Did you know that there are wineries in Berkeley? There used to be vineyards in Berkeley until the late 1970’s. The wineries in Berkeley are part of the growing urban winery movement. Wine makers in urban areas have access to top quality grapes grown throughout Northern California. They choose to make their wines in urban […]
I’ll come right out and say it: this is a perty darn good wine. The Skinner family has deep roots in the Sierra Foothills. The winery hit the ground running when they opened a couple years ago with some nice reds. They continue to improve with every new release. Sharing it’s name with the original […]
I am pleased to announce the publication of the Opinionated Wine Guide’s Wine Journal. The journal features blank tasting notes forms which I developed over the past few years for my own use. I am a proponent of keeping tasting notes. Over the years I have used blank books, and various wine journals. But nothing […]
There are general rules of thumb about wine grape varietals and where they thrive best: Gold Country is great for Zinfandels and Barberas. Napa is the home of the oaky and buttery Chardonnay and the sumptuous Cabernet Sauvignon. The best Pinot Noirs come from Oregon or the Santa Cruz Mountains. But now and again you […]
The tick of the calendar from one year into the next is always a time for looking back and looking forward with a bit more self awareness and anticipation than we usually experience. I’ve already looked back. Now is the time to look forward. You can expect posts: related to my book relaying my tasting […]
Let me start off the New Year with a “Drink Now Alert!” Last night our neighbors served us a 2007 Zinfandel from Mount Aukum in El Dorado County. It was terrific: the kind of wine that makes you say “wow” as your eyes roll back in your head. If you love lush, silky, full bodied […]
On my recent Gold Country wine tasting trip, I travelled with a group of friends. Some of them were using my book, Pour Me Another, to keep track of their tasting and to get an overview of each of the wineries that we visited. I encourage wine drinkers to keep track of the wines they […]
