Napa Valley accounts for less than 4 percent of America’s total wine production. Yet it’s the country’s best-known wine region.
Last week, nearly 400 wine writers gathered in Portland, Oregon, for the fifth annual Wine Bloggers’ Conference.
Whether you’re a veteran oenophile or a budding wine enthusiast, you’ve probably fallen into a wine rut at one point or another.
Most of the nation is still recovering from a brutal heat wave that shattered thousands of records and forced millions to stay indoors and crank up the air conditioning.
Thirty-five years ago, a British wine merchant named Steven Spurrier organized a wine competition in Paris, where he pitted California’s best Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons against the best wines that France had to offer.
Until five years ago, I assumed that wine fanatics were crazy. Sure, I enjoyed wine. But it was simply a drink — a beverage to enjoy with dinner from time to time.
Even wine geeks are intimidated by the leather-bound tomes that so many restaurants hand out. When the wine list doesn’t land on the table with a thud, patrons are still met with unrecognizable regions and producers. Plus, no matter where you dine or how much you know, prices can be senseless
