I was strolling through Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa the other day and I noticed a display of budget wines with an ever-growing selection of imports. It occurred to me that those on a tight budget who like to shop Sonoma County wines have a dilemma. Most of the Sonoma [...]

The other night I was tasting a glass of pinot from Peay Vineyards and I began to wonder where is the chosen spot for pinot? The Peay 2007 Pomarium, Sonoma Coast is both intense and elegant. It's earthy and ripe, and yet it has refreshing acidity. Wine critic Robert Parker [...]

In Wine Country we consider vino full of intrigue, the making of great film noir. But apparently the producers of Platinum Weddings, a reality show which airs on WE T.V., don't find as much drama as we do in the glass. In a recent taping Randy Ullom, the winemaster at [...]

Part with a glass of wine?"That's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard," as Groucho would say.The online banter in our global village continues to be about that British study that found one glass of chardonnay, a single beer or any other type of alcohol a day poses a cancer [...]

The last sip is in. The final scoring is calculated, revealing there are four new consummate know-it-alls among us. These superheroes passed a heady three-day exam, winning the title Master Sommelier. What did they do to earn their cape? They aced a three-part exam, with one portion a nerve-racking blind [...]

To compete with an influx of inexpensive wine from Australia and Spain, among other places, California vintners have been courting the Millennials, the children of Baby Boomers who range in age from 21 to 32, with hip budget blends like Seven Deadly Zins and Screw Kappa Napa. Some experts claim [...]

No sniffing or swirling involved here. Just a little game to check what brand of know-it-all you are - full-bodied or a light weight? This round of jeopardy is Wine Country Notables for $500? And the answer is -. 1) People know this power broker as anything but ordinary. Opinionated, [...]

Name that varietal. Here's a game that brings out the wine detective in each of us. What? Have you never been a wine sleuth before? Well, it's time you consider these clues and name that varietal.1) Granny Smith and Yellow Delicious apples, custard, vanilla, butterscotch, toast hazelnuts, pineapple.2) Grapefruit, green [...]

Is Wine Country the canary in the coal mine when it comes to global warming?There seem to be two camps, one that spots actual proof while the other doesn't see a trace. So let the fireworks begin with our point counterpoint debate. Remember, you're just a click away from having [...]

I may not be Alex Trebek and you may not be equipped with a buzzer, but I have an irresistible offer: How about a game of Wine Country Jeopardy?While this first round may seem easy, it will get progressively more challenging over time. Are you in? Great.Wine Country Notables for [...]