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Tracey Berkner, On the Floor And In the Classroom

Tracey Berkner, On the Floor And In the Classroom

On the California wine scene, winemakers get the glory. Their name is often on the bottle. They preside over winemaker dinners. They give visitors tours of their wineries. And most are men. The state’s wine trade is more diverse than that, of course, including in the...
No Longer an Outlier, Grenache Gets Its Day

No Longer an Outlier, Grenache Gets Its Day

Every wine grape has its day. International Grenache Day is tomorrow. Such days are promotional gimmicks, meant to introduce a grape to a new audience or, better yet, to persuade more people to buy wine made with the grape. Grenache, also commonly known as Grenache...
Competition Shows Diversity Of Oregon Wine Scene

Competition Shows Diversity Of Oregon Wine Scene

Get this, a Syrah, not a Pinot Noir, is the Best of Show Red Wine for the 2023 Oregon Wine Competition, results of which were announced over the weekend. It is the Resistance Wine Company 2018 Rogue Valley Syrah ($35), a muscular, layered and persistent take on the...
Southern Oregon’s Rivers Include Rivers of Wine

Southern Oregon’s Rivers Include Rivers of Wine

Oregon is too big and varied for one style of wine to become most closely identified with the state. Yes, in Oregon’s northern reaches Pinot Noir is established as the flagship wine of Willamette Valley and its numerous sub-appellations. And in southern Oregon,...
At the California State Fair, Wines for Fun Foods

At the California State Fair, Wines for Fun Foods

The 2023 California State Fair & Food Festival gets under way Friday at Sacramento’s Cal Expo and runs until July 30. While I recognize that many of you will be drawn to the fair by the opportunity to talk with Martha and I during our appearances at the author...
Rhone Wines Can Be Dear But Values Also Available

Rhone Wines Can Be Dear But Values Also Available

Last month, a bunch of vintners from France’s Rhône Valley landed in San Francisco for a series of tastings and seminars. Most were from the valley’s southern reaches, though, curiously, none was from that area’s most esteemed appellation, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, perhaps...