Archive for September, 2011

Sonoma: A Wine Odyssey

September 28, 2011 - No Comments by - Drinking Now, Feature


Restrained. Not a word you’d usually associate with Californian wine. And yet, here we were, drinking a succession of decidedly unshowy whites at the Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg, Sonoma.

This is not the first time we’ve been here and  – given its distance from grey old London – we always splash out on the tasting menu with wines. It’s one of Mr. SipSwoosh’s favourite things to do in one of his favourite places in the world.

However, I don’t remember the white wines being quite this reined in when we were last here, three years ago. (more…)

A Leaf-Kicking Wine

September 28, 2011 - No Comments by - Tasting Notes


What’s the best way to describe a wine?

It seems there are now two schools of thought. (more…)

Where Every Grape Is Sacred

September 22, 2011 - 1 Comment by - Feature


They don’t put out spittoons at the end of the tour of the Opus One winery in California. When you are presented with a glass of the latest vintage, maybe the assumption is that, if you’ve paid $40 for the privilege, you won’t want to waste a drop of this cult wine.

(more…)

Wild About Barrel-Fermented Sauvignon

September 2, 2011 - No Comments by - Tasting Notes


In a nation awash with Oyster Bay, I find it hard to get excited by Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc anymore.

Unless it has been fermented in oak and sat on its lees (the dead yeast deposits from fermentation). (more…)