Category: Articles

California Off the Beaten Track Part 3

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Whenever I come home to California, I like to explore lesser known Californian producers, regions and varieties. If you’re looking to find something else besides Napa Cab and save some money, here are the highlights of what I tasted, including a bonus review on wine from Hawaii.  Continue reading

Can we put ice in wine?

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I know most of you are in winter, but it’s summer here in Chile, so it’s rosé time. I decided to experiment with putting ice in my rosé. Although most wine connoisseurs would scoff at the idea of putting ice in wine if not downright berate you for doing it, it is not as uncommon as you’d think. Should we ever put ice in our wine? Continue reading

The Cult of Wine

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I hosted a wine tasting recently with other wine geek friends and their significant others. However, one of the wine geeks brought her new boyfriend, who knew very little about wine. It was as if she was testing him. Would he be accepting of her lifestyle? Would he convert to being a wine lover too? Another wine lover, after several glasses of wine in him, asked the new boyfriend to share his feelings about what he was experiencing and learning while being surrounded by a bunch of wine encyclopedias commenting about every sip they were taking of the over a dozen bottles we had opened. This was after other wine geeks had shared their personal stories of how they came to love wine so much and for some, work in the industry. Then it suddenly hit me: being a wine lover is like being in a cult.  Continue reading

Charity Wines: Should we buy them?

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All types of products, including wine, claim many things on their labels and in their advertising to show how ethical, healthy and good for the world they are. Often this is more marketing than reality. For wine, some claim to be organic, eco-friendly, and/or contributing to charities. I want to focus on the latter and examine if it’s something wine lovers should support.  Continue reading

Bordeaux Off the Beaten Path: Forgotten Grapes, Pirates & Robots

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In addition to visiting some well-established Bordeaux chateaux and going beyond Bordeaux along the Dordogne, I decided to explore less orthodox Bordeaux producers who might be the future of the region: Château Cazebonne & Château Luchey-Halde.   Continue reading

Wine Tourism: Visiting Bordeaux 101

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Here are a few basic tips for amateur wine enthusiasts visiting Bordeaux and a recap of my recent trip there. Highlights include La Gaffeliere in Saint Emilion, Sauternes, Carbonnieux and a vertical of Branaire-Ducru.  Continue reading

Wine Tourism in Chile: Tarapacá​​ Region & Chile’s Only Native Wine Grape–Tamarugal

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In previous posts, I’ve argued that Pais is Chile’s true national grape and not Carmenere while Sauvignon Blanc could be Chile’s most internationally marketable grape. However, none of these varieties can claim to be Chile’s only true native wine grape. This title belongs to Tamarugal, which was only recently discovered in 2003 and officially designated uniquely Chilean in 2016. I finally got to taste it last weekend. Continue reading

Wine Tourism: California Off-the-Beaten-Track Part 2

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I took a three week hiatus from blogging to vacation and see family in California. This included some formal and informal wine tasting opportunities. In this post, I wanted to focus on the formal wine tourism I did in California, including Baja California. I’ll post reviews in the next coming weeks on some of the wines I drank from my personal stash in California in addition to the wines I brought back with me to Chile.  Continue reading