Behind the Cork™ - All Hallows’ Eve Cabernet Franc - A Treat from Flora Springs

2021 Flora Springs Napa Valley All Hallows’ Eve Cabernet Franc ($75)

Flora Springs has been producing one-of-a-kind Halloween-themed labels for quite some time and this year's All Hallows’ Eve Cabernet Franc is a limited-production wine that is a perfect sip as the changing weather creeps in, from Halloween movie marathons to autumn-inspired dinner parties.

This year, Flora Springs General Manager Nat Komes, the creative spirit behind this annual endeavor, worked with comic book illustrator, graphic novelist and digital comics pioneer, Steve Ellis, to develop this years’ label.

This wine is produced from 100% Cabernet Franc that was aged 18 months in French oak barrels. And it is special - only 350 cases of this wine were produced.

This Flora Spring Napa Valley All Hallows’ Eve Cabernet Franc is deep purple in color with aromas of rich dark fruit and a hint of jelly bean. On the palate, this full-bodied wine has delicious black berry and black cherry flavors along with ripe currant. The oak aging adds some subtle touches of brown sugar and vanilla. This wine is an interesting combination of being full-bodied yet delicate. It finishes beautifully -- long and super smooth.

Treat yourself this Halloween, or any time this Fall, with this delicious Flora Spring Napa Valley All Hallows’ Eve Cabernet Franc. It’s an amazing wine that is this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week! Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Flora Springs via Forte Mare

Ever Wonder Why Some Wines Have Tiny Bubbles in Them?

Occasionally, when opening a bottle of still white wine and pouring it into a glass, you may see some tiny bubbles in the wine. And, if you use a bottle stopper and pump to extract the air in the bottle, you may see bubbles coming up through the wine. So, what exactly causes this phenomenon and should you be concerned?

The bubbles actually come from small amounts to carbon dioxide (CO2). This is the gas used to carbonate your favorite soft drinks and appears in beer and sparkling wine. It is a natural product of the wine fermentation process. Usually, all the CO2 escapes from the wine during processing, but it’s possible that very small amounts remain trapped in the wine prior to bottling. This is especially true of wines that quickly go from fermentation to the bottle (i.e., “young wines”).

Carbon dioxide is also a natural preservative for wine. So, winemakers may actually add a small amount of carbon dioxide to prevent a wine from oxidizing (i.e., absorbing oxygen).

Finally, it’s also possible that the wine has continued to ferment in the bottle, thus trapping the CO2 in the wine. This is unlikely, but if your wine also has some sediment and/or appears hazy, the bubbles would be due to this post-bottling mini-fermentation.

The bottom-line is that a few fine bubbles in a wine are totally harmless. Simply the act of pouring the wine into a glass should free-up these bubbles or, if you give the glass a swirl, the bubbles should quickly disappear. But, the bubbles don’t mean the wine has gone bad; it’s nothing that can harm you. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Dogajolo Wines by Carpineto Winery

Dogajolo Wines by Carpineto

Dogajolo (pronounced (Dog-ay-yolo) was launched in Italy in 1993 by Giancarlo Sacchet and Antonio Zaccheo Sr. of Carpineto.

"This is a momentous year as we proudly celebrate 30 years of our signature Dogajolo Toscano Rosso” said Antonio Michael Zaccheo Jr, the second generation of the Zaccheo family managing the Carpineto winery. 

“At the time we launched Dogajolo, Super Tuscans were highly coveted but considered an expensive wine for special occasions, or to drink at the weekend paired with a special meal. We set about changing this by producing an accessibly priced, approachable wine that you can enjoy every day. In doing so, we like to proudly say that we invented the ‘baby’ Super Tuscan category.”

2022 Dogajolo Bianco ($14.99) - This wine is a high-quality white wine produced from 40% Chardonnay grapes blended with 30% Grechetto and 30% Sauvignon Blanc. It is pale gold in color with aromas of citrus and melon along with floral notes. On the palate it has unique characteristics of being smooth and rich provided by the Chardonnay along with having bright notes of citrus and grapefruit from the Sauvignon Blanc. This wine finishes with refreshing acidity. (13/2% ABV, 1.7 g/L RS, pH=3.56, Acidity=5.0 g/L)

2020 Dogajolo ($14.99) - This wine is produced from 80% Sangiovese and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was fermented for 10-15 days in stainless steel tanks. The Sangiovese underwent full malolactic fermentation while the Cabernet Sauvignon only underwent partial malolactic fermentation. It was aged for 6 months in used French and American oak barrels & cement vats followed by 4-6 months in the bottle. It is deep ruby in color with aromas of black cherry and spice. On the palate it has the classic cherry flavor of Sangiovese with added depth associated with the Cabernet Sauvignon. (13/2% ABV, 1.7 g/L RS, pH=3.56, Acidity=5.0 g/L)

These two wines from Dogajolo are great for everyday drinking and very affordable making them a great fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wines of the Week. Cheers!

Dogajolo wines are imported by Opici Wines & Spirits and available in all 50 States.

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Samples Provided by Carpineto Winery via Donna White Communications

Ever Wonder About Italian Wine Blends?

Much like France, Italy has a long tradition of wine. In the 1960s, Italy formalized their wine appellation system modeled after the French system. Under this system, each wine region in Italy was required to operate under strict rules for the types of grapes they were allowed to grow and how their wines were to be produced.

Under this system, native Italian grapes were required to be used in Italian wines. These native grapes included Sangiovese, Barbera, Nebbiolo, and Montepulciano.

These regulations were quickly criticized as being overly restrictive and led small groups to push-back against them. By the end of the 1960s, these groups were producing wine blends with non-native grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.

Unfortunately, these producers of wines using non-native Italian grapes and/or blends of different grapes were forced to bottle their wines using the generic title of Vino da Tavola (Table Wine) that is associated with Italy’s lowest-quality wines. Instead of settling for this, they chose to unofficially call their wines “Super Tuscans” so as to distinguish them from inexpensive table wines.

Finally, in 1992, the Italian government created a new wine classification called “Toscana Indicazione Geografica Tipica” or “Toscana IGT” which is permitted on any wines, including wine blends, produced in any of Tuscany's ten provinces.

The Toscana IGT continues to be used to distinguish Super Tuscans. So, look for Toscana IGT on the label of these unique Italian wines. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Herminia Rioja Wines


Herminia Casas was the beloved wife of a winemaker in the early 1900’s in La Rioja, Spain. She was a pioneer in entrepreneurship and a champion of education access for women and children.

Her husband memorialized her legacy and their mutual life project by naming the winery for her.

These wines honor a woman, the feisty, nonconformist and determined Herminia. She labored tirelessly in favor of her community questioning and challenging the established norms of her time. Charismatic, committed, and a pioneer.

Now more than 70 years later, they continue to make modern, bold, and pioneering Rioja wines that represent Herminia's original project as they carry on her legacy.

Both of these wines are produced from 90% Tempranillo, the signature grape of Rioja, and 10% Garnacha which is a variety which complements Tempranillo due to its body and aromatic features.

Herminia Crianza ($16) - This wine is aged for 12 months in American and French oak before bottling and then spends 6 months in the bottle before shipping. It is medium ruby in color with aromas of red fruit and brown sugar. On the palate this dry wine (14% ABV) is medium-full bodied with flavors of black cherry, and light hints of oak. It has medium tannin and a nice, easy finish of dark red fruits.

Herminia Reserva ($22) - This wine is aged for 24 months in American, Hungarian and French oak before bottling and then spends 12 months in the bottle before shipping. This wine is deep ruby in color with aromas of black cherry, cigar box and leather from it oak aging. On the palate, this dry wine (14% ABV) is medium-full bodied with rich black cherry flavor and vanilla/brown sugar. It finishes long with nice fruit flavor.

These are a couple of really nice Rioja wines from Herminia that are also quite affordable, making them a great fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wines of the Week. Salud and Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Samples Provided by Herminia Wines via IT Public Relations