Native to Bourgogne, the Pinot Noir grape is a mysterious and complex varietal. It is the raw material of the greatest Bourgogne red wines, and has thus played a key role in the region’s worldwide reputation. It is the quintessential interpreter of terroir, and is capable of capturing every nuance of the land on which it […]
Steve Ventrello founded Parador Cellars based on his ‘fantasy’ that three seemingly compatible grape varieties would marry and wined up creating an exceptional wine. He intuited that blending the very best of his favorite varietals – Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, along with the premier grapes of Spain and Italy, Tempranillo and Sangiovese – would yield a singular wine of […]
There’s something special about wine. Whether you’re ending the workday with a glass of Chianti while you cook or sipping crisp Chardonnay in your favorite restaurant, the mere act of opening the bottle lends a sense of celebration. To determine which types of wine are most popular by state – from Merlot to Malbec, Sauvignon […]
IF ONE WERE to fashion an All-Star Game for the Washington wine industry, it might just be the Private Barrel Auction during the annual Auction of Washington Wines happening this weekend. This trade only event reads like a who’s who of the Washington wine industry and we are lucky enough to be right in the […]
No one is completely sure who first came up with the idea for cork stoppers, though legend holds that it was the 17th-century monk Dom Pérignon. Perhaps he does deserve the credit; perhaps some other cellar master was the first to abandon convention and seal his glass wine bottles with cork stoppers over wooden plugs. […]
Peanut butter and jelly. Soup and salad. Pizza and beer. There are many great pairings in the world of food, but wine and cheese pairing might be the greatest of them all. Each is delicious on its own, but when you pair the two, magic can happen. Be it tannic, light, sweet, or dry, you can bet […]
Sometimes you can’t help but want to enjoy a glass of fine wine or bubbly with dinner in the evening, but with so many choices stocking the shelves, it can be hard to decide which one you would like the most when it comes to taste and aroma. Whether you have never had a glass […]
Many of today’s wine drinkers might not have heard the story of Joseph Swan, but you probably know of a winery named Joseph Swan Vineyards in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley. Before there was a Burt Williams and Ed Selyem making cult Pinot Noirs in the Russian River Valley, there was Joe Swan, producing elegant Pinot Noirs […]
Alsace (say it with us: ah-ZAHS) is a predominantly white wine region in the Rhine River Valley in northeastern France, with Germany and Switzerland for neighbors. Throughout this 10-mile-wide, 80-mile-long strip you’ll find aromatic whites at the ready, including the fab five: your dry Riesling, spicy Gewurztraminer, the always easy-to-drink Pinot Blanc, earthy Pinot Gris, and elegant, sparkling Crémant d’Alsace. […]