Scott Greenberg

The Vine Guy's annual Thanksgiving wine review

Every year, Cindy and I look forward to Thanksgiving with a mixture of excitement and dread. It is by far and away our favorite holiday, because we get an opportunity to spend the day with family and friends and celebrate with great food and wine. But the problem is that the traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes so much variety that different dishes end up competing for space on both your plate and your palate at the same time. This can provide a challenge when it comes to pairing wines on Turkey Day, since most people don't have the time to find the perfect bottle that'll work with everything. It's even hard for us to agree on the right wine to serve. Well, this year we decided to...

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The Vine Guy: Chalk one up for Chalk Hill

Have you ever had a notion that you just believed to be true? A theory that you clung to without evidence or proof? Just a little idea that seemed harmless, yet totally authentic. Like the idea that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. Or that there is life on other planets. Or the ridiculous theory that Chalk Hill Estates makes wines other than chardonnay. Why that's just crazy talk. Well, that last one I was pretty sure of, at least until I sat down a couple of months ago with Chalk Hill Winery co-owner Peggy Furth for lunch and learned that I had been -- evidently -- living in my own private Idaho. Peggy calmly and politely -- she is a reformed lobbyist, so she's really good at making...

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The Vine Guy: Wines to say 'boo' to

Well, what do you know? Halloween finally falls on a Saturday night. And not just any Saturday night. It also happens that this year's frightfest occurs on a Saturday night when my own little goblins are all grown up and either out of the trick-or-treat mode ("Dad, it's so boring") or able to run amok in the neighborhood without a parent lumbering a safe-but-discreet distance behind ("Dad, you're not actually going to tag along, are you?"), snagging the Butterfingers and Snickers out of their little plastic pumpkins like a bizarre electromagnet, finely tuned to the frequency of miniature candy. No, this year's Halloween festivities actually can provide kids of all...

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The Vine Guy: Silly names for serious wines

I like words. I like puns and double entendres. I like to play with words, twisting and spinning them into a tangle of silly missives and significant pontifications. Scrabble is my Chinese checkers, and the crossword puzzle is my chessboard. Yes, indeedy-do. I like words. Most of all, I like to take creative license with words. That's why I am in awe of winemakers who like to turn a playful phrase when it comes to naming their wines. For example, I recently wrote about a series of wines by Kim Longbottom, the producer of Henry's Drive, who names all of the wines in her portfolio based on a postal theme. My favorite name of that particular series -- which, unfortunately, is not...

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The Vine Guy: The special delivery wines of Henry's Drive

What's in a name? Evidently, if you're Kim and Mark Longbottom, a remarkable line of wines whose names all are derived from a long honored pastime: mail delivery. The winery's identity, Henry's Drive, takes its name from the 19th century mail coach delivery service that once ran through the Longbottom's property. Kim, who evidently loves a good play on words, branded the different wines in their portfolio based on the postal theme, including Dead Letter Office, Pillar Box (a nod to the free-standing letter boxes found throughout Great Britain) and the newest line, Morse Code. The Longbottoms carried the postal theme onto their labels as well, using sepia tones for the Henry's Drive...

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The Vine Guy: The magical world of Krug Champagne

Once a year I get to write about a remarkable, extravagant wine-oriented opportunity that is completely decadent in nature and frivolous by definition. For example, two years ago, I wrote about an extraordinary dinner I had with Manfred Krankl, the winemaker/owner of Sine Qua Non, and Robert Parker Jr., the renowned wine critic. Last year, I had the good fortune to have the founder and head winemaker of Ravenswood winery, Joel Peterson, and his son to our home for a retrospective tasting of his wines dating back to the early 1980s. Unfortunately, most of the wines we sampled from these two events are not commercially available. So why write about these one-of-a-kind experiences? I...

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The Vine Guy: The wonderful world of white Burgundy

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the love/hate relationship I have with the red wines of Burgundy. As I reported, red Burgundies, produced exclusively from the pinot noir grape, can be a fickle mistress, susceptible to blistering in the heat of the sun and prone to mold in a cool, damp environment. But in the end, when the conditions are just right, there are few wines that can match their beauty. Except for maybe white Burgundies. White Burgundy wines, unlike their red-bred counterparts, are slightly more reliable when it comes to consistency and production. Made from the ubiquitous chardonnay grape, white Burgundies take on a completely unique personality compared with their domestic...

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Prosecco: Italy's gift for hot summer days

Well, it's another typical August day in Washington: hot and humid -- like living in the mouth of a dog ... except without the doggie breath. When it gets this sticky outside, it would be nice to be have a wine you can rely on to help you cool down on the inside. Fortunately, Washingtonians can take a break from the heat with a wine that has been helping wine-savvy Italians cool down for decades: Prosecco. Prosecco isn't just a wine, it's also a grape varietal and a place. In short, it is a white wine -- usually sparkling -- made from the Prosecco grape which is grown in and around the village of Prosecco in the Veneto region of Italy, just a short one-hour drive north of Venice. The...

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The Vine Guy; The magic of J Vineyards

I recently looked up "delicious," "stylish" and "elegant" in the dictionary and I was shocked to discover that none of these words begins with the letter "J". Now I know that technically they don't begin with the letter "J," but I just thought that since all of the wines that I have sampled from J Vineyards were delicious, stylish and elegant, the winery must be named for one of these adjectives. But, obviously, I was wrong. It turns out that J Vineyards & Winery was started in 1986 by Judy Jordan -- note, both her first and last names begin with the elusive letter -- in the cool-climate Russian River Valley, located just outside of...

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Drinking naked: Unoaked chardonnays

Drinking naked is not as naughty as it sounds. The expression is actually a wine term of art that was coined by Australian winemakers. It refers to chardonnay wines that have been made without any oak. Other idioms include virgin, au natural, in-the-buff and birthday suit. You have to love Australian humor. The first wines -- both white and red -- to be intentionally vinified by the ancient Romans were made and stored in clay jugs. As the Romans moved throughout Europe and the Middle East, a sturdier vessel was required to withstand the long journeys, so wooden barrels were fashioned to transport the wines. This new method quickly gained popularity for both its durability and for the...

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A love affair with red Burgundies

One of the most maddening wines to fall in love with are the red wines from the Burgundy region of France. Aside from the fact that the proprietary pinot noir grape is a persnickety varietal -- thin skinned and temperamental -- great vintages in Burgundy are rare enough to be celebrated when they occur. The good news is that the quality of red Burgundies is on the rise thanks, in large part, to the improvement in winemaking techniques and a consolidation of plots in the famed vineyards of the legendary wine region. Pinot noir originally gained popularity in the Burgundy region sometime around the first century. It originally was thought that Roman conquers brought the noble grape with...

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The Vine Guy: Michael Westrick's sterling reputation

I once read a quote that said, "if you carry a corkscrew, the wine will present itself." have done my best to live by these words, carrying a wine opener with me wherever I go (you?d be surprised at how many corkscrews I have had to leave behind at airport security). On occasion, I get very lucky and more than just a bottle of wine will "present itself." For example, several weeks ago, there was a knock at the door and lo and behold, an entire winemaker appeared. OK, so maybe Michael Westrick's arrival wasn't completely out of the blue. After all, I had been looking forward to my evening with the vice president of winemaking for Napa Valley's renowned Sterling...

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New Zealand Wine Caucus highlights good taste, good prices

The annual Friends of New Zealand Wine Caucus recently hosted its third annual "Capitol Hill Wine Tasting" which showcased more than 30 wines from the island nation. I look forward to this event each year because I inevitably find value-oriented wines that feature great fruit, structure and acidity. In addition, I always enjoy speaking with New Zealand's Ambassador, Roy Ferguson, who is equal parts diplomat and wine enthusiast. Best of all, these wines arrive just in time to quench the thirst of palates parched by the summer heat. New Zealand, located in the southern hemisphere just east of Australia, is blessed with a diverse number of growing regions -- thanks to the dramatic...

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The Vine Guy: Summer Sippers to enjoy

Like a good fire extinguisher, a cache of crisp, refreshing wines always is a useful thing to have on hand. After all, you might not have to use a fire extinguisher often, but when you do, you'll be glad you have one around. And even though we've been lucky with the summer weather in our area this season so far, it will eventually heat up -- and when it does, like a fire extinguisher, you'll be prepared with a few wines that are within reach to help you cool down on a warm summer evening on the porch or an afternoon picnic in the park. Here is an assortment of wines to keep your internal temperature from hitting the boiling point. Best of all, at less than $15 a bottle, these...

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The Vine Guy: Bodega Septima by Codorinu

What do you do when you are one of the oldest families in the wine industry, known the world over as a famous producer of Cava and still wines in Spain and already have six -- count them, six -- wineries in your empire? Why, start another winery -- this time in Argentina, of course. That's what happened in 1999 when the internationally acclaimed Codorn’u Group -- owned entirely by the Ravent—s family since the 16th century -- from Spain decided to develop their seventh project in the acclaimed Mendoza winemaking district of Argentina. The Septima winery, Spanish for "seventh," was created to produce modern wines that reflect the uniqueness of the land and remain true to the...

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The Vine Guy: An A-plus for B Cellars

What happens when you become old enough to start drinking -- and liking -- the wines made by the children of the winemakers you grew up with? Well, after the initial shock wears off, you take stock of your own age as well as the age of the wines in your cellar. Then you marvel at how the wines seem to carry on some of the characteristics you adored in the first generation yet admire the nuances added by the second. This is the experience I recently enjoyed when I had the opportunity to taste through the wine portfolio of B Cellars, a small, artisanal winery in Napa Valley, Calif. The winemaker, Kurt Venge, is the son of legendary winemaker/consultant Nils Venge of Saddleback Vineyards...

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The Vine Guy: The Quality Wines of Robert Kacher Selections

There are a lot of wines out there. Some are great and some are not so great. Without a fair amount of dedicated research or a lot of trial and error, it can be difficult to consistently find good wines at a fair price. That is, unless, you happen to have a trusty guide, with a nose for value-oriented wines, to point you in the right direction. The good news is that Robert Kacher -- or Bobby, as he is known inside the trade -- has just such a nose. Fortunately for the wine world, Bobby eschewed a traditional education and instead learned about wines while backpacking through the wine-producing regions of France. His education included more than just tasting wine. He learned about the...

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Gift Ideas for Wine Dads

How does Father's Day sneak up on me like this every year? Now I have to scramble to get the ripe bananas out and whip up a batch of banana nut bread so I can overnight it to my dad in time for Sunday. But what about my husband, the Vine Guy? You'd think that a bottle of wine would do the trick, but I've used that theme for too many gift-giving events and I am sure that by now he is suspecting a serious lack of creativity on my part. Furthermore, the typical Father's Day gifts -- as hawked by the traditional retailers -- such as a tie, golf shirt or power tool also suggest a deficiency of imagination in the process. To avoid the last-minute panic resulting in that aforementioned hideous...

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The Vine Guy Paris travelogue: Part three

The next morning we were off to the ancient city of Caen and the beaches of Normandy. Rail Europe provides several convenient trains a day, and in less than two hours, we were exploring the ancient cathedrals and cobblestone alleyways. A trip by city bus out to the new Memorial de Caen (Peace Museum) put the ravages of war in perspective and set the mood for our journey the next day when our guide, Anne Marie, drove us 25 miles out of town toward the beaches. The weather was appropriately cool and rainy — setting the stage for a solemn day. Our first stop, much to our surprise, was the German cemetery. The German plot is much smaller and more austere than its American counterpart....

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The Vine Guy's Paris travelogue: Part two

We started the next day of our trip back at the south leg of the Eiffel Tower, where we met our guide, Crystal, for the Fat Tire Bike Tour (arranged through Viator at viator.com). The four-hour tour is a fun way to see Paris from the street point of view. The bikes are comfortable, the ride is easy and there is a short break in the middle to give riders a chance to grab a snack. Bike About Tours (bikeabouttours.com) offers more intimate guided rides with a maximum of 10 people and takes you to popular sites, as well as less traveled hideaways. After a late lunch, we made our way to the Paris Vision tour office on Rue du Rivoli where Viator had arranged for us to take one of the famous...

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The Vine Guy: A family trip through Paris

As wine writers, we are always looking for the best of both worlds: where to take our three very-active boys — ages 11, 13 and 15 — while checking out the wine scene in a location abroad. Fortunately, Maison de la France, the public relations arm that encourages French tourism, came to our rescue this year when we attended one of their press luncheons and decided that Paris would give us our proverbial cake and let us eat it too. We picked an airline with a reputation for having the most comfortable coach seats (and also provided both individual in-seat entertainment systems — important for the boys, and access to power ports — critical for parents with laptops...

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The Vine Guy: Dancing back into the spotlight

It took a big leap to go from toe-tapper to grape-stomper, but that is the graceful transition legendary dance performer Rodney Strong made in 1959 when he and his longtime dance partner, Charlotte Ann Wilson, married and moved to Tiburon, Calif., to begin a new life. In 1962, Strong purchased vineyard land and an old winery in Windsor. His wine, made from estate-grown grapes, eventually garnered so much attention that he was able to raise enough equity to buy land in Sonoma County — which at the time was still known more for prune orchards than for grape vineyards. Throughout the years, the vineyard operation grew. So did demand for investor return. As production picked up, many...

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