Not all of CA wine country is ablaze. Yes, the impacts are horrifically devastating to many, and the situation is extremely fluid and, buy the time this publishes, undoubtedly will have changed again (hopefully, for the better).
Most importantly (in my view), as a wine lover, you should continue to drink and buy wines from the impacted areas (primarily Sonoma County). Not just now, but long after the smoke from these horrendous fires has cleared (and before you ask… harvest is almost totally completed in the impacted areas, so there’s little chance of smoke taint from the current fires making its way into anything that will be bottled with a 2019 vintage on the label). That might be the best way to ensure a speedy recovery for the wine brands that get hit the hardest by the current blazes.
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 in a “mini-review” format.
They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!
In an attempt to whittle away at the growing pile of wine-related media samples that I can’t drink (at least not without a blender and then a trip to the emergency room), it seems high time for another round of product reviews.
Today, we have a trio of items, some of which might be worth putting under the Christmas Tree (or Winter/Religious Holiday equivalent) for your greedy-ass self the wine lover in your life.
First up is the 2020 edition of Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book (Mitchell Beazley, 336 pages, about $16). As already detailed ad nauseam here on these virtual pages, if you don’t already own at least one edition of this small but mighty reference, it should be at the top of your list. Containing an almost impossible amount of helpful info in a tiny package, the 2020 edition is more evolution than revolution on its core of detailing wines, regions, vintages, and the general state of affairs in the wine world. The finale portion deals comprehensively with the topic of wine flavors, and what affects them (place, techniques, serving, grapes, and culture/fashion, etc.). It’s nice to see this unmatched reference still going, and even nicer to see that the kindle edition only clocks in at $7…
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 in a “mini-review” format.
They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!
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