Big Table Farm: Wines from Oregon’s Willamette Valley

By Robin Alix Austin It is impossible to meet Brian Marcy and Clare Carver and not fall in love with Big Table Farm. The winemaker/artist team produces outstanding wines from their 70 acre farm in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The name comes from a desire to provide a gracious and welcoming table for enjoying handcrafted wine [...]

It’s Time for Wine: Sonoma Valley Appellations

By Monty and Sara Preiser Most oenophiles are aware of the Russian River, Chalk Hill and Carneros districts of Sonoma, but few others. As Sonoma county winemakers continue to refine their decisions as to what varieties grow best in what locations, the designation of the wine’s appellation will become more and more important. In Sonoma [...]

It’s Time for Wine: Wines, Wineries and Dining for the New Year

DeLoach, Moshin, Oakville Ranch, and Brassica By Monty and Sara Preiser It is time to start planning your California wine country trip if you intend to travel to California during the 2012 season. Many wineries that you will want to see will start filling their appointment slots a few months in advance of your arrival, [...]

Sparkling Wines from the New World

Ring in the new year with a New World sparkling wine! These sparkling wines are produced like their European counterparts, either by Méthode Champenoise (also called the traditional method), or the Charmat method. Champagne, Crémant, Cava and Franciacorta are produced by traditional method, and Prosecco is produced by the Charmat method. Click here to read [...]

It’s Time for Wine: Introducing Shadowbox Cellars

Our Own (plus our partners) shadowbox cellars to Make its Debut By Monty and Sara Preiser We were chosen as the “inspectors” for an election the other day, meaning that we watched the counting by both sides to be sure all was accurate and there were no shenanigans. There were a number of candidates, and [...]

An Introduction to the Jura

France’s wine regions are some of the most famous in the world. Casual wine drinkers could likely list several off the top of their heads, as well as grapes grown in these regions. Ask casual or even well-versed wine drinkers about the Jura and the response will be much different. Though smaller and not as [...]

Harvest in the Jura

The month of September brings splashes of color to the vineyards in the Jura. The grape leaves start to turn orange and brown. Large yellow and purple grape clusters wait to be harvested. Men and women move up and down the rows picking fruit while red tractors wait nearby to transport it. Jura is a [...]

Pinot Noir Smackdown on August 18

Get your wine glass ready for the 2nd annual Pinot Noir Smackdown! Organized by Ed Thralls of Wine Tonite and Joe Herrig of Suburban Wino, the Smackdown brings together Pinot fans from all over on August 18th to tweet or blog about what they’re drinking. Participating is fun and easy, whether you plan to get [...]

It’s Time for Wine: Irresistible Wines (So Far) This Season

By Monty and Sara Preiser It has been a while since we have written about particular California wines, but we have been so impressed with a number of them this summer that (we know you cannot wait) today is the day. The beauties we will write about below are some of those we highly and [...]

AG Pick: La Follette Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2009

The first thing that grabs your attention on a bottle of La Follette wine is the illustration on the label: a man bending over the vines clutching a magic wand. It represents the blend of tradition and whimsy that winemaker Greg La Follette brings to each of his wines. The illustration was taken from a [...]