Wine reviews, pairings, events, and getaways
I’m really starting to fall in love with Oregon wines. At first I thought it was just a Pinot-thing (shout out to Patricia Green my first wine love), but they’ve got a good selection of varietals up north. And here’s another primo example of New World Wine amazingness from Oregon: Joel Gott’s 2014 Pinot Gris. Cheers!
Perfectly medium-rare, melt in the mouth veal. Silky whipped parsnip puree. Thyme infused butter sauce. Just a sprinkling of raw pine nuts on top.
That was the meal I had planned, so I knew I needed something just as smooth and creamy as every element on that plate. I walk down the Chardonnay aisle (because of course I’m looking for a Chardonnay) and I see the words “Bread & Butter.” Now, if this doesn’t fulfill my every need and craving I don’t know what will…
(PS I was right).
Love learning about food and wine pairings? Then you may want to become the newest member of the Tasters Guild International — a US nationwide society of foodies/wine-lovers who gather together with their local chapters to geek out on all things culinary.
While wine tasting at this year’s SF Pinot Days, I was lucky enough to meet John Engstrom and Jim Lipman of California’s only living Tasters Guild chapter, the Diablo Tasters Guild located in the San Francisco East Bay Area. They were kind enough to invite me to one of their monthly get-togethers where they sync a local restaurant’s venue and cuisine with a California winery. This month the Guild featured food with an Italian flare from Buon Appetito in Fremont alongside some Spanish-inspired wine from Bodegas Paso Robles.
As much as I love the color pink, I am quite picky when it comes to rosé wines. In general, I don’t like my wines sticky-sweet or too fruit forward. So it can be a challenge for me to find and enjoyable rosé — especially at a local grocery store. Enter Chateau de Campuget 2015 Rosé…
Here I am, still going strong with my French wine kick. A heads up, this is going to be one of my first critical reviews, but it’s all in good spirit I assure you….
I feel like I need to give some back story. When I was I bought this wine I had a specific flavor profile in mind. I wanted something with a soft mouthfeel, something oaked (but not oaky) that would lessen the severity of any potentially dominating fruit flavors. I guess I wanted Chardonnay and Sauv Blanc to have a baby. I had a few different varietals in mind, but apparently they were too obscure for my local shop. Very sad. Now, I kind of knew when I picked up the 2015 Bordeaux Blanc from Ducasse that this wine wouldn’t quite fit the brief, but I took a chance, gave it a go, and here’s what I learned.