VINOGRAPHY: a wine blog

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Passopisciaro Winery, Etna, Sicily: Current Releases

Andrea Franchetti is worrying about a door. It's two days before the Contrada dell'Etna, the main seasonal tasting of Etna wines, and Franchetti is hosting the event at his winery, in the new salon behind his main winery building. A crew of workers is busy pressure testing the fountain that has also recently been installed in the courtyard in the fading light of the afternoon. My Italian is poor, so I can't quite tell just how annoyed the soft-spoken Franchetti is, but it's clear he's not happy that the doors to his tasting salon are hanging a good inch... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on June 17, 2013 11:29 PM

Filed under: Boutique Wines , Wine Reviews

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Vinography images: Two Skies

Two Skies PHILO, CA: The irrigation pond at Navarro Vineyards reflects the brilliant blue skies above the Anderson Valley. Located three hours north of San Francisco, Mendocino County has a rustic appeal for tourists who make the arduous drive through redwood forests and rolling hills of vineyards and oak trees. INSTRUCTIONS: Download this image by right-clicking on the image and selecting "save link as" or "save target as" and then select the desired location on your computer to save the image. Mac users can also just click the image to open the full size view and drag that to... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on June 14, 2013 10:24 PM

Filed under: Vinography Images

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France, WTF?!?

There are times when those we love need tenderness, affection, and understanding. That's probably most of the time. But then there are times when we see the people we care about making horrible mistakes, again and again and again. And then it's time for some tough love. So here goes. France, what the fuck do you think you're doing? Are you completely and utterly insane? Are you really going to let these extremist anti-alcohol bastards drive your already ailing wine industry into the grave? For a country that supposedly cares a lot about its cultural heritage, you seem altogether sanguine... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on June 13, 2013 10:08 PM

Filed under: Ramblings and Rants

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2013 Pinot Days Tasting: June 30, San Francisco

It's June, and that means one thing when it comes to wine in San Francisco: Pinot Noir. For the past nine years, June has played host to PinotDays, a celebration of the grape that brings wineries and wine lovers together for a couple of days of tasting and education. There was a time when San Francisco had no large-scale tasting of Pinot Noir, but those days seem a distant memory, now in a post-Sideways world. Every year members of the wine-drinking public can spend an afternoon wandering in a sea of Pinot Noir, as 140 different producers (primarily California, but... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on June 11, 2013 9:24 PM

Filed under: Wine Activities

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Italy's Best Wines? Tasting at OperaWine 2013

I've often said that if forced to choose a single country, I'd drink the wines of Italy for the rest of my life, forsaking all others. It wouldn't be an easy choice, mind you, but in that proverbial gun-to-the-head scenario, I could certainly face my fate with a certain amount of equanimity, knowing I could range from Lombardy to Sicily for the rest of my life. Yes, I love Italian wine, and I'm not afraid to admit it. That's why, when I got the chance to show up a couple days before VinItaly this year to attend an event... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on June 9, 2013 10:33 PM

Filed under: Wine Reviews

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Fromm Winery, Marlborough, New Zealand: Current Releases

When was the last time you thanked the Cold War for giving you a great glass of wine? It's not an everyday occurrence for me either, but with the afternoon sunlight streaming in over my shoulder as winemaker Hätsch Kalberer passionately described what was behind the wine I had in my glass, the idea that this pleasurable Pinot was due, in some measure, to the threat of nuclear annihilation made me smile all the wider. (In fact, it turns out that Marlborough Pinot Noir as a whole owes a lot to the nuclear arms race, but hold that thought for... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on June 8, 2013 11:09 PM

Filed under: Boutique Wines , Wine Reviews

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Vinography Images: Green Gold

Green Gold NAPA, CA: Steep Mt. Veeder hillside cabernet sauvignon vineyards, owned by The Hess Collection Winery, gleam like treasure in the sun. Though off the beaten track, The Hess Collection Winery, is home to one of Napa Valley's most important contemporary art collections. INSTRUCTIONS: Download this image by right-clicking on the image and selecting "save link as" or "save target as" and then select the desired location on your computer to save the image. Mac users can also just click the image to open the full size view and drag that to their desktops. To set the image... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on June 7, 2013 11:58 PM

Filed under: Vinography Images

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2013 Tempranillo Advocates Tasting: June 23, San Francisco

Given the similarities between the climates in Northern California and some parts of Spain and Portugal, one has to wonder why there aren't more Spanish and Portuguese grape varieties planted in California. The same might be said about Italian grape varieties, but they dwarf the plantings of Spanish grapes in California. There are almost three times as many acres of Sangiovese planted in California than there are Tempranillo. And let's not even talk about Pinot Grigio, shall we? Instead I'd rather talk about Touriga Nacional or Mencia or Graciano or Verdelho. Despite minuscule plantings throughout the state, these grape varieties... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on June 5, 2013 8:47 PM

Filed under: Wine Activities

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2011 Napa Cabernet: Through the Lens of Auction Napa Valley

The event called Auction Napa Valley is actually three auctions in one. I wrote yesterday about the fireworks at this year's auction, which smashed all previous records of charitable giving. But that account focused primarily on the live auction, where more than 40 different star-studded lots are auctioned off by charismatic live auctioneers. While that part of the auction is quite the spectacle, my attendance at the event every year remains focused on the less glamorous barrel auction, in which barrels of wine are auctioned off, a case at a time to the 10 highest bidders by the time... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on June 4, 2013 10:34 PM

Filed under: Wine Reviews

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2013 Napa Valley Wine Auction Blows it Out of the Water

Every charity auction wants the next year to be greater than the last. To raise more money, to dazzle more, to drive its attendees into a deeper furor of irrational generosity (to borrow a phrase). This year's Auction Napa Valley managed to succeed on all these fronts. I've been attending the auction regularly since 2005 to watch high rollers spend incredible sums of money on crazy collections of stuff, all in the name of giving to charity, and I can say without a doubt that this was the best I've seen. And not just because the auction raised $16.9... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on June 3, 2013 9:04 PM

Filed under: Wine News

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Vinography Images: It's Napa!

It's Napa! RUTHERFORD, CA: A large "welcome" sign greets visitors to the Napa Valley. Some 13.6 million international travelers visit the State each year generating nearly $100 billion in revenue and creating approximately 900,000 jobs in the arts, entertainment, recreation, food service and accomodations sectors. This weekend the valley hosts its Auction Napa Valley -- a charity wine event and auction that has donated more than $110 million to charity since it began in 1981. INSTRUCTIONS: Download this image by right-clicking on the image and selecting "save link as" or "save target as" and then select the desired location... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on May 31, 2013 10:29 PM

Filed under: Vinography Images

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Keplinger Wines, Napa: Current Releases

One of the most often proclaimed credentials for winemakers in California consists of having been trained in the Old World. While plenty of California winemakers often "work a harvest" somewhere, it still remains uncommon to find those individuals that have spent multiple years abroad making wine before coming back to the U.S. The number of winemakers in California that have not just consulted, but lived and worked for three or more years in Bordeaux or Burgundy before coming back to make Cabernet or Pinot locally is quite low, but there are those such as David Ramey and Ted Lemon whose... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on May 30, 2013 6:06 PM

Filed under: Boutique Wines , Red Wine , Wine Reviews

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The Essence of Wine: Graphite

Image © 2013 Leigh Beisch Perhaps if you were well-behaved or maybe just lucky, your teacher sent you to the edge of the classroom with a tightly-clasped fist of yellow, where you would have the pleasure of producing those wavy ribbon-like curls of beige and gray that litter many a school day memory. There may come a time when, like the clack of a typewriter or the stutter of a rotary phone, children do not recognize the smell of a freshly sharpened Number 2 Ticonderoga or FaberCastell. But for now, the scent of shaved or pulverized graphite brings instant recognition.... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on May 29, 2013 9:04 PM

Filed under: The Essence of Wine

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The Rhone Renaissance: Tasting Notes from Rhone Rangers 2013

"I'm not dead yet!" protests the old man as he is about to be dumped on the wheelbarrow of corpses. "I think I'll go for a walk," he volunteers. "Shut up, you're not fooling anyone," insists the man trying to get rid of him. I can't help but think of this scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail whenever I contemplate the fate of California Syrah. For reasons completely unbeknownst to me, it's apparently easier to get rid of a case of the clap than a case of Syrah according to what is now a well worn joke among... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on May 28, 2013 11:29 PM

Filed under: Wine Reviews

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Vinography Images: The Colorful Palette

The Colorful Palette COTATI, CA: Pinot Noir grapes undergo veraison on the vine under a warm summer sun in Sonoma's Petaluma Gap region of California during the 2012 growing season. While veraison is a ways off for the 2013 growing season, if weather continues to be warm it will arrive early this year. INSTRUCTIONS: Download this image by right-clicking on the image and selecting "save link as" or "save target as" and then select the desired location on your computer to save the image. Mac users can also just click the image to open the full size view and... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on May 24, 2013 10:23 PM

Filed under: Vinography Images

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Vinography Unboxed: Week of May 20, 2013

Hello from the bottom (or more truthfully, from floundering near the top) of the samples pile. This is the latest installment of Vinography Unboxed, where I highlight some of the better bottles of wine that have crossed my doorstep recently. I'm just getting back to the pile after some travel and craziness that has made it hard to find time to open boxes and taste things lately. This week we've got a pretty Riesling from Germany, with a lemon complexion and a hint of something deeper. The couple of biodynamic and mostly unsulfured wines from Ambyth Estate in Paso Robles... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on May 22, 2013 9:48 PM

Filed under: Wine Reviews

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Pietradolce Winery, Solichiatta, Sicily: Recent Releases

Michele Faro loves his mother, and I do too. In fact, I wanted to kiss the woman after a long day of driving from the northern tip of Sicily down to the eastern slopes of Mount Etna. Tired and hungry, I arrived at the tiny boutique hotel that Faro has named after his mother, Donna Carmela, and sat down to a bowl of her rustic pork ragu and freshly made pasta, and practically burst into tears it was so good. Simple, essential, bursting with flavor, and perfectly spiced -- the tangy tomato sauce playing counterpoint to the rich, fatty saltiness... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on May 18, 2013 11:41 PM

Filed under: Boutique Wines , Wine Reviews

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Vinography Images: The Endless Row

The Endless Row McMINNVILLE, OR: Domaine Drouhin Winery estate Pinot Noir vineyards unroll over the hills of the Willamette Valley. The cities of McMinnville and Newburg are the epicenter of Oregon's wine production. INSTRUCTIONS: Download this image by right-clicking on the image and selecting "save link as" or "save target as" and then select the desired location on your computer to save the image. Mac users can also just click the image to open the full size view and drag that to their desktops. To set the image as your desktop wallpaper, Mac users should follow these instructions, while... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on May 17, 2013 9:31 PM

Filed under: Vinography Images

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Wine In 140 Characters or Less

There was a time when the conversations between the cognoscenti of the wine world happened behind closed doors. Until recently, most of us could have only imagined the whispered commentary of top sommeliers as they passed in the wine cellars of the world's best restaurants, or fantasised about the kinds of things that top wine writers discussed in conclave. So, too, the drinking habits of the well-known in the wine world were only available if published, often on paper, and then usually with a tantalising lack of precision. Opinions abound as to the true value of Twitter and many employ... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on May 16, 2013 10:20 PM

Filed under: Ramblings and Rants

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Is Wine Tasting Bullshit? No.

Who knew some snarky article trashing wine connoisseurship and wine experts could be so popular. But it just goes to show you how much people like seeing anyone ripped off a pedestal. I've been thinking about writing a response to the silly thing, but couldn't bring myself to do it. Thankfully my friend Blake Gray's willpower was flagging one night this week after a lot of wine judging, and he saved me the trouble. Blake gets it pretty much right on the money. Wine tasting (i.e. criticism) is only bullshit if you think all criticism is bullshit. It's a subjective... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on May 14, 2013 10:58 PM

Filed under: Ramblings and Rants

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