Exploring the Wine Glass

Winephabet Street; S is for Sangiovese

Welcome to Winephabet Street! Today the letter of the day is S and it stands for Sangiovese.  There are several wineries in Paso that specialize in Italian varieties, but I decided I wanted to go straight to the source for the podcast.  I decided to choose a Chianti Classico Reserva from Natale Verga. I paid a mere $15 for this wine and I was blown away by its quality. In fact, I went back and bought more.

We would love for you to uncork, unscrew or saber a bottle  and Join Debbie and I as we discuss the history, general characteristics food pairings and fast facts of this Italian grape!

Our Wines + Your Moments = Great Memories

Join our wine club. The Chalk Club 3 bottles of Dracaena Wines 2x per year. Choose between all red or red and rose'. 

Thoughts or comments? Contact Lori at dracaenawines@gmail.com.

Please like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dracaenawines

Find us on Twitter, Instagram , Pinterest, Google + and Snapchat (@dracaenawines)

Want to watch some pretty cool livestream events and wine related videos. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Find out more about us and our award winning Paso Robles wines on our website.

Looking for some interesting recipes and wine pairings? Then head over to our wine pairing website.

Thanks for listening and remember to always PURSUE YOUR PASSION!

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Wacky World of Wine

We have a different type of episode for you today! My awesome Fresno friend Nick Berube joined me for some silly time.  There has been quite a bit of wackiness in the wine world lately, so we thought we would have a little fun and share these stories with you. 

Before you listen, I must tell you, when Nick and I get together, we do have a great time. We laugh a lot and the snarkiness level increases significantly. We hope you enjoy our silliness in what we hope becomes a regular here on the podcast. I am sure the world of wine will continue to provide us with the topics to laugh at. 

Our Wines + Your Moments = Great Memories

Join our wine club. The Chalk Club 3 bottles of Dracaena Wines 2x per year. Choose between all red or red and rose'. 

Thoughts or comments? Contact Lori at dracaenawines@gmail.com.

Please like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dracaenawines

Find us on Twitter, Instagram , Pinterest, Google + and Snapchat (@dracaenawines)

Want to watch some pretty cool livestream events and wine related videos. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Find out more about us and our award winning Paso Robles wines on our website.

Looking for some interesting recipes and wine pairings? Then head over to our wine pairing website.

Thanks for listening and remember to always PURSUE YOUR PASSION!

Please support us by finding out more about our sponsors:

Favorite 'Unkown' Wine Region; Wine Writer WrapUp

Today on Dracaena Wines Podcast we are talking about wine regions.  I called upon some of my wine writing friends to talk about the least known wine regions that they love to drink.  I pose the question “What makes a wine region known or unkown?” Is it all just how much they are on social media? So today, I ask you to come out of your comfort zone and go grab yourself a bottle from one of these wine regions. We provide some tips about how you can find wines that you may enjoy even if you are not familiar with the region and of course, as always, we end in a riddle!

As you are listening, if you could take a few moments to leave us a review. Let us know what you think about the podcast and what topics you would like us to discuss in the future! Thank you and I hope you enjoy! Slainte!

If you would like to watch the recap of the livestream, please click here. 

 

RIDDLE:

Never resting, never still

Silently moving from hill to hill

I do not walk, run or trot,

But all is cool where I am not

ANSWER BELOW 

Our Wines + Your Moments = Great Memories

Join our wine club. The Chalk Club 3 bottles of Dracaena Wines 2x per year. Choose between all red or red and rose'. 

Thoughts or comments? Contact Lori at dracaenawines@gmail.com.

Please like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dracaenawines

Find us on Twitter, Instagram , Pinterest, Google + and Snapchat (@dracaenawines)

Want to watch some pretty cool livestream events and wine related videos. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Find out more about us and our award winning Paso Robles wines on our website.

Looking for some interesting recipes and wine pairings? Then head over to our wine pairing website.

Thanks for listening and remember to always PURSUE YOUR PASSION!

Riddle answer: The Sun

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Peter Weber of Cork Quality Council

Today is a Dracaena Wines on Wine installment and I am honored to have interviewed Peter Weber, President of the Cork Quality council.

The Cork Quality Council is a nonprofit organization founded to promote education and improve quality assurance performance for the wine and cork industries. We discuss the biology behind a cork tree, how cork is produced and that nasty little thing we all are familiar with, cork taint.  Through this council, research has been performed to help improve the quality of cork. 

On their website, www.corkqc.com, you can find out more about sustainability, the cork forests, cork harvesting and production and wine aging. 

According to 100% Cork, "While the relationship between wine and cork is rooted in centuries of tradition, and the romance and rituals that have evolved around opening a bottle of wine are treasured by wine lovers everywhere, winemakers are above all about making great tasting wines, and the simple fact is, and the simple fact is, cork makes wine taste better.

Our Wines + Your Moments = Great Memories

Join our wine club. The Chalk Club 3 bottles of Dracaena Wines 2x per year. Choose between all red or red and rose'. 

Thoughts or comments? Contact Lori at dracaenawines@gmail.com.

Please like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dracaenawines

Find us on Twitter, Instagram , Pinterest, Google + and Snapchat (@dracaenawines)

Want to watch some pretty cool livestream events and wine related videos. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Find out more about us and our award winning Paso Robles wines on our website.

Looking for some interesting recipes and wine pairings? Then head over to our wine pairing website.

Thanks for listening and remember to always PURSUE YOUR PASSION!

 Please support us by finding out more about our sponsors:

 

Winephabet Street; R is for Roussanne

Welcome to this week’s podcast. Today we are back on Winephabet Street and Elmo’s letter of the day is R.  We are taking your to the Rhone Valley for this episode and are talking all thing Roussanne. Roussanne is a white wine grape grown that is often blended with Marsanne to make quality wines. It is one of the few white varietal grapes that are grown in the highly regulated Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Hope you enjoy the episode. We would greatly appreciate it if you scrolled down to rate and review our podcast so that other people can find us!

Our Wines + Your Moments = Great Memories

Join our wine club. The Chalk Club 3 bottles of Dracaena Wines 2x per year. Choose between all red or red and rose'. 

Thoughts or comments? Contact Lori at dracaenawines@gmail.com.

Please like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dracaenawines

Find us on Twitter, Instagram , Pinterest, Google + and Snapchat (@dracaenawines)

Want to watch some pretty cool livestream events and wine related videos. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Find out more about us and our award winning Paso Robles wines on our website.

Looking for some interesting recipes and wine pairings? Then head over to our wine pairing website.

Thanks for listening and remember to always PURSUE YOUR PASSION!

Please support us by finding out more about our sponsors:

Cabernet Franc in South Africa

Welcome back to another Dracaena Wines podcast!. Today we are talking South Africa. I have to admit that South Africa does not come to the forefront of my mind when mentioning Cab Franc, but that is what was great about this Franc & Franc conference. We got to see so many expressions of our beloved grape!  Once again, we are with Peter McCombie as he leads us through the wine regions of South Africa and three Cabernet Francs.

I hope you have enjoyed these past few weeks of Cabernet Franc! It is an incredible grape variety and is definitely more than a blending grape! Thanks for listening. Before we get into the podcast,  I’d like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! May this upcoming year be a  joyous and prosperous one and filled with exceptional wines!

Slainte!

Our Wines + Your Moments = Great Memories

Join our wine club. The Chalk Club 3 bottles of Dracaena Wines 2x per year. Choose between all red or red and rose'. 

Thoughts or comments? Contact Lori at dracaenawines@gmail.com.

Please like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dracaenawines

Find us on Twitter, Instagram , Pinterest, Google + and Snapchat (@dracaenawines)

Want to watch some pretty cool livestream events and wine related videos. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Find out more about us and our award winning Paso Robles wines on our website.

Looking for some interesting recipes and wine pairings? Then head over to our wine pairing website.

Thanks for listening and remember to always PURSUE YOUR PASSION!

Please support us by finding out more about our sponsors:

California Cab Franc; No Longer in the Shadow of its Progeny

In this episode I am continuing to share my experience in Villany Hungary. This week, it is our turn. I began our Cab Franc moment by talking about the status of Cab Franc Day on social media and then Michael elaborated on the status of Cabernet Franc in California in a speech entitled California Cabernet Franc; no longer in the shadow of its progeny.  

Slainte! 

Our Wines + Your Moments = Great Memories

Join our wine club. The Chalk Club 3 bottles of Dracaena Wines 2x per year. Choose between all red or red and rose'. 

Thoughts or comments? Contact Lori at dracaenawines@gmail.com.

Please like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dracaenawines

Find us on Twitter, Instagram , Pinterest, Google + and Snapchat (@dracaenawines)

Want to watch some pretty cool livestream events and wine related videos. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Find out more about us and our award winning Paso Robles wines on our website.

Looking for some interesting recipes and wine pairings? Then head over to our wine pairing website.

Thanks for listening and remember to always PURSUE YOUR PASSION!

Please support us by finding out more about our sponsors:

Ximena Pacheco and Chilean Cab Franc

Welcome back to this week’s Dracaena Wines podcast!. We are still in Villany talking about my favorite grape variety. Today, you’ll be listening in to Ximena Pacheco winemaker and owner of Pulso Wines in Chie.  I was intrigued to hear about the wine region and of course how Cabernet Franc is expressed there. Plus, we got to taste her wines! She truly is a wonderful individual and I look forward to when our wine paths cross again! 

Our Wines + Your Moments = Great Memories

Join our wine club. The Chalk Club 3 bottles of Dracaena Wines 2x per year. Choose between all red or red and rose'. 

Thoughts or comments? Contact Lori at dracaenawines@gmail.com.

Please like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dracaenawines

Find us on Twitter, Instagram , Pinterest, Google + and Snapchat (@dracaenawines)

Want to watch some pretty cool livestream events and wine related videos. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Find out more about us and our award winning Paso Robles wines on our website.

Looking for some interesting recipes and wine pairings? Then head over to our wine pairing website.

Thanks for listening and remember to always PURSUE YOUR PASSION!

Please support us by finding out more about our sponsors:

Peter McCombie on Cabernet Franc

In last week’s episode, I brought you to the Siklos Castle in Villany. I hope you had  a chance to see some of the photos on our podcast homepage found at bit.ly/ListentoDracaena. This week, I am giving you the all access pass to the conference itself.  In today’s episode, Peter McCombie, a Master of Wine, consultant, speaker, educator, trainer, writer and judge, talks about Cabernet Franc around the world. I truly enjoyed spending time with Peter, He is full of interesting stories… both wine and non wine! Slainte!

Our Wines + Your Moments = Great Memories

Join our wine club. The Chalk Club 3 bottles of Dracaena Wines 2x per year. Choose between all red or red and rose'. 

Thoughts or comments? Contact Lori at dracaenawines@gmail.com.

Please like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dracaenawines

Find us on Twitter, Instagram , Pinterest, Google + and Snapchat (@dracaenawines)

Want to watch some pretty cool livestream events and wine related videos. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Find out more about us and our award winning Paso Robles wines on our website.

Looking for some interesting recipes and wine pairings? Then head over to our wine pairing website.

Thanks for listening and remember to always PURSUE YOUR PASSION!

Please support us by finding out more about our sponsors:

Siklos Castle in Hungary

I was a guest of the Villany wine region's Franc & Franc symposium over Thanksgiving weekend.  We were treated to an opening event at the Siklos Castle (Fortress). 

The castle was built by Baron János György Benyó in the 13th century in the town of Siklós in the southern part of Hungary near Pécs. It was first mentioned in a charter from 1294. The oldest building is in the southern part of the residential wing. After the original family died out it became the property of the Garai family. In 1401 disgruntled nobles led by Count György II Benyóvszky temporarily imprisoned king Sigismund in the castle. By the 16th century the next owner was the palatine (viceroy) Imre Perényi. From 1728 Siklós belonged to the counts of Batthyány. Legend has it that a giant snake guarded the treasures in the basement. The castle also houses a chapel built in the 14th and 15th centuries. The castle was built and owned by the Benyóvszky de Siklósvar branch of the family until it was nationalized in 1948. (from Wikipedia)

I wish this was a videocast so that you could see the place as I did. But I hope you enjoy listening to the history of the Fortress and these photos. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Wines + Your Moments = Great Memories

Join our wine club. The Chalk Club 3 bottles of Dracaena Wines 2x per year. Choose between all red or red and rose'. 

Thoughts or comments? Contact Lori at dracaenawines@gmail.com.

Please like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dracaenawines

Find us on Twitter, Instagram , Pinterest, Google + and Snapchat (@dracaenawines)

Want to watch some pretty cool livestream events and wine related videos. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Find out more about us and our award winning Paso Robles wines on our website.

Looking for some interesting recipes and wine pairings? Then head over to our wine pairing website.

Thanks for listening and remember to always PURSUE YOUR PASSION!

Please support us by finding out more about our sponsors:

Slainte!