The leaves are changing quickly in the vineyards in Napa Valley from Carneros to Calistoga.  Each evening the temperature drops a bit lower and in the morning a gust of wind arrives from the nearby bay; autumn colored leaves from the vines drop to the vineyard floor, letting us know that fall is here and […]

Baby, it’s cold outside.  But it is to be expected since it is January.  Much of the United States right now is gripped by artic air and when it gets this cold, people reach for red wine.   They do not reach for just any red wine.  In the last few days and weeks, more and […]

  This week’s article admittedly was done on a lark.   A few weeks ago I was up early on a Sunday morning and had nothing pressing ahead on the day’s agenda.  With the luxury of a rare lazy Sunday morning at home and delightful warm weather outdoors, the back deck was simply too inviting to […]

Petite Sirah is one of those red varietals that rarely do I reach for except for during the dregs of winter.  Notoriously rustic, complex, rich and often lumbering across the palate in a no-nonsense sort of way, Petite Sirah readily pairs with comfort food and is in ready reach on a dark, stormy night.   Yet, […]

For those readers who have been following the Facebook Fan Page and the articles on this site closely for the last month it is not a secret that I and my team are competing in Hall Winery’s Cabernet Cookoff this Saturday, April 30th, with the hope of winning monies to benefit the Napa Valley Opera […]