Wine Producers, Growers, & Labels

What's an appropriate wine to serve at a Toronto Blue Jays themed party? What wine would be a good gift for a hard core Blue Jays fan? The Toronto Blue Jays pride themselves on their unique status as Canada's only Major League Baseball team. Their patriotic, passionate fans enthusiastically promote the Blue Jays' Canadian heritage, although they are more than willing to cheer on every single Blue Jays player, regardless of country of origin. Blue Jays fans have backed their team from its very first snowy Opening Day in 1977 through the back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and 1993 down to the present day. The Blue Jays' well-regarded farm system offers continuous hope to fans when the Jays are slumping, and the team's General Manager, Alex Anthopoulos, known for his calm demeanor and blockbuster trades, inspires confidence at every turn. Anthopoulos wants the Jays not only to be the face of Canada in Major League Baseball but also to be the best team on the field, every single game.

Wines to Go Buy This Week: Crisp and Refreshing Summer White Wines by Broadbent, Dr. Loosen, and Spy Valley The dog days of August are upon us and we have but a few weeks remaining before hot summer nights give way to crisp autumn leaves. This summer has been brutally hot for most of the US -though not too bad here in San Francisco, though September tends to be our hot month, if "hot" and "San Francisco" can actually be used in the same sentence- and I've had the great pleasure of discovering some fantastic white wines that are both tasty and refreshing for those hot nights. So before summer ends, here are three white wines to go buy this week : Broadbent Vinho Verde - Vinho Verde is a staple of Portuguese culture. Translated it means "Green Wine" which refers to its youthful freshness. It's a low-alcohol, light, crisp, and slightly effervescent wine that is about as close to perfection as a summer wine can be. Broadbent makes a fantastic Vinho Verde and at about $9 a bottle, it's worth buying a case to serve at your Labor Day picnic. Your guests will love it. About $9. Buy Broadbent Vinho Verde

Mike Benziger leads one of the most prominent and one of the last in-tact families in the wine industry. Based in Sonoma, the 30-year old Benziger Family Winery is widely known for their pioneering exploration and practice of Biodynamic, organic and sustainable agriculture and grape growing. Though they did not start out this way, as time evolved, they began to embrace a different way of farming. The validation of this, is high scoring wines in the national press and medals at wine competitions.

Château Lynch-Bages has become one of the most celebrated wineries in France. Château Lynch-Bages located in Pauillac on the left bank in the Medoc Château Lynch-Bages is an 1855 classified Fifth Growth. Since 1973 it has been owned by the enigmatic Jean-Michel Cazes and is now run by his son, Jean-Charles. Jean-Michel Cazes assumed the management of his family’s properties including Château Lynch Bages, Les Ormes de Pez, and Villa Bel Air in Bordeaux, Xisto in Portugal and Tapanappa in Australia. Jean-Michel Cazes has been awarded France’s highest honor, La Croix de Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur , Decanter Magazine’s Man of the Year, and the Institute of Masters in Wine awarded him their Lifetime Achievement Award. Fundamentally, what are the differences between old world and new world wines? Differences between wine regions originate in differences in soils, grades varietals and mainly climate, or rather different combinations of these key factors. There are many different styles of wine around the world, old or new. But I am convinced that old world wines benefit from a long history and experience.

Since I wrote last week about how much I (used to) hate chardonnay , this week I am turning attention to the varietal I love: pinot noir. Friends and acquaintances frequently ask me for my favorite wine producers -and the list is long- so I am going to focus this week on my favorite Sonoma pinot noir producers. There are numerous producers of fantastic pinot in Sonoma so I'm sure I will get plenty of emails from people wondering how I could leave out so and so or who are incredulous that my recommendations exclude "less expensive" options. So let me respond in advance: The threshold for inclusion on this list is that the wine must be in regular rotation in my house and be the "go to" bottle of Sonoma Pinot Noir to serve to guests or to uncork to celebrate small victories (a concept I enthusiastically embrace..... life is too short not to celebrate good days with a fantastic bottle of wine. Who wants to die with a huge collection of great wine aging in the basement?). Must a good Sonoma pinot noir cost $40+? Of course not, though so often they do. With that said, the three wines to go buy this week are:

Rumor has it that beef ribs are often overlooked, as pork ribs are what most people visualize when they hear “ribs”. French politician Jean Glavany claims: “Those restaurant chains that are withdrawing beef ribs are . . . participating in this psychosis and should try to avoid it, . . . There is no question of banning beef ribs in our country.” And posts can be seen on American forums begging for good beef rib restaurant recommendations. Evidently, pork prevails in the ribs race.

Originally from Australia, Daryl Groom has held numerous positions in the wine industry including Vice President of Winemaking & Operations for Peak Wines International, and Beam Wine Estates, and both Senior White Winemaker and then Senior Red Winemaker for Penfolds Wines in Australia. His foundation was producing Penfolds famed red wine, Grange, which he oversaw from 1984 until his move to the U.S. in 1990. He has been named ‘Winemaker of the Year by the LA Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, the Huston Chronicle, Quarterly Review of Wines, and others. He currently produces his own label, Groom Wines. He judges six international wine shows annually and has been on the NBC Today Show and a repeat guest on E! Television in the U.S.

What's an appropriate wine to serve at a Pittsburgh Pirates themed party? What wine would be a good gift for a hard core Pirates fan? If you've ever met a Pittsburgh sports fan, you know that the city's identity is so closely aligned with its professional sports teams that an outsider could be forgiven for thinking that Pittsburgh wouldn't exist without them. In fact, one of Pittsburgh's nicknames, "City of Champions," comes straight from its long history of winning teams.

James MacPhail followed an unconventional path to winemaking, growing up in Marin County in a family with roots dating to the 1880’s and broad-ranging interests in disparate business interests, including dairy farming near Tomales Bay as well as ventures in appliances, building materials and natural gas. His early experiences included travel, the arts and athletics. He became an accomplished classical pianist and bagpiper, most famously playing “Amazing Grace” solo in San Francisco’s Davies Symphony Hall for Queen Elizabeth when she visited Northern California in 1982. In 1983, he became the youngest swimmer to swim across the Golden Gate, and remains a nationally ranked Masters Class competitive swimmer. After an early career in hospitality, he began apprenticing with notable Sonoma County winemakers, and quickly focused on Pinot Noir, and a passionate bond was formed. He still crafts other varietals into much appreciated wines, but Pinot Noir has become his signature.

IntoWine asked our panel of experts to share their recommendations for the best Burgundy red wine worth seeking out (for the price of course): Two words come to mind when I think about Red Burgundy ­– Style and Focus. For those who know, when looking for Pinot Noir that expresses the true uniqueness of terroir and variety, you look at Burgundy. Really good Burgundy, unfortunately, does come at a price.