Every Monday, discover new wines, regions, and ways to understand this fermenting sea.
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Munching Vidal Blanc on Keuka Lake, New York
Author Archives: waywardwine
Mourvedre Part 2: Wine Review 5 Blocks Terry Hoag Paso Robles 15
Our Mourvèdre adventures continue. After the lean bright Croad (read here), today we try something a bit more friendly. Former footballer-turned winemaker, Terry Hoag, makes some solid estate wines (read here) even if they’re named after pigskin puns. Only one wine sees Mourvèdre added: “5 Blocks” (referring to five field goal blocks in college…of course).
Mourvèdre plays to type, with more of a supporting role at 28%, Syrah leads with 60%, followed by 12% Grenache that rounds out the blend.
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Tagged art, California, culture, drinks, football, Mourvèdre, Paso Robles, Review, Terry Hoag, travel, wine
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Nebbiolo…from Oregon? Cerulean Nebbiolo Columbia Gorge OR 2010
Most American Nebbiolo sucks. Once upon a time, I loved Palmina’s efforts (read here). But if I am honest with my naive self, Santa Barbara Nebbiolo tastes nothing like the Piedmont, Italy.
So, Oregon wine. You may have heard of our fabulous Willamette Valley Pinot, maybe even warmer Umqua, Rogue, or Appelgate Valleys. But there lies another AVA, East of Portland, East of Mount Hood, along the slopes of the river that brought Lewis and Clarke to the Pacific: the Columbia Gorge AVA. Continue reading
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Fizz Fit For The Queen: Hattingley Valley Classic Reserve English Sparkling Wine NV Review
Per chance, one of my buyers planned Christmas in the crucible of my wine career: Saratoga Springs, New York. Years ago, I left academia and started fresh there at Putnam Wine, run by British expat William. He crushed and carried me through wine’s complications, trends, and the WSET Advanced. So I sent my buyer with a few bottles from home in Oregon. He returned with, of course, English Sparkling wine.
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Tagged Britain, Champagne, drink, England, Hattingley Valley, New York, Paddington Bear, Sparkling wine, wine
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Give Mourvèdre Its Due: Wine Review of Croad, Paso Robles, California 2011
Santa brought me a surprise: a case of wine from the Central Coast, Paso Robles, California. The mystery case focuses on a much neglected grape: Mourvèdre. Thus, each week, check here for a new dive into Mourvèdre.
Now Mourvèdre likely originated in Spain, near Valencia, in a town suspiciously called Murviedro. It wiggled its way across the Mediterranean Coast to Provence. Here it dominated until phylloxera sapped it, root stock grafting failed, and the famed Syrahs and Grenaches supplanted it in our glasses.
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Nearly New Year: Champagne Dinner at Paley’s Place Portland Oregon
With a newly minted one year-old daughter, my wife and I will not make it to midnight on New Year’s Eve. We find the next best fudge: sparkling wine Wednesday dinner at foodie stalwart Paley’s Place in Portland, Oregon. Continue reading
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Tagged bubbly, drink, Food, New Years Eve, Oregon, Paley's Place, Portland, travel, wine
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