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
An Easily Bearable Bordeaux: Chateau Malescasse, Haut-Médoc, 2009
Last week, a 2009 Bordeaux pissed us off. In desperation, only food could tame its barking tannins. But this week, we flip the script and flip the river bank. We have a Left Bank, Haut-Médoc: famed for Cabernet blends and alluvial soils.
Ready your glass and soul for a Bordeaux that pleases right out of the gate (hopefully): Continue reading
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Tagged Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Haut-Médoc, Malescasse, merlot
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How Not To Hate A Wine: Give Cheese A Chance
Ever try a wine and hate it? Yeah, me too. But before we blame the wine, maybe give it a second chance. Actually, give it some food.
It is freezing outside and I am in the mood for a hearty Bordeaux. Some Bordeaux need years to work, while others taste brilliant young. So, when I find a Right Bank, Merlot blend, from the ripe 2009 vintage, I consider myself safe. Doubly so, this is young Château Vignot (est 2003) with modernist Pierre Seillan at the helm, Kendall Jackson money backing it, and a website pushing words like “approachable”, “elegant”, “feminine”, “silky”, and the phrase, “meant to be enjoyed upon release”. It all seems overeager to please.
Is it? Continue reading
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Tagged Bordeaux, Chateau Vignot, Cheese, drink, Grand cru, Saint-Émilion, wine
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The Other Pinot Noir: Wine Review Vieux Télégraphe Télégramme, Châteauneuf-du-Pape France 2014
Have you been on the Sideways Pinot Noir bandwagon and maybe, possibly, kinda, finally gotten bored with all that silky, lush, Californian cherry cola? Want to try something new? Let us go to France. I have long loved winery Vieux … Continue reading
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Tagged Chateauneuf du Pape, drink, France, Grenache, pinot noir, travel, Vieux Telegraphe, wine
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Thanksgiving Wine Recommendation: Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Evenstad Reserve Willamette Valley 2014
Picking a Thanksgiving wine presents endless variables and pitfalls. Let’s make this simple. Choose one that will impress but not challenge or overwhelm both guests and the food. Imagine that polite, introverted guest who may not be the most memorable but charmed everyone. A wine so approachable, balanced, moderately complex but not showy does exist.
My charming/belligerent evening at Salud! wine auction (read here) inspired me. The Willamette Valley churns out many quality Pinot Noir. Today’s recommended bottle of Domaine Serene merits a place on your Thanksgiving table. Continue reading
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Tagged Cave, caves, domaine serene, drink, Oregon, pinot noir, travel, Willamette Valley, wine
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Drinking Above My Means: Wine Auction Salud
Working in the wine industry has its perks. We get paid to drink. And every once in a while, a ticket becomes available to Oregon’s premier wine auction Salud! 100% of its posh proceeds provide basic healthcare to the silent majority that make our ivory tower of fancy drinking possible: immigrant part-time field workers who can’t get it otherwise. Now, with a new baby, I am probably not a prime candidate to drop big coin on wine and travel lots (if that’s your thing, scroll to the video at the end). Instead, my goal is to get a better feel for Oregon’s wine industry. Continue reading
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Tagged auction, charity, drink, fancy wine, farm, farm workers, live auction, Oregon, pinot noir, Salud, Willamette Valley, wine
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WAYWARD WINE 