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Mrs. Wine Guy and I just got back from tasting wine in the Piedmont region of Italy (North West Italy).  Beautiful part of the world with outstanding wine  They are known for Nebbiolo especially from Barolo and Barbaresco, Barbara, Dolcetto, and Moscato D'Asti.  If you get a chance go you will not regret it. Three things I learned: #1: Not all Barolo is created equal. There are 11 sub-regions in Barolo.  Four of them (Cherasco, Verduno, Roddi and La Morra) have primarily sandy soil.  These tend to be aged in large neutral barrels so oak is not as apparent. Barolo from this area is fruitier, less tannic, and less complex than other sub-regions.   These are the areas that traditionalists believe produce the most accurate expression of what Barolo should be. Another two sub-regions, Barolo and Novello, are grown in soil that is a combination of clay and sand. They provide a more balance between fruit and tannin and are more complex than the wines grown in only sandy soil.

As is becoming our tradition Mrs. Wine Guy and I celebrated Valentines in Temecula California to do some wine tasting and relax.  This was our third consecutive Valentines, our fourth trip overall. As we did last year we stayed at the Inn at Europa Village   The inn is a 10 room bed and breakfast run by Chef Dean Thomas and his wife Nicole .  The rooms are what you would expect from a B & B, the breakfasts are amazing, and the views are fantastic.  Chef Dean also prepared our amazing Valentines day dinner served in the cave room of the adjacent Europa Village Winery. You can click on a link of Chef Dean describing one of his breakfasts here , and describing his Valentine dinner here. As far as wine tasting goes our overall impression is that wines from Temecula are overpriced, they plant vines as much if not more so that couples can get married at a vineyard than to produce great wine, the white wines are better than the red wines, and that the reds use lots of oak to cov

I published my 10 best a few weeks ago and I was asked what my lest favorite wines I tasted in 2016 were.  I guess the good news was there were very few wines I truly hated but 3 of them really stood out.  Just to let you know I only included wines that tried to be good not mass market wines like Barefoot, Apothic, and Menage a Trois.  In descending order of terrible: #3:  2014 Anakena Chardonnay (Chile)   Very little fruit, soapy tasting, overly acidic and a bitter finish. 72 Points. $10. #2: 2013 Petals Riesling (Germany) Cat Pee, Barn Yard and rotten fruit. If I made this wine I would get out of the business. Not good. 70 Points.  $9.   #1 2013 Pillsbury Symphony Goddess (Arizona) Ever buy a bottle of wine and say to your self "what was I thinking". This stuff has notes of rotting grass and soap suds. Unpleasant nose, unpleasant finish. Could be the worst bottle of wine I ha

Here is the list of my ten favorite wines I tasted in 2016 1)   2010 Binomio Montepulcian d'Abruzzo Riserva  $52 - 93 Points Rich, silky, dark, plum, cherry, smooth tannin with the perfect fruit intensity. Wonderful with my veal chop 2) 2012 Ayoub Pinot Noir Thistle Vineyard $45 - 92 Points Wonderful!! The perfect combination of cherry and earth. Very smooth with an outstanding finish. Wow! 3) 2011 Renieri Brunello di Montalcino $38 - 91 Points Smooth and Lush, blueberry, dark stone fruit, and leather. Wonderful balance. Paired wonderfully with marinara sauce and Italian sausag e. 4)  2012 Ayoub Pinot Noir Memoirs $45 - 91 Points  Fruity but not jammy, smooth, medium body. Cherry with a hint of pepper at the finish. Nice! 5)  2013 Joesph Phelps Pinot Noir Freestone Vineyards $44 - 91 Points  Outstanding wine that starts out a bit muted buy builds to an amazing finish. Red cherry, with a bit of leather and