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The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series.

The 16th annual Hospice du Rhone events in Paso Robles, California from May 1 to 3, 2008 was an opportunity to consider Rhone-style wines from a fresh perspective.  Unlike most tasting opportunities, these events included Rhone-style wines from the Rhone Valley itself (51 wineries), elsewhere in France (4 wineries) as well as from Spain (4 wineries), Australia (17 wineries), South Africa (6 wineries), Chile (2 wineries), Argentina (1 winery) and the United States.  The American wines were mostly from California (144 wineries), but a few examples from Arizona (2 wineries) and Washington State (5 wineries) were also included.  While this is a California-dominated event, and while many of the Rhone Valley’s best producers aren’t represented, there is still sufficient European and other entries to make for interesting comparisons and contrasts.  The events included two general tastings and a series of focused seminars.

Located in the middle of the Haut-Médoc district of the Left Bank in Bordeaux, Saint-Julien is the smallest of the fantastic four appellations which include Saint-Estèphe and Paulliac to the north as well as Margaux to the south.  So what sets Saint-Julien apart from the rest of the Haut-Médoc ACs? 

Summertime is the season of backyard barbecues and grilled steak. IntoWine.com asked our panel of wine experts to recommend a red wine to pair with that summertime staple, grilled steak:    

"BBQ season is well entrenched and a modern rustic wine is the ideal for a good old grilled steak! Crasto Douro Red. This wine is lovely. From an old Portuguese winery, combining the traditional winemaking with the modern skills of an Australian winemaker, there is no wine better qualified to call out “chuck another steak on the bar-b”. Crasto uses indigenous grapes, such as Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz to create a well structured, solid, yet fruit forward earthy combination. Well seasoned or well cooked, bloody to overcooked, Crasto’s Douro Red is my selection – and a bargain at under $20! Even though it is summer, don’t forget to finish with Port…on a clear summer night, lay back on the grass, watch the shooting stars and sip the Port and imagine you are lying on the terraced vineyard overlooking the dark, forbidding Douro river…or, if you are in San Francisco, freeze and wish you had a summer!" - Bartholomew Broadbent, CEO, Broadbent Selections, San Francisco

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"Grilled meats, or more specifically grilled steak, always conjers up one word for me.

As a winemaker, much of my thoughts and actions are given to solving the problem of  sugar in wine. Residual sugar in one wine can be the bane of a good vintage. But sweetness can also be another wine’s glory.

Summertime.  For many of us that is the time for a cool white wine.  Of course many of them are produced in Italy.  One of the more commercially successful whites is the Pinot Grigio from Italy.  Specifically, those produced in the north-eastern province of Trentino-Alto Adige.  Surrounded the Alps and Dolomites, and bordering Austria and Switzerland, this is the northern most region in Italy.  The area is mountainous with only about 15% of the land being farmable.

Many years ago, a Navy friend brought us a bottle of German wine as a hostess gift.  Brian was elated because he’d found this wine in the U.S.  I was surprised to discover that the gift was German red wine from a region I’d never heard of, the Ahr.  No surprise, Brian told us – the Ahr is a very small wine region that produces mostly red wines, so it’s very hard to find Ahr wines outside of Germany.

My father was partial to scotch, rather than the restrained subtleties of cabernet sauvignon or grenache. But I am not my father. In the Sierra Foothills, specifically the Shenandoah Valley near Plymouth, CA, generations of farmers have planted grapes for wine since the gold rush times.

The dog days of summer are once again upon us. Whether your remedy to beat the heat is a cool pool, a shade tree, or a blasting air conditioner, it always helps to have a relaxing beverage to help ease the pain. IntoWine.com asked our panel of wine experts to recommend refreshing white wines for those hot summer nights:    

"On a hot summer evening, I look for a chilled white wine.  I also find that if the wine has a bit of sweetness, it offsets the heat a bit.  My go-to wines on these evenings tend to be Rieslings.  Rieslings are one of the most versatile wines for matching with food.  They are especially great with light summer fare such as a salad or fish or fruit.  They also make easy sipping on their own.  For these casual spontaneous occasions, my favorites are the basic German offerings.  One of the best features these wines have is their low alcohol level.  Usually carrying less than 10% alcohol, these wines are not heavy nor do they leave you tipsy from a glass or two.  Right now the stores are filled with the marvelous 2005 vintage, the excellent 2006 vintage and are just starting to stock the very good 2007’s.  While there are some wonderful, but pricey offerings, the basic Dr. L from Dr. Ernest Loosen is available for around $10.  The Lingenfelder Bird label Riesling is only a couple of dollars more.  Both wines provide a lot of pleasure and don’t break the bank.  Perfect for casual sipping on a hot summer night." - Loren Sonkin, IntoWine Featured Writer 

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WINERIES GO ORGANIC, SUSTAINABLE AND BIODYNAMIC

From large to small, northern California wineries are starting to color their operations green, whether by organically growing their grapes, practicing sustainable activities or creating biodynamic environments.

Even if you’ve never heard of any other Spanish wine, chances are you’ve heard about cava.  This is due to the huge international presence of cava sparkling wines.  Freixenet and Cordoníu are the two best-known producers of cava and both wineries have done a marvelous job of marketing Spain’s sparkling wines outside of their home country.  In fact, Spain exports more than half of the sparkling wines it produces, according to the Peñin Guide to Spanish Wine 2007.