2011 – Page 6 – Ward Kadel

P.S. I Love You kicks it Dark & Delicious

February 9, 2011February 9, 2011Vinopanion: Ward Kadel - @drXeNoOne Comment

You can walk up to any wine-o-phile and ask them about the wines that they love the most and they'll probably toss out some famous name from Napa, Sonoma, Bordeaux, Burgundy or what have you. But if you were to pour them another glass, compliment their good looks and expound upon their precise palate, you might just find that they'll open up a bit more and tell you about their "pet wines:" wines that they seek out and which light their face up whenever they successfully discover a new one. One of my pet wines are none other than the true Pet, ie. Petite Sirah. While a professed fan of cool climate, balanced wine I can't help but fall over my feet (before AND after) whenever I spot a Petite Sirah within close proximity of my glass hand. It is with this in mind that I'm foaming at the mouth at the return of PS I Love You's Dark & Delicious annual Petite Sirah fest at Rock Wall Wine Company, Alameda CA on 02/18/11.

The 9th Annual Pinot Noir Summit

February 5, 2011February 5, 2011Vinopanion: Ward Kadel - @drXeNo4 Comments

I'm very happy to announce that one of the coolest wine events of the year is coming back to the Bay on 02/26/2011 with the arrival of the 9th annual installment of The Pinot Summit (Twitter). Spanning three different segments that day, attending the whole Summit gives you access to almost 9 full hours of delicious Pinot and tasty morsels. It is one of the most educational and complete consumer trade events that I've ever seen and it will definitely leave your bellies and brains full of new flavors of and knowledge about Pinot Noir. Best of all?! I've got an awesome contest to win some wine from one of the Summit finalists! More after the break...

A Grahm of the Bonny Doon

January 21, 2011January 21, 2011Vinopanion: Ward Kadel - @drXeNo3 Comments

Earlier this month, the smashingly charismatic founder and leader of Bonny Doon Vineyard (Twitter) wrote an article that got me thinking...again. Randall Grahm (Twitter) is as much a household name as can be found in the wine biz, as the founder, longtime winemaker and quixotic leader of the alternating huge and boutique Bonny Doon winemaking endeavors over the decades. Part devoted vigneron, part Biodynamic cheerleader, part shaman and part brilliantly funny and educational writer...it is difficult to try and put Grahm in a box. Indeed, if you were to try, he'd probably try and find the best, most neglected grape variety in which to grow in that shaded box. One thing that cannot be said about Grahm is that he isn't willing to risk everything in order to find the best place to grow the best grapes.

The Broke Wino Looks at Value Bordeaux

January 10, 2011January 10, 2011Vinopanion: Ward Kadel - @drXeNoOne Comment

A new vinopanion of mine, Sam Klingberg, has been making waves in the vino writing webernets over the last year or so with his wine blog, The Broke Wino. Sam contacted me recently to gather my thoughts on affordable Bordeaux wine. As one of Le Wine Buff for Enjoy Bordeaux for the CIVB, I have been involved in a lot of great Bordeaux-centric wine activities over the last 1+ years, including a truly spectacular trip to Bordeaux this past summer. The dichotomy between the high prices of First and Second Growth chateaux and the remaining thousands of much more affordable, yet still high quality wine producers and chateaux is a hot topic. With the declaration of "vintages of the century" at least 3 times this decade alone combined with the increasing Asian markets, the prices of the high end Bordeaux have skyrocketed. Happily however, quality has also taken a great leap forward, all across the board.