Here's a good read from The Wall Street Journal's Lettie Teague about the life of assistant winemakers - those hardworking folks who start with all the grunt jobs and work their way up to their own winemaker gigs and labels. Although it's set in the Napa Valley, many of our favorite wines in Oregon and Washington are from men and women who started as cellar rats or assistants and after years of effort, broke on out.
Eric Asimov selected fino sherry as his most recent Wine School "subject" - a pick near and dear to our heart. Open several of our refrigerators and you'll find bottles of assorted sherries waiting for their moment. Eric's short article is a good quick primer on fino and en rama from Jerez. We regularly stock the Valdespino and El Maestro Sierra selected, as well as several of the other ones mentioned - plus a shelf full of others - and can order additional ones as well. Give this a read and come check one out!
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/09/dining/wine-school-assignment-fino-sherry.html
Here's a good think piece from the New York Times' Eric Asimov about what types of reasonably-priced wines make for good drinking with various everyday meals. And what do you know - he has some of the same ideas we do! It's definitely worth checking out....
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/14/dining/best-wine-for-any-meal.html?ref=dining&_r=0
Alan Richman at GQ takes a look at some winemaking rebels who are on the leading edge of a new approach to wine in areas such as Corsica, Jura, Greece and Sicily. His vignettes of vignerons are illuminating and give you a sense of the personality and individuality behind the wines. Many of you will be familiar with these producers, as they are either currently in the shop or have been regulars on the shelf.
Wall Street Journal wine columnist Lettie Teague goes hunting for top Pinot Noir under $40 and finds some good Oregon examples, along with some of the usual California suspects.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-quest-for-reasonably-priced-domestic-pinot-noir-1440709105
Check out this article from the New York Times about how the California drought is affecting the way wineries handle their vineyards and make wine..
