So, like, what is this stuff, anyway?
I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes with you via twitter (limited to 140 characters). They are meant to be quirky, fun, and easily-digestible reviews of currently available wines. Below is a wrap-up of those twitter wine reviews from the past week (click here for the skinny on how to read them), along with links to help you find these wines, so that you can try them for yourself. Cheers!

• 12 Quinta do Cume Selection (Douro): Brambly, dusty, friendly, and poppin', making itself quite an amicable regional ambassador. $20 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 12 Siduri Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands): Pinot car revving on full throttle, ready to make a run on your tongue. $55 A- >>find this wine<<
• 12 Siduri Pratt Vineyard Sexton Road Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast): Sonoma Coast flexing at its mintiest, woodiest, and most powerful. $50 A- >>find this wine<<
• 12 Siduri Shaw Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley): Cranberry tea being served, in a friendly, showy, flamboyant fashion $38 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 11 Howell Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain): Bordeaux comes to the Mount, sketching landscapes in pencil. $75 A- >>find this wine<<
• 11 Clos Du Val Carneros Chardonnay (Napa Valley): Tropical drink, side of lemon, on the rocks; as in, literally on some mineral rocks $28 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 10 Argyle Brut Rose (Dundee Hills): So pretty, so piquant, so pithy, so promising, and so obviously waaaaay too young right now. $50 A- >>find this wine<<
• 11 Vie L'Intruse Mourvedre (North Coast): Well, hello there, you dark, spicy, meaty little stranger, you; so… how YOU doin'? $39 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 09 Pine Ridge Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Deceptively sweet-talking but its character depth can't be denied $85 A- >>find this wine<<
• 12 Hugel et Fils Gentil (Alsace): Rarely are the results of the kitchen sink so aromatic, floral, vibrant, tasty & crisply refreshing. $15 B >>find this wine<<

As we come to the close of 2014… well, I’m kind of in a weird place looking back on it. The year has had a lot of ups and downs for me, but I’m happy to write that the professional side of things has been almost exclusively UP for me in 2014.

But that has not come without some serious effort, and right now, I just can’t wait for the f*cking year to be over!

And so, I might be taking a bit of an extended break (a couple of weeks, I suspect) from posting here. We’ll see if I can actually stay away; I’m not promising anything!

Anyway…

This seems as good a time as any to take a quick gander back on 2014 here on 1WD, and see what articles you all decided were worth reading the most. In some cases (ok, several cases), I am somewhat shocked as to what pieces of content turned out to have the most views. You might be less surprised, but I’ll bet you’re stilling willing to give me crap  express your well-considered opinions on the merit of each of the articles listed below.

Here’s to another year together, folks!

Read the rest of this stuff »

Don’t have your Winter holiday shopping done yet?

Dang, you’re probably screwed, then!

Oh well, best to start drinking, right?

Given that the holiday gift rush has been on my mind, the December 2014 Wine.Answers.com article roundup is all about wine-related gift action this month. Unfortunately, not all of the products are sure-fire hits, as you’ll see when you check out some of the review action below:

Wine Product Review: VinEdge Wine Preservation System 

I gotta admit, I did not “get” the VinEdge. I watched the videos, I tried multiple bottles, etc., etc., etc., but couldn’t get this thing to work consistently.

Wine Product Review: Napa Wine Chiller 

An interesting take on chilling wine, and a conversation-starter, no doubt. But when I used this thing, part of me was impressed, and the other part of me was scared to death that I was going to break expensive stemware. Read the review and you’ll see what I mean.

Three Great Holiday Stocking Stuffers for Wine Lovers 

And so, after those somewhat unsuccessful wine accessory attempts, I chose a different route and decided to recommend three stocking-stuffer sized wine gift ideas that I know are good choices for the vinously-affected.

Wine Book Review: “The Makers of American Wine” by Thomas Pinney

And to end on a high note, I offer my (glowing) take on Thomas Pinney’s excellent book, “The Makers of American Wine: A Record of Two Hundred Years.” This is the kind of book that most wine writers wish that they had the patience and chops to deliver.

Cheers – and Happy Holidays!

So, like, what is this stuff, anyway?
I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes with you via twitter (limited to 140 characters). They are meant to be quirky, fun, and easily-digestible reviews of currently available wines. Below is a wrap-up of those twitter wine reviews from the past week (click here for the skinny on how to read them), along with links to help you find these wines, so that you can try them for yourself. Cheers!

• 09 Pine Ridge Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Black licorice, when it's no longer kids' stuff, & after it's been 'made.' $80 A- >>find this wine<<
• 12 Maley Brothers Vineyards Lodi Native Wegat Vineyards Zinfandel (Mokelumne River): When "big" & "nuanced" decide to start dating. $NA A- >>find this wine<<
• 12 Jordan Chardonnay (Russian River Valley): Giving a sultry, vivacious nod to Burgundy is, more often than not, a smart thing to do. $30 B+ >>find this wine<<
• NV Champagne Jacquart Brut Rose (Champagne): Do I want some sweet berry biscuits? Hell yeah, I want some sweet berry biscuits! $49 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 10 Masi Costasera Amarone Classico (Valpolicella): For those who like to chew reds as much as drink them, but still need it vibrant. $60 A- >>find this wine<<
• 09 Nieto Senetiner Terroir Blend Malbec (Mendoza): Brambly, licorice-filled, topped with mint, and reveling in its sense of power. $30 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 13 Bayten Chardonnay (Constantia): It puts the lime in the coconut, and then serves you homemade butterscotch cookies for dessert. $20 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 12 Sojourn Cellars Durell Vineyard Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast): Too rich for the blood of some, just right for the blood of others. $48 A- >>find this wine<<
• 11 Domaine Grosbois Gabare (Chinon): Certainly lively, but also too funky for its own damn self, & likely for many others, as well. $29 B >>find this wine<<
• 11 Argyle Vintage Brut (Willamette Valley): To get more energy than this, you just might need to turn yourself into Electro. $27 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 12 Spell Marimar Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast): Doesn't skimp on the juiciness, exotic spices, or the length of the exit. $72 A- >>find this wine<<