Vegetarian | The Casual Connoisseur
Aug 18 2010
Napa Valley, traditionally known for its warm climate for growing grapes, does house a few American Viticultural Areas (each an “AVA”) which are cooler in temperature and best-suited for growing grapes such as Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. Most commonly recognized is Los Carneros AVA located at the southern end of the valley, but [...]
Comments Off
Aug 11 2010
Coasting into the second week of August, many find themselves making a “Summer Bucket List” filled with things and activities that seemingly must be done before summer ends. There is one wine in Napa Valley that quintessentially captures the essence of summer and for me, it would be remiss to not feature it: Benessere Vineyards’ [...]
Comments Off
Jul 28 2010
Summer continues to perplex much of the nation. The majority of the country continues to belabor under the stronghold of a crippling heat wave; yet California’s Bay Area and Napa Valley pass each day with cooler than average temperatures. No matter the weather that you may be experiencing, Colombard can be delightful in any summer [...]
Comments Off
Jul 21 2010
In the 1940’s, a phone would ring on the outskirts of the town of Napa and on a party line, a voice would greet Aldo Biale with a seemingly simple request, “Please send produce, a dozen eggs and a black chicken.” A delivery would then be made within Napa, with the items requested but hidden [...]
Comments Off
Jul 14 2010
Proprietary Reds in Napa Valley arrive in varying grape combinations and consistencies. Their tannins can be refined or firm and they can easily be overly influenced by the climate of each growing season. As discussed earlier this year, some proprietary reds will actually meet the rigorous standards of Meritage, others will be called Claret and [...]
Comments Off
Jul 07 2010
As temperatures rise and seemingly hang naturally in the 90 degree range and heavy humidity holds much of the nation hostage, each has his or her own arsenal to combat the dog days of summer. In the world of wine, however, when long heat waves take hold, red wine is left to cellar and instead [...]
Comments Off
Jun 02 2010
Pinot Noir, the finicky red wine grape which grows well in the Burgundy region of France struggles to find its home in Napa Valley. Taking into account that Pinot Noir grapes need warmth and moisture, there has been some success in the Carneros American Viticultural Area of Napa Valley and the majority of aficionados gravitate [...]
Comments Off
Apr 01 2010
As Napa Valley prepares to wave goodbye to winter and revels at the wildflowers bursting along the edges of Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail, dreams of fresh, clean flavors spring forth and the palate begins to warm to white wines. Still not warm enough yet for the bright acidity and lemongrass nature of Sauvignon [...]
Comments Off
Mar 03 2010
Rainy season continues to linger in Napa Valley and presently it seemingly delivers a storm every few days. With such weather comes the ideal opportunity to drink red wine but as spring also nears, one finds that the palate is somewhat exhausted from heavy tannins. This bears a timely educational question. Is all red wine [...]
Comments Off
Nov 22 2009
As Thanksgiving nears this week, there seems to be not enough time to get everything done and not enough room in the refrigerator as it continues to fill to capacity pending the upcoming feast. Yet, for many, guests are starting to arrive in advance. These same guests are still looking forward to be entertained and [...]
Comments Off
