We are tasting the Gruet Winery Non-vintage Brut Sparkling Wine. This sparkling wine is made in the Methode Champenoise using 100% New Mexico grapes. The Gruet family started making champagne in Bethon, France since the 1960s and expanded to New Mexico in 1989. The vineyard expansion by the Gruet family continues a winemaking history in New Mexico …

We are the Bodega Colome 2020 Estate Malbec. This is a blend of grapes from their different vineyards at very high altitudes, including the highest commercial vineyard, Altura maxima, at 3111 meters (10,000 ft). Pre-phylloxera vines were brought over from France in the 1850s by the daughter of the Spanish governor of the region. Napa Valley wine pi…

We are tasting the Michael David 2019 Inkblot Petit Verdot wine. This wine is as dark as a stormy night with spring-like scents of lilac. Typically, a blending grape with other Bordeaux varietals, this time it is showcased on its own where you can taste the dark black fruit flavors and contemplate the Rorschach-style image on the label. I’ll also g…

We are tasting a white wine made grapes you usually see in a red wine. And no, its not white Zinfandel making a come back from the 80s – its Left Coast Cellar’s 2021 White Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. This red wine grape is made in a white wine style and we talk about the differences in the winemaking sequences. We also learn ab…

We are tasting two wines by the Davey Family at two different price points. One wine is an Estate Grown Shiraz and the other is a vineyard specific D Block Shiraz. These Syrah or Shiraz wines are grown in the McLaren Vale Australia near Adelaide. We’ll touch the name origins briefly and talk more about wine growing region. Of course, we discuss whe…

We are tasting the Margerum Wine Company’s 2019 Viognier from their estate vineyard in California’s Los Olivos District AVA. Viognier has a wonderful floral aroma that jumps right out of the glass and its medium to full bodied taste makes this a nice alternative to chardonnay. The Los Olivos District AVA is in Central California’s Santa Ynez valley…

We are tasting the Chateau SABY’s 2020 Bordeaux Superieur Merlot. The Saby family has been making wines in the Bordeaux region for 9 generations. Their winery has offerings of very high end Saint Emillion Grand Cru to the more budget friendly Chateau Saby we are tasting in this episode. I give a primer on the Bordeaux geography and the delineation …

We are tasting the Krupp Brothers 2015 Synchrony Red Blend. This is blend of 2 Bordeaux grapes: Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes came from the Stagecoach vineyard in the Atlas peak region of Napa Valley. The vineyard was started as a passion project for the two Krupp Brothers. In this episode, I address a listener’s question about …

We are tasting the Kuhlman Cellar’s Calcaria. This white wine blend is majority Roussanne with other Mediterranean white grapes that are all grown in Texas. It is a medium bodied wine with tropical fruit scents, a full mouthfeel, and a zippy, lingering finish. The wine’s name is drawn from the calcium based soils on the estate. Kuhlman Cellars wine…

We are tasting the Ponzi Vineyards 2019 “Tavola” Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Pinot Noir is one of my favorite grapes and this is a great expression of it with a combination of red fruit, like cherry and raspberry, and savory notes, like baking spices and coffee. Now under the helm of two of founder’s daughters, Ponzi vineyards …

We are tasting the Pierre Sparr 2019 Gewurztraminer Grand Reserve. This Alsatian white wine is from a producer that started way back in 1680. It is a medium bodied wine with a touch of sweetness and wonderful aromas of roses and lychees. The acidity is high enough to balance the sweetness to make this wine very enjoyable. This would make a great wi…

We are tasting the Ferrari-Carano 2018 Siena red wine. It is a Sangiovese blend with Malbec, Petit Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County, California. The husband-and-wife team started in Law and Nutrition before opening a hotel and casino in Reno. While searching for wines for their hotel, they fell in love with Sonoma County and decided …

We are tasting the Cave des Vins de Sancerre 2019 “Chene Saint-Louis” Sancerre. This is a special expression of Sauvignon Blanc from France’s Loire valley. Some history of the region can be found in this Wine Searcher article: https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-sancerre. Sancerre wines are known for their flinty, smoky flavors. Since French wine…

We are tasting 2 chardonnays from River Road Family Wineries – an Oaked wine and an Un-Oaked wine. I want to give a high-level summary into 2 major ways that chardonnays are made and point out some magic words that might help you when deciding on your next bottle. Since both wines used “sur lie” ageing, we discuss this winemaking technique as well.…

We are tasting the Bodegas Borsao 2018 "Tres Picos" Garnacha – an old-vine Garnacha from the region of Aragon in Spain. We also talk about the spread of Garnacha/Grenache and the typical flavors based on where it is planted: https://www.grenachesdumonde.com/en/; https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/grenache-wine/. Official Grenache day Is September 3rd,…

We are tasting the 2018 Sobon Estate “Fiddletown” Zinfandel. It is from Amador county in California – west of Sacramento in the Sierra foothills. The Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) website: https://zinfandel.org/ has a lot history about the grape, the wine, and the history. We talk about biodynamics as a growing trend for wineries concerne…

We are tasting the 2019 Ratti “Battaglione” Barbera. It is an easy-drinking red from the Piemonte region in northwest Italy. Ratti wine bottles are known for depictions of Nepolianic era soldiers and more details can be found on the proudcers website: https://www.ratti.com/en/museum-and-culture/the-history-of-the-wine-label-soldier/. Visit our webs…

We are tasting the Duchman Family Winery’s 2020 Roussanne. Roussanne is a French variety from the Rhone valley but these grape were grown in the Texas High Plains AVA. Duchman Family winery: https://www.duchmanwinery.com/ Article from Oswald vineyards about Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs): https://oswaldvineyard.com/icf-building-index/ Visit our we…

We are tasting the Vecchia Cantina 2016 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. It is a Sangiovese from southern Tuscany. This wine is from the Cooperative Vecchia Cantina de Montepulicano. We also talk about the different ways Sangiovese grapes are used in wines in north Central Italy. Cooperative Vecchia Cantina de Montepulicano: https://vecchiacantinadimo…

We are tasting the McPherson Cellars 2017 La Herencia – one of our favorite reds. It is a Tempranillo blend that easy is drinking and well-suited for barbeques and backyards. The wine is from the Texas High Plains AVA and McPherson has a lineage that goes back to the early days of the region. We also discussed the role of the U.S. and Texas in the …

When I got more interested in wine beyond the “mm, this is a delicious red wine”, I started to notice a special language that wine producers put on their label, their website, and used in their tasting rooms. I’m not a wine expert but I wanted to understand what they were trying to tell me and how I could use that to know if I would like the wine b…

First episode of trying weird food combinations.