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!

• 11 Stoller Family Estate Helen's Pinot Noir (Dundee Hills): Displaying the fruits of labor when it's combined with refined focus. $70 A- >>find this wine<<
• 11 Stoller Family Estate Nancy's Pinot Noir (Dundee Hills): Rich of fruit, lithe of step, bountiful of spice, and heavy of wallet. $70 A- >>find this wine<<
• 12 Schloss Johannisberg Gelblack Riesling Feinherb (Rheingau): Firm, fresh, fruity, fragrant, & fond of its own handsome presentation $30 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 11 Stoller Family Estate Reserve Pinot Noir (Dundee Hills): Sweet red berry fruit, but svelte & strong like it's been doing CrossFit. $50 A- >>find this wine<<
• 09 Cune Reserva (Rioja): Spicy oak, compelling underbrush, & juicy plums, all set to get to know one another quite well given time. $28 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 13 Montes Alpha Outer Limits Zapallar Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (Aconcagua Valley): Pungent, piquant power to the thirsty people! $22 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 13 Achaval Ferrer Malbec (Mendoza): Most of the meat, grip, minerals, and tangy berry action, with very little of the bloat. $25 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 10 Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Herbal and heady, silky and savory; apt to disappear quickly if you're not watching. $65 A- >>find this wine<<
• 13 Livio Felluga Sauvignon (Collio): Vibrant, at turns lovely, at turns nutty; just like your family Turkey Day dinner guests, right? $25 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 11 Gabbianno Chianti Classico (Chianti Classico): You like it chewy, right? Right? Oh, you don't? Well, too freakin' bad for you, then $14 B >>find this wine<<
• 13 Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio (Friuli): Once again, we're forced to ask why any sane person would go to any other region for PG… $29 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 09 Perticaia Sagrantino di Montefalco (Montefalco): Darth Vader has a lighter, gentler grip than the 1 found in this rip-roaring red. $47 A- >>find this wine<<

Quick, get ready to freak out; I am about to talk about a wine that was not a sample, but for which I paid using my very own hard-earned cash! The atom might destabilize!!

It’s true. About the wine being purchased, I mean, not about the atom (I think).

The short version of the story is that at 1WD HQ, we tend to do a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving meal, in which we indulge in Mrs. Dudette’s amazing cooking, and focus on healthier versions of the Turkey Day classics, paired up with lots of wines from the sample pool.

Only this time, I found myself in desperate need of more than the usual pick-me-up, and decided to break into a bottle that I’d picked up on my lonesome, and have been not-so-patiently waiting for an excuse to crack open and enjoy.

As you will see from the inset pic and details below, much of what we drank – including that self-procured vino – are slightly different takes on wine world staples…

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Ah, holiday wine pairing articles.

I know, most of you hate ‘em.

Trouble is, when it comes to wine drinkers, that vitriol puts us squarely in the minority. Many, many drinkers search for this kind of thing at pretty much every holiday, so it’s up to wine-writer-folk-types to try to make the dreaded duty of holiday wine matchups interesting (a daunting task, when so much of it has been done already that you always run the risk of the article being staler than a box of Capt’n Crunch left open for a month at a Jersey Shore beach house).

I’m happy to report that my Winter holiday installment this year has been made engaging courtesy of the visual wunderkinds over at Fix.com. Titled “Festive Wines Yule Love: Celebrate the Season With Our Holiday Wine Guide,” they’ve put quite impressive visuals onto my overviews of the unsung wines that deserve an airing when the weather gets chillier and the snow starts falling (of course, that’s already happened to us in mid-Autumn… ok, whatever…). Take a gander at how they visualize the “what to expect” aspect of the wines’ aromas and flavors – it’s just freakin’ cool, maaaaaaan!

Below is an embed of the infographic for your viewing pleasure, and so that you can flame me for not including your personal favorite holiday go-to vino in my list…

Read the rest of this stuff »

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!

• 13 Onesta Rose of Cinsault (Lodi): From historic plantings come tart red fruits, spice, & pithiness of nearly historic proportions. $22 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 11 Ca' Momi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (Napa Valley): Silky almost to a fault; for those seeking something decadent, & for tonight. $65 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 12 Cornerstone Oregon Chardonnay (Willamette Valley): You'll need to peel back the oak, but enticing texture awaits you underneath. $40 B+ >>find this wine<<
• 13 Apothic Dark Limited Release (California): Sweet & to the point; the point being your future hangover looks very dark, indeed. $11 C- >>find this wine<<
• 12 Gary Farrell Hallberg vineyard Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley): Savory & bold; please prepare your cheeks for the electric jolt. $55 A- >>find this wine<<
• 12 Gary Farrell Russian River Selection Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley): Not unlike the Energizer Bunny this one never really tires $45 A- >>find this wine<<
• 12 Gary Farrell Westside Farms Chardonnay (Russian River Valley): Richly rendered, but it's delicately – & vibrantly – delivered. $45 A- >>find this wine<<
• 11 Cornerstone Cellars Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley): Don't fear a little extra barrel time, just exercise a little extra patience. $50 A- >>find this wine<<
• NV Helfrich Cremant d'Alsace Brut (Alsace): A refreshing magic trick; open it among friends, & watch the contents quickly disappear! $22 B+ >>find this wine<<
• NV Antica Fratta Brut (Franciacorta): When you absolutely, positively need your tasty bubbly liveliness to be forcefully aggressive. $25 B+ >>find this wine<<