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Pamela S. Busch
Tasting Wine: Pinot a hard grape to grow, but payoff is sweet
- Pinot noir is one of the hardest grapes to grow. It is fickle and if not picked at the right time can seem too acidic, easily rot or produce over-ripe fruit. The irony is that with its current popularity, one would think that it was highly reliable and climatically flexible.
Tasting Wine: Digging in to the Central Coast white wines
- The other day I tasted nothing but California wines. This may not seem like such a big deal, after all, I live and work in San Francisco. However for me it was a rarity. Usually, on my tasting days, I meet with several wine distributors and importers, and taste a wide variety of wines from different places. On Wednesday, though, all 20 wines were made from various parts of California.
Tasting Wine: Certain red wines are perfect for the summer
- I often hear people talk about summer whites or referring to this time of year as rosé season. While I agree that warm weather ushers in an appetite for chilled wines, I also enjoy drinking red wine year-round.
Tasting Wine: Summer a fine time to crack open the bubbly
- Is it me, or does it seem like celebrations are no longer the sole reason for cracking open a bottle of bubbly? I see so many people — customers, friends and diners in other restaurants — drinking Champagne all the time. Granted, there are some things to celebrate, particularly birthdays. Still, I’ve noticed people ordering Champagne and other sparkling wines with the habitual nonchalance of getting a cup of joe in the morning.
Tasting Wine: Rosé is perfect for the holiday
- I know you’ve all been waiting for another rosé column, right? Since I’m writing this the day before the Fourth of July, and you will be reading it a day after, I am almost late in getting this to you. If you’ve read previous rosé columns and I’m being redundant, please accept my apologies. For those who have not read much about rosé, or are maybe a bit afraid of pink-colored wine, here are a few things to consider.
Tasting Wine: Check out Columbia Valley chardonnay
- The interesting thing about the Columbia Valley is that it straddles the border between Oregon and Washington. While the Washington side has more vineyard land and most of the wineries, Oregon is part of the story. But not this story; for the sake of focus, I’m going to stick to the Washington side of the border in today’s column.
Tasting Wine: Wine goes well with barbecue
- Just because I sold my charcoal grill in a garage sale doesn’t mean I believe everyone has to forgo this Fourth of July tradition. If there is one thing that unites Americans across all political lines, from sea to shining sea, it’s that barbecuing is A-OK. (Isn’t a propane tank kind of like the Prius of grills?)
Tasting Wine: Encouraging words about merlot
- In the last five years, merlot has become a pariah grape. It was bashed in “Sideways,” shunned by wine geeks (not all, to be fair) and supplanted by pinot noir as the new “must drink” wine grape.
Tasting Wine: Some Texas wine worth sampling
- Before prohibition, or so I was told, more wine was made in Texas than in California. I’ve been on a mission of sorts to find the best wines made in states other than California. The first leg of this journey took me to the Texas Hill Country of Fredericksburg, where I visited several wineries and tasting bars.
Tasting Wine: Some Texas wine is worth sampling
- Before prohibition, or so I was told, more wine was made in Texas than in California. I’ve been on a mission of sorts to find the best wines made in states other than California. The first leg of this journey took me to the Texas Hill Country of Fredericksburg, where I visited several wineries and tasting bars.
- Before prohibition, or so I was told, more wine was made in Texas than in California. I’ve been on a mission of sorts to find the best wines made in states other than California. The first leg of this journey took me to the Texas Hill Country of Fredericksburg, where I visited several wineries and tasting bars.
Tasting Wine: Wine that works with Tex-Mex
- I spent an extended Memorial Day weekend in Texas. Part of the reason for going was to check out the Texas wine country. Yes, California, wine is made in Texas. After two days in Fredericksburg, Texas’ most prominent wine region, I came to the conclusion that while Texas has potential, it is not there yet; I wish it was. A few folks are making some pretty good stuff. Still, the highlight of the trip was by far the Tex-Mex food.
Sami Hartsfield
Houston Legal Issues Examiner
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Houston Legal Issues Examiner
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