About

Welcome to Découvertes de Vin

Author: Robert White WSET II

Découvertes de Vin is French for wine discoveries which is what this blog is all about.  I was born and still live in Northern California which is why you will notice a strong bent toward wines from Northern California.  If you live a stone’s throw away from Napa and Sonoma why wouldn’t you drink a lot of these world class wines? My first post was in April of 2012. Since that time I have learned so much about wine making and history, food, and the always difficult task of pairing that I decided to take a step further in my education getting my level 2 certificate from the WSET via the Napa Valley Wine Academy.  This has really opened up a whole new world of wine for me so look for more international articles in the coming months.

The purpose of this blog is to share things I’ve learned about wine with my friends, family and readers.  It may be a great wine.  It may be a great wine and food pairing or perhaps something about how great wines are made.  Each is categorized for easy access.

My wine reviews are based on wines I have received as samples or that I have purchased. I don’t accept advertising or perks of any kind.

If you would like to send samples or get in touch send an email to : DecouvertesDeVin@comcast.net

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Wine Reviews

My wine reviews are broken into three main categories:

Premium Wines:  These are expensive wines for special occasions.
Mid Priced Wines: Wines that fall in the middle price point but are good enough for guests or a special dinner.
Super Market Finds:  These are inexpensive wines that are great for everyday drinking.

I use the Wine Spectator 100 Point scale to score the wines I review:
Wine Spectator 100 Point Scale
95–100 Classic
90–94 Outstanding
85–89 Very good
80–84 Good
75–79 Mediocre
50–74 Not recommended

Restaurant Reviews

I review restaurants as follows:

Ratings are from A (outstanding), to F (truly horrifying) and may include a + or –

Price: Score is based upon price vs quality.  An A score means the food is worth more than they are charging and the reverse is true for an F

Service: How good is the service and attitude of the staff?

Food: How good is the food?

Wine List Variety/Quality: How good are the wines offered?  How varied?  How well is the list paired to the food offered?

Wine Pricing: How much are they jacking the prices?

Winery Reviews

On my tasting excursions, I will pass along my thoughts on both the wines and the wine tasting experience as follows:

Ratings are from A (outstanding), to F (truly horrifying) and may include a + or –

Facilities: What is the tasting facility like?  Good views, comfort, noise, etc.
Hospitality: How well is the patron treated.  Is the staff attentive, pushy, snobby?
Wine Quality: How good and how varied is the wine offered for tasting?
Education: Did I learn anything about their wines or wine in general?
Overall Tasting Experience: The sum of all the above criteria.