No Chalice Required

Chip and Lainie discuss the perils, pitfalls, and pleasures of purchasing wine online.

Blog post with links to companies mentioned at: https://www.nochalicerequired.com/2021/04/30/signed-sealed-delivered-ordering-wine-by-mail/

Photograph credit: Bannon Morrissy on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/photos/BfP3E4rpxl8

Terroir is a French word that means the natural environment in which grapes are grown. Some people believe terroir can make or break a wine, while others are more credulous. Chip and Lainie talk about the concept of terroir and sample two wines from the same winemaker, Benoit Chauveau. We sip two of his Loire Valley-grown Sauvignon Blancs: Coteaux de Giennois Calcaire 2019 & Coteaux de Giennois Silex 2019 and share our observations.

Blog post: https://www.nochalicerequired.com/2021/04/19/127/

Dilemma: It's time to review a Chardonnay and Chip is terrified of Lainie's reaction to a Chard from California. Celebrated winemaker Paul Hobbs comes to the rescue, however with his Russian River Valley Chardonnay from 2017. This stuff is delicious and we can't stop raving about it!

Links and other details here: https://www.nochalicerequired.com/2021/04/12/california-chardonnay-finds-redemption-paul-hobbs-russian-river/

This week, we opted to head back to the states and enjoy this HUGE Syrah, Petite Verdot blend from Santa Barbara. Lainie experienced extreme nostalgia and Chip marveled at how such a big wine could still have such structure.

Chip and Lainie have been on a Grüner Veltliner kick lately and this one from Nigl really hit the spot.

Lacrima means "tear" in Italian, and we were close to weeping with joy over this fun, aromatic wine made from an Italian grape that is shaped like a teardrop. Lucchetti Lacrima Di Morro D’alba 2018 proved a delightful treat. We also get into a discussion of wine labels, wine marketing, and Chip once again marvels over Lainie's glassware.

Chip and Lainie sip St. Daniel Pinot Nero (Blauburgunder) Riserva 2016 and are wonderfully surprised!

Lainie and Chip review Papras 'Oreads' Rose PGI Tyrnavos and engage in their usual banter about wine and other tasty things. Heads-up: This is sold as "rose" but more closely resembles an orange wine, also known as skin-contact. Natural wine lovers rejoice!

We (Lainie and Chip) wanted to test some of our A.V. equipment and so decided to test-drive a new-to-them wine in the process. The conversation went well enough that figured "What the heck?" and released it as a podcast. It's actually the audio track ripped from a video, but we hope that our enjoyment of the wine, Alice Verdeca 2019 by Produttori Di Manduria, comes through loud and clear.