Not your “everyday” wine

With the proliferation of value wines from around the globe, it’s challenging to find one that is not just a “fruity and fresh” everyday wine.  This weekend, I discovered an inexpensive red wine that was a departure from your standard fruit-driven wines by simply staying true to tradition.  What a novel idea.

The wine was a Fronton rouge from the South West of France.  The South West of France is a large region south of Bordeaux comprised of unique red wine appelations such as Madiran (tannic reds from …

Food and wine charities are not new.  Professionals in the hospitality industry who participate in these events are by nature, generous people, and so are their patrons.  But when Dry Creek Valley vintner Clay Mauritson asked busy restaurateur, hotelier and Michelin star Chef Charlie Palmer to help him put together Project Zin – a charity to raise funds and awareness for Down syndrome which affects Mauritson’s son – Chef Palmer was standing by.
Clay and Charlie’s friendship goes back over a decade, when Clay’s family began helping Palmer develop vineyards in …

Kenzo Tsujimoto, Chairman of publicly held Capcom Co., Ltd., is the owner of Kenzo Estate, a 15,000 case production winery in the eastern mountains of Napa Valley.  His luxury cabernet sauvignon wines are made with the best talent money can buy but his goal wasn’t to create an exclusive wine that few can buy.  Like the successful video game products his company sells worldwide, his wines are approachable and accessible.
Tsujimoto wasn’t one of the those wealthy businessmen seeking to create a monument to himself in the Napa Valley.  While he …

Thomas Jefferson was the first distinguished American connoisseur of wine.  He travelled widely throughout Europe, tasting and collecting wines, and became particularly enamored with the wines of France during his appointment as Minister to France between 1784-1789.  He would later plant cuttings of vitis vinifera at Monticello, unsuccessfully, and build a dedicated wine cellar to store the international wines he imported.  The wine cellar at Monticello was restored and re-opened to the public just last year.
Jefferson appreciated the finest Bordeaux wines, recording upon his visit to Chateau Haut-Brion on May …

Americans  love malbec from Argentina.  It is consistently good, fruit-driven and best of all, a great value at $10-15/bottle.  Argentine exports of bottled Malbec wines grew 20% by value in 2009, then 31.7% in 2010, with the US being the largest global market with about a 35% market share (winesofargentina.org).  Argentine wines are not cheap per se, they are helped by a favorable exchange rate which belie the quality inherent in the wines from unique terroir, natural farming practices and modern winemaking.  But does it warrant luxury status?
The short answer …

For those of you touring Napa Valley wine country, it’s sometimes nice to spend one day in one place, without a car, but still get the complete food and wine experience.  There are others of you visiting San Francisco who only have a day or two to spend in wine country.  Downtown Napa has more than 20 tasting rooms, wine bars and wine lounges to get a taste of Napa Valley wines, at your convenience.  While the local wine tasting rooms owned by Napa Valley wine producers pour their own …

Organic farming isn’t easy or cheap.  It’s difficult in humid regions because of the risk of mildew and rot and it’s easier in regions with dry growing seasons like Alsace and the south of France.  In Chile, farming comes about as pure as the snow melt from the Andes which is used for irrigation and the natural rootstock of its vitis vines.  And with the influence of the cold Humbolt Current moving northerly along the coast, rainfall is relatively low.
Some of the largest individual organic vineyards in the world are …

 Beyond the cult cabs and posh brands, sometimes one comes across a cabernet sauvignon wine that is a reflection of what the Napa Valley is about, not just in terms of terroir, but in terms of history, friendships and families.  Trivium is such a wine.
Trivium is a 100% cabernet sauvignon wine created by three partners and friends who have left their footprint on dozens of prestigious Napa Valley wines over their long careers, Stu Harrison as a marketer, Jack Stuart as winemaker and Doug Wight, as a 5thgeneration grower.  All three …

Jonathan Maltus, producer of cult St.-Emilion Grand Cru Le Dome, released his inaugural 2008 Napa Valley wines last week under the brand name “World’s End,” an homage to the American wine lover. The red wines range from exclusive single-vineyard cabernet sauvignon wines from Oakville to regional Napa Valley wines.
Making Napa Valley wines was a natural move for Maltus, who was born to be a man of the world. Although English by citizenship, he comes from a family of expatriates going back to the …

Stephane Derenoncourt, deemed the “world’s hottest winemaker” by Wine Spectator last November, will release his 2007 Derenoncourt California wines at a dinner and fundraiser for Wine to Water at Las Vegas restaurant Twist by Pierre Gagnaire on March 3rd.
Wine to Water is an international aid organization that seeks to help the more than 1 billion people in the world who don’t have access to adequate or sanitary water, leading to water-related childhood deaths every 20 seconds.  To date, they have helped communities in …