The Wandering Wino Blog
Wine Civil War - Why Do We Do It?
Written by shawn on date 25 November 2011 in Wine Boxes
I try to spend a little time listening to what others are saying about wine. I read print, pro-media, books, and blogs. I also watch videos and like to ask people about their perspective. I hear many writers and winemakers saying things like, "drink what you like" and "I'm non-pretentious". It's that "come on in, the water is fine" type of vibe. Some really mean it. I'm also hearing very divisive apspects people choose about wine, in a very vocal manner.
What am I talking about? Chardonnay, oak vs no oak. I'm talking about this region ...
Read moreBeaujolais Nouveau - Don't Drink The Cool-Aid
Written by shawn on date 17 November 2011 in Don't Drink The Cool-Aid (Beaujolais Nouveau)
(Photo - not the Neauveau, it just an illustration)
Today is a big day. Why? I'm still trying to figure it out. The third Thursday of November marks the date of release of Beaujolais Nouveau. Yay! (Heavy sarcasim)
When it comes to wine, I love all types, and I am a hard core California wine geek. I'm the guy that loves to investigate random wine varietals, and unussual related alcohols. When I leave the State, my inquisitiveness increases, as does my thirst for wine knowledge. I've been reading others' tweets, blogs, and talk about Beaujolais. I've been ...
Read morePaso Robles Wine Weekend and The Paso Garagiste
Written by shawn on date 15 November 2011 in Wine Festivals
After a full year of many fun wine festivals and events, I found myself very excited about the inagural Paso Garagiste, on Nov 12th.I didn't know completely what to expect. As so few of these producers have tasting rooms, I knew there would be very few that I had any familariy. You will not find these wines at your grocery store, that's for sure!
We were told the event would take place at Windfall Farms in a horse stable. Now you may have a visual of Christmas lawn decorations, baby Jesus, and farm animals, or whatever your ...
Read morePaso Garagiste Nov 12, 2011
Written by shawn on date 07 November 2011 in Wine Festivals
As the Summer closes and we make our way through harvest, here comes fall, and a new style of wine festival. The Paso Garagiste has a whole new spin on what we think of when it comes to wine festivals.
On November 12, the grand tasting 2-5 PM, hosted at Windfall Farms in Paso Robles (Creston), will be an event celebrating, what I call the "mom and pop" winemakers, AKA the "garagistes." As their site explains, the garagiste is a term derived from France as a way to denigrate small lot winemakers, (often producing in the garage) who refuse to ...
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