Tablas Creek on "A Long Pour: Fifty-Two Weeks with California Wine"

I have noticed a backlash recently among writers passionate about wine against what might be termed the tyranny of the tasting note.  In the view of these writers, the stilted language and the inherent subjectivity of the wine review is a distraction from the real business of telling a story

Grapes of the Rhone Valley: Counoise

Perhaps the grape question we hear most frequently at wine events and in our tasting room is “Counoise? What’s Counoise?” Even the Wall Street Journal joked a few years ago about Counoise’s obscurity in an article about blends. Yet the grape is a component of many Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines,

Grapes of the Rhone Valley: Grenache Blanc

This article is the first in what will be an ongoing exploration of the principal varietals of the Rhone Valley.  A version of this article first appeared in the Tablas Creek newsletter. Overview Grenache Blanc is the fourth most widely planted white grape in France. It produces rich, full wines

Found Food Photos: Miner's Lettuce

As those of you who have been following the blog regularly know, we've had a wet winter this year.  These last two weeks have been a beautiful interlude in the rainy weather, but we're excited to see the return of the el nino-influenced pattern next week,

A Dewy Morning on Adelaida Road

I had to head out to the vineyard early Sunday morning to get my wine for the Paso Robles Rhone Rangers Experience.  It was, as is not unusual at this time of year, foggy downtown (Salinas Valley fog, come up from the cold waters of the Monterey Bay) but clear

Tasting the wines in the spring 2010 wine club shipment

Each spring and fall, we send out six wines to the members of our VINsider Wine Club.  With each shipment we include a little update from our wine club director, an order form, and, of course, production and tasting notes for the six wines in the club shipment.  As these

Vineyard pruning 2010, and a chance to fill in missing vines

With a letup in the rain that is supposed to last about a week, we're taking the opportunity to get out into the vineyard to prune where we can.  In addition to allowing us to shape the vine and control the next year's yields, pruning stimulates

Bubble, Bubble: Bordeaux in Trouble (Again)

By Robert Haas While I am no longer working as an importer, I have been following with interest the ongoing price correction in the Bordeaux markets. I thought that one of the best articles was Mitch Frank’s recent Diageo Dumps Bordeaux in the February 28th issue of the Wine

All Things Consumed: 2009 Epicurean Highlights, From A to Z

[Tommy Oldre is Tablas Creek's national sales manager.  This is the first entry in "All Things Consumed," an occasional chronicle of some of the highlights of eating and drinking around the country.  Follow Tommy's journeys through the world of food and wine on Twitter:

In Search of a Green(er) Wine Bottle

I spent this past week with winemaker Neil Collins up at the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento. Unified (as everyone in the industry calls it) is the country's largest wine and grape trade show, with 12,000 attendees visiting booths from about 600 vendors representing the