Wine Tasting Notes of Nan & Michael
"Wine Lovers"
No. California & Oregon Wines and Wineries

It was over 10 years ago that we moved to Northern California and, being the wine lovers we are, began checking out the famous "California Wine Country."

At first, it was just an occasional visit. But before long, we were hooked! Every weekend we could get away, we headed for the Wine County.

Over the years, we've tasted literally hundreds of wines. Some of them were excellent, some were so-so ... and a few wines made our toes curl!

We've visited large, well-known tasting rooms such as Beringer, Mondavi, Kendall-Jackson, Wente, as well as tiny, family-run Wineries that we often stumbled upon by accident.

We've met and talked with winery owners and winemakers in Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Livermore Valley, Mendocino County, and we've compared notes with dozens of wine lovers that we met along the way.

We've sampled (and drank) Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Johannisberg Riesling, Zinfandel, Fume Blanc, Viognier . . . the list goes on and on. (Plus we've had our share of that bubbly stuff!)

We've learned about the subtleties of aroma and bouquet (there is a difference), color, feel, and of course, the taste of many different wines.

We've attended special barrel tastings and new release tastings. We've been to winery events that demonstrated the intriguing combinations of wine and food. We've taken part in blind tastings (the bottle is covered), vertical tastings (comparing vintages), and comparative tastings (comparing wineries or varietals).

In other words, our acquaintance with wine has grown by leaps and bounds!

In September of 2000, we decided to share our impressions of the wines we tasted with other wine lovers by launching this website. There are now nearly 200 people per day visiting one or more of our pages.

Then in 2004, we decided to move to Oregon. Although we'll no longer be able to visit the countless wineries of the California Wine Country, we'll now be tasting and sharing our notes on the great wines of Oregon. (We tried a few on a visit in 2001 and were duly impressed.)

We won't totally neglect the California wineries, however. As we have time, we'll update the winery pages using the Winemaker's notes. Although it won't be our personal impressions, it will still provide you with information about the various wines.

So, whether you're looking for a good "sipping" wine, the perfect dinner wine, a flavorful dessert wine, a bubbly champagne, or a sensuous port, we hope our comments will give you insight and guidance in choosing the wine that's right for you.

By the way, in case you were ever in doubt, we want to assure you that the time for wine is when you're ...

Relaxing after a stressful, boss-in-your-face day Enjoying a romantic dinner for two Sitting on the beach watching the sunset Curling up in front of a roaring fire on a snowy winter day Celebrating a special occasion with friends Having a picnic in the park Listening to a cool jazz CD Whenever!