Briscoe Bites

24
Nov
2017

Black Friday Wine Gift Guide

categories: Booze, Wine

Whether the day after Thanksgiving is your favorite time to shop or you prefer to hold off until cyber Monday — or maybe you’re more like me and hold off until the very last second — it never hurts to have a shortlist of some wine-centric gifts to give your wine-loving friends. These are just a few items tried and tested by yours truly that I’m truly thankful to have in my life. I’ve got everything from stocking stuffers to big ticket items that wine-lovering novices and pros will appreciate. Take a look, shop around, and have a very happy holiday season!

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22
Nov
2017

A Week of Wine Thanksgiving: WBC17 Bloggers

categories: Booze, Wine

This year marks my first year at the annual Wine Bloggers Conference (WBC17). What I was looking forward to was learning more about the blogosphere, how to improve my writing skills, and — of course — meeting with the people I chat with almost on a daily base — either on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook (in some cases all three) in real life. But what I wasn’t prepared for was how fast we’d become real life friends and how, just within the span of a long weekend, we’d all form lifelong relationships bonded by our mutual love and respect for the world of wine.

I’m not saying there weren’t some crazy antics behind the scenes — but when it comes right down to it, each participant seemed to have their own professional niche in the wine world. And because I don’t yet have a space for a blog roll on my site (this will definitely be in Phase 2, as it were, as I continue to build), I wanted to dedicate a post to a few other bloggers — both writers and podcasters — whose websites I think are worth subscribing to.

Just a few of the fun friends I made this year

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21
Nov
2017

A Week of Wine Thanksgiving: Jordan Winery

categories: Booze, Winery Reviews

For this year’s Thanksgiving week, I want to dedicate a few posts to those in the wine industry for whom I am grateful. During my time at this year’s Wine Blogger’s Conference (WBC17), I had the opportunity to spend some time with one of my favorite winery’s, Jordan Winery, located on Alexander Valley Road, just north of downtown Healdsburg. What I love about this winery is not just their amazing wines (indeed, their focused Cabernet Sauvignon is some of the most balanced I’ve experienced), but the true sense of welcome every time I walk through the winery’s doors or participate in one of their events.

“We like to say we do three things here at Jordan Winery: Cabernet, Chardonnay, and Hospitality.” –John Jordan

Jordan Winery Estate; photo courtesy of Jordan Winery

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20
Nov
2017

A Week of Wine Thanksgiving: In Memory of Patricia Green

categories: Booze, Winery Reviews

While attending this year’s Wine Blogger’s Conference in Santa Rosa, California, I was alerted to the passing of Patricia Green, co-founder and winemaker of Patricia Green Cellars. Though I never had the pleasure of meeting Patty in person — in fact, I’ve yet to visit the winery either — she absolutely impacted my wine life. In fact, I dare say, she is the woman who gifted me my love of wine. So I dedicate this post to Patricia Green — her life, her legacy, and the influence she had on me as both a wine lover and wine writer.

Patricia Green Cellars Estate entrance; photo courtesy of Patricia Green Cellars

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13
Nov
2017

Zinfandel: California’s ‘Native’ Grape

categories: Booze, Wine

It makes sense that Zinfandel has gained a reputation as California’s “heritage grape.” For many years, Zinfandel’s exact origins remained a mystery, or, as Jancis Robinson calls it, “a romantic thriller.” The red grape seemed to have made the trek and set fresh roots in the Golden State in conjunction with the forty-niners seeking their fortune in gold. Here, when the search for treasure proved fruitless, settlers turned to farming — and the Zinfandel grape thrived more than the Gold Rush ever could. Fields of vines flourished throughout the Sierra Foothills, and wine — namely jug wine — became a household staple and a new California industry.

With no known parentage and no knowledge of how the red wine grape arrived in the States in the first place — Zinfandel became California’s “wine child.”

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