1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

Taste wine with 1WineDude's fun reviews, tips, and guides for wine enthusiasts.

Articles: 58

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

12 Sep 2025, 13:22

Dining

HEY STELLA!!!! (Tenuta Stella Recent Releases)

The post HEY STELLA!!!! (Tenuta Stella Recent Releases) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. HEY STELLA!!!! So… turns out that line is a lot more fun to yell at your laptop screen before a Zoom tasting than it is to explain afterwards to your family, who just kind of stare at you instead of responding with the only appropriate reply ("You gonna get the law on you!"). Which, ok,... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023. Originally at HEY STELLA!!!! (Tenuta Stella Recent...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

21 Aug 2025, 13:00

Dining

More Bad News for the Wine Biz

The post More Bad News for the Wine Biz appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. Yet more bad news for the wine biz: European wines and spirits are now trapped under a 15% U.S. tariff—with no exemption in sight. Kick us while we're down, why don't ya?!? Despite impassioned lobbying by France and Italy, Washington has held firm against carving out wine and spirits from this tariff sweep. Those of... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023. Originally at More Bad News for the ...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

14 Aug 2025, 13:00

Dining

One the Edge (Tenute Tomasella Recent Releases)

The post One the Edge (Tenute Tomasella Recent Releases) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. Tenute Tomasella—the 2nd generation, family-run winery located in Italy's Mansuè that's coming up on its 60th anniversary—has edgy wines. And I mean that both figuratively and literally. Farming about 50 hectares between Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, they are located on the literal edge of two Northern Italian DOCs: Friuli and Prosecco. And they take their... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

31 Jul 2025, 13:00

Dining

“Top of the Hill” (100th Anniversary of Giovanni Manzone)

The post "Top of the Hill" (100th Anniversary of Giovanni Manzone) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. It's often written that a winery is "perched" somewhere, but in the case of Giovanni Manzone, which celebrates its 100th year of existence in 2025, "perched" is an accurate descriptor of their location. For five generations, the Manzones have been farming 8.5 hectares on the steep hills of Castelletto and Gramolere, in the Langhe'S Monforte... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Co...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

24 Jul 2025, 13:00

Dining

“From Breakfast to Dinner” (Bersano Recent Releases)

The post "From Breakfast to Dinner" (Bersano Recent Releases) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. I first visited Piedmont's Bersano back when I was doing work for the My Name Is Barbera campaign. It's an impressive operation, with its own intriguing museum (mostly from the collection of Arturo Bersano, who seemingly never met a cool knickknack that he didn't like), situated just in front of the train station in Nizza... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023. Original...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

17 Jul 2025, 13:00

Dining

New York State of Mind (Comprehensive NY Wine Report at Cristaldi & Co!)

The post New York State of Mind (Comprehensive NY Wine Report at Cristaldi & Co!) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. Fresh off the heels of our Santa Barbara County 2025 tasting report, Cristaldi & Co. has just unleashed another comprehensive tasting report, this time on the even-more-under-served wine regions of New York State! Titled New York State’s Wine Awakening, this report might just be the most in-depth coverage of the NYS wine scene in recent... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridg...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

10 Jul 2025, 13:00

Dining

Victory for Your Wallet (Some Price-Friendly Selections from Victoria)

The post Victory for Your Wallet (Some Price-Friendly Selections from Victoria) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. While I've talked about visiting Australia's Victoria region (over ten years ago!), highlighted wines from its unusually ancient soils, and explored selections from its primarily family-owned producers, I haven't really talked about the fact that the region still packs quite a punch in terms of value delivered per hard-earned buck spent. Ever-changing tarriff issues aside,... Upscale your palate! M...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

02 Jul 2025, 13:00

Dining

Strong All Along (2025 Santa Barbara County Tasting Report)

The post Strong All Along (2025 Santa Barbara County Tasting Report) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. Cheers! Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023. Originally at Strong All Along (2025 Santa Barbara County Tasting Report) from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

27 Jun 2025, 13:00

Dining

“The World’s Oldest Startup” (Catching Up With Livermore Valley’s Wente Family)

The post "The World's Oldest Startup" (Catching Up With Livermore Valley's Wente Family) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. At this point, I think that I've met most of the 5th generation of the Wente family (including jamming with Winegrower & Chief Land and Supply Officer Karl Wente at his then unfinished house several years ago, which is just the kind of thing that happens to people like me on wine travels, I guess).... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023. Origi...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

18 Jun 2025, 13:00

Dining

“The Biggest Fear” (Catching Up With Bolgheri’s Tenuta Argentiera)

The post "The Biggest Fear" (Catching Up With Bolgheri's Tenuta Argentiera) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. "We want to have elegance be the main focus of our wines. The biggest fear for me is over-extraction." Tenuta Argentiera winemaker Nicolò Carrara is right to be a little afraid. He is dealing with ripening and fermenting grapes in Tuscany's Bolgheri, after all, where sunlight and the potential for big levels of ripeness—not to... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyrig...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

11 Jun 2025, 13:00

Dining

“The Difference” (A Villa Rosa Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vertical)

The post "The Difference" (A Villa Rosa Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vertical) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. Over the years, I've had the pleasure of bumping into Cecchi fourth-generation wine family icon Andrea Cecchi a handful of times at locales all over the globe, but earlier this year (2025) marked the first time that I had a virtual sit-down with him over Zoom. Not as fun as our usual face-to-face run-ins, but... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023. O...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

26 May 2025, 13:00

Dining

Wine Reviews: Mini Round-Up for May 26, 2025

The post Wine Reviews: Mini Round-Up for May 26, 2025 appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. 2024 Roseblood d'Estoublon Rose (Coteaux Varois en Provence): Utterly delicious. Rose petals, wild red berries, and equal parts fun and refinement. $27 B+ 2023 Domaine de Cabasse 'Le Rose' (Mediterranee): Floral and earthy, and very round in the mid-section. $NA B 2022 Bodegas Ontanon Tempranillo Blanco (Rioja): Lotsa honey, lotsa oranges, lotsa wood. $15 B... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

21 May 2025, 13:00

Dining

“We’re Cooler Than You Think” (Livermore Valley 2025 Tasting Report @ Cristaldi & Co.)

The post "We’re Cooler Than You Think" (Livermore Valley 2025 Tasting Report @ Cristaldi & Co.) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. I'm excited to share something that I've been working on over the past several weeks (months?), which is one of the first available tasting reports at Cristaldi & Co. Spearheaded by my longtime friend, biz partner, and super-cool Decanter writer buddy Jonathan Cristaldi, this tasting report covers 9 Livermore Valley wineries and 160+ of their... Upscale your palate! My books are ava...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

14 May 2025, 13:00

Dining

Uncorking Livermore Valley’s Best (Uncorked! 2025 Wine Competition Winners)

The post Uncorking Livermore Valley's Best (Uncorked! 2025 Wine Competition Winners) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. I feel as though I have a long history with a crap-ton of wine regions at this point… because, well, I do. Livermore Valley is one such region, and I was thrilled to get back there on a media jaunt late in 2024 after several years of being away. I can now top that off... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023. Originally at Uncorking Livermore Valley...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

01 May 2025, 13:00

Dining

Humboldt Out of the Blue (Chile’s Cooling Current)

The post Humboldt Out of the Blue (Chile's Cooling Current) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. At this point, I think that Chilean wine is almost running out of marketing angles. To be fair, we've seen a whole hell of a lot of those angles over the years, and pretty much all of them have been true. Focusing on an ocean current, though, might be a bit of a stretch, even... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023. Originally at Humboldt Out of the Blue (Chile's Cooling C...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

24 Apr 2025, 13:00

Dining

“A Giant Mess”: Navigating Tariffs for Decanter

The post "A Giant Mess": Navigating Tariffs for Decanter appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. A quick note today to tell you about a bit of content that I helped pen for Decanter: Ostensibly, this is a promotional feature, but it's not so much promotion-y as it is topical, highlighting what wine importers (and, ultimately, consumers) are dealing with during this freakish time of tariff war uncertainty. It's also, technically,... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023. O...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

21 Apr 2025, 13:00

Dining

Wine Reviews: Mini Round-Up for April 21, 2025

The post Wine Reviews: Mini Round-Up for April 21, 2025 appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. 2022 Merry Edwards Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (Sonoma County): Brambly, bright, buoyant, beautiful. $60 A- 2022 Merry Edwards Richaven Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley): Cherry fruit that's at once bright also insanely deep. Mineral, with graphite notes and bergamot, earth, rose petal. Still a baby in the palate, there's juicy plum fruit but also a metric ton of structure by PN standards. Wow. $85 A 2023 Merry Edwards Winery...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

17 Apr 2025, 13:00

Dining

Me, and the Ladies (Maculan Recent Releases)

The post Me, and the Ladies (Maculan Recent Releases) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. I'm preparing to jump into some extended coverage of California's Livermore Valley (with which I have a fairly long history at this point), but before that goes down, I though that I'd drop a quick post about tasting some recent samples (via Zoom) with Veneto producer Maculan. You know, because it's been something like six... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023. Originally at M...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

09 Apr 2025, 13:00

Dining

Calling BS on the Attack on Wine (at Cristaldi & Co)

The post Calling BS on the Attack on Wine (at Cristaldi & Co) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. A quick update today to highlight a piece that helped pen for the launch of Cristaldi & Co. (helmed by my brother-from-another-muthah Jonathan Cristaldi). You'll be seeing a lot more about that in the coming months, as Jonathan and I work on content and tasting reports for under-served wine regions (if you're on the inside... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023. Origina...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

31 Mar 2025, 13:00

Dining

Wine Reviews: Mini Round-Up for March 31, 2025

The post Wine Reviews: Mini Round-Up for March 31, 2025 appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. 2023 Perelada 'The Collection' Blanc (Empordà): Tropical fruit heft, herbal & citric lift, and an elegant texture woven throughout. $NA B+ 2020 Perelada 'Gran Claustro' Red (Empordà): A happy marriage of ripe red fruit and assertive spiciness. $NA A- 2021 Chivite 'Coleccion 125' Blanco Chardonnay (Navarra): Sea-kissed acacia flower, heaping of baking spices, and a pillow of silky richness. $NA A- 2018 Casa Gran del Siuran...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

24 Mar 2025, 13:00

Dining

Wine Reviews: Mini Round-Up for March 24, 2025

The post Wine Reviews: Mini Round-Up for March 24, 2025 appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. 2022 Perelada 'Stars' 'Touch of Rose' Brut (Cava): A spicy, floral, red-berry and apples quartet playing an accessible and classy tune. $NA B+ 2022 Perelada 'Stars' Reserva Brut Nature (Cava): Cava fans will be seeing stars with this fruity, fresh, and floral sipper. $17 B+ 2023 Perelada 'Nomes' Garnatxa Blanca (Emporda): Perfumed, tropical, and even a bit grassy, this one is full of juicy pears just begging for a bite. $...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

20 Mar 2025, 13:00

Dining

Beach Boys (Exploring Perelada’s Finca Garbet)

The post Beach Boys (Exploring Perelada's Finca Garbet) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. Last week, I presented an overview of Perelada, the Catalonia producer who I visited during a media jaunt in late 2024 (along with a crap-ton of wine highlights from their lineup). This week, we're going in a totally different direction, and focusing on one of Perelada's smallest (but most impressive) parcels: Finca Garbet. Located on... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023. O...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

13 Mar 2025, 13:00

Dining

Gambling (Literally) on the Spanish DO You’ve Never Heard Of (Probably)

The post Gambling (Literally) on the Spanish DO You've Never Heard Of (Probably) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. Today, we're going to talk about a brand that is (quite literally) gambling on a Spanish region that you (probably) know nothing about whatsoever. Back in November of 2024, I was a media guest of Perelada, a somewhat enigmatic producer who is basically the biggest thing going in Spain's Empordà DO (which is primarily in... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

05 Mar 2025, 14:00

Dining

Ever Elusive Product Reviews (March, 2025)!

The post Ever Elusive Product Reviews (March, 2025)! appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. Somehow, I actually found time to give the once-over to a handful of wine-related samples that I cannot safely digest! Here are some thoughts on a small batch of product samples that have been sent to 1WD HQ recently. The Wines of California (The Classic Wine Library) by Elaine Chukan Brown, $45 This is as... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023. Originally at Ever Elusive Produc...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

24 Feb 2025, 14:00

Dining

Wine Reviews: Mini Round-Up for February 24, 2025

The post Wine Reviews: Mini Round-Up for February 24, 2025 appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. NV Voga Prosecco (Veneto): Get crackin', because the partaaay has officially arrived. $16 B NV Voga Still Prosecco (Veneto): Overachiever here. Bright tangerine and white flower action that won't quit. $15 B+ 2020 Tenuta Cucco Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d'Alba (Piedmont): Long finish, lots of dried rose petal, some wood spice, leathery tannins, stewed red fruits, and plenty of grip! $67 A- Upscale your palate! My ...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

20 Feb 2025, 14:00

Dining

California Wine’s No Good, Very Bad Month

The post California Wine's No Good, Very Bad Month appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. As sunny California is still reeling from having to accept that the Philadelphia Eagles are conclusively, unarguably the greatest team in the NFL at the moment, even more bad news has hit the state's wine industry—and, by extension, the USA's wine industry (which California production volume dominates almost as much as the Birds dominated the... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

10 Feb 2025, 14:00

Dining

Wine Reviews: Mini Round-Up for February 10, 2025

The post Wine Reviews: Mini Round-Up for February 10, 2025 appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. 2023 Marques de Riscal Organic Verdejo (Rueda): Heady, perfumed, and lemony goodness at a price too reasonable to resist. $15 B+ 2023 Lagar de Cervera Albarino (Rias Baixas): Leaps from the glass, but elegantly, like a ballerina. Fantastic value. $27 A- 2022 Pierre-Marie Chermette Domaine du Vissoux Fleurie 'Poncie' (Beaujolais): Floral, peppery, and the red berry action is surprisingly deep and hefty. The finish is sp...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

06 Feb 2025, 14:00

Dining

“Making New Wines for the Next Generation” (Getting Reacquainted with Kopke Ports)

The post "Making New Wines for the Next Generation" (Getting Reacquainted with Kopke Ports) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. Kopke's Port Master Blender Carla Tiago is quite resolved to the fact that she may never taste, in their final form, some of the wines she is working on now, because she might be dead by the time that they are fully developed. It's not that Tiago is old (she's not). It's that Kopke's Ports... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023. Originally ...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

30 Jan 2025, 14:00

Dining

“Like a Memory of the Sea” (Ronchi di Castelluccio Recent Releases)

The post "Like a Memory of the Sea" (Ronchi di Castelluccio Recent Releases) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. When describing what makes his family's wines (and those from Italy's Romagna in general) unique, Ronchi di Castelluccio's Aldo Mario Rametta keeps coming back to one thing: the soil. "The soil is like a memory of the sea," he says (rather poetically) during an online tasting of some of his family's recent releases (which also... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyri...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

23 Jan 2025, 14:00

Dining

“Built from Nothing” (Domaine Bousquet Recent Releases)

The post "Built from Nothing" (Domaine Bousquet Recent Releases) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. Last October, when I met up with Domaine Bousquet's Anne Bousquet in NYC's Baires Grill for what seems to have become an annual catch-up on their new releases, I realized that there waws one question that I'd never asked her. Bousquet has a lot of SKUs, relatively speaking (over 50, by my last count); how... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023. Originally at "Built f...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

16 Jan 2025, 14:00

Dining

Old Vines, New Steps (Pedroncelli Recent Releases)

The post Old Vines, New Steps (Pedroncelli Recent Releases) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. "Old vines are great, but they're, well, old." Late last year, I had the pleasure of catching up (via Zoom) with Julie Julie Pedroncelli, who (after her father officially retired at the age of 90) is now President of Pedroncelli, a stalwart fixture on the Sonoma wine scense since its founding in 1927. With their... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockridge Press! Copyright © 2023. Originally at Old Vi...

1 Wine Dude - Joe Roberts

09 Jan 2025, 14:04

Dining

“The Opposite Direction Than Everybody Else” (Eugenio Collavini Recent Releases)

The post "The Opposite Direction Than Everybody Else" (Eugenio Collavini Recent Releases) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. "There's no air conditioning, and I am sweating!" The affable Luigi Collavini from Eugenio Collavini says that he's uncomfortable in his family's warm wine offices during our online tasting back in August; but you wouldn't notice it on our Zoom call. Luigi is animated, and clearly eager to share his family's story (and wines). One... Upscale your palate! My books are available from Rockri...