After my private tasting at Betwixt Wines, winemaker Tim and his wife Melissa were kind enough to send me home with a few complimentary bottles. It must have been my reaction when I sipped on their 2014 Grenache from Monterey County’s Boer Vineyard that made Melissa insist I take home this bottle…
I never heard of this varietal before I was perusing my Twitter feed and this recommendation came up from Reverse Wine Snob, Jon Thorson. It just so happened I was looking for something exactly like this for my dinner that day — something light, refreshing, perfect for a hot summer’s evening.
At first my mind ran down the list: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Reisling? But none of those flavor profiles truly met the brief for my dinner-pairing…
I was at my local Trader Joe’s when I remembered the review I had read that morning. I picked up that bottle and, true to my book-nerd form, read the back of the bottle: “light-bodied,” “dry,” “fresh and lively” — sold!
Just off San Francisco’s Bay Bridge, on the small, industrial Treasure Island are a few small businesses not too many non-SF-natives know about. And even those savvy to the SF scene may not realize that past the first few buildings that house Winery SF, Sol Rouge, and Sottomarino, there is an even smaller, more independent winery stationed in an abandoned school house — Kendric Vineyards.
Continuing our look at The Drops of God, Volume 3 by Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto…
(See The Drops of God, Volume 1 and The Drops of God, Volume 2 before continuing)
Rhone Rangers, a non-profit organization, is dedicated to promoting American Rhone-style wines, supporting the winemakers who choose to put a New World spin on Old World wine, and — of course — educating the public about the unique and versatile wines produced from all of this research and labour. During the 2016 Rhone Rangers Seminar and Grande Tasting in San Francisco, I had the privilege to learn directly from local, West Coast winemakers who work to move beyond common “Syrah-stereotypes.”