A Free Wine Encyclopedia!In 1974, the Smith horse ranch and the Hook cattle ranch were converted into vineyards. A good 250 acres of vines were planted there, split between Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Thus was the Smith and Hook Estate created as a Cabernet Sauvignon “chateau”. Our selection comes from the Lone Oak Estate, a separate… read more »
Founded in 1705, the Melini winery owns 225 acres of vineyards in Tuscany, home to many of Italy’s finest red wines. Melini stands as one of the top four producers in the renowned Chianti region there. This wine gets its name for the villages (borghi) along the River Elsa and comes from their modern facility… read more »
If you have been with us for about a year, you will remember Cask One Sauvignon Blanc (#291A). Well, the same people who make Cask One make Fran-cal. There is, in fact, no Francal Winery or Cask One Winery (or Plume Ridge Winery, for that matter, recalling last month’s Chardonnay, #291A…different producer, though). To make… read more »
What would happen if: a) California’s leading Consulting Oenologist, Andre Tchelistcheff, formed a partnership with; b) the Dean of the School of Economics and Business Administration of a prominent university plus; c) a major Napa Valley vineyard owner and; d) a seasoned wine marketing professional with 20 years experience? They call it Domaine Tchelistcheff. One… read more »
Things certainly are looking good for us WOMC enthusiasts in 1992! I would never have imagined that Paul could find two lovely Pinot Noirs within such a short period of time (seven months), especially considering the price class of most Pinot Noirs. The last one was Tony Austin’s 1988 (#691A) sent last June. That was… read more »
The Benziger family moved to Glen Ellen California in 1980 from White Plains, New York to set up a boutique winery. The rest is truly California wine making history. The 1981 crush came before construction of the winery was finished. There was no electricity. There were no wine storage tanks. The crush went on through… read more »
With the rising cost of the dollar on the international money market and the increase tax liability that has hit the wine industry, many people have asked how “The Club” will be able to maintain the quality of the monthly import selection. Good question! One answer lies between the sandy beaches of the Mediterranean and… read more »
Note: Please do not confuse the wine maker Inglenook-Napa Valley with the jug wine maker Inglenook-Navale. Founded in 1879, the Inglenook-Napa Valley winery was the hobby of the great seaman Gustave Niebaum. Not only a diligent student, receiving his ships papers by attending merchant marine school in Finland, he was a brilliant businessman. At age… read more »
The Vina Los Vascos winery lies sheltered in its own private viticultural paradise, the 4900 acre Caneten Valley, about 90 miles south of Santiago, in Chile’s climatically-endowed Colchagua region. Don Pedro Gregorio Echenique, a knight of the Order of Santiago, built the winery in 1750. It has stayed in his family ever since. The soil,… read more »
Anthony Austin’s roots go back to the very early days of California wine… literally. His ancestors were granted a homestead in 1881 in Sonoma County, and are said to have planted the first Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the Russian River Valley. After attending U.C. Davis’ viticultural school, Austin became a protege of the country’s most… read more »