Travel Spots

Previous Posts

http://www.redwineplease.com/wines-from-the-abruzzo-region-of-italy-and-the-masciarelli-family/

Wines from the Abruzzo Region of Italy and the Masciarelli Family

Tenute Agricole Masciarelli was established in the Abruzzo region of Italy in 1981 by Gianni Masciarelli, starting with about 5 acres of vineyards owned by his grandfather. Things would grow rapidly from there, as Gianni introduced a reserve level Montepulciano d’Abruzzo in 1984. He bought more vineyard land, expanding the comany holdings. Throughout the vineyards

Continue reading Wines from the Abruzzo Region of Italy and the Masciarelli Family

http://www.redwineplease.com/from-good-to-brilliant-carmenere-from-chile/

From Good to Brilliant: Carmenere from Chile

The Carmenere grape has had quite an interesting history, especially in Chile. Originally a mainstay in Bordeaux, the grape fell out of favor and by 1994 there were less than 25 acres under vine. At the same time, more or less, there was another area of the world where the grape still grew in abundance,

Continue reading From Good to Brilliant: Carmenere from Chile

http://www.redwineplease.com/a-wonderful-barbera-from-one-of-our-favorite-barolo-producers/

A Wonderful Barbera From One of Our Favorite Barolo Producers

Some years ago we toured the Piemonte region of northwest Italy. It was a dream trip, full of lakes and mountains, wonderful people and amazing food and wine. As part of the adventure, we spent a few nights in Alba, using it as a base to visit Barolo and Barbaresco and taste classic wines from

Continue reading A Wonderful Barbera From One of Our Favorite Barolo Producers

http://www.redwineplease.com/some-excellent-napa-valley-wines-from-coquerel-and-a-big-little-wine-shop-in-raleigh/

Some Excellent Napa Valley Wines from Coquerel, and a Big Little Wine Shop in Raleigh

We recently took advantage of a local wine tasting in Raleigh, N.C., and tried some wines from a Napa producer we were not familiar with. The wine shop hosting the tasting was also not known to us previously, so it was a great chance to make two discoveries in one trip. The experience was excellent

Continue reading Some Excellent Napa Valley Wines from Coquerel, and a Big Little Wine Shop in Raleigh

http://www.redwineplease.com/a-little-piece-of-wine-heaven-at-paradigm-winery-in-napa-valley/

A Little Piece of Wine Heaven at Paradigm Winery in Napa Valley

The last winery stop on our recent trip to Sonoma and Napa Valleys was one of our best. We were heading back to San Francisco later in the afternoon for an early flight the next morning, but had time to visit Paradigm Winery in Oakville. On the west side of highway 29, the vineyards at

Continue reading A Little Piece of Wine Heaven at Paradigm Winery in Napa Valley

http://www.redwineplease.com/superior-red-wines-from-turnbull-in-napa-valley/

Superior Red Wines from Turnbull in Napa Valley

Our journey through Napa Valley would continue as we worked our way south, in this case to the AVA of Oakville. Oakville is roughly in the middle of the valley, and home to some pretty iconic wineries. Names like Opus One, Heitz Martha’s Vineyard, Groth, Harlan, and Robert Mondavi’s To Kalon Vineyard dot the

Continue reading Superior Red Wines from Turnbull in Napa Valley

http://www.redwineplease.com/wine-and-food-at-clif-family-winery-in-napa-valley/

Wine and Food at Clif Family Winery in Napa Valley

Our journey through Napa Valley continued at a winery we are quite familiar with but have never visited, Clif Family Winery. Winemaker Laura Barrett crafts the wines at Clif Family, from organically grown grapes in the estate vineyards, and with selected grapes from other growers. The Clif Family estate vineyards have been expanding, and she

Continue reading Wine and Food at Clif Family Winery in Napa Valley

http://www.redwineplease.com/the-sonoma-napa-trip-into-napa-and-canard-vineyard/

The Sonoma/Napa Trip – Into Napa and Canard Vineyard

After three days in Sonoma Valley, Cheri and I took the mountain road through the Mayacamas Mountains and emerged in Calistoga, in the fabled Napa Valley. Home to some of the world’s most iconic wines, the history here, as in Sonoma, is long and rich. There is a rivalry between the two, jokingly alluded to

Continue reading The Sonoma/Napa Trip – Into Napa and Canard Vineyard

http://www.redwineplease.com/the-2022-sonoma-trip-a-check-in-with-seamus-wines/

The 2022 Sonoma Trip – A Check In with Seamus Wines

We’ve reviewed the wines from Seamus several times over the past few years. They’re made by Jim Foley Jr. in the Sonoma Valley. Using relationships Jim Jr. has developed over years, he sources grapes from premier vineyards and produces small batch wines of high quality. A comprehensive review from several years ago is here, and

Continue reading The 2022 Sonoma Trip – A Check In with Seamus Wines

http://www.redwineplease.com/sonoma-2022-visit-to-foppiano-vineyards/

Sonoma 2022 – Visit to Foppiano Vineyards

Foppiano Vineyards has a rich history in winemaking. Located in Healdsburg, in the northern Sonoma Valley, the winery goes all the way back to 1896. The vineyard and winery is still owned and operated by the Foppiano family. They’ve seen a lot over the years, from Prohibition to the Great Depression, World Wars, fires and

Continue reading Sonoma 2022 – Visit to Foppiano Vineyards