Wine Tasting Archives | The Wine Stay

Sommelier — much more than a wine steward

Wine geeks share a language of their own. What exactly does it mean when a wine expert describes a wine as crunchy, chunky, or chewy? Okay, you know what chewy means, but … chewy wine? Instead of trying to decipher the qualities of a wine that is muscular or tight, leave it to the sommelier. What is a sommelier? Dictionaries describe a sommelier (pronounced suh MUL yay) as a wine steward, but the job …

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Passport Weekend Countdown — your ticket to Wine Country

The annual Passport to Dry Creek Valley is a weekend wine extravaganza. And it’s coming up Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28. Wineries go all out for Passport Weekend, now in its 30th year. If you love wine, you need to know about this favorite wine event. Passport Weekend 101 This casual, upscale weekend is about immersing yourself in the good life of Sonoma Wine Country. There are hundreds …

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Sonoma Barrel Tasting 2019 — enjoy a wine tasting adventure!

Don’t miss Wine Road’s 2019 Barrel Tasting event in Sonoma County. This is your chance to sample wines from the Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River valleys. But this isn’t like your typical wine tasting experience. Barrel tasting happens only once a year Each spring, the grapes that were harvested the prior year, usually late summer through fall, are ready for sampling. Winemakers regularly taste test their barrels during the …

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Cabernet Sauvignon – the perfect winter wine

When it’s chilly outside, wine drinkers tend to gravitate toward reds. And Cabernet Sauvignon places first among winter wine. That’s not to say you can’t enjoy whites or some bubbly in winter, but red wine simply has more appeal this time of year. Why? What is it about red wine in winter? Winter reds warm us up. They’re served at warmer temperatures, which brings out the fuller flavor of …

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3 Tips for Great Holiday Food and Wine Pairings – a sommelier shares his secrets

What are the best food and wine pairings for the holiday season? Whether you’re planning on visiting friends and family or nestling in at home this winter — here are a few rules of thumb and classic pairings to make sure your dinners don’t disappoint. 1. In cold weather, go for the bold wines in your cellar. Cold weather calls for a hearty meal — a creamy soup, a rich …

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Terroir and Fine Wine — romance, mystery, allure

You can’t get too far in Sonoma Wine Country or Napa Valley without hearing about a wine’s nose and legs. And, people in the know like to throw around the word terroir. The rest of us may avoid it, not knowing exactly what it means, or even how to pronounce it (say “tare war” like you have a mouth full of marbles). What is terroir, anyway? Well that, it turns …

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Passionate About Pinot — you gotta love Sonoma County’s Pinot Noir

What is it about Pinot that makes it so popular? Even those of us who are white wine devotees will welcome a glass of the alluring red. People are passionate about their Pinot. It’s French, of course Pinot Noir — “black pine” in French — hales from the Burgundy region of France, where it’s aptly named Burgundy. These Pinots are considered the top of the line for this varietal. The …

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Tips for a Memorable California Wine Tasting Tour

Touring around sunlit backroads, breathing in the fresh country air and stunning vineyard landscape, sipping on your favorite red or white varietal — that’s a great Californian wine tour for you. Though the journey itself is almost magical, it does take some planning in advance. You need to plan for your wine tour beforehand to book the ideal place to stay and the right reservations to sample the finest vintages …

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3 Organic Wineries in Healdsburg’s Dry Creek Valley

A little luck and a lot of art go into winemaking. Myriad factors affect the final product, from climate and weather conditions to pruning and cultivation of the vines. With so many variables, hats off to those wineries that eschew modern farming practices, which include pesticides and chemicals, for a back-to-basics approach to agriculture. Sonoma County’s biodynamic and organic wineries Not surprisingly, Sonoma County wineries are at the forefront of …

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