Becky Sue Epstein

Everywhere you go there is wine being made: should there be?

May 1, 2019

The Promise of Extreme Northern Wines -- One Case, Anyhow It seems to me that too many people are trying to make wine in extreme locations around the world. Case in point: I was quite surprised -- and somewh...

The Approachable Juggernaut Wine: 2015 Juggernaut Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon

Becky Sue Epstein

April 17, 2019

Tasting Notes

At the risk of sounding like a Captain Obvious, this is a juggernaut of a bottle: it’s taller, broader, and much heavier than the average wine bottle today, which lends the wine a certain feel of grandeur. In f...

Does this wine remind you of Sting? There’s a reason: 2016 “When We Dance” Chianti DOCG

Becky Sue Epstein

April 11, 2019

Tasting Notes

This is the wine that opened the mind of a white-wine-lover to red wines. (Go, Oliver!) From the beginning, he noticed it was a lighter color, and less likely to hit him over the head with the first sip. Wha...

Character without Attitude: 2016 Matchbook Estate-Bottled Petite Sirah

Becky Sue Epstein

March 20, 2019

Tasting Notes

So this French Canadian family moves from Quebec to California’s Central Valley over 150 years ago, in search of better land to farm. Fast forward to the 1970s when two brothers (descendants) come home from col...

NV Piper Sonoma Select Cuvée Brut

Becky Sue Epstein

March 6, 2019

Tasting Notes

While it’s always best to drink non-vintage sparkling wines within a year or two of release, I have a feeling this bottle was lost on a store shelf somewhere before I bought it – but it turned out to be wonderf...

Somm + Chef + Sweet Wine = More Fun. And A Cocktail

Becky Sue Epstein

March 1, 2019

Features

Somms are moving sweet wines all around the menu, from cocktails and classic first course pairings to refreshing intermezzo moments.

2017 Campi Flegrei Falanghina

Becky Sue Epstein

January 9, 2019

Tasting Notes

Delicate yet rich. On the nose there’s a slight flintiness but there’s also a delicate hint of tropical fruit which becomes more real and sweeter on the palate. A slight viscosity apparent in the mouth makes th...

2016 Colori Pecorino

Becky Sue Epstein

January 7, 2019

Tasting Notes

A wine with an extra dimension. Made with organic grapes, it starts out feeling almost oxidized, but this is typical of pecorino, whether or not it has been macerated on the skins for a while. This grape has an...

The Bitter Cup of Brexit

Two Winemaking Couples Embody Oregon Wine’s Spirit of Collaboration

A Giant Steppe in Vodka

Is This the Ultimate Summer Red?

NV Sumac Ridge Sparking Gewürztraminer – Okanagan Valley, BC

It’s Not Unusual to Love These Single-Serve Wines

Kin’s Quest for Booze-Free Euphoria

The Approachable Juggernaut Wine: 2015 Juggernaut Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon

Does this wine remind you of Sting? There’s a reason: 2016 “When We Dance” Chianti DOCG

Nikka Coffey Malt Whisky

Lone rider Sherry Cask Finish Bourbon