VINOGRAPHY: a wine blog
Wine and food adventures in San Francisco and around the world
~ Recently in Wine Activities Category ~
RAP Pink Out Rose Tasting: May 13, San Francisco
It's almost impossible to write about pink wines these days without invoking some sort of cliche. Even the (true) claim that rosé wines are no longer out of fashion has been recycled so many times that I'm cringing just typing it. The fact of the matter is that after years of being vino-non-grata, pink wines are finally back in the awareness of American wine drinkers. After the success of Sutter Home White Zinfandel sent wine lovers running for the hills every time someone offered them a glass of rose, discerning palates are returning to pink wines in huge numbers. According... continue reading 
- Posted by: Alder on April 27, 2008 11:29 PM
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The Mountain Wines of Napa: Tasting Notes From Altitude
We live in a world of marketing, where everyone struggles to distinguish their product from the competition and where seduction is the name of the game. Winemakers and producers seemingly must participate in this cacophony of messages in order for their wines to attract the attention of consumers. This competition for eyeballs in the store (or online), and then share of wallet (or, one might say, share of cellar) leads to an awful lot of hype. Wine labels and web sites are now chock full of all sorts of claims and phrases, leaving consumers to sort out the honest descriptions... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 26, 2008 11:25 PM
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Wines of Portugal Tasting: April 22, San Francisco
I'm a little late to the game on this one folks, so apologies for the last minute notification. But if you're not busy on Tuesday evening and you are either a fan of Port or interested in one of the more interesting up-and-coming red wine regions of the world, you may want to pay attention. We get plenty of opportunities to taste California wines around here, and some chances to explore France and Italy, but Portuguese wine tastings are rare in most of the United States. This tasting has been billed as the largest Portuguese wine tasting in America. Of... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 20, 2008 9:51 PM
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Wine Blogging Wednesday #45 Announced: Old World Riesling
Seven years ago, I didn't really know anything about Riesling. Seriously. Most of the Rieslings I had tasted at that point were purchased in supermarkets. Which meant that they were all from California or Washington, and that almost without exception, they sucked. I had yet to begin exploring the wines of Germany and Austria (I would shudder at the thought of decoding those inscrutable five-syllable names) and when it came to the wines of Alsace, I tended to pass over Riesling in favor of Gewurztraminer and Pinot Blanc. I had probably tasted one or two Rieslings from the Clare Valley... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 12, 2008 11:38 PM
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Napa With Altitude Tasting: April 23, San Francisco
If you've been drinking wine long enough, especially California wine, you've probably heard the phrase "hillside fruit" or "mountain fruit." While both phrases are certainly overused (I've seen some vineyards that produce "hillside fruit" that are about as steep as my kitchen floor) I cannot deny that I believe there is something special about fruit that is properly grown on steep slopes and mountainsides. I've had too many fantastic wines from such vineyards, whose generally sunny but cooler slopes produce slower maturing fruit that often has a distinct brightness and juiciness that I find hard to resist. Everyone knows Napa... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 9, 2008 9:26 PM
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Eat, Drink, and Be Green Earth Day Event: April 20, Sebastopol, CA
For the dedicated wine drinker, every holiday is a wine holiday. Not like we really need an excuse to celebrate wine, of course, but if you're going to celebrate anything, its best to do it with wine. Of course, certain holidays lend themselves more to a wine theme than others, and Earth Day may be one of the most wine friendly around. When you're busy celebrating the Earth and our environment, what better way is there to celebrate than to drink something that is truly the product of that Earth? Add to this the fact that Spring is in the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 4, 2008 7:45 PM
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Chianti Tasting: April 21, New York City
For as great a wine town as it is, fantastic public tasting opportunities don't come around all that often in New York City. Sure, if you know people, and especially if you're in the business, there's always some place to go to taste a few great wines. But there are rarely large public tasting events like those frequently held in San Francisco, where consumers can spend a little bit of money to taste a huge number of wines. As you know, I consider such events the best possible education wine lovers can get. There's nothing like being able to compare... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 28, 2008 11:00 PM
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The Best Grenache in California: Tasting Rhone Rangers 2008
Maybe I'm getting old, but I just didn't have the energy to taste 300 wines last weekend when the Rhone Rangers came to town. This is always one of my favorite tastings each year, as I deeply enjoy Rhone style wines in all their incarnations, from the crisp whites of Marsanne and Roussanne to the rich dark Syrahs, and everything in between. My usual approach consists of starting at one end of the hall and tasting through the wines like a bulldozer goes through a crowded square. This usually yields a great cross section of wines and lets me highlight... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 23, 2008 11:30 PM
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Wine Blogging Wednesday #44 Announced: Gary Says "Drink French Cab Franc"
What happens when the wine blogosphere meets the movement that is Gary Vaynerchuk and his nation of Vayniacs? We're about to find out, because Gary, the enfant terrible of the wine world and man behind Wine Library TV is the host for the 44th monthly Wine Blogging Wednesday. Gary's announcement of this fact comes at about 13:45 into his latest show, if you want to hear it from his own lips. The details, however are as follows: On Wednesday, April 2nd, bloggers from around the world (and presumably Gary himself?), and hopefully a bunch of his Vayniac fans will all... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 19, 2008 10:38 PM
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The World's Best Burgundy? Tasting La Paulee de San Francisco
It's not every day that I get to leave a wine tasting knowing that I've probably spit out a volume of wine that would cost more than the entire contents of my own personal cellar. OK, I'm probably being slightly hyperbolic, but I did spend last Saturday tasting wines that for the most part I will never be able to afford to own. The Grand Tasting at La Paulee de San Francisco offered an opportunity to taste approximately eighty top Burgundies from recent vintages alongside food samples from some of San Francisco's top restaurants, including Coi, A16, Boulevard, La Folie,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 6, 2008 11:20 PM
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Rhone Rangers Tasting: March 16th, San Francisco
Strict astrologers will quibble with my pronouncements, but I'm ready to officially declare that it is Spring! My feckless abandon is no doubt due in part to the fabulous weather we seem to be having here in San Francisco. My real sense of the season, however, derives from the wine tasting events that are popping up with increasing frequency on the calendar. The Annual Rhone Rangers Tasting in San Francisco is certainly one of the harbingers of warmer weather and good wine in San Francisco. Held at Fort Mason, like all the other big tastings, Rhone Rangers offers the change... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 5, 2008 11:13 PM
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WBW#43 Coming This Wednesday, March 5th: Comfort Wines
February is the sneakiest month. It lulls you into thinking it's just like any other month, and then it pulls the rug out from under you a couple of days before you're ready. Well now it's March, and the first Wednesday of the month approaches, which means Wine Blogging Wednesday, the blogosphere's virtual wine tasting event is right around the corner. This month's edition, the 43rd since we began the event, is hosted by Joel over at Wine Life Today. His theme for this month's event is Comfort Wines, which loosely translates into: buy and drink a wine that helps... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 2, 2008 1:35 PM
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The Best Cabernet in Napa: Tasting Premiere Napa Valley 2008
One of my favorite events each year involves the opportunity to sample some of the best wines that Napa produces in a given vintage. At Premiere Napa Valley, an auction that serves as the world's most expensive "bake sale" to support the efforts of the non-profit Napa Valley Vintners Association, journalists like me get a chance to sneak a taste of hundreds of unique wines that are purchased by the nation's top wine retailers at staggeringly high prices. This year, as every year, 200 member wineries each crafted a unique auction lot of wine that in most cases represents the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 24, 2008 10:34 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
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New York Wine Expo & Tasting: March 7-8th, New York
Regular readers know that I regularly post about large public wine events here on Vinography, which I believe are some of the best ways to educate one's palate and learn about great new wines. Unfortunately for many of my East Coast readers, most of the major wine events of this sort tend to take place on the West Coast. Strangely, while it is rife with store-based tastings, winemaker dinners, and private tastings, New York generally does not play host to large public tastings in quite the same way. Until now. Wine lovers that live in or near New York should... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 23, 2008 10:17 PM
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WBW#42 Roundup Has Been Posted: 7 Word Wine Reviews
I seem to recall from back in college that a wacky English professor once held a class called "Generative Devices," which was all about imposing strange constraints on the creative process in order to generate more interesting results. What sort of strange constraints? How about writing a whole novel without using the letter "e"? Writing wine reviews without the letter "e" would be tough, as there's a lot of cherry, berry, and other such aromas that would be sorely missed. However, there are other ways to creatively constrain the process of writing wine reviews. One such constraint was the theme... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 15, 2008 11:17 PM
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La Paulee Grand Burgundy Tasting: March 1st, San Francisco
Every budding wine lover faces what can often seem like a daunting mountain to climb. There are so many wines in the world to learn about and experience, it's not hard to feel overwhelmed. It's also quite common to feel a certain sense of frustration, the kind characterized by an ambition that far outstrips our own means to fulfill it. Many of the wines that passionate wine lovers wish they could taste are simply out of reach -- too rare, too popular, and too expensive. When I was first starting out in my journey down the roads of wine, the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 8, 2008 11:59 PM
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3rd Annual Anderson Valley Alsace Varietals Festival: February 9-10, Booneville, CA
With all the fanfare surrounding Cabernet and Pinot Noir coupled with the obsession this country seems to have with Chardonnay, it's sometimes hard for people to remember that California produces a lot of different kinds of wine. It's even harder, it seems, to get people to drink some of it. Perhaps some of the most under-appreciated and least consumed California wines are those made from grapes like Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Riesling. There aren't a lot of places in California where these grapes thrive, but the Anderson Valley, three hours north of San Francisco, may well be the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 28, 2008 10:27 PM
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Taste Top Bordeaux Without Going Broke: February 1, Chicago
There are three ways to taste older vintages of the top wines of Bordeaux. The first is to be wealthy enough to collect them, or to buy them at restaurants. The second is to pool your money with friends and buy a couple of bottles that you wouldn't ordinarily be able to afford. The third is to attend pre-auction tastings. An often poorly publicized part of the high stakes wine auction market, pre-auction tastings are held by many major wine auction houses to allow prospective bidders a chance to taste some of the wines they will be bidding on in... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 28, 2008 9:43 PM
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WBW#41 Roundup Has Been Posted: Friuli White Wines
The white wines of northeastern Italy have never been on the radar for most Americans. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate only began covering this area in the past year, thanks to the addition of Italian critic Antonio Galloni to his staff. Yet this area produces some of the world's finest white wines. The best of these wines are made in very small quantities and are quite expensive and difficult to get ahold of here in the U.S. but as more importers seek out the nooks and crannies of the wine world, we are slowly beginning to see more wines from Friuli... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 25, 2008 10:13 PM
- Filed under: White Wine , Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
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Dark and Delicious Petite Sirah Tasting: February 8, San Francisco
I've referred to it in the past as "the beast." Possessing tannins that need to be tamed through intelligent winemaking, Petite Sirah can truly be a monster of a wine. One of the least well known red grape varieties, it does not command legions of rabid followers like Zinfandel or Cabernet or even Syrah, from which it takes its misleading name. In the right hands, however, Petite Sirah can be a stunning wine -- deep, resonant, and rich. Petite Sirah has been grown in California for a long time, but apart from some limited success in the 1970s at the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 25, 2008 9:45 PM
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Wines of Baja Tasting Event: January 26, Napa
Most readers know that I have a strong interest in up-and-coming wine regions around the world. In particular I love exploring those that are in surprising and unknown areas. Baja Mexico clearly qualifies as the latter. I first learned of the area from a loyal Vinography reader, and then subsequently spoke with Eric Asimov after a trip he had taken a trip down there to explore for an article he was writing. Since then I've had only a couple of wines from the Guadalupe Valley, which is the name of the region's wine country, but they've been interesting enough to... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 17, 2008 10:35 PM
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The Menu For Hope Prize Winners. Maybe You?
The moment that you've all (OK, maybe some of you have) been patiently waiting for. The winners of this year's Menu For Hope Wine Prizes! Thank you all so much for your generous donations this year (to the tune of more than $90,000) and your support. An extra special thank you to all the bloggers and others who donated prizes -- your generosity is also astounding. For the winners, please reach out to the blogger who donated the prize to arrange delivery. We will also provide the donors with the e-mail addresses of their prize recipients. EXCEPT: For the Wine... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 11, 2008 11:32 AM
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ZAP Zinfandel Festival: January 23 - 26, San Francisco
Yes wine lovers, it's that time of year again. Get out your raincoats, rubber boots, and prepare to drown in a sea of Zinfandel lovers. Quite possibly the most raucous public tasting every year in San Francisco, the ZAP Zinfandel festival is one of the Bay Area's most dependable wine tastings. You can always count on it to be big, crowded, and a heck of a lot of fun. The festival revolves around the hub of their huge public tasting on Saturday January 26th, but there are several other events put on throughout the weekend that are worthwhile to anyone... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 3, 2008 10:46 PM
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WBW#41 Has Been Announced: Friuli Whites. Yum.
I've said it once and I'll say it again: Italian white wines are some of the most exciting wines in the world to me right now. I certainly owe some of that fascination to my good friends Jack and Joanne who run the web site Fork & Bottle, with whom I've had a chance to drink more than a few stellar examples of the form. It will come as no surprise then, that their choice as hosts of this month's Wine Blogging Wednesday, is to have all participating bloggers drink white wines from Italy's Friuli region. Officially known as Friuli-Venezia-Giulia,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 18, 2007 8:24 PM
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WBW#40 Roundup Has Been Posted: P.S. We Love You
Doesn't it seem to you like folks with the name "Junior" and "Little Joe" always end up having bad attitudes? When you're called "little" anything for most of you're life it's not surprising that you might have something to prove to the world -- a little chip on the shoulder about playing second fiddle to someone or something else. Personally, I think Petite Sirah has got the same sort of complex. Always being known as the "Little Syrah" (no matter how you spell it) has got to suck. It's no wonder that this little grape packs a big wallop of... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 15, 2007 11:22 PM
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WBW#40 Has Been Announced: Que Sirah Sirah
Some grapes just don't get no respect. Petite Sirah might easily qualify as a member of that club. This grape reminds me of some hulking brute with a heart of gold. He's the giant who doesn't know his own strength or recognize the coarseness of his bearing, but is a steadfast and soulful friend. Call him the Beast. Petite Sirah is sometimes tough to love. It's a tannic brute of a wine, that at its worst never becomes more than an exercise in bludgeoning your palate with the taste of stems. But when those tannins are kept in check, it... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 28, 2007 11:59 PM
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WBW#39 Roundup Has Been Posted
Mmmm.... reasonably priced Burgundy. Fantasy or simply just a chore to find? A nice bottle under $25 is certainly possible to find, especially if you look outside the fabled Côte d'Or region. And that is precisely what this month's Wine Blogging Wednesday asked its participants to do. For those unfamiliar with Wine Blogging Wednesday, it is a virtual tasting party, where a host blog chooses a theme, and then on a designated Wednesday, bloggers from around the world post wine reviews based on that theme. The latest incarnation of this event (the 39th such tasting) was hosted by the Brooklyn... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 20, 2007 11:00 PM
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