A friend of mine hosted a fancy fundraising event with wine and naturally, since she’s a good friend, she gave me a whole case of the leftovers, which included Baileyana’s “Firepeak” Pinot Noir. Free wine, and lots of it can’t be beat! She gave another friend a case, too and I wasn’t surprised to see…
Author: wineforthewin
Interesting Fact, Money Saver, Musing, Non-California
Wine for cats!
by wineforthewin •
A Japanese pet supply company has released wine for cats. Yes, you read that right. The drink is a mix of Cabernet grapes, Vitamin C and catnip, which sounds similar to frat party jungle juice to me. It’s non-alcoholic and sells for $4. It’s called Nyan Nyan Nouveau, a play on the Japanese version of…
Interesting Fact
How do you know when it’s time to crush?
by wineforthewin •
So I’ve seen grapes on the vine, I’ve seen the barrels in the cellar, I’ve seen the bottles on the rack, but there are still many parts of the winemaking process I haven’t seen, such as a winemaker testing the grapes to see if they’re ready. Blogger Jameson Fink talked to Ross Andrew Mickel, winemaker…
Musing, Non-California, Pinot Gris, Travel
Top 5: Non-California, U.S. wine locales
by wineforthewin •
I get a little California-centric when it comes to wines, mostly because they’re delicious and secondly because I live here. However, I’ve been learning a lot about other wine locales in the United States that are getting my continental travel bug rattled up. Here’s my top 5 to-visit list for out-of-state wine regions: 1) Finger…
Barbera, Interesting Fact, Non-California, Under $20
Review: Luisi Barbera d’Asti
by wineforthewin •
Barbera’s not a wine grape you hear about everyday. In fact, before I drank the 2011 Luisi Barbera d’Asti, I had only had Barbera in blends before. So what is Barbera all about? Barbera is one of the most popular grapes planted in Italy. You can also find it in Australia, thanks to UC Davis.…
Review, Under $15, Under $20, Zinfandel
Review: Peachy Canyon Zinfandel
by wineforthewin •
When Peachy Canyon Winery gave me a hat tip on Twitter for my handle, which is the same as my blog name, I knew we’d get along. Then when they told me they they made luscious reds, I really knew we’d get along. I picked up a bottle of their 2008 “Incredible Red” Zinfandel recently…
Non-California, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris
Pinot Grigio vs. Pinot Gris
by wineforthewin •
I had never heard of Pinot Gris until I visited this girl in Eugene: That’s Ann on the right, a great friend and Eugene wine ambassador. You see, when Ann was living in Eugene both times I visited she showed me amazing wineries. I had no idea there were even wineries in Eugene! I also…
California, Money Saver, Pinot Grigio, Review
Review: Main & Geary Pinot Grigio
by wineforthewin •
The first time I had Pinot Grigio I was way under the legal drinking age in the United States, but I wasn’t in the United States! I was in Florence, Italy during a summer abroad “studying” art history after my junior year in high school. It was the first summer that I wouldn’t be going…
Budget Buster, Cabernet Sauvignon, Interesting Fact
Price fake out
by wineforthewin •
When people think wine is expensive, they think it tastes better, at least according to a 2008 scientific study. The scientists gave 20 participants Cabernet Sauvignon and a non-wine liquid reminiscent of saliva (gross) to drink as they scanned their brains, focusing on pleasure centers. Wines were administered multiple times, both at their retail price and…
California, Data, Interesting Fact
California losing ground
by wineforthewin •
As more wineries have popped up in other states, California is no longer home to more than half the wineries in the nation. In 1993, the Golden State claimed 52% of the wineries in the United States. In 2012, it clocked in at about 43%. Here’s an infographic I made that visually shows the change…