HUGE SALE - A great Gift for the wine lover.

PRICE REDUCE TO $15.00

New brand of shirts with Pinot Noir Lover are now available in both men's and women's sizes. The shirts are a relaxed fit, wrinkle-resistant fabric. Send an email to order and state size - a invoice will be sent to confirm your purchase for both the size and color requested.

Colors include Stone, Dark Blue, Sky Blue, Pink and Blue. Other colors available upon request.

Hillcrest Terrace Winery

Fine Wines from the Santa Cruz Mountains

On a recent visit to Santa Cruz, we stumbled upon Hillcrest Terrace Winery in a small complex in an area of wineries. During our visit, we spent a good amount of time reviewing the current release of wines with wine maker Joe Miller.

Joe is a long time Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz but has been making wines for more than 30 years. The wines are all hand crafts in small lots from select local vineyards with a focus on single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, and other premium varieties. The wines are an attempt to accurately reflect the varietal characteristics of the grapes and the unique microclimates and soils of the vineyards from which they come.

WINES

Hillcrest Terrace winemaking is strongly influenced by the style and character of fine European wines that pair well with food. The wines are generally made from carefully-selected grapes grown in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Working closely with the growers to secure fruit that will produce a well-balanced wine true to the variety and without excessive alcohol. Absolutely minimal cellar handling is used to preserve the full character and complexity that the grapes can provide.

Racking and bottling schedules do not follow rigid timelines, but are adopted to fit the development of each wine. For example, some Chardonnays may have extended lees and oak barrel aging, while others may be unoaked and racked early, depending on the grape characteristics and the wine profiles as they evolve. Top-quality oak barrels are used judiciously so that oak flavors are never pronounced and at most provide a subtle background to the intrinsic aroma and flavor profile of the wine. The wines are never fined or filtered. A nice tasting room located in a warehouse area of Santa Cruz includes the barrel room and a small processing area. Total production for all varietals in limited – somewhere between 750 and 1000 cases a year.

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In wine SIZE really does matter. Ever wonder what various bottles sizes are called?

Click here for more information!

Bollinger Champagne

During a recent trip to France, we had the pleasure of visiting in the Champagne region and more particularly visiting at Bollinger.

Bollinger was founded in 1829 in Aÿ by Hennequin de Villermont, Paul Renaudin and Jacques Bollinger the house continues to be run by members of the Bollinger family.

Our tour started in a very historic vineyard across the roadway from the main building. Small Premier Cru plot with vines rooted the traditional way – vines pushed into the grown and rooted each year.

Bollinger makes wine in a very traditional way - aging still wine in barrel and finally in bottle for the 2nd fermentation.

Some bottles age for a VERY long time and most riddling is done by hand.

But at the end of the day, it's what's in the glass that makes all the difference!

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Cellar Clearing

If you have need for some wine, drop a note and let me know. I am thinning my cellar.

Send email to dave@loverofwine.com

Shirts, vests, books, magazine subscriptions, movies and other Sale Items have Arrived!

Several items are now available to purchase for the wine enthusiast! Check out the vests, polo shirts, T-Shirts, bags and other items which are available. Use your Credit Card to purchase! Shirts start at $25 and vests at $49!

Something Different? Pick up a book, magazine or movie related to wine! Check out John Cleese DVD "Wine for the confused" in the book, magazines and movie section.