It’s been a while since I’ve posted on my wine blog. This is in part because my focus has been elsewhere these past few months. But also because I can’t always come up with what I feel like are “blog-worthy” ideas for this site. That said, it is my goal to blog more – at least once a week across my three sites. So hopefully you’ll be seeing a lot more of me in 2026 than you did in 2025.
This is going to be a bit of a mixed bag of wine-related stuff I’ve had on my mind.
WSETs
First, I passed my WSET 1 exam last spring. I took the course through the Napa Valley Wine Academy, all online. It was a pretty cool process. They shipped me the wine samples I’d need to complete the course. Then I watched the videos, jumping in with the samples as needed. I highly recommend it. It can be hard for some of us to sync our schedules with an in-person class, and this asynchronous approach allows us to spend as little or as much time as we have available.
The exam was 30 questions, also done online. Very stringent process, though – you take the exam with your camera on. You also have to sync a phone to watch an alternate angle, all to ensure you’re not cheating. The fact of the matter is, the exam was quite easy compared to my Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) exam I took back in 2020. I actually finished the thing in around four minutes. But because of the anti-cheating stuff, someone had to review the video of me taking the exam before I could get my score, so I didn’t hear back for several weeks. I got a 96% or something like that.
Next up is the WSET 2, which I plan to complete, also with the Napa Valley Wine Academy, also this spring. It’s a much more comprehensive exam. The course is twice as long and twice as expensive. Eventually, I plan to finish the 3-level… and then we’ll see. Not sure I’ll need the 4 for what I have in mind.
Ohio Wine
Okay, wine snobs, don’t laugh at me. But The Wife and I ventured into the Ohio wine country near our home last summer and found a real gem in the area. Up until then, our experience had been the ice wine festival, of which there was a lot, and wineries that were mostly experiential and lots of decent, if not great, wine.
However, Debonné Vineyards really showed us another side of things. It’s Ohio’s largest family-owned estate, and has something over 175 acres under vine. They have a huge selection of varietals.
The one I found most interesting was their Bourbon Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon. Cab Sauv isn’t usually a favorite of mine. I know a lot of people love that big, bold, tannic flavor. I prefer my reds to be more on the delicate side, which is why I strongly favor cold-weather Pinot Noir.
But this Cab is built different. It has the typical Cab flavor profile of dark fruit, but it tends more towards the cherry and away from the more cooked fruit of a Napa Valley one. The bourbon barrel also brings out something different in it. It’s a softer aging, less woody, but more toasty, a bit of spice, and it seems to mellow the fruit, vs making it bold and heavy.
Interesting that I’m seeing a lot of wine aged in bourbon barrels up here – a few places do that with ice wine as well. I long thought as an efficiency play that aging whisky in wine barrels was the move. Age wine in new or second-time oak for a couple of years, throw some scotch in it, and wait 15, right? But now, I’m seeing the benefits of coming back with wine in the end as well. So – wine, whisky, wine. And then… furniture, I guess? (Yes, I bought one for my patio, ha).
Climate Change Pinot Noir
Speaking of pinot, I continue to be disappointed with the latest offerings in California Pinot Noir, though I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault out there.
Climate change is having its way with the varietal for sure. Whereas even just a few years ago, California had a good mix of the lighter, more fruity Pinot along with its more cooked, jammy counterpart, lately, everything I’m drinking from the Golden State tends towards the latter. When I can find it, I go for the Sonoma Coast Pinot, which generally has stayed lighter. But I’m very much back to my full focus on Central Otago and Oregon for my fruit-forward Pinot needs. Though I will say Burgundy seems to be adding some New World styles to its offerings as well.
Travel in 2026
2026 isn’t shaping up to be a big year in the way of wine tourism for yours truly, I’m afraid. Have a big trip in the offing later this year in Central Europe, but well after the weather turns cold. Hoping to find some of those famous sweet German Rieslings to try while I’m out there.
