Viticulture 101: Wine grapes are asexual ~ and Slide Ridge
Now that I’ve got your attention: yes, it’s true that wine grapes are asexual… Thankfully bees have plenty of other plants to pollinate, even if they don’t have to pollinate wine grapes. WineMaker...
View ArticleBatonnage of a new sort at River Road Family Vineyards and Winery
Batonnage, the stirring of lees after fermentation, at River Road Family Vineyards and Winery (RRFVAW) is performed by winemakers Joe Freeman and Ed Morris in a new fan-dangled way. It’s also important...
View ArticlePuncheons continue to become more popular for use in winemaking
In a story by my writing buddy Larry Walker, which was publised in Wine & Vines, Larry wrote a story entitled “How Big Is Your Barrel?” It was written in February 2006, and Larry quotes barrel...
View ArticleRiver Road Family Vineyards and Winery’s Energetic and Talented Winemaking Duo
This is a very interesting pair of young men, whose combined talents come together seamlessly, creating a respectful symbiosis in the wine cellar at River Road Family Vineyards and Winery… All of this...
View ArticleA Post Harvest Chardonnay Vineyard, what’s it all about, Joe Freeman?
My partner in all things Jose Diaz, and River Road Family Vineyard and Winery’s winemaker Joe Freeman explore what happens to a vineyard after all the grapes of that season have been harvested. Listen...
View ArticleWinemaker trepidation is pretty common when it comes to wine writers + some...
Winemaker trepidation is pretty common when it comes to wine writers Working with tons of winemakers, through my 20 years of being in the wine business, I’ve seen many winemakers fear what’s going to...
View ArticleGustafson Family Vineyards with Winemaker Emmett Reed
Gustafson Family Vineyard has been a favorite on Wine-Blog, because both owner Dan Gustafson and winemaker Emmett Reed have gone out of their way to over deliver. Both articulate gentlemen are very...
View ArticleMiro Tcholakov of Trentadue Winery Talks Winemaking from the Vineyards
There are two separate segments with this interview between Jose Diaz of Diaz Communications and Miro Tcholakov, the winemaker for Trentadue Winery. Miro makes wine for both Trentadue Winery and also...
View ArticleRiver Road Family Vineyards and Winery: In a Post Harvest Chardonnay Vineyard...
My partner in all things Jose Diaz and winemaker Joe Freeman of River Road Family Vineyard and Winery explore what happens to a vineyard after all the grapes of that season have been harvested....
View ArticleSteve Hall of Robert Biale Vineyards talks about how great wine begins in a...
Steve Hall of Robert Biale Vineyards has that very easy, very comfortable way about him; and he uses that accessible trait to describe meticulous details of his craft… Namely: working with vineyard...
View ArticleTartan Wines and Scottish Roots
Tartan Wines and Scottish Roots … I’m going to start with Scottish Roots. You’ll perhaps understand why I was very curious when approached to taste Tartan Cellars’ wines. With the early help of a...
View ArticleWinemakers worst handicap and those who detest it
Ah… Winemakers Being a champion of the underdog has always been a calling. It stems from being one myself, and it was Life Lesson # 2. Life Lesson # 1 comes at the age of two, when we don’t get our own...
View ArticleMiddleton Family of Wines Harvest Update from Washington and California
The following is a report from winemaker Kendall Mix of the Middleton Family of Wines. Historically, the Middleton family has been in business in Washington since the 1890s. “Our family has been...
View ArticleThe Carmenere Wines of Chile from the Cachapoal Valley
FIRST THE ACCOMPANYING BOOK: The Carménère Wines of Chile, from the Cachapoal Valley, originally published in 2009. Class act: Along with these three wines pictured below, I also received “Red Grapes,...
View ArticleDecember in Wine Country ~ Have a Look
[Paperwhite flowers are a typical December bloom. Photo by Jo Diaz.] The beginning of December – this season – has been beautiful weather wise and visually. I’m now in the Mayacamas Mountains, above...
View ArticleWines of the Week, from Casillero del Diablo from Chile
A Red and a White, under Blue skies… What more can we ask of summer? Good wine, you say? Yeah, I’m with you on that one. RED: 2016 Reserva Casillero del Diablo Merlot WHITE: 2016 Reserva Casillero del...
View ArticleAberrant’s Winemaker Eric Eide tells it like it is in Oregon for the past month.
Working with great winemakers is delightful. Just as the days when I was in rock radio, there were stars that I constantly rubbed shoulders with, now the stars are winemakers. When moving to...
View ArticleA Day in the Dust Like “You Had to Be There, Man” ~ Rutherford Dust Society
[ALL PHOTOS were taken by Jo Diaz; with the exception of Barbara Lyons Stewart, who gave her photo for use.] Earlier I wrote a story titled Rutherford Dust Brought Karen MacNeil Squarely Into My...
View ArticleCastello di Meleto: Gaiole in Chianti – Tuscany, The Adventure Begins with a...
[PHOTO: Antonia Caserta of Castello di Meleto. All other images in this story were taken by Jo Diaz.] Day 1 – Flew into Rome as a guest of both Castello di Meleto in Gaiole ~ In the Chianti Classico...
View ArticleMalolactic Fermentation in Reds Wines – Best Explanation Ever
Winemaker Patrick Melley of Russian Hill Estate Winery just answered this question of Malolactic Fermentation. And for wine beginners (or intermediates, like me), this doesn’t get any better. As one...
View Article
