Orchard Fresh

• August 2016

  August is here -- along with warm, steamy weather for most of the country. For some that means switching over to chilled cocktails or beer. What it should really mean for wine drinkers is carefully selecting wines that are well made, delicious, value driven and refreshing. The last thing anyone wants to sip in hot weather is a big, bloated and p... Read More

  From the article Value Wines for Summer

  
  

• February 2016

  My quest to uncover wine categories that aren’t getting as much love as they deserve continues, and just in time for Valentine’s Day. As luck would have it many of the same groups of wine that don’t get enough attention also represent terrific values for wine lovers. Too many wines, too little time is one reason that some of these categories are... Read More

  From the article Last Minute Sparkling Wine for Your Valentine's Day Sweetie

  
  

• August 2015

  First ever wine or any beer attempt.Ok first off I used fresh apple from my orchard and local produce stand. I do not have a press so I cut them into quarters add enough waer to barely start to cover them and boiled for one hour. Everything smelled great. Whe I was done I had 6.5 gallons of the stuff. I filtered and filtered cause it was vary pu... Read More

  Forum post in the topic First time with fresh apple...

  
  

• September 2014

  In a world where extremes are becoming the paradigms for perfection its a little surprising that one doesn’t hear much of the wines of Saxony. Strike that. One doesn’t hear anything about these wines. And that is not surprising because the production is tiny and the wines almost all consumed locally. But you should be hearing about these wines, ... Read More

  From the article Wines You'll Probably never Try

  
  

• August 2014

  I’ve been through this so many times before that it becomes rote. The differences between Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio. Well, there really aren’t any, when we are referring to the grapes. One is the name in French while the other is the name in Italian. When it comes to the wines though, there remains some distinction, though that is disappearing... Read More

  From the article Time to Ponder Pinot Gris(gio)

  
  

• August 2014

  I was recently in Oregon, for the annual International Pinot Noir Celebration, which is a splendid reason to visit Oregon’s wine country, though you don’t need such motivation to be wowed by what you’ll find in McMinnville and the surrounding areas. While tons of Pinot were in fact tasted and consumed during that long weekend, today I want to ta... Read More

  From the article Oregon's Unheralded Chardonnay

  
  

• August 2014

  There are so many great value wines right under our noses that we often miss them as we’re scouring the shelves for something new. Some inevitably are those ‘old’ wines that we just dismiss out of hand for various reasons. Take white Bordeaux for example, easy to dismiss, but what a mistake that might be. There are many lovely examples out there... Read More

  From the article Wow! Is That White Bordeaux?

  
  
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  August 2014

  Chateau Chauvet Sauvignon Blanc 2012

  Snoothrank:

  Fruity and fresh on the nose with attractive if simple aromas of chalky and slightly smoky earth over slightly waxy orchard fruits. Bright on entry and driven by good acidity. this is medium bodied for White Bordeaux with slightly pithy citrus and apple flavors layered over a base of chalky earth. Very much in line with the nose with added hint... Read More

  Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• August 2014

  I’m often asked what my favorite wines are. Just today I was asked what “Which wine would an expert like you suggest for a hot summer?” No fooling. I replied “I'd drink a white wine, something light and crisp like Assyrtiko from Santorini in Greece, Vinho Verde from Portugal, or Vernacchia or Orvieto from Italy.” All great choices and certainly ... Read More

  From the article Pinot Blanc, Pinot Bianco, Weissburgunder.

  
  

• July 2014

  Time to do a little cellar cleaning and what better way to start than with the odds and ends of Italian wines that have been building up in the basement. Sadly theres no real cohesive theme here, though a few varieties do appear more than once among the tasting notes that follow. There’s not even a pricing paradigm that’s  useful here, though mo... Read More

  From the article Discovering Italian Whites

  
  

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