Since the inception of Pursuing Pinot in 2011, content has been focused on experiences – travel, wineries, vineyards, tastings, and restaurants.  All of these have been in short supply during the past 11 months of pandemic.  Therefore, I thought it might be interesting to explore some of the most popular wine varietals, starting with Sauvignon Blanc.  My daughter, Hilary, and…

You’re invited to a holiday party and want to bring a gift.  A bottle of wine is usually a good choice–but which one?  How much do you want to spend?  How well do you know the person or people for whom you are selecting the bottle?  Are they avid wine drinkers?  We’ve all stood in front of rows of wine…

Last week, I spent several delightful days with my daughter in Maryland.  As always, it involved lots of good food and wine!  Of note was our visit to a wonderful wine bar in Frederick called Vini Culture.  They feature three enomatic systems (also known as “cruvinets”) that dispense more than two dozen wines.  Customers load money onto a card and…

  Rosé’s are wonderful anytime, but they are especially appealing during the summer as they complement lighter fare and are a great choice as an apértif. Marie Sauer recently hosted a rosé tasting at her Sauer Grapes Wine Lounge.  Six wines were featured including three from France, one from Germany, one from Austria, and one from California’s Russian River Valley. …

Wines from Sancerre and oysters are a match made in heaven.  Debbie Marlowe of The Wine Shop of Charleston hosted a wonderful tasting last week, presided over by Laura Masero of Joseph Mellot wines and Eric Hill, the distributor. All tastings are educational and the big revelation for me during this event was learning about all of the different varietals…

Marie Sauer of Sauer Grapes Wine Lounge hosted a wonderful tasting of French wines last week.  Anyone who knows me or reads my blog knows how fervently I support small grower producers in any region.  The people who grow the grapes and create the wines are passionate about quality and authenticity.  Sophie and Fabrice Laronze are among these select growers,…

Debbie Marlowe of The Wine Shop of Charleston conducted a fantastic tasting of 2009 Bordeaux at her shop on November 27.  We tasted nine Bordeaux, working in flights of three wines per round.  There are five legal grape varietals that may be included in Bordeaux, which is always a blend of at least two of the five.  They are Cabernet…

Last week was the 2012 Grower Producer Champagne Seminar.  I enjoyed it even more than last year’s because my knowledge has increased over the past 12 months.  Also, it was held at an ideal venue, the amphitheater at the Culinary Institute of Charleston.  Harry Root was our Master of Ceremonies, assisted by Marie Sauer.  We tasted 12 Champagnes and enjoyed…

The autumn season is upon us, even though it doesn’t feel like it here in Charleston.  We did have a “taste” of fall, but then the humidity set back in.  There have been a number of interesting events over the past few weeks.  One of our new local eateries is called Butcher and Bee and it has a unique format,…

A second visit to Two Boroughs Larder on August 3 proved to be as good or better than my first experience. The Larder was happy to allow me to bring in a bottle of wine and I selected a bottle of the 2008 Newton Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon that was mentioned in my post about the Newton Wine Dinner at Carolina’s….