For the 2009 vintage, Sea Smoke added “Grand Cru” to all six of the winery bottlings, provoking an avalanche of much deserved derision. The idea of a vineyard that was only planted to grapes for ten years was laughable. Whether Sea Smoke will continue to add the presumptuous “Grand Cru” moniker to their wines is yet to be seen but if there is one property that unanimously should be considered a Grand Cru, it would be Ridge, specifically the Monte Bello Estate Vineyard.

Making site specific, single vineyard wines since their inception in the 1960′s, Ridge has enjoyed a long history of making what has been considered California’s finest wines. But the spectacular Monte Bello Vineyard has a history that stretches back even further, and the uniqueness of the location is what makes the wine so unsurpassed. Read the rest of this entry →

Many wine drinkers have tried, and enjoy, Malbec, specifically Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina. Recently tasting Malbec from Cahors from the southwest of France with several people they were as impressed with the wine as much as they were surprised. Malbec has become so associated with Argentina that people have come to assume that is the grape’s home. But the “black wines of Lot” date back to ancient Roman times and at one time rivaled Bordeaux in royal courts in France and abroad. Read the rest of this entry →

I placed a bottle of Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc in anticipation of last night’s NFL draft. If the Bears got Michael Floyd, we were popping the cork… which they didn’t. But they did get my second choice pick, and the Super Bowl is once again going through the NFC North, specifically, Chicago. Sorry Giants and Pats fans, although once again the Pats draft was ridiculous. And if you are Jets fan, well, I’m sorry period.

Of course, I need very little reason to pop a sparkling wine, therefore I might celebrate the Bears fifth round pick nobody’s ever heard of, who knows? Sparkling wine, be it in the Champagne method, or charmat, as in Prosecco, produces some of the most versatile, food friendly wine there is. Schramsberg though, is not only a world class-sparkling wine house, it is a registered historical site celebrating it’s 150^th year. Read the rest of this entry →

Golf. This is a peculiarity particular to the human race. Clearly, the desire to spend five hours on a Sunday afternoon alternating between mild irritation and white knuckled rage in plaid pants as “leisure” is surely a Darwinian exception. This may explain white it is socially acceptable to crush a 30-pack before noon while driving an electric golf cart. But let’s elevate our game and our experience. How about some wine on the course?

Golf and wine go hand and hand in many ways. Both have long had an image as being unattainable for many but that is certainly changing. Wine is finding its way into more and more households, and golf is reaching a far wider spectrum then times in the not so distant past. Both can reward the novice and expert alike, as well as being completely inscrutable to others. We have also seen many golfers getting involved with wine, Ernie Els, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman of course, and some golf courses are beginning to attach wine bars. But let’s get down to the nitty gritty, what are we drinking? Read the rest of this entry →