Zinfandel is know as the All American grape and has been grown in California since the 1800’s. Yet the grapes true roots are in Croatia where it’s known as Tribidrag. In Italy Zinfandel is called Primitivo. Although the majority of California producers label their wine as Zinfandel, you may see a few Tribidrag’s and Primitiov’s […]

After years of being maligned due to the preferences of a grumpy character in the movie Sideways, Merlot is back. Again. Merlot never went away really, it’s just been patiently waiting for you to rediscover its many charms. Dark and inky in in the glass, with soft to medium tannins, Merlot remains one of the […]

Once common, multigenerational family wineries are a dwindling breed. But, along the Wine Road you can still find dozens multigenerational family wineries. So many in fact, it will take us awhile to explore them all. Almost A Century Old We’ll start with a wine family that goes back almost 100 years! The Pedroncelli family has […]

Ready to venture out and enjoy wine tasting again? Please keep reading. They’re Open By the end of May, a few wineries had reopened their doors for tasters. Others needed more time to retool their tasting venues to accommodate social distancing. During the month of June, winery after winery reopened their doors with renewed enthusiasm. […]

Ready to reconnect to Wine Country? Is your wine supply a bit depleted after weeks of sheltering in place, aka SIP? I’ve found my wine cellar is missing many of my favorites after the holidays, and now weeks of SIPping at home. My plans to stock up got put on hold when I couldn’t visit […]

Strawberries cherries and an angel’s kiss in springMy summer wine is really made from all these things Those are the opening lines to Nancy Sinatra’s song, Summer Wine written by Lee Hazlewood. And how apt the lyrics are in capturing the essence of Rosé. Fresh, bright, fruity and floral it’s the raison d’être for the […]

A visit to Sonoma County means I’m well on my way to having a perfect day, for I have a few days off, can relax and do the things I enjoy. I live in northwestern Minnesota, and travel much of the workweek for my job. I’m fortunate to have a family member in Santa Rosa, and […]