Italy’s Oddities

• By Chris Ramelb
• April 23, 2024

If I gave you a handful of guesses to name the world’s most-grown wine grape, I’d predict it wouldn’t be too long before you mentioned the correct answer: cabernet sauvignon. Read more

Not Just for New Year’s

• By Chris Ramelb
• March 26, 2024

No matter how much you love your work, if you do anything for long enough it can get repetitive. Read more

Bringing down the house (wine)

• By Chris Ramelb
• Feb. 27, 2024

The term “house wine,” like many other phrases in the wine lexicon (I’m looking at you “natural wine”) takes on very different meanings depending on the context. Read more

Sometimes the majority does rule

• Jan. 23, 2024

Jet-lagged, and smelling faintly of old fashioneds and halal carts, I hailed a fluorescent yellow cab to my first trade tasting in New York City. Read more

Champagne’s best-kept secret

• By Chris Ramelb
• Dec. 26, 2023

I’ve been writing this column for more than two-and-a-half years now and I am stunned that I had not previously highlighted this producer, as I always have a bottle readily available. Read more

The doctor is zin

• By Chris Ramelb
• Nov. 21, 2023

Off the beaten path in Sebastopol, about a 90-minute drive from the heart of San Francisco, lies a hidden gem. Read more

Give yourself a break

• By Chris Ramelb
• Oct. 24, 2023

During the weekend of Sept. 15, some of Hawaii’s most recognizable mixologists and wine professionals convened in San Francisco to help raise money to benefit those affected by the Lahaina wildfires. Read more

Island wines on island time

• By Chris Ramelb
• Sept. 26, 2023

It’s finally here. After nearly half a year of waiting, which included tastings and meetings, finalizing paperwork, and organizing shipping logistics, I finally got to pop some corks on new discoveries I have been waiting to try for a very long time — and it did not disappoint. Read more

Start a rhone revolution

• By Chris Ramelb
• Aug. 22, 2023

If I had a dollar for each time I was asked what my favorite wine is, I’d be drinking much more expensive wine. Read more

Wine: The universal language

• By Chris Ramelb
• July 26, 2023

I joined 268 other campers from around the world for winery and vineyard tours, tastings, seminars, decadent meals and way too much wine. Read more

You can’t fake age

• By Chris Ramelb
• June 28, 2023

The first wine trade show I attended was a trip. The bustling ballroom was packed with the most influential food and beverage professionals in the state. Read more

Back to basics

• By Chris Ramelb
• May 24, 2023

Look at most highly touted wine lists and you’ll see there is a homogenization that occurs at the top levels. Read more

The bug that almost ended the wine industry

• By Chris Ramelb
• April 25, 2023

In the mid-1800s, American grapevines made the transatlantic trip to Europe with the most harmful stowaway of all time: phylloxera. Read more

The problem with points

• By Chris Ramelb
• March 28, 2023

Can a person hate something while simultaneously recognizing its value? Read more

Pairing spotlight: focus on regionality

• By Chris Ramelb
• Feb. 21, 2023

You’ve heard the adage, “Red wine with steak and white wine with fish.” It makes sense as a blanket statement. Read more

Oh, the places you’ll merlot

• By Chris Ramelb
• Jan. 24, 2023

A recent trip to Duckhorn Vineyards in Napa Valley helped shift my perspective. Read more

A resolution worth the effort

• By Chris Ramelb
• Dec. 27, 2022

Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? Last year, I resolved to be healthier. Read more

Wine for all

• By Chris Ramelb
• Nov. 22, 2022

I recently sat on a panel for a seminar that featured some amazing Champagne. Read more

Wines that shine at the table

• By Chris Ramelb
• Oct. 25, 2022

The great thing about being in the food and beverage industry is that eating and drinking is essential for survival. Read more

Riesling revolution

• By Chris Ramelb
• Sept. 27, 2022

No other grape in the world is as misunderstood as riesling. Read more

Finding value in parallels

• By Chris Ramelb
• Aug. 23, 2022

The deeper you dive down the wine rabbit hole, the more expensive it gets. Read more