Category Archives: Uncategorized

Thanksgiving Wine Recommendation: Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Evenstad Reserve Willamette Valley 2014

Posted on November 20, 2017 by waywardwine

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Cave, caves, domaine serene, drink, Oregon, pinot noir, travel, Willamette Valley, wine | 3 Comments

Drinking Above My Means: Wine Auction Salud

Posted on November 14, 2017 by waywardwine

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged auction, charity, drink, fancy wine, farm, farm workers, live auction, Oregon, pinot noir, Salud, Willamette Valley, wine | 3 Comments

Breaking Bad: French Wine Rules VS Vincent Paris, Granit blanc, 2015

Posted on November 8, 2017 by waywardwine

French wine has many, many, many rules. Many. To put a place name on a label might require using one grape type, one pruning method, a max yield, a min or max potential alcohol, using only sugar or water additions, barrel and bottle aging times. Why do the French do this? Well, ideally, this preserves traditions and wine styles. Otherwise, France might endlessly chase trends: tearing up Merlot for Syrah in Bordeaux, planting Chardonnay in Sancerre, or making Prosecco in Champagne. *Shudder

In Cornas, northern Rhône’s smallest (possibly most adorable) region, you can only make 100% Syrah. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cornas, drink, drinking, France, label, Roussanne, Syrah, travel, Viognier, White wine, wine | Leave a comment

Bloody Bubbly Lambrusco For Halloween

Posted on October 31, 2017 by waywardwine

Happy Halloween! We begin tonight with bloody bubbles from Italy. Umberto Cavicchioli e Figli’s Vigna del Cristo Lambrusco di Sorbara 2015 is dry, crisp, and light with strawberry pith, red grapefruit, and a fine chalk finish. Ok! Maybe it is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Monster Halloween Wine: ZD Abacus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley XVIII

Posted on October 30, 2017 by waywardwine

This Halloween, if you really want to blow minds and scare money out of your wallet or purse, consider a wine unlike any other. It is made by ZD winery, which has grown for three generations under the deLeuze family. They make great Napa Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but their organic Caberent Sauvignon vineyard in Rutherford is top notch. Continue reading →