This is an old Wine-Flair.com post but it offers a lot of good advice for people looking to visit a winery this winter...which is a really fun thing to do since you probably aren't going to the beach (or as we say in Jersey, "down the shore. No matter where you live--in places as diverse as Ohio, Virginia or New Mexico--you'll probably have your own version of "wine country," often with some unique offerings, for sure some local flavor and color (in both the literal and figurative senses) and places…

I’ve just tried two very different but very delicious Paso Robles gems. Here they are: Folkway Revelator 2016: This Bordeaux-like blend sells for about $25 (or less) and is about half Cabernet Sauvignon, one quarter Cab Franc and one quarter Merlot. Deep red, very balanced with noticeable but polished tannins and flavors of black cherry, coffee and cocoa. Villa San Juliette Chorum Reserve Red 2014: A truly extraordinary and almost unheard-of blend of 32% Syrah, 16% Grenache, 14% Petit Verdot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 12% Alicante Bouschet, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and…

Here are some great sparkling wines from France, Italy, USA, Argentina, and South Africa. I drink them all (not at the same time)...and so should you! Philippe Gonet Extra-Brut 3210: Bone-dry on purpose. The label “3210″ means 3 years of aging, 2 terroirs, 1 grape variety, and 0 dosage. About $70 if you can find it. Try! (My favorite Champagne in the world.) Pere Ventura Tresor (Treasure) Cava Brut Rosé: A subtle wine that doesn’t bowl you over with strawberries, nicely dry, made with 100% Trepat grapes. $14-17. Mionetto Prosecco…

I've recently written about wines from Bolivia, but in looking for them recently I came upon some spectacular ones from Uruguay--Tannat, yes, but also Marselan, also the name of the variety and the varietal, and both from Bodega Garzón. The massive winery has a capacity of 2.2 million liters (581,000 gallons or agout 2.9 million bottles, and is the first sustainable, LEED certified (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) winery outside North America, following the strict requirements set by the United States Green Building Council.  And in November 2019, Bodega…