From the monthly archives:

July 2007

Flavors of Merlot …

by Marisa D'Vari30 July 2007

… of course, there are wine shops and there are wine shops. A shop I often visit lacks the upscale ambiance of many featured recently in Zagat’s new listing, yet it has these incredibly great-value wines from France. Recently I…

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Understanding the AVA system …

by Marisa D'Vari30 July 2007

One of the most challenging aspects of studying for a Master of Wine is memorizing all the AVAs in California, Washington, Oregon, and New York. Sometimes you will find a dozen or more in a single area. Yet it’s true…

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South Central Coast

by Marisa D'Vari30 July 2007

Sure, you’ve seen the film Sideways but have you been to San Ynez? I used to go all the time when I lived in L.A. Everything was quite rustic … especially compared to the sleek showrooms of Napa. In San…

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Central Coast & North Coast AVAs

by Marisa D'Vari30 July 2007

This AVA is more than 1.5 million acres and includes Monterey County (chardonnay, gewurztraminer, riesling, chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit sirah, pinot noir, zinfandel of varying quality. One major AVA is Chalone, producing terroir-driven Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc,…

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Lake County AVAs

by Marisa D'Vari30 July 2007

One AVA in this region is Clear Lake (California’s largest freshwater lake, and the home of Kendall-Jackson). You can find a few other major players, but most growers sell crops to producers who make wine with the better-known North Coast…

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Redwood Valley AVA, Mendocino Ridge AVA, Yorkville Highlands

by Marisa D'Vari30 July 2007

Redwood Valley AVA is host to many quality vineyards and wineries. It is a cool climate area where grapes mature rather late and are known for excellent balance. Many wineries here are increasingly organic. Popular grapes include Zinfandel, Petit Sirah,…

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Cole Ranch AVA & Potter Valley AVA

by Marisa D'Vari30 July 2007

Only 62 acres, Cole Ranch is a single-vineyard without a winery. Grapes (cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, riesling) are sold to Fetzer Vineyards. Potter Valley has a cool climate and is the most northerly AVA within the North Coast viticultural area. Like…

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Anderson Valley AVA

by Marisa D'Vari30 July 2007

Anderson Valley is a main growing region in the Mendocino region, which is two hours north of San Francisco. The area closes to the sea is the coolest part of Mendocino, a “Region 1″ as determined by the UC Davis…

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Sonoma Coast

by Marisa D'Vari30 July 2007

This AVA begins north of the Sonoma County Green Valley AVA (please note, the question “where is the Green Valley AVA located” came up on three exams from major wine education schools, so if you study wine best to memorize…

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Knights Valley AVA

by Marisa D'Vari30 July 2007

Isn’t it nice to have your very own AVA? This belongs to Peter Michael, famous for a Cabernet Sauvignon based Meritage style line called Les Pavots. Meritage, by the way, is the California style of the classic Bordeaux from southwestern…

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Dry Creek Valley

by Marisa D'Vari30 July 2007

Like Zinfandel? This varietal has been growing here since 1983. Two dozen small producers make wine here, where the climate has cool mornings and intense warm afternoons which allow Zinfandel to develop desired raspberry/black cherry/spicy flavors. Sauvignon Blanc also grows…

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Chalk Hill

by Marisa D'Vari30 July 2007

Have you bought a $10 plus chardonnay from a wine shop and saw the words “chalk hill” on the label, either as part of the winery name or as the American Viticultural Area (AVA) or Appellation. This region is a…

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Becoming a wine geek …

by Marisa D'Vari25 July 2007

… a lot of you have written to ask about how to learn more about wine. I found this great resource on the web which lists many programs available across the country. Wine study is fun but fairly exhausting. I…

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Opening wine without a corkscrew …

by Marisa D'Vari23 July 2007

Have you ever wondered how you can open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew? Short of smashing the bottle’s neck against a rock and filtering out the glass fragments, I didn’t think it was possible. But today, Sorin Mihailovici,…

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Do you know your vognier from your Marsanne?

by Marisa D'Vari17 July 2007

…so as I was surfing the web I came upon a great article about Australian wine written by Jennie Wills which included a very helpful chart for people who appreciate help identifying aromas in wines. This is especially helpful in…

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Can Finger Lakes ever equal Napa?

by Marisa D'Vari16 July 2007

Today in the Star-Gazette.com Jim Trezise, president of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, talked about how in the fullness of time he can see the Finger Lakes turning into an East Coast version of the Napa Valley. Here’s…

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Vento d’Estate

by Marisa D'Vari13 July 2007

Have you been impressed to see the cheese carts whiz by in five star restaurants? As a non-cheese eater for too many years, I just enjoyed the experience of guests choosing cheese and the commanding manner of the Frommagier (cheese…

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Now tasters blast winery servers …

by Marisa D'Vari10 July 2007

… so yesterday I snipped a piece from the NYT in which winery folk blasted “tasters” who came to party, dance on tables, and acted rude. Today I’m snipping a passage from The Cork Board about a person’s visit to…

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Wine Tasters … Gone Wild?

by Marisa D'Vari9 July 2007

…so in today’s NYT you will find this eye-opening article about wine tasters in the North Fork gone wild! According to the article, after a third of a century of trying to “get it right” in terms of viticulture and…

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Affordable French wine …

by Marisa D'Vari1 July 2007

…so Beau Jarvis of http://www.BasicJuice.com and I agree (at last). A few months ago, I disagreed with his opinion of Georg Breuer’s Spatburgunder (a Pinot Noir from Germany). Now I see he also tried Chateau La Croix Martell (see below)…

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