Archive for the ‘Millie Howie’s Reviews’ Category
Saturday, June 11th, 2011
In literature on the tasting, the book most often cited as a reference is unquestionably “Taste” of Emile Peynaud (available from the same publisher, now in its 4th edition).
The publisher has released a consumer version, accessible mainly in terms of price, as the share resumed publishing seems important, and the reader quickly understands why the book is so often described as an “unavoidable”.
The emphasis is on sensory approach to tasting: more detail than any technique, the authors put us in a condition that we can move forward. As such, the title of the chapter “Difficulties of tasting and mistakes of the senses” speaks for itself.
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Tags: book, Review, tasting, wine
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Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
Do not be afraid of the image that opens this article. I am well aware of being in a site dedicated to wine and that the figure seems a long way from this kind of argument. It’s actually really very “distant”, about 7000 light years, which, in other words, it means that the light of what you see, who travels to the remarkable speed of 300,000 kilometers per second, well it took 7000 years to reach us. But the thing you see is by no means small. The white segment at the bottom left indicate the size of 2000 AU, which means 2000 Astronomical Units. Recalling that the astronomical unit (equal to the distance between Earth and the Sun) is 150 million km, one gets that this segment is 300 billion miles, more than one billion, billion less. Me you might say, “Yeah, okay, but never got to do what with the food or the wine?”. Got to do, got to do. Another moment of patience.
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Tags: fermentation, grapes, Review, wine, winery
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Saturday, April 16th, 2011
During the height of Merlot’s popularity some ten to twelve years ago, wineries and grape growers were clamoring to plant and/or produce more and more Merlot. In the race to meet demand, there were countless acres of Merlot planted in mediocre appellations using undesirable clones. Needless to say, the resulting wines were often thin … lacking character, balance and structure. It is not surprising that consumers are somewhat skeptical of Merlot today, and realize they must select their wines carefully.
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Tags: pinot, Review, Russian River valley, Sonoma County, wine
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Saturday, April 16th, 2011
The response to our 2000 Chardonnays has been incredible. After receiving multiple 90+ scores from the Wine Spectator, Wine & Spirits magazine and the California Grapevine for our Russian River Valley and Westside Farms Chardonnay releases, we now proudly offer one of our most coveted and highly anticipated release of the year … our 2000 Rochioli Vineyard Chardonnay. Clearly, the quality and reputation of the Rochioli Vineyard has been well documented, and those who have experienced wines produced from this vineyard need little convincing. They simply grow some of the finest fruit in the Russian River Valley, and that quality shows in the wines bearing their designation.
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Tags: Chardonnay, river Valley, rochioli vineyards, russian, Wine review
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Monday, October 4th, 2010
When a man has spent more than 60 years guiding grapes to their ultimate triumph as fine wine (usually red!) there is no way he is going to sit back and watch the seasons roll by without having a hand in the winemaking process. So, it comes as no surprise that John Parducci, with partners Jim Lawson and Bill Carl, is now the owner of the former Zellerbach Winery, just south of Ukiah in Mendocino County.
While John owns no vineyards, and says he never will, with his new custom crush operation, some of the finest grapes grown in Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Napa and Mendocino County from 24 of the most respected growers, find their way to the tidy little winery on McNab Lane. “It’s quite a vote of confidence,” says John, “that all these growers are bringing their grapes here.” Winery activities rest in the capable hands of John and his teammates: Rick Parducci, his grandson; Jess Tidwell, winemaker, and Marty McAvoy, cellarmaster, with a few extra bodies during peak periods.
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Tags: grapes, John Parducci, Mendocino County, Napa, process, Vineyards, wine maker
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Sunday, October 3rd, 2010
Every now and then Lady Luck comes calling. Take the case of Dick Sherwin, a multi-talented professional whose activities included publication of Wine World Magazine. On a business trip to San Francisco in 1968, he happened to buy an amateur winemaking kit. The wine he made from the kit, he confesses, was pretty terrible, but he had been bitten by the wine bug.
By 1970 he was making regular visits to Sonoma County and on one of his trips he made another buy, purchasing a piece of vineyard land, on Lytton Springs Road, in Healdsburg (CA). The 50 acres of vineyard, which he named Valley Vista, was planted with 50-year-old Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. “From a practical standpoint,” he admits, “the vineyard purchase was not a good idea.” From the standpoint of sheer luck, we hit the jackpot.” Winemakers vied for the grapes, which produced big, fruity wines, and for years Ridge Winery built a reputation for outstanding, full-bodied Zins, using Valley Vista grapes.
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Tags: fruity wines, Sonoma County, Valley Vista grapes, vineyard land, winemaking kit
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Saturday, October 2nd, 2010

old timer
There is a group of wine personages who started getting together at informal luncheons in 1989. They call themselves, simply, the Old Timers, and that’s what they are – wine industry pioneers who have weathered the storms of Prohibition, phylloxera, the Great Depression and all the curves that Mother Nature has chosen to pitch at them. The roster contains a lot of familiar wine names: Sebastiani, Mondavi (both Peter and Bob), Martini, Pedroncelli, Rossi, Gallo, Seghesio, and Foppiano. Those invited to lunch fit the two requirements: over 25 years in the wine industry and over 70 years of age. Most are well past 80, and Ernest Gallo has marked his 91st year.
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Tags: Foppiano, Gallo, Martini, Millie Howie's Reviews, Mondavi, old brands, old wines, Pedroncelli, Rossi, Sebastiani, Seghesio
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Friday, July 2nd, 2010
Red Bizeljcan PTP (P riznano radicionalno P oimenovanje T) is the result of several years research experts of the Institute of Agricultural and domestic wine. It is a basic blend of varieties of velvety blackness, Blue Franc and Pinot Noir. As in cvičku Red is also less Bizeljčanu PTP% white varieties. Winegrowing Sremič Bizeljsko-known for extremely high-quality sites, where the grapes are perfectly ripe.
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Tags: grapes, notes, productions, Red Bizeljcan PTP, Review, tastes, Wines
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Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
There is a winemaker in the Russian River valley who is marking her ninth Pinot Noir vintage this year, and she seems to have charmed this recalcitrant grape into allowing her to produce wines that sell out as soon as the waiting world hears another is on the way. Eugenia Keegan, owner and winemaker of Keegan Cellars is the person whose name is on the label of these Pinot Noirs, and that’s all that many people need to know before heading to their favorite wine shop.
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Tags: Keegan Cellars, Pinot Noir, recalcitrant grape, vintage, Winemaker
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Thursday, June 17th, 2010
If you fancy fine wines, are delighted to spend an overnight or more in a cozy bed and breakfast, enjoy walking through acres of flowering and fruiting plants, and find joy in browsing displays of tantalizing foodstuffs or racks of unique gift selections, you will find any or all of the above when you visit the Fetzer Vineyards Tasting Room and Visitors Center at Valley Oaks just east of Hopland. And, lest you fear there will be large crowds and little elbowroom, you’d be only half right.
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Tags: Fetzer Vineyards, Millie Howie's Reviews, Review, tour
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