Last week, I talked about the wonderful pinot noir wines from the Willamette Valley, located just an hour’s drive southwest of Portland, Oregon. And while Oregon has certainly moved up on the proverbial inside rail of Pinot Noir production, California still holds a significant share of the domestic Pinot Noir marketplace.
Last week, I was at a friend’s house for a pinot noir tasting. He had put together an assortment of pinot noir wines from around the globe, including California, France and New Zealand. I was going through the lineup, tasting each wine and evaluating it based on place of origin, varietal characteristics and style when I got to one wine that simply stopped me in my tracks. I knew immediately what it was – like an old friend welcoming you home after a long journey, I was embraced by the familiar scents and flavors of an Oregon Pinot Noir.
With all three of our son’s attending – or on their way to – college, getting them all together for dinner during the summer takes an act of congress – and we all know how hard that can be. But one of the surefire ways we can get them to come home, sit down and spend some a little quality time with us for a rare family meal is to prepare their favorite dinner: a grilled New York strip steak, cooked over real coals, and served with fresh corn on the cob. But as picky as our children are about their choice of grilled fare, so too is our choice of wine that we want to pair with these cherished meals together. Love making grill parties, just check the best grill brush to buy in 2020.
I am excited about summer because it signals the beginning of the grilling season, and I love to grill. I also love red wine – and there is a red wine out there to pair with every grilling option and every budget. From burgers to filet mignon and everything in between, there is a red wine to suit every palate and paycheck.
When I was growing up in a “small town” in Central California, the Fourth of July meant ice cold watermelon, cookouts, a parade down Main Street, and fireworks at the community college stadium. And beer. Lots and lots of beer. I don’t really remember anyone drinking wine with their burgers and ribs, even in California. But that was then.
Celebrating the birth of our nation in our nation’s capital is about as patriotic of an experience as it gets. Between the National Symphony Orchestra playing on the lawn of the Capitol and the fireworks on the Mall, it’s enough to make one want to give the Washington Monument a big hug.
Recently, my wife was out with several of her friends for dinner and, of course, she was charged with bringing the wine. Now, when it comes to providing and paring wines with dinner, Cindy considers it her obligation to bring wines that she knows will provide a memorable experience. On this particular evening, her friends were thrilled with the result… that is until they began to ask her about where they could get some of the wines and how much they cost.
In 1972, after finishing his formal education (degree in Civil Engineering from MIT and an MBA from Northwestern), David Stare packed up his family and set sail in a westerly direction to pursue his winemaking dream. He made port in Sonoma County, California where he bought 55 acres of prune orchards in Dry Creek Valley, then enrolled in Enology and Viticulture classes at UC Davis.
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Summer has arrived in Washington, bringing with it a bounty of charity events, graduation ceremonies, and weddings. Unfortunately, these events are likely to feature standard “Reception Wine.” Ugh. Need I say more? Unless attending an official wine tasting event, the wine served at most large-scale functions (25+ people) is pedestrian at best, making most wine lovers cringe at the thought of drinking characterless juice.
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Italy has been making wine for a very, very long time. There is evidence that Etruscan and Greek explorers cultivated wine grapes as far back as the 5th century BC. But it was the Romans who, three hundred years later, developed a widespread winemaking industry and introduced advanced techniques, such as barrel fermentation and bottling.
While the June 21st solstice may mark the official start of summer, Memorial Day kicks off the psychological beginning of the season.
And while we’re no longer a slave to fashion and restricted to wearing just white shorts, white pants or white dresses after Memorial Day, neither are we forced to drink just white wines once Monday comes along.
