Category: Varietal Spotlight

Rising Star of the Sparkling Wine Constellation

Pet-nat, short for Pétillant-Naturel, is a natural sparkling wine that embodies the charm of minimal intervention winemaking, giving it a rustic yet appealing character.

A Fresh Trio of Pinot Noir

BÖEN offers three unique Pinot Noir selections that take your palate on a journey along the Pacific Coast, from Santa Barbara to Monterey to Sonoma’s Russian River Valley. 

“I” is for Incrocio Manzoni

A cross between two grapes —Riesling and Pinot Bianco — Incrocio Manzoni is a full-bodied, relatively scarce varietal and is most commonly found in the northern regions of Italy.

“F” is for Frappato

After enjoying the Erbaluce from the northwestern part of Italy, we move south to Sicily and begin our next adventure of the alphabet wine challenge with Frappato.

“E” is for Erbaluce

For the letter E, we wondered, was it going to be a region? Or, was it going to be a varietal? Would it be a red or a white? We awaited the big reveal, and then the big announcement arrived — Erbaluce from the Piedmont region of Italy!

“D” is for Dolcetto

Dolcetto, which translates to “little sweet one,” is actually not sweet at all and is a dry red from Piedmont in northwestern Italy.

“B” is for Barbera

The next wine in our alphabetical challenge is Barbera! Ah, Barbera. It is such a great food-friendly wine, and it is easy on the wallet, too!

“A” is for Albariño

Our local wine shop, Tacoma Wine Merchants, is hosting an alphabetical journey through the world of wine, featuring a different varietal or region that sequentially follows each letter of the alphabet. Introducing the first varietal: Albariño.

Summertime Grillin’ and Chillin’ with a Chilean

It’s a warm summer evening, and you have the grill fired up and your favorite tunes playing in the background. Check here for what wine you need to complete the scene.

Survive the Summer Heat with Elk Cove Pinot Gris

Last year, I gave kudos to King Estate Pinot Gris, a favorite white for me and my husband. Although I still have plenty of love for this wine, this past weekend we found another Oregon white that is now top on my list. Hats off to the Elk Cove 2015 Pinot Gris from Willamette Valley!