Category: Booze

Wine reviews, pairings, events, and getaways


May
2017

Cooper Vineyards 2013 Estate Barbera

categories: Booze, Wine

The Cooper family has been farming in Amador County since 1919, when “Grandpa Cooper” left his San Francisco medical practice to tend a walnut orchard. Not until current owner Dick Cooper graduated from UC Davis in the 1970s did the Coopers consider grafting grapevines. But they wanted to think outside the Zinfandel box. Friend Darrell Corti, of Sacramento’s famed Corti Brothers grocery store, gave the Coopers a tip. “Mr. Corti pulled his pocketbook out, retrieved a $1 bill and wrote ‘Barbera’ and ‘Nebbiolo’ on it,” remembers Dick Cooper. With no Nebbiolo to be found, the Coopers turned to neighbor Cary Gott of Montevina Winery, who was willing to sell a bit of Barbera rootstock.

Today, Barbera is Cooper Vineyards’s’ flagship wine, the one that customers flock to the tasting room to buy in bulk.

(Read the full Amador County article on SF Chronicle)

(more…)


May
2017

Donnafugata Sur Sur 2016 Grillo

categories: Booze, Wine

No, it’s not a Pinot Grigio. Grillo is a white wine grape indigenous to the Sicilian wine region. Though its exact evolution is unknown, it’s believed to be the cross-bred child of Catarratto (one of the most widely planted white wine grapes in Sicily) and Zibibbo (a Muscat grape variety originating from Alexandria, Sicily). The grape’s claim to fame is its ability to withstand warm temperatures and drought — perfect for the hot-blooded climate known to the Sicilian terrain (and people). Grillo is sturdy enough to hang on the vine well past a traditional harvest time, making it the perfect candidate for concentrated, high-alcoholic dessert-style wines (most classically, Marsala).

Interesting factoid: the Italian word grillo literally translates to the English word “cricket.” And that is where the Donfugata Sur Sur 2016 Grillo begins…

(more…)


May
2017

Red Stitch Single Vineyard Pinot Noir

categories: Booze, Wine

We all know the story. Former SF Giants baseball teammates Rich Aurilia and Dave Roberts have teamed up once again — this time in the vineyard field. Alongside winemaker, Rolando Herrera from Mi Sueño Winery and Herrera Wines, Red Stitch serves up some classically-styled Napa Cabs. Their latest game-changer is their somewhat recent addition of Santa Lucia Highland vineyards, Soberanes and Sierra Mar, to craft what, to my palate, are two completely polar opposite Pinots.

(more…)


May
2017

Freemark Abbey 2012 Merlot

categories: Booze, Wine

This is another total impulse-buy success story. I was at TJ’s, perusing the wine aisle, and realized for all its awesome reputation, I’ve never actually tasted anything from Freemark Abbey. It was a bit of a risk: not only was I trying a new winery, but I was testing them out on a varietal I’m not super keen on, nor too familiar with. But like I said, impulse-buy success story.

(more…)


May
2017

Adegas Gran Vinum Mar De Viñas 2015 Albariño

categories: Booze, Wine

Today California girl goes to Spain for a study in Albariño. This white grape is primarily grown in Galicia, Spain, specifically the DO Rías Baixas. In fact, though the DO Rías Baixas allows for 12 different grape varieties, 90% of the wine region is planted to Albariño 99% of all wine produced is white. Ryas Baixas is known for its cool-climate in the northwestern side of Spain due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. And though these conditions are mostly ideal, the region is also prone to humid rainfalls which can lead to mold, mildew and other diseases. For this reason, many grape growers train their Albariño vines along a wire trellis called a “parra,” which reaches up to seven feet high and allow for wind circulation through the vines and berry clusters.

Fermentation, like most wines, varies between winemakers. Most will age Albariño on the lees, a few will even take the wine through malolactic fermentation. Barrel fermentation, while not unheard of, is, in general, is used sparingly.

There’s your Albariño 101. Now to the tasting…

(more…)