Adega Northwest Tempranillo

Adega Northwest Winery
Adega Northwest Winery. Click here for tasting notes. I have posts on all of these wines. Just search for Adega.
Adega Northwest Tempranillo 2015

When most of us think of a winery, what usually comes to mind is the romantic stereotype of a rustic but exquisite barn situated halfway up a mountain in the western U. S. overlooking a bucolic valley below; a fabulous hundred-years old chateau surrounded by ancient vines somewhere in France; or perhaps even a charming azienda agricola in Italy with a view of Roman ruins. But that’s not the only way to do it.  Adega Northwest of Portland, Oregon, is very much an urban winery.  There are vineyards, of course, you just won’t see them if you pay the winery a visit (by appointment only).  And because they are not tied to an estate, Adega Northwest can and does draw on sources throughout the region. Continue reading “Adega Northwest Tempranillo”

Butaud Tempranillo

C.L. Butaud Farmhouse Vineyards Tempranillo 2021. 
C.L. Butaud Farmhouse Vineyards Tempranillo 2021.   Click here for tasting notes.

C.L. Butaud Farmhouse Tempranillo 2021

Texas isn’t the first place that comes to mind when most people think about wine, especially “serious” high-quality wine. And yet, Texas is fifth in the nation in both wine production and consumption. The history of grape growing in the state goes back at least to the 1660s, when Franciscan monks planted Mission grapes adjacent to their missions.* Today, Texas is home to a number of American Viticultural Areas, or AVAs; the two most prominent are the Texas High Plains AVA around Lubbock in northwestern Texas, and the Texas Hill Country AVA in central Texas west of Austin.

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Zinio Rioja

Terroir de Zinio Tempranillo Reserva Rioja 2018.
Terroir de Zinio Tempranillo Reserva Rioja 2018. Click here for tasting notes.

Terroir de Zinio Tempranillo Reserva Rioja 2018

Located in the heart of the renowned Rioja Alta region, Bodegas Patrocinio is a cooperative winery that has been a vital part of the Spanish wine landscape since 1985. Bodegas Patrocinio crafts wines using traditional Rioja grapes like Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano, which are available under various brands: Señorío de Uñuela, Zinio, Sancho Garcés, and Lágrimas de María.

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Adega Northwest Winery

Adega Northwest Winery
Adega Northwest Winery. Click here for tasting notes.

Adega Northwest Winery

When most of us think of a winery, what usually comes to mind is the romantic stereotype of a rustic but exquisite barn situated halfway up a mountain in the western U. S. overlooking a bucolic valley below; a fabulous hundred-years old chateau surrounded by ancient vines somewhere in France; or perhaps even a charming azienda agricola in Italy with a view of Roman ruins. But that’s not the only way to do it.  Adega Northwest of Portland, Oregon, is very much an urban winery.  There are vineyards, of course, you just won’t see them if you pay the winery a visit (by appointment only).  And because they are not tied to an estate, Adega Northwest can and does draw on sources throughout the region. Continue reading “Adega Northwest Winery”

Matchbook Wine Company

Matchbook Wines Tempranillo 2008 and Matchbook Wines Old Head Chardonnay 2009. Click here for tasting notes.
Matchbook Wines Tempranillo 2008 and Matchbook Wines Old Head Chardonnay 2009. Click here for tasting notes.

Matchbook Wines

Founded in 2006, Matchbook Wine is owned and operated by a pair of proprietors with impressive resumés in the wine business.

John Giguiere, with his wife Lane and brother Karl, started R.H. Phillips Winery in 1983 on land that was part of their family farm in the Dunnigan Hills of northwestern Yolo County, 30 miles east of the more-famous Napa. Over the course of 20 years, the Giguieres grew R.H. Phillips from a family winery of 10 acres and a few cases into a publicly-owned behemoth producing 900,000 cases of wine on 2500 acres, including the best-selling Toasted Head and EXP as well as R.H. Phillips.

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