When you see or hear the word Mondavi, most wine consumers think of Robert Mondavi, the legendary wine visionary whose death at the age of 94 heralded the end of a remarkable era in the California wine industry. But the Mondavi name reached far deeper into the fabric of Napa Valley than the aforementioned luminary, thanks to his brother Peter Mondavi, Sr. who passed away last Saturday at his home in St. Helena, on the property of his Charles Krug Winery. He was 101.
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Looking for a wine with a storied history, delicious to drink and inexpensive to try? Well, consider trying something from the east… as in Eastern Europe.
Valentine’s Day is looming large on the love horizon and by now, many of you have either made reservations at a favorite restaurant, bought chocolate or ordered flowers. Maybe you even did all three. After all, romance is what the day is all about and you can never do too much wooing.
The game of champions is upon us this weekend, and since I do not have a proverbial dog (or Colt or Panther) in the upcoming football fight, I have been trying to find a theme to rally around. And then I heard a story on CBS news.
Jay Turnipseed is a man with two mistresses. Fortunately, they both seem to get along! Even more fortunately, they are two of the most popular wineries in Napa Valley; Franciscan Estate and Mount Veeder Winery, and luckily for Jay, their winemaker, the two properties have a lot in common.
Where did 2015 year go? Somehow, in the last twelve months, I have managed to gain weight, lose hair, pay tuition (times three), win dares, lose bets, find peace and lose my mind. All of this while tasting over a thousand samples of wine. Some good. Some not so good. But every wine that I tasted provided a frame of reference for other wines and expanded my proverbial thirst for knowledge.
Americans just don’t drink enough Champagne, which is why I love this time of year. It gives me an excuse to shout (or write) all about the wonderful versatility that Champagne has to offer. And as Mark Twain was fond of saying, “Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right.”
I will never understand why so many wine lovers resist popping the corks on bottles of sparkling wines or Champagne just for the heck of it. After all, most bubblies are incredibly versatile and pair well with a variety of foods, not to mention that they’re just swell on their own.
