Understanding Pinot Noir Clonal Diversity Two ENTAV-INRA clones published in 2013, 1196 and 1197, are described by Krebiehl as “producing structured wines with complex and distinctive Pinot Noir aromas, olfactory intensity, and tannin suppleness.” The World of Fine Wine is a beautifully illustrated 200+ page magazine printed quarterly for wine enthusiasts and collectors and … [Read more...]

Being a prog music geek (actually, make that a music geek in general), we’ve had our fair share of literal rock star wine producer interviews here on 1WD, probably none as effortlessly entertaining as those with Primus’ Les Claypool. Since bringing on the Pinot Noir wunderkinder consulting winemaking duo of Ross Cobb and Katy Wilson, Claypool Cellars has gone from … [Read more...]

Winemakers and sommeliers for California wildfire relief Published at Thu, 19 Oct 2017 18:27:54 +0000 The wine country fires caused a great deal of damage, that we know. But since the flames come under control and some residents return to their greatly altered lives after evacuations, we’re beginning to get a handle on the magnitude of what happened. Here’s a sad list of 22 … [Read more...]

Certifiably Certifiable (Talking Wine Certifications For SevenFifty Daily) If you’re contemplating getting your feet wet in the wine certification pool, give the SevenFifity Daily overview a read. I was recently asked by my friend Lana Bortolot to get a fast interview, to help contribute to a piece she was writing about the value (or lack thereof) of certifications in the wine biz. … [Read more...]

California Wine Country Fires — How To Help Personal reports sent to me by people in the area all have something in common: that the situation is just as bad — if not worse — than portrayed in news reports.Fortunately, a good number of the people that I know in those areas have checked in as secure, but how the fires have affected harvests, aging wines in storage, stock, … [Read more...]

Fires savage Napa and Sonoma The NYT has some shocking photos from before and after. SFgate has coverage too–the video with the homes crackling as they burn really pulls on the heart strings. And this video driving down a street after the Tubbs fire is haunting. And these photos…Esther Mobley of the SF Chronicle has been tweeting tons of upgrades. Published at Tue, 10 Oct 2017 … [Read more...]

One interesting thought. Have you ever wondered where the word “flight” originated in connection with sampling several wines in a lineup is in “tasting flight?” According to The Word Detective at www.worddetective. com, “Flight” of wines wines first appeared in print in 1978 according to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). The OED defines a … [Read more...]

Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For October 9, 2017 So, like, what’s this stuff, anyway? Published at Mon, 09 Oct 2017 12:29:25 +0000 I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for over most people). So each week, I discuss some of my wine reviews (largely from samples) and tasting notes with you via twitter (limited to 140 characters). They are intended to be fun, quirky, and … [Read more...]

Cheap Tricks (Domaines Schlumberger Recent Releases) 2015 Domaines Schlumberger Gewurztraminer Les Princes Abbés (Alsace, $25) “We are very cheap for a Grand Cru!” Thomas Schlumberger What you (well, what I) typically want most from a PG is for it not to be boring. So when it’s actually sexy, that’s got to make you stop and take notice. This PG is downright spry, full … [Read more...]