Tuscany is a place blessed with some of the world's best grapes. Sangiovese grapes. And they make some of the world's best wine, IMHO.

Deb Harkness had a post recently on a 2005 Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Chianti Rufina Nipozzano Riserva. "Cherry aromas and flavors that were both fresh and rich," according to Deb. (She includes a good recipe for meatballs that the chianti complements well.)

While the grape has been around for centuries, the wine-area called Chianti originated in 1716. In 1932 the Chianti area was redefined and divided up into seven sub-areas: Classico, Colli Aretini, Colli Fiorentini (later renamed Montespertoli), Colline Pisane, Colli Senesi, Montalbano and (of course) Rùfina. Good stuff...

Wine personality Gary Vaynerchuk had a good program earlier this month on Three White Wines that have been getting a lot of attention: Simone Sauvignon Blanc 2008 from Chile, Nobilio Icon Sauvignon Blanc 2008 New Zealand, and Tolosa Chardonnay Edna Valley 2006 from California.

All three wines had high marks form other reviewers. The Simone was only $6, the Icon was $14, and the Tolosa was $12 for a 375ml half bottle.

Gary's conclusions? I'll let you watch the show yourself. But I've been out looking for the Simone...

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Jaunted had a piece recently that looks like a great vacation idea - wine tasting in Switzerland, in an area where the vineyards are a UNESCO world heritage site.

It's called The Lavaux Vineyard Terraces.

Thirty kilometers of UNESCO World Heritage site stretch along the northern shore of Lake Geneva, from Montreux to Lausanne, and from the lake to the lower slopes of the mountains, comprised of snaking miles of stone walls, tightly nestled villages, and most importantly-vineyards... the neat rows of vines upon vines have been growing from grapes into wine here since the 11th century.

The wine here rarely makes it to the shelves of American stores. It's consumed locally or exported to the European market. But each village in the region has at least one wine cellar that is open to the public - and to tourists...

Dr. Vino had an informative piece recently n Australia's Rieslings. They tend to get consumed young and, in his words, can be very refreshing at that age. But Australian Rieslings are almost always bottled with a screwcap instead of a cork. And there's some healthy skepticism around about whether they mature into quality wines.

Dr. Vino visited some Australian wineries that bottle Riesling and sampled some older vintages - some bottled a decade or more ago. His conclusions? They wine can mature quite well, and in the process they go from a refreshing limey flavor to a lightly honeyed taste.

You can read the details here.


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The nice people at Vinography had an informative piece this past week on the wine industry in Washington State.

The first week of April I got the opportunity to do an "immersion" course in Washington State wine. No, this didn't involve repeatedly dunking me in a vat of wine, amusing though that would have been. Rather, it involved attending the annual Taste Washington wine festival in Seattle.

Fifty wines is not an education. But two hundred and fifty is a good start. That's about how many I managed to taste in the course of the day I spent at Taste Washington.

The post goes on to give you scores and prices on the wines - wines from vineyards all over the state. If you're at all interested in the state's wine industry, it's an useful resource.


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Entrepreneur.com had an interesting piece this month on a family winery and wine bar in Prosser, Washington. The Bunnel Family Cellar was recently opened on the Yakima River. The 3,700-square-foot winery and wine bar, called Wine O'Clock, showcases their two labels and "gives customers a unique opportunity to appreciate the relationship between food and their distinctive wines," according to Entrepreneur.

The cellar's wines are good quality micro-vintages.

While production is less than 6,000 cases between the two labels, most of the individual wines are small lots of 200 cases or less. As winemaker, Ron has developed strong long-term relationships with top local grape growers. This history ensures that he has the best fruit available for his wines. With the help of his wife, he makes the wines by hand, in one-ton lots.

If you're looking for an interesting wine experience, this is a nice vacation day trip...


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When I look for wine news I don't often think of BusinessWeek. But there was an article recently that caught my eye there that mentions the changes taking place in Argentina's wine industry.

If I'd been asked to name to top five wine producers in the the world on a game show (or something like that), I don't know that Argentina would have been on my list. France, Italy, Spain, the US... and then, I don't know who I would have put fifth. But it wouldn't have been Argentina.

I suppose I'll start paying Argentina more attention...


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Having spent a sizable chunk of time in Asia, I'm familiar with saké. It's often called rice wine, even though it isn't technically a wine in any real sense. Vinography recently took a look at a particular saké and drew the conclusion that the process of making it resembles the brewing of beer much more than the fermenting of wine. And yet, the Japanese make beer, too. And saké is usually bottle and presented in much the way the rest of the world treats wine.

The Vinography article looks at a saké by the Chikurin company. If you're interested in saké, it's an interesting piece.


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Everyone's heard of Napa and Sonoma, the two leading California wine regions. But the Golden State has a number of other vibrant, evolving wine regions. Vinography recently took a look at some of the wines produced in California's Mendocino wine region at the first annual Taste of Mendocino wine tasting that was held last week in San Francisco for members of the trade and the media.

More than 250 wines from Mendocino county and its various overlapping American Viticultural Areas were poured by scores of vintners, offering a unique opportunity to get a snapshot, of sorts, as to what is going on in the region.

I said that California's other wine regions were evolving. Vinography talks about "inconsistencies" in the quality of Mendocino wines, inconsistencies that result in some "downright awful stuff." But they pointed out that the show included some "really fantastic Pinot Noir, and, increasingly some excellent Syrah as well."

Keep an eye on Mendocino wines...


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Linda Sterling did a review recently of a nice chianti. A very nice chianti, actually. And she did it naked...

If you never seen Linda's Naked Wine Show you're missing out. On this particular episode she looks at Barone Ricasoli Brolio Chianti Classico 2006 - which, at under $25 a bottle is a more premium wine than the show normally focuses on.

The wine has a dense, rich ruby color. The aroma is spicy (hints of nutmeg, cinnamon, baked fruit, vanilla). It has a medium tannin and is full bodied. Linda suggests that the wine would go well with roasted game or robust cheeses.

Chianti Classico is a type of Italian wine produced in specified parts of Italy's provinces of Florence and Siena. You can watch the review (and see Linda naked) here


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