GrapeRadio – Wine Talk Show

Wines of Canada’s Okanagan Valley

British Columbia is one of those places you never guessed would be making dry wines. Even if you considered its close proximity to the state of Washington, it probably still wouldn’t dawn on you that Canada would produce anything other than Ice Wine. Well, surprise – they DO! Occupying what is essentially the Columbia River [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 18 June 2013 | 8:30 am

Go West Young Man – with Jean-Charles Boisset

Jean-Charles Boisset was born into the world of wine. His parents, Jean-Claude and Claudine, had founded the family winery in 1961 in one of the most traditional winegrowing regions in the world – the village of Vougeot, in Burgundy. Born in a room above the family cellars, he grew up within view of the centuries-old [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 7 June 2013 | 8:30 am

The Versatility of Port

The first shipments of wine under the name Port were recorded in 1678. In 1756 the Port wine vineyards of the Douro Valley in northern Portugal, became the first vineyard area in the world to be legally demarcated. Here, indigenous varieties of grapes, including the Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 28 May 2013 | 8:30 am

2012 Pinot Days, Producer Interviews – Part 3

We continue with our visit to Pinot Days in San Francisco, from June 2012. We consider this to be one of the “must-go” wine festivals each year for wine lovers. Concentrating exclusively on Pinot Noir, there are over 150 individual producers and trade groups from overseas represented at Pinot Days event. Most wineries were from [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 15 May 2013 | 8:30 am

Riesling from the Mosel – with S.A. Prüm

The Mosel is one of 13 German wine regions and takes its name from the Moselle River. Before August, 2007 the region was called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer after the eponymous three river valleys. While it is Germany’s third largest in terms of production, it is the leading region in terms of international prestige. Known for its steep [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 3 May 2013 | 8:30 am

2013 World of Pinot Noir Seminar – Terroir: the Soul of La Côte d’Or, Part 2

Want to learn more about Burgundy? Well, there’s a seminar for that! In fact, this is the 2nd of two parts. You’ll be pleased to hear that the 2013 World of Pinot Noir presented a very nice and detailed glimpse of the region that you’re bound to find informative. We’ve broken it into two parts [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 24 April 2013 | 8:30 am

2013 World of Pinot Noir Seminar – Terroir: the Soul of La Côte d’Or, Part 1

Want to learn more about Burgundy? Well, there’s a seminar for that! You’ll be pleased to hear that the 2013 World of Pinot Noir presented a very nice and detailed glimpse of the region that you’re bound to find informative. So, join us as we listen to Don Kinnan, CSS, CWE, and the lead instructor [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 17 April 2013 | 8:30 am

Vineyards of Sonoma County – with Hanna Winery & Vineyards

‘All I want is a small place out in the country,’ is often how it begins. For Dr. Elias S. Hanna and family, what began in 1985 as a small getaway house/farm in the Russian River Valley, morphed into four vineyard locations. Beginning with 12 acres in the Russian River Valley purchased in the 1970s, [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 8 April 2013 | 11:57 am

A Walk Through Burgundy

Allen Meadows is probably the most followed and well-known enthusiast and reviewer of the wines of Burgundy. Owner and author of the popular quarterly publication Burghound, Allen has been visiting the Burgundy region of France since 1979, when, after finishing graduate school, he decided to “give himself a gift” and travel to Europe. Allen got [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 29 March 2013 | 2:01 pm

The Wines of Alsace – with Florian Beck-Hartweg

Beck-Hartweg in Dambach-la-Ville is one of the historic domaines of Alsace. Building on a long tradition of family winegrowing that began in 1590, the reins now belong to young Florian Beck-Hartweg. As you might expect, Florian makes his wines in the vineyard. Growing Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir, his [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 13 March 2013 | 2:41 pm

In Pursuit of Balance – 2013, Los Angeles

In Pursuit of Balance (IPOB) was co-founded in 2011 by Rajat Parr of Michael Mina and RN74 restaurants, and Jasmine Hirsch of Hirsch Vineyards. Their purpose was to assemble a small group of like-minded wine producers they felt were “…striving to produce balanced pinot noir and chardonnay in California…non-manipulation in the cellar, and the promotion [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 4 March 2013 | 2:44 pm

Freemark Abbey – Old School Napa

Freemark Abbey’s history began in 1886, when Josephine Tychson established the original winery along Route 29 in St. Helena, becoming one of the area’s first woman winegrowers. Although its name might indicate otherwise, the winery was never a monastery, nor was it ever inhabited by monks. Instead, the current winery name originated in 1939, when [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 17 February 2013 | 7:11 pm

2012 World of Pinot Noir – It’s The People

As with most wine events, it often comes down to the people – the producers and those behind the scenes – that make attending an event like the World of Pinot Noir both fun and interesting. And, while it’s always nice to taste the wines from artisan producers, it can be challenging to find the [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 8 February 2013 | 5:42 pm

2012 World of Pinot Noir Seminar – Natural Winemaking

Natural winemaking – yet another hot button topic over the past couple of years, was discussed in some depth at the 2012 World of Pinot Noir. The panelists included both small winery winemakers who practice various degrees of “natural” winemaking: Bradley Brown, Big Basin Vineyards; Peter Cargasacchi, Cargasacchi Vineyards; Nathan Kandler, Thomas Fogarty Winery; and [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 4 February 2013 | 3:20 pm

2012 World of Pinot Noir Seminar – Technique vs. Terroir: The Cube Project

We’ve always wondered what role the winemaker plays in determining whether a wine truly speaks of its origins – or, its terroir. For instance, is it possible to make an Oregon Pinot taste as though it came from California – or vice versa? Thankfully, the 2012 World of Pinot Noir featured a seminar discussing this [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 29 January 2013 | 12:30 pm

Pinot Producer Interviews – Part 2

We continue with our visit to Pinot Days in San Francisco, from June 2012. We consider this to be one of the “must-go” wine festivals each year for wine lovers. Concentrating exclusively on Pinot Noir, there are over 150 individual producers and trade groups from overseas represented at Pinot Days event. Most wineries were from [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 21 January 2013 | 12:53 am

Pinot Producer Interviews – Part 1

GrapeRadio was very pleased to attend Pinot Days in San Francisco, this past June. Certainly one of the “must-go” wine festivals each year for wine lovers, Pinot Days concentrates exclusively on Pinot Noir producers. Over 150 individual producers and trade groups from overseas were represented at this year’s Pinot Days event. Most wineries were from [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 9 January 2013 | 1:15 am

30 Years of Wine Retail

With thirty-plus years of wine retail business behind him, Steve Zanotti has seen more than a few changes. But, as the old saying goes, ‘sometimes the more things change, the more they remain the same.’ As co-owner of the Wine Exchange, in Orange County, California, Steve has arguably “seen it all”: the emergence of wine [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 3 December 2012 | 3:07 pm

Chenin Blanc, Not Your Fathers Wine

Chenin Blanc wines are probably quite familiar to most wine consumers. Since the 11th Century, France’s Loire Valley has always produced lovely Chenin Blancs, such those from Savennieres and Vouvray. The French wines have varied from dry to sweet, and both seem to last decades or more. On the other hand, this is usually not [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 12 November 2012 | 1:11 pm

The Wines of New Zealand with Craggy Range

When Australian businessman Terry Peabody visited New Zealand in 1997, he was introduced to noted kiwi viticulturalist and Master of Wine, Steve Smith. The pair made an important decision from the very beginning – to pursue the Single Vineyard Philosophy of winemaking – to select and source the best land and vineyards in the country, [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 25 September 2012 | 4:45 pm

Life with Maggie – Part 2

We last talked to Maggie about 3 years ago, just after she had embarked on her new venture at Antica Terra winery and vineyard, in Oregon. After working with Manfred and Elaine Krankl at Sine Qua Non for the better part of a decade, as well as starting her own label for California Syrah, Maggie [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 17 August 2012 | 1:11 pm

Laurel Glen – Cabernet, Sonoma Style

Laurel Glen Vineyard, a thousand feet up the slopes of Sonoma Mountain, was well known as an excellent site for Cabernet Sauvignon even before the 1st vintage of Laurel Glen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was produced in 1981. But it was the 16 acre vineyard developed in the 1970’s by Sonoma wine pioneer Patrick Campbell that [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 25 July 2012 | 5:32 pm

Out of Africa

South Africa has a long history of wine, going back to the Dutch settlers. The wines, however, never received much distribution to other parts of the world, due primarily to trade sanctions during the latter part of the last Century in reaction to apartheid. When apartheid finally ended in 1994, South African wineries had hoped [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 22 June 2012 | 2:44 pm

Maison Joseph Drouhin, with Laurent Drouhin

Those familiar with Maison Joseph Drouhin are in for a treat, as we spend some time with Laurent Drouhin talking about family and wine. Maison Joseph Drouhin bwas founded in 1880, when Joseph at the age of 22, left Chablis and settled in Beaune. He was succeeded by his son Maurice who began to establish [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 7 June 2012 | 1:58 pm

Alive and Kicking – Zinfandel

It’s seems like to have been quite a while since Zinfandel held sway in the wine spotlight. There once was a time when Zin was all the rage. Then, to paraphrase Casey Stengel: ‘it’s too popular; nobody goes there anymore.’ Now, with the rise of Pinot Noir, the ambivalence of Cabernet, and the somewhat concurrent [...]

Posted by Rss Orange on 16 May 2012 | 5:00 pm