Supporting independent craft wineries.

1809, 2023

Beyond Tokaji – Pushing the Boundaries of Hungarian Wines

By |September 18, 2023|Categories: Featured, Industry, Marketing and Sales, News, Origin Stories|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Hungary’s 22 wine regions offer a variety of wines of remarkable value. Three of Credo’s latest imports push the boundaries of traditional winemaking. […]

1409, 2023

Foothill Wine Festival Competition Announces Results

By |September 14, 2023|Categories: California, Featured, Industry, Local Wine Events, News|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

The Foothill Wine Festival team is pleased to announce the results of the 2023 competition sponsored by Choose Folsom. The competition was held in Folsom on September 9th and 10th. […]

1906, 2023

Dominic Mantei – Winemaking Adventurer

By |June 19, 2023|Categories: Industry|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Northern California native Dominic Mantei embraces the adventure of making wine at Kaya Vineyard and Winery in Georgia’s Dahlonega Plateau. […]

904, 2023

Beneduce Vineyards – Fear not the Umlaut

By |April 9, 2023|Categories: Featured, Industry, News|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

In February 2023, I traveled to New Jersey to visit a few of their top wineries. One was Beneduce Vineyards, where I met owner/farmer/winemaker Mike Beneduce for a comprehensive – and impressive – portfolio tasting – plus an engaging conversation about winegrowing and winemaking. […]

304, 2023

The 4th Annual International Cabernet Franc Competition Announces Results

By |April 3, 2023|Categories: California, Featured, Industry, Local Wine Events, News|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

The 4th Annual Cabernet Franc Competition, founded and sponsored by Michael Kelly of California Wines & Wineries, took place on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at The Golf Club at Copper Valley in Copperopolis, California. […]

102, 2023

Life-changing Tokaji Furmint

By |February 1, 2023|Categories: Digest, Featured, News, Origin Stories|Tags: , , , , , , |

My introduction to Tokaji Furmint was in 2020 – the 2018 Wetzer Tokaji Furmint – a dry white with some botrytis influence made in a minimalist style (native yeast, unfiltered, unfined). I wrote about tasting it – and won one of the categories in the 2022 Hungarian Wines Web Wine Writing Competition.

2001, 2023

Villány Underground – Péter Bakonyi of Bakonyi Pincészet

By |January 20, 2023|Categories: Digest, Featured, News, Origin Stories, Q&A|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

The first day of my November 2022 trip to the annual Franc & Franc Forum in Villány, Hungary, we arrived late due to flight delays. Our guide asked my group if we wanted to skip the tastings to freshen up at the hotel and join everyone at dinner – or attend the tastings, but arrive at the first tasting a little late. I had been awake for about 36 hours, but I said yes to the tastings. […]

1012, 2022

Bells Up Winery – The End of the Beginning

By |December 10, 2022|Categories: Digest, Featured, Industry, Marketing and Sales, News, Oregon, Origin Stories, Q&A|Tags: , , , , , , |

In August 2021, I met Sara and Dave Specter of Bells Up Winery for the first time during a media visit that was a bit more formal – a sit-down tasting and interview with them both.

312, 2022

Youngberg Hill’s Wayne Bailey – Farmer First

By |December 3, 2022|Categories: Digest, Featured, Industry, News, Oregon, Origin Stories, Q&A|Tags: , , , , |

In late October 2022, I visited Youngberg Hill in Oregon’s McMinnville AVA. It is a gorgeous 50-acre property with a historic inn atop the hillside, surrounded by astounding views and meticulously farmed, organic and biodynamic vineyards planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris.

112, 2022

7th FRANC & FRANC International Cabernet Franc Forum

By |December 1, 2022|Categories: Digest, Featured, Industry, News, Origin Stories|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Fast forward to 2022. Villány is the primary red wine region of Hungary, which is becoming increasingly well known for producing its signature wine, Cabernet Franc, thanks to the area’s sub-Mediterranean climate, loess and clay soils, and innovative producers who are making Villányi Franc in a variety of styles.

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