Wine Wednesday Archives - ThePhillyFiles.com

November 4, 2020

Chardonnays from the Willamette Valley, others from Newton Vineyards in the Napa Valley

Chardonnays from the Willamette Valley tend to be leaner and more acidic than those from Napa and Sonoma Valleys. We find them a better…

November 2, 2020

The mysterious de Négoce: Inexpensive, unreleased, only online

Cameron Hughes doesn’t give up easily. A negociant since 2001, he discreetly gathered unwanted wines from top California producers and sold them for a…

October 12, 2020

Rugby star scores 2nd career as the largest importer of French wine into the U.S.

Gérard Bertrand is hardly one to stand idly about. For 17 years he played rugby at the highest level and eventually became captain of…

August 12, 2020

Childhood fantasy fulfilled: becoming a winemaker

It could have been a parents’ worst nightmare when 14-year-old Bibiana Gonzalez Rave announced that she wanted to make wine when she grew up….

August 5, 2020

The best type of wine to drink in the heat

The summer heat can be oppressive in August, arguably the hottest month of the summer. Even in the evening, the high temperatures and humidity can…

July 29, 2020

Cold California conditions make these wines worth the challenge

It is remarkable that some of the best wines are grown in the most inhospitable regions. Champagne is the coldest wine growing region in…

July 22, 2020

A wine making a comeback after being overproduced for decades

Chenin blanc is undergoing a renaissance of sorts, clawing back respectability after overcoming its reputation as one of the main ingredients in mid to…

July 15, 2020

The perfect wine for hot weather and summer foods

With our outdoor spaces now ensconced in hot weather, we find ourselves reaching more often for sauvignon blanc. Its crisp acidity and citrus, herbaceous…

July 8, 2020

Savory redo: The rush for rosé is back on

Kathleen Inman remembers the time when she had to twist arms in her tasting room to get people to try her rosé. Too many…

July 1, 2020

From 2nd generation, to reviving a winery after 6 decades

One thing that gives us great comfort in the ever-changing wine industry is the survival of the venerable family-owned wineries. Too many of the…

June 25, 2020

Searching for the top tempranillo in Spain and Oregon

Alberto Moro said his family wasn’t really interested in making white wine until they fell in love with the godellos made in the Bierzo…

June 17, 2020

The best bottles of wine as Father’s Day gifts

We don’t think anyone will dispute the fact that the last several months have been challenging. For many the challenge has been struggling with…

June 10, 2020

Where it’s from and the weather changing the world of pinot noir

We are unabashed fans of pinot noir. Give us a cabernet sauvignon when it comes to a juicy steak, but otherwise we find ourselves…

June 3, 2020

Nothing says welcoming each other and warm weather like rosé

Despite the death and economic chaos brought on by COVID-19, we are searching for normalcy in our world – a time when we went…

May 27, 2020

The wine you drink came from how many vineyards?

Dana Epperson says people who visit Duckhorn’s California tasting room “geek out” over her single-vineyard chardonnays made under the Migration label. Although consumers can…

May 20, 2020

Planning for warm weather wine, post-pandemic

As we write this column, the black cloud of the Novel Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the health of our citizens and the…

May 13, 2020

Property project: Clearing weed killers and chemical fertilizers for healthy vines, delicious wines

Plus, reducing the causes of wine-induced headaches In our wine education programs we often get asked about sulfites and whether they are to blame…

May 6, 2020

More wine on the mind: Q&A from recent seminar

There may not have been another time when people were so interested in wine. Sales show quite an uptick in consumption in recent years,…

April 29, 2020

Wine for Mom can complement acts of appreciation on her holiday

Since the Coronavirus struck the United States, there has been a heap of well-deserved praise for the sacrifices of first-response teams, medical workers, grocery…

April 22, 2020

Going to grill? Which wine should you sip with your steak?

We used to think of “comfort food” as a dish to ward off the chills of winter – stews, soup, hearty pastas. Now, the…

April 15, 2020

Eating, and drinking more wine, while stuck at home? You’re not alone!

Why some wines are less expensive, plus examples and a free seminar As we continue to hunker in our bunkers, there is every indication…

April 8, 2020

Which wine wins with you, Burgundy or Bordeaux?

Also, go online and prepare for a virtual wine tasting Two weeks ago, we wrote about the joy of drinking the red wines from…

April 1, 2020

Wine, memories and making plans

As we write this column, most people are confined largely to their homes as the Coronavirus continues to spread across the country. Like you,…

March 25, 2020

Vintage Bordeaux, without paying big bucks

With temperatures somewhat chilly as the winter season comes to an agonizingly slow end, there’s still time to haul out some of the older…

March 18, 2020

Princess of pinot noir bringing Burgundy to California’s La Crema

If you’ve been to Burgundy, you know the euphoria you feel standing outside an iconic grand cru vineyard like La Tache or Romanee-Conti. You…

March 11, 2020

The prices of many imported wines almost doubled, and they still might

If you, like us, are looking forward to those exquisite, thirst-quenching rosés from southern France this spring, we just dodged a bullet. A potential…

March 4, 2020

Wine’s rather large role in Prohibition, which started 100 years ago

Centennial anniversaries in this country are usually marked by parades, political speeches, massive publicity and celebrations. But you probably didn’t see any of that…

February 26, 2020

Rare success story shows why winemaker stability is so important

California wineries are often burdened by a turnover of winemakers. The most elite wineries hang on to their winemakers because, well, there’s no place…

February 19, 2020

California winery has great weather for its grapes, worth for your wallet

Plus, Wine and the White House on this Presidents Day week Steve Rogstad knows Los Carneros. After college, he worked at Saintsbury, Rombauer and…

February 12, 2020

The right wine for your Valentine’s Day dinner

We always have found Valentine’s Day a bit galling. Steeped in mythical interpretations, it is a holiday cleverly marketed by greeting card companies, florists,…

February 5, 2020

Napa not so significant when it comes to California wines

Paso Robles is an up-and-coming area for several reasons, including price. Most people think of Napa Valley when it comes to California wine. However…

January 29, 2020

Why pinot noir prices are at a peak, and the best of the bunch

We often wonder how pinot noir got so expensive. There was once a time in our early years of winemaking when burgundy cost considerably…

January 22, 2020

Cold weather wines: Season dictates what’s best to drink when

We may make too much of weather when it comes to enjoying wine. But why is it that a crisp sauvignon blanc tastes better…

January 15, 2020

A mother-daughter Napa Valley winery started by accident

We recently met with Remi Barrett from La Sirena, a small production Napa Valley winery project of Remi’s mother, Heidi Peterson Barrett. Heidi Peterson…

January 8, 2020

Burgundy: Some of the best bottles without the big budget

When we became interested in wine, we first visited France, arguably the most revered wine-growing region in the world and certainly one with the…

January 1, 2020

Weighing the past 10 years in wine, and what to watch in the next decade

The beginning of a new year gives us the opportunity to set personal goals and reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going….

December 25, 2019

Sparkling below. Speedy above. Be careful with that cork!

When the Washington Nationals celebrated their World Series victory a few months ago, the locker room was awash in sparkling wine. Players and coaches…

December 18, 2019

A gift of good wine isn’t a waste when it’s for the right person

Spending $50 to $100 on a gift of wine may be beyond your means, but put it in perspective. You may be spending more than…

December 11, 2019

10 gift suggestions: Wine accessories as stocking stuffers!

This is the time of year we take to the malls – or the web – to find the perfect gifts. No matter who…

December 4, 2019

Experts: Ramey is the top chardonnay

If there is only one more bottle of chardonnay you intend to drink, let it be a Ramey. We’ve been tasting chardonnay for decades…

November 27, 2019

Hispanic immigrant families’ hard work make Thanksgiving wines

For centuries, immigrants have been coming to California to live their dream of making a living from West Coast’s fertile soil. Italian immigrants with…

November 20, 2019

10 wines that’ll impress your holiday guests

As we close in on the mother of all feasts, the last thing on your mind is probably wine. Most likely, you are more…

November 13, 2019

America’s zeal for zinfandel

Zinfandel is considered to be America’s red grape, although its origin is hardly American. Thanks to the advent of DNA grape analysis, zinfandel’s origin…