What is terroir? A new view
Craig Lee / The Chronicle Young vines at Tablas Creek Vineyard. Not mine, though. Robert Haas, the respected wine importer who went on to co-found Tablas Creek Vineyards in Paso Robles, recently...
View ArticleA wine competition takes a broader view
The Chronicle Think wine judging is all fun? Try starting your day in front of 90 wineglasses. I spent the past couple weeks thinking about sherry, but part of my time was devoted to judging the...
View ArticleWines for Inauguration Day
Alex Brandon/AP Cocoa and mulled wine for one million? The past eight years have not been a wine-friendly time in the White House. Official dinners have been relatively few and mostly low-key (browse...
View ArticlePoking a hole in wine judging
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle, 2001 If you sub in three identical wines, will any judge notice? The latest study to cause a fluster among winemakers has nothing to do with price points, labels or...
View ArticleWhat does cool climate mean?
Flickr.com Bien Nacido: cool climate? Next week I’ll be moderating a panel at Rhone Rangers here in S.F. on cool-climate Syrah. (Also one on nontraditional blends, but I’ll save that for another time.)...
View Article10 top tastes from Rhone Rangers
Eric Luse/The Chronicle Syrah enjoys a moment in the sun. This past weekend was the annual Rhone Rangers tasting in San Francisco, a gathering of many of the top American producers of Rhone-style...
View ArticleCelebrating natural wine — and writing
saignee.wordpress.com <!– saignee.wordpress.com saignee.wordpress.com –> As with the rest of journalism, there is endless teeth-gnashing about the future of wine writing. That is, if it has a...
View ArticleMr. Wizard steps behind the bar
Jon Bonne/The Chronicle Once you’ve got shaker technique down, it’s on to liquid nitrogen. It’s helpful that I have categories on this blog for both “cocktails” and “science,” because last night’s...
View ArticleReady for Beer Week?
Flickr/sfbeerweek.org This year’s SF Beer Week starts Friday (full schedule here) — and “SF” barely seems to cover it; events are happening from Santa Cruz to Calistoga. You pretty well can’t trip over...
View ArticleA wine tasting for San Franciscans
Flickr.com This year’s tasting will be at Fort Mason. <!– The Chronicle A scene from last year’s tasting. –> One of my favorite wine-tasting events is coming up again this weekend. No, not the...
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