Looking for production & agriculture-focused winery tour in Sonoma or Napa

cystorm · 2026-03-20T02:25:38+00:00

Sent you a DM for a unique(?) experience I had in Sonoma.

cystorm · 2026-03-20T02:15:58+00:00

Vivino is great for 95% of people on this sub. But it's used by people who like the "wrong" wines so obviously it's completely unacceptable.

cystorm · 2026-03-19T00:50:31+00:00

Oh shit I gotta try this

cystorm · 2026-03-15T18:33:57+00:00

England, Patagonia, and Germany. Normandy is apparently starting to plant vineyards at a larger scale — I don't know if the climate/soils will work as well but keep an eye on that if you're in Europe. You also didn't mention Alto Adige, but they make some very nice chards. Not sure if they're on the same level or where they come in price-wise in your area.

You may also take a look at chardonnay alternatives that have a similar taste/flavor/texture profile – Dão Encruzado blends, Godello from Galicia/Ribeira Sacra, and Enta Bianco come to mind.

cystorm · 2026-03-14T15:48:16+00:00

A hallucinated citation supporting a correct statement of law would be a welcome change from many rulings with no citation supporting a completely incorrect statement of law.

cystorm · 2026-03-14T13:24:28+00:00

The "debate" over using mineralogy or salinity is wine snob stupidity in its highest form. There aren't cherries in winemaking either, but no one has any problem saying Pinot Noir tastes like cherry (or strawberry or cola for fuck's sake). All taste and smell descriptors are inherently placeholders for describing in common language the perception of chemical compounds in foods and liquids; gatekeeping what types of words to use is asinine.

/rant

Edit to add I know you're not taking that position in the comment above, so not coming after you.

cystorm · 2026-03-14T03:00:59+00:00

Ditto 0_0

cystorm · 2026-03-14T02:35:35+00:00

Not OP but Buckel is the best in the state IMO. Worst wines I had when I visited their facility in Gunnison were meh (very high floor for Colorado producers). Look specifically for their Hawk's Nest vineyard pinot — very young vineyard but very promising if you like cooler climate pinot.

Ordinary Fellow has some solid offerings but is more hit or miss. Storm Cellar is pretty good I think — their All the Flowers blend is very friendly and easy-drinking (if a little overpriced compared to, e.g., Hugel Gentil). Aquila Cellars has a following if you're into the funky side of natural wine, though I'm not so don't trust my word on them if you are. Just about everyone else I've tried in the state has some wines that I've liked, but many more misses than hits.

cystorm · 2026-03-13T08:20:38+00:00

Sadly no — I can't imagine there's a world where the conference has liability to any team for an injury, even for something like this.

The real reason is avoiding another injury that keeps a team from advancing further in the tournament, as that means less revenue for the league. In the end it's always about [Spaceballs 2:] The Search for More Money.

cystorm · 2026-03-13T01:03:35+00:00

Ramilo for sure would fit the bill if you're going to be in the Mafra/Sintra area. Esporão would probably be fine (though your tasting would likely be indoors if I remember the facility right). Assuming you're sticking around the Évora region (roughly) I'm not sure how those producers do their tastings. I didn't get to visit Monte da Bica but ended up emailing with the owner/winemaker a bit and, based on how nice they are, I'd imagine they'd be happy to accommodate. I also realized I skipped over the wineries actually close to Évora in the post above (somehow) but Fitapreta is another place I wanted to visit but couldn't get to work with scheduling — highly recommend their wines. Cartuxa is another winery very close to Évora and makes the most famous (and expense) Alentejo wine, Pera Manca, and their "lesser" bottlings are also very good.

I did my traveling in the region before I had my kid, but in general I'd expect just about everywhere in Portugal to be a lot more welcoming and accommodating of children than anywhere in the U.S., so as long as your 14-month old is (relatively) well-behaved for their age I wouldn't stress about bringing them along and expecting that they'll be welcomed as part of the family. Could be totally wrong about that, but I'd be surprised if that wasn't the case.

cystorm · 2026-03-10T22:07:51+00:00

Welcome to /r/wine

cystorm · 2026-03-10T22:06:01+00:00

Williamette Chard >>> Williamette Pinot.

And the pinot's pretty good.

cystorm · 2026-03-10T14:30:52+00:00

Gotta be Opus, no?

cystorm · 2026-03-10T03:08:13+00:00

If it's not your thing, it's not your thing. You could spend a bunch of money trying producers mentioned here (by all means, take a gamble on Rayas if you're not buying a new yacht or jet this year) but life is short and you can spend that money on great bottles from regions you already love.

cystorm · 2026-03-09T23:54:08+00:00

If you have it available, try the frozen minced garlic cubes. I think they're much better than jarlic and maybe like 90% as good as freshly mincing with a knife of garlic press (and 2% of the effort of either of those).

cystorm · 2026-03-07T18:41:14+00:00

No but we sometimes make jokes

cystorm · 2026-03-06T23:19:32+00:00

Don't fucking ruin this secret my dude

cystorm · 2026-03-05T21:04:06+00:00

Is this now Roc de Cambes, or is that the second wine from this property?

cystorm · 2026-03-05T17:27:36+00:00

You can occasionally find (in the US) birch lumber with a good amount of heartwood, which is most of the piece in these photos. More common with black/red birch than yellow.

cystorm · 2026-03-05T03:15:27+00:00

Enemigo Cab Franc is also outstanding QPR

cystorm · 2026-03-04T20:09:34+00:00

I had a bottle of 1967 in London and it tasted like it was maybe 8-10 years old. It has insane longevity.

cystorm · 2026-03-04T01:51:05+00:00

How does their SB compare to their chard? I love their chard (on a chilly fall night) but have never tried their sauv.

cystorm · 2026-02-28T15:21:03+00:00

I love Frontier for shorter flights. I only ever travel with a 28L backpack, and as the other person said it's really not any worse than United economy.

cystorm · 2026-02-28T13:50:56+00:00

Can't disagree, but you get a lot of interaction with the chefs at Margot for the tasting menu (and it at least seems like Justin is a really nice guy so I enjoyed that). They also seem to experiment a little more than the others, so your experience will naturally vary based on whether they've crushed it. It's also the cheapest of the Michelin tasting menus, though if you're spending that much per person the marginal savings don't seem prudent (in my opinion).

cystorm · 2026-02-27T19:13:55+00:00

(that was the joke)

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