Wow! This Pinot Noir from Chile is beautifully dark and seductive. A great value at $19.99. This might be the only Chilean Pinot Noir I’ve ever seen. Chile certainly has no Pinot heritage, so I’m guessing this winery’s foray into Pinot is very recent. Perhaps inspired to capitalize on the Sideways Pinot boom or just [...]
The Anthill Farms Anderson Valley wines perfectly capture the character (okay, “terroir“) of the Anderson Valley. Try either vintage to understand what this wine region is all about. I’m not super-familiar with the story of Anthill Farms, but it seems they’re some young winemakers specializing in vineyard-designate Pinot Noir from Mendocino and Sonoma counties. Brian [...]
Today I attended an excellent beer festival at The Bistro in Hayward, CA. It went under various names: The Barrel Aged Festival The Bistro Wood Barrel Aged Beer Festival West Coast Barrel-Aged Festival But whatever it was called, Vic Kralj and his team pulled off a great event. Like several attendees, I was hit by [...]
The 2008 Pinot Noir from Valle Perdido in Patagonia (Argentina!) is the second-best under-$15 Pinot Noir I’ve ever tried. It’s actually pretty good. But that doesn’t mean I would recommend you buy it. I purchased this bottle from K&L Wines in Redwood City, CA, in May 2009 for $11.99. Attractive label, screw cap. K&L’s description [...]
Today I attended the 12th Annual IPA Festival at The Bistro, a little beer bar in Hayward, CA. This was my third year – maybe fourth – at this excellent event for lovers of a certain type of India Pale Ale. The tasting list (scans inserted below; click to see full size) included a mind-boggling [...]
