Wine tasting is wonderful. Sampling the widely-varied offerings from wineries is our favorite pastime But many times a critical component of the tasting experience is overlooked: the wine glass itself. So for this Toast Thursday, we say cheers to the humble wine glass. Wine glasses come in every size, shape and color under the sun. Which […]
Not that wine needs any more good press, but a recent medical study found that moderate wine drinking was associated with a far lower incidence of depression. Really, I’m not making this up. Someone got funding to study the psychological effects of wine drinking. I am definitely in the wrong line of work! Researchers at […]
Whew! We all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas and shifted immediately into after-Christmas shopping – no wait, that’s not right. We shifted into preparation for New Year’s Eve. So as we get ready for a night of revelry, it is only right that we raise our glasses to the most honored of New Year’s traditions: the […]
As a happy import from sub-arctic Ohio, it can be hard to get in the holiday spirit without the bone-chilling cold and blizzard conditions on the highways that used to herald the upcoming holidays. Thankfully, there is one thing that never fails to get me ready for Christmas, so today we raise our glasses to […]
Joining Longevity Wines and Nottingham Cellars in an unassuming strip center, the Occasio Winery tasting room is a real surprise as you cross their threshold. Light stucco and dark woods complement the assortment of library wines, creating a wonderful wine tasting experience. Occasio Winery 2245 B South Vasco Road Livermore CA 94550 (925) 371-1987 Friday-Sunday […]
We’ve already written about how much we love Eckert wines. Great, well-priced wines, made by friendly and genuine people. What’s not to like? But Mike and Vickie Eckert have figured out how to add a little more fun to the wine tasting process: Bottle Your Own! We first discovered the joys of the Eckert bottle-your-own […]
OK, this is almost too frightening to contemplate: are we on the verge of running out of <gasp> wine? Well, Bloomberg News recently ran a story about just such a harrowing situation. According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, wide-spread weather damage to grapes will cause the lowest harvest in 37 years. So […]
So let’s say you have visited a winery or two and you are tired of standing or your plantars fascitis has you hobbling or you brought your 84 year old Auntie to the vineyards as an excuse to sit down, Nottingham Cellars is your destination. Nottingham Cellars is a “stand out” (teehee) for several reasons […]
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! On this day of celebrating our blessings with friends and family, it is traditional to serve turkey. The turkey is a humble bird, probably because it was edged of the competition as our national bird. Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey for consideration as our nation’s icon, but happily for us, the bald […]
Harvest time is a busy season for winemakers. This was quite apparent during our recent visit to Longevity Wines. Owners Phil and Debra Long personally handle every step of the wine making process, from picked fruit to pouring in the tasting room. Assisted by Presston (OK, we didn’t get it at first either. “Presston = […]
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we can’t help first raising a glass to “the other white meat”. This pork chop recipe is a big hit with our family, and I’m sure that yours will agree. One question though, will you pair it with an Eckert Estates Ensemble or an Eagle Ridge Petite Sirah? Regardless of […]