Tag Archives: California Wine

Food & Wine Thursdays: The New Face of Natural Cali Wine

Posted on May 2, 2013 by David D.

For far too long “natural,” in the context of wine, has been nearly synonymous with funky, earthy, so-called “terroir”-driven wines. The implication being that the presence of fruit flavor and aroma  is ancillary to these other flavors and aromas; by … Continue reading →

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Food & Wine Thursdays: In Pursuit of Balance 2011

Posted on February 7, 2013 by David D.

I spent a couple hours yesterday at the “In Pursuit of Balance” tasting in West Hollywood. The tasting, organized by sommelier and author Rajat Parr and Jasmine Hirsch, sales and marketing director of her family’s eponymous winery, “seeks to promote … Continue reading →

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Food & Wine Thursdays: Local Food, Global Wine

Posted on November 29, 2012 by David D.

San Francisco Chronicle Food Editor Michael Bauer has an interesting post on his blog today about the trend in new restaurants toward offering small, compact food menus and small, compact closely-curated wine lists that change frequently. But, Bauer notices, while … Continue reading →

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Food & Wine Thursdays: What Happened to California Cabernet?

Posted on November 1, 2012 by David D.

My parents have long been wine enthusiasts. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of being dragged to tasting rooms on family camping trips in Napa or the Sierra Foothills. They have an extensive collection of small production California wines … Continue reading →

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Food & Wine Thursdays: A Brief Word About Our Infatuation With French Grape Varietals

Posted on August 2, 2012 by David D.

The current wine world is one in which all of those grape varietals deemed “normal” by not just the wine-drinking public but also many (alleged) wine journalists and sommeliers are those grapes bearing French names: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon … Continue reading →

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Food & Wine Thursdays: It’s Not Us Vs. Them

Posted on April 5, 2012 by David D.

There was a very odd article a couple weeks ago on the venerable looks-like-it’s-from-a-geocities-cache website Connoisseurs Guide to California Wine. Now, I know that naturally, with a name like that, you’re no doubt expecting cutting-edge forward thinking wine writing, So … Continue reading →

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Food & Wine Thursdays: The Life, Death and Rebirth of California Pinot Noir

Posted on February 16, 2012 by David D.

First, let’s leave Sideways out of this discussion entirely. I often find myself on the opposite side of arguments with many of my wine geek friends because of my firm belief that California does, in fact, produce great Pinot Noir. … Continue reading →

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