Over the Winter holiday break, I managed to catch up with talented Sonoma-area winemaker and Philly-boy transplant Kieran Robinson, who will soon be opening a tasting room for his wines in the blink-and-you'll-miss-it one-block section of downtown… Downingtown, PA. Downingtown is basically my backyard, so I'm very much looking forward to the ...

2014 Domaine Seror Syrah Ramat Hagdan (Israel): Large & in charge,; burly & balanced; gamey & bringing its A-game. $NA A- 2017 Ritual Chardonnay (Casablanca Valley): A perky, lemony fresh, tropical value just waiting to be exploited. $22 B+ 2016 Vina Leyda Las Brisas Pinot Noir Single Vineyard (Leyda Valley): A study in successful contr...

January saw the advent of another version of the annual State of the Wine Industry report by Silicon Valley Bank. I've covered several years of this report here on 1WD, and usually that coverage is of a slightly (ok, full-on) negative tone, warning the US wine biz that sea changes in consumer behavior are afoot, […] Grab The 1WineDude.com Ta...

2015 Catena Zapata ‘Catena Alta' Historic Rows Malbec (Mendoza): All the haters who like to complain about Malbec being a "one note" grape can go suck it. $55 A- 2017 Pewsey Vale Dry Riesling (Eden Valley): Oh, how I have missed your electric touch! $20 B+ 2016 Yangarra Estate Roussanne (McLaren Vale): Rich and complex, […] Grab The 1W...

Despite the fact that I have content to write up that spans more than a year of travel (including my takes on the wine scene in Israel, the southern Rhone, and Romagna), the thing that's been rattling around in my brain and not letting the hell go stems from a much more recent excursion, when […] Grab The 1WineDude.com Tasting Guide and star...

2016 Berta Paolo 1842 "175 Vendemmie" (Barbera d'Asti Superiore): Classically trained, and laying down the Old School style funk, resplendent in cloves & cedar. $NA B+ 2016 Franco Roero "Sichei" (Barbera d'Asti Superiore): You'll feel the breadth, herbs, and spices, and just about every single individual percent of its powerful 16% abv. $NA B+ ...

Among Idaho's state slogans and motto (which have included Esto perpetua, "Great Potatoes," "What America Was," and "Tasty Destinations,") was the phrase "Not California." There's a slight air of desperation and defiance in defining your identity in the negative; though in the case of Idaho's budding wine production scene, it's not entirely inappro...

2010 Enrico Serafino Zero Sboccatura Tardiva Alta Langa Metodo Classico (Piedmont): Late disgorgement, and on-time for everything else, including crisp green apples, freshly-baked bread, and near-total awesomeness. $50 A- 2014 Villadoria Barolo (Piedmont): Old-school, nearly to a fault; but break out the smoked brisket, and all shall be right with ...

My friend and colleague Michael Cervin recently penned an article for IntoWine.com, titled The Angry Liver, highlighting the health hazards of my chosen second career – namely, kind of sort of drinking for a living. He asked me to share some thoughts on the matter, which you can read in the finished article. While most […] Grab The 1Wi...

During my recent travels in Piedmont, I was part of a (rather large) media group that took part in a "Barbera Revolution" masterclass, held in the small town of Nizza Monferrato, organized by the Consorzio Barbera d'Asti e vini del Monferrato. There was nothing about that tasting of 2016 vintage releases to make me personally […] Grab The 1W...

NV Taylor Fladgate 325th Anniversary Reserve Tawny Port (Portugal): Going totally, sweetly nuts for sweet caramel and nuts. $50 A- 2015 Escalada do Sil (Valdeorras): A bit like a Cru Beaujolais speaking with a heavy, sultry Spanish accent. $40 A- 2016 Weingut Dr. Nagler Rudesheimer Bischofsberg Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (Rheingau): Quince missile ...

Speaking of Moscato d'Asti (see last week's article for a deep dive into that topic, including a look at how stupid I can be), I thought it worth mentioning a topic that came up during that same media trip to the rolling hills of Piedmonte's Moscato bianco growing region: Asti is unleashing two brand new […] Grab The 1WineDude.com Tasting Gu...

2015 Ferraton Pere & Fils Saint-Joseph La Source (Rhone): Bacon, raspberries, pepper, and silk. And yeah, those work out just fine together. $32 B+ NV Besserat de Bellefon Cuvee des Moines Brut Rose (Champagne): Carrying a rather serious demeanor, considering how downright adorable those cherries and roses are. $50 A- 2017 Tasca d'Almerita Tenu...

About ten minutes or so into Walter Speller‘s presentation on Moscato d'Asti, I realized that I was some kind of idiot. Speller's masterclass was part of a presentation given to media guests gathered at the bucolic Castello Gancia, smack dab in the heart of Asti and a focal point of the area's recent UNESCO designation. […] Grab The 1W...

Late last year, I had the pleasure (once again) of pretending to be an all-growed-up wine pro judging alongside some very notable palates at the 38th annual San Francisco International Wine Competition. Judging the SFIWC almost always ends up being one of my favorite events of the entire year, and despite quite a bit of […] Grab The 1WineDud...

2016 Dutton Goldfield Docker Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir (Mendocino County): Like anthropomorphic blueberries, wearing silk capes. $68 A- 2016 Dutton-Goldfield ‘Deviate' Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast): A bold, beautiful affair, with more baking spices than a tin full of Xmas cookies. $72 A 2016 Presqu'ile Chardonnay (Santa Maria Valley): California s...

Welcome to 2019, folks; it used to be that I would insert a joke at this point about the dates on all of your checks being incorrect for the next week or so, but if you are still handwriting checks in 2019, then I have a cordless phone set to sell to you. To help […] Grab The 1WineDude.com Tasting Guide and start getting more out of every gl...

2016 Larry Hyde Hyde Vineyard Estate Syrah (Carneros): A smooth – and fruity – character, who's surprising in ways that are pretty much entirely good. $60 A- 2015 Clos du Val Hirondelle Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Stags Leap District): Basically, this is Cab that's as big as life ina ll of the ways that you […] Grab The 1...

So… several days ago, I published a minor screed on what I perceived as the grim future of wine writing, which ended up generating a good deal of discussion and more traffic than most people send here to actually read about wine itself… but anyway… One of the best responses to my rant came via […] Grab The 1WineDude.com Tas...

2017 Susana Balbo Brioso White Blend (Valle de Uco):There's pretty much nothing about this floral little number that isn't tasty, or expressive. $24 B+ 2016 Dominio del Plata BenMarco Expresivo (Mendoza): Herbs, violets, and more sexiness thanRight Said Fred could have handled. $34 B+ 2016 Bodegas Forjas del Salnes Leirana Finca Genoveva Albarino (...

We've finally (!) come to the end of my first go-round with the Monferrato Barbera folks over at MyNameIsBarbera.com. Hard to believe that initial Barbera gig has finished (though I may be working with the Piedmontese in other capacities in the new year – stay tuned). In my final piece in the Barbera Moves series, […] Grab The 1WineDud...

2016 Dominio del Plata Susana Balbo Brioso (Agrelo): it must be in the Xmas spirit, because this fine red is feeling downright generous in just about every aspect. $45 A- 2018 Dominio del Plata Susana Balbo Signature Rose (Uco Valley): Strawberries for daaaayyyyyysssssss, y'all! $20 B 2010 Gat SHamron Winery Merlot (Shamron): Far from tired; [̷...

The future of wine writing is kind of like… GrimDark. No, I don't mean that wine writing is headed for GrimDark as a cultural style of expression. Though that conceivably could happen as a symptom of where things are headed. What I mean is that the future of the wine writing profession is f*cking bleak. […] Grab The 1WineDude.com Tasti...

We're going to end the year with a bang on the Wine Product Review Roundup front, given that my travels in November necessitated that I miss that incarnation of this monthly post, and double-up on the number of products put under the review microscope. Hopefully this "holiday edition" (in terms of timing and volume, at […] Grab The 1WineDude...

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a mini-review format. They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to […] Grab The 1Win...

Sometimes, the wine business is a very, very small place. Also, I am about to talk about jellyfish. You've been warned… While in San Francisco recently for the SF International Wine Competition (more on the results of that in a couple of weeks), I caught up with wine marketing maven Tim Martin. Longtime 1WD readers […] Grab The 1WineDu...

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a mini-review format. They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to […] Grab The 1Win...

Does wine still excite you? I mean, does it really matter to you these days? I don't mean matter in that classy way to get trashed way, though given the state of world affairs and divisive US politics these days, I'd be one of the last people to begrudge you that kind of temporary salve. […] Grab The 1WineDude.com Tasting Guide and start get...

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a mini-review format. They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to […] Grab The 1Win...

The third Joe Ginet is a bit of a torch-bearer. He and wife Suzi preside over Plaisance Ranch, a former dairy farm, now turned organic beef cattle ranch, which also happens to be a twenty-acre vine nursery (now with over twenty varieties), and (since 1999) a vineyard as well, in keeping with the tradition of […] Grab The 1WineDude.com Tastin...

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a mini-review format. They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to […] Grab The 1Win...

[ Editor's note: here's one more from the vault of pieces sent to a magazine that didbn't publish it or pay me; I'm running it here so that it's not lost to posterity. Enjoy! ] Not-So-Hidden Tuscany One of Tuscanys most dynamic – and endangered – wine regions is hiding in plain sight Donatella Cinelli […] Grab The 1WineDude.com T...

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a mini-review format. They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to […] Grab The 1Win...

[ Editor's note: Following is a piece that a wrote for a magazine, but after waiting over a year for them to publish it and pay me, I'm giving up and putting it here so that it can see the light of day and you can get some insight into a region that doesn't see […] Grab The 1WineDude.com Tasting Guide and start getting more out of every glas...

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a mini-review format. They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to […] Grab The 1Win...

One could be forgiven for expecting an overdose of "yes, I did in fact write those checks" bullsh*t when visiting Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden in Oregon's Applegate Valley, based solely on the facts that a) it takes its name from the most infamous preparation (#500, which involves burying a cow's horn full of manure) in […] Grab The 1WineDu...

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a mini-review format. They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to […] Grab The 1Win...

It's time once again for Ye Olde Wine Product Review Roundup, in which I turn my critical Sauron-like eye towards wine-related samples that are (usually) inedible. We're back to hitting the books this month, because, well, I have a sh*t ton of wine book samples piling up at 1WD HQ. Like, seriously, I am tripping […] Grab The 1WineDude.com Ta...

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a mini-review format. They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to […] Grab The 1Win...

It's been nearly fifteen years since a flippant diatribe that disparagingly mentions Merlot came from the mouth of Miles, the main protagonist in the film Sideways (based on the book of the same title by Rex Pickett). That off-hand and NSFW comment had the unfortunate – and lasting – side-effect of sending U.S. Merlot sales […] G...

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a mini-review format. They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to […] Grab The 1Win...

You know that your brand is in trouble when, instead of talking about your forty-plus-year history in a nascent wine region, or your long hours of sun, 1300-foot vineyard elevation, diurnal temperature shifts of over fifty degrees Fahrenheit, or any of the other factors that make your terroir an ideal place for ripening interesting grape […] ...

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a mini-review format. They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to […] Grab The 1Win...

My friend, fellow wine competition judge, and colleague (sorry, bro!) Michael Cervin recently asked me to offer up a comment or two (I agreed to do so on the record) for a piece he was writing for The Tasting Panel magazine, focusing on how (or if) political leanings impacted the wine business. Michael published a […] Grab The 1WineDude.com ...

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a mini-review format. They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to […] Grab The 1Win...

My latest article looking back on my Monferrato gig is now live over at MyNameIsBarbera.com, and it's my next-to-last for that gig. The fact that the phrase "Home, Sweet Home" appears in the post, and yet the article entirely lacks and references to Mtley Cre is, admittedly, a severe and egregious oversight, but otherwise I […] Grab The 1Win...

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a mini-review format. They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to […] Grab The 1Win...

For this month's edition of the Wine Product Review Roundup, I'm taking a break from the not-really-getting-any-smaller pile of yet-to-be-reviewed wine books, and instead tackling the wears of wine products that don't come with bindings and covers. First up is a customized, 1WD-themed package of goodies sent to me by Personal Wine, longtime purveyo...

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a mini-review format. They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to […] Grab The 1Win...

Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), who founded the farming practices now known under the certification of Biodynamics, was largely full of sh*t. For example, Steiner was all about making wild claims based on anonymous sources long before it became the new standard of presidential tweeting in the U.S.; just check out a handful of the claims he […] G...