Sauvignon Blanc - deborahparkerwong

Wine Competitions Adopt AI Metrics for Transparent Results

February 3, 2025 deborahparkerwong Wine Competitions, Austria, Sauvignon Blanc, Südsteiermark, Wine, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting

New metrics shed light on scores and medals in wine competitions

Five Decades for California’s Class of ’72

October 18, 2022 deborahparkerwong Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Chardonnay, Napa Valley, Sauvignon Blanc, SOMM Journal, Sonoma

Of the California wineries celebrating their 50th birth year in 2022, six gathered to mark the occasion with a retrospective tasting at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena. Each dazzled us with three wines while reflecting on five decades of harvests and providing a snapshot of their current vintages.

Alpine Sauvignon Blancs of Styria

July 26, 2020 deborahparkerwong Austria, Sauvignon Blanc, Südsteiermark, SOMM Journal, Vulkandland Steiermark, Wine, winegrowing, Winemaking

It’s Sauvignon Blanc—not Grüner Veltliner—that’s the star of the show in Austria’s Südsteiermark DAC, a historic winegrowing region in the country’s southern state of Styria that has evolved rapidly over the last thirty years. The variety is grown at high elevation in all five of Südsteiermark’s sub regions and on steep slopes that rival those of the Mosel.

The Sauvignon Blancs of Concours Mondial du Sauvignon

April 9, 2020 deborahparkerwong Austria, Bordeaux, Chile, France, Loire Valley, Napa Valley, New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc, sensory, SOMM Journal, Wine

There is no better time to gauge the quality and stylistic range of Sauvignon Blanc than during the only international wine competition devoted solely to the variety: the 2020 Concours Mondial du Sauvignon, which unfolded in Touraine, France, in early March.

Falling hard for Petrichor

October 10, 2019 deborahparkerwong SOMM Journal, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Scent, sensory, sensory science, wine faults

The term petrichor was derived from the Greek words petra (stone) and ichor (the blood of the gods) by researchers Isabel Joy Bear and Richard Thomas in their 1964 paper “Nature of Argillaceous Odour” to describe the scent of rain.

Alto Adige’s mountains of earthly delight

May 1, 2019 deborahparkerwong Alto Adige, Italy, Sauvignon Blanc, Vineyard

Vineyards and apple orchards lie under the soaring peaks that surround Bolzano, the bustling center of Alto Adige, a pristine and autonomous region in northeastern Italy. Less than a two-hour drive from Innsbruck over the dizzying Brenner Pass, Bolzano is a study in contrasts; a place where Austrian and Italian cultures merge and Old and New World lifestyles converge.

Picchetti Winery scores big with 2017 Sauvignon Blanc

August 13, 2018 deborahparkerwong Arroyo Secco AVA, CA State Fair, California, Santa Cruz, Sauvignon Blanc, Vineyard, Wine

At first glance, this ethereal Sauvignon Blanc which is described by Mike Bruzus, associate winemaker at Picchetti Winery, as “almost color less, the palest straw” could be mistaken for water. But from the moment your nose comes within a few inches of the glass, there’s a rush of aromas, a jumble of fragrance that includes pink grapefruit, pineapple, gooseberry, honeydew melon, guava, lychee and mineral notes of wet rocks and saline. A precursor of what’s to come when you taste it and a certain indicator that this isn’t a “simple” wine.

Imagery repeats as CA State Fair California Winery of the Year

August 10, 2018 deborahparkerwong CA State Fair, Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Chardonnay, Enotourism, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma, Wine Competitions

In a repeat performance, Imagery Estate Winery founded by Joe Benziger in 1985 has been honored for the second year running by the California State Fair as the 2018 Golden State Winery of the Year. Benziger, who was at the helm for the 2017 award, has now retired but serves as guide and mentor for his second daughter Jamie Benziger, 31, who stepped up as winemaker in 2018.

Red blends: Greater than the sum of their parts

October 11, 2017 deborahparkerwong Argentina, Bordeaux, Bulk wine, California, Featured, Italy, Languedoc, Portugal, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, SOMM Journal, Spain, Trends, Winemaking

While researching the current popularity of blended wines in preparation for a talk at the 2017 International Bulk Wine and Spirits[…]

Q & A with CEO Sid Patel, The International Bulk Wine and Spirits Show

June 26, 2017 deborahparkerwong Bulk wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Carneros, Central Valley, Chardonnay, Languedoc, Lodi, Partnerships, Portugal, Provence, Restaurants, Rosé, San Francisco, Sauvignon Blanc, Sommeliers, Sonoma, Spain, Sparkling wine, Spirits, Trends, Veneto, Wine

San Francisco continues to be one of the world’s most important destinations for leading players in the wine industry, so it’s no surprise that a major conference dedicated to the private label and bulk trade is making its way to the city on July 26-27.