Since 2019, Gary and I have worked with some fantastic wineries in Napa, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, Lodi, California, and Willamette Valley in Oregon. We host tastings and do what we can to promote small direct-to-consumer wineries. This past year, we learned that two of our favorites have or are closing, and we want to say goodbye. So, we wish these two wineries a fond farewell: Methven Family Vineyards I met Laura Lee, the then-general manager of Methven Family Vineyards, in 2019 at the Gamay seminar for the Willamette Valley Wine Writer’s Education Tour. We immediately bonded over their Rosé of…
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After the year we have all had, Spring is a welcome time of year. Flowers are blooming, trees are greening, vineyards experience bud break, daylight lingers further into the evening, and it’s time for wineries to ship their Spring releases. What more can a sunshine-craving wine guy ask for?! (Other than the end of the pandemic.) So sit back. See what has arrived. And see what is keeping us busy. Wineries will release wines each year in the Spring and Fall. Spring wines are typically whites and rosés, along with previous vintages of red wines. Fall releases are usually wines…
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This post continues to list some of my most memorable wines from 2020. As I said in my first post (which you can read here), if a wine is mentioned on my blog, it is worth seeking it out. That said, some stood out more than others, and that is what my two top 2020 wine posts are all about. So let’s continue, shall we? Memorable White Rhône Wines They Led Me Out of the Darkness! If you recall my journey into white wine, you may recall the memorable exchange I had in a tasting room in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. If you…
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As I look back on 2020 and the wine we consumed, we sampled some amazing juice. To be clear, if a specific wine was featured on our blog, it is one of the best we drank as many don’t make the cut. But the wine on this list is our favorite and most memorable for 2020. These wines are ones about which I can not stop thinking. These are wines that tick every box for what I love in a wine. These are also wines that shocked me. Shocked, insofar as I am usually not a big fan of that…
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With the shutting down of tasting rooms throughout US wine regions, small family wineries are taking a hit. Yes, they have their club members and some other loyal fans, but the tasting rooms bring in new customers. So allow me to introduce you to some of my favorite family-operated wineries and the incredible boutique wine that they make. There is something for every palate in this list. Please give them a try. And tell them that Strong Coffee to Red Wine sent you. Methven Family Vineyards Does Gamay and So Much More I had the pleasure of visiting Methven Family…
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