It is rare for a winery to make its mark after just three vintages. It’s even more rare to make that mark based on a grape used more often for blending than as a single varietal. Dracaena Wines has managed to stake its claim early as a winery to watch by doing both.
We are acutely aware how lucky we are to live on the West Coast. Living in this area provides unparalleled proximity to several world-class wine regions and we have been fortunate enough to have shared some very memorable experiences together. With Valentine’s Day looming, there are few things that pair better with romance than a great bottle of wine, particularly when shared over a great meal. Expand that date into a weekend away with a loved one and you’re virtually guaranteed to win his or her heart.
The Herbfarm Restaurant
Dining out in Wine Country is always a special treat, for many reasons. Wine can be terrific as an aperitif, but where wine really shines is at the table, alongside a well-prepared meal. Wine can bring out the best in food and food can bring out the best in wine. It is perfect symbiosis! Good wine and good food attract each other. Where you find lots of one, you will tend to find lots of the other.
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The chalkboard listing the wines at the Sparkman tasting room.
“Family. Good Livin’. Damn Fine Wine.” So reads the tagline at Sparkman Cellars in Woodinville, Washington. A bold statement by any winery let alone one that makes 29 different wines! But with a serious background in wine combined with a skillful winemaker situated in one of the up-and-coming wine regions in the world, they certainly seem to have all the ingredients to live up to that statement.
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The tasting room at Remirez de Ganuza
We had the privilege of touring and tasting at Remirez De Ganuza in the Spanish Denominacion de Origen (the Spanish term for viticultural region) of Rioja while we were a part of the Fine Vintage Tour of Northern Spain. Over the last 3 decades Remirez de Ganuza has experimented and come up with new techniques both in the vineyard and in the winery which have elevated their wines to the top echelons of Rioja and even earned a 100 point score.
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1996 La Grande Dame
In 1971, 12 growers in Champagne got together with an idea to make a special Champagne that would showcase their individual terroirs and their excellent wine making capabilities. For decades the Grande Marques (what the Champenois call the big, prestige producers) had been producing their tête cuvées which consumers knew were the best of their best. These would include Dom Perignon from Moët & Chandon, Comtes de Champagne from Tattinger, Cristal from Roederer, Cuvée Winston Churchill from Pol Roger and the like. These tête cuvées showed just how good Champagne could be when blended by the hands of a master. Blending grapes, sometimes from up to 60 different vineyards, showed the Grande Marque’s house style at its finest. As a response, these 12 growers decided to band together and create a special blend that showcased the very best of individual terroir from the Champagne de Vigneron (Champagne of Winegrower). These wines are called Special Club Champagnes.
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