Monthly Archives: January 2012

Champagne wisdom, Part Un

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Bill Ward

We’re approaching everybody’s favorite time for Champagne (which for me is anytime). So here are some famous folks’ thoughts on this bubbly delight: • “My only regret in life is that I did not drink more Champagne.” – John Maynard … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Words | 3 Comments

Wines of the Week: Jan. 23-29

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Bill Ward

Everyday: The conventional wisdom with gruner veltliner is that quality improves almost exponentially as you move up in price. That makes the Meinhard Forstreiter “Grooner” Gruner Veltliner 2010 a real steal at $12. It’s big and crisp, juicy and minerally — … Continue reading →

Posted in California Wines, European Wines | Leave a comment

Facts and go-figures

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Bill Ward

Ten things I learned in the first 100 pages of George M. Taber’s “A Toast to Bargain Wines”: • When bottles became the favored vessels for wine, the size of the bottle was determined by how much air the glassblower … Continue reading →

Posted in Actual News, Wine Reading and Viewing | 1 Comment

Tablas Creek’s family roots

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Bill Ward

Opening a winery is a long play. The expenditures are large, and it’s quite some time before revenues start flowing in. As the saying goes: What’s the best way to make a small fortune with a winery? Start with a … Continue reading →

Posted in California Wines, Wine People | 2 Comments

OK, but how about “viognier”?

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Bill Ward

A brief pronunciation tutorial on arguably my favorite wine region, named after the era in which pontiffs resided there.

Posted in Funny(ish) stuff | Leave a comment

Two great reads: Dornenburg and Page’s pairing books

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Bill Ward

It used to be one of those rote tropes that writers favor, the kind that start with “If you can have only one book about pairing food and beverages … ” And the rest of the story was … Andrew … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Wine Reading and Viewing | Leave a comment

Paso Robles addendum

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Bill Ward

I don’t have much to add to Reid Plumbo’s excellent roundup on Paso Robles. But since I was there recently – Reid was supposed to join us but couldn’t after switching jobs and losing vacation time – I’d like to share … Continue reading →

Posted in California Wines, Wine Country Travel | Leave a comment

Wines of the Week: Jan. 16-22

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Bill Ward

Everyday: OK, I’ll admit to having a soft spot for any West Coast efforts to make Italian varietals. But I still was delightfully surprised with the quality of the Montevina Terra d’Oro Amador County Barbera 2009 ($18). The yummy darkish fruit is … Continue reading →

Posted in California Wines, Loire | Leave a comment

Taint happening

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Bill Ward

Whew. That’s the sound of a guy who averted semi-disaster earlier this week, at least on the viniferous front. I was supplying the wines for a dinner that people had paid good money to a charity for — and realized … Continue reading →

Posted in Issues (and maybe some answers) | 1 Comment

A great read: Benjamin Wallace, ‘The Billionaire’s Vinegar’

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Bill Ward

I don’t know when I’ve had as much fun reading a book as I did with “The Billionaire’s Vinegar.” Of course, it didn’t hurt that I was paging my way through it in Paris and Burgundy, near where some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review | 1 Comment