of red Priorat   Wine Recommendations Black Slate Porrera 2011 - priced around $20. This one needed to breathe - nose wasn't so great at first… so we put it through t

Time for another four wines! We have a little of everything this episode, red, white and rose but all French wine and all fantastic. Our tasting notes are below.   Domaine de Bellevue La Galoche Beaujolais Rosé 2016 - priced around $15.  This beautiful pink colored rose wine is made from 100% Gamay. It has strong fruity nose of strawberries, watermelon and some minerality. It's a light bodied, dry wine (although the fruitiness really tricks you into thinking it's sweet) with crisp acidity and flavors of strawberries with a touch of flowers. This is everything I love in a rose - dry, crisp, super fruity, what I would call a fancy patio wine. It's unique because most wines from this area are red but with the popularity of Rose wines I would expect to see more of these wines coming out of Beaujolais.   Château Larose - Trintaudon Haut-Médoc 2010 Cru Bourgeois - priced around $24. Strong aromas of blackcurrants, dried herbs, oak and dusty notes. It's a dry wine with medium plus acidity, and medium, smooth, linge

This week we head back into obscure wine grapes and regions with Greco di Tufo. There is still some warm weather left so don’t break out your sweaters and cabs just yet. We have one more crisp summer weather wine to talk about.   Greco di Tufo wine is made from the Greco grape and it's ancestor is thought to have been brought to Southern Italy by the ancient Greeks. Although the grape variety is permitted in blends in several DOCs in southern Italy, it shines in the Greco di Tufo DOCG in Compania. Therefore our focus this week is the Greco di Tufo DOCG region.   This week we discuss: History of the Greco grape Why is the Greco grape so confusing? Where is Greco di Tufo and why is it so special? Flavor characteristics of Greco di Tufo wine  

This week’s episode we are talking wine news. The articles listed below are featured in this week’s episode: Alcohol as a study tool? Drinking after learning boosts memory by Beth Mole ARS Technica August 3, 2017   New Zealand: thousands of bottles of allegedly fraudulent wine exported by Eleanor Ainge Roy The Guardian August 5, 2017   The year in California wine by Mark C. Anderson SF Gate August 21, 2017   Blue Wine Is Finally Coming to the U.S. by Rafael Tonon Eater August 25, 2017   This Wine Brand Wants Hardcore Bikers Drinking its Rosé by Megan Graham Ad Age August 4, 2017    

If you are a listener of the show for any length of time you know we love to talk about rare or unknown grape varieties and regions. This week is no exception with the rare and mysterious grape from Austria known as Saint Laurent. It’s a highly aromatic dark-skinned wine grape variety used in blends and varietal wines. As of 2013, there are about 5,000 acres of St. Laurent vines with major plantings in Austria, Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Many compare it to Pinot Noir but to us, that is a short-sighted comparison. St. Laurent is unique and therefore we believe it should stand alone in it's critique.   In this week's episode we discuss: St. Laurent's grape lineage Why it's a challenging grape What does St. Laurent wine taste like? Food pairings

Over the next couple of weeks we’re changing pace from summer whites and trying some delicious red wines that can be enjoyed in warmer weather. Cinsault is a red wine grape mostly used in blends like the reds of the Southern France and there is a lot of it! As of 2010, there were about 90,000 acres of vines making it the 25th most grown grape.   This week's episode we discuss: Where it's grown? What climate is best? Flavor characterisitics Food pairings

If you’ve listened to the podcast in recent weeks, you may have noticed a small focus on Italian white wines as well as white wines in general. It’s not that we don’t enjoy reds in the summer, but rather, we wanted to give you some light, crisp wine options for summer instead of the usually sweet wine or Pinot Gris that dominate the shelves in wine shops. So this week we continue that journey into lesser known varieties with a white wine and grape from Southern Italy called Falanghina.   This week's episode we discussed: The history of the Falanghina grape Campania wine region There are actually two different Falanghina grapes! Flavor characteristics Food pairings

This week we're talking about Vermentino. Vermentino is a light-bodied white wine and grape that grows mostly in Italy on the island of Sardinia. There is about 22,000 acres worldwide so it's not a very common grape variety and information on this wine hard to come by.   This week's episode we discuss: where Vermentino gorwn Sardinia, Italy Vermentino di Gallura DOCG Flavor characterisitics Food pairings

This week we’re talking about a wine region in Italy you probably haven’t heard of called Lugana which produces a light, dry white wine of the same name. We were able to get our hands on a couple of bottles and found it to be a perfect addition to our summertime wines. So let’s get into it.   This week we cover: Where is the Lugana DOC? Geography and climate What grape is in Lugana and why is it so confusing? Styles of Lugana Flavor characteristics and food pairings   Wine Recommendations: Ca Lojera Lugana 2016 - priced around $20. This wine has aromas of Asian pear, flowers and lime. We experienced a crisp acidity and lighter body with flavors of flowers and lime. We really enjoy the lime flavor and thought this wine served chilled makes a perfect crisp summertime wine to add to your collection. We purchased this wine at France 44.   Ottella Lugana 2015 - priced around $20. Lovely aromas of wax, slate and a touch of flowers, this wine has lots of acidity and flavors of lemon and arugula. We thought this wi

It's time again for another four wines episode. A time to talk about four different wines we've enjoyed recently that don't fit in an upcoming episode but we love them so much we had to share with you. These wines are awesome and definitely worth trying out this summer. Check out the recommendations and tasting notes below. Cheers!   Bründlmayer Brut NV - priced around $35. This wine has a nose of fresh bread, menthol cigarette, and pear. It has high acidity with a medium body and flavors of apple, pear and hotdog water. I know it sounds gross and a little funky and a bit weird but it's oddly, surprisingly captivating. Also, it's not fruit forward and not as fresh as we were expecting. Purchase this wine here    Teutonic Wine Company’s Recorded in Doubly 2015 - priced around $15. This white wine is 100% Muscat which means it’s super aromatic, a rare gem from Willamette Valley! It's straightforward - floral and fruity, with aromas of honeydew, rose and tangerine with flavors of lemon, rose, honeydew and tanger

This week's episode we are talking wine news. The articles listed below are featured in this week's episode:   Rioja Grapples With How to Define Its Best Wines By Eric Asimov New York Times May 25, 2017   P.F. Chang's Created Two Wines to Pair with your Favorite Asian Food By Sarah Whitten of CNBC June 8, 2017   For Total Wine, it’s total war against alcohol regulations By Dan Adams Boston GLOBE MAY 20, 2017   Record number of English and Welsh wine companies launched in 2016 By Rob Davies, The Guardian Monday 29 May 2017   “Getting Really Good at Wine Tasting Can Help You Learn How to Trust Yourself” By Melissa Dahl New York Magazine May 11, 2017

his week we are talking about German Sekt. Sekt means sparkling wine in German and in our opinion you can never have too much Sekt in your life. As you know we love all sparkling wine, but Sekt is not the easiest to find. This is because Germans love their sparkling wine, so much that the annual (German) per capita consumption of about five liters (of sparkling wine) is the highest in the world. Most Sekt doesn’t leave the country; in fact as of 2011, of the 420 million liters of Sekt that was produced, Germans drank nearly 80% of it - this translates to almost 450 million bottles! Even with it's short supply outside Germany, you can still find some fine examples that express their varietal and place.   In this week's episode we discuss: Scope of Sekt wine and it's production The rise of Sekt in Germany How to pick out a quality bottle of Sekt major grapes and flavors Pfalz wine region in Germany

This week we continue our series on lesser known white wine varieties with a french wine called Muscadet. The name of this wine is rather confusing; not named for the region it hails from (Pays de la Loire) or the grape used (Melon de Bourgogne). Some believe the name originates from people believing the wine had a "musky" aroma but that is also confusing since the flavors of this wine are subtle and anything but musky.   In this week's episode we discuss: Melon de Bourgogne the grape. Where did it come from and how did it end up in Loire? The sub-region Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine Muscadet has different rules than other French AOCs Sur Lie winemaking technique Flavor Characteristics and food pairings

Once one of Italy’s most famous white wines, Soave has had its ups and downs, and can now be a little tough to find. Fortunately, there are some great Soave out there if you’re willing to look. Mostly made from the Garganega grape, Soave dedicates 20,00 vines to this once popular wine.   This week's episode we discuss: Where is Soave? Why is Soave the perfect place to grow Garganega? Soave's bad reputation and what they are doing to overcome it Wine styles, flavor characteristics, and food pairings

We enjoy discovering wines made from lesser known grapes or regions so this episode we talk about Grüner Veltliner, which after this episode might be your new favorite summer white wine. Grüner Veltliner is a grape that makes a dry white wine by the same name that is grown almost exclusively in Austria. The name translates to “Green Wine of Veltlin” - an area in the lower Alps during the 1600’s that is now part of Valtellina, Italy. There are about 50,000 acres of Grüner Veltliner worldwide with over 75% of Grüner Veltliner wines coming from Austria. The rest of the vines are mostly in Slovakia, Czech Republic, and parts of the US.   In this week's episodes we discuss: History of Grüner Veltliner Austrian Wine Country Flavors characteristics and styles of Grüner Veltliner Food pairings

This week we’re talking about the sparkling wine Crémant d’Alsace. You know we have a love affair with sparkling wine so we’re excited to talk about this region and its delicious wines. We did talk about the Alsace wine region in episode 21 of this podcast when we covered Gewürztraminer.   This week we discuss: What is Crémant wine? Review the method for making Champagne Alsace the wine region and it's terrior Crémant d’Alsace scope and styles Flavor characteristics Food pairings

It's time for another edition of Four Wines! About every eight weeks or so we spend an episode talking about four random wines we drank recently. These wines might be varietals or regions we covered in a previous episode but the wine is so delicious that we can't keep it to ourselves. This week's episode takes a journey to Italy and the Western part of the US.

New Zealand is known as the “Sauvignon Blanc capital of the World” which we covered way back in episode seven of this podcast. For this episode we're going to learn more about New Zealand wines and focus on the second biggest varietal after Sauvignon Blanc, which is Pinot Noir.   In this week's episode we discuss: History of wine in New Zealand Climate and Geography of New Zealand Sustainability in New Zealand Winemaking Pinot Noir in New Zealand and why it grows so well. Flavor Characteristics of New Zealand Pinot Noir Food Pairings

Summer is fast approaching which means it’s time to swap your boots and Cabs for sandals and light fruity wines. Some our favorite warm weather wines are dry Rosé. Rosé is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. They're made from a wide variety of grapes and can be found all around the globe. It can be made still, semi-sparkling or sparkling and with a wide range of sweetness levels from highly dry Provençal rosé to sweet White Zinfandels and blushes. Since there are so many types of Rosé wines, in this episode we are going to talk about winemaking techniques, flavors and recommend some awesome Rosé wine from four different regions.   In this episode we discuss: Different production methods of Rosé wine Brief history of Rosé wines Flavor characteristics Food pairings