When it comes to choosing a Syrah from its strict, mineral-rich, traditional home in the Rhone Valley, or its competition, the fresh-faced, fruit-forward California eye-candy, one would think that in a blind tasting the two wines are easy to define and name. The pair he sent me represented (he said) the northern Rhone and California. MORE >>

What a fabulous experience being at Hospice du Rhone 2011 (HdR2011). It was so nice to see winemakers we met in the Rhone Valley during "Discover Rhone" and meet new winemaker friends from Paso Robles, Australia, and Rhone style wine producers all around California. News hospice du rhone 2011 MORE >>

Now that I am off to Decouvertes en Vallee du Rhone next week, I was checking in with Wine & Spirits Educational Trust fellow-graduate Philip Reddaway, a former UK based adman (Mad Man?) who runs a very charming Inn called La Madelene with his wife (and chef) Jude in the Southern Rhone. You can read about it below. link]. link]. MORE >>

This is a tiny town in the Northern Rhone, famous for its red wine made from Syrah and white from Viognier. Today this is the Rhone valley's continuously operating winery. The residual sugar was 120 grams per litre yet it did not taste that sweet. Rhone News guy sarton du jonchay vidal fleuryThey are available in the U.S. MORE >>

So grab a glass of wine, throw another log on the fire, grab a sandwich, channel your inner wine geek, and listen to John opine on the topics of natural wines, zero dosage champagne, some pitfalls of collecting, 2007 vintage for Port and in the Rhone, the nobility of chenin blanc, the Piedmont producer Produttori del Barbaresco and more! MORE >>