Reading Time: What a year. 2018 marked our fourth year as location-independent entrepreneurs and our third year in the wine industry. While the first two years seemed like a constant struggle for acceptance into this new world, 2018 was dancing to a different tune---we felt welcomed and appreciated for much
Tag: pinot noir
Pinot Palooza: Pinot Noir from Australia and New Zealand
Hacaj Cuvée De Prestige Brut Nature 2014
Samsara: New Beginnings With Winemaker Matt Brady
Reading Time: Samsara Wine Co. is one of our favorite producers in Santa Barbara County. Upon first visitng the tasting room in Los Olivos, we (especially Charine) were hooked. When Charine loves a wine, she knows it after the first sip. When we wrote our book Sipping Santa Barbara: Recommended Wines
Movia Veliko Rdeće 2002 & 1998
Cracking Croatian Wine in Plešivica
Slovak Wines: The Minimal Intervention Scene
Reading Time: The minimal-intervention aka "natural" wine scene is alive and well in Slovakia. While the modern wine industry is fairly young (the late 1990's), there are several producers who have eschewed conventional production. During our time in Slovakia, we found in interesting that the minimal intervention producers referred to
Bott Frigyes Super Granum Red 2016
The Best of Villány Wine Region
Reading Time: The first time we came across wines from Villány was in Zagreb, Croatia. During the Vinart Grand Tasting, we attended a masterclass in Villány's Cabernet Franc. The wines were of outstanding quality, and they piqued our interest immediately. Six months after that tasting, we had the opportunity to
Batič: Great Slovenian Wines From Vipava
Reading Time: (Cover photo from Batič Winery's website.) We've spent significant time traveling and tasting through the Ex-Yugoslavian countries. For some reason, we had previously put little focus on Slovenia. After finishing our book Cracking Croatian Wine, we decided to make a week-long tasting trip through Goriška Brda, Kras, and Vipava