Sonoma County, as a wine region, exhibits a greater assortment of wine styles and grapes than you find in most other premium wine areas. From the highly regard...

Marche, or Le Marche, is a region that lies in the central east part of the Italian peninsula, with its eastern part by the Adriatic Sea; Tuscany and Umbria on the west, Emilia Romagna and the t...

Even as subtle as the change of seasons can be in Northern California, there are definite signals that indicate Summer is ending. The shorter hours of daylight, the beautiful golden light at sun...

Liguria is shaped roughly like a crescent moon. The territory is mostly mountainous, about 65%, and the rest is hilly. This characteristic conformation is also what makes ...

Typically, when discussing wine, most attention is placed on aromas and flavors, which seems to make sense since they are a wine's most immediately striking characteristics. Texture is the tacti...

I recently came upon an article written by Eddie Osterland, America’s First Master Sommelier. He states, “Most people see wine as a wonderful beverage choice. ...

"Natural" is one of the biggest buzz words in the wine scene today. Here in San Francisco, more and more bars and restaurants are featuring natural wines on their wine lists, with some transitio...

This is a wonderful time of the year. Citrus trees are blooming, clover and mustard are flowering in the vineyards, and in the market, pea shoots, squash blossoms, fresh fava beans, baby articho...

What is it that makes wine so compelling? Some say alcohol is a depressant acting on the nervous system in a similar way to some tranquilizers, and in moderate amounts can create a feeling of co...

The variety of grapes grown throughout the world is unbelievable, and the number of wines produced—too many to count. Our wine club gives us an opportunity t...

When it’s time to choose the wines for our November wine club shipment, I draw on my organoleptic memories of my favorite Thanksgiving feasts and pick accordingly. Thanksgiving is one of my favo...

If you’re encumbered by Thanksgiving wine anxiety, you’re not alone. Picking the right bottles for the holiday can be more stressful than cooking the turkey! The wide variety of flavors and side...

A big congrats to our winemakers on their Robert Parker scores. We are very proud of our talented winemakers for receiving incredible scores from Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate on ...

Hershey's Kisses and Zinfandel

Good ole’ Hershey’s Kisses are a classic and deserve to be paired with a wine that con...

Italian Wine Club ~ La Dolce Vite

Valle d’Aosta

October 2018

Tucked into the northwest corner lies the smallest I...

The aroma of wine is a key component of the wine tasting experience. In wine tasting, the term aromatic refers to a wine which has had the time or natural ability to emit several aromas and perf...

Grenache, (also known as Grenache Noir, to distinguish it from its white counterpart Grenache Blanc) is the most widely planted grape in the southern Rhône Valley, and the second most ...

Italian Wine Club ~ La Dolce Vite
Calabria | September 2018

Where the Italian boot dips its toe into the Tyrrhenian and Ionian se...

Many of the first recorded wines were rosé - they were lighter wines that were watered-down field blends of both white and red grapes. In ancient Greece, it was considered civilized to dilute wi...

I recently called an Italian wine importer to place a wine order, and in my best Italian (which is far from perfect) I asked him how it was going. In a very dramatic voice he replied “lousy!” Co...

There is a reason some people have dedicated their lives to understanding each and every nuance of white Burgundy. Once you’re hooked on white Burgundy, there’s no going back. The Chardonnay gra...

My dad was a meat and potatoes kind of gourmand. Growing up, pot roasts, briskets, roast duck, beef tongue, stuffed veal leg, steaks, and stews were meals I can remember repeatedly be...

If Memorial Day is a day of remembrance, then it's a great day to remember some new delicious wines I've tasted recently.

I...

There is a unique experience that happens when trying an unfamiliar wine for the first time. Cognitively, I search for clues to figure out what it is I am about to put in my mouth. I delve right...

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