Wine Recommendations

“I want to capture the essence of place,” winemaker Theresa Heredia tells me regarding her diverse portfolio of Pinot Noir. Theresa joined Gary Farrell Winery in 2012. Prior to that she worked at Joseph Phelps’ Freestone Vineyards on the Sonoma Coast, and Domaine de Montille in France. On this...

In the realm of Riesling a new generation of female winemakers is taking control making everything from traditional Riesling (“It’s our DNA”) to non-traditional Chardonnay, even obscure indigenous varieties like Schreube, and Gelber Orleans. These women reflect a new paradigm of German grape...

After generations of grape growing in and around Bolgheri, less than 6 miles from Italy’s Tuscan Coast, the Pellegrini family launched their own winery in 1996 - Aia Vecchia. And it is in Bolgheri that the “Super Tuscan” wine developed its stronghold. The 2017 Sor Ugo is named after Ugo, the first...

Back in 1912 Ernest Wente persuaded his father, C.H. Wente, to import Chardonnay cuttings from a nursery at the University of Montpellier in France to their Livermore Valley winery. Today roughly 80% of all California Chardonnay stems from what is now called the “Wente Clone.” There is a reason...

The Burgundy region of France makes some of the best wines in the world. The reds are mostly made from Pinot Noir and the whites are made from Chardonnay. And, the region of Beaujolais, whose wines are made from the Gamay grape, is also part of Burgundy. I was lucky enough to be able to sample some...

Sherry (the wine from Spain) can be confusing to understand, much less choosing a bottle in a store. Like most things in life, however, choosing a bottle of Sherry can be understood once one realizes at almost every step, it’s about dividing the choices into two categories and moving on. Of course...