VINOGRAPHY: a wine blog
Wine and food adventures in San Francisco and around the world
~ March 2013 Archives ~
Vinography Images: Budbreak Colors
Budbreak Colors HEALDSBURG, CA: Warm sunny skies bring out the wildflowers and this colorful Pinot Noir budbreak on in Healdsburg, California. Thanks to a sunny March vintners in the warmer parts of California are reporting budbreak this week. 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... continue reading 
- Posted by: Alder on March 29, 2013 8:53 PM
- Filed under: Vinography Images
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Vinography Unboxed: Week of March 24, 2013
Hello from the bottom (or more truthfully, from somewhere in the middle) 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. This week seems to be the all-California week for wine samples, with a few favorite brands showing up this week. The Arista and Dutton Goldfield Pinots are always a good bet for quality and reasonable prices (as far as California Pinot Noir goes -- it's all relative). When it comes to white, Macrostie is as sure bet as you can... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 27, 2013 9:49 PM
- Filed under: Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
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2013 Mount Veeder Wineries Tasting: April 10, San Francisco
For all the traffic up and down Highway 29 in Napa all summer (California's second biggest draw aside from Disneyland) there are a few bits of Napa that not many visitors or even dedicated wine lovers ever see. This is because they often lie up carsick-inducing roads that require some dedication and time to drive before they pay off with a series of (or singular) welcoming winery driveway. The Mount Veeder AVA in southwest Napa is one such region. It hosts only few of Napa's hundreds of wineries, but some, such as the Hess Collection and Mayacamas are among Napa's... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 26, 2013 11:05 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
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Te Whare Ra, Marlborough, New Zealand: Current Releases
"I think if I hear 'wine must be such a great lifestyle' one more time," says Anna Flowerday, "I think I'm going to punch someone. A lot of people don't understand the crazy hours, the way that wine is such an all encompassing thing." "It's not a lifestyle, it's a life" agrees her husband Jason, as they both dry off their well-worn hands and settle down into dusty chairs in the chilly and slightly ramshackle workroom-cum-enology lab that sits towards the back of their small winery, named Te Whare Ra. A team of two other workers continues racking wine while... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 23, 2013 10:59 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Wine Reviews
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Vinography Images: Early Vines
Early Vines SONOMA, CA: Gloria Ferrer Winery is viewed in the earl morning at sunrise on October 3, 2012 in the Carneros AVA, California's only AVA (American Viticultural Area) that spans two other AVAs, Napa and Sonoma. 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... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 22, 2013 8:43 PM
- Filed under: Vinography Images
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Wine and Food Matching, But Not In Store
To much of the civilised world, it seems most natural. You walk into your local grocery store or supermarket and walk out with the ingredients for your dinner and a wine to drink with it. This is, after all, the entire point of something called a supermarket - namely that a single, self-service destination should provide for all your needs. Yet despite the fact that we invented the concept, here in America roughly 29% of the country's population, across 17 states, cannot buy a steak and a bottle of wine to go with it from the same store. When I... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 20, 2013 3:03 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Dog Point Vineyard, Marlborough, New Zealand: Current Releases
What do you get when two guys who helped to build one of New Zealand's most iconic and successful brands decide they're tired of being administrators and want to get their hands dirty again? You can find it down a little dirt road a ways outside of Blenheim. Drive slow. You might miss the sign. Once through this unassuming gate, you'll likely be attacked. But don't worry, dog slobber won't kill you. After you've met the welcoming committee (Stella, Charlie, Case, Dixon, and/or Monty) you'll find your way to the unassuming sheds and tanks that make up Dog Point Vineyard,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 19, 2013 10:02 PM
- Filed under: Wine Reviews
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A Nice Way to Start the Week
I've learned this morning that Vinography has been nominated for a James Beard Award, in the category of "Individual Food Blog." Yes, I know, this is hardly a food blog, but wine is food, right? While the category name doesn't include wine, the description, does, however, and I'm thrilled -- utterly thrilled -- to have been included. My fellow nominees are at the top of their respective games when it comes to food. If you haven't heard of Cannelle et Vanille or Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook you should take a cruise on by their sites. While this is a moment... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 18, 2013 10:11 AM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Kapcsándy Family Winery, Napa: Current Releases
Napa has a way of turning modest dreams into major productions. Lou Kapcsándy and his wife Bobbie decided to retire to Napa mostly out of nostalgia for the picnics and wine tasting they used to do as a young married couple living in Sausalito. Forty years after the first of these romantic escapes, their retirement dream included only a little cottage with at most an acre or so of vines, so Lou could putter in the garage and make a barrel or two of wine from his backyard fruit. Three years after the family, including their son Louis, made the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 16, 2013 10:49 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Wine Reviews
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Vinography Images: Ball of Fire
Ball of Fire GEYSERVILLE, CA: The sun breaks through dense fog to illuminate vineyards in Sonoma County's Alexander Valley Geyserville, California. 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 PC users should follow these. PRINTS: Fine art prints of this image... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 15, 2013 10:10 PM
- Filed under: Vinography Images
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2013 Rhone Rangers Tasting: March 23, San Francisco
An occasional cloudy day like today aside, it certainly feels like Spring is in the air. The plum and some cherry blossoms have already burst forth, those with allergies are suffering a bit, and we've got sunshine into the dinner hour thanks to the magic of daylight savings time. Spring means a lot of different things to different people, but for any wine lover in San Francisco, it certainly means wine tasting season. This is the time of year that winemakers get a little break -- malolactic fermentation is well underway if not finished and it's not quite time to... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 14, 2013 10:47 AM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
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Vinography Unboxed: Week of March 10, 2013
Hello from the bottom (or more truthfully, from somewhere in the middle) 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. This week's offerings hail from France, Australia, Italy, and even Portugal, and bring with them some nice surprises. I continue to be impressed with the still wines of Gloria Ferrer. Better known for their (decent, but not fantastic) sparkling wines, Ferrer's still wines have never garnered much attention (from me or elsewhere). But I've been tasting them for the last... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 11, 2013 10:52 PM
- Filed under: Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
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Bilancia Wines, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand: Current Releases
New Zealand's Hawke's Bay wine region nestles up against the astonishing natural harbor that lends the area its name, sprawling primarily across flat, former river-beds. These generally gravel-rich and nutrient-poor soils, including the increasingly well-known Gimblett Gravels sub-region, have lent themselves to little else but grape growing. But when they first began to be planted in the early part of the 20th Century, everyone discovered just how good they were for wine. Consequently, you don't see many hillside vineyards in Hawke's Bay. When the former floodplains of the area's many rivers have leveled out such a gorgeous section of land... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 9, 2013 5:44 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Wine Reviews
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Vinography Images: Across the Valley
Across the Valley HEALDSBURG, CA: The colors are vivid as Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon grapes ripen on the vine under a warm autumn skies on October 9, 2012, near Healdsburg, California. Warm, sunny skies in 2012 are helping vintners realize one of the best premium wine vintages in decades and potential global sales of $12 billion. 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... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 8, 2013 9:16 PM
- Filed under: Vinography Images
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Drinking Off the Grid
Isn't it funny how attached we can get to digital technology? I'm just about to head out of town to spend a few days with some good friends in a beach house that is officially in the middle of nowhere, Mexico. There's no phone, no internet, and no cell phone coverage at this little beach escape. And I will admit to currently operating under a certain level of anxiety about the whole thing. I'm used to being able to check in on my business, and on my blog whenever I want, and it's a little nerve wracking to not be... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 2, 2013 12:01 AM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Vinography Images: Behind the Gate
Behind the Gate McMINNVILLE, OR: Rolling vineyards of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay ripen on the vine behind a gate and under a warm summer sun in the Dundee Hills near McMinnville, Oregon. The cities of McMinnville and Newburg, located in the Willamette Valley wine appellation, 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... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 1, 2013 10:57 PM
- Filed under: Vinography Images
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But Wait, There's More!
This page only has the last sixty entries in this category. If you're interested in digging farther into my archives, you'll want to use the complete list of archives to access my articles by month.
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May 2013
Most Recent Entries
Vinography Images: Budbreak Colors Vinography Unboxed: Week of March 24, 2013 2013 Mount Veeder Wineries Tasting: April 10, San Francisco Te Whare Ra, Marlborough, New Zealand: Current Releases Vinography Images: Early Vines Wine and Food Matching, But Not In Store Dog Point Vineyard, Marlborough, New Zealand: Current Releases A Nice Way to Start the Week Kapcsándy Family Winery, Napa: Current Releases Vinography Images: Ball of Fire
Favorite Posts From the Archives
Masuizumi Junmai Daiginjo, Toyama Prefecture Wine.Com Gives Retailers (and Consumers) the Finger 1961 Hospices de Beaune Emile Chandesais, Burgundy Wine Over Time The Better Half of My Palate 1999 Királyudvar "Lapis" Tokaji Furmint, Hungary What's Allowed in Your Wine and Winemaking Why Community Tasting Notes Sites Will Fail Appreciating Wine in Context The Soul vs. The Market 1989 Fiorano Botte 48 Semillion,Italy
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Required Reading for Wine Lovers
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