A Free Wine Encyclopedia!Over 200 years have passed since the prominent and enterprising Don Juan Sanchez de la Torre founded this venerable sherry house. The company has distinguished itself for the unsurpassed quality of its products many times over, receiving coveted appointments as purveyor to the Royal Family of Spain, the Vatican and the House of Lords. The… read more »
Paraiso Hot Springs are situated in the Santa Lucia foothills, 40 minutes south of Salinas in Northern California’s Monterey County. While establishing the Soledad Mission, Franciscan padres used the springs’ curative waters for healing purposes. The monks also planted early vineyards there. Two hundred years later (1973), current owner Richard Smith planted modern vineyards, eleven… read more »
Your first introduction to a wine is through the sense of sight. The appearance and color of a wine tells you, or warns you, about what’s coming. The first question we ask: “Is it clear?” Cloudy wines are undesirable. These wines could have several different problems; leftover sugar combining with yeast for a secondary fermentation,… read more »
“I do not think that Gerard Jaboulet has ever made greater wine than he has in 1990…a new quality threshold has been attained…” Robert Parker Jr. When we tasted this wine, we had to agree. Paul Jaboulet Aine is another family owned winery. They have achieved the dual distinction of being not only one of… read more »
Samuele Sebastiani had been born into a peasant family who toiled in the vineyards of Tuscany, Italy. In 1895, he borrowed money for his steerage to California. In 1904, Samuele Sebastiani started what was to become California winemaking history. Today, when you visit the Sebastiani Winery in old town Sonoma, you will be shown the… read more »
“Paul, I noticed that you often mention ‘tannins’ in your newsletter. Are tannins what makes a wine taste dry?” E.N., Portland, OR This is a good question and although the answer is yes, there’s much more here than meets the eye (or the palate, in our case). In looking at a wine’s overall quality profile,… read more »
The venerable French wine producing firm Moillard was founded in 1850 by Symphorien Moillard. It is now managed by the fourth and fifth generations, and remains a family owned and operated concern. While 60% of Moil-lard’s turnover is achieved in France, its wines are sold internationally in over 30 countries. The elite part of the… read more »
Cline Cellars is owned by a family whose name is a household word. About a century ago, six brothers pooled their resources to put the eldest one through college, a cultural tradition in Italy. The brothers immigrated to California. They took odd jobs, in the mines, for the railroads, even as farm laborers picking fruit… read more »
In the year 1647, on top of a hill that slopes down to the Mediterranean, in what is now the province of Cataluna (Catalonia) in Spain, someone constructed a farmhouse in the likeness of a mediaeval fortress. Two hundred years later, this imposing property became a winery, Las Cavas Jaume Serra. Surrounding the cavas (caves… read more »
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 »