Cute, no? While it’s certainly not the case in terms of global percentage metrics (especially when compared to grapes like Chardonnay), Riesling has long been the darling of wine aficionados and the sommelier set. Driven by activist importers (Rudi Wiest, Terry Theise etc…), domestic powerhouses (Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pacific Rim etc..) and a fanatical group of winemakers and fans, the folks who work with Riesling have taken a very novel and energetic approach towards spreading their gospel. Continue reading »

Having just gotten around to reading the current June 2009 issue of AAA’s Via Magazine, I was surprised to find out that something I had believed, is in fact an urban myth. Indeed, did you know that truck drivers aren’t nearly the menace on the road that many of us think that they are (cutting you off, squeezing your lane, etc.)? In actual fact about 70% of fatal collisions that occur between cars and trucks are the fault of the car’s driver and not that of the man behind the wheel of the big rig. I stand corrected.

In wine there are a number of so called myths (maybe more oenological than urban by nature) and I thought I’d throw in my own observations. Continue reading »

Hard to believe that only a matter of weeks after coming back from South Korea that I am back in Asia- this time in Hong Kong and then Singapore. No wine judging this time out, this trip is MS driven as the Court continues its courses and ‘brand building’ in Asia. Hong Kong is an amazing city with a growing interest in wine fueled by the elimination of tariff on imported wines this past year. A trip to most any premium wine store will leave you amazed at the availability here. Continue reading »

When most people are asked about Sacramento, California’s capital, they think of governing branches and quite possible our celebrated Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Many know that “theGovernator” enjoys fine things including great cigars, exceptional food and a deep love of wine. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to travel far to Napa or Sonoma to explore one of the state’s best-kept secrets: the historically significant and romantically unspoiled Amador County.

Just south and west of Sacramento, Amador County sits on the outskirts of the Gold Country and the Sierra Nevada Mountains where the well documented Gold Rush in 1849 brought great interest and wealth to northern California. Many of the fortune-seekers who flocked to the Sierra foothills in the 1850s were European immigrants who planted extensive vineyards upon their arrival. After the mines ran dry, many of these wine-loving prospectors turned their focus to the craft. By the 1890s, there were over 100 wineries in the foothill region, more than in Napa and Sonoma counties together at the time! Trouble came to the California wine industry in it’s entirety in the form of America’s Prohibition, and Amador County was hit hard. It took Amador a long time to bounce back and wasn’t until the 1970’s that wine was once again flowing from this region in any significant quantity. Continue reading »