Monthly Archives: January 2023

We thought of the yin and yang of couples after we interviewed David and Nadia Sadie, rising stars in the fast-emerging Swartland wine region of South Africa, for our Valentine’s Day column. Not only are their heights very dissimilar but their outlooks and personalities seem quite different, too, yet sweetly meld.

The Santa Margarita Ranch AVA was approved by the TTB in 2014 and encompasses approximately 18,300 acres. It is the southernmost sub-AVA of Paso Robles and physically separate from all the other sub-AVAs. There are other growers, but to date Ancient Peaks is still a “Monopole” in terms of wineries.

Villa Venti was founded in 2002 by Mauro and Davide Giardini, and its vineyards are planted solely with native Romagna varieties. The winery is certified organic and follows biodynamic methods.

Located right between the historic cities of Split and Dubrovnik, Komarna is located on the Dalmatian coast. Vines hang from impossibly steep slopes that face the deep blue Adriatic. Komarna is the youngest wine region in Croatia, it was only officially approved by the government in 2013. 

As the fourth most planted red grape in the world and the third most planted red grape variety in France, Syrah or Shiraz (depending on location, style, and type) possesses vibrant dark skin with an excellent full-bodied roughness. While its origins remain open to interpretation, several different theories exist.

Age can be a wonderful thing, in people and in wine. If they’re lucky, it can imbue them with wisdom, a clearer sense of what they were meant to be, as well as a validation that choices turned out well. We thought of that recently when we tasted two Fiddlehead Cellars Grüner Veltliners, the 2017 Estate and the 2015 Bebble Reserve, made by Kathy Joseph, the pioneering founder and winemaker of Fiddlehead Cellars in the Sta. Rita Hills of Santa Barbara. 

The Morgan family have played an important part in the development of the Santa Lucia Highlands and their winery has been recognized for the quality from the begining with their very first Monterey Chardonnay earning a Gold Medal at the LA County Fair and a Platinum Medal from Wine & Spirits Magazine. Since then, they have won many awards including the prestigious “Winery of the Year” honors from Wine & Spirits in 1996 and from the San Francisco Chronicle in 2003.