George M. Taber is author of the ?Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the historic 1976 Paris Tasting,? a book chronicling the famous tasting where American wines bested the French in a blind competition. George has also authored ?To Cork or Not to Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine [...]

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In part 2, we talk more with George about his newest book ?In Search of Bacchus: Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism,? which cover his visits to such wine regions as: Margaret River, Australia; Central Otago, New Zealand; Rioja, Spain; Douro Valley, Portugal; Tuscany, Italy; Bordeaux, France; Rhine/Mosel, Germany; and Kakheti, Georgia. [...]

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It?s always a pleasure to visit Northern California?s Wine Country. There?s so much to see and do – as well as taste and smell. With this in mind, we were quite pleased to accompany a small group recently, and head up to Napa and Sonoma to visit to with some familiar wineries; plus, [...]

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In part 2, we sit down with Randy Lynch and Rob Hunter to hear more about Bennett lane Winery in the Calistoga area of Napa Valley. Then, we?ll head west up over the Mayacamas Mountains to Sonoma County and visit with winemaker George Bursick at J Vineyards and Winery. And finally, we talk with [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast: 2009 World of Pinot Noir – Video Show #77. Right Click Here to Download File and iPhone users – Click here to View Video The World of Pinot event, held annually in Shell Beach, California, celebrates all the best things about the ?heartbreak grape.? From France?s Burgundy region [...]

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Henri Gouges is an important figure in the history of Burgundy. Along with Marquis D?Angerville, he waged war against fraud in Burgundy in the 1920s, in the 1930s he helped delineate the crus in Burgundy for the Institut National d?Appellation d?Origine, and in 1933 challenged the negociants by bottling his wine at the Domaine [...]

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What distinguishes a fine restaurant? Most certainly, it takes an equal amount of desire and talent. But, it also takes an enormous passion for both food and wine – one that translates to the creation of inspired dishes as well as food and wine pairings that marvel the senses and keep customers returning for [...]

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More and more frequently, consumers are seeking out natural food products. The reasons are numerous – these products may be healthier, or safer, or more nutritious, or a combination thereof. This in turn has spawned a movement in the grocery industry to focus on carrying such items. With retail stores in the [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast: Norton Grape – (Chrysalis Vineyards) – Video Show #76. Right Click Here to Download File and iPhone users – Click here to View Video Many people think of Zinfandel as ?America?s Grape?, largely due to the venerable age of its many vineyards. However, it is the Norton grape [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast: In the Lab -Chrysalis Vineyards – Video Show #75. Right Click Here to Download File and iPhone users – Click here to View Video Winemaking ? is it art or science? Well, winemakers themselves will be the first to tell you it?s a bit of both. Obviously, [...]

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Jason Lett took over the winemaking reigns at The Eyrie Vineyards beginning with the 2005 vintage. His father, David Lett, founded The Eyrie Vineyards in the Dundee Hills of the Willamette Valley in 1966 becoming the first to successfully plant and vinify Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris in the Willamette Valley. The Eyrie [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast: Jerez – Part 2 – Video Show #74. Right Click Here to Download File and iPhone users – Click here to View Video Located in the Andalusia region in southwestern Spain, the city of Jerez has become synonymous with the production of Sherry. Dating back to Moorish times [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast: Jerez – Part 1 – Video Show #73. Right Click Here to Download File and iPhone users – Click here to View Video Many of us are familiar with the name Sherry, but admittedly know little about the wine ? or for that matter, the area that is famous [...]

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As the saying goes, all Cognac is brandy – but not all brandy is Cognac. Cognac is distilled wine, or brandy, and often referred to as eau de vie. Of course, in order to be called Cognac, the brandy must be made according to strictly-defined regulations, and it must also come from the Cognac [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast: Château Pichon-Longueville – Video Show #72. Right Click Here to Download File and iPhone users – Click here to View Video It was during the 17th Century that Jacques de Pichon, Baron de Longueville, and his father-in-law, Pierre de Rauzan, first established the vineyard of Pichon-Longueville. This estate, in [...]

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In 1985, Michael Broadbent found himself conducting a wine auction for what seemed to be the rarest of wines – a bottle of Château Lafite apparently once owned by Thomas Jefferson. It was a standing-room only crowd, as the bidding for Lot 337 began. Among the bidders was Kip Forbes, son of publisher Malcolm Forbes [...]

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Thomas Rivers Brown (or TRB to the Internet denizens) is one of the most well-know young winemakers today in the Napa Valley. Originally from Sumter, South Carolina, Thomas developed his first interest in wine ? a Burgundy, of course – while studying at the University of Virginia. Expanding his new found attraction, Thomas traveled [...]

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When people think of BBQ, or smoked meats, or even backyard grilling, the thought of pairing the food with wine is understandably not the first thing to cross their minds. Given the various kinds of wood available to cook or smoke the food, as well as many types of sauces and rubs used to [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast: Esser Vineyards – Video Show #71. Right Click Here to Download File iPhone users – Click here to View Video German-born Manfred Esser began his wine career as a salesman for a large European winery. In 1974, he came to the United States to build a wine import and marketing [...]

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What impact has the worst economic recession since the 1930?s had on the world wine trade and on US wine consumption? Have US consumers changed their wine drinking habits because of the current recession? Or is wine truly recession-proof? Join us, as Ted Burns and Brian Clark discuss wine and the economy with two leading [...]

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Have the alcohol levels in wine gotten too high? And, just what is too high? It’s a controversial subject, and one with many opinions about its relevance in today’s wines. Some say it doesn’t matter at all – “it’s just a number.” Others counter that it takes away from the wine [...]

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Possibly no other grape variety is as subject to the differences of terroir, as is Pinot Noir. And, no discussion or tasting of Pinot Noir would be complete without including Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Located West and South of Portland, the Willamette Valley is 150 miles long and nearly 60 miles wide, with 200 [...]

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Virginians have grown grapes for wine for four centuries, beginning first with the Jamestown settlers. Unfortunately, early efforts to grow vinifera in Virginia were unsuccessful. In the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, Thomas Jefferson cultivated European grapes but his Monticello vineyards never produced wine. George Washington, at Mount Vernon, was also unable to make wine [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast: Château Suduiraut – Part II – Video Show #70. Right Click Here to Download File iPhone users – Click here to View Video The idea that wine was meant to pair harmoniously with food can sometimes create obvious misconceptions. For instance, in the case of Sauternes, one might automatically [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast: Château Suduiraut – Part I – Video Show #69. Right Click Here to Download File iPhone users – Click here to View Video If you?re a fan of Bordeaux ? especially the sweet wines of Sauternes – the name Château Suduiraut will be no stranger to you. This Sauternes [...]

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After years of making wine out of their family home, Kent and Kathy Rosenblum took their love of winemaking to the next level and founded Rosenblum Cellars in 1978. In partnership with several close friends, and with Kathy acting as his assistant winemaker and helping with the crush, Kent made Rosenblum Cellars? first vineyard [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast: L’Ecole Nº 41 – Part II – Video Show #68. Right Click Here to Download File iPhone users – Click here to View Video One of the more fascinating processes to watch in a winery is the act of bottling the wine, arguably the last step before the vintner bids [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast: L’Ecole Nº 41 – Part I – Video Show #67. Right Click Here to Download File iPhone users – Click here to View Video Founded in 1983 by Jean and Baker Ferguson in Walla Wall, Washington, the L’Ecole Nº 41 winery is now owned and operated by their daughter and [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast: Santa Margarita Ranch: A New AVA? – Video Show #66. Right Click Here to Download File iPhone users – Click here to View Video On California’s Central Coast, half-way between the mision sites of San Luis Obispo and San Miguel, the Margarita Vineyard stands alone as the only vineyard in [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast: Mussels & Muscadet – Video Show #65. Right Click Here to Download File iPhone users – Click here to View Video We are always looking for wine and food pairing opportunities. So, while in Naples, Florida, last year we just had to pay a visit to Jacques and Lysielle [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast 2008 Auction Napa Valley – Part 2 – Video Show #64. Right Click Here to Download File iPhone users – Click here to View Video Arguably the benchmark in charitable wine auctions, the Auction Napa Valley is held annually in (where else?) Napa Valley. Established by a group of Napa [...]

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As our listeners are undoubtedly aware, our friend and colleague Brian Clark was injured in a terrible car accident in Paso Robles in early March. Well, we are now very pleased to report that Brian is doing much better, and has since been admitted to a fabulous rehabilitation facility near his Southern California home. [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast 2008 Auction Napa Valley – Part 1 – Video Show #63. Right Click Here to Download File iPhone users – Click here to View Video Arguably the benchmark in charitable wine auctions, the Auction Napa Valley is held annually in (where else?) Napa Valley. Established by a group of Napa [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast Adams French Vineyards – Video Show #62. Right Click Here to Download File iPhone users – Click here to View Video In 1993, billionaire Stephen Adams and his wife Denise were married at a country chapel in St.-Emilion, Bordeaux?s historic Right Bank city. This was the beginning of Adams’ fascination [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast Black Ankle Vineyards- Video Show #61. Right Click Here to Download File One of the promising discoveries during our 2007 trip to visit some Mid-Atlantic wineries was Black Ankle Vineyards. Founders Ed Boyce and Sarah O’Herron decided to look for an alternative careers to Management Consulting, and their [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast Fiddlestix Vineyard – Video Show #60. Right Click Here to Download File Located in the heart of the Sta. Rita Hills, Fiddlestix Vineyard is the brainchild of Kathy Joseph, proprietor of Fiddlehead Cellars. A UC Davis alumni, Kathy worked under Zelma Long at Simi Winery before branching out [...]

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Welcome to our video podcast Château Petit-Village – Video Show #59. Right Click Here to Download File As with many of the Pomerol properties in Bordeaux, Château Petit-Village is actually devoid of a grand Château. Laid out in a triangular shape, the estate consists of 11 hectares of vineyards, with a nucleus of [...]

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