The Vine Guy

Several years ago, in an article in Food and Wine magazine, wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. stated, “Look for wines from California’s Central Coast… to take their place alongside the hallowed bottlings of Napa and Sonoma valleys. No viticultural region in America has demonstrated as much progress in quality and potential for greatness as the Central Coast…”

The Central Coast AVA is huge – stretching roughly 250 miles along the coastline of California, from San Francisco County in the north down to Santa Barbara County in the south, averaging about 25 miles in width. There are three distinct sub-regions within the Central Coast AVA. San Francisco Bay in the north, the central region includes Monterey and San Benito, and the southern most region encompasses San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. I will focus on wines from the southern region this week and tackle the former two sub-regions next week.

Click here to read about some delicious picks in from California’s Central Coast in this week’s Vine Guy column in the Washington, DC Examiner newspaper.

Click here to listen to my recommendations on WTOP radio’s Wine of the Week.

Easter Sunday is a significant celebration that traditionally includes family, friends and, of course, food. And regardless if your Easter involves hunting for eggs, gathering for a big brunch, preparing a festive meal, or all three, chances are wine will play an important role, providing a grace note to both the meal and the festive nature of the holiday.

Click here to review a few suggestions that will pair well with an assortment of Easter dishes in this week’s Vine Guy column in the Washington, DC Examiner Newspaper.

Click here to listen to my Easter wine recommendations on WTOP Radio’s Wine of the Week

Local wine distributor Constantine “Gus” Kalaris could very well be one of the nicest people in the wine business. He routinely prefers a bear hug to a handshake and his broad smile and deep laugh are genuinely infectious. We met about a decade ago at the release party of his first vintage of his flagship wine, Axios. I had a hunch back then that Gus would one day be a big deal in the wine world. I was right.

Click here to read about the remarkable wines of Gus Kalaris in this week’s Vine Guy Column in the Washington, DC Examiner Newspaper

Click here to listen to my recommendations on this week’s WTOP Radio’s Wine of the Week segment

Wines from Georgia – the country, not the state – are gainging popularity in the United States. Georgia is blessed with rich alluvial soil laden valleys, and a temperate climate that provides warm sunny days and cool nights. Many of the wines display excellent structure, with firm tannins and crisp acidity.

Click here to check out some delicious wines from the country of Georgia in this week’s Vine Guy column in the Washington, DC Examiner Newspaper

Click here to listen to wine recommendations on WTOP Radio’s Wine of the Week segment

This is my second installment in an ongoing column featuring the “Best Wine Values From…” country series which will tackle one of the most challenging wine producing countries of all; Chile. What makes Chile such an interesting country to cover is the fact that there are a plethora of many delicious choices of wines offered at reasonable prices. Here are some remarkable wines that offer a very high Quality-to-Price (QPR) ratio that are readily available in our marketplace.

The focus of Chilean winemakers has shifted from making mass produced wines for domestic consumption to crafting high quality wines for export. Many of these artesian wines offer a substantially better value than some of their European counterparts.

Click here to read about my favorite values from Chile in this week’s Vine Guy column in the Washington, DC Examiner Newspaper

Click here to listen to my recommendations on WTOP Radio’s Wine of the Week

When Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol Blosser planted their first vines in 1971 in the Dundee Hills, there was virtually no wine industry in Oregon. With a lot of hard work and determination, the young couple turned an abandoned prune orchard into a thriving vineyard. Their first vintage of Pinot Noir, produced in 1977, was a success.

If you subscribe to the theory that it is always good to know what, exactly, is in your wine, you will be happy to know that in 2002 Sokol Blosser became the first winery in the United States to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification. Last year, the winery became certified by OCSW (Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine). Many of their wines are made with organically grown grapes.

NOTE: According to the Organic Consumers Association, a wine can be labeled “Organic” and bear the USDA organic seal when it is made from organically grown grapes and provides information about who the certifying agency is. In addition to using only organic fruit, wine in this category cannot have any added sulfites. They may contain only naturally occurring sulfites. Even though some of the Sokol Blosser wines are made with organic fruit, additional sulfites may be added which prevents the wines from being labeled “Organic.”

Click here to read about some of the delicious wines from Sokol Blosser in this week’s Vine Guy column in the Washington, DC Examiner newspaper.

Click here to listen to the wine recommendations on WTOP Radio’s Wine of the Week

Wine collectors tend to gauge each other’s “commitment” to wine by asking two essential questions. First, “what type of wine do you collect?” And second, we always want to know, “how many bottles are in your cellar?”

 But lately, given the rapidly increasing prices of collectable wines from around the globe, much of our attention has turned to a different concern; What wines will the next generation of oenophiles find affordable in order to inoculate their collection?

Click here to listen to this week’s WTOP Radio’s Wine of the Week to see what wines you can collect for $50 or less

Click here to check out a few wines worth hunting down now for delayed gratification in this week’s Vine Guy column in the Washington, DC Examiner Newspaper

What’s a modern day, stressed-out couple to do in order to grab that loving feeling this Valentine’s day?

For the answer, I decided to solicit advice from some of the busiest people I know and find out what wine they plan to employ to tip the scales of love in their favor and ensure a successful love connection. Of course, individual results may vary.

Check out my recommendations for wines that will enhance  your chance for romance in this week’s Vine Guy column in the Washington, DC Examiner Newspaper

Listen in to WTOP Radio’s Wine of the Week for the latest wines to enjoy on Valentine’s Day

The upcoming football finale is finally here, and this year I actually have a proverbial dog in the fight. I grew up in a household that revered the San Francisco 49ers. But alas, the 49ers are definitely not the local favorite, so it appears that my only ticket to overcoming the social stigma of rooting for the other team is to offer up winning wines that will, at the very least, get my foot in the door and hopefully a seat on the couch.

The obvious choice was easy. I am rooting with – and for – Ravenswood Wines.

Click here to read about my favorite Ravenswood Wines in this week’s Vine Guy Column in the Washington, DC Examiner Newspaper

Click here to listen to this week’s Wine of the Week on WTOP Radio

Go 49ners!

My friend David’s tastes in wine tend to run more toward the mysterious and arcane end of the spectrum. But here’s the thing… David really does know “his” wines. And by “his” wines, I mean interesting, delicious, value-oriented wines that I would not normally include in my routine wine compendium. But, that notwithstanding, I always look forward to being exposed to David’s Wines…

Click here to check out David’s Wines in this week’s Vine Guy column in the Washington, DC Examiner Newspaper

Click here to listen to David’s recommendations on this week’s Wine of the Week on WTOP Radio