Move over Malbec. Argentina is the planet’s fifth largest wine producer and according to recent numbers, Malbec accounts for about 39% of the red grape varieties cultivated there. So, Malbec gets most of the headlines. But I was surprised to learn that Bonarda - a red wine grape varietal that originated in the Savoie of France and is called Douce Noir there - is Argentina’s … [Read more...]

Last week’s Park City Wine Festival 2022 was chock full of great wines, spirits, ciders, beers, and more. One of my favorite stops during the Fest was to sample great wines and chat with representatives from California’s Daou Vineyards, a family-owned winery based in California’s Adelaida District in Paso Robles.  The Daou story is a very interesting one, covering … [Read more...]

When you think of Pinot Noir, you probably think of Burgundy in France, or maybe Oregon, Washington, or California in this country. Maybe New Zealand? But Germany probably doesn’t spring to mind. It didn’t to me, at least.  But last week my wife and I were enjoying yet another excellent dinner at Weller’s Bistro in Layton when Jan Weller, the owner, turned us onto a really … [Read more...]

There are wine drinkers who think that Rosè wines should only be consumed in warm weather. I am not among them. I believe that Rosè is an “anytime wine,” to be appreciated on cold snowy nights as well as under the warm sun on the patio in spring and summer. Anytime is a good time for Rosè. Either way, here is a wine you will enjoy during the last throes of summer or whenever … [Read more...]

Good news for fans of French Bordeaux wines. The 2018 vintage of Saint Emilion wines are turning out to be fantastic! They are quite concentrated and deeply colored, with a beautiful texture and robust flavor, well-balanced and fresh. Wine expert James Suckling called Bordeaux 2018 “a vintage of superlatives.”   A good (and inexpensive) example is Château Pagnac … [Read more...]

— With the heatwave we’ve all been enduring, wouldn’t a nicely chilled glass of wine perk up your afternoon or evening? If so, I have an excellent one to recommend: Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio ($28.04).  I know what you’re thinking. Italian Pinot Grigio is a flimsy little summer cottage of a wine. And yes, that is all too often true. A lot of Pinot Grigio can be pretty … [Read more...]

A couple of weeks ago I made chicken amatriciana for dinner and was looking for an inexpensive red wine, preferably Italian, to drink with this classic Roman dish. Well, I found it. Castello di Querceto Chianti D.O.C.G 2020. from Italy is selling this month in Utah for a paltry $8.99 - 2 bucks off of the normal price of $10.99.  The word querceto means oak in Italian and the … [Read more...]

For many years I have been a fan of Hess founder and winemaker Donald Hess’s wines. First, in the form of Hess Family Wine Estates products, and more recently, via the wines of Hess Persson Estates and their Lions Head Collection. Hess Persson is headed up by Tim and Sabrina Persson - visionary winemakers - and self-described as “fundamentally an international family with roots … [Read more...]