I drank a little history the other day. The occasion was a tasting of all 11 years of Shafer Vineyards‘ Relentless wine, an 80-20 blend of syrah and petit sirah named in honor of Shafer’s dynamic winemaker Elias Fernandez. A tasting like that is called a vertical, for obvious reasons. It’s interesting from a...
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I first visited Shafer Vineyards in 2002. Back then, I knew even less about wine than I do now. For one thing I wore a floaty skirt and slides. Just the thing for walking through the vineyards. For another, as I recall, I merely smiled vaguely when offered a glass of Hillside Select. OK,...
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I’ve covered the wine industry for a decade, but always from the business end. Facts, figures, and farming trends? Yes. Distinguish a Pinotage from a Pinot noir? Not so much. So I didn’t hesitate when I recently had the chance to take the weeklong course “Mastering Wine I” at the Culinary Institute of America, Greystone....
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