Uncorked Thoughts

Welcome to my Uncorked Thoughts page!

One of my favorite things to do is enjoy a great bottle of wine with friends and family. It wasn’t always this way: I was raised by parents who frowned on drinking alcohol. But then again, I had a Grandfather who distilled a legendary moonshine during Prohibition.

My fascination with wine all started on a visit to Bordeaux in 1985. We connected with an old high school friend who owned a Chateau in the wine region. He introduced D’Aun and I to the joys of great wine. When I got home from the trip I built a rickety wine rack in our basement and began collecting.

Since folks seem interested, I’ve posted my thoughts on various wines. But these are not straightforward wine reviews. You can grab those online in a variety of places. Instead, I enjoy telling stories about the wine experience: how I came across the wines, why I tried them, perhaps where and when I tasted them, and what I liked or disliked about them.

Enjoying wine is more than just a decision about what tastes good or bad, it’s an experience to be enjoyed as you pause from the pace of life. Sometimes an average wine is improved by fascinating conversation; sometimes a great wine is wasted on monotony. Those are the stories I hope to tell.

All wine reviews have their bias. I’m unapologetically a lover of red wines from California, but I’ve had amazing wines from Oregon, Washington, and many other places. The European wines have lost their overall appeal to me and I seldom buy them anymore. Not to say there are no good ones; I’m just biased toward California.

Of course some reds are way overrated. I have yet to taste a Merlot worth more than $25 a bottle, so it has its place but not with a gourmet dinner. I do not understand why people drink Pinot Noir; to me it tastes like a combination of fruit juice and Pop Rocks.

I like white wines. For me, white wine is all about pairing it with the right food. A good Rose, a simple Prosecco, or a glass of dry Sauvignon Blanc can be great with appetizers. A crisp Chardonnay with salmon….delicious. And Viognier goes great with Thai food.

Okay, so those are my biases. Or at least some of them. Now, on to the stories.

Six Great Thanksgiving Wines

Ten Good Thanksgiving Wines

Entwine Wine — from our vineyard!

The first sip … how it all began

Ovid Vineyards

Tierra Roja

Wine Buying Tips by Vintage

De-Mystifying Extreme Wine

Vine Hill Ranch

Wine Party Taste Test

Harvest Contest 2014