Tasting Notes Exceptional 2023 Miro Grenache, Mendocino County, “Cuvée Sasha” ($26/see below): Cranberry, pomegranate, a perfectly balanced medium-syled red with moderate tannins. The 14.5% alcohol is transparent. Pure deliciousness. Double gold meda… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – you may login here. If you aren’t a subscriber, sign up here to get full … Continue reading “Tasting Notes”
Dan Berger
Tasting Room Experiences
By Dan Berger For decades, tasting wine in a winery was something you did just to determine the style of wine a winery was making or what a particular grape variety did when it was turned into a potable. Throughout Napa and Sonoma there was almost ne… Want to read more? If you’re already a … Continue reading “Tasting Room Experiences”
The Glory of Diversity
By Dan Berger I know all too well that Jerry was only trying to help me when he suggested that my failure to use numbers to evaluate wine would end up costing me a lot of money. It was 1988. Two years earlier, I had moved to Santa Rosa from San Diego… Want to read … Continue reading “The Glory of Diversity”
Zinfandel is Alive
By Dan Berger The weakness that we have seen throughout the California wine industry over the last three years, which continues to frustrate long-existing fine wineries, may be analyzed microscopically in any number of different ways. Some of it com… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – you may login here. If … Continue reading “Zinfandel is Alive”
Horrors! Wine at the Wold Cup?
https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/07/beckham-shamed-for-drinking-red-wine-at-the-world-cup/… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – you may login here. If you aren’t a subscriber, sign up here to get full access.
Additional Tasting notes
Exceptional New Clairvaux This name is that of a monastery that’s home to Trappist-Cistercian monks. It is based in a town called Vina, which is outside of Redding, Calif. A complete story on this amazing project will be published here soon. But the … Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – … Continue reading “Additional Tasting notes”
More About Sugar, and Warnings
By Dan Berger For several decades, I have been opposed to putting ingredient labels on bottles of wine. My main reason for such opposition is that government authorities, usually go overboard and require things on labels that make no logical sense an… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – you may … Continue reading “More About Sugar, and Warnings”
Lying To Sell
By Dan Berger In his new politically oriented book, Liar’s Kingdom, attorney Andrew Weissmann discusses people who brazenly lie in public statements and the legal implications of political lying over the last decade. The book explains that it is agai… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – you may login here. If … Continue reading “Lying To Sell”
SB Blind Tasting
One final tip-off to the increase in Sauvignon Blanc pricing came from a recent blind tasting of 12 2025 SBs conducted by a private group of Sonoma County winemakers. The average winery price of the wines, all of them from Sonoma County, was just ove… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back … Continue reading “SB Blind Tasting”
Sauvignon Bland Inflation
By Dan Berger In the life of every grape variety that has made its way into the star spot of image by becoming the varietal name on wine bottles, there are at least two stages of life—infancy and maturity. And, of course, demise—such as white zinfand… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome … Continue reading “Sauvignon Bland Inflation”