Sommelier John Lancaster: Peay Vineyards “La Bruma” Syrah

This week’s pick comes from John Lancaster of Boulevard Restaurant in San Francisco.  I was interested in  John’s pairing recommendation for the California squab & quail combination on Boulevard’s menu.  Here’s a description of what the pan roasted birds are served with:  Wild Rice & Farro with Seared Foie Gras & Caramelized Shallots, Knoll Farm [...]

Bianchi Winery Zinfandel and Petite Sirah

If you are looking for bold flavors and character in your wine without breaking the bank, the wines of Bianchi Winery are worth trying.  I recently sampled their Zinfandel and a Petite Sirah sent by the winery’s PR rep, and thought both offered a high quality-price ratio.  The 2007 Heritage Series “Zen Ranch” Zinfandel is ripe [...]

Pinot Grigio and the End of Summer

The end of summer is such a sad time. Okay, there’s football and cooler weather (break out the red wine!) and sundry other pleasures. But the waning daylight and loss of warm sunny days means that light, refreshing, brisk white wines will lose some of their appeal. So, quick, let’s drink them up while the [...]

Sommelier Gino Campbell: Fiddlehead Cellars “Fiddlestix Vineyard 728″ Pinot Noir

This week’s pick comes from Gino Campbell, the veteran sommelier behind numerous first-class wine programs across the country.  Gino currently offers his services at Delicias in Rancho Santa Fe, where he manages a dynamic and thoughtful combination of wine offerings.   Delicias offers an entrée called Earth and Ocean, which consists of charred short rib, port [...]

Laurenz V Gruner Veltliner – Charming and Singing

Summer vacation come and gone.  With the heat wave that embraced us for the past month, I felt confident our readers would find something cool and refreshing during our writing hiatus.  I had the opportunity to share two white wines received as samples from Folio Wine Partners.  The wines were Austrian Gruner Veltliners made by [...]

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