Monthly Archives: August 2017

Wine Review: Sparkling Aligote from Cave de Bissey

Posted on August 21, 2017 by waywardwine

I need to bring something home. Even though I sell wine, my wife deserves something different from time to time. Champagne would be great. But I only have a $20. I start flipping the bottles at a store checking back labels for something new. Then, one read in small print at the top: Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Aligoté, BIssey, Burgundy, Cave, Champagne, drink, wine, wine review | Leave a comment

Family Matters: Winery Tour of Trefethen Family Vineyards Oak Knoll Napa Valley California

Posted on August 14, 2017 by waywardwine

Go to Napa or read the back of a wine label: most wineries will insist that a family owns them. This selling tactic attempts to ground all the Disney-land glamour onto something parochial and familiar. But family ownership is not unique, roughly 80% of wineries in Napa are. Nor does family ownership ensure smallness or quality. Gallo is a family. So are mafias. Heck, corporations are people these days.

Thus, I visit Trefethen with trepidation. They too point to the Trefethen family’s ownership as a defining feature. But is it? Continue reading →