napa valley

In Cain I Trust17-06-2019

When writing about wine, everything digital is your best friend–right after a spittoon. A lightweight laptop, or in a pinch, the mobile, armed with either Google Keep for quick notes or Excel for longer tastings... more>

The Mas Doix – Lede Family partnership28-03-2019

In Priorat, you hear a great deal but often know very little. This was shown no better than hearing changes were afoot last year with Mas Doix in the village Poboleda but not really knowing... more>

The sale of Stony Hill, a unique corner of Napa Valley30-08-2018

Sales of wineries are the jet fuel for the wine news that let’s them drop their news bombs and if there’s one specific type of sale more fuel-y than others, it’s a small winery in... more>

Continuum: How the Mondavis pressed on14-05-2018

One of the grandest of sagas that took place in Napa Valley during the 20th century was the split between the original Mondavi brothers of Robert and Peter. Many a wine drinker will know the... more>

Seeing the Napa Valley of now26-03-2018

This past February, the impossible happened: I actually slept in Napa Valley. In fact, I slept seven nights and passed an entire week within the confines of these world-famous vineyards bracketed by the Mayacamas and... more>

A Judgment of Paris-y kind of tasting26-02-2018

The “Judgment of Paris” is one of those things that anyone the least bit tinged with wine will most likely never let go of. Big events in wine are often only big to wine people,... more>

Napa’s newest wine bar, Compline, opens02-10-2017

It’s something like 15 years now since I was working full time for a Napa Valley winery and back then, I was lucky enough to based in San Francisco for most my work. I say... more>

The last freakin’ article on the 40th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris12-07-2016

For anyone who follows wine news (and let’s be honest, that’s not a terribly large chunk of humanity) you’ll have seen countless articles about the 40th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris, the seminal wine... more>

The price and growth of vineyards in Spain20-11-2014

We’ve reached that point of the year where ESYRCE (the tip of the tongue acronym for “Encuesta sobre Superficies y Rendimientos Cultivos”) is releasing their official figures for 2014. In brief, everything is more or... more>

The dangers of making wine30-09-2014

Despite Russell Crowe wandering around vineyards and the work of making wine being seen through rose tinted glasses, it’s actually damned tough and at times, very dangerous. The earthquake in Napa Valley shook things up... more>